Chapter 33: From the Seas of the World

The balance of power across the world’s seas had begun shifting dramatically in recent years.

The legendary Rocks Pirates—now spoken of only in tales—had seen their captain, Rocks, perish, and their flag vanish. Yet, his remnants still thrived, gathering new comrades and making names for themselves.

---

—The Grand Line, the "Great Pirate Route"

"—Boss, it’s him!! This brat tried to steal our cargo…!!"

"Let go of me!! Damn it…!!"

In a non-affiliated island nation, plagued by endless strife, a lone boy was bound and shoved forward before a certain pirate crew. Towering over the boy stood a giant of a man, over five meters tall, wielding a naginata. The pirate, wearing a captain’s hat with a trademark white mustache, glared down at the boy with a stern gaze.

"…Why’d you target our ship’s cargo?"

"Tch… Shut the hell up!! Whaddya think? To survive!!"

"…You got no parents?"

"They’ve been dead forever! To live, I gotta take from anyone—scumbags or not!"

"!"

With a furious shout, the boy’s body transformed into a blue flaming bird, breaking free from the ropes as he lunged. But the white-mustached pirate effortlessly subdued him.

"…An Animal Zoan-type, Mythical Species, huh?"

"The hell do I know?! I ate some weird fruit as a kid and ended up like this!! Because of this… I was the only one left alive when my family died!! The islanders hated me for it, so I gotta steal just to keep breathin’!"

"…I see."

"If you’re gonna kill me, just do it! I got nowhere left to—"

"—Your name?"

"…!"

When the white-mustached pirate asked for his name, the boy faltered. The man’s overwhelming presence—something fathomless—instilled fear in him. But it wasn’t just that. The pirate carried another aura, one strangely vast and deep, like the sea itself: stern yet kind. Whatever the boy saw in it, he answered, reverting to human form.

"…Marco."

"Marco, huh. So… you said you got nowhere to go."

"Tch… What’s it to you?!"

The boy bristled at the question. Saying it himself was one thing, but hearing it from someone else stung. He’d been mocked for it before. He assumed this pirate would do the same—pity him but offer nothing.

—But he was wrong.

The pirate released him and extended a hand.

"—Then become my son."

"…!!"

—That man, the pirate Whitebeard, had been gathering orphans, castaways, and misfit pirates across the seas, slowly assembling his crew—his family: the Whitebeard Pirates.

---

—Meanwhile, in the New World

On another island…

"Mamamama… It’s born. You’re useless now."

"W-Wait! Don’t throw me away, Linlin!!"

"Oi, someone toss him out."

"Yes, Mama."

"LINLIIIN—!!"

The female pirate, having just given birth to her newest child, ordered her subordinates to discard the man who’d fathered it. Cradling the baby, she grinned viciously.

Noticing the noise outside, she called out to her crew.

"So? How’s the fight? If it’s not over, I’ll handle it myself."

"Ah, Mama. No worries—it’s already over."

The reply came from a small-statured cook. He and the others peered toward the harbor, where a battle between pirates had unfolded. The enemy crew numbered several dozen—but on their side, only one fighter stood.

A child.

Face half-hidden by fur, the kid clutched a bloodied trident, breathing heavily but standing victorious over the enemy captain. His glare was ice-cold.

"A weakness…? I won’t show you any… I’ll drown you in terror and defeat…!!"

"Ugh… Aah…!"

"!!"

The child fought with a precision far beyond his years, slaughtering the enemies in his mother’s stead and securing victory for their side. Soon, other children emerged from the ship.

"You did it, Katakuri!"

"That was insane!! Big Bro Katakuri’s insane!!"

"Brother Katakuri!"

"...Yeah. It’s over."

The boy—Katakuri—returned to the ship’s deck under his own power, his abilities making the feat effortless. Though showered with praise by his younger siblings, he remained cool and composed as he addressed their leader—his mother, of course.

"...Mama. I killed them all."

"HA~HAHAHA MAMAMAMA… Is that so? Well done! That’s my Katakuri for you! That’s why you’re my son ♡"

"...Yeah."

"MAMAMAMA… Now then, let’s celebrate Katakuri’s victory and the birth of our new family with a tea party!! Today, we’ll devour every sweet thing on this island… Can’t wait!!!"

