Conflict

A sea breeze blew gently, and colorful bubbles rose slowly in the sunlight, popped, and reformed not far away.

The Uchiha group, walking across the sea surface, had already drawn the attention of many along the shore.

"Hey, look over there!"

"Someone's walking on the sea?"

"Are they Devil Fruit users?"

Near the docks of the 12th Mangrove Area, several sailors unloading cargo froze, staring wide-eyed at the sea.

They were dockworkers who had seen plenty of arrogant pirates over the years.

But they had never seen an entrance this bold.

"Clan head."

Uchiha Izumi spoke quietly. She was the only female ninja on this trip, her Three Tomoe Sharingan already activated as she scanned the surroundings.

"At three o'clock, two people are watching us from behind the trees. At nine o'clock, someone on the rooftop is staring at us. On the third ship to the left of the dock, armed personnel are gathering."

"Mm."

Yoru didn't look back, continuing forward:

"Ignore them. As long as they don't provoke us, let them watch."

The moment he finished speaking, a water column suddenly erupted from the sea to the left!

A massive figure burst out of the water.

It was a Monster Fish over ten meters long, its mouth full of sharp teeth, its crimson eyes locked onto the prey on the sea surface.

"A Sea Beast!"

Someone on the dock shouted.

These waters occasionally saw Sea Beasts appear, attacking passing ships or even people who had fallen overboard.

This fish usually lurked near the dock, and today it suddenly spotted a group of food walking right above its head.

With a brain too small to think twice, it simply opened its gaping maw and lunged at an Uchiha member at the rear of the group!

That member didn't even turn around.

He just casually raised his right hand, index and middle fingers together.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique."

A cold voice.

Then—

Boom!!!

A massive fireball over five meters in diameter erupted from his mouth, the scorching flames twisting the air as they slammed head-on into the charging Monster Fish!

A piercing shriek rang out across the sea.

The flames instantly engulfed the fish's upper body, a stench of burning flesh mixed with steam spreading through the air.

The enormous body convulsed a few times on the surface, then slowly sank, leaving only churning foam and floating, charred remains.

The entire dock fell into dead silence.

Even the sound of bubbles popping was clearly audible.

Uchiha Tekka withdrew his hand and continued walking calmly forward, as if he had just brushed dust off his shoulder.

Vice Admiral Momonga stood on the deck of his warship, watching the entire scene through his telescope.

His expression grew even darker.

Spitting fire from the mouth again, with that kind of power.

Did this whole group possess the strength of that brat who had defeated him?

How was such a thing even possible?

"A... a Devil Fruit user?" a sailor on the shore stammered.

"A Flame-Flame Fruit user?"

On the rooftop, the sniper who had been watching the Uchiha clan frowned.

"Impossible. There's no way that's the Flame-Flame Fruit."

The sniper shook his head, dismissing his own guess.

Because the real Flame-Flame Fruit user, Ace, was their captain of the Spade Pirates.

How could another Flame-Flame Fruit user suddenly appear now?!

That's right, the man sitting on this rooftop.

Was the Spade Pirates' sniper, Miharu.

There was no helping it—their captain Ace, the moment he set foot on the island, had vanished like a runaway horse.

This is Navy territory, and there are Celestial Dragons here that absolutely cannot be provoked.

To keep their reckless captain from stirring up trouble with the wrong people, the crew scattered as soon as they set foot on the island, splitting up to search for Ace.

As the ship's sharpshooter with the best eyesight, Miharu climbed onto a rooftop to scan the nearby streets.

But no sooner had he climbed up than he spotted a strange sight far out at sea.

A group of people in bizarre outfits was strolling slowly across the ocean, bold as you please.

Such an unusual entrance was hard for Miharu to miss.

Before long, Uchiha's group finally neared the shore.

At the front, Yoru lightly leaped from the sea surface onto the dock's wooden planks.

His black boots landed on the wood with a soft tap.

The clansmen behind him came ashore one by one, movements fluid, landing without a sound.

The crowd that had gathered on the dock instinctively stepped back, clearing a space.

Yoru brushed off nonexistent dust from his clothes and looked up at the scene before him.

The massive trunk of the Yarukiman Mangrove soared into the sky, with all kinds of buildings built upon it.

Bubble carts glided along overhead tracks, carrying tourists between districts. In the distance came faint music, hawkers' cries, and arguments from somewhere unknown.

The air carried the fresh scent of resin, the aroma of food, and the salty tang of the sea breeze.

"An interesting place, indeed." A smile curled at the corner of Yoru's mouth.

These past few months on Kuja Island had been unbearably dull.

Now, he finally felt like he'd stepped from an empty mountain into a bustling city.

"Hey hey hey, where the hell did you lot crawl out from?"

Just as Uchiha Yoru and his group set foot on the island, a rough, openly hostile voice rang out.

The crowd parted automatically, and a burly man with three scars across his face stepped forward.

Behind him followed over a dozen vicious-looking underlings, swords at their waists and even a rocket launcher slung over one shoulder.

Glancing at the direction they'd come from, it was exactly where Uchiha Izumi had said the armed group was gathering.

So this bunch had been waiting for them all along.

The menacing man walked up to Uchiha Yoru, looking down at the Uchiha group from his height.

His gaze lingered on Uchiha Izumi for a moment, a flicker of lechery passing through it, then shifted to Yoru.

"Pretty cocky, kid."

The man grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth. "Walking through Sabaody like that—did you ask for my say-so?"

The crowd on the dock began to retreat.

"That's 'Bone Crusher' Bard..." someone murmured.

"A big-time pirate with a sixty-million Belly bounty..."

"These guys are in for it."

Bard clearly relished the fearful looks.

He patted the wanted poster hanging at his waist.

"I'm the captain of the Bone Crusher Pirates."

Bard jabbed a thumb at himself. "This dock answers to me. If you want to pass through here, you pay up."

He stretched out a rough hand. "One million Belly per person. You've got over a dozen... let's round it up to twenty million Belly."

Uchiha Yoru stared at him, baffled, and said with some uncertainty:

"Is this really such a cliché face-slapping scene? I didn't hire any stooge—how did a face just come shoving itself in?"

Oh, right.

After a moment's thought, Yoru's expression shifted to one of sudden realization.

This was the Pirate World, after all.

The Pirate World had plenty of everything.

But it never ran out of pirates begging for death!