THUD!
Willy's body hit the deck. Wilson, leaning on his blood-streaked club, knelt on the floor, bleeding from his own wounds.
He was gasping for breath.
Jin walked over and clapped him on the shoulder.
He spoke, his voice low, almost to himself. "The conflict between humans and Fish-Men... the root of the problem isn't the two races themselves. It's the ones who created the system... Let's just call them 'They'... They place themselves above all other races, bleed the world dry, and sow the seeds of pain, hatred, and war. THEY ARE THE TRUE CULPRITS."
Wilson was surprised. Long ago, when Fisher Tiger had freed the slaves, he had said something similar. He had forbidden his crew from harming humans without cause, including those they fought in battle. At the time, many of the Fish-Men, their hearts filled with hatred, couldn't understand.
That was what had eventually led to the Sun Pirates splitting apart.
It was only after years of experience, after seeing more of the world, that Wilson had come to appreciate the foresight in Tiger's philosophy.
He never would have imagined that this young man before him would possess such a profound understanding. He couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration.
"Get to the infirmary and get yourself treated," Jin ordered. "The rest of you, clean up these bodies."
After giving his orders, Jin returned to the conning tower to search for new prey.
He'd avoided fighting on the island to prevent being swarmed. Out at sea, the pirates were far less likely to work together.
He began to hunt for lone pirate ships, taking them down one by one, like a snake devouring its prey.
In a one-on-one fight, no one was a match for him.
After all, in this early part of the Grand Line, the vast majority of pirate crews had bounties of around twenty million. A bounty of sixty or seventy million was considered a major pirate.
That's why Luffy's thirty million Berri bounty had drawn so much attention.
The New World, where bounties in the hundreds of millions were commonplace, was on a completely different level.
A crew like the Krieg Pirates from the East Blue should have been able to make it much farther. Unfortunately for them, they had the bad luck of running into Hawkeye Mihawk.
—————————
After a long while without spotting any more pirate ships, Jin checked the demonic carrier's current stats.
[Primary Authority: Captain Jin]
[Hull Data: Length 36m | Width 18m | Height 10.6m | Weight 88 Tons]
[Internal Space: 420 x 108 x 42 m³]
[Abilities: Munch-Munch Fruit | Mushroom-Mushroom Fruit]
[Armaments: Main Cannons (3) | Heavy Cannons (5) | Firearms (1239) | Blades (1564)]
[Next Evolution Requirements: Soul Crystals (721/500) | Refined Steel (23/20 tons) | Gold (0.2/1 ton) | Silver (3/5 tons) | Rare Earth Metals (10/50 tons) | Biological Matter (0/3)!]
The ship's exterior hadn't changed, but its internal space had grown significantly after swallowing so many other vessels.
Its arsenal had also increased.
He had more than enough soul crystals for the next evolution, and the refined steel was also covered. The gold, silver, and rare earth metals wouldn't be too hard to acquire.
The real problem was the Biological Matter.
0/3.
That meant the next evolution required three Devil Fruits.
"I've got my eye on the Candy-Candy Fruit," Jin mused. "That still leaves two."
He sighed.
This was going to be tough.
"Master, the Salamander has been sighted ahead!" Ai reported.
"Oh?"
Jin's spirits lifted.
There he was. For a moment, he'd been sure he'd lost the bastard.
—————————
At the same time, on the deck of the Salamander.
"General! A ship has appeared astern! It's the Black Dragon Pirates!" the lookout reported.
A bloodthirsty smile spread across Gasparde's face. "So, he's finally shown himself. All hands, prepare for battle."
"Sir!"
The crew readied their guns, loaded their cannons, and drew their swords, gathering on the deck and at the rails, ready for a boarding action.
But before that, the ship's cannons would have their say.
The Salamander was one of the Marines' newer models, a hybrid of steam and sail power. It was 76.5 meters long, 34 meters wide, with a draft of 7.5 meters. Its sides were reinforced with iron armor, and it was armed with 36 cannons. When powered by its steam engine, it could reach a speed of 12.5 knots. With the auxiliary sails, that increased to 14 knots.
Gasparde had stolen it while it was docked.
With such a formidable vessel, he was able to dominate the surrounding seas. Whenever the Marines came after him, he would just escape into the Calm Belt.
As a former Marine, he knew all their tricks. He was always one step ahead, always able to slip through their grasp.
The Marines were grinding their teeth in frustration. But with the Four Emperors and the ever-increasing number of major pirates to deal with, Headquarters simply didn't have the spare manpower to hunt him down.
And so, he had remained at large for years.
Of course, there were other, unspoken reasons for his continued freedom.
For one, Gasparde knew the Marines' bottom line and was careful not to cross it.
He also had a few friends still serving on the inside. There were certain—tasks—that their positions made it inconvenient for them to handle personally.
They needed a proxy.
A helping hand.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The cannons roared.
The cannonballs crashed into the sea around the Empress, sending up massive columns of water. They packed three or four times the punch of a normal pirate ship's cannons.
"Return fire!" Jin commanded.
Deep within the barrels of the ship's cannons, shells were automatically loaded. Ai handled the targeting.
THUMP! THUMP!
The three main cannons and five heavy cannons all fired at once, the ship shuddering from the force of the recoil. Tongues of fire and clouds of smoke billowed out.
They weren't just loaded with cannonballs. They were also packed with the special mushrooms from the breeding chamber—Hypno-Shrooms, Tear-Gas Shrooms, Poison-Gas Shrooms...
It sounded impossible, but in the world of One Piece, a Devil Fruit could make the impossible possible.
The power of the Mushroom-Mushroom Fruit, combined with Ai's data analysis, allowed for the hybridization of different mushroom species, creating new types with various effects. These new species, however, could not reproduce on their own. Their seeds, a special product of the Devil Fruit's power, could only be created in the breeding chamber.
It was similar to how Wapol could create Wapometal with his Munch-Munch Fruit. Even if someone else knew the formula, they couldn't replicate it.
BOOM!
The shells and poison-fungus bombs all found their mark, landing squarely on the deck of the Salamander.
HISSSSSSS...
The fungal spores began to spread. The pirates who inhaled them either collapsed, fast asleep, or fell to the ground, crying uncontrollably. Others clutched their throats, their faces turning blue as they struggled to breathe. Still others began to hallucinate, swatting at imaginary figures dancing around them.
"LOOK OUT! THE SMOKE IS POISONOUS!"
"DON'T BREATHE IT IN!"
"DAMMIT...!"
"GENERAL... HELP... HELP ME..."
Seeing the state of his crew, the veins on Gasparde's forehead bulged. He clenched his fists. "You coward!!!"
They hadn't even boarded, and he'd already lost half his fighting force.
He glared at the approaching black dragon flag, his rage boiling over. When the two ships were about twenty meters apart, he leaped into the air.
"I'll kill you myself."
He launched himself like a cannonball, landing perfectly on the rail of the Empress.
The sea wind billowed his coat, revealing his chiseled eight-pack abs. His sharp eyes locked onto the young man walking out from the conning tower.
He looked to be in his early twenties, with short, black hair and bright, spirited eyes that radiated a will to fight.
Their gazes met, and sparks seemed to fly.
"You challenge me?" Gasparde said, his voice dripping with condescension.
"A challenge?" Jin replied. "You misunderstand. Today, I'm here to kill you... or die trying."
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