The Cadres' Strength

"Damn it, you filthy pirates! If you've got the guts, kill me!" Though his body was restrained by an invisible force, Arita could still speak.

"Mm, as expected of someone who trained in Iron Body. Your physique is quite sturdy. Seeing how full of vigor you are, I'm relieved." Roy nodded in satisfaction.

Arita felt his scalp tingle. Could this Phantom Sword Roy have some unusual tastes? His ship was full of muscle-bound men, so it wasn't impossible.

"What do you want? I won't yield! Even if you get my body, don't even think about getting my heart!" Arita wailed miserably like a helpless young maiden.

Facing the strange looks from his crew, Roy regretted not binding that idiot's mouth as well. He applied a little force with his foot, knocking him unconscious, then tossed him to his subordinates.

"Keep a close watch on this Navy gentleman. Other guests are about to arrive." Roy knew there was no time to read Arita's Dream Memory, so he had him detained for now.

A huge group of pirates poured into the city from outside, and an overpowering stench of alcohol filled the air—so strong it was nauseating.

If nothing else, the Drunken Pirates truly lived up to their name. Their entire crew probably soaked in liquor on a daily basis.

At their head was a massive monster, a full six or seven meters tall. Patch's build was already imposing enough, yet before this monster, he only reached the man's waist.

His appearance was just as eye-catching as his size. He wore a clownish hat, had a drunken face, and his huge sausage nose was enough to remind anyone of the great Buggy.

When Roy had heard the nickname Big Drunkard earlier, he had only had a vague impression. But upon seeing the man's face now, he remembered at once. This guy seemed to be the terrifying criminal imprisoned in Impel Down's Sixth Level five years later. He had even eventually joined the Blackbeard Pirates. No matter how one looked at it, he was no simple character.

Fortunately, Roy had no idea when he would be imprisoned in Impel Down, but since he was still wandering around North Blue, his strength probably had not yet reached its peak. After all, in the world of Pirate Kings, five years was enough time for tremendous changes.

"Burp, am I out of booze again? Burp, why is the Navy man already down? Little brother over there, did you take care of him for us?" Vasco Shot slurred drunkenly, his tongue seeming too big for his mouth.

"Oh, yeah. Are you going to thank us?"

"Burp, that won't do. How can pirates let others interfere in their battles? Since you knocked out the Navy man, I'll just have to knock you out instead." With that, he staggered clumsily toward Roy, making one wonder whether he would simply collapse and start snoring on the ground in the next moment.

The large group of pirates behind him also sprang into action. Roy's Observation Haki sensed quite a few capable individuals among them, but compared to Big Drunkard, they were far too lacking. Roy believed those pirates could not cause any trouble for his crew at all.

Patch, who had been somewhat dissatisfied that Yonji had seized the initiative last time, had learned his lesson this time. With a furious roar, his body swelled by a whole size as he charged into the enemy formation and rampaged through it like an out-of-control tank, sending pirates flying everywhere he passed.

"Feels good! This feels incredible!" Patch might usually be a laid-back person, but once he entered battle, he became as brutal as a demon king. Especially after activating his Devil Fruit Ability, he was like a killing machine. Even during ordinary sparring, only Roy could barely suppress Patch in this state.

The Drunken Pirates were enraged by Patch's arrogance, and a fish-man officer could not resist charging at him.

"Lord Barton, go! Don't let these bastards look down on the Drunken Pirates!"

"Lord Barton, use that tenfold arm strength of yours to—"

Before he could finish, Barton was torn in half by Patch in his berserk state. The pirates all fell silent. The Drunken Pirates' officers knew they stood no chance alone, so three of them charged out together.

"You damned bastard, don't get too cocky! Let me show you our three-man combined atta—shit, where are they?" The Longarm Tribe officer, who had rushed halfway forward and was preparing to unleash his ultimate move, discovered that the other two had not followed. He was so frustrated he nearly spat blood. How could he possibly be a match for that monster alone?

"You bastards... wait, what? When did this happen?" Just as he turned to berate the two useless idiots holding him back, he found them already lying on the ground, a bullet hole clearly visible in each of their heads.

In the distance, King blew the heat from his gun barrel and turned his sights toward the others.

The Longarm Tribe officer then noticed that a huge shadow had enveloped him from behind. Beads of sweat the size of peas rolled down his face as he slowly turned around to see Patch, whose eyes were blood-red and who looked like a monster. With an awkward grin, he said, "B-Big brother, if I said this was all a misunderstanding, would you believe me?"

Bang!

Patch's pair of iron fists answered him.

A young man with perpetually melancholy eyes walked calmly through the crowd, as though the flashing blades and flying shadows around him had nothing to do with him. Even bullets always seemed to pass strangely by his side.

Naturally, many pirates noticed this pretentious bastard. A group of them silently changed direction and closed in on Kayou before launching a surprise attack.

Evil-Breaking Eight Arrays!

"It smells so good. What is that smell?"

"I'm so hungry! I want food! Give me food, now!"

"Ah! Let go, you bastard! If you want food, why are you biting my hand? Damn it, let go! I'll kill you!"

Wherever Kayou went, the pirates there went mad, making many of them look at him as though he were a demon.

"I am a newcomer on Lord Roy's ship. Though this is my first time going to sea for battle, my heart burns as fiercely as flame." A middle-aged man dressed like a wandering swordsman walked straight toward the enemy.

The few surviving officers of the Drunken Pirates thought to themselves that this newcomer could not possibly be as monstrous as the previous ones. After all, their captain, Big Drunkard Vasco Shot, was an exceptionally brutal man. If he learned they had fought halfheartedly, their fate would surely be horrifying.

Thus, the officers exchanged glances and charged at Kenkon together.

Dragon Hammer Soaring Flash!

Kenkon leaped fiercely into the air and delivered a downward slash. Upon landing, he lightly tapped off the ground with his toes, gripped his sword with both hands, and unleashed an even more powerful strike.

After the combo, several of them were dead or severely wounded. Even the least injured had lost an arm. Their eyes were filled with fear and anger as they looked at Kenkon. What the hell? With strength like this, why pretend to be a newcomer?

The Drunken Pirates began to feel that something was wrong. Why did every pirate on the other side seem like a monster? Their own officers were basically taken out in a single exchange whenever they faced the enemy's strong fighters. In any other pirate crew, not even the captain might possess such strength! Even the ordinary soldiers seemed like lifeless monsters, able to suffer grievous wounds without even frowning. Why call them the Phantom Sword Pirates? They might as well be called the Monster Pirates!