Of course they are... and very much so.
But how can he make these two betray the Beasts Pirates and fully submit to him?
His gaze then fell upon Black Maria.
At 29 years old, her strength and talent, though inferior to the other two, are still quite impressive.
However, compared to her, Ulti and Page One are easier to control.
Because these two are a brother-con and a sister-con, respectively.
They would go to any lengths for each other.
"What a pity..."
After shamelessly scanning Black Maria with his eyes, a flicker of regret flashed in Lancelot's gaze.
But the blade in his hand showed no hesitation.
"Swish..."
A cold gleam sliced through the air as Shusui in his hand arced.
Before Black Maria could even react, her hands flew to her neck in agony.
Her expression was filled with terror.
No matter how tightly she pressed, she couldn't stop the blood gushing from the wound.
As the blood continued to flow, she could clearly feel her life force draining away.
Death had arrived.
She staggered back a few steps before collapsing weakly to the ground, not dying immediately but struggling helplessly.
Seeing this, Lancelot's lips curled into a faint smile.
This was exactly the effect he wanted.
He then glanced at Ulti and Page One.
Just as he expected, the two were wide-eyed, their expressions filled with sheer terror.
Their perception of Lancelot had shifted completely.
Fear, dread... At this moment, any thought of resistance had vanished.
Even when they had faced Kaido, they had never felt so powerless.
The gap in strength was simply too vast.
Who was Black Maria? Their direct superior.
Though they deeply resented her, believing their strength surpassed hers, they had to admit one thing: Black Maria was no weakling.
Though inferior to them, she was still remarkably strong.
Otherwise, her bounty wouldn't be higher than theirs.
Bounties don't fully represent one's strength, as seen with the three of them.
Their bounties are lower, but if they were to fight Black Maria, they were absolutely confident of victory.
Yet, their bounties truly weren't as high as hers.
After all, they had only recently become pirates and hadn't yet made a name for themselves.
Naturally, their bounties were low.
However... bounties can reflect a person's strength indirectly.
Someone without power couldn't possibly have such a high bounty.
And yet, this very person couldn't even withstand a single move from this Marine before them. He could finish them off with a single slash.
If he could take down Black Maria in one strike, then he could do the same to them.
Although they were confident they were stronger than Black Maria, the difference was not significant.
"What do we do now?" Ulti and Page One exchanged a glance.
"Whoosh..."
In the next moment, Ulti flashed forward, positioning herself in front of Page One with a resolute expression.
Her actions made it clear—they were prepared to die.
But even in death, she would die before her younger brother, Page One.
Such familial devotion was truly rare.
Seeing this, Lancelot's heart was slightly moved.
His desire to win them over grew even stronger... but this was also a key reason why he was confident he could bring them under his command.
A faint smile curled at the corner of Lancelot's lips.
"Willing to live and die together... such rare sibling loyalty. How about this—I'll give you a chance to survive. What do you say?"
"Huh?"
Ulti and Page One were momentarily stunned, then overjoyed.
Who wouldn't choose to live if given the chance? So they nodded immediately.
Lancelot: "Join my ranks..."
"What?!!!"
Ulti and Page One were stunned once again.
They never expected this Marine to try and recruit them.
He must have recognized their talent and strength! Just like their captain had back in the day.
But they were pirates!
However, they quickly came to their senses, remembering Charlotte Custard and Charlotte Broyé—both of whom were originally from the Big Mom Pirates.
They were even Charlotte Linlin's own daughters, yet they had still ended up under this man's command.
Ulti and Page One exchanged another glance, their hearts swelling with excitement.
Who cares!
They'd agree first and figure out the rest later, so they nodded repeatedly.
But just as they were about to formally respond, Lancelot saw right through them and cut them off.
"I'm very pleased that you're willing to join me. But... how will you earn my trust?"
Ulti: "..."
Page One: "..."
That single question left them speechless.
They looked at each other, at a loss for how to respond.
Lancelot, however, seemed to have anticipated this.
His smile widened. "It seems you can't think of a good way to earn my trust right now... How about I give you a suggestion?"
Did Ulti and Page One have any other choice? No, they didn't.
In the end, they nodded.
Lancelot: "Denjiro—the man you know as Kyoshiro—is one of the Nine Red Scabbards serving the Kozuki Clan in Wano Country. We've already made an agreement: I will cause a disturbance at Kaido's headquarters, Onigashima, to draw the attention of the entire Beasts Pirates."
"Meanwhile, he will persuade Kikunojo and Ashura Doji to launch a surprise attack on the quarry and rescue all the former retainers of the Kozuki Family... The two of you can split up. One of you will come with me to Onigashima and act as my guide; the other will join them in the surprise attack on the quarry, serving as their guide and ally."
"This..."
Ulti and Page One were completely dumbfounded.
They weren't fools.
If they really guided Lancelot and that Red Scabbard Denjiro separately, there would be no turning back.
All members of the Beasts Pirates would regard them as traitors.
Captain Kaido would absolutely not let them off.
But if they disagreed, they would only face death... and it would be now.
As for any other schemes, those were out of the question.
The separation of the siblings meant one would effectively become a hostage in Lancelot's hands.
If either side caused trouble, the other would be immediately eliminated.
'Gulp...'
Ulti and Page One'swallowed with difficulty, finally realizing how terrifying this Marine before them truly was.
It wasn't just his strength—he had human nature completely figured out too.
In the end, Ulti and Page One nodded once again.
Lancelot glanced at them.
"Ulti will come with me. Page One, you'll follow Denjiro's group. It's happily decided then. Hehehehe..."
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