Chapter 57: The Failures

Abrupt as it may sound, Wano Country has countless legends and folktales.

Some are steeped in superstition, others deeply believed—some born from faith, others from fear, and some crafted purely to discipline children. Yet more often than not, they are rooted in truth.

Among these tales, one newly spun in recent years is that of the "Numbers of Onigashima."

The Beasts Pirates, who made the uninhabited island of Onigashima their stronghold, were said to command a horde of demons. These creatures captured and devoured any who dared oppose Shogun Orochi and the Beasts Pirates.

Their forms were monstrous, humanoid beasts—towering, powerful, and terrifying to behold. Swift as wild animals, they shrugged off feeble attacks, rising again and again even when struck down.

The people of Wano never learned their true nature.

But an old braggart who once ventured beyond Wano’s borders claimed they were "ancient creatures."

No one understood what he meant. And those who heard him dismissed his words—just as the old man himself cared little for their disbelief. After all, what good would worrying do?

---

In Wano, there lies an uninhabited island. We, the Beasts Pirates, were gifted this place by Orochi and his men to serve as our base. Skilled carpenters from Wano were already arranged to build a mansion there—or rather, something closer to a castle.

The island itself is dominated by a massive, horned skull-shaped mountain, its silhouette resembling an oni—hence its name: "Onigashima." Its shape even mirrors Kaido’s silhouette and our Jolly Roger, making it the perfect stronghold for us. The island’s vast, and I love it! Perfect!

And then, something even better happened—the goods we ordered had finally arrived. That is—

"Ta-daaa!! Our new comrades are heeeere!!"

"Huh… the hell?! They’re way too damn big!!"

"Jukiki!!"

"Nagigi!!"

Queen’s quip came as he craned his neck upward.

These beings weren’t just massive—they weren’t ordinary humans, nor were they ordinary giants.

They were an extinct race purchased from a certain island… the failed experiments of the Ancient Giant Clan.

"Worororo… over twice the size of regular giants. Should be fun."

"They’re part of the crew now! C’mon, everyone, say hello!"

"Gokiki!! Gokiki!!"

"Kyunyu~ ♡"

"Hahachacha!!"

"Jakiki!!"

"The hell?! They can’t even talk?!"

Kaido and I laughed, amused by them, but the others seemed a little bewildered. What’s not to love? They’re huge, entertaining, and good listeners.

"So these are the failed experiments from Punk Hazard… the government’s doing?"

"Oh yes. Research on human gigantification. They believed creating giant soldiers would bolster their military might, so for centuries, they conducted illegal experiments—and this was the result… Fufufu ♡ Doesn’t the revival of an extinct race sound familiar to you, King?"

"…You’ve got a real loose tongue, Joker. Want me to cut it out for you?"

"Fufufu, my apologies… I suppose I pried too much."

King shot Joker a sharp glare, a silent warning to watch her mouth. But since Joker backed off with an apology, King let out a quiet sigh and dropped it.

Well, King’s a rare breed himself—he probably has his own thoughts on the matter. Especially since these guys came from Punk Hazard.

Still, King seems to accept it. Kaido and I were test subjects once too, but we don’t dwell on it. Hell, that’s how we knew about these guys in the first place. More importantly, we’ve got introductions to make.

"—So, since they’re from Punk Hazard, does that mean Vegapunk was involved?"

"In a way, yes—and in a way, no. Even Vegapunk couldn’t crack human gigantification. The government demanded it, so he ran experiments… but they all failed."

"Oohhh!! So these guys are like the survivors?!"

Vegapunk, the government scientist behind countless revolutionary inventions in recent years, is said to possess a mind 500 years ahead of his time. Yet even he, the genius who discovered the "Lineage Factor"—the blueprint of life itself—struggled to make ordinary humans grow to such sizes.

"The Ancient Giant Clan… Weren’t they the race of that ‘Continent-Puller’ Oars and his kind?"

"Huh? Who the hell is this 'Oars' guy?"

"A monster from 500 years ago. Apparently, he’d conquer entire countries and drag the islands back to his own territory, building a kingdom of outlaws…"

"That’s the 'Continent-Puller' Oars from the legends. It’s already been confirmed he was part of the Ancient Giant Clan. He even has descendants."

When I mentioned it, Queen looked clueless, but King and Joker took over the explanation. Come to think of it, one of Whitebeard’s subordinates is one of those descendants. Sure, they’re basically just big targets, but sheer size alone makes them strong—and these guys here have that same potential.

"Worororo!! Now that’s what I like to hear…!! Maybe after we conquer a country, we’ll have these guys drag it back for us?"

"They’d be great assets in battle!! …Wait, honestly, they seem like a success as soldiers. So why are they called failures?"

