Jumping off Kaido's shoulder, Bazel waved to Babanuki.
"How many people do you have in total, and how strong are you?"
"My Babanuki Pirate Crew, oh no, it's the Beasts Pirates Babanuki Squad. We currently have 103 people in total. As for strength~"
Babanuki scratched his head, "That depends on what you're comparing us to. If you're comparing us to you guys, we're probably all just small fry."
"As for me, I'm good at close combat and pretty confident in my strength!"
"Big Bro Kaido, should we take them in?" Bazel turned to look at Kaido.
"You and King decide. I need to ask Linlin what the hell is going on! How could she side with Shiki?!"
Watching Kaido stomp away furiously, Bazel nudged King, who was more than twice his height, with his elbow.
"Big Bro Kaido must be jealous, right?"
King maintained his aloof demeanor, but his burning curiosity made it hard to keep his restless heart in check.
"We'll talk about that in private later. Let's deal with the matter at hand first."
"Cough."
Bazel cleared his throat and raised his hand to pat Babanuki's shoulder, only to realize the other man was also much taller than him.
Quick on the uptake, Babanuki immediately crouched down so Bazel could reach his shoulder.
"Let me introduce you to the current structure of the Beasts Pirates."
"First is Captain Kaido. That goes without saying. Next are me and my otouto, King. We are the All-Stars of the Beasts Pirates."
"There's another top executive who's out at sea with the rest of the Beasts Pirates crew, carrying out a mission elsewhere. As for those two."
"That one is my intimate lover, Amatsuki Toki. The other one is King's follower."
Hearing herself referred to as an 'intimate lover', Toki just shot Bazel a helpless glare but didn't say anything to contradict him and embarrass him. Instead, she generously introduced herself.
King, however, swatted Bazel's hand away, "Hey, introduce her properly, you bastard! What do you mean 'my follower'?!"
"No need, no need, I get it, I totally get it."
Babanuki revealed a look of understanding shared among men, "Big Bro King just has some unique preferences, that's all. It's understandable. After all, the sea is so vast…"
A sword was drawn. King looked at Babanuki expressionlessly.
"Very well. Go ahead, say it again if you dare."
"Hey now! We're all on the same side, just joking around."
Bazel pushed aside the sword King had placed against Babanuki's neck, saying with a smile, "Babanuki, remember to properly introduce our Beasts Pirates to your men later. Make sure it's a good introduction, understand?"
Babanuki nodded, somewhat comprehending, then pulled his group of subordinates aside to hold a meeting.
"Hey, Bazel..."
King looked at Bazel with the expression of a deeply wronged woman.
"I'm not your little brother. And why didn't you let me explain clearly?"
"If this spreads, how am I supposed to face people in the future?"
"Face people?"
Bazel looked at King, feigning surprise.
"But Arber, you're clearly not human, so why worry about 'facing people'? Why not just be a good god?"
King's eye twitched. His mouth opened and closed a few times before he finally turned away dejectedly and walked towards the shade of a tree.
"Whatever. The misunderstanding's already out there now. My reputation… Next time someone joins, you just stay on the sidelines and watch. I'll handle things."
Bazel quickened his pace to catch up with King, comforting him in a soothing tone.
"Titles can be changed, you know. Like 'The Loli Calamity' or something."
His steps faltering slightly, King glanced sideways at the man chattering away beside him.
"If it really comes to that, I'll definitely explain to everyone that it was you who led me down that path."
"That you're my esteemed senior in that area, with ample experience."
The smile froze on Bazel's face, "Arber, is it really necessary to go that far?"
"If we're going down, we're going down together."
A malicious smile appeared on King's face.
"You'd better be mentally prepared, you bastard. Heh heh heh ha ha ha~~"
…
When the two of them finished chatting and walked back to the camp, they noticed a few members of the Tontatta Tribe had joined Toki.
"This is Gancho, the chief of the Tontatta tribe, the king of the Tontatta Kingdom. In short, he is a highly respected elder."
Toki introduced the elderly Tontatta lying on a stretcher not far away.
'So it really is that tribe…'
Noticing the strange look in Gancho's eyes, flames burst behind King. His right hand suddenly clamped onto his sword hilt.
His narrowed eyes were full of menace.
