The ships docked.
Led by Kaito, Lafayette and Neferpitou followed behind him. The three quickly disembarked and stepped onto the port.
"Attention, Captain!"
When the members of the War Pirates gathered at the port saw their captain step down from the ship, they immediately stood at attention and shouted in unison.
The thunderous sound echoed throughout the entire port.
'So this is what the people of the Blue Sea look like?'
'I thought the only difference between the people of the Blue Sea and us was that they don't have wings. I didn't expect the difference to be this enormous.'
'What is with these people? Their presence is so dangerous. I feel threatened by every single one of them.'
'There are so many of them. Is this the power controlled by the God of the Blue Sea?'
On the five ships, the people from Shandia and Angel Island were completely shocked as they looked at the members of the War Pirates gathered at the port.
Some were stunned by the beast-like bodies of the War Pirates.
Others were shocked by the dangerous aura radiating from them.
And still others were astonished by the sheer number of pirates gathered there.
Although Kaito had returned unexpectedly, the port had obviously been used as a base by Robin and the others.
Therefore, even though many of the pirates were still in Magic Valley Town, thousands of people remained stationed at the port.
"Captain, you're back!"
"Captain, did everything go smoothly during your trip to Sky Island?"
"Lafayette, are these people from Sky Island?"
The younger members of the War Pirates were not the only ones who had gathered.
Robin and the other cadres soon arrived as well.
When they saw Kaito, Lafayette, and Neferpitou, Robin and the others quickly moved forward to greet them.
During the greetings, some of them noticed the Shandians and Angel Islanders aboard the ships.
Their curiosity immediately increased.
Especially when they noticed the wings on the backs of the Shandians and Angel Islanders, Robin and the others were even more surprised.
"That's right. These are the people from Sky Island that we recruited during this trip."
Lafayette gave a brief explanation.
Upon learning that these people truly came from Sky Island, Robin and the others began examining them with even greater curiosity.
"All right, everyone can disperse for now. If there's anything else, we'll discuss it after we return to the ship."
Kaito waved his hand, dismissing the gathered pirates.
He then instructed Lafayette to take responsibility for arranging the Shandians and Angel Islanders.
After that, Kaito returned to the No. 1 main ship together with Robin and the other cadres.
On the deck, Kaito sat casually on the large sofa carried by two of his subordinates.
He looked toward Robin and the others and asked,
"Has anything happened during these past few days? Did any Marines show up?"
"No!"
"The Marines didn't appear."
"Captain, while you were away, we caught three Devil Fruit users in Magic Valley Town. We also found a sniper."
In response to Kaito's question, some of the cadres shook their heads, while others excitedly presented what they had discovered.
"Devil Fruit users and a sniper?"
Kaito looked somewhat surprised at the person who had reported the news.
"That's right, Captain. After you, Lafayette, and Neferpitou went to Sky Island, we had nothing to do, so we decided to search Magic Valley Town and see if there were any Devil Fruit users worth recruiting. We actually found three."
Law explained with a smile.
Magic Valley Town was a gathering place for pirates, and Kaito was well aware of that.
Likewise, it wasn't surprising for Devil Fruit users to exist in a place where so many pirates gathered.
After hearing Law's explanation, Kaito understood the situation.
However...
"And what about the sniper?"
he asked.
"Captain, the sniper I'm talking about is Van Augur. His marksmanship is incredibly powerful. He can accurately shoot birds from several kilometers away!"
Sanji quickly explained.
"Van Augur?"
Kaito's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Yes. Van Augur came to us on the second day after you left, Captain. According to him, fate guided him to join our pirate crew."
Seeing that his captain seemed particularly interested in Van Augur, Sanji immediately continued explaining.
Kaito was indeed interested.
The name was Van Augur.
And he possessed the ability to shoot birds from several kilometers away.
That certainly sounded like the Van Augur who would eventually become a member of the Blackbeard Pirates in the original story.
So, after Lafayette, had he once again cut Blackbeard off from one of his future subordinates?
"Go and bring Van Augur here. I want to see him."
Kaito instructed Sanji.
Although marksmanship wasn't considered the mainstream combat method in this world, that didn't mean it was weak.
Combined with powerful Haki, an exceptional sniper could still possess extremely lethal combat power.
More importantly, the War Pirates genuinely lacked a sniper.
If this Van Augur was really the same Van Augur he remembered, then the crew's vacancy in that position would finally be filled.
Soon, Sanji hurried away under Kaito's orders.
After a while, he returned.
Following behind him was a tall man.
The man wore a strange-looking hat.
A scope was positioned over his right eye, and he held an obviously modified firearm in his right hand.
Following Sanji onto the deck, Van Augur's eyes immediately focused on Kaito, who was sitting on the sofa.
The instant he saw Kaito, a strange light flashed through Van Augur's eyes.
The corners of his mouth also lifted into a faint smile.
Finally.
He had finally met him.
The captain whom fate had guided him toward.
"Captain, this is Van Augur."
After walking over, Sanji introduced the man behind him to Kaito.
"Hello, Captain!"
Seeing Kaito looking at him, Van Augur respectfully saluted with a smile.
The moment Kaito saw Van Augur's appearance, he knew that his guess had been correct.
He had really managed to recruit another one of Blackbeard's future subordinates before Blackbeard could get his hands on him.
"Van Augur, I heard from Sanji that you can shoot birds from several kilometers away. Can you show me now?"
Kaito nodded slightly in response to Van Augur's salute.
At the same time, he looked at him with great interest.
"The captain has made a request. Of course, this subordinate has no problem fulfilling it!"
Van Augur nodded confidently.
He immediately turned his gaze toward the distant sea and raised the firearm in his hand before him.
Birds were very common on the sea.
With a little effort, it wasn't difficult for Van Augur to find a suitable target.
He immediately pulled the trigger.
Bang!
The gunshot rang out across the port.
Kaito, Robin, and the others on the deck all turned their eyes toward the distant sea.
The firearm in Van Augur's hands had obviously been modified.
The bullets it fired were far more powerful than those of an ordinary gun, and their initial velocity was also extremely high.
The bullet tore through the air at supersonic speed.
In a short span of time, it crossed several kilometers of open sea.
Then—
It accurately struck the eye of a seagull flying across the distant sky.
The shot was flawless.
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