"Their intelligence is practically animalistic. Getting them to obey is… difficult, to say the least—"

"Oh? Really? —Down."

"Jukiki!!"

"Jakiki!!"

"…I suppose they submit to the strong."

The moment I gave the order, they all dropped flat to the ground. Joker looked mildly exasperated at how easily they obeyed like pets, but even if they lack higher intelligence, their instincts are sharp. Honestly, training them isn’t hard at all.

"C’mon, when you get a pet, the first thing you do is train it, right? Establish dominance early, and any creature will turn into a good little follower! —Paw!"

"Kyunyu~ ♡"

"Gokiki!!"

"Ibibi…"

"Ah… So that’s why they’ve got lumps on their heads…"

Queen muttered as he eyed the massive bumps on their skulls. Yeah, well, that’s how it is. They tried acting up on the way here, so I gave each of them a little disciplinary tap.

Immediately, they all started groveling like, "We won’t disobey, please spare us!" So I just smiled, gave a few commands, and brought them along.

"Once they’re trained, they pick up on hierarchy and loyalty fast. Even the lower-ranked guys should be able to give them orders, no problem♪"

"Worororo!! That’s how it is… These guys are the Numbers. From today, they’re part of our forces. Play nice with ’em, boys."

The monstrous collective—the Numbers.

Each one stands between 30 to 60 meters tall, with strength and endurance to match their colossal size.

With this, the Beasts Pirates have taken another step toward becoming the strongest crew on the seas. This feast is partly to celebrate that… but there’s still plenty more to do.

As I start munching on a skewer of BBQ meat, lost in thought, I notice them staring at me intently.

"Juki…"

"Kyunyu…"

"Fugaga…"

"Hm? What’s up?"

"Jakiki…"

They’re rubbing their stomachs. And their eyes are locked onto the meat I’m grilling. Ohhh, I get it.

"Hungry?"

"Goki…"

"Zagi…"

"…Want some?"

"! Hahachacha!!"

"Rokikiki!!"

"Wait… Uh, Nue, that meat’s probably not—"

"Too late, they already ate it."

"Jukiki~~♪"

"Nagigi!! Nagigi!!"

"Wha—?! They ate it?! Is that even safe?!"

Since they seemed to want the meat I was eating, I handed some over—and in seconds, they devoured it with those sharp fangs of theirs. And they looked happy about it. Huh? Their taste buds must be closer to animals', and they don’t seem to have any aversions…

"Jukiki!! Jukikiki!!"

"They say it’s delicious!!"

"Seriously…? You’ve gotta be kidding me…"

"They’re practically beasts at this point…"

Queen and Stussy were weirded out. But I was impressed. So… they can eat it. No, wait—all of them can. Heh, they’re smart, they get happy when you feed them… kinda cute, actually. I think we’re gonna get along just fine.

"Good, good!! Then have some more!! King!! Fire up the grill—we’re feeding ’em till they’re stuffed!!"

"...Yeah."

"Gokiki!! Gokiki!!"

"Hachaa~!!"

"They're devouring meat like absolute monsters... This is way too unsettling..."

Queen watches uneasily as they voraciously scarf down barbecue meat. Not that there's any need to worry—they won't eat their allies, and they listen to orders just fine. Still, I get why she'd be concerned.

"There, there. Eat as much as you want~♡ Just make sure you work hard afterward, okay?♡"

"Juki?"

Discipline boils down to rewards and punishment. Feed them, and they’ll pull their weight. No free rides here. These guys—the Numbers—are about to get their first assignment.

"You’ll be serving as training partners to strengthen our forces!!"

"Jaki!!"

"...Huh?"

"Uh… N-Nue-san?"

The faces of our gathered crew twist in dread as the banquet winds down. Yeah, I get it—the idea of this clearly monstrous kid lunging at you is nothing short of terrifying for anyone normal.

But overcoming that fear is what it means to be an executive of the Beasts Pirates. If you can’t even take down these Numbers, you’ve got no business calling yourself one. Especially since our crew’s quality already falls short compared to Roger’s, Whitebeard’s, or Linlin’s.

"Fufufu~ Do your best, everyone~♡ If you can defeat this one, you’ll get promoted to executive on the spot. Even just holding your own could earn you the position."

"Muhaha!! Tough break for you lot!! Better step up!!"

"You can’t be serious!! Just because you’re exempt from training now, Queen-sama!!"

Queen was overjoyed, thinking he’d escaped training. And sure, this wouldn’t count as training for the likes of King, Queen, or Stussy. But—no one said he was off the hook. So I decide to tease him, just a little.

"Congrats. Now… you can leave the grunts to this one and focus on our training session~♡"

"…………Hah?"

