To survive in this world, one needs strength and backing.
Storm took the Beast Pirates' flag handed to him by Robin, examined it briefly, then casually crumpled it into a ball and tossed it aside.
What kind of low-tier lizard dares to do the same work as me!
Though it wasn't entirely confirmed whether Hanafuda was actually a spy for the Beast Pirates, the fact that he had hidden one of their flags in his secret chamber was undeniable.
Even if this so-called "Lizard King" wasn't officially part of the Beast Pirates, Hanafuda was at least closely affiliated with them.
After all, aside from a few extreme fanatics, what self-respecting pirate would hang another crew's flag in their own base?
Seeing Storm casually discard the Beast Pirates' flag, Robin couldn't help but twitch her eyelids several times.
That was an Emperor's flag! Was this really okay?
She wanted to ask Storm that very question.
Most pirates in the Grand Line had heard the legends of the Pirate Emperors.
Among them, Kaido of the Beasts, the Governor of the Beast Pirates, was said to have challenged both the Marines and other Emperors single-handedly, enduring over a thousand tortures and a hundred executions...
Yet no one had ever managed to kill him! If not for Whitebeard's overwhelming reputation as the "World's Strongest Man," many would have bestowed titles like "Strongest" upon Kaido instead.
Epithets like "Strongest in One-on-One Combat," "Strongest on Land, Sea, and Air," or "Strongest Creature"...
Robin had heard Kaido could transform into an enormous Azure Dragon—
Wait.
Azure Dragon?
White Dragon?
Robin blinked, glancing between Storm and the Blue-Eyed White Dragon soaring in the sky.
The scheming archaeologist thought she understood the "White Dragon's" intentions.
Pirates and their endless pursuit of fame and fortune...
"Your expression looks odd. Is there something else?" Storm noticed Robin's gaze and asked.
"Did Hanafuda's treasure room hide other flags? Whitebeard's? Big Mom's? Red Hair's? Surely not the Celestial Dragons' Hoof of the Soaring Dragon flag?"
"No one in this world could possibly be foolish enough to like the Celestial Dragons, right?"
"If we're talking about pirates, I doubt any would favor the Celestial Dragons..."
Robin shook her head, recalling briefly before reporting again.
"By the way, I didn't find any Devil Fruits in Hanafuda's treasure vault."
"Not a single one?"
"Not a single one."
Storm's brow immediately furrowed.
For ordinary pirates, encountering a rare Great Sea Treasure like a Devil Fruit, eating it on the spot would be the first choice.
The second option would be finding a suitable buyer to sell it for profit.
A single Devil Fruit could typically fetch 100 million Belly—a massive fortune!
But Hanafuda wasn't an ordinary pirate.
First, he was already a Devil Fruit user.
Second, Storm remembered clearly—
Hanafuda had a particular fondness for collecting Devil Fruits, especially the Ancient Zoan types!
On Banaro Island, aside from Hanafuda, one of the Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea...
Storm hadn't yet discovered any other pirates displaying Devil Fruit abilities.
So where had all the Devil Fruits Hanafuda collected over the years gone? "Did he send every single one to the Beast Pirates in the New World?"
This possibility made Storm feel like he'd lost hundreds of millions.
He could accept Hanafuda's treasure room having no money.
But he absolutely couldn't accept a "Devil Fruit collector's" treasure room being devoid of Devil Fruits!
Activating his [Clay-Clay Fruit] ability, Storm grabbed the unconscious Lizard King...
Forcing a "physical" reboot! Slap slap slap—
After a series of loud slapping sounds.
The dazed Hanafuda regained consciousness, his entire body wracked with pain—especially his face, which hurt terribly.
It felt like he'd been smashed in the face by the Governor's Eight Precepts...
"Hanafuda!"
Storm's voice clearly reached the Lizard King's ears.
"Where are the Devil Fruits?"
"The two Ancient Zoans we just obtained were sent to the New World days ago..."
Still not fully conscious, Hanafuda instinctively began reporting, then suddenly came to his senses.
"Wait! You're the White Dragon! Not Lord Kaido!?"
"Kaido? Lord?"
Storm manipulated the clay to bring the still immobile Hanafuda before him.
"You're one of Kaido's men?"
"Correct!"
Knowing he was no match for the White Dragon, Hanafuda hoped to intimidate his opponent with his superior's name.
At the very least, he didn't want to end up like Sand Crocodile—directly eliminated by the White Dragon...
"My backing isn't the World Government, but one of the Pirate Emperors who rules the New World—Lord Kaido!"
"Answer me this."
Storm went straight to the point.
"Have all the Devil Fruits you've collected over the years been sent to Wano Country?"
"Yes."
Hanafuda recounted proudly.
"The Ancient Zoan [Mammoth Fruit] and [Grammostola Rosea Tarantula Fruit].
"Plus Lord Kaido's favorite Ryu Ryu Fruits—[Triceratops Fruit], [Pachycephalosaurus Fruit], and [Spinosaurus Fruit]..."