"…………"

—This female pirate, who had gathered over thirty children and subordinates to form her crew, was known as… "Big Mom" Charlotte Linlin. The captain of the Big Mom Pirates, a monstrous sweet-tooth who expanded her empire by bearing children and binding them—and others—to her through blood and force.

---

Meanwhile…

"Fleet Admiral Kong!! The Roger Pirates and the Golden Lion Pirates are skirmishing in the New World…!!"

"Tch… So it begins… Who’s handling the situation?!"

"Sir! Vice Admiral Garp! And Vice Admiral Sengoku as well!"

"I see… For now, we’ll have to rely on them to contain it. We’re critically shorthanded…!"

"Admiral Zephyr has also offered reinforcements, but…"

"That’s a relief… Whitebeard hasn’t made any major moves yet… If we assign another vice admiral to surveillance, we could temporarily concentrate our forces… No, but if he decides to act during this window—"

The Marine HQ was in chaos as reports of pirate activity flooded in from across the seas. Their attention was fixed on the shifting power balance—especially the remnants of the Rocks Pirates, now regarded as the greatest threats:

• Whitebeard

• Golden Lion

• Big Mom

• Captain John

• Silver Axe

• Wang Zhi

Each was a uniquely dangerous pirate, and on top of them, Roger himself loomed large. To counter this, the Marines had filled their vacant Admiral position and were scrambling to bolster their forces.

And then—another report arrived.

"Fleet Admiral Kong!! The G-3 outpost on the Grand Line has been attacked by a crew calling themselves the Beast Pirates!!"

"Wha—… What did you say?!"

The mention of "Beast" made even the most battle-hardened Marines grimace.

Yet another of Rocks’ former subordinates had begun wreaking havoc on the world’s seas. The Marines swallowed their dread in silence, their tension mounting as the era’s chaos deepened.

---

The Grand Line — Keith Island

A lively island known for its alcohol and fruits, Keith Island was both a bustling tourist destination and infamous for its poor security. Unsurprisingly, it was also a frequent stop for pirates — and even served as the base of operations for one particular crew.

“Hoh... Not a bad island at all.”

“The town’s crawling with pirates, huh? But it’s got energy. Suits us just fine.”

Pirates arriving on the island would hit up the local taverns and restaurants, stay in hotels, and recover from the brutal voyages across the Grand Line. It took three days for their Log Pose to lock on, meaning at least a two-night stay — often longer.

And yet, without fail, those very pirates would frown in confusion when they spotted the pirate flag flying in every corner of the island.

“...! That Jolly Roger... whose crew is it?”

“No idea. But if someone’s put their flag up, then this island must be someone’s turf.”

Just like flying a flag on a ship marks it as belonging to a certain pirate crew, posting a flag on an island means that island is under that crew’s control — their “territory.” Pirates understood this instinctively.

But they were still pirates. And being visitors didn’t always mean they played nice.

“...Hey, if we take down whoever’s running this place, maybe we can just snatch the whole island for ourselves.”

“Heh, yeah. That’s not a bad idea at all.”

These newcomers were no exception — yet another bunch of pirates looking to seize the island for themselves. Fired up and ambitious, like most who dared sail the Grand Line, they were full of reckless confidence. No way we’d lose to some no-name pirate... That kind of baseless bravado.

“──Hey. I’d back off if I were you, outsiders.”

“Hehehe... This island’s under our control — the Beasts Pirates. Anyone who stirs up trouble dies.”

“! Who the hell are you...!?”

“The Beasts Pirates...? That name rings a bell…”

Dozens of pirates suddenly stood in their way, identifying themselves — loud and clear — as the Beasts Pirates. The intruding pirates tilted their heads, half-remembering the name, but before they could process much more, the Beasts Pirates gave them a toothy grin and spoke.

“Hah! What backwater are you guys from? Never heard of us?”

“You all look weak as hell. You got bounties? If you do, let’s hear ‘em — come on, you countryside rookies!”

“...The hell did you just say!?”

“Relax. Once they hear our captain’s bounty, they’ll be shaking in their boots.”

“Oh? Let’s hear it then. Should be good.”

“Don’t say we didn’t warn you! ──It’s 48 million!!”

