"Hm?"
The clink of glasses and drunken laughter stopped.
Anos and his crew turned their heads toward the sound. A shadow stood at the edge of the deck, sword in hand.
"Oi! Who the hell are you!?"
"Damn brat! You think you can just walk onto our ship?!"
"Wait… that face. I've seen his bounty poster—That's Ayr! The bastard who's taken down Marine fleets alone before. They've got him listed at 100 million Berries!"
"What?! A hundred million?!"
"So what? Our captain's worth three hundred million. This punk's out of his depth."
The crew scrambled to grab their weapons. Some laughed, the wiser ones looked a bit uneasy.
Captain Anos rose from his seat. He stood tall, eyes narrowing as he studied the intruder, his bounty poster didn't do him justice.
"Interesting," Anos said, brushing the dust from his coat. "We might've gotten off on the wrong foot. I apologize."
His voice was smooth, but his eyes glinted with ambition.
"A strong man like you shouldn't be drifting alone. Join my crew, Ayr. Serve under me—and I'll make you my vice-captain."
Ayr tilted his head.
"Vice-captain?"
He gave a half-smile, one with no warmth.
"You want to become king of this sea?" he asked, amused.
Anos grinned. "Damn right, I'm next up. I'm taking everything, from the world government to the Grand Line, all of it."
But Ayr didn't laugh.
Because he knew the truth.
There was a reason this era was as dangerous as it was. It was a powder keg, Rocks D. Xebec, the mad tyrant, was still alive. Roger hadn't become Pirate King yet and Whitebeard, Kaido, Big Mom, Golden Lion—the monsters were still gathering.
Anos thought he was a lion.
But in this era, lions were prey.
Ayr spoke slowly . "I'm not interested."
Anos's smile vanished. His voice turned sharp. "You sure you wanna die here, kid? You step on my deck, refuse my offer, and expect to walk away?"
Ayr lowered his stance. "You talk too much."
"Shh—!"
His blade flashed forward in a blur.
Clang!!!
Anos moved just in time. His Armament Haki surged over his arms, blocking the strike. Sparks flew.
His boots skidded against the deck.
"You really think you're gonna leave alive?" Anos growled.
"If you've got the skill," Ayr said flatly, "go ahead and stop me."
Ayr's arm tensed. His blade shimmered black, coated in Armament Haki. In the next instant—
"Shing!"
He slashed again, faster, heavier.
Clang!!!
The clash rang out like a bell. Anos's arms trembled, and his boots cracked through the wooden deck, his knees bent as his legs sank into the boards.
"He's… pushing the Captain back!"
"Impossible!"
The crew watched in disbelief. The man they respected—the one who ruled over them with a bounty three times higher—was being overwhelmed.
Their confidence began to crack.
Everyone said bounties didn't reflect true strength, just the threat a person posed.
But under a billion berries, threat and power were the same thing.
And right now, they were watching the unthinkable—
A 100 million bounty pirate crushing their captain.
Ayr stepped forward, looming over Anos, whose legs were buried in splintered wood.
"Too slow, too weak," Ayr muttered. "So this is the strength of a 300 million bounty?"
His voice was cold, dismissive.
The truth was simple—
Ayr didn't care about bounties. He wasn't a pirate chasing fame, he was hunting strength, chasing Devil Fruits, and pushing his body to the limit for the sake of evolution.
Most of the enemies he fought never lived long enough to raise his bounty.
Even the 100 million had come from the few Marines who survived.
What the world didn't know—
Was how many powerful pirates Ayr had already killed.
Anos roared in rage.
"Don't you dare look down on me!!"
Veins bulged across his arms. A dark wave of Armament Haki surged as he tried to shove Ayr back and free himself, Ayr didn't budge.
His sword pressed harder.
Anos's shook his arms and his knees quivered.
The blade stayed locked—