Behind the pirates, chaos and deception unfolded.
"Fake Shirogai," Barack, disguised as the God King Shirogai yet vastly different from the real man, shouted frantically. Alcohol flames burned along his hands as he raised them high, feeling the intense heat licking his skin.
"Kill! All of you, kill for me, your God King!"
When the pirates heard the voice of the legendary figure who had shaken the seas, the epic pirate known as the God King, whose bounty had once shocked the world, their frenzy only intensified. The mere thought that such a legendary figure was personally cheering them on drove them into bloodthirsty madness.
"Kill!!!"
Meanwhile, Three-Tongues Black noticed that no one was paying attention to him. Quietly and cautiously, he began retreating. With one arm still burning, he hurried back toward his ship.
"Quick! Put out the fire!"
The moment Black rushed into the cabin, he wildly waved his burning arm while shouting in panic at his trusted companions who knew his secret.
"Put it out! Hurry!"
"Captain, stand still!"
Splash!
His companions, members of the fake Straw Hat crew waiting inside the room, immediately threw water from a prepared basin over his body.
Hiss...
The alcohol flames on Black's arms, which had been used to imitate the effects of the Flame-Flame Fruit, were finally extinguished.
"Phew..."
The scorching pain fading away, Black let out a long breath and collapsed onto the deck in relief.
"You nearly scared me to death. I almost burned myself alive!"
He wiped the sweat from his forehead and gritted his teeth.
"Why does that God King have to possess so many Devil Fruit abilities? Every time I go out to perform these fake 'Devil Fruit powers,' I have to risk my life!"
"Hiss..."
The scammers dressed as members of the Straw Hat crew squinted as they looked at him, shielding their eyes.
"Captain! The light behind you is blinding!"
"Yeah! Turn that thing off. We can barely open our eyes!"
Click.
Turkey, disguised as Franky, switched off the powerful spotlight hidden behind the clothes of the fake God King. Rubbing his stinging eyes, he spoke with concern.
"Captain, when are we leaving? I think it's time. The warehouse on our ship is already packed with stolen treasure."
He glanced nervously toward the cabin door. Outside, the sound of cannon fire, pirates shouting, and fanatical cheers echoed nonstop.
Lowering his voice, he continued anxiously.
"If they find out that we aren't the Straw Hat Pirates, and that this so-called God King Shirogai is just a fake, we're dead for sure."
Turkey shuddered as he remembered the atrocities committed by those pirates.
In less than ten days, those lunatics had slaughtered nearly twenty to thirty thousand civilians.
Wherever they went, blood flowed like rivers and corpses covered the land.
A plump woman nearby nodded in agreement, fear written across her face.
"Exactly, Captain. This is far too dangerous."
She swallowed nervously before continuing.
"The last time you forced me to impersonate the God King, that pirate Caribou of the Wet-Haired, with a bounty of over 100 million Berries, tried to approach me. He even asked me to demonstrate the Magma-Magma Fruit ability used by Fleet Admiral Sakazuki!"
"How would I know how to do that?"
"If I hadn't thought quickly and used the spotlight to imitate a Glint-Glint Fruit laser beam, aiming it at Wangarang and Drip who were hiding in the shadows..."
"And if they hadn't detonated the bombs buried beneath the rocks to create an explosion that looked like molten magma erupting..."
"We would have been exposed right there!"
She shivered.
"That man has extremely sharp eyes. I think he's already starting to doubt who we really are."
Fake Nami, Xiu Kela, spoke with a trembling voice.
Heaven knew how she managed to keep smiling in front of that ruthless pirate.
If Caribou had attacked her, she would have died instantly.
After all, Caribou the Wet-Haired was a notorious pirate with a bounty of 120 million Berries, famous for torturing Marines.
He was far beyond someone like her, a mere scammer who did not even have a Marine bounty.
When he had approached earlier, she could feel the faint killing intent radiating from him.
Her entire body had trembled.
If she had not forced herself to remain calm, she might have collapsed to her knees in fear.
When would these terrifying days finally end?
The other members of the fake Straw Hat crew quickly echoed her worries.
Fake Zoro, Wangarang, gripped the hilt of his sword and spoke stiffly.
"Captain, she's right. We've already made enough money by using those pirates. Let's escape before it's too late."
His expression remained rigid.
"If I keep forcing this expression, my face might never recover."
To imitate the cold demeanor of the famous three-sword swordsman, he had suppressed all emotions on his face for days.
Recently, however, he discovered something horrifying.
His facial expressions had stopped moving entirely.
After secretly visiting a doctor, he was told that his face was approaching paralysis.
Beside him stood a short man wearing a tattered straw hat and a tight rubber suit.
Fake Luffy, Difei, scratched his back in discomfort.
"Captain, wearing this rubber suit every day is unbearable. I've gotten heat rash all over my back."
Inside the rubber bodysuit was a hidden air mechanism. Whenever he secretly pressed it, the suit would inflate dramatically, allowing him to imitate the stretching effects of the Chop Chop Fruit abilities.
However, the airtight suit tortured him.
Every night after removing it, his back would be covered in painful rashes.
"Woof! Woof! Woof!"
Nearby, a plump fox whimpered loudly.
Deer antlers had been crudely attached to its head so it could imitate Chopper.
The poor animal had once lived peacefully on a small island, happily hunting rabbits and voles.
Instead, these scammers had captured it and chained it up.
Now everyone called it a raccoon dog.
This was a great insult to its proud fox dignity.
"What are you all panicking about?"
Black suddenly barked angrily.
"We haven't been exposed yet, have we?"
He glared at his timid companions with clear disdain.
"If it weren't for my flawless plan, you useless fools would still be struggling at the bottom of the sea!"
He puffed out his chest proudly.
"Would you be living like this now, commanding pirates worth over 100 million Berries and enjoying luxury among tens of thousands of pirates?"
Black snorted arrogantly.
"Those so-called 100 million Berries pirates are nothing more than idiots. They're simple-minded and easy to fool!"
He raised his head confidently.
"From now on, you must believe in your hearts that you truly are members of the Straw Hat crew."
"Every one of you has a bounty exceeding 100 million Berries. What is there to fear?"
He spread his arms dramatically.
"Your captain, I, the God King, possess a bounty of 10 billion Berries!"
"The World Government trembles before me! Even the Four Emperors dare not oppose me!"
Black had clearly begun believing his own lies.
With complete confidence, he puffed out his stomach and declared proudly,
"Even the former Seven Warlords of the Sea were once my subordinates! Pirates worth hundreds of millions, even billions of Berries, follow under my command!"
"Behind me stands the Sky Island Alliance and the mighty Air Force, forces powerful enough to rival the World Government!"
"This is who I am, the God King!"
"As long as I proclaim the name of God King Shirogai, pirates across the seas will retreat in fear!"
He swept his gaze across the room.
"Tell me, on this entire sea..."
"Who would dare stand against me?"
Silence filled the cabin.
The fake Straw Hat crew members exchanged awkward glances, their mouths twitching.
Their thoughts were identical.
If you were truly the God King, we would not be afraid.
But you are not.
You are fake.
Just like us.
Boss...
Your real identity is Black, the man with Three Tongues, wanted for 26 million Berries.
A loudmouth who loves to boast.
"I am the next Pirate King!"
Black suddenly declared, gripping the pistol at his waist. A cold glint flashed in his eyes as he stared at his companions.
"This is a fact acknowledged by the entire world!"
His gaze sharpened.
"So tell me..."
"Are you planning to betray the next Pirate King, my dear companions?"
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