Jaya Island.
Hanafuda, having dropped his morning star, was breathing heavily, several officers of the World Pirates lying at his feet.
Gairam, the user of the Paramecia-type Kyubu Kyubu no Mi.
Sebastian, a hybrid of giant and fish-man races.
And...
Numerous other members of the World Pirates.
"This guy is really tough. As expected of a fish-man mixed with giant blood." Hanafuda muttered, still in his hybrid form, his face smeared with blood trickling from his forehead.
He chewed for a few moments before spitting out a chunk of mangled fish-man skin.
"Damn it!"
"This is the price of fighting our Beasts Pirates! Costa, are you dead? If not, get out here!"
"Captain..."
A hand emerged from a pile of corpses not far away. The nearby Beasts Pirates hurried over and moved the bodies pinning Costa down.
"Thanks, everyone. I almost got smothered to death."
Costa leaned against the corpses, his left hand pressed against his bleeding abdomen.
"That medicine woman was really tough. She almost killed me."
"You're still too weak. I took on two of them alone and didn't get this badly injured."
Hanafuda walked over slowly, piled up some corpses, and sat down on them.
"Hey, guys!!"
"Anyone who can still move, hang these guys' bodies up!"
"The World Pirates are finished! Let the pirates of the Grand Line see what happens to those who oppose us!!"
"Captain~~"
A man wearing armor but no helmet came running over from a distance.
"Doron? Are there still enemies?" Seeing his subordinate rushing over in a panic, Hanafuda thought there might still be foes around.
"No, what should we do about the civilians in Mock Town? Should we contact the slave traders?"
'The surviving civilians?'
Hanafuda turned to look. At the entrance of a large wine cellar in a corner of the town, many heads were peeking out.
"Idiot, do I really need to spell this out?"
"We're pirates, not scum of the sea. If you dare touch the slave trade, Bazel will skin you alive!"
"Listen up, all of you! We are the freest pirates, but we are not the lowest scum. If anyone dares to get involved in this business, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
"Doron, go tell those 'civilians' who dare to make money off pirates that we just won a big battle. Have them bring out good wine and food for a feast!"
"As for these pirates' heads, if they want them, they can have them!"
"It's not like we can turn in the heads for bounties anyway. Might as well use their mouths to spread the fame of the Beasts Pirates."
"Yes, Captain!"
Buru Buru Buru~~
Buru Buru Buru~~
"The Den Den Mushi is still alive..." Hanafuda muttered.
Kacha.
"Who?"
"It's me, King. Hanafuda, what's the situation on your end?"
The Den Den Mushi pulled out a mask resembling King's from its shell and spoke in a low, muffled voice.
"Wahahaha, we won a huge victory, Arbe... King!!"
"That famous World Pirates of the Grand Line has been defeated by us. Though we still don't know what happened to their captain."
"Bazel should have no problem handling him…"
"Captain, something terrible has happened!!!"
Doron, who had just left moments ago, came running back, this time carrying a dark-skinned man with calloused hands over his shoulder.
"This guy is a fisherman from the town. He said he... he..."
Hanafuda frowned, "Calm down. I'm still alive. Even if a Marine Admiral shows up, I'll take him down!"
"Yes, Captain!"
Doron swallowed hard and hurriedly explained, "The fisherman said he saw Bazel-sama and the enemy get swept into the sky by a massive whirlpool current!!!"
Swept into... the sky?
Hanafuda froze. The Den Den Mushi spoke again, "Send that fisherman here."
Recognizing the voice as King's, Doron didn't dare delay and quickly pushed the fisherman in front of the Den Den Mushi.
"What do you mean, Bazel was swept into the sky?"
"J-Just what it sounds like, sir!"
The fisherman's legs gave way, and he knelt on the ground.
"Aside from the legend of the City of Gold, the most famous thing about Jaya Island is that monstrous current that washes people and ships away, leaving nothing but bones and scraps!"
"Over the years, anything hit by that current, whether ships or Sea Kings, gets shredded to pieces!"
"It's a super terrifying natural disaster!!"