With smug confidence, they declared the bounty on their captain’s head. For pirates, a bounty was like a badge of honor. The higher the number, the greater the fame — and the more respect the entire crew commanded. Many pirates proudly flaunted their bounties.

And 48 million... was a lot. A high bounty. In any of the Four Blues, it would mark someone as a notorious outlaw. Even in the Grand Line, it wasn’t a bad number. For your average pirate, it was intimidating.

But the reaction they got — was laughter.

“GYAHAHAHAHA!! Forty-eight million!? Not bad!! Not bad at all!!”

“Glad to see you’ve put in some work! I’ll be sure to give the bosses a great report — looks like we just picked up some new recruits!”

“...!!”

Praised and feared back in their home sea, they had never once been laughed at for boasting “48 million.” Shock and humiliation twisted across their faces. It wouldn’t be long now — they were clearly on the verge of exploding in fury.

But then came a bucket of ice water — or perhaps gasoline on the fire — in the form of some crucial information.

“Gyahaha... You look pissed, so I’ll spell it out for you. The captain of the Beasts Pirates — Kaido of the Beasts — has a bounty of 4 billion, 111 million Berries!!”

“And his right-hand and vice-captain — Nue the Monstrous Beast — is worth 3 billion, 801 million!! You’re not even in the same league!!”

“F-Four billion and three billion eight hundred and one…!?”

“W-Wait a sec... Kaido of the Beasts and Nue… Aren’t they... survivors of the Rocks Pirates!?”

That number alone was enough to crush their spirits. And one pirate — apparently more informed than the others — added fuel to the fear. Survivors of that legendary crew, the Rocks Pirates... both with bounties well past 3 billion. Bounty values didn’t always perfectly reflect fighting ability — but they absolutely reflected overall danger, including combat strength and threat to the World Government. Everyone knew: the higher the bounty, the more dangerous the pirate.

A bounty above 100 million marked you as a real pirate — a criminal of note. Past 300 million, you were a menace that sent other pirates and even Marines trembling.

As expected, the once-confident intruders shrank back in fear. The Beasts Pirates, meanwhile, sneered and jeered with triumphant, mocking laughter, completely surrounding them, looking down on them like ants.

“Well well, looks like someone knows the names! Now you get it, huh!? This is the level you’re dealing with in the Grand Line!!”

“But don’t worry. As long as you’re just visitors, we won’t touch you. The captain and vice-captain happen to be away right now. We’ve been left in charge of the island’s defense.”

“Still, if you really want a fight, we’ll oblige... Just remember, we’re not the only ones on duty here──Bentler, Bentler, respond if you’re there.”

"...Huh? What the hell are they doing, chanting some weird spell all of a sudden...!?"

At that moment, when a member of the Beasts Pirates said that aloud, the pirates all widened their eyes at what was gathering in the sky.

What they saw was something no one had ever seen before… and yet, something everyone knew existed.

Its true nature was unknown—an unidentifiable flying object.

Red, blue, green. Each one gathered, surrounding the pirates. And then, the name of that object spilled from their lips.

"U-UFOs!?"

Yes, they were... UFOs.

More than twenty of them, at a glance, floated above the pirates in a strange, weightless drift.

"Gya-hahaha!! Surprised, huh!? Behold—the mysterious fleet of UFOs summoned by our very own Vice-Captain, the 'Phantom Beast' Nue-sama!!"

"Our secret weapon, left behind to defend the island!!"

"These things outmatch ordinary weapons by a mile!! What they do? That’s for you to find out—if you’re dumb enough to fight them!!"

"Well!? Wanna go for it!? We might just spare you if you join us!!"

"Kh… Is this some kind of Devil Fruit power…!? But what kind of ability even is this...!?"

"C-Captain!! We've been completely surrounded!!"

The Beasts Pirates held the ground. The UFOs controlled the skies. The threat posed by the latter was completely unknown—and deeply unsettling. It even felt like... they were being watched.

If it were just the pirates, maybe things would’ve been different—but the Beasts Pirates weren’t done dragging them into despair.

"Think you can shoot one down!? I’m telling you now—ordinary attacks won’t take down a UFO!!"

