Chapter 25: The Terrifying Legend! Operation Begins!

Year 1490 of the Sea Circle Calendar.
Off the coast of a nation defined by endless warfare.
A pirate ship drifted slowly toward the shore.

"Captain!"
The pirates on deck gazed at the approaching coastline, sweat beading ever more heavily on their foreheads. "Are we truly going to land in this country?"

"Aye, Captain," another pirate chimed in, trembling. "Every pirate ship that has neared this land over the past few years has simply vanished! Everyone says the coastal waters are haunted by ghosts!"

"Ghosts! Hah! There’s no such thing as ghosts in this world!"
The one-eyed captain, wearing an eyepatch over his right eye, stood aggressively. "This country must be hiding some secret! I’m going to see for myself what’s going on! Who knows, it might even be treasure!"

The pirates exchanged uneasy glances.
What could they say to such a stubborn captain?
The ship had no choice but to continue toward the island’s shore.

It was entirely uneventful. No ghosts, no monsters, nothing appeared to obstruct their landing.
Only when they finally stood upon the country’s shore did the pirates let out a sigh of relief.

"I told you! Where were the ghosts?" The one-eyed captain sneered. "There must be something this country is hiding!"
"Come, let’s go into the country and see—hmm?"

Someone was coming.
On a small hill by the shore, a man dressed as a soldier stood watching them through binoculars, occasionally glancing down at a stack of wanted posters in his hand.

"Careful!" The captain shouted, his voice rising. "Prepare for battle!"

"Is this the Blood-Eye Pirate Crew?" The soldier pulled out a megaphone and called down to the pirates. "Is your captain the 'Fierce-Eye' Perez, with a bounty of 160 million Berries?"

"That’s me, alright!" The captain stepped forward, bellowing his reply. "And who are you lot? Do you have anything to do with the pirates who have gone missing here?"

"If it’s you, then that’s fine," the soldier nodded. "Good luck."

In the next instant, seven dark shadows lunged from behind the hill, charging toward the pirates on the beach like rabid dogs.

"What?"
Though he had only one eye, the captain—nicknamed "Fierce-Eye"—possessed keen vision.
It was precisely for this reason that he felt a genuine, bone-chilling terror.
The figures rushing toward them were indeed human!
But their movements were beastly!
Their limbs were strangely uncoordinated, and one was even sprinting on all fours like a wild canine.

Fierce-Eye Perez, a great pirate with a 160-million-Berry bounty, couldn't help but take a step back. "What on earth is—"

"Captain!"
One of his crew members screamed in horror, his hand trembling as he pointed at one of the charging figures. "That, that, that guy is 'Heavy Shield' Mirak!"

The captain’s single eye locked onto the figure—the conspicuous, hulking man carrying a massive shield!
Heavy Shield Mirak!
A great pirate with a bounty of 142 million Berries. He had clashed with him two years ago!
It couldn't be!
He looked at the others.
The sight made his scalp crawl.
He recognized every single one of them!
Every one of them was a notorious pirate with a significant bounty!
What... what on earth was happening here?

Screams and wails began to echo across the shore.
...
Raven, the stronghold of one of the two warring factions in this nation.
This was the largest fortress in the country, home to the largest population, the most factories, vast farmlands, and the highest-quality black mist.

In an isolated manor on the edge of the fortress, Loa lounged comfortably in a deck chair beneath a parasol. With every breath he took, the black mist ebbed and flowed around him.
For six years, he had not eaten, nor drunk, nor—well, he hadn't used the restroom either.

"What a wonderful place."
Loa repeated the words he had spoken countless times over the last six years. "If only the whole world were like this country."

But it was impossible. Non-member nations were one thing; most struggled at the poverty line, some were in complete misery, and only a tiny few were peaceful. Naturally, the average purity of the black mist there was quite high.
But the member nations of the World Government were different.
After all, with the protection of the Navy, they were relatively wealthy and peaceful.
Damn the World Government. Even in such a state of decay, are you still protecting your people in your own way?
Im! The Five Elders! Don't let me find an opening! *Heh-heh-heh!*

Chuckling internally, Loa flipped through the newspaper.
"Oh! Uncle Zephyr has resigned as Admiral? Going to train heroes, is he?"
Looking at the biggest news, Loa sighed. "What a pity. I wasn't by his side during his most painful hour."

