Hachinosu Island.
A pirate paradise.
Two years ago, the God Valley Incident took away a large number of vicious pirates, and this place should have become desolate and deserted.
However, after John and Kaido dueled, with John's slight advantage winning the ownership of Hachinosu Island, John once again attracted pirates from all over the world according to the previous Marine duels.
This pirate paradise once again glowed with its inherent brilliance.
At this moment, Captain John was deep inside the castle, gulping down bottled wine.
Hearing his subordinate's report, John paused for a moment, then let out a sinister chuckle.
"Beasts Pirates... are they coming for me?"
"The brats who used to follow us are also starting to make a name for themselves!"
"But what illusion makes you think you can subjugate me?"
John laughed heartily, stood up, and staggered out of the castle.
The castle was built on the mountainside, with an endless square below, from where the entire island could be overlooked.
"My lads!"
John, standing on the high platform, raised his arms and shouted, and the pirates below cheered enthusiastically.
"Captain John, Captain John, Captain John!!!"
The pirates cheered enthusiastically; it was clear that John had a strong appeal among them.
John enjoyed the feeling of being the center of attention. He said loudly, "Just now, I received news that the Beasts Pirates are heading towards Hachinosu Island!"
"Beasts Pirates? Is there such a pirate crew? It wouldn't be some rookie pirate crew, would it?"
"It seems they're coming to join Captain John's ranks. To catch Captain John's attention, they must not be ordinary rookie pirates."
In the crowd, people chattered and discussed, with only gossip and disdain in their eyes.
John smiled and said, "It seems many people don't know about the Beasts Pirates. I only just found out myself, but don't underestimate this pirate crew... It's a pirate crew formed by the rookie Kaido, which means Kaido is coming to subjugate us this time."
There was a hint of playfulness on John's face. Among the pirates in the crowd, some were surprised, some disdainful, and some uneasy.
"Subjugating Hachinosu Island?! Haha, as long as Captain John is here, we are invincible!"
"I'll twist off that rookie Kaido's head and use it as a chamber pot!"
"Let the rookies see the terror of New World pirates!!"
"..."
The pirates cheered, their eyes greedy, mad, and bloodthirsty, with chaotic impulses stirring restlessly within them.
John laughed heartily. The reason Hachinosu Island was a pirate paradise was because everyone here was a vicious criminal exiled from various countries, and there were over five thousand pirates on the island!
When the Marine learned that the Beasts Pirates were preparing for a direct confrontation with the John Pirates, all nearby Marine branch bases became busy.
On one hand, they were assembling forces, ready to deal with the aftermath of the clash between the two pirate crews at any time.
On the other hand, they contacted Headquarters, hoping for additional support, as it would be ideal if they could take this opportunity to wipe out two highly threatening pirate crews in one fell swoop.
The Marine, including Saeko, Rear Admiral Lily, and Kerber, who were supposed to be monitoring Winter Island, also sailed their warships far behind the Beasts Pirates, maintaining a safe distance of about one hundred nautical miles to avoid being discovered by the Beasts Pirates.
"Who is coming from Headquarters this time?"
Rear Admiral Lily, with a slender cigarette in her mouth, exhaled a smoke ring.
Kerber said in a deep voice, "It's Admiral Zephyr, who was just promoted yesterday."
Black Arm Zephyr was promoted to Admiral for his meritorious service in subjugating the Silver Axe Pirates.
Rear Admiral Lily's eyebrows drooped, and she suddenly recalled what happened a year ago.
"An old rival... I wonder if we can catch Kaido this time."
"This time, the superiors didn't give clear instructions. Headquarters' intention is not to let us enter within a hundred li of Hachinosu Island until they decide the victor, then we'll seize the opportunity."
Kerber's expression was solemn, his gaze profound, and he said earnestly, "It would be best if these two pirate crews disappeared from this world together."
Grand Line, a certain island.
In a smoke-filled tavern, rumors began to spread.
"I heard something big happened in the New World again!"
"Big news? Doesn't something big happen in the New World every day? Those pirates just love to cause trouble."
The drunken patrons, their eyes hazy, hiccuped, drank, and chatted without restraint.
"It's said that the rookie Kaido, who just formed the Beasts Pirates, is preparing to engage in battle with the John Pirates! I heard the Beasts Pirates deployed thousands of people, and the Marine has also started to act because of this!"
"That monster Kaido...!"
People were shocked. Evidently, there had been no shortage of news about Kaido in the past two years, each one a world-shaking event.
Not far away, a tall man sat in a corner, quietly listening to these rumors from the drunkards.
He wore a nose guard mask, dressed in attire similar to an executioner, his hands covered with cold mechanical bones, and a chain copper hammer and a scythe hung behind him.
"New World... it's really lively."
The man lowered his head, took a sip of wine, and let out a strange laugh.
After finishing a pot of wine, he stood up, his tall figure almost touching the ceiling.
"Hey, you brat, don't you watch where you're going!"
A drunkard angrily shouted at the man.
His companion also wanted to chime in but suddenly noticed the man's attire and the cold, eerie glow emanating from the mask's eyeholes, and he immediately shivered.
His companion quickly pulled him, whispering, "Quick, shut up!!"
He mumbled indistinctly, very displeased: "Why are you pulling me?!"
Bang!!
The man kicked the drunkard flying, smashing a wine table.
The drunkard lay on the ground, head bleeding, wine spilling all over him.
The atmosphere in the tavern instantly became so quiet that a pin drop could be heard. Everyone stared dumbfounded at the man, who had a playful expression and sinister eyes.
Recognizing the man's attire, no one dared to breathe until the man left the tavern with a half-smile, and then everyone finally came to their senses.
"It was him, wasn't it, the rookie Hanafuda!!"
"He actually appeared here. Didn't they say the Marine was hunting him down?"
"I heard he defeated a pirate crew all by himself; he's a rookie monster!"
People discussed animatedly, their faces changing drastically. The infamy they felt from newspapers was far less direct than reality.
That almost suffocating sense of oppression made their hair stand on end.
Two days later, New World, Hachinosu Island waters.
Three dark warships cut through the waves, creating a white wake on the sea, and the Beasts Pirates' emblem was branded on the flapping sails.
Pirates stood neatly on both sides of the deck, heavy footsteps echoed inside the cabin, and then Kaido walked out, the sea breeze lifting the long hair on his forehead.
Kaido gazed at Hachinosu Island, which was only a few nautical miles away and seemingly within reach. He raised his hand and couldn't help but make a grasping gesture.
He snapped out of it, looked at Wald, and said, "Wald, give them a welcome gift first."
"No problem!"
Wald laughed heartily and leaped onto the second deck of the warship. He forcefully pulled open a huge black cloth, revealing a mobile cannon platform with a caliber capable of loading 100 cm shells.
He loaded five large-caliber cannonballs, then rotated the mobile cannon platform, aimed at Hachinosu Island, and revealed a cruel smile.
"80x cannonball!"