The Giant Bear Pirates and the Hundred Swords Pirates

Bam!

Inside the tavern, a burly man with an excessively thick chest hair slammed a keg heavily onto the table.

"So what if it's the Donquixote Family? I'm robbing the Donquixote Family, plain and simple!"

"Scared? If you're scared of everything, why even set sail as pirates? Go home and suck on your mom's tits!"

The man's particularly mocking words made many of those across from him show displeasure on their faces. A few hot-tempered ones were already ready to draw their weapons and teach this bastard a lesson.

"You're full of shit! Who's scared?!"

"No manners. I'm talking to your captain. Who the hell are you to yap, you little punk?"

"Tch! I'll fucking—"

"Shut up. Get to the back."

The one who spoke this time was a man in a tight green combat suit, with a rapier tucked into his waist—a very odd getup.

Since the captain had spoken, the one who got scolded had no choice but to swallow his anger and back off.

"Black Bear Miles, you sent someone to say you wanted to discuss a big deal with me, so I brought my men here specifically. But it turns out you want to rob the Donquixote Family's smuggling ship. Regardless of success or failure, have you thought about the consequences of doing this?"

"Ha! What consequences? At worst, we fight them to the death. What damn Donquixote Family? I've been sick of them for a long time! I always thought Silver Light Sword Lawrence was someone worth respecting, but meeting you today—heh—turns out you're just a coward. Since you don't dare make a move, let our Giant Bear Pirates handle it. But I'll say this upfront: if your Hundred Swords Pirates dare to interfere, don't blame me for showing no mercy."

These words were nothing short of a psychological gut punch.

The Hundred Swords Pirates were all seething with indignation, their eyes blazing with fury. Even Silver Light Sword Lawrence's face darkened, murderous intent radiating from him.

"If this stupid bear of yours really wants to die, I can send you off right now!"

Having been insulted to his face like that, if he didn't react, he might as well give up his position as captain.

"With you? A coward who trembles at the mere mention of the Donquixote Family? Hahahaha!"

Black Bear Miles burst into loud laughter, and the men he brought along were also laughing so hard they were swaying.

Even knowing full well that the other party was deliberately provoking him, trying to anger him, Lawrence still couldn't endure such humiliation.

The next instant, a flash of silver light appeared!

Lawrence thrust his sword into Black Bear Miles' chest.

The reputation of the Silver Light Sword came precisely from the spectacle of his strikes.

But what horrified Lawrence was that his rapier only penetrated half an inch into the other's body before it could go no further.

Looking up, he saw Miles grinning at him savagely, then transforming into a massive black bear five meters tall!

That thick fur was the best defense.

"Are you tickling me?"

Miles raised his bear paw and slammed it down heavily.

With a loud crash, the entire sturdy solid wood table shattered into pieces.

But Lawrence wasn't just famous for nothing. At the critical moment, he quickly retreated and dodged, so he wasn't injured.

His expression, however, was extremely grim.

"A Devil Fruit user?"

"That's right. Looks like you've got some knowledge after all."

Black Bear Miles was very arrogant. He was indeed a Zoan Type Black Bear Fruit user.

After transforming into a black bear, his strength and defense were greatly enhanced. Smashing a few heads with one swipe was as easy as playing.

He was also a rising power in the North Sea over the past two years, with a bounty of 33 million Berries.

As for Silver Light Sword Lawrence, having debuted earlier and with more 'achievements,' his bounty was slightly higher at 35 million Berries.

But from the brief exchange just now, Lawrence might not have the upper hand.

Still, who would win and who would lose could only be determined by fighting it out.

"Again!"

Lawrence charged out with his sword once more, and Miles met him head-on, swinging both bear paws fiercely.

In moments, this poor tavern was leveled to the ground.

And as their respective captains started fighting, the other crew members began to get restless.

Though they couldn't interfere in the captains' duel, there were plenty of opponents in front of them. Coupled with the earlier grievances, some were already itching to act.

But not long after, the two captains, who a second ago seemed ready to fight to the death, both stopped at the same time.

This left everyone stunned.

Why stop?

Of course, because they didn't want to mutually cripple each other.

On one hand, Black Bear Miles had strong defense and great strength, but he couldn't easily catch the more agile Lawrence.

On the other hand, Lawrence's swift sword couldn't deal effective damage, forcing him to dodge while aiming for vital spots like the eyes.

In the short term, neither side could do anything to the other.

But if it came down to a fight to the death with no retreat, Black Bear Miles undoubtedly had the higher chance of victory.

He could endure many of his opponent's attacks, but if Lawrence made a single mistake, he would be severely wounded instantly!

And in terms of stamina, Miles, having eaten a Zoan Devil Fruit, completely outclassed Lawrence.

Yet, at the same time, Lawrence wasn't entirely without a chance—after all, his strength was plain to see.

It was precisely because both sides knew that continuing the fight would lead to an irreparable outcome that they tacitly stopped.

"You're strong. No wonder you had the confidence to target the Donquixote Family's smuggling ship."

Lawrence, who had been at a disadvantage earlier, proactively offered the other party a way out. Miles didn't press the issue either, immediately shifting back to human form and laughing loudly. "You're not bad either. I swung at you for ages and didn't land a single hit."

"If you'd landed one, would I still be alive?"

Lawrence couldn't help but grumble inwardly, but what he said was, "Now I'm a bit interested in your earlier proposal. How about we find another place to talk in detail?"

Miles was overjoyed. "Great! As long as the two of us join forces this time, even if there's an executive guarding their ship, we'll definitely be no match for them!"

For cooperation to work, both sides had to be on equal footing in status and strength. Dragging along a useless teammate would only get oneself killed.

So this fight wasn't wasted at all—both sides got a clear measure of each other's abilities.

It could be called a case of "from enmity, friendship grows." The previous hostility suddenly vanished, leaving their subordinates questioning reality.

No wonder those two were captains while the rest of them were just grunts.

If they couldn't figure out the key to it, they'd be cannon fodder for life.

Abel, meanwhile, had no idea that two pirate crews had already set their sights on the wealth and supplies aboard the Donquixote Family's smuggling ship and had joined forces to act.

At that moment, he was staring at the system.

Three days had passed, and he had a new search attempt available.

He was hesitating whether to use it now. If he waited until they set sail, supplies would only be scarcer than they already were.

He also wasn't sure if his upcoming plan would go smoothly.

If he could complete a new order quickly, he might get a reward that would come in handy right now.

With that thought, he decided to go all in!

Even if he ran into an order that was too difficult to complete, he still had the [Four-Star Good Review Card] as a safety net.