The Boy and the Girl

Umit nervously walked onto the deck, gazing at the coast not far away from the ship's railing.

He rubbed his hands together, starting to regret if he had been a bit too reckless.

He was a famous shipping magnate in the New World, known as Deep Sea Current.

His business had been doing well, but two years ago, the World Economic News suddenly published a report stating that Seastone emitted fluctuations of the sea. If Seastone was embedded in the ship's hull, it could deceive Sea Kings, allowing for smooth passage across the Calm Belt.

The Calm Belt, which separated the Four Blues from the Grand Line, was no longer an obstacle. The Four Blues and the Grand Line would be connected like never before.

Many competitors went all in, acquiring Seastone and assembling fleets to travel directly between the New World and the North Blue and West Blue. In the past, traveling from the Grand Line to the Four Blues was extremely troublesome.

Umit was no exception. He invested a huge sum to quickly assemble a fleet capable of crossing the Calm Belt and soon earned substantial profits through this trade.

However, Umit was not satisfied.

He wanted to build an even larger fleet and earn more profits.

But there was one problem.

Seastone was very rare.

Not much Seastone could be bought on the seas. To build that small fleet, Umit had already given his all; he couldn't gather any more Seastone.

Therefore, Umit made a risky decision.

He would go to the origin of Seastone to purchase it!

And so, he found himself here, in Wano Country.

Anyone with a bit of information in the New World knew that Wano Country was the world's largest producer of Seastone, or rather, it was the only country in the world capable of continuously supplying Seastone.

However, this country had been occupied by the Beasts Pirates. To purchase Seastone from there, one could only go through the Beasts Pirates.

Umit, having made up his mind, contacted the Beasts Pirates.

It was actually much simpler than he had imagined. The Beasts Pirates readily agreed to his request, and thus, Umit arrived in Wano Country.

Although he had set off with high spirits, upon disembarking at Jinbu Port and being told all his escorts had to remain there, Umit began to regret his decision.

The Beasts Pirates did not have a good reputation in this New World.

However, it was too late. The pirates guarding the port eyed him menacingly.

Umit had no choice but to grit his teeth and board the land of Wano via a massive elevator, then take a boat from Jinbu Port into the inner sea. He was now on his way to the Beasts Pirates' stronghold, Onigashima.

Umit's hands were clenched tightly, his palms slick with sweat, as he gazed at the coast.

Along the coastline, factories could be seen here and there, their chimneys emitting faint smoke. Although not close, Umit could still see many workers coming and going within the factories.

Speaking of which, the Beasts Pirates had also been doing quite well in the weapons trade these past two years. Those weapons must have come from these factories, right?

This former Land of Gold, a country that all ambitious individuals at sea avoided, had now completely become a factory for the Beasts Pirates.

Soon, Onigashima arrived.

The skull with large horns was clearly visible even from a great distance.

Umit's already elevated heart rose even higher.

Was he about to come face-to-face with the legendary Kaido?

The large ship docked at Onigashima's pier. Umit tidied his clothes, preparing to disembark.

No matter what, he was here now, right?

But just as he steadied himself on the pier, a group of menacing figures leaped from the ship's railing behind him.

"Heaven's punishment for traitors! We swear to kill Ian!"

Wielding cleavers and even daggers, they shouted these slogans and charged directly into the skull's interior.

Huh?

Umit was completely bewildered.

What?

Who was Ian?

Who were these people?

What was happening right now?

Beside him, a Beasts Pirate on the pier yelled angrily, "More suicidal fools have snuck in! Stop them quickly! Don't let them disturb Lord Ian!"

He immediately shouted towards the large ship, "What are you guys doing again! How many times has this happened?"

The pirates on the ship also shouted indignantly, "These scoundrels have been working at the port for over a year! How was I supposed to know they could sneak in for so long!"

So, what exactly was going on?

Umit looked at the pirates moving on the pier, feeling a bit lost.

Boom!

The ground suddenly began to shake.

"Idiots! What do you think you're doing!"

Umit's eyes widened in terror as he saw a colossal beast charge out from within Onigashima.

It was a massive mammoth, covered in thick fur, standing over ten meters tall!

"Where do you think you are!"

Umit doubted his own eyes the next moment. The enormous mammoth erupted with terrifying speed, almost becoming a blur as it shot forward.

"Tekkai: Mammoth Charge!"

The locomotive-like giant beast instantly slammed into the intruders who had been charging forward recklessly. Umit couldn't bear to watch. In an instant, bodies twisted, bones snapped, and the unlucky ones were sent flying like scattered flowers.