The new generation of the Navy would soon emerge, and the forces of justice would expand.
There was no helping it; the power of pirates had swelled too much in recent years.
Though Captain Rocks was finished, the pirates of the New World had not grown weak.
The commanders of the Rocks Pirates had all struck out on their own, and their influence was expanding rapidly.
Even the most laid-back Uncle Whitebeard had already gathered dozens of beloved sons.
As for the fundamentalist pirates like Senior Shiki, who believed in the power of numbers, they were recruiting subordinates on a massive scale. The total strength of the Flying Pirates was already nearing ten thousand.

*BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!*
Loa’s interest in the paper was interrupted by a deafening roar nearby.
In the courtyard, a gargantuan mercury giant over thirty meters tall was swinging its massive fists, swatting at the slender Dylan like a fly.
The giant mercury fist was imbued with invisible ripples.

"I’ve told you before, Barrett—a massive size often leads to clumsiness."
Dylan’s figure flickered, effortlessly dodging the blow.
The ground shattered instantly under the punch. The entire manor—no, the entire fortress—was shaking!
Loa felt the black mist grow even denser.

Dylan reappeared behind the mercury giant in a flash, casually punching several holes through its back.
It was pointless. Not everyone was like Smoker, who would honestly expand or elementalize their body to take a hit. Barrett created a giant shell of mercury around his body, similar to Eren Yeager.

"You don't need to teach me!"
Barrett snorted. Countless mercury fists sprouted from the giant’s back, lashing out at Dylan like tentacles.
The two were locked in a fierce battle.
Loa shook his head helplessly.
As the only one in the team who understood Haki, Dylan had naturally become their instructor as Loa and Barrett grew up.
But Barrett, that kid, wasn't very convinced.
After all, few people were willing to be taught by someone weaker than themselves.

"Lord Loa!"
A group of soldiers hurried into the courtyard, escorting a blood-soaked, one-eyed man. "This is the captain of the Blood-Eye Pirate Crew, 'Fierce-Eye' Perez!"

"Oh? Fierce-Eye?"
Loa examined the man with curiosity. "Who was that again?"

"Fierce-Eye Perez, bounty 160 million Berries," Dylan said, stopping his sparring with Barrett and walking over calmly. Six years had passed, and at forty-one, there were a few more wrinkles around his eyes. "He specializes in kicking techniques; it is said that, combined with his sharp eye, he can easily kick the wings off a fly."

"Woah, that’s quite impressive!" Loa remarked, fascinated. "But why kick the wings off a fly? That’s quite cruel."
A kind youth like him rarely harmed animals.

The heavily wounded Perez didn't answer the question. He stared at the elegantly dressed, extraordinarily handsome youth before him, his pupils dilating as if he had seen a ghost.
"You... you... why are you here! The remnant of the Rocks Pirates, the monster with a one-billion-Berry bounty! 'Black Tiger' Loa!!"

"OK, death penalty."
Loa directly activated his ability, turning the fear in Perez’s heart into an abyss that consumed him entirely.
Anyone who called him by the nickname "Black Tiger" had to die!
As long as he could beat them, that was.
A lot had happened in these six years. Among the most important was that the government, upon discovering what Loa had really done at God Valley, had raised his bounty to one billion Berries.
Even Uncle Shiki only had a bounty of over two billion.

"Dylan," Loa said thoughtfully, looking at the news of the Flying Pirates conquering yet another island. "Should we start making our move as well?"

"Before that, Lord Loa," Dylan replied calmly, "what shall we do about this country? Their patience seems to have reached its limit."

"Indeed," Loa sighed. "We’ve tried our best not to interfere, allowing them to fight as fairly as possible. What a bunch of ingrates."

Dylan said nothing.

"No choice. We have to protect ourselves, after all."