God Valley.
Fleet Admiral Kong, who was still busy cleaning up the mess, received the report from Marine G-1 Base
And instantly flew into a rage.
"Damn it!!! Ares actually returned to the New World that fast, and he looted most of Marine G-1's food and weapons!!"
"Absolutely infuriating!!"
It was a straight slap to the Marines' face, stripping them of all dignity.
Admiral Sengoku wore a heavy, worried expression. "Ares has tens of thousands of slaves with him, plus a massive stockpile of supplies. The sea won't be peaceful from here on out."
"And Golden Lion and Whitebeard leaving the Rocks Pirates… they'll probably form their own crews as well."
For the Marines, problem after problem was piling up. They hadn't even recovered from the shock of God Valley
And then Ares went and did this.
The key point was that those tens of thousands of slaves were no small number.
Even if only half could fight…
With Marine G-1's weapons added in, Ares would have at least ten thousand armed men under his banner!
To raise a powerful armed force this quickly
It made Sengoku look at him in a completely new light.
He couldn't help thinking to himself:
Did I knock that bastard awake back at Marine G-1!?
Otherwise, how could he suddenly have this kind of brains and strategy? He's nothing like that reckless brute from before…
While Whitebeard and Golden Lion were still essentially lone wolves, Ares had already
Built his own foundation.
And the future would only make him more terrifying.
Sengoku couldn't help but worry.
What would Ares do next?
What kind of storm would he whip up across the seas!?
Kong pressed a hand to his temples. "The worst part is… Ares stole half the Devil Fruits from God Valley…"
"If he forms his own pirate crew, he might surpass the Rocks Pirates."
Azure Dragon Ares. Kaido the 'Ape Demon.' And then the Paw-Paw Fruit, the Mythical Zoan: Yamata no Orochi, the Mythical Zoan: Ōkuchi no Makami…
So many monsters and abilities all gathered into one crew
Anyone with half a brain could imagine what that crew would become.
A nightmare for the World Government and the Marines.
Creak
The door opened. One of the Five Elders, Saint Saturn, stepped in with his cane and spoke to Kong.
"Raise Ares' bounty to 3.5 billion. And change his epithet to War God."
"War God!?"
Kong's eyes widened. "Won't that just boost his reputation even more?"
Saturn's face darkened as he barked, "His name already echoes across the seas. The title 'War God' will draw endless challengers to him. And besides…"
"Do you think Rocks will tolerate Ares being called a War God?"
With that explanation, Kong's expression eased. He finally understood.
Saturn was using one wolf to devour another.
A famous title came with fame
But it also came with trouble.
Pirates across the sea were arrogant, hungry beasts. If they could defeat Ares, they wouldn't just gain massive renown
They could steal the title of "War God" for themselves.
A blatant trap, laid in broad daylight.
And since it was a decision made by the Five Elders, Kong had no choice but to accept it.
...
On the warship flying through the sky
Kuma handed over a file. "Big Brother Ares, this is what you asked for. I found it in the Marines' records."
"Mm. Good work." Ares took the file.
He opened it.
Inside was a bounty poster
And the face on it was none other than Don Chinjao.
Ares murmured, "I'll try to recruit him. In my eyes, he's the most suitable one for the Mythical Zoan: Yamata no Orochi…"
The Mythical Zoan: Yamata no Orochi.
Each head had its own will.
And each head was essentially another life.
A fruit like that
He felt it was best suited for a man with a "drill-shaped" head like Chinjao.
After all, Chinjao cultivated the "iron head" technique. Most of his strength was concentrated in that pointed skull.
If he gained the Yamata no Orochi form…
He could push that "iron head" to the absolute extreme.
Ares scanned the file. It recorded some sailing intel on the Happo Navy.
He memorized every detail.
Beside him, Kaido asked, "Big Brother Ares where are we going next!?"
"Hachinosu." Ares said. "There's plenty of food and treasure on Hachinosu. Of course we're taking it. And also…"
"We'll ask Katakuri and King whether they want to leave with us."
"King'll definitely come." Kaido grinned. "Worororo he's already decided I'm his captain. With his talent, becoming a division commander in the future won't be a problem at all!!"
Kaido knew what King really was one of the last of the Lunarians.
A bloodline with terrifying potential.
Able to survive in extreme environments.
Able to wield the power of fire.
You could say…
He was born with half the power of a Logia right out of the gate.
Which only proved that saying true
"The Flame-Flame Fruit? Even a dog won't eat it!"
Slardar's eyes lit up. "That kid Katakuri awakened Conqueror's Haki, and he trains like a madman. Once he grows up, he'll be even stronger than me!"
Katakuri's talent was indeed outstanding. And after training under Ares, he'd gotten used to that insane, hellish regimen.
That made him stand out among Charlotte Linlin's many sons.
And Ares knew
In the future, Katakuri would even grasp "future sight." If he started training from childhood, sharpened through battle…
He would become even more terrifying than the original Katakuri.
A seedling like that
Ares liked him a lot.
That was why he chose to detour to Hachinosu.
After half a day
The silhouette of Hachinosu Island came into view.
Several massive warships floated overhead, throwing the island into chaos. Pirates panicked and scattered, thinking the Marines were taking advantage of the Rocks Pirates' main force being gone
To invade Hachinosu.
But then…
When they saw Ares and Kaido
The pirates on the island all let out a long breath of relief.
And then the harbor erupted into cheers.
"Hey It's Ares! He… he actually stole that many Marine warships!?"
"With Ares' strength, stealing a few Marine warships is nothing!"
"That many ships are worth tens of billions! Ares is insane!!"
The port instantly became a riot of noise.
Not long after
Once the news of Ares' return spread, Katakuri and King rushed to the harbor.
Katakuri shouted in delight, "Big Brother Ares you're back!!"
He ran up and threw his arms around Ares' leg, hugging it tightly.
Then he asked excitedly, "Big Brother Ares, you must've fought so many battles this time! Tell me everything!!"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oh, you like the story? Wow, who knew. Go ahead, drop a review and throw some power stones maybe I'll be motivated to keep going.
The story's already ahead on Patron. Go there if you want to catch up faster!
[email protected]/_theon
Change @ to "a"