"Whose territory is that?" Charlotte Linlin pointed to an area adjacent to Newgate's territory, where there were several decent-looking buildings.
Seeing that Charlotte Linlin was not pointing at Whitebeard Newgate's territory, Kurozumi Higurashi secretly breathed a sigh of relief and quickly replied:
"To answer Lady Linlin, that is the territory of the 'Giant Crocodile' Pirates. The Captain is 'Giant Crocodile' Lodar, with a bounty of 320 million Berries. He is a user of the Zoan Type, Ancient Species, Deinosuchus Fruit. He has thick skin and incredible strength.
"He also has three main executives under him, collectively known as the 'Fangs Trio'. They are all users of ordinary Zoan Type fruits, with great coordination and considerable strength."
After listening, Charlotte Linlin pondered for a moment and asked, "What is the conduct of this pirate group? Do they only plunder treasure, or do they also kill innocents and bully the weak?"
She mainly wanted to understand the style of this pirate group. If they were a group she could communicate with and who had a sense of loyalty—not necessarily acting like the Straw Hat Pirates and avoiding ordinary people entirely, but as long as they followed the rules of Hachinosu Island and wouldn't retaliate against her people when she was away—she would just drive them off.
But if they were a group of pirates whose behavior was too atrocious, she wouldn't mind dealing a lethal blow to prevent them from retaliating against her weaker Crew members in the future.
Kurozumi Higurashi thought for a moment and said:
"As far as I know, 'Giant Crocodile' Lodar's reputation on Hachinosu Island is fairly good. They mainly plunder merchant ships and other pirate groups; I've rarely heard of them actively attacking civilian islands.
"It's said... they have always wanted to join Newgate's command, perhaps influenced by his philosophy of valuing his subordinates."
"Wanting to join Newgate? And their conduct is decent?" Charlotte Linlin nodded.
"Alright, I understand. You all wait for me here."
As soon as she spoke, dragon scales appeared all over her body, Dragon Wings unfurled, and massive dragon horns wound out, transforming once more into the beautiful and majestic Dragon Girl Form. With the wings on her back flapping, she flew straight toward the territory of the "Giant Crocodile" Pirates.
In mid-air, her powerful Observation Haki swept across the area below like radar, instantly locking onto one of the strongest presences. She adjusted her direction and dove down toward that position!
...Inside the main hall of the "Giant Crocodile" Pirates' base.
The Captain, "Giant Crocodile" Lodar, tall and burly with bronze skin and a hideous scar on his face, was sitting in the main seat. Before him sat three fierce-looking executives.
One of the executives, who looked like a tall, thin pole, complained: "Captain, we've been in this godforsaken place for a year! Why do we have to insist on joining Newgate's command? His requirements are too high!"
"Wouldn't it be better to go join Boss Golden Lion Shiki? With your Ancient Species Devil Fruit ability and strength, Captain, you could definitely become an important executive of the Flying Pirates!"
Another executive, short and fat like a ball, echoed: "Yeah, Captain! That guy Newgate just shakes his head every time, saying our 'motives are impure' and we're 'not the same kind of people.' He won't take us in at all! I think he just looks down on us!"
The third executive, well-proportioned with sharp eyes, didn't speak but also looked toward Crocodile.
Lodar sighed and looked at his three loyal but somewhat impatient companions, saying in a deep voice:
"Monkey, Fat Ball, Quick Blade, you're right. It might be easier to gain status with Shiki. But have you thought about it? With Shiki's personality as a grand schemer and his massive ambition, if we join, we'll likely be used as cannon fodder to be consumed in the charge!"
"But Newgate is different. Although he's picky, he values sentiment. Once he accepts you, he truly protects his crew as his own! What I want is a home where everyone can grow stronger in peace, not a place where we live in constant peril!"
"Captain!" The three executives named Monkey, Fat Ball, and Quick Blade were instantly moved to tears upon hearing this.
"So you were doing it all for us! We understand! We will definitely follow you to the death, Captain, until Newgate accepts us!"
Just at this touching moment of loyalty between leader and subordinates—
BOOM!!!
