Bang!
In the tavern, a burly man with an incredibly hairy chest slammed a barrel down onto the table.
"So what if they're the Donquixote Family? I rob the Donquixote Family!"
"Scared? If you're scared of everything, what are you doing out at sea as pirates? Go home and suckle at your mothers' breasts!"
The man's especially mocking words drew displeased looks from many of the people across from him. A few hotheads were even ready to pull out their weapons and teach the bastard a lesson.
"Bullshit! Who's scared?"
"Know your place. I'm talking to your captain. What makes a little nobody like you think you can butt in?"
"Fuck! I—"
"Shut up and get to the back!"
The one who spoke was a man in a tight green combat suit, with a rapier tucked at his waist. His getup was extremely strange.
Once the captain had spoken, the man who'd been scolded could only swallow his anger, no matter how wronged he felt.
"Black Bear Miles, you sent someone to ask me to discuss a big deal, so I came all this way with my men. But it turns out you want to rob a Donquixote Family smuggling ship. Forget whether we'd succeed—have you even thought about the consequences?"
"Heh! What consequences could there be? We'd just have to fight them to the death. What a load of bullshit, this Donquixote Family. I've never liked them. I always thought Silver Light Sword Lawrence was someone worth knowing, but after seeing you today, I see you're just a coward. If you don't dare make a move, then my Giant Bear Pirates will do it. But let me make one thing clear: if your Hundred Swords Pirates dare to interfere, don't blame me for showing no mercy."
His words were downright murderous.
The men of the Hundred Swords Pirates were all bristling with indignation, their eyes blazing. Even Silver Light Sword Lawrence wore a dark expression, his face murderous.
"If you really want to die, you stupid bear, I can send you on your way right now!"
After being insulted to his face, if Lawrence didn't react, he might as well give up his position as captain.
"You? A coward who trembles at the mere mention of the Donquixote Family? Hahahaha!"
Black Bear Miles roared with laughter, and the men he'd brought along laughed so hard they nearly fell over.
Lawrence knew perfectly well that Miles was provoking him, trying to make him lose his temper, but he still couldn't bear the humiliation.
The next instant, a flash of silver!
Lawrence stabbed his rapier into Black Bear Miles's chest.
The name Silver Light Sword had spread far and wide because of the sight of him striking.
But to Lawrence's horror, his rapier had only pierced half an inch into Miles's body before it could go no farther.
Looking up, he saw Miles grinning maliciously at him. Then Miles transformed into a gigantic black bear, five meters tall!
His thick fur was the best defense.
"Is that supposed to tickle?"
Miles raised a paw and brought it crashing down.
With a loud boom, the sturdy solid-wood table shattered into pieces.
But Lawrence was no pushover. He dodged backward at the last second and escaped unharmed.
His expression, however, had turned grave.
"Devil Fruit User?"
"Not bad. Looks like you know a thing or two."
Black Bear Miles was extremely proud. He was a Zoan Type Black Bear Fruit user.
After transforming into a black bear, his strength and defense increased tremendously. Smashing several heads with a single swipe was child's play.
He was also a rising new force in the North Sea over the past two years, with a bounty of 33 million Beli.
Silver Light Sword Lawrence had been active longer and had more "feats" to his name, so his bounty was higher than Miles's, reaching 35 million Beli.
But judging by their exchange just now, Lawrence might not have the advantage.
Still, only a fight would show who would win.
"Again!"
Lawrence charged forward with his sword once more, and Miles met him head-on, swinging both paws with brutal force.
In no time, the poor tavern had been razed to the ground.
And with their captains fighting, the other crew members were starting to itch for a fight too.
They couldn't interfere in the captains' battle, but there were plenty of opponents in front of them. With all the resentment from before, some were already struggling to hold back.
Yet before long, the two captains, who had seemed ready to fight to the death just moments ago, stopped at the same time.
Everyone was left dumbfounded.
Why had they stopped fighting?
Of course, neither wanted to risk a fight that would leave them both badly wounded.
On one hand, Black Bear Miles had great defense and tremendous strength, but it was hard for him to catch the more agile Lawrence.
On the other, Lawrence's swift sword strikes couldn't inflict any real damage. He could only dodge while looking for a chance to attack Miles's eyes or other vital spots.
For the time being, neither of them could do anything to the other.
But if they fought to the bitter end, Black Bear Miles would undoubtedly have the better odds.
He could take many of his opponent's attacks head-on, while a single mistake from Lawrence would leave him gravely injured!
And in terms of stamina, Miles, who had eaten a Zoan Devil Fruit, was far superior to Lawrence as well.
But Lawrence wasn't entirely without a chance, either. His strength spoke for itself.
Both knew that if they kept fighting, things would get out of hand, so they stopped by mutual agreement.
"You're strong. No wonder you had the confidence to target a Donquixote Family smuggling ship."
Lawrence, who'd been at a disadvantage earlier, took the initiative to give Miles an opening to back down. Miles didn't press the matter and promptly returned to human form, laughing as he said, "You're not bad yourself. We fought all that time, and I couldn't land a single hit."
"If you'd landed one, would I still be alive?"
Lawrence couldn't help grumbling inwardly, but he said, "I'm interested in your proposal now. Why don't we go somewhere else and discuss it?"
Miles was delighted. "Great! If we join forces this time, even if there are officers guarding the ship, they won't stand a chance against us!"
For a partnership to work, both sides needed to be evenly matched in standing and strength. Otherwise, bringing along a useless teammate would only get you killed.
So the fight hadn't been a waste at all. Both sides had gotten a good look at the other's strength.
They'd come to know each other through fighting, and the earlier hostility suddenly vanished. Their subordinates were left questioning everything they knew.
There was a reason they were the captains while the rest of them could only be underlings.
Anyone who couldn't figure out the key to it would spend their whole life as cannon fodder.
Abel had no idea that two pirate crews had set their sights on the wealth and supplies aboard the Donquixote Family smuggling ship, and had already joined forces to make their move.
At this moment, he was watching the system.
Three days had passed, so he had another search available.
He was debating whether to use it now. Once they went to sea, supplies would only become scarcer than they were now.
He also didn't know whether the plan ahead would go smoothly.
If he could complete another order soon, he might get a reward that would be useful right now.
Thinking of this, he decided to go all in!
Even if he got an order that was difficult to complete, he still had the [Four-Star Good Review Card] as a fallback.
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