East Blue.
Somewhere in the waters near Syrup Village.
On a ship flying a flag marked with a skull resembling a cat's head.
"The new East Blue Overlord? Fifty million? That's a terrifying bounty!"
"You really aren't going, Kuro?" The man dressed like a wandering dancer in a top hat and formal suit pushed up his heart-shaped glasses, then yawned. Looking at the slick-haired man in glasses and a suit before him, he smiled. "This is a carnival for the pirates of East Blue~"
"I no longer want to be a pirate. You know that, Jango. I paid such a huge price to kill every Marine hunting me. I even killed myself." Kuro adjusted his glasses with his wrist and spoke without expression. "All because I didn't want to be a pirate anymore."
"You really intend to keep playing butler forever?" Hearing Kuro's words, Jango lowered his hat with his left hand, rubbed his stomach with his right, and danced a graceful step. Then he suddenly turned around and smiled at Kuro. "There'll be plenty of time to play house later. Let's enjoy this rare carnival first, as a celebration for your retirement. Besides, weren't you planning to get rid of that couple? We can take care of them on the way."
As soon as he finished speaking.
Hearing Jango's words, Kuro, whose ambition had yet to fade, showed a trace of hesitation.
He had not become a butler simply because he wanted to be one. He intended to seize the wealth of Syrup Village's richest man and live happily ever after.
For that, even after retiring, he had never abandoned the Black Cat Pirates.
He had originally thought East Blue was merely a group of boring pirates playing boring games, and he had grown rather tired of it.
Yet, just as he was about to retire, he had stumbled upon something this interesting?
If he did not take part, wouldn't his pirate career end far too blandly?
At that thought, Kuro's eyes glinted slightly, and a cold smile appeared on his lips. "Fine. Becoming the East Blue Overlord won't be so easy. Hopefully, he won't be like that fellow from the Krieg Pirates, calling himself the East Blue Overlord with a mere seventeen million Beli bounty."
He pushed up his glasses again.
"Since that's the case, before I leave, I'll take part in this pirate carnival! Once I return, I can resume this little butler game!"
As he spoke, Kuro, clad in his immaculate suit, raised his head and stared at the calm sea.
"Moke Pirates, let me see what gives you the right to earn a fifty million Beli bounty!"
The Black Cat Pirates, with a bounty of sixteen million Beli, joined in!
Still in East Blue.
Somewhere at sea.
A pirate ship with a swan figurehead, hearts decorating every corner, and even a heart within the skull on its pirate flag.
"Koby! Who is the most beautiful person on this sea?"
"Hehe, hehe... heh, of course it's... of course it's..." Koby, a pink-haired man with a round face and circular glasses, faced the huge, freckled woman holding a spiked club. Cold sweat covered his forehead, yet he still scratched his head with a forced smile. "Of course it's Miss Alvida!"
Thinking of what had happened to him, Koby sighed helplessly inside.
Not long ago, while fishing, he had boarded the wrong ship and been captured by the Alvida Pirates. Now, he worked here as a general servant.
Every day, Alvida personally came to ask him that question several times. Fortunately... as long as he praised Alvida for being beautiful, nothing happened.
"As expected, I am the most beautiful woman on this sea." Hearing Koby's answer, a satisfied smile finally appeared on Alvida's freckled face as she carried her spiked club. Then she turned toward her crew, revealing a vicious grin. "Why aren't you scrubbing the ship clean? Not a speck of dust is allowed! Only the most beautiful ship is worthy of the most beautiful me!"
"Yes, yes, yes! We'll clean it right away."
Threatened by their captain, the underlings did not dare show any dissatisfaction and hurriedly nodded in agreement.
At that moment.
Suddenly.
One of the underlings shakily raised his hand and said in a trembling voice, "Miss Alvida, the new East Blue Overlord has issued a summons. Should we go? I heard a great many pirate crews are going."
"East Blue Overlord? The Krieg Pirates?"
"Not the Krieg Pirates, but the new overlord, the Captain of the Moke Pirates." Hearing his captain's question, the underling's face filled with admiration. "That man has a bounty of fifty million Beli!"
The moment those words fell.
"Fifty million?" Even Alvida, who had always been obsessed with her beauty, was stunned. Her eyes widened in disbelief. "The Moke Pirates?"
Then, seeing the underling still admiring him, she opened her mouth wide and snarled, "Then hurry up and explain!"
"The Moke Pirates—I heard about them at the market. Their captain seems to have some grudge against Marine Branch 16." Startled back to his senses, the underling hurriedly continued, "After receiving a fifty million Beli bounty, he suddenly issued a summons to the entire sea. He wants to massacre Marine Branch 16 before all pirates and declare his position as the East Blue Overlord. As long as we go, we don't even have to fight. He promised that all the wealth inside Marine Branch 16 would be ours to plunder."
As he spoke, he handed over a bounty poster for the Captain of the Moke Pirates that he had obtained that morning.
"Massacre Marine Branch 16?" Hearing her underling's words, Alvida froze again before bursting into wild laughter. "How interesting!"
She looked at the bald, muscular man on the bounty poster handed to her by her underling.
