Target: Tyrant! (Please Keep Reading! Please Vote!)

Belfast Island.

Storm followed the brothers, Kid and Killer, into a small town on the island.

Along the way, he learned more from the two brothers about the "One-Man Revolution."

According to the news reports.

In the Sorbeth Kingdom of the South Blue.

A man named "Bear" had destroyed the King's palace and army, abolishing the King's ruling order through his own strength.

The newspapers had even given "Bear" an evil, terrifying title—

"Tyrant"!

The details of the "One-Man Revolution" matched the intelligence Storm already possessed.

"Tyrant Bear"—or rather, "Green Tyrant Bear."

After experiencing the "One-Man Revolution," he had ultimately embarked on the path of becoming a pirate.

The future Shichibukai, the Nikyu Nikyu no Mi Devil Fruit User, Bartholomew Bear...

Thoughts flashed through Storm's mind.

Just then, Kid and Killer stopped in front of a building.

Kid introduced it in a tone that was both proud and satisfied.

"This is my headquarters!"

Storm came back to his senses.

He looked at the small building before him, which stood several stories tall, and gave a polite round of applause.

During their earlier conversation, Kid and Killer had given him a rough introduction to their situation.

To put it simply—

They were the gang bosses of Belfast Island!

Well, that sounded even weaker than Capone Bege.

"So, where's the inn I wanted?"

Storm turned to Kid and Killer and asked.

"And a restaurant!"

At Storm's words, several veins instantly bulged on Kid's forehead.

If he hadn't been unable to beat the other man, he would have started cursing by now!

"You're on my turf! Of course I'm treating you!"

"Then thanks for the meal!"

Storm naturally had no reason to refuse someone else's invitation to eat.

Then...

"You can't even finish this little?"

"Physique is the foundation!"

"No wonder you two are so weak!"

Storm could not help but sneer as he looked at Kid and Killer, whose eyes had rolled back from being stuffed too full.

Kid and Killer wanted to argue, but they simply could not open their mouths.

They were afraid that the moment they did, all the food they had just eaten would come spraying back out.

Kid and Killer had lived for so long.

Yet they had never seen a human capable of eating as much as Storm.

The food stores in their headquarters were nearly emptied by him alone!

Monster!

No matter how they looked at it, this guy was a monster.

Storm shook his head and swept every last bit of food before him into his stomach before finally stopping.

By then, Kid and Killer had finally recovered—

Although both their bellies were still swollen like women nine months pregnant.

"I want to ask you two something."

Storm clapped his hands, drawing their attention.

"Do you have a map here—or anywhere on Belfast Island—that records the location of the Sorbeth Kingdom?"

Storm's original plan had been to rest briefly on this small island before immediately turning around and returning to the Grand Line.

The South Blue, and even the Four Seas.

To Storm now, it was like a tiny pond, utterly devoid of appeal.

But after hearing news about Tyrant Bear from Kid and Killer, Storm changed his mind.

His original plan

had been to recruit a few "companions" in the first half of the Grand Line—people who could enter the New World with him and stand against the Yonko.

But now—

a "companion" had already appeared!

Wasn't Tyrant Bear an excellent candidate?

Whether it was strength, personality, or character, Bartholomew Bear was someone worthy of trust.

So Storm now planned to head directly to the Sorbeth Kingdom and try to recruit Bartholomew Bear.

"The Sorbeth Kingdom?"

Kid barely propped himself up, his round belly making movement extremely inconvenient.

"You want to meet that legendary 'Tyrant'?"

"Legendary?"

Storm laughed silently, then nodded.

"For the two of you, he really is a 'legend,' isn't he?

"So, do you have a map?"

In the Four Seas, sailing was far less difficult than on the Grand Line.

The climate here was mild, and the magnetic fields were stable.

As long as one had a map and a compass, they could sail to any island.

"Yes!"

Kid nodded.

"Not only do I have a map! I have a ship too!

"I can go to the Sorbeth Kingdom with you!"

Before Storm could respond, Killer hurriedly spoke from the side, wanting to persuade Kid to reconsider.

But Kid seemed to have already guessed what his good brother was thinking.

"Killer!"

Kid turned to look at Killer and spoke solemnly.

"We already decided that we'd put to sea together, didn't we?

"The sea has always been there.

"What we need to do now is raise the sails and set off!"

At those words, Killer immediately fell silent.

He and Kid had grown up together. He was also Kid's most capable assistant.

Killer had felt Kid's unwavering resolve. He would not try to stop him again...

Clap! Clap!

Storm lightly applauded and praised them.