The roof above them suddenly exploded into a large hole. Amidst flying debris and wood chips, a figure shrouded in dust, with huge wings and massive horns, descended from the sky, landing in the center of the hall, shaking the ground three times!
"Enemy attack!" Monkey, Fat Ball, and Quick Blade were instantly jolted out of their emotion. Reacting quickly, they stood up and struck battle poses, staring warily at the massive figure in the dust that looked extremely similar to a legendary demon.
The dust slowly cleared, and Charlotte Linlin in her Dragon Girl Form appeared before them, carrying a massive nodachi on her shoulder.
Her purple eyes swept across the four people present, finally settling on Lodar, who had the strongest presence, and she spoke with peerless dominance:
"Are you the boss here? I've taken a liking to this territory! So, please leave my territory now!"
Silence... After a brief silence, Monkey murmured, "So... so beautiful!"
Fat Ball was almost drooling. "So... so it's an angel descending! Not a demon!"
Quick Blade's eyes were also fixed. "Too beautiful..."
Even Lodar was momentarily stunned by Charlotte Linlin's appearance after her dragon transformation, which blended non-human features with peerless beauty, causing him to lose focus for a split second.
But his will was firm, and he reacted immediately. Seeing his three useless subordinates still looking with hearts in their eyes, he was so angry that he swung his fists and gave each of them a heavy blow to the head!
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
"Ouch!" The three cried out in pain, finally waking up and realizing they were facing a major enemy.
Lodar Cold sweat beaded on his forehead., She looked at Charlotte Linlin warily.:
"'Dragon Swordsman' Charlotte Linlin! What do you want in my territory?!"
Charlotte Linlin impatiently tapped her shoulder with the hilt of her blade:
"Are your ears broken? This old lady wants this territory!"
At the same time, a burst of pink Conqueror's Haki suddenly spread out with her as the center, like an invisible wave, instantly knocking out all the ordinary pirate lackeys who had rushed in upon hearing the commotion, like wheat before a scythe.
"Conqueror's Haki..." Lodar felt the heart-palpitating pressure, and his expression became even more solemn.
"Is she another monster like Newgate?"
But his pride as a Captain wouldn't allow him to surrender without a fight. He took a deep breath and responded boldly:
"You want my territory? Fine! Beat me, and it's yours!"
Having come to their senses, Monkey, Fat Ball, and Quick Blade were intimidated by the Haoshoku, but they wouldn't back down now either, echoing in unison:
"Right! Exactly! If you want to take our territory, beat us first!"
Charlotte Linlin looked at them, a flash of imperceptible admiration in her eyes. "A good team and friendship. But in the face of absolute strength, none of this matters!"
Before her voice even faded, her figure suddenly vanished from the spot!
"So fast!" Lodar's pupils shrank.
The next moment, Charlotte Linlin appeared behind the executive "Quick Blade" like a ghost. A layer of pitch-black Haki covered her massive scabbard. Her nine-meter-tall body performed a fluid swinging motion, like hitting a golf ball!
Bam!!!
A heavy thud sounded!
"Pugh!"
Quick Blade didn't have time to react at all. He only felt an irresistible, terrifying force coming from behind. With a scream, his body was sent flying like a cannonball, smashing through several walls in a row before being buried under rubble, completely unconscious and out of the fight.
"What?!" Monkey and Fat Ball were dumbfounded with shock!
"Quick Blade!" Lodar shouted in grief, thinking Quick Blade had been killed by the blow.
He whipped his head around, glaring fiercely at Charlotte Linlin, his eyes nearly splitting:
"You hateful wretch!"
Charlotte Linlin looked at their grief-stricken atmosphere, as if they had lost a dear friend and she had become the great villain. She explained wordlessly:
"Don't worry, he's not dead, just unconscious. However, if he's buried under the rubble for too long, I don't know if he'll suffocate. So, do you still want to fight?"
Hearing this, Lodar was stunned for a moment. He released his Observation Haki and confirmed that Quick Blade's presence was indeed just weak and hadn't vanished. His grief lessened slightly, but his anger and fighting spirit boiled even more.
He cracked his neck, his body beginning to swell as rough Crocodile skin folds appeared on his surface:
"Fight! Of course we fight! Even if he's not dead, this debt must be settled! I will avenge my companion!"