"That’s right!! Unless you physically destroy them, those UFOs are invincible! They won’t vanish unless Nue-sama herself passes out!!"

"And Nue-sama’s a monster!! Just knocking her out’s easier said than done!!"

"So what’s it gonna be!? Obey—or die!! You’ve got two options!!"

"This is a nightmare...!!"

The pirates stared up at the sky in despair. Not a single one of them had imagined they'd be cornered like this.

All they could do now was pray to the heavens—but prayer wouldn’t change a thing. And so, the pirates prepared to make their agonizing decision—

"...Hm? Wait, what?"

"...? Hey, what are you—hurry up and—"

"...Wait. T-The UFOs... w-h-e-r-e d-i-d t-h-e-y g-o?"

"...Huh?"

One of the pirates finally noticed. The UFOs floating in the sky—had suddenly... v-a-n-i-s-h-e-d.

No one had attacked. And yet they were gone. Everyone, friend and foe alike, stood there stunned, completely frozen.

But it was the Beasts Pirates who figured it out first.

No attack was made, yet the UFOs disappeared. That could only mean one of two things—and really, it meant only one.

One impossible option was that Nue herself dismissed the UFOs—but that was highly unlikely.

Which meant the only remaining explanation was...

...Nue had passed out.

"EEEEHHHHHHHHH!?!?"

The Beasts Pirates all screamed in unison. Whatever had happened, they had no way of knowing.

---

In this half-conscious state, there’s time—time to process what’s going on.

That’s where I am now. Unconscious, yet trying to piece together what happened from the pain wracking my body and fragments of memory.

What’s left in my head… is one battle after another.

“If it’s come to this—then we just need to take more than what gets taken from us!!”

“Worororo!! That’s right!! Take it all!!”

—Our first voyage was a disaster. After that, Kaido and I reflected on it and decided that to protect our turf, we needed more firepower… and more plundering.

But if we just set sail like last time, we’d repeat our mistakes. So this time, we built up our crew first and made sure to leave some of them behind to guard the island.

Even then, we failed. The subordinates we left were too weak to defend the place.

So we thought. A lot. Thought so much we even considered one of us staying behind—me or Kaido. But neither of us liked that idea, and it ended in a fight that blew out a chunk of the city again. In the end, I came up with a fix—one using a combo of powers I’d been experimenting with for a while.

—The solution: leave the UFOs behind to protect the island.

The UFOs I create aren’t micromanaged by me. I control the broad strokes—movement, attack, retrieval—by issuing simple commands and assigning targets. If I’m nearby, I can fine-tune things more. But controlling multiple units individually, at the same time, is still beyond me. At least for now.

So I figured it out—I just had to make them autonomous.

Turn the usual orders into a system. Program basic patterns and behaviors. Have them patrol, strike, collect, based on triggers.

But it wasn’t that easy. I kept experimenting. During death matches with Kaido, in the middle of voyages, even in battle with enemies—I kept grinding my power. My Devil Fruit has potential. Tons of it. With training and refinement, most things that seem possible can become possible. That’s why I believe—and keep pushing it to the limit.

Eventually, I managed to program movement patterns. Just the basics, but it was something.

Normally, they hover above the island, staying hidden. Only when they receive a specific signal from one of our crew do they activate. They can be given attack orders too. It’s simple… but good enough for now.

Honestly, half of it’s just for show. But once I level them up more, they’ll be able to move freely, and do terrifying things. It’s like I’m a programmer—just feeding behavior patterns into the UFOs. It’s almost ready.

And on top of that, there’s another technique I’ve been developing—infusing my powers with Haki. Once that’s complete, things’ll get really scary. If it works, I’ll live up to my nickname—I’ll become a one-woman disaster. The scale of what I can do will grow exponentially.

So Kaido and I kept hitting the seas, all while training. Took months to gather the crew. Half a year to rebuild the island—and it’s still ongoing. Meanwhile, we fought, looted, and kept growing stronger. The Beasts Pirates are now 300 strong. We leave about 100 behind on the island, and take the other 200 with us for constant battles and raids. Sure, they’re all frontline types and the paperwork’s killing me, but hey—we’ve finally made it work as pirates.

And just when things were starting to click… probably right around then, Kaido and I—

“—…Well? What’s the situation?”