"Oh! It's Lord Jack!"

The pirates on the port had already begun to cheer.

Jack?

Who was that?

Umit's knowledge of the Beasts Pirates was limited to Kaido himself, and the Inferno Disaster King and Plague Disaster Queen under his command.

Was this a new cadre of the Beasts Pirates?

"Tekkai and Soru, truly fitting of Jack's fighting style."

From the main gate of Onigashima, a graceful young woman emerged. The blonde girl glanced at the giant mammoth that had stopped, then at the intruders who had narrowly dodged one charge and were still desperately pushing towards them.

"Don't disturb Ian."

Her body suddenly transformed. Beneath her kimono, her slender legs abruptly became those of a giant spider.

"Spider Finger Gun!"

She moved like a blur, her spider legs instantly forming a storm that pierced through everyone's bodies in an instant.

It was over.

With the efforts of two people, this group of intruders was finished in the blink of an eye.

So powerful.

Umit looked at the girl, who was six to seven meters tall. Were they both Ancient Zoan types?

Were they using Rokushiki?

The Beasts Pirates had actually hidden such individuals?

"Are you with them too?"

A heavy shadow instantly engulfed Umit as the giant mammoth walked up to him.

"No, no, no!"

Umit broke out in a sweat, shaking his head repeatedly. "I am Umit of the Deep Sea Current. We had an appointment to discuss the purchase of Seastone."

"Deep Sea Current?"

The giant mammoth mumbled.

Then, he reverted to human form. He was a young man over six meters tall, looking down at Umit. "I think I heard Big Brother Ian mention this. Come with me."

So, who exactly was this Ian?

Umit followed the excessively tall young man into the interior of Onigashima.

As they passed the girl, she asked, "Who is he?"

"He's here to talk business with Big Brother Ian," the young man replied casually.

"Is that so? Then you might have to wait a bit." The girl chuckled.

"Let's hurry, it might be starting soon." The young man strode forward.

Starting?

What was starting?

Umit didn't dare to ask, merely following behind them into Onigashima.

The pirates they encountered along the way showed great respect to the young man and woman, addressing them as "Lord Jack" and "Lord Maria." Umit guessed they must be cadres of the Beasts Pirates.

Umit couldn't suppress his curiosity any longer. He whispered, "Who were those people just now?"

"Just stray dogs," young Jack said dismissively.

Stray dogs?

They arrived at the central area of the town on the island, in front of a tall building.

Below the building was a plaza, surrounded by many pirates at the moment.

What are you looking at?

However, none of the pirates dared to stop the approaching boys and girls, clearing a path for them to enter.

Umit then followed them to the very back of the crowd.

He finally saw the center of the plaza.

A boy and a girl stood facing each other.

A girl with beautiful white-to-green gradient long hair carried a mace covered in spikes, and a pair of red horns adorned her forehead.

She wasn't old, appearing to be around thirteen or fourteen, but she was already moving beyond cute and could be called beautiful.

She wore loose clothing resembling a shrine maiden's outfit, white on top and red on the bottom. However, even these loose garments struggled to conceal her slender and graceful figure. Combined with her dignified and elegant features, she exuded a strong air of heroism.

"Heh heh, Ian! I won't lose so easily this time!"

Ian!

Umit quickly looked towards the boy facing the girl.

Is that Ian?

He's so young?

It was a tall, slender boy who looked about the same age as the white-haired girl.

He had black hair and black eyes, with a rather striking appearance. Especially his dark eyes beneath his sword-like eyebrows, they were like black holes, drawing in anyone's gaze.

The boy wore a combination of a white shirt, suit pants, and black leather shoes, even sporting a tie. Though his attire was simple, it only highlighted his tall and lean physique, giving off an overwhelmingly handsome aura.

A perfect match!

This was Umit's first impression upon seeing the boy and the girl.

"Then let's begin,"

The boy, Ian, beckoned to the white-haired girl, "Let me see your progress over this past period."

"You're really lucky, you know."

A boy standing nearby suddenly spoke.

"What?"

Umit was a little confused.

"You just happened to run into Brother Ian and Big Sister Yamato's fight."

Jack's eyes held a hint of fanaticism, "Consider yourself fortunate, you're witnessing people who will stand at the pinnacle of the world!"

The pinnacle of the world?

Umit blinked.

Are they that strong?

"Thunder Bagua!"

On the field, the battle had already begun.

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