Grand Line, the opening stretch of Paradise.
"As expected of our captain! Those villagers really couldn't do a thing against you!"
On a massive pirate ship, a short, rat-faced man fawned over the five-meter-tall man beside him.
"Of course! Our captain is a man even the famed White Hunter Smoker couldn't do anything to!"
Another burly man, who was wiping down his blade, chimed in.
Just as they said, they had raided a sparsely populated village nearby not long ago.
Though the villagers had fought back desperately, he had slaughtered every last one of them by himself.
"Wahahahaha! I am Iron Man Arkham!"
Laughter echoed across the deck as the five-meter-tall man raised his jug and took several deep gulps.
He thoroughly enjoyed the thrill of massacring the weak, as though it could erase the fear of the Grand Line buried deep within him.
A month ago, they had passed through Loguetown from the East Blue and entered the Grand Line.
Even now, they were still prowling the first half of Paradise, bullying brats who had just entered the Grand Line and raiding the sparsely populated villages on nearby islands.
They wanted to venture deeper into Paradise, and even more so, enter the New World to compete for the legendary title of Sea Emperor.
But a few days ago, after witnessing Hawkeye Mihawk, one of the Shichibukai, single-handedly pursue and slaughter a massive fleet, they gave up on that idea.
Arkham knew the man being chased. Like him, he was from the East Blue, and his strength was roughly on par with Arkham's.
Better to temper themselves in the front half first!
That was how Arkham comforted himself. Maybe one day, he would come across a powerful Devil Fruit and rise above everyone else!
As for Smoker being unable to