Port Area of the Island of Everything.
Hundreds of ships of various sizes were docked here, creating a dense and spectacular sight.
On the other side of the port, several pirate ships of different designs, flying black Jolly Rogers, were openly moored. The two types of ships were clearly separated.
What was strange was that the pirates disembarking from their ships didn't carry the usual arrogance of pirates. Instead, they mingled with the ordinary pedestrians around them, showing no obvious divide.
In the nearby waters of the port, a muscular man with a grim expression stood on a small vessel. His face was dark, and he occasionally glanced at the many pirate ships docked in the port.
"Look, that's the rookie pirate from the West Blue, Black Hand Britton, with a bounty of 50 million berries."
"What's so special about a 50-million-berry pirate? Haven't you heard? Britton racked up a debt of 100 million berries last night in the Pleasure District. Now he seems to be working to pay it off... I heard he was forced to join the patrol team..."
"A 50-million-berry pirate... working to pay off debt?"
"He seems to be looking at his pirate ship... Is he planning to abandon the 100-million-berry debt and run away?"
"Run away? If I remember correctly, that pirate ship has already been seized to pay off his debt. It doesn't belong to him anymore."
Amidst the whispers of the pedestrians, many cast complex glances in his direction.
Pirates weren't the type to dutifully repay debts.
A 50-million-berry pirate was already a rare rookie at the entrance of the Grand Line, and in the four seas, he could have been a dominant force.
But on the Island of Everything, a commercial hub, even a dragon crossing the river had to coil up.
Britton seemed to hear the pedestrians'议论 (gossip), and his expression darkened further.
"What are you looking at? Are you planning to cause trouble?"
Britton's towering figure stood on the vessel, coldly questioning the pedestrians who were discussing him.
As he spoke, Britton subtly raised the black hand cannon on his shoulder.
After a few words, he dispersed the议论 (gossip) of the pedestrians, but his expression didn't improve. It remained dark.
Anyone who went from being a famous rookie pirate to a debt-ridden worker overnight would likely have the same expression.
At that moment, a wave of exclamations suddenly erupted nearby.
"Look! What kind of monster is that?"
"Is it a Sea King? Is a Sea King attacking the ships in the port?"
Britton also immediately turned to look. In the distance, a massive shadow appeared beneath the surface of the sea, gradually rising.
The sea surface bulged, revealing a glimpse of the colossal creature hidden beneath.
"Is it really a Sea King?"
Unlike the others, Britton's face lit up with excitement.
He was from the West Blue and immediately recognized that this wasn't a Sea King but an Island Whale native to the West Blue.
Although Island Whales were large, they were much easier to deal with than Sea Kings of similar size.
"An Island Whale this big... If I sell it to the merchants on the island, it should help pay off some of my debt."
Without hesitation, Britton raised his hand cannon and fired at the slowly rising Island Whale.
Behind him, the crew on the vessel also raised their guns and cannons.
Amidst the series of explosions, the Island Whale's ascent wasn't affected in the slightest. Its massive eye, many times larger than a battleship, glanced at Britton on the shore.
"This whale... is bigger than I thought."
Britton was also stunned.
Even in the West Blue, the home of Island Whales, ones of this size were extremely rare.
Before he could react, the mountain-sized Island Whale opened its massive mouth.
Then, a pirate ship emerged from the abyss-like maw.
Sig stood at the bow, looking at the first island they had finally reached and the burly man on the small vessel nearby, holding a cannon and glaring coldly in their direction.
It wasn't just the patrol vessel nearby; almost everyone on the port's shore was looking their way.
A pirate ship emerging from the mouth of a giant whale was indeed a rather attention-grabbing way to make an entrance.
"Miscalculation... I should have had Laboon surface earlier."
Sig's heart sank slightly. Drawing attention wasn't what he wanted.
Laboon's speed had been faster than he expected, and by the time it surfaced, they had already reached the port.
Crocus, meanwhile, was closely examining the part of Laboon's body that had been hit by the cannonballs, his brow furrowed.
The cannonfire had struck the horrifying scars on Laboon's head, reopening some of the old wounds that hadn't fully healed, causing blood to seep out.
"I really shouldn't have let Laboon into the Grand Line..." Crocus muttered.
Sig took in the scene, his mind racing.
But before he could say anything, many people had already recognized him with looks of astonishment.
"The Sig who has the treasure of Another Piece!"
Sig's heart was in turmoil.
But on the surface, he maintained his composure, standing at the bow and looking down. He deliberately deepened his voice and said:
"Since you know it's me, Sig, how dare you attack our child? Are you trying to force me to draw my sword?"
These words, however, only made the gazes from the port grow more complex. There was awe, but more than that, there was a dangerous mix of desire and fervor.
"If we take him down here, that treasure..."
Sig's heart sank slightly. This wasn't what he had expected.
This was different from the East Blue. It seemed his reputation wasn't enough to intimidate these Grand Line pirates?
Was it that the pirates of the Grand Line were too dangerous, or was the allure of the great treasure, Another Piece, too strong?
Britton, holding the cannon, grew even more excited.
"He has the Celestial Dragons' treasure. Just the location of that treasure is worth 400 million berries... If I can get that treasure, not only can I pay off my debt to the Pleasure District, but I can also go back and have some fun!"
Thinking this, Britton's eyes gleamed with fervor, and his breathing quickened. He immediately barked an order:
"Allowing an Island Whale to attack the port of the Island of Everything—no matter who you are, you're dead! Open fire!"
After the command, the patrol vessel turned its cannons, aiming directly at the pirate ship that had just emerged from the whale's mouth.
"Laboon, you're a mature Island Whale now. Use Splash."
Sig suddenly spoke up.
_______________________
check out 60 advanced chapters on my
check out my link in bio