"Mm?"
Anos and the others, who had been drinking, turned their heads toward the source of the strange sound and saw El standing there.
"Damn it! You dare to set foot on our ship?"
"What an arrogant brat! Doesn't he know our captain is a notorious pirate in the New World with a bounty of 300 million Berries?"
"Wait a second... that kid looks familiar... He's El! The pirate who single-handedly defeated multiple Navy fleets! His bounty is 100 million Berries!"
"One hundred million Berries? So he's no small fry."
"Idiot, 100 million is nothing compared to our captain! He's got 300 million Berries on his head!"
"That's right. This guy's bounty might sound impressive, but he's all alone. Coming here was a death sentence."
The group of pirates stood up, grabbing their weapons while muttering among themselves. Their eyes were filled with hostility as they prepared for battle.
"A bounty of 100 million, huh? Interesting fellow," Anos said with a smirk as he slowly stood. "We were rude just now, so I'll apologize. A man like you shouldn't be wandering alone. Join me, El. Follow me, Anos—the future overlord of this sea!"
Hearing his confident tone, El's lips curled into a faint grin. "The overlord of the sea, huh?"
Disaster...
Indeed, this was an era far more dangerous than the one Luffy would later live in.
Not only did Rocks D. Xebec seek to become the king of the world—
There was also the future Pirate King, Gol D. Roger.
Whitebeard, the strongest man in the world.
Kaido, the strongest creature alive.
The old woman who would become the Queen of the Seas.
And the legendary pirate, the Golden Lion.
"That's right, El! Join my crew. I'll make you my first mate!" Anos said, spreading his arms wide, his grin full of ambition.
On this ship, only Anos had a bounty of 300 million Berries.
The rest of his crew ranged from a few million to tens of millions.
A pirate like El, worth 100 million, would indeed be qualified to be his first mate.
"Not interested," El replied flatly.
Anos's smile froze. His expression darkened. "You'd better think this through. To board my ship and then reject me… that's not something you walk away from alive."
Though he regretted provoking El, Anos knew that letting him leave unharmed would destroy his reputation.
If El refused, there was only one path left—violence.
"You talk too much," El said coldly.
Whoosh!!!
Before Anos could respond, El swung his blade in a flash, cutting straight toward him.
Clang!!!
As a pirate with a 300 million bounty, Anos possessed Observation Haki. He sensed the attack in advance and quickly coated his arms in Armament Haki to block.
"You bastard," Anos growled through gritted teeth. "It seems you're ready to die."
"If you think you can kill me, go ahead and try," El replied icily.
A dark sheen of Armament Haki wrapped around El's arm and blade. In an instant, he sheathed the sword—then drew it again with blinding speed.
Whoosh!!!
The slash ripped through the air, the force alone trembling the atmosphere. A chilling aura swept across the deck.
Clang!!!
The impact rang out like thunder. The wooden deck beneath Anos's feet split open, his legs sinking into it under the immense pressure. His body trembled—he was losing ground.
"Captain... the captain's being pushed back!"
"How can this be?! How is he so strong?"
"His bounty's only 100 million! Our captain's is 200 million higher! This can't be real!"
"Is this guy... a monster?!"
The watching pirates trembled in fear, their faces pale as they witnessed their captain's defeat unfold before their eyes.
They never imagined that their captain — the man they were so proud of, a pirate renowned across the New World with a bounty of 300 million Berries — would be suppressed so easily.
Today, that same captain was defeated by a pirate with a bounty of only 100 million Berries!
Everyone says that a bounty doesn't necessarily reflect a person's true strength — it represents the level of threat or chaos that person brings to the world.
However, for pirates with bounties under one billion Berries, strength still plays a decisive role.
After all, those below that level rarely possess the power to cause large-scale disasters.
In other words, the gap between 100 million and 300 million Berries is vast — an uncrossable chasm in strength.
At first, the crew thought their captain had the upper hand against El.
To their shock, the battle turned out to be the complete opposite.
"Too weak," El said coldly, looking down at Anos — a man shorter than him by a head, his legs completely crushed into the deck.
"So this is the strength of a pirate worth 300 million Berries?"
The reason El's bounty was only 100 million wasn't because he was weak — far from it.
He simply didn't care about bounties.
He sailed the seas in search of Devil Fruits, and more importantly, to train himself — to challenge strong opponents and move one step closer to perfecting his Sage body.
Every powerful foe he encountered met the same fate: defeat and death. None were left alive to tell the tale.
The Navy only placed a 100 million Berry bounty on him because of the skirmishes he'd had with their forces during his voyage.
It must be understood — the New World is not the Navy's territory.
Here, pirates outnumber the Marines by countless times.
During this past year at sea, who knows how many battles El has fought, how many powerful enemies he's faced, and how many have been wiped from existence because of him?
El, who had been tempered by endless combat, was still considered a "100 million Berry" pirate — yet to him, a so-called "300 million Berry" captain was nothing more than a weakling.
"You bastard! Don't underestimate me!" Anos roared, veins bulging as his arms flared with even stronger Armament Haki. He tried to force El back, desperate to escape from the deck.
But no matter how much strength he poured into his attack, the blade pressing down on his arm didn't move an inch — firm as a mountain, unshakable and absolute.