Queen’s voice cracks with disbelief. I take out my spear and ready it, and as if on cue, a drunken Kaidou stumbles out from the back, swinging his club.

"Worororo!! You’re all squaring up against me too?! Now that’s spirit!!"

"Alright then~ As usual, you’ll be weathering attacks from me and Kaidou~♡ All three of you."

"…………"

"...Give it up, Queen. No way we’re stoppin’ those two."

"I’m beyond caring at this point..."

"...Goddammit—!! I’ll take it out on those samurai later, stuffing myself with sweets and tormenting the hell out of 'em!!"

"UOOOOH!! HERE WE GO!!"

"YEEEAH!! First training session on Onigashima, let’s go~!!"

"Jukiki!!"

"WAAAH—?! IT’S COMING STRAIGHT AT US!!!"

—And so, our Beasts Pirates gained yet another wave of strength, and we threw ourselves into training at our stronghold with our newest assets.

---

For the crew of the Beasts Pirates, battle was a daily routine.

And any veteran among them knew—fighting was always a matter of life and death.

Yes, death clung to every conflict like a shadow. Even when it was just… "training."

The captain and vice-captain brawling? That alone was lethally dangerous. Get caught in the crossfire, and you’d die without a second thought. Survival here meant living in a constant warzone. You might not understand, but it’s the truth. Belonging to the Beasts Pirates forced your survival instincts to sharpen, your body to toughen. No—wait. Maybe only the tough survived to begin with.

"JUKIKIIII—!!"

"GUWAAAAHH—!!!"

"Damn it!! How the hell are we supposed to fight that monster?!"

"Haah… Haah… I’m done…!! I tap out!! Shit…!!"

——And so, yet another day of "training" (read: live combat) unfolded on the uninhabited island that served as their new stronghold.

Beasts Pirates crewmembers collapsed one after another across the rocky terrain. And this was already an improvement. Thanks to the captain’s recent policy shifts, fatalities had dropped. Too many deaths or crippled fighters would weaken the crew’s viability, apparently. Numbers mattered.

When the veterans first heard that, they’d thought—No shit. Took you long enough. Not that anyone would dare mutter, "Are the bosses idiots?" even under torture. Such words were a death sentence.

Yet, those same veterans also admired their captains’ deranged, inhuman strength. Hell, that’s why most of them had joined. This crew was packed with lunatics who cared nothing for others—men who lived to brawl, crush whoever pissed them off, and revel in chaos. And every last one had been drawn here by awe for the captains’ power.

The veterans knew it. The rookies, the recruits scouted by the bosses—they all feared that strength, yes, but they revered it too. Awe and terror, hand in hand. That’s why so many burned with ambition to grow stronger, to claw their way into the upper ranks. Yourself included.

Which was why you couldn’t stay a grunt forever. You unleashed your power and charged the monstrosity head-on.

"RROOOAAARR—!!"

"JUKIKI!!"

Your razor-sharp claws sent the beast flying, tumbling across the ground. But neither of you would go down in one or two hits. The power of a Devil Fruit—an Ancient Zoan dinosaur—outstripped even standard Zoan transformations.

You’d earned this fruit recently, recognized by the vice-captain, Nue. Normally, it’d come with an executive title, but with the crew still reorganizing, no formal rank had been granted yet.

Not that it mattered. As a Beasts Pirates combatant with a Devil Fruit, you were de facto executive-tier. The promotion was inevitable.

But—the captains crushed any complacency. They ramped up training, hurled you into the bloodiest fronts.

Years of this kill-or-be-killed life had followed. You didn’t hate it, but sometimes—just sometimes—you wished for mercy. Like when the captains’ brawls engulfed entire islands, or when drunken "training" left you half-dead on the shore. Even the nightmare of being hunted down for "Rokushiki drills" had been pure terror. The memories alone made your head throb.

Compared to that, this monster was nothing. A walk in the park next to past battlefields. The rookies didn’t get it. If they called this hell, they’d faint the moment the captains started fighting. Those two could level islands as a warm-up.

At least after training, you got proper treatment. So… a light half-day session was just another Tuesday.

——Well, light for those still standing. Nue, grinning with what she called "charm," would cheerfully announce:

"You’re doing great, everyone!! ~Now, how about a few more hours—TOGETHER?!!"

"!!"

——The survivors (read: Devil Fruit users) freezing in horror was also routine.

The word "together" was far more terrifying than "a few hours." It meant—being chased by Kaidou and Nue.

In that instant, even the most bloodthirsty fighters switched to full retreat. Behind them, Nue was already summoning a swarm of UFOs with glee, while a drunken Kaidou swung his club like a whirlwind, carving through boulders like tofu.

Even King, Queen, and the newly recruited "Joker—Stussy" were fleeing for their lives, their faces dead serious as they yelled:

"——I’M OUT…!!!"

