Engaging the Enemy

On Hachinosu Island, in a luxuriously decorated room.

A tall man, clad in full silver armor, casually picked up a wine bottle, flicked off the cap, and poured the amber liquid directly into his mouth before tossing the bottle aside.

"Crack!"

The exquisitely crafted wine bottle instantly shattered into worthless fragments upon hitting the smooth, jade-green floor.

The man wiped his mouth indifferently and said with impatience, "Hey! John, didn't you say Shiki was going to make a move on you soon? How long has it been, and he's still not here!"

"Hee hee~ No rush, he'll definitely come," a man with light purple hair in the room replied casually, holding a bottle of high-end red wine from West Blue.

This man, wearing captain's attire, with two ornate swords at his waist and a grinning expression, was none other than John, the target of Shiki and his crew.

"My subordinates have received news. This morning, they saw Kaido's and Linlin's ships appear in the same sea area."

"Hmph! Whether they've come or not, not a single bit of the treasure promised to us can be missing! Otherwise, don't blame me for forgetting our past camaraderie!" a tall pirate in golden armor with a long beard said faintly from a corner.

Upon hearing the word "treasure," a flicker of something unusual flashed in John's eyes, but he readily agreed. "Don't worry, you won't be shorted a single gold coin. I guarantee it~"

"That's good! Hey, you there, bring some meat over here, and find some women..."

BOOM!!!

Before he could finish speaking, the entire island began to shake.

"Is it an earthquake?"

"No, it's an enemy attack! Shiki and his crew are here!"

The three men immediately stood up, gripping their weapons, and moved to the plaza.

Outside, chaos had already erupted. The smell of dust, soil, and rust stung everyone's nostrils.

"You've finally arrived, Captain!"

"Captain John, save us!"

"Look up, look at the sky!"

The three looked up and saw countless massive rocks falling from the sky, interspersed with many familiar pirate ships.

Those were the ships stationed on the outer islands of Hachinosu Island for reconnaissance. Now, they had been silently lifted into the air by the Golden Lion, unable to even send out a message.

The next moment, an arrogant laugh echoed from the sky.

"Hee ha ha ha! Long time no see, John! Are you taking good care of my treasure?"

"Shiki, you bastard, you're finally here!"

The smile on John's face had vanished. Shiki's mention of 'my treasure' had completely angered him.

"All the treasure belongs to me, and you don't even think about touching it! Otherwise, I'll chop off your claws!"

"Maa maa~ Maa maa~ You're still the same, John. As soon as treasure is mentioned, you change like a different person. But don't forget, greed can kill you if you eat too much."

BIG MOM also appeared from the sky, riding the thundercloud Zeus.

"You're not in a position to say that, Linlin."

The response came from the tall pirate in embroidered robes and golden armor, with a long beard. He had already drawn the greatsword at his waist and stood by John's side.

"So many old faces. It's been years since we last met, hasn't it?"

"Hee ha ha ha~ Yes, it's our first meeting since that Rocks fellow died. How about it, Wang Zhi? Join me, and let's conquer this world together!"

Shiki, completely unconcerned that they were now enemies, laughed heartily and extended an invitation.

"You bastard, I thought you were just like Rocks back then. You arrogant guys always see the world as your own possession."

"As expected, after spending so much time in the sky, your ambitions have grown," the silver-armored pirate, Silver Axe, mocked from the side.

"Stop with the nonsense and make your move! I can't wait to have a good fight!"

Finally, Kaido, who had grown impatient, appeared as a giant dragon from the sky and unleashed a blast of hot breath directly at the three below.

"I didn't expect the intern from back then to have grown to this extent?"

Drawing his sword and cutting through the scorching dragon's breath, John's expression turned slightly serious.

"Leave John to me, you guys pick the rest." Shiki swung his sword, sending a massive golden slash towards John.

"Wave Slash!"

"Maa maa~ Maa maa~ Whatever you say. Kaido, let's go over there." BIG MOM didn't seem to mind, pulling Kaido as she flew off elsewhere.

"Let's go too." Silver Axe and Wang Zhi exchanged glances and followed.

Shiki waved his hand, bringing all the ships in the sky down onto the island. The pirates on the ships jumped off and clashed with John's subordinates on Hachinosu Island.

The various factions began a bloody and primal battle in the wide plaza.

"Charge!"

"Kill!"

"Haha, kill them all, and Rocks' Treasure will be ours."

"You fools dare to come here? Let me show you what we can do!"

"Die! All of you, die! Hahahahaha~"

"Blade Dance Double Emperors!"

King, currently in his Pteranodon form, circled in the sky, unleashing countless blades from his wings, reaping lives on the battlefield.

"Mochi Mochi Rush!"

Beside him, Charlotte Katakuri of the BIG MOM Pirates, wielding his three-pointed spear "Mogura," charged through the crowd, unstoppable.

In the center of several battlefields, the young executives of the Beasts Pirates and the BIG MOM Pirates shone brightly, drawing the frequent attention of the surrounding pirates.

"Who are these two brats? How are they so strong!"

"They look only in their teens, but their strength is clearly that of an executive."

"Executives in their teens?!"

"The one with the scarf seems to be BIG MOM's son, Katakuri, I think."

"What about that Zoan Type user?"

"He seems to be from the Beasts Pirates. I saw him following Kaido earlier."

The members of the Flying Pirates were all shocked by the combat power of King and Katakuri, and began inquiring about their information.

Since Golden Lion's territory was far from here, he had basically had no conflicts with the Beasts Pirates or BIG MOM Pirates, and was not very familiar with the situation of these two pirate crews.

The pirates of Hachinosu Island, however, were different. As friendly neighbors who fought small battles every three days and major battles every five days, they knew these two like the back of their hands.

"It's King! Quick, call the executives over, we're no match for him!"

"Run! Don't get touched by his flames."

"Katakuri, you bastard! Take this!"

"Brother Nid, save me!"

Clink, clink, clink...

Suddenly, countless steel needles struck King in the sky, emitting a crisp metallic sound.

"Yo~ Long time no see, King."

"Nid."

King reverted to his human form and landed on the ground, then drew his long sword and stared at the man before him.

John Pirates executive, Paramecia Type Needle-Needle Fruit user – Nid.

Meanwhile, on another battlefield, Katakuri also encountered his opponent, a man whose physique resembled a war chariot.

John Pirates executive – Heavy Punch Hammer!

At this moment, the battles belonging to the executives had begun.

PS: I directly used the zombies from Thriller Bark for the appearance of Silver Axe and Wang Zhi, as I felt their appearances were closer.