Damn! Who's really running the Beast Pirates—Kaido or you?
Those five or six Ancient Zoan Devil Fruits could form nearly half of the Beast Pirates' elite forces! Storm didn't care about Ancient Zoan Devil Fruits. Except for Mythical Zoans.
All other Zoan-type Devil Fruits were trash in his eyes!
But...
"Not a single Paramecia-type collected?"
"Why bother with Paramecias?"
Hanafuda snorted coldly.
"We Beast Pirates aren't like the Whitebeard Pirates or Big Mom Pirates playing house! 'On this sea where the strong prey on the weak, only beasts survive to the end!'"
Hanafuda notably didn't mention the Red Hair Pirates.
Because none of them had eaten Devil Fruits...
"Then tell me..."
Storm looked coldly at the Lizard King.
"Will this beast see tomorrow's sun?"
"White Dragon! You—! I'm of the Beas—"
Before Hanafuda could finish.
Storm manipulated his clay to deliver a super-powered punch infused with [More-More Fruit: Hundredfold Strength].
Boom! A single punch felt like a grand ceremony had erupted inside the Lizard King's skull—gongs, cymbals, and bells all ringing at once.
Hanafuda's eyes rolled back as he collapsed stiffly to the ground, his breath leaving him in ragged gasps with no sign of return.
[Platinum Trophy: Lizard King Hanafuda]
Another five-star Grand Prize Trophy secured.
"Robin, continue cataloging Hanafuda's assets, along with the pirates on the island."
Storm stowed the trophy away and gave Robin the order before taking to the skies with Hanafuda in tow.
"I have some business to take care of."
Riding the Blue-Eyed White Dragon into the air, Storm gripped Hanafuda's neck and gave it a sharp twist.
A crisp snap later, the Lizard King's spine fractured, his body going completely limp.
Without hesitation, Storm deftly activated the power of the [Devil Ring].
Before long, a [Devil Fruit] materialized in his hand.
[Zoan-Type: Dragon-Dragon Fruit, Ancient Zoan, Tyrannosaurus Rex Form]!
Storm had never been particularly fond of old-school pirates like Hanafuda.
Add to that the fact that he was a member of the Beast Pirates…
Dragging someone like that into the New World to challenge an Emperor would be nothing but trouble.
So Storm decided to end him outright.
And as a bonus, he got a [Tyrannosaurus Fruit] out of it…
"This [Tyrannosaurus Fruit], plus the leftover [Chameleon Fruit] from before…"
Storm stuffed the freshly acquired [Tyrannosaurus Fruit] into the Blue-Eyed White Dragon's body.
"Why do I feel like I have such a strange connection with 'lizards'?"
Two Zoan fruits—one a standard model, the other an Ancient Zoan.
To Storm, they were like tasteless chicken ribs—not worth eating, but a shame to throw away.
"I'll hold onto them for now!"
Seated atop the Blue-Eyed White Dragon, Storm gazed down at Banaro Island below.
After a moment of contemplation, he pulled out a Den Den Mushi from his coat and dialed a familiar number.
"Hey, hey, hey—Aokiji there?"
"Yare yare, Storm…"
Aokiji's voice crackled through the receiver.
"Are you so satisfied with your current life that you're looking to raise the difficulty?"
"Admiral Aokiji."
Storm's tone shifted to something more formal.
"I'm just here to do you a favor—delivering some credit your way."
"Credit?"
Aokiji's brow furrowed involuntarily.
"Is it… Nico Robin?"
"You really are fixated on that 'Child of Evil,' aren't you, Admiral Aokiji?"
Storm's voice carried a teasing lilt.
"Have you considered joining me? If you left the Marines now and came to my side, you could see Robin every day."
"Cut the nonsense, Storm!"
Aokiji's voice turned stern.
"I'm not leaving the Marines! And I'm certainly not becoming your subordinate!"
"Admiral Aokiji, what exactly do you think pirates are?"
Storm chuckled, his tone carefree.
"Pirates are just people who act together when their interests align!
"Subordinates? Only mediocrities care about titles like that."
"Yare yare…"
Aokiji rubbed his temples in exasperation.
"You really are becoming more and more like a pirate, Storm…
"Coincidentally, I just received a fax from headquarters today. I think you'll find it interesting."
"What fax?"
"Your bounty."
Aokiji pulled out two bounty posters from his coat, the top one clearly bearing Storm's portrait.
[White Dragon Vongola Storm (Vongola Storm)]
[Image.JPG]
[Bounty Amount: 95 Million Belly]
[Bounty Level: ONLY ALIVE]
"To reach a bounty of 95 million Belly on your first wanted poster..."
Aokiji stared at Storm's bounty notice, his tone laced with mixed emotions.
"Even the Pirate Empress of Amazon Lily wasn't this 'impressive' at the start."
Aokiji knew Storm was talented, but he hadn't realized just how much! His growth was absurdly fast!
Who the hell sent Storm undercover!?
--Support me in Patreon for more chapters 35+ chapters in there
patreon.com/LegendaryTL
Thanks!