Chapter Twenty-Five: Terrifying Legend! Taking Action! (Seeking Follow-up Reads!)

Grand Line Calendar 1490.

Off the coast of the Land of Endless War.

A pirate ship slowly approached.

"Captain!"

The pirates on deck watched the approaching coastline, sweat beading on their foreheads. "Are we really going to land in this country?"

"Yeah, Captain,"

Another pirate said fearfully, "All the pirates who've gotten close to this country in recent years have disappeared! Everyone says there are ghosts haunting its waters!"

"Ghosts! Hmph! What ghosts are there in this world!"

The one-eyed pirate captain, an eyepatch covering his right eye, roared ferociously. "This country must have a secret! I'll see what's what! Maybe there's some treasure!"

The pirates exchanged glances.

What else could they say to such a stubborn captain?

The pirate ship could only sail towards the island's coast.

It was very smooth; no ghosts or monsters appeared to hinder their landing.

Only when they actually stood on the country's shore did the pirates breathe a sigh of relief.

"I told you, there are no ghosts here!"

The one-eyed captain sneered. "It must be because this country is hiding something!"

"Let's go, let's go see this country... Huh?"

Someone was coming.

On a small hill by the coast, a man dressed as a soldier stood there, peering at them through binoculars. As he watched, he flipped through a stack of wanted posters in his hand.

"Careful!"

The one-eyed captain's voice boomed. "Prepare for battle!"

"Are you the Blood Eye Pirates?"

The soldier took out a megaphone and shouted to the pirates. "Is your captain Fierce Eye Perez, with a bounty of 160 million Belly?"

"That's me!"

The one-eyed captain strode forward, roaring in response. "Who are you people? Do the missing pirates have anything to do with you?"

"It's good that it's you."

The soldier nodded. "Well then, good luck."

The next moment, seven dark figures shot out from behind the hill, lunging at the pirates on the shore below like rabid dogs.

"What?"

Though he only had one eye, his epithet was Fierce Eye, and the one-eyed captain's vision was sharp.

That's why he felt a genuine sense of horror at that moment.

The charging figures were indeed human!

But their posture was like that of beasts!

Their limbs were strangely uncoordinated, and one even ran on all fours like a wild dog.

Fierce Eye Perez, a great pirate with a bounty of 160 million Belly, involuntarily took a step back. "What is this--"

"Captain!"

At that moment, a pirate beside him screamed in terror, trembling as he raised a hand to point at one of the charging figures. "Th-th-that guy is, Heavy Shield Milak!"

The one-eyed captain's single eye instantly locked onto one of the attackers, a burly man conspicuously carrying a heavy shield!

Heavy Shield Milak!

A great pirate with a bounty of 142 million, he had clashed with him two years ago!

No way!

Could it be!

He looked at the others.

As he did, his scalp tingled.

He recognized every single one of them!

Every single one was a pirate with a considerable bounty!

Wh-what in the world was going on?

Screams and wails began to echo along the shore.

Raven, the base of one of the two major divisive forces in this country.

This is the largest fortified village in the country, with the largest population, the most factories, vast farmland, and the highest quality black energy.

At this moment, in a unique manor on the edge of the fortress.

Roa lay leisurely on a lounge chair under a parasol, black energy rising and falling with each breath.

For six years, he hadn't eaten a single meal, drunk a drop of water, or, well, used the toilet.

"What a great place."

Roa leisurely repeated the words he had uttered countless times over the past six years, "If only the whole world were like this country."

But it couldn't be. Non-affiliated nations were one thing; most of them were struggling on the poverty line, and a small portion were barely surviving. Only a very few were peaceful and harmonious, so the average purity of black energy was certainly not low.

As for the World Government's affiliated nations, they were different.

After all, with the protection of the Marines, they were relatively much more prosperous and peaceful.

Damn World Government, even in such a state of decay, are you still protecting your citizens in your own way?

Imu! Five Elders! Don't let me find an opportunity! Hehehe!

While chuckling inwardly, Roa flipped through the newspaper.