“She appears to be unconscious… Though frankly, never expected this kind of girl to be the real threat…”

“Don’t underestimate her… These two are remnants of Rocks, after all. Their subordinates were nothing special, but these two… they took down 2,000 out of 3,000 Marines, fought four Vice Admirals for over a full day without falling, and only collapsed after taking dozens of tranquilizer rounds… They’re monsters. Don’t let your guard down until the execution’s done…!”

“Y-Yes, sir… But still, it’s eerie. To be this badly injured and still alive…”

“She’s a Zoan-type user. Toughness comes with the territory… but even so, this level of endurance might mean—”

…Ohhh right. We lost, didn’t we? Ahh—so frustrating. It was fun, but man, passing out from a volley of tranquilizers? Embarrassing. Gotta do better. Next time I’ll boost my stamina and resistance. —Okay. Reflection complete.

“—Kaido~? You awake~?”

“Wha—!? You’re conscious!?”

“…Aahhh… Nue? Nnngh…? What’s with these chains…?”

“!! The big guy’s up too…!!”

“Looks like we got captured. So, let’s eat something and then make a run for it. Mmh, though I guess a little torture could be fun too.”

“Ugh… Damn it… Lost again… So damn irritating… Being weak sucks…”

“Wh-What are you doing!? Don’t move!!”

The man—was he a Marine? A prison guard? Doesn’t matter—he raised his gun and fired, trying to stop us. Hmm, bold move. I like it. The sting of pain jolts my senses—it’s kind of nice, actually.

But Kaido and I have already recovered our strength. Of course we have. If we hadn’t, we wouldn’t be awake. Waking up means we’re healed—simple as that.

“Ghh…! Oooooh…!! You bastard… You shot me…!? I’ll kill you…!!!”

“Mmmh♡ Ahh, that hits the spot…! Getting shot right after waking up really does pack a punch… Alright then.”

“Hiiee!!? The chains…!!”

“This is bad!! Call reinforcements! If we don’t—ghh!!?”

Kaido tears through his chains with brute strength and punches the guy out cold. So I break mine too, grab the other guy, and slam him into the wall. He rolled his eyes back. Probably not dead… eh, doesn’t matter right now. First things first—we break this place and get out.

“Come on, Kaido. Let’s go. We need to find weapons. And check on the crew and the ship.”

“Yeah… I’ll tear everything down…!!!”

And just like that, Kaido and I walk out of the cell. Escaping prison doesn’t really stir anything in me. I mean… it’s not like this is the first time.

---

—One hour later.

“They were so weak… Can’t believe I lost to them…”

“Maybe you let your guard down because you were running on empty. You should really work on your stamina, y’know?”

Kaido and I were sitting at the back end of some island, eating food we’d stolen, with the burning town behind us. We could go days without eating and be fine, sure—but still, food is food. Hunger’s a thing. And this roast meat is delicious. We’re all gathered around a fire, having dinner together. Good thing some of our crew survived—just a dozen or so, but still.

“Ughhh, we’ve gotta start gathering crew again…”

“They killed off my men like it was nothing… Damn Navy… I’ll remember this. Still, you guys—can’t you put in a little more effort?”

“P-Please don’t be unreasonable…!”

“H-He’s right! Ow… Anyone who can move around after getting this beat up isn’t normal…”

“You’re soft. Back when I was a rookie, I nearly died every day and still did all the grunt work.”

“You dumped all that on me. You just drank all day—I was the one doing grunt work while half-dead.”

“H-Haha… Is that so…? (She’s a monster…)”

“Amazing… (She’s a total beast…)”

“Hmm~? But you’re not just scared of me, right? You think I’m cute too, don’t you?”

“!! O-Of course, Lady Nue!!”

“Y-You’re the most beautiful girl in the world, Lady Nue!!”

“Eeee~~♡ ‘Most beautiful in the world’—that’s so embarrassing~♡ No no, that’s too much~♡ I mean, I am cute, sure, so maybe technically the cutest in the world~♡”

“…Are you drunk?”

“I’M SOBER!!!”

