According to tradition, pirates who survive reaching the Shampodi Islands are called rising stars among pirates. Traversing the First Half of the Grand Line is impossible for many.
Among them, pirates with bounties exceeding a hundred million are called Super Rookies. They are either extraordinarily powerful or notorious for numerous blood crimes, raising their bounties due to the great harm they pose.
Furthermore, these pirates from the first half have a particular trait: they lack awareness of their limits. It's difficult to find someone from the New World with the courage to challenge a renowned Great Pirate.
They know the power of those monsters. Only those who have just set sail, unaware of the vast world, would have such courage.
Especially those Super Rookies, whose bounties often come with a blind confidence, easily manipulated into making irrational decisions.
Pangreen, a member of CP9 with the codename Anteater, joined the Pumpkin Pirates in the First Half of the Grand Line a few months ago.
The captain, a Super Rookie of this generation, 'Pumpkin Madman' Teburoro, is a pirate with an odd obsession with pumpkins. Even the pirate ship looks like a giant pumpkin.
With a bounty of 110 million Belly, he infiltrated the pirate crew by simply pretending to be an avid pumpkin enthusiast, gaining Teburoro's trust.
Not long ago, he received a mission from the organization to somehow incite Teburoro to head to Kaidou's territory to investigate certain matters.
This investigation is not an ordinary one. If it were just for intelligence gathering, agents posing as merchants have already been dispatched to those islands. His task is to provoke a conflict between Teburoro and the Hundred Beasts Pirates.
The aim is to observe the battle tactics to deduce certain things, primarily observing the combat styles of those strange ability users within the Hundred Beasts Territory.
Ordinary islands may not have them, but the main island of the Hundred Beasts Pirates, once occupied, certainly has sentinels who are likely to possess unique abilities.
As for how to persuade Teburoro, it's not difficult for Pangreen. His assumed role on the ship is that of a Navigator, so he's already crafting the sea route.
Regarding Teburoro's own opinion, as long as he's told there might be delicious pumpkins there, he'll have no objections. Many people set sail for inexplicable reasons.
Take Teburoro, for instance. Initially, his goal was to find the tastiest pumpkin. However, he has certain issues—when denied pumpkins, he becomes irritable and even resorts to mass slaughter.
Before setting sail, the island was abundant with countless pumpkins, so he never had an episode. However, the long voyage often lacks supplies, which frequently leads to his irritability.
It's somewhat similar to BIG MOM's Anorexia Nervosa, but not exactly the same. This condition combined with his personality eventually led him to become a pirate with a bounty.
Meanwhile, as the Pumpkin Pirates adjusted their course, on Winter Island, Scotch was on his daily patrol with a group of people.
Most of the elite of the Hundred Beasts were taken to Wano Kuni by Kaidou, yet the territories outside are not without defense. Relying on the Hundred Beasts Pirates' fearsome reputation gained during this period, life here is generally peaceful.
Scotch's heavy footsteps crunched in the snow, displacing the accumulated snow on his shoulders.
Kaidou and Arceus entrusted the island's safety to him, which he regarded as significant recognition and diligently fulfilled his duty daily.
By his side were not members of the Hundred Beasts Pirates but Gable and his village patrol.
After Kaidou left the area, there were several invasions. The Hundred Beasts Pirates gradually altered the way of life here over the years, and the people grew accustomed to the Hundred Beasts' protection.
Especially given what happened after Kaidou moved away, they realized the island's stability was closely tied to Kaidou, and initial dissenting voices gradually fell silent.
To better stabilize the villagers' lives, Gable even re-formed his original unit to take charge of village security, giving the remaining pirates more assistance.
"A pirate ship's incoming! It's a flag we've never seen!"
A lookout from the port reported new information. This was Gable's least favored scenario, unfamiliar flags typically signifying newcomers, and newcomers meant potential disruption of the island's peace.
The territories of a Great Pirate have their own rules. In the Tottland Sea Region, ordinary pirates entering without permission would be directly destroyed.
However, that is due to Charlotte Linlin's unique ability; the mass-produced Homies provide ample manpower. Kaidou doesn't have as many to monitor all seas, but those who land must still pay a passage fee.
"Prepare the coastal cannons." Watching the approaching pirate crew, Scotch lifted his left hand. Over the years, he'd had more body modifications by Queen, with only his left shoulder remaining intact.
Excellent military engineering allowed the island to build several coastal defense cannons, rendering the entire island fortress-like in style.
They didn't know the pirate ship's intentions, but docking required paying the passage fee.
The lookout on the tower signaled with semaphore to order the Pumpkin Pirates to halt.
But the other party showed no intention of stopping and instead opted to fire directly.
"Confirm the enemy, retaliate, annihilate them all." Scotch ordered the gunners, then his legs and left hand transformed into two large magnets, only the revolver machine gun on his right arm remaining.
His massive body defied the laws of gravity and began to float, electricity coursing through him.
In his modified Magnemite form, he was the most distinctive among the ability-bearers of the Hundred Beasts Pirates. His transformation into Magnemite had much to do with his identity as a Modified Person.
His abilities weren't his own choice but stemmed from Arceus's sudden whim, rooted in his status as a Modified Person.
Using his modified body to replace the "steel" attribute, then integrating electric power, ultimately birthed the ability of Magnemite. Being a Modified Person made this modification easier than for others.
His left hand's large magnet aimed at the enemy's Pumpkin Ship. Currents concentrated at the magnet's tip, forming a powerful electric sphere in his hand.
Floating in the air, he naturally drew the enemy's attention. A barrage of gunfire erupted, countless bullets shot at him, but apart from a brittle sound, nothing happened.
In his Magnemite form, not only was his entire body made of steel, but he also wielded powerful magnetic forces, causing incoming bullets to lose their momentum and adhere to him.