His true identity absolutely must not be exposed!
"Our two tribes were close comrades-in-arms nine hundred years ago!"
Gancho struggled to sit up, looking excited.
"Our Tontatta Tribe also participated in that great war! It's just that too much time has passed, and most of our tribe's history has been lost. But I've always remembered the records concerning your tribe!"
King was first stunned, then frowned and retorted, "What great war? What exactly are you talking about?!"
Hearing the retort, Gancho was also taken aback. Then, as if remembering something, he shook his head with a bitter smile.
"It seems your tribe has also declined. Don't be nervous. If I wanted to reveal your secret, I wouldn't be here now."
"Let's discuss these matters another time. Who is in charge here?"
King instinctively looked at Bazel.
"I am, Chief Gancho. I was also the one who invited your tribe to join the Beasts Pirates earlier."
Bazel crouched down and grasped the other's trembling, outstretched right hand.
"The conditions remain unchanged. If your Tontatta Tribe is willing to join, I will strive to secure equal treatment for you to live under the sun."
"As long as we, the Beasts Pirates, exist for even a day, anyone who dares to bully the Tontatta Tribe will face our reckoning."
"Whether it's food or living conditions, your tribe will enjoy the same treatment as humans, perhaps even better."
Gancho regained his composure and looked up, meeting Bazel's eyes directly.
"This should be our first meeting. As a human, why are you offering the Tontatta Tribe such an incredible deal?"
King also looked at Bazel, curious about the answer to this question.
"Because of your talents."
Bazel answered without the slightest hesitation.
"I've heard many legends about Dressrosa's 'fairies' from Hanafuda. If those are true, your Tontatta Tribe deserves such treatment."
"Moreover, Big Bro Kaido has always wanted to completely change this world… its systems and its rules."
"If all races cannot live equally, then what's the point of talking about change?"
"Am I right, Chief Gancho?"
"Equality for all races... that's quite an extraordinary ideal."
After sighing with emotion, Gancho raised three fingers.
"The Tontatta Tribe can join the Beasts Pirates, but I have a few conditions."
"First, our Tontatta Tribe needs a separate settlement. The environment doesn't need to be great, as we can improve it ourselves."
"Second, status. We are willing to acknowledge Kaido-san as the King, but I hope the status of the Tontatta Tribe can be equal to that of ordinary humans."
"Lastly, development. We will spare no effort to help the Beasts Pirates, but I hope our tribe will receive commensurate returns in exchange."
Before Bazel could speak, Gancho looked at King.
"I want your promise, Arber. Swear upon the honor of your Lunarian ancestors that you will never betray your comrades-in-arms."
King's expression changed slightly.
The forbidden term had finally been uttered.
And the other party seemed to know far more than he did.
Bazel stepped aside. He knew what the other party valued wasn't the Beasts Pirates, but King's bloodline.
'The tribe of gods who had once fought side by side… this is the key reason Gancho was willing to place his bet.'
"Sigh..."
After letting out a long breath, King's expression turned serious.
"I swear upon the honor of my ancestors: as long as the Tontatta Tribe does not betray the Beasts Pirates, the Beasts Pirates will absolutely never betray the Tontatta Tribe and will grant them treatment no less than that of humans."
Gancho nodded slightly, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.
This was exactly what he wanted.
If the invitation had come from any other human, it would be useless… not even from the famous Yamata no Orochi, or the renowned Kaido of the Beasts himself.
But if it came from a former god, that was a different matter entirely.
Unless they disregarded the honor of their ancestors.
However, what Gancho didn't know was...
In King's view, the glory earned by his bloodline ancestors had nothing to do with him.
As long as this group could help Kaido, he wouldn't hesitate to swear on his ancestors' honor, or even the future of the entire Lunarian Tribe itself. It meant nothing to him.
Anyway, as long as Kaido could achieve his ideal of changing the world, honor was worth less than shit.
King shot a glance at Bazel, signaling him to take over.
"Then the next issue is the itinerary."
Bazel said with a smile, "Chief Gancho, our Beasts Pirates need to return to Paradise to retrieve something we want. After that, we will return to the New World."
"Before heading to our territory, the Beasts Pirates will come here to pick you up."
"This is a promise."
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