I snapped back at Kaido’s dumb question. Geez… Kaido still refuses to admit I’m cute. Well, it is Kaido, so I guess that’s just how he is—but it’s still a little annoying. The crew? I skimmed their thoughts with Observation Haki—they’re scared. Understandably so. I’ll have to train that out of them eventually. The perfect balance is five parts cute, five parts terrifying. That’s the golden ratio of how I want to be seen. Though honestly, I’m a complete mystery even to myself. That’s the whole point. I am the unknown.

“—Lord Kaido! Lady Nue! We’ve just returned!!”

“Oh, welcome back~”

“Yeah. You did bring back something worth the trouble, right?”

While we were talking, a handful of our crew came back from the town. I’d sent them to loot supplies and gather intel. …Ah. If I passed out, that means my UFO disappeared. Just remembered. Maybe I should’ve used it for gathering supplies too… oh well. I’ll just reward them instead.

“Wanna eat?”

“Ah, yes, thank you. Um… just out of curiosity, what kind of meat is this…?”

“Hm? Just regular meat. You can tell by looking, right?”

“...I-I think I’ll pass…”

Aww, he’s backing off. That’s too bad. I don’t know what he’s imagining, but it’s actually really good beef. Tch, his loss. Is the stuff I offer really that suspicious? Well, I guess that kind of reaction is fun too.

“Hey. Quit stalling and report already.”

“R-Right!! Uh, so… regarding info on some notorious pirates from the nearby islands…”

“Ooh, possible recruitment targets? I like the sound of that. I’m listening too~”

I returned to Kaido’s side and listened to the report. It was intel gathered from the city. I mean, honestly, I’m surprised they could gather anything with all that chaos. Most people would be running for their lives. Guess it takes a snake to track a snake. Maybe they started collecting info while we were locked up. I munched on my beef as I listened in.

“Let’s see… first up, a 29 million bounty—‘Spikejaw’ Vian. Apparently a pirate with an abnormally sharp jaw who—”

“Is this a joke?”

“N-No! That’s what the info says!”

“So he kills people with his jaw? Weirdly entertaining, actually.”

“No interest. Next.”

“Right… ah! This one’s promising! A 48 million bounty—‘Slug Doctor’ Numeron. Looks ordinary, but he’s the most wanted in the area. Known for being extremely cruel. And his nickname has a really gruesome origin story—”

“Yeah, I can guess without hearing it…”

“Enough of this crap!! Don’t you have anything decent!?”

“S-Sorry!! But those are the only ones above 29 million. The rest are either weaker or, well… just rumors…”

“Rumors, huh?”

“If you’ve got something, out with it.”

Kaido and I leaned in at the mention of vague rumors. The guy looked hesitant, but Kaido’s glare convinced him to talk. Nervously, he swallowed hard and began,

“There are two rumors. First… a pirate rumored to be, uh… t-torture-loving…”

“! A torture freak?”

“—Oh, so they meant Nue.”

“Why would that be me!? …Though, being part of a shady rumor does sound kinda nice… mysterious… undefined identity…”

“No pirate enjoys torture except you.”

“I-I do not enjoy it!! It’s just… a little fun sometimes, that’s all!!”

“Uh… anyway, moving on…”

“So it wasn’t about Nue?”

“Why would I ask if it was me? So, why’s the rumor unconfirmed?”

Curious, I asked, just a little hopeful. The crewman checked his notes and said,

“Well… apparently, the person is… always on fire…”

“! Ohh! That sounds awesome!”

“Sounds like a Devil Fruit user. What part of that seems unbelievable, you idiot?”

“A-Ah… good point. That does make sense…”

Watching him only realize that now made me grimace. Wait—we trusted this guy with scouting intel? Even with Devil Fruit powers as a possibility? And Kaido and I are right here as living proof! Ugh… mess up again and he’s getting punished.

Still, personally, this rumor actually sounds promising. Almost too perfect. Excited, I urged him on,

“So? What kind of person are they? Any other details?”

“Um… apparently, he only just became a pirate, so there’s no bounty on him yet. But he escaped from a government experimental facility, stole an entire prison ship, slaughtered the crew onboard, and then tortured the prisoners to death before killing them too. That’s how he made his debut as a pirate. He’s violent and dangerous, and they say it’s only a matter of time before he gets a bounty…”

“Now that’s interesting. Best one so far.”

“Think you’d recruit him if we ran into him?”