The Den Den Mushi fell silent for a long time before asking, "Get him out of here. Hanafuda, where is Mr. Kaido?"
The fisherman was taken away by Doron. Hanafuda turned the Den Den Mushi back toward himself.
"Kaido-san said he was going to meet some acquaintances, but he ended up going farther and farther away. My Observation Haki can no longer sense his presence."
"Tch, of all times for something like this to happen."
The Den Den Mushi extended its tentacles to rub its temples.
"Contact Kaido-san as soon as possible. I'll head over immediately after finishing things on my end."
"Understood."
Kacha.
"A... giant whirlpool current?"
Hanafuda looked up at the sky.
"There's no way something like that could kill Bazel. Costa, do you believe Bazel could die like this?"
"Don't joke around, Captain."
Costa, who was receiving treatment, let out a strange laugh, "Bazel-sama is a man who has awakened Conqueror's Haki! He's not some weakling who'd be easily killed by nature!"
"You're damn right! Hahahaha~~~"
"Alright, crew! Prepare for a feast! This is a major victory!!"
"Oh!!" The pirates cheered, raising their arms in celebration.
…
Time skip: 4 days later.
A ship flying the Beasts Pirates' flag sailed into Mock Town.
Along with it arrived reporters from the World Economic News Paper.
"King, where's the big news you promised? I dropped even the news from the New World to deliver this intel about Sky Island for you!"
"You won't be disappointed, Morgans."
King led the way off the ship, a little blonde girl perched on his shoulder.
"Yeah, yeah! We Beasts Pirates are the most trustworthy pirates around, right, King?" Olga chirped.
King didn't respond, so Olga continued on her own, "Four days ago, one of our main forces had a huge battle here against that World Destroyer's crew."
"Their captain, World Destroyer, Byrnndi World, was defeated by Bazel. No one knows where he's run off to now."
"What!?"
Morgans was shocked, "Why didn't you tell me such important news days ago?!"
"Well, you got the information about Sky Island already, so whether I was on Drum Island or not shouldn't matter, right?!"
"Of course, we needed your news gulls for a fast travel advantage. Ehehehe~~ No way we'd tell you that upfront!"
The corner of King's mouth twitched behind his mask, "You just said the quiet part out loud, you idiot Olga."
Olga froze, "Ah, did I? My bad."
"...Whatever."
Morgans sighed wearily and picked up his Image Den Den Mushi.
"Guess I'll film what I can then."
"Cough... You're King of the Beasts Pirates, correct?"
Suddenly, one of the men tied to the wooden frames along the coastline spoke up.
"I am Gairam of the World Pirates. We are willing to join the Beasts Pirates. Please—"
King walked over to Gaimon, looking down at him.
"Do you think the Beasts Pirates are a garbage disposal service?"
"You're not actually entertaining the thought of surviving this, are you?"
Gairam, with most of his body shrouded in shadow, fell silent.
"Your captain, that so-called 'World Destroyer', his first target was Toki-san. Whether intentional or not, do you understand what that signifies?"
"It signifies a declaration of war against us, the Beasts Pirates."
"If you don't die, then every stray cat and dog in the future will think it's okay to take a shot at us."
King extended his hand. Flames coiled around his index finger as he slowly, deliberately, pushed it into Gairam's abdomen.
A scream echoed along the coastline.
"Babanuki, have your men take 'good care' of them."
He pulled his finger out, but not a single drop of blood followed. The wound was a charred, festering mess.
King, with Olga on his back, continued walking forward, his expression behind the mask devoid of emotion.
"I don't want to hear that they died quickly. I want the soundtrack of this coast to be their screams until Bazel returns safely."
"If you fail, you will take their place in suffering the punishment, and then you will die."
Babanuki and his subordinates quickly snapped to attention.
"Y-Yes, King-sama! We will definitely not disappoint you!"
"See that you don't. Acier, you stay and assist them. Those half-finished potions of yours should prove quite useful."
Acier let out a sigh but wisely refrained from pleading for the pirates. He knew the full story.
'Had that pirate crew's first target not been Toki-san, there might have been hope for them to live.'
'But, since they have made the choice, they have to pay the price.'
"I understand."
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