"Nice speech, but shouldn't you two consider my opinion first?"

As soon as he said that, Kid and Killer came to their senses.

The two of them had never been equal partners with Storm.

If they had to put it into words, standing before Storm, they were like two insects facing a giant dragon.

With a mere flap of the dragon's wings, the breeze it stirred up would become an irresistible storm to the insects!

Kid and Killer looked at Storm with both fear and anticipation.

"Kid, Killer, you two haven't officially put to sea yet?"

Kid and Killer found Storm's question somewhat baffling, but they answered honestly anyway.

"Not yet."

"Hmm. So you're just gangsters? Have you killed any civilians?"

"I only kill trash that deserves to die!"

"Tch! What a pity."

Storm glanced at Kid.

If Eustass Kid had been the "Kid the Captain of the Worst Generation" from a few years later—

Storm would definitely have taken his life without hesitation and stolen his Devil Fruit!

[Paramecia: Magnet-Magnet Fruit].

A supreme fruit capable of reaching into one of the universe's four fundamental forces.

Yet this guy had turned it into nothing more than an oversized magnet...

Wasn't that like burying a pearl in the dust?!

Storm was quite interested in the [Magnet-Magnet Fruit] as well.

Although it was difficult to develop, once mastered, its power would be unimaginable!

Unfortunately, the current Eustass Kid was simply far too "immature"...

Storm would not attack an Eustass Kid who had yet to commit atrocities like massacring civilians.

He, too, only killed the trash he believed deserved killing!

For example, the scum of the sea inside Impel Down.

It was just a shame about that [Magnet-Magnet Fruit]...

At Storm's casual glance—

Eustass Kid felt as though some prehistoric beast had fixed its gaze on him.

A flood of sweat instantly seeped from his back, soaking through his clothes...

Killer beside him noticed Kid's abnormal reaction, but he did not sense anything unusual.

In the end, he merely gave Kid's arm a reassuring pat.

Then Storm continued.

"Although I don't really mind having one or two people around to chat with and pass the time, the two of you are simply too weak right now!"

Storm raised his right hand. A mass of clay surged from his fingertips and flew into the air.

The instant the clay hit the ground, it abruptly swelled and enlarged.

A tall, imposing Burger appeared before Kid and Killer.

It held a double-sided white axe, crafted from porcelain clay, that was as tall as itself!

Impel Down, Crimson Lotus Hell, Jailer—Blue Water Monkey, White Clay version!

Taking Kid and Killer's current strength into account—

Storm made this "clay water monkey" roughly as strong as the genuine Blue Water Monkey.

In other words, at the level of an ordinary Crimson Lotus Hell jailer.

"As long as the two of you defeat this White Gorilla, I'll consider taking you with me when I leave."

Storm waved his hand, and the White Water Monkey gripped its enormous Double-Bladed Axe and slowly approached Kid and Killer.

"This promise will remain valid until I leave Belfast Island."

Under the White Water Monkey's silent intimidation—

Kid and Killer slowly rose from where they sat, facing their enemy with a shared resolve.

The next moment—

The White Water Monkey swung its giant axe, and the battle began at once!

Storm had no interest in this kind of "children's brawl."

He dusted off his backside, left Kid's "headquarters building," and wandered alone through the town outside.

Leisure, shopping, easing his mind...

On this South Blue island beyond the World Government's jurisdiction—

Storm completely relaxed the nerves that had been stretched taut.

The night passed in the blink of an eye.

The following morning—

Storm, now dressed in a completely refreshed outfit, returned to the foot of Kid's "headquarters building."

He could still hear the thunderous sounds of battle ahead.

Clearly—

Kid and Killer had fought the White Water Monkey for an entire night!

When Storm appeared before them again—

The battered Kid and Killer brothers had once more fallen beneath the White Gorilla's massive axe.

After a night of fierce battle.

Kid and Killer looked utterly exhausted, but their eyes still burned bright.

"Looks like the two of you still couldn't defeat that White Gorilla."

Storm waved a hand, and the White Water Monkey immediately turned into a puddle of clay.

"Still, your resolve is commendable!

"How about this? I still have some matters to handle in the South Blue, so the two of you can follow me for now!

"Now, we set off for the Sorbeth Kingdom at once!"

"Alright!"

Kid forced his exhausted body upright and immediately replied.

"I'll have someone prepare maps and a ship right away!"

"A ship?"

Storm shook his head.

"We're riding dragons!"

Another day, another late update...

A quiet apology...

Sorry, but I still have to ask you to keep reading...