“Yeah. Sounds like he could be a hell of an asset. —What else?”

“Ah, yes. The other one’s even stranger… There’s talk of a pirate who caused a pandemic on an island and put on brutal shows using some kind of unusual weapon…”

“A pandemic, huh?”

“And he puts on shows?! That sounds so fun!!”

“The credibility on this one’s shaky too… but supposedly, he uses poison or creates diseases, and holds execution shows in front of huge crowds… total lunatic…”

Another solid report. This one’s probably a hit too. I turned to Kaido with a big smile, and sure enough, he had that wicked grin of his,

“Worororo… Sounds fun. He might be useful too.”

“So, shall we go recruit both of them?”

“Yeah. You got their locations?”

“W-Well, roughly. But they are pirates, so there’s no guarantee they’ll still be there when we arrive…”

“Doesn’t matter. —Alright boys!! We’re heading out!!”

“Off to find some brand-new crewmates~♪”

“Yes, ma’am!!”

—And so, we set sail once again. In search of powerful new allies to join our crew.

---

The place was a prison lined with iron bars.

"Guh... Aaah...!"

"Kill... me...!!"

"This... treatment... It's too much...!"

"…………"

"GUWAAAAAAAAAAH!!?"

Chained within were people of all ages—men and women alike—all bloodied, writhing in agony.

They were being tortured. Not criminals. Innocent civilians. Yet here they were, bound in chains, subjected to endless torment.

There was only one way out: receiving the warden's "mercy"—being burned alive by flames.

"...Tch. Boring. Already broken, huh?"

"Ah... Ah..."

"D-Damn you, Majorrrr...!!? Hah... Hah... You monster... How dare you do this to my men...!!"

"...You're next."

"Gh...!!?"

"Let’s see how long that bravado lasts..."

The man who had just been burned to death was one of the chained marines. Seeing his comrade reduced to ashes, another marine cried out in rage—only to shrink back the moment the warden’s gaze fell upon him.

That man was terrifying.

He should have been young—yet his true age was unknown. Clad entirely in black, his face hidden behind a gas mask-like covering, a sword at his hip. But that wasn’t the truly horrifying part.

From his back sprouted black wings—and flames. The fire seemed to erupt from his very body, and moments ago, those same flames had surged forth, engulfing and incinerating the marine he had seized.

Everyone here had lost to him. Captured, subjected to endless torture. The only escape was death. Even the veteran marine officer, realizing this, felt his will to fight draining away.

Whether aware of this or not, the man approached. He picked up a nearby torture device and turned it on the marine.

"Guh—GAAAAAAAAAAH!!"

"...Hmph."

After a suitable amount of torment, the man scoffed and walked away without a word.

This torture had no purpose. No information to extract. It was merely his way of passing the time.

He was a master of torture. Madness wasn’t necessary—only cold precision. The ability to inflict relentless suffering, both physical and mental, methodically and without hesitation. The knowledge and skill to do so flawlessly.

Yet, paradoxically, only a madman could perfect such an art. At the very least, this man was no ordinary being. His expertise in torture was... personal. Something he had learned through experience.

"—C-Captain..."

"—What?"

A subordinate approached, voice trembling. Even his own crew feared him. One misstep, and they might find themselves in chains next. But under the sharp gaze barely visible behind that mask, silence wasn’t an option. The subordinate delivered his report swiftly.

"Well... sir... There’s a suspicious man and woman on the island’s shore..."

"...Suspicious?"

"Y-Yes... A giant man and a young girl... They were carrying... this."

"! ...Oh?"

The man’s tone shifted ever so slightly as he examined the two bounty posters handed to him. The change was subtle—but unmistakably, he was intrigued.

"...Washed ashore, then?"

"Ah, yes. They were unconscious... We’ve restrained them and brought them aboard, but... What should we do?"

"Bring them here."

"! Y-Yes, sir!"

With that order, the subordinate hurried away.

Alone once more in the prison, the man studied the two posters again.

“‘Kaido of the Beasts’... and ‘Nue the Phantom Beast’... Interesting. I’ll test them myself."

The world’s strongest—the legendary Rocks Pirates.

Their remnants were gathering new allies, expanding their influence...

And the beginning of that era drew ever closer.