First up was King. The same King who fearlessly charges into battle against any opponent, now transforming with an air of majesty into a Pteranodon—flying off in the opposite direction of Kaido and the others. "I'm going!!" he declared, as if he were charging toward the fight rather than fleeing, leaving everyone speechless. But no one dared to criticize him. As King soared away, Kaido—now in his dragon form—took off after him. The sight wasn’t so much pathetic as it was… surreal. The sheer size difference made it look like a mosquito being chased by an eagle, a stark reminder of nature’s cruelty… Oh, and he just got swatted down. Even King could barely endure this. No wonder the rest of us stood no chance.

"Alright!! The rest of you handle this!!"

"Wha—?! Hold on!! Queen-sama!!"

"Shut it!! I’ve been playing tag for four damn hours!! Getting punched, tanking hits, using the momentum to flee… hiding from UFOs in the sky, running nonstop—you think you understand my epic struggle?! Buy me some time!!"

Queen sprinted across the ground with surprising agility for his massive frame, his voice dripping with desperation. But just as he thought he’d escaped, a shadow resembling Who’s-Who lunged at him—followed immediately by Queen’s bloodcurdling scream. This was hellish tag. Get caught, and you’re in for a "test of endurance" (read: a beating). They’re holding back? Please. These are two people who can pulverize steel in a single punch. "Holding back" doesn’t mean squat. And yet, the fact that the top officers could still endure proved how monstrous they were.

Then there was the last one standing:

"Ah… Today, the rain shall run red—with my—"

"MY—?!"

"The Calamity" Jack. A stunningly beautiful top officer with vampiric powers… though his aura vaguely reminded me of someone. Who, though? No clue. Probably just a coincidence. Anyway, his strength was undeniable—but his cool, terror-inducing monologue always fell apart at the "my—" part. And despite his beauty, neither Kaido nor Who’s-Who showed any mercy. A barrage of UFO projectiles rained down as Jack desperately dodged midair, deflecting some with his Haki-coated umbrella. Impressive, but pitiful—all he could do was endure.

And then… it was our turn again.

"C’mon, you guys can fight back too, y’know!! This is training—I won’t get mad if you hit me!! Just this once~!"

"Eek…!!?"

Before we knew it, Who’s-Who was right behind us. Probably a clone, though—the real one had chased after Queen earlier.

"Hmm~, you guys are pretty strong compared to the others still here. Maybe it’s time for a little… present?"

"!!"

"Ah, but after training’s over, okay? Hang in there~! ♡"

"…Y-Yes!!"

Her words gave the remaining fighters a flicker of morale.

…But it was like pouring water on a scorching stone. By the end, as expected, the shores of Onigashima were littered with the crumpled forms of the Beasts Pirates’ crew. Only a handful could still move—the three top officers, a few Devil Fruit users, and some stragglers.

If we got attacked now… But half the crew had stayed behind in the capital, so it’d be fine. Worst case, Kaido or Who’s-Who would solo the enemy. Together? Even worse. They’d sink Marine battleships without breaking a sweat.

We might not reach that level, but dreaming of the day we could wipe out an island like the Calamities? Hell yeah.

And that’s when Kaido and Who’s-Who (perched on his shoulder) finally approached.

"Worororo… You lasted till the end, huh? Not bad."

"Devil Fruit users do have crazy potential~. So—surprise! We’ve got a gift for all of you! From now on… you’re getting code names as officers!!"

『!!』

The battered survivors’ eyes lit up with shock and glee. The rank of officer in the Beasts Pirates—even those who’d resigned themselves to being underlings still harbored that flicker of ambition. Who wouldn’t want to rule as a top fighter? Especially in a crew full of bloodthirsty maniacs.

So without exception, the remaining few rejoiced. Some were proud to finally serve Kaido and Who’s-Who directly. Others saw it as a stepping stone to greater infamy. A few just wanted an excuse to wreak more havoc. But above all—they were recognized.

As the pirates basked in their twisted joy, Kaido and Who’s-Who chatted casually, debating what code names to assign. Soon, the decisions were made, and one by one, they bestowed the titles.

All of them… were drawn from playing cards.

One after another, names were given. Among them were recruited pirates with reputations, complete rookies, even veterans who’d been here since their apprentice days. But here, strength ruled. No one dared complain.

"You’re Poker. You’re Cassino. And you—"

With each name, the newly minted officers grinned like the monsters they were, etching their titles into their hearts. The pain was gone now. Their blood burned, bodies thrumming with adrenaline. After all that punishment, they were itching for a fight.

And so, on this day, those christened by Kaido and Who’s-Who would go on to carve their names into history as the Beasts Pirates' elite—the True Disasters.