"Come on, our captain wants to see you!"
In the harbor town of Sphinx, Iron Hand Jod eyed Mongge and Lipri with amusement. At his signal, the pirates around them closed in menacingly.
"Hahaha, this one's doing a pretty convincing impression."
"White Wolf Moger's in his seventies. How could he possibly look this young?"
"And the woman with him doesn't look like anyone from the White Wolf Pirates. Tsk, tsk. 'White Wolf Moger' sure has good taste."
"..."
Quite a few pirates leered at Lipri. Even though they knew it might provoke Mongge and Lipri, they made no effort to hide it.
They were pirates, after all!
If pirates weren't greedy and lustful, what kind of pirates would they be?
"Looks like they've mistaken us for someone else."
Noticing that nearly a hundred pirates had gathered around them, Mongge sighed. Those impostors had caused them quite a bit of trouble.
"Lipri, take care of them."
"Should I hold back?"
"You can kill them."
Mongge wore a helpless smile, but his words were anything but funny.
"They're not good people anyway."
"Pirate" was never a compliment, no matter which world you were in.
At least, that was what Mongge had learned over the past fifty years.
There might be good people among pirates, but most of them were definitely bad.
Would a good person block their way for no reason?
With Mongge's approval, Lipri giggled and cracked her knuckles as she looked around at the pirates.
"Which of you wants to go first?"
If Lipri had kept quiet, things might have been fine. But as soon as she spoke, the pirates exchanged glances and burst into laughter.
"Pfft, hahaha! What's this little girl talking about? She wants to fight us?"
"This is the New World, not a place for kids to play house!"
"Hey, old man! Is hiding behind a woman all you can do?"
"..."
The moment the last pirate finished speaking, something flashed before his eyes. A long, straight leg appeared in front of him.
Bang!
An irresistible force slammed into him. His face twisted, blood spilled from his mouth and nose, and the sound of his skull cracking rang out. The pirates nearby felt a gust of wind rush past, and the man Lipri had targeted was already flying through the air.
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
His body flew over a hundred meters and only stopped after smashing through three houses. Even if he survived, he'd probably spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair.
"That's it?"
Lipri had thought the pirates would have at least some strength if they dared to block their way. Who knew they couldn't even withstand a single kick?
Lipri's kick had initially intimidated the pirates, but as soon as she spoke, they flew into a rage.
"You bitch!"
"How dare you look down on us!"
"Don't get too cocky!"
"..."
As the pirates charged at her in a swarm, Lipri's lips curled into a faint smile. She swung her arm and swept it across them.
"Mini Fruit Partial Restoration: Giant's Arm!"
To the pirates' astonishment, Lipri's arm suddenly grew countless times larger. A single sweep sent every pirate around her flying.
The surviving pirates stared at Lipri's giant-sized arm, their faces filled with fear.
"Damn it, she's a Devil Fruit User!"
"Lord Jod, they don't seem like ordinary pirates!"
"Lord Jod, what do we do now?"
"..."
Devil Fruit Users were a dime a dozen in the New World, but there were great differences in how far each person had developed their abilities.
Sending a hundred pirates flying with a single sweep was no mean feat.
"Shut up, all of you!"
He'd known he couldn't count on a bunch of underlings. After Lipri took out a hundred of them with one strike, Iron Hand Jod regarded her much more seriously.
"A Devil Fruit that lets you enlarge your body? So that's what you're relying on. Since you've got some strength, how about joining us? My captain is Undead Jason, a Great Pirate with a bounty of 120 million Beli. He's got to be better than the old man beside you, right?"
To everyone's surprise, Jod didn't immediately defeat Lipri to make an example of her. Instead, he offered her a place in his crew.
Hearing Jod's words, Lipri asked curiously, "120 million Beli? Is that more than White Wolf Moger's bounty?"
"How could it be..."
Jod thought to himself, White Wolf Moger was a Great Pirate with a bounty of 290 million Beli. How could his captain possibly compare to him?
Even among Great Pirates, there were different levels.
A hundred million Beli was merely the entry threshold for a Great Pirate. But at 290 million, White Wolf Moger was at the very top. Many people had even said that Moger might become the next Overlord of the Sea.
But a possibility was just a possibility.
Noticing the pirates watching him, Jod naturally couldn't show weakness in front of them. He raised his voice. "The White Wolf Pirates disbanded a year ago. No matter how strong White Wolf Moger was, he's nothing but an old man the times have left behind."
"My captain is still young. It's only a matter of time before he surpasses White Wolf Moger!"
As he spoke, Jod glared at Mongge behind Lipri and said viciously, "Little girl, don't let that old man behind you fool you. Sure, he looks a bit like White Wolf Moger, but how could White Wolf Moger be so ordinary? He doesn't have an ounce of a Great Pirate's presence!"
Uh.
So the problem was that he'd been too approachable all along?
"Lipri, go ahead and laugh if you want."
Seeing Lipri trying to hold back her laughter, Mongge shook his head helplessly.
"Since you want to feel my presence..."
Mongge took a step forward. In an instant, the winds and clouds changed. An invisible pressure spread outward, and an indescribable terror welled up in everyone's hearts.
His slightly aged figure seemed to rise without limit. He was like a giant wolf emerging from a blizzard, opening its blood-red eyes amid the storm.
Thump~
A pirate collapsed to the ground, foaming at the mouth.
Thump~
Thump~
Like a line of dominoes toppling over, one pirate after another fell. Mongge hadn't even moved, yet fine cracks spread beneath his feet.
[Quest Reward: Conqueror's Haki Strength Increased!]
Two months ago, he'd ultimately won his battle against Harald, the Giant King.
After fighting with everything he had, Mongge had understood.
Harald, like him, had reached the pinnacle of this world.
That was why Mongge had fought Harald for three days and three nights before they finally settled the outcome.
He'd beaten Harald by a slim margin.
If they fought again, Mongge might not win a second time.
But having won once...
It wasn't just the system's reward. His Haki had also transformed after clashing with Harald's.
He was stronger than Harald now!
One step, then another.
By the time Mongge reached Iron Hand Jod, the pirate with a bounty of over 50 million Beli had clenched his fists.
He wanted to fight back, but his instincts told him otherwise.
If he moved—
He would die!
He looked at the pirates sprawled around him, then at Mongge's face, which seemed strangely familiar, as if he'd seen it somewhere before.
He swallowed.
The man's voice rang out, slightly hoarse. "Is my presence enough for you now?"
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