"Oh! Uncle Zephyr has resigned from his Admiral position? He's going to train heroes,"

Roa looked at the biggest news of the day and couldn't help but sigh, "What a shame, I wasn't by his side during his most painful moments."

The new generation of Marines was about to emerge, and the power of justice was about to expand.

There was no choice; the pirates' influence had grown too much in recent years.

Captain Rocks might be gone, but the pirates in the New World had not weakened.

The cadres of the Rocks Pirates had all established their own factions, and their powers were expanding rapidly.

Even the most laid-back Uncle Whitebeard had dozens of beloved sons.

Fundamentalist pirates like Senior Golden Lion, who believed in the tactic of overwhelming numbers, were recruiting subordinates on a large scale. The total strength of the Flying Pirate Group was already close to ten thousand.

Boom boom boom boom!

Roa's interest in the newspaper was interrupted by the loud noises coming from nearby.

In the courtyard on one side, a colossal mercury giant, over thirty meters tall, was swinging its massive fists, smashing towards the slender Dylan as if swatting a fly.

Invisible fluctuations wrapped around the giant mercury fist.

"I told you, Bullet, a massive body often becomes sluggish."

Dylan flashed and easily dodged the attack.

The ground instantly shattered under the heavy punch, and the entire manor, no, the entire fortified village, was shaking!

Roa could even feel the black energy becoming slightly denser.

Dylan flickered behind the mercury giant and casually punched several holes in its back.

But it was pointless. Not everyone was like Smoker, obediently expanding their elemental bodies to take hits. Bullet had created a giant shell on the surface of his body, similar to Eren Yeager.

"You don't need to tell me!"

Bullet snorted coldly, and numerous mercury fists emerged from the giant's back, smashing towards Dylan like tentacles.

The two were fighting quite fiercely.

Roa shook his head helplessly.

As the only one in the team who understood Haki, Dylan had naturally become their Haki instructor as Roa and Bullet grew up.

It's just that Bullet, this kid, wasn't very convinced.

After all, few people were willing to let someone weaker than them teach them.

"Lord Roa!"

A group of soldiers rushed into the courtyard, escorting a blood-soaked, one-eyed man. "This is the captain of the Blood Eye Pirates, Fierce Eye Perez!"

"Oh? Fierce Eye?"

Roa looked at the man in surprise. "Who is it?"

"Fierce Eye Perez, bounty of 160 million Berries."

Dylan stopped sparring with Bullet and calmly walked over. Six years had passed, and Dylan, now forty-one years old, had a few more wrinkles around his eyes compared to six years ago.

"He's skilled in kicking techniques, and it's said that combined with his sharp single eye, he can easily kick off a fly's wings!"

"Whoa, that's really impressive!"

Roa was surprised. "But why kick a fly's wings? That's cruel."

A kind young man like him rarely harmed animals.

The heavily injured Perez did not answer Roa's question. He looked at the handsome young man in luxurious attire before him, his pupils contracting in shock, as if he had seen a ghost.

"You, you, why are you here! A remnant of the Rocks Pirates, a monster with a bounty of 1 billion! Black Tiger Roa!!"

"OK, death sentence."

Roa directly activated his ability, turning the fear in Perez's heart into an abyss that completely consumed him.

Anyone nicknamed Black Tiger Roa has to die!

As long as I can beat them.

Many things had happened in these six years, and one of the most important was that after the government realized what Roa had done in God Valley, they raised his bounty to one billion Belly.

Uncle Shiki only had a little over two billion, though.

"Dylan,"

Looking at the newspaper article about the Flying Pirates conquering an island, Roa said thoughtfully, "Shouldn't we start making a move too?"

"Before that, Lord Roa,"

Dylan said calmly, "What should we do about this country? Their patience with us seems to be at its limit."

"Yeah,"

Roa sighed, "We've tried our best not to interfere, letting them fight as fairly as possible, and they're just ungrateful wretches."

Dylan remained silent.

"There's no other way, we have to protect ourselves too."