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"The Kano Country won't be an easy fight," Governor Madison muttered, turning around.
Last night, the pirates had been celebrating, drinking and laughing. Now, they were all passed out on the deck, dead drunk.
This was the reality for most pirates.
He went back to his cabin.
A Den Den Mushi sat on his table.
The voice of his contact came through. "Governor, the royal family has agreed. If you take Shasta Island, they will recognize you as its ruler."
"That's not enough," Governor Madison said calmly.
Who wanted to be a pirate for their entire life?
Governor Madison had been doing their dirty work for years. He wanted to move up in the world. He wanted to be a noble. To have his own land, his own estate. To live a life of luxury, to be a master, not a servant.
Not to be tossed about on the waves, never knowing when a storm might swallow him whole.
The Pirate King?
Heh. A story to fool the children.
The pirate crews he'd dealt with were all just hunting dogs for the nobles.
And others... they'd fly a merchant flag and be a merchant ship one day, a pirate flag and be a pirate ship the next.
The Celestial Dragons, the nobles... they were the true rulers of the world. In his heart, his only goal was to join them, to become one of them.
But he also knew what the nobles were like. A bunch of parasites. Polished on the outside, rotten to the core.
The rule of Shasta Island was not enough.
"Tell King Thalassa Lucas," he said, "that I want the title of Earl in the Ilisia Kingdom. And remember, I want it in writing. The royals and the nobles... their words are worth less than farts. They'll turn on you in a heartbeat."
"Understood, Governor," his contact replied. "I'll relay your demands."
"Governor!"
Suddenly, the lookout on the mast shouted, "A fleet has been sighted! Three o'clock, ten nautical miles!"
"Hm?"
Governor Madison went outside. "What flag?"
To ensure the element of surprise, they had taken a route far from the main shipping lanes. They shouldn't have encountered any other ships.
The lookout raised his spyglass. He was shocked. The foresail of the approaching ships was emblazoned with the characters for "Happo," and the mainsail had the character for "Kano." The prow was shaped like a tiger's mouth, with three cannons mounted on it. The ship's design was the unique, ocean-going junk of the Kano Country.
There were five of them.
"The Happo Navy!" the lookout shouted. "It's the official pirates of the Kano Country!"
"What?"
Governor Madison's face darkened.
Just what he'd been afraid of.
He leaped up to the mast, snatched the spyglass, and looked for himself.
"Wake everyone up! Prepare for battle!"
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On the main ship of the Happo Navy, a bald Chinjao sat on a throne in front of the main mast, his expression stern.
"Don! It's the flag of the Kraken's Tongue."
"So those bastards really did manage to sneak in here," Chinjao said, his eyes flashing with anger.
Any pirate crew that managed to hold a territory for any length of time had to have a deal with the local nobles. The Kraken's Tongue were infamous, yet they had never been wiped out. It was obvious who was backing them.
Governor Madison had thought he was being clever, but he had forgotten about the unpredictable nature of the sea.
The Happo Navy's intelligence officers had spotted a suspicious ship near the Pasosa Kingdom. They had discovered that the Pasosa Kingdom had recently been in close contact with the Kraken's Tongue and suspected that they were planning something.
And so, Chinjao had been patrolling the area with his fleet.
And now, he had caught them.
"Send them a warning," Chinjao ordered. "Tell them to leave these waters, or we will attack."
"Yes, Don!"
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"Governor, they're sending a signal. It's a warning."
Governor Madison was deep in thought. The Happo Navy was famous throughout the West Blue. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't want to risk a mutually destructive battle—
But this was different. He had bet everything on this. His future was on the line.
Win, and he'd have it all.
Lose, and he'd be in the gutter.
In the midst of the crisis, he saw an opportunity.
"If we can take out the Happo Navy..." he thought, "—will the Kano Country have any other fleets to oppose us?"
He had heard that the ruler of the Kano Country, in an attempt to fend off pirate attacks, had adopted a policy of isolationism. Their land forces were strong, but their navy was weak.
"Load the cannons! Prepare for battle!"
The Kraken's Tongue did not back down.
They not only refused to retreat, but they dared to fight back?
"Relay the order! Prepare for a naval battle! We'll send these parasites to the bottom of the sea!"
"ALL HANDS, PREPARE FOR BATTLE!"
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"A naval battle?"
Inside the demonic carrier, Jin had received a notification from Ai.
Ever since swallowing Germa 66, Ai had been integrating some of its technology into the carrier. For example, its electrical system.
With a massive power supply, it wasn't difficult to build a simple radar system. And the radar could even be used to extend the range of his Observation Haki.
Enel's massive "Mantra" was directly related to his Devil Fruit. He was, in essence, a living radar.
Jin went to the bridge.
In the distance, he could hear the faint sound of cannons.
He placed his hand on the console and released his Observation Haki, channeling it into the radar, merging it with the radio waves.
The Haki, "coiled" around the radio waves, spread out in a fan shape, faster and farther than before.
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The cannons of both fleets roared to life, the recoil so powerful that it sent the ships listing to one side.
After three volleys, the two fleets closed the distance. The boarding parties threw their grappling hooks, and with swords clenched in their teeth, they leaped across. The more powerful fighters just leaped, clearing the twenty or thirty meters between the ships.
"Eight-Impact Punch!"
The brothers, Sai and Boo, were incredibly fierce, and they each engaged one of the enemy captains.
The others also found their opponents.
Governor Madison spotted the bald Chinjao and, with a leap, he unleashed a flying slash with his sword.
"Hmph. You think you can take me?" Chinjao stood up. He was over five meters tall, and though he was slightly stooped, he was still incredibly broad and muscular.
"Kraken's Sword!"
"Eight-Impact Punch: Martial Head!"
Chinjao leaped into the air like a meteor, his presence ferocious, his white beard flying, like a demon.
Madison dodged the attack. The headbutt slammed into the deck, sending a shower of splinters into the air.
The Eight-Impact Punch was the secret technique of the Happo Navy, similar to Fish-Man Karate. And Chinjao's specialty was the iron head.
"Eight-Impact Punch: Martial Head Rotation: Wild Dance!"
Chinjao unleashed a flurry of attacks, forcing Madison to dodge.
But he wasn't fast enough.
He was sent flying by one of the blows.
As he fell, his body began to transform. When he stood up again, he was a monster.
A massive body, with a terrifying appearance. Tentacles writhed, like an octopus, and they were wrapped around his sword.
Zoan-type, Fish-Fish Fruit? Mythical Model: Kraken.
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