Alvida narrowed her eyes, then raised her spiked club again. "Boys, let's join this East Blue carnival too. Let even more people witness my beauty!"
As soon as she finished speaking.
"Alvida is the most beautiful woman on this sea!"
All the underlings cheered excitedly, including the servant Koby.
However.
Though he raised his hands and cheered along with them, a trace of conflict and reluctance filled his eyes.
Massacre Marine Branch 16?
How many people would die?
Perhaps I should find a chance to notify the Marines?
Amid the cheers, Alvida's Pirate Ship slowly sailed in a certain direction.
The Alvida Pirates, with a bounty of five million, joined in!
Also in East Blue.
On a certain island.
This was territory belonging to the former East Blue Overlord—the Krieg Pirates.
At this moment.
"A pirate summons? A new East Blue Overlord?" After receiving the news, the captain of the Krieg Pirates—Commodore Krieg—showed a cold smile. "Boys, we're joining too! Let me see who dared steal my title as East Blue Overlord."
"Commodore, we're going too? That means declaring war on the Marines!" Seeming to sense his captain's displeasure, Arlong, the Krieg Pirates' fleet combat commander, showed a trace of worry and tried to persuade him. "And that man has a fifty million Beli Marine bounty. Anyone who can earn such a high bounty must be truly vicious. There's no need for us to provoke him. Commodore, wasn't our dream to enter the Grand Line?"
However.
"Shut up! Bounty posters do not represent strength!" Faced with his subordinate's advice, Krieg glared at him and said coldly, "I am the East Blue Overlord! No one can take that title from me!"
"But, Commodore..."
"Go prepare the fleet!"
"Fine!" Seeing the increasingly displeased commodore, Arlong could only sigh helplessly and compromise. "I understand, but... how many ships and men are we taking?"
"Prepare my Fearless Battleship Saber and have everyone set sail!" Krieg's eyes flashed. "And the ships I bought recently—send all fifty pirate ships!"
"What? All of them? That's five thousand men and fifty pirate ships. Isn't that too much?"
"Shut up, bring them all!" Krieg again berated Arlong for questioning him. Then, with a cold smile on his lips, he gazed out at the sea. "I want to see how the man who stole my title as East Blue Overlord plans to stand against my invincible fleet!"
The new East Blue Overlord?
He had not asked me yet!
He waved a hand at everyone. "Get ready and set sail immediately!"
The Krieg Pirates, with a bounty of seventeen million Beli, joined in!
Elsewhere.
In the waters near Orange Town.
"Boss, are we going? A new East Blue Overlord, massacring a Marine branch—it sounds pretty interesting."
"Shut up!" The clown with a red nose, dressed in clown clothes and drinking wine, refused his underling's invitation without hesitation. "A mere East Blue Overlord thinks he can summon us? What does he take us for? I am Buggy, the King of Jesters!"
As soon as he finished speaking.
"That's right! What East Blue Overlord? Captain Buggy hasn't acknowledged him yet!"
"A mere East Blue Overlord only has a slightly higher bounty. What's so special about that?"
"I say our boss is the true East Blue Overlord. He's merely keeping a low profile."
Hearing their captain's imposing response, all the crew members immediately cheered, raising their drinks to celebrate their captain.
They failed to notice.
At that moment.
As he watched his cheering underlings, Buggy the Clown discreetly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and lowered his head to sneak a look at the bounty poster on the table.
Fifty million Beli.
This was East Blue!
His eyes flickered slightly as he muttered, "Could another major figure be appearing in East Blue?"
Better not provoke him. I only want to search for treasure anyway.
Raising his wine cup toward his still-cheering underlings, he shouted with a grin, "Let's celebrate this foolish East Blue Overlord!"
"Yes!"
At that moment.
Countless pirate crews received the East Blue Overlord's summons.
Some pirate crews admired him, some sneered, and some pirates were disdainful.
Yet more and more pirate crews headed for the waters designated by the Moke Pirates, either to watch the excitement or join in it.
Without question.
All of East Blue had become completely lively because of Moke's declaration of war.
At the same time.
Somewhere in East Blue, aboard a Moke Pirates ship.
Xia Che looked seriously at Moke before him. "Do you know what to do tomorrow?"
"Of course~." Hearing his boss's words, Moke patted his chest. "Tell them the Moke Pirates will charge in first and trick as many pirate crews as possible into joining!"
However.
"What do you mean, trick? What do you mean, trick? Watch your words!" Ignoring Nami, who was looking at him with utter disdain beside them, Xia Che seemed dissatisfied as he glared at Moke. After shaking his head in disappointment, he looked solemnly at him. "We're all brothers here. How can you call it tricking them? We're inviting everyone to get rich together, understand? Tell them you have an opportunity for them. The risk is just a little high, that's all. Remember, put on the bearing of the East Blue Overlord!"
As soon as he finished speaking.
Moke looked at Xia Che with admiration.
He immediately puffed out his chest, raised his head, and shouted, "I understand! I'm not tricking them. I'm merely inviting everyone to get rich together."
Truly worthy of being the boss~
They were both scamming people, but the boss made it sound so much classier.
Before you continue