Mud Swamp Island

Mud Swamp Island was originally an unremarkable island that no one paid attention to on a daily basis, but in the past few days, the arrival of a group of people had livened up this desolate and uninhabited island with a harsh environment.

"To think they'd escape to this godforsaken place, they really don't make things easy."

A female pirate, a full two-and-a-half meters tall, covered in muscle, and even more powerfully built than other men, disembarked and frowned with disgust.

She was the captain of the Black Wind Pirates, Jacqueline the Twin Axes, with a bounty of 27 million Belly!

In the North Sea, she was considered one of the most notorious pirates.

She had once wiped out all the women in a village, then incorporated all the remaining young men into her harem. If she was even slightly displeased, she would dismember the person serving her.

Her cruelty sent shivers down the spines of even the scoundrels behind her, who lived in fear of being noticed and taken to be abused.

Fortunately, Jacqueline understood the principle of not fouling one's own nest, and rarely laid hands on her crew members, so there had been no mutinies.

She had come here because she had stumbled upon those fools openly selling Devil Fruits in the underground black market. She had then tracked their ship all the way here.

Jacqueline knew well that she wasn't the only one with designs on this group, so she planned to finish this quickly.

However, there was one prerequisite: she absolutely could not let them get desperate and eat the Devil Fruit, or all her efforts would be in vain.

"Captain, there are a lot of footprints here. Those guys should have gone this way."

"Heh, trying to use this island's complex terrain to shake us off? That's a pipe dream!"

Jacqueline said dismissively.

Just moments ago, she had already had her men inspect the ship docked at the shore. They found nothing inside except some remaining food and fresh water.

Therefore, she deduced that the other party must have another ship hidden somewhere around the island.

The previous ship was merely a decoy to attract outside attention!

"Chase after them! We can't let them get away!"

Jacqueline loudly issued the order, and dozens of people immediately began to advance.

However, just as Jacqueline had predicted, the terrain here was not only complex but also dangerous.

There were swamps everywhere, as well as some annoying venomous insects.

One wrong step could lead to falling in, or being bitten by venomous insects.

Fortunately, Jacqueline had brought a large number of people, and they were advancing in a single-file line, with a distance between each person.

This allowed the people in front to be immediately caught by those behind if they fell, and then be rescued together.

So, for the most part, the journey was fraught with peril but ultimately safe. Except for a few unlucky individuals who couldn't be rescued in time or were bitten to death by venomous insects, the rest of the people became more skilled, and their speed increased.

But as they passed another mud pit that was slightly larger, a sudden change occurred!

A gaping maw lunged out of the mud pit and, with lightning speed, bit down on one of Jacqueline's arms.

"Ah!!!"

Jacqueline immediately let out a scream, but this also ignited her ferocity.

She immediately prepared to chop off the crocodile's head with the axe in her hand.

However, she failed to notice the human-like mockery in the crocodile's eyes.

Death Roll!

The crocodile that had ambushed Jacqueline used the buoyancy of the mud pit to suddenly begin spinning wildly counter-clockwise, like a horizontal whirlwind!

In almost the blink of an eye, the arm that Jacqueline's arm was bitten was instantly torn off.

Her entire body was also dragged into the depths of the mud pit in a sorry state.

The indescribable pain caused Jacqueline's body to tremble, and her mind went blank for a moment.

As she began to struggle due to difficulty breathing, a dark shadow appeared behind her.

This happened almost instantaneously, stunning everyone.

Then, they suddenly reacted.

"The captain's been attacked!"

"Everyone be careful, prepare for battle!"

"Follow me and rescue the captain!"

Because Jacqueline had been dragged into the mud pit and her fate was unknown, the remaining crew members were inevitably in a state of chaos for a moment.

Some were preparing to kill the enemy first, some wanted to save their captain first, and some stood frozen in place, unsure of what to do.

But someone soon made the choice for them.

"Kill them all!"

At some unknown point, a group of ferocious-looking individuals had surrounded these people, aiming their guns at their targets and unleashing a barrage of fire!

Bang, bang, bang.

A large number of Jacqueline's men fell in the blink of an eye.

Having lost the advantage of time, terrain, and human harmony, they could not organize any effective resistance.

Especially when a humanoid monster with an alligator's head, dragging a mangled corpse, emerged step by step from the mud, the already dwindling morale of these people instantly collapsed!

"The captain is dead!"

"Run! I don't want to die!"

"Aaaah! Monster, I'll fight you to the death!"

Before long, this one-sided slaughter was easily concluded.

After thoroughly searching the corpses, they were all thrown into the mud and slowly sank to the bottom, disappearing without a trace, the perfect way to dispose of evidence.

"Hahaha, boss, you're amazing! To think of such a method to lure them in. I bet these idiots never even realized who the real hunter was until the moment they died!"

The first mate, after tallying the spoils, was extremely excited, showering his captain with flattery.

Rekedu, the captain of the Fierce Crocodile Pirates, who had now reverted to his human form, was quite pleased.

His square face was filled with pride, and his triangular eyes shone with admiration, causing the first mate to fawn even more vigorously.

"One hundred million Belly just to buy my Devil Fruit? Bah!"

"If no one is willing to buy it sincerely and everyone's just looking to get a bargain, then don't blame me for double-crossing them!"

"On this island, no matter how many people come, the answer is one word: death!"

Rekedu laughed arrogantly.

He was an ability user who had eaten the Zoan Crocodile-Devil Fruit, allowing him to lurk in mud and swamps.

Therefore, Mud Swamp Island was the most suitable place for him to display his strength.

Once he successfully ambushed them, even enemies with higher bounties than him would immediately meet their end, with no chance to retaliate.

Someone like Jacqueline the Twin Axes before had suffered a frustrating defeat.

If it were in a different location, in a one-on-one fight, even if he couldn't win, he wouldn't have been defeated so quickly.

"Later, we'll hide the captured ship in the usual spot, then have someone take our ship out for a spin and see if we can lure in more fish."

"After a few more scores like this, selling this Devil Fruit won't even matter."

Upon hearing this, greed flashed in the first mate's eyes.

With Captain Rekedu already a Devil Fruit user, if this Devil Fruit wasn't going to be sold for money, then the person most qualified to eat it would naturally be himself!

No matter what ability he gained in the end, he was a hundred percent willing!