"On this sea... there's never a shortage of guys who aren't afraid to die..."
"Not afraid to die? More like looking for a grave... hic..."
Logan and his group left the tavern one after another. They hadn't been quiet when discussing business, and the patrons inside had overheard everything; they knew exactly why Logan was leaving.
Although they didn't know who the provocateurs were, in the eyes of these onlookers, those challengers had already been handed a death sentence.
"Are you so sure? To make it to the New World, those people can't be weak, right?"
Among the voices of agreement, a discordant note suddenly rang out, causing the drinkers at nearby tables to turn their eyes toward the speaker.
"Kid, how long have you been a pirate... no, how long have you been in the New World?"
The middle-aged pirate who had spoken first looked at the person who contradicted him. It was just a green youth. In his drunken eyes, there was a hint of an elder trying to give a pointer to a junior.
"I was born in the New World. I just set out to sea last month. What of it? Don't look at me like a nobody now; I'm going to make a name for myself someday..."
"Hahaha, it's good to be young. But do you never read the news?"
"I'm illiterate."
As soon as those words left his mouth, the tavern fell into a momentary stunned silence, followed by a roar of laughter.
There were many illiterate pirates, but they usually traveled in crews where someone could read. A rookie sailing alone like this was quite a rare sight.
"Kid, remember this: there are many strong people on this sea, and quite a few can be called 'monsters.' This island is a monster's nest. But even in this gathering place of monsters, there are two people you must never offend."
"They are the monsters among monsters. One is named Rocks, and the other... is Logan."
"Are they that strong?"
Normally, those two names carried enough deterrent power on their own, but the young man clearly didn't know better. He asked a question that, in the eyes of other pirates, was incredibly stupid.
"You know about the Marine Admirals, right? The highest combat power of Marine Headquarters. They count as monsters. But Rocks killed an Admiral—that was the first time I'd ever heard of an Admiral being killed by a pirate."
"As for Logan, though he looks like a regular human, he's actually of the Fish-Man race. He can hold his own against Rocks in a fight on land. Do you understand what that means?"
Fish-Men, a unique sub-species of this world, possess gifted natural talents. Because they can breathe underwater, sea combat is their true home turf. A Fish-Man's combat power underwater is typically several times higher than it is on land.
For a member of such an aquatic race to display that kind of power even on land... how strong he must be underwater went without saying.
Seeing that the young man didn't seem to believe him, the middle-aged pirate didn't say much more. He simply gestured to the person behind the bar and bought another barrel of rum. He then filled the young pirate's glass.
"Drink up. This one's on me. I've seen too many hotheads like you. If you don't die later, remember to treat me back. If you do die, consider this your send-off drink."
The young pirate felt a sense of contempt in the man's tone and did not take the drink.
Accompanied by the laughter of the other pirates, he ran out of the tavern in a huff, following the direction Logan had gone. He seemed determined to see for himself what this "monster among monsters" actually looked like.
At the southeast coast of Hachinosu, a group of people was checking their weapons.
There were members like Logan who looked no different from humans, others like Sebastian with distinct racial traits, and even Merfolk with human upper bodies and fish tails.
Unlike Fish-Men, Merfolk only gain the ability to split their tails into legs to walk on land after the age of 30—and this is an exclusive trait of female Merfolk. Therefore, the male Merfolk present stayed in the shallow waters.
The two leading the group were also tall, and between the two of them, they couldn't muster a single full head of hair.
The Fish-Man on the left had blue-green skin, thick lips, a large nose, and held a harpoon. His name was Sunbell—a member of the Roger Pirates in the original timeline, but Logan had scouted him early.
The Fish-Man on the right had a shiny bald head, a mustache, and was fiddling with a string of prayer beads. His name was Barbell, a member of the Rocks Pirates in the original timeline. Along with Sebastian and Bikapanda, these four were Logan's capable officers.
"What's taking Sebastian so long?"
Barbell turned his prayer beads impatiently, complaining that Sebastian hadn't returned yet.
"Maybe Big Brother Logan has something urgent on that end," Sunbell replied in a calm tone. Although Barbell carried prayer beads and claimed to be a monk, his temper was far more explosive than Sunbell's.
"Captain Rocks isn't even around right now. Aside from him, is there anything on this island that could stump Big Brother? Why couldn't he just use a Transponder Snail? Was it really worth a special trip? I bet that kid Sebastian went to curry favor with Big Brother again..."
"Barbell, why don't you teach me how to contact someone via Transponder Snail when they aren't carrying one?"
As Barbell was muttering, Sebastian appeared behind him, responding irritably.
"And who are you calling 'kid'? I'm older than you; I just don't look as old as you do. Going bald at such a young age."
Giants have a theoretical lifespan of three hundred years, and half-Giants are affected by this as well, enjoying a very long youth. But Barbell seemed more concerned about his hair than his age.
"This is a monk's discipline! Discipline!! It's not baldness, it's a tonsure!! Don't you just have a bit of Giant blood? Does that make you so proud?"
"It's alright. At least I don't have hair loss."
Sebastian tossed the hair hanging down his back. That flowing black hair caused several vein-pop symbols to appear on Barbell's forehead; the phrase "hair loss" seemed to be a direct attack on his soul.
Once, Barbell had long hair like dancing flames, but as time passed, his beautiful locks had abandoned him. A mid-life crisis had arrived early. Of course, to the outside world, Barbell insisted he shaved it himself for his spiritual training.
"Stop arguing, the Captain is here."
Sunbell patted the two on their calves to remind them of Logan's arrival. As for why he patted their calves...
Sebastian was massive due to being a Wotan (Fish-Man/Giant hybrid), and Barbell himself had a robust build comparable to a small Giant. Such cases weren't rare among Fish-Men; some, like Wadatsumi, were nearly the size of Ancient Giants. Compared to these two, Sunbell—who was actually quite sturdy—looked like a midget.
Hearing this, the two stopped bickering. Arguing was a common occurrence for them, a unique form of entertainment. They knew how to prioritize when serious business was at hand.
Accompanied by various greetings like "Captain," "Big Brother," and "Boss," Logan arrived before the crowd.
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