The coast below the cliff was piled with numerous rocks. The crashing waves left marks of time on the stones, splashing cool sea spray into the air.
A dark red pirate ship bobbed up and down with the waves.
Several heads poked out from the top of the cliff, and Allen glanced down.
There was hardly anyone on the ship. Dozens of pirates were scattered across the massive boulders along the shore, setting up pots and stoves, seemingly preparing to cook a meal.
"Perfect timing. We can throw a banquet to celebrate after the fight."
Allen grinned, cracking his knuckles until they popped loudly.
"Celebrate? Celebrate what?" a large pirate asked foolishly.
*Smack!*
The man in the white bandana slapped the back of the large pirate's head, speaking indignantly as if disappointed by his sheer stupidity. "You idiot! To celebrate everyone becoming Captain Allen's subordinates, of course."
"Oh, oh, I see." The large pirate scratched his head and smiled sheepishly.
While they were talking, Allen had already made his move.
"Time to get to work, time to get to work."
Allen flipped into the air and leaped down from the cliff, which was over seventy meters high.
This scene scared the nearby pirates so much that their eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
"Eh?!"
...
Down below on a massive boulder, several pirates wearing aprons worked together to carry a large pot. They placed it on a sturdy wooden frame and turned around, preparing to fetch some water.
Suddenly.
*Bang!*
A dark shadow plummeted rapidly from the sky, its feet violently stomping onto the rock. The entire boulder shook, causing the unstable wooden frame to topple over.
The large iron pot crashed down with a deafening clatter, badly startling the aproned pirates, who shrank back in fear.
At the same time, the sudden, massive commotion alerted the surrounding pirates, who immediately turned to look.
"Who goes there?!"
"A Marine?!"
"The Marines are here!!"
Seeing the unfamiliar face that had appeared out of nowhere, the pirates' expressions changed. They quickly grabbed their weapons and went on high alert.
Allen unhurriedly turned around, his gaze sweeping over all the pirates present before revealing a playful smile. "No need to be nervous, everyone. Although I haven't changed out of these clothes yet, I'm no longer a Marine."
"Just who the hell are you?! What are you doing here?!" a pirate stepped forward and shouted loudly. The others also gripped their weapons and took a step forward, their eyes revealing a hint of wariness.
Never mind whether he was a Marine or not; this guy's mere entrance was terrifying enough. Judging by the commotion, he must have jumped down from the cliff.
But.
One of the pirates looked up at the cliff above and couldn't help but gulp.
Jumping from a height of over seventy meters... a normal person would have been turned into a pile of mush!
Seeing that none of the surrounding pirates had any intention of lowering their weapons, Allen raised his hands and joked, "I told you there's no need to be nervous. Actually, I'm here to join your pirate crew. Who's in charge here?"
"Join us?"
Hearing this, the pirates present looked at each other, their gazes ultimately turning toward the pirate ship moored by the shore.
Two figures, one fat and one thin, walked out onto the deck. The thin, hunchbacked man with green hair hopped onto the railing, crouching down like a cat.
Sham looked at Allen with a mocking expression. "A Marine like you wants to join us? Only an idiot would believe such nonsense. You're trying to infiltrate our crew as a spy, aren't you?"
"What an absolute moron. He didn't even bother to change out of his uniform, hahaha," the fat Buchi mocked, crossing his arms and laughing heartily.
Seeing these two appear, a hint of interest finally sparked in Allen's eyes. "The Nyaban Brothers, with a bounty of seven million Berries. Buchi, and Sham."
"Oh? We've been laying low for three years. I didn't expect anyone to still remember our names." Sham narrowed his eyes slightly, becoming even more certain that this newcomer had hostile intentions. "You've prepared such detailed intel, and you still claim you're not here as a spy?"
Allen was speechless.
*'If that's what you want to think, then there's nothing I can do about it.'*
"Alright, since that's the case, I'll just tell you the truth." Allen paused, and under the astonished gazes of the pirates, he made a shocking declaration. "I'm here to become the captain of your pirate crew. Whoever has a problem with that can come up and try me. Of course, I mean all of you at once."
With one hand in his pocket and a slight smirk on his lips, Allen beckoned to the Nyaban Brothers with his other hand. "That includes you two little kittens..."
Seeing his arrogant demeanor, Sham and Buchi gritted their teeth, their faces instantly darkening.
"You bastard...!"
"You'd better beg for mercy loudly later, otherwise I'll make sure you die a miserable death...!"
Sham raised his hand, flashing his sharp cat-claw gloves, which gleamed with a cold light.
The fat cat Buchi let out a furious roar, leaping high into the air and lunging fiercely toward Allen. "Watch me crush your bones! You bastard!"
"Cat Kill Leap!!"
Buchi raised his knees, stomping down viciously toward Allen's position.
Relying on his heavy tonnage and the momentum of a free fall from the sky, he unleashed a force akin to a crashing cannonball!
Allen didn't even take his hand out of his pocket. He simply snapped his leg up in a high kick, colliding heavily with his opponent's stomp!
*Bang!!*
A blast of wind erupted outward with the two of them at the center. The rock beneath Allen's feet suddenly blasted into a small crater. Then, the entire boulder began to tilt as several cracks spread outward with a loud snap!
"He... he blocked it!!"
"To take Buchi's ultimate move head-on...!!"
Seeing Allen steadily block the attack without his body shifting an inch, everyone present was so shocked that their eyes widened and their jaws dropped.
*Boom!!*
The tilted boulder finally overturned. Buchi gritted his teeth and leaped backward, tucking his knees to his chest and rolling several times in the air.
Upon landing back on the ground, he stumbled and nearly lost his footing.
Allen also leaped backward, performing a flip before landing lightly on another massive boulder, still maintaining a calm smile on his face.
"That actually had some force behind it. Not bad, little fat cat."
"Just who is this guy? His leg is as hard as steel. He's an absolute monster." Looking at his opponent again, Buchi's expression turned extremely grave, a drop of cold sweat rolling down his forehead.
A burning pain continuously radiated from the soles of his feet, as if he had kicked a steel pillar. The impact was so severe that his bones felt like they were about to fracture.
At that moment, a green figure flashed swiftly to Allen's side.
Buchi hurriedly warned, "Be careful, Sham! There's something wrong with this guy!"
"Wrong or not, watch me take him down right now!"
Sham smiled fiercely, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. He curled his fingers, and the sharp tips of his cat-claw gloves thrust toward the defenseless Allen like lightning!
However, in the next second, a white blur flashed before his eyes, and Sham's pupils shrank in shock.
A fierce glint appeared in Allen's eyes as he delivered a violent, lightning-fast whip kick straight to his opponent's face!
*Bang!!*
Sham only felt a sudden numbness in his cheek as the scenery in his vision rapidly retreated.
His entire body was sent flying, ultimately crashing heavily into a boulder like a sandbag!
*Crash—Crack!*
"Pfft-argh—!"
Spiderweb-like cracks spread outward, quickly covering the entire rock.
Sham's eyes rolled back into his head. With a pained expression, he spat out a mouthful of blood and slid down like a pile of mud, passing out on the spot!