Everyone aboard the pirate ship had clearly noticed the disturbance in the distant waters. They stared at the scene before them in utter disbelief.
After all, the Calm Belt was a forbidden zone of the sea.
They had merely crossed its boundary and already encountered so many large Sea Kings. Coming through from the other side, they could hardly imagine how many dangers had been waiting along the way.
And the reactions of those Sea Kings—they were obviously afraid, weren't they?
Large Sea Kings could feel fear? It sounded somewhat absurd, yet it was happening right before their eyes.
Even Kid's attention temporarily shifted away from the Masked Man. "Crossing the Calm Belt? Hmph! Another force from the Grand Line?"
"Are the powers on the Grand Line really this terrifying?" Killer looked as if his entire worldview had collapsed. "We clearly defeated pirates who retreated from the Grand Line before, but they're on a completely different level from this kind of strength!"
"Of course it's different!" A cold voice came from nearby. "The ones you defeated were merely trash who failed in the first half of the Grand Line. This man, however, is one of the Five Emperors who rules the seas even in the latter half of the Grand Line, where pirates are as numerous as stars."
"The Death Abyss? Heh! We really ran into a troublesome opponent!"
"Rules the seas? One of the Five Emperors!" A blazing light flickered in Kid's eyes.
At that moment, a calm greeting came from the massive pirate ship as well. "Someone from the World Government? You didn't flee at the first opportunity, so your status in CP0 must not be low, right?"
"CP0 Vice Chief Julius of the Seven Sins, at your service, Lord Apophis." The Masked Man spoke calmly.
"CP0's Vice