The Surging Tide of the Era

"Hoo!"

The fist grazed past his ear, the wind it generated making Mario's slightly greasy hair fly like tentacles.

"Uncle? You're suddenly making a move."

Mario's lips curled into an excited smile.

"Hey! Guest, please stop! This is the territory of Admiral Golden Lion,"

The boss behind the counter's eyes sharpened, and he shouted, "Your current actions are a provocation to Admiral Golden Lion!!"

"Hahahaha, hic hahahaha! Golden Lion?"

The drunkard roared with laughter, "I'll get rid of that bastard sooner or later! Now's as good a time as any, let's start here!"

"Oh?"

From a corner of the tavern, a drunken man looked up.

"Get rid of Golden Lion? You've got some nerve to say that,"

Mario clenched his fist, the sound of cracking bones echoing. "With you? Uncle? Are you really not afraid of anything when you're drunk?"

It had to be said, alcohol truly had the power to shake people's hearts, capable of making the greatest heroes weep, and the most timid cowards into brave warriors challenging dragons.

"Brat!"

The drunkard swayed, hiccuping, and his fist shot directly towards Mario.

"Ha."

With a light chuckle, Mario twisted his body, easily dodging the drunkard's attack. Then, he placed his hand on the back of the drunkard's head and pressed down hard.

"Bang!!"

With a deafening crash, a large hole was blasted into the ground. The drunkard had completely lost consciousness.

"No matter what, Admiral Golden Lion is a big shot who protects this island. Uncle, he's not someone you can joke around with,"

Mario said casually, "See? You've gotten yourself into trouble."

"Bastard! What did you do to Captain!!"

"Brat, die!!"

"Take him down!"

The drunkard's companions, who had been sitting back and watching the show, instantly rushed forward, baring their teeth and launching their attacks.

"Ah, geez, fighting before I've even had a drink?"

Mario sighed, then suddenly broke into a smile, "But that's fine too."

"Whoosh!"

As agile as a cat, like a shadow, Mario darted into the crowd. He sent one man flying with a punch, easily dodged a sword strike from behind, spun around, and sent two pirates flying with a whip kick. The subsequent fight was a complete annihilation. Whether they were drunk or just very weak pirates, hardly any of them could withstand a single blow from Mario.

"Done!"

Mario exclaimed happily. The pirates were all down on the ground. He grinned and started rummaging through the fallen pirates, "Tsk, so poor, so poor. Are these even pirates?"

"Hey! Mario, you brat, you owe me money."

The boss said softly.

"Here, take it."

Mario casually threw the money he'd snatched to the boss, "Haha, lucky, I got drinks too."

Without a care, he picked up the unfinished drinks from the pirates and guzzled them down, looking delighted.

"You rascal."

The boss shook his head.

"Hey, your name is Mario, right?"

Another drunken man staggered over, "You said you wanted to be a pirate?"

"Yeah?"

Mario raised an eyebrow.

"Uh..."

The boss was also stunned. The eyelids of the pirates lying on the ground twitched slightly.

"Swish."

The sea breeze was gentle, causing the water surface to ripple slightly. It was rare clear weather in the New World. A large ship sailed on the sea of the New World. The clear sea and the azure sky seemed to merge into one. Under such a cloudless sky, it felt as if the ship was sailing in the sky.

He looked up at the pirate flag hanging from the mast of the large ship. Two blood-stained hands were crossed below the skull, exuding an intense aura of cruelty and terror.

Louis sighed inwardly. This graduation assessment was truly a matter of life and death. That man named Skello, he truly didn't make a move unless necessary, and when he did, he left no room for survival.

Mario was, of course, Louis. There was nothing more to say. With the help of many undercover agents from the CP series, he had infiltrated this ship and become a pirate.

His mission was singular: investigate the reason behind a certain individual's abnormal movements. That alone was enough. The mission was simple. The target was only one person, and a very famous one at that. Investigating his movements shouldn't be difficult. In theory, at least. The only trouble was, the name of the man Louis had to investigate was Shiki. Golden Lion Shiki, Admiral of the Golden Lion Pirates, one of the three great pirates of the New World.

Infiltrating the Golden Lion Pirates and investigating the Golden Lion's movements was no different from seeking death. Any one of the Golden Lion's top subordinates could likely kill Louis with a single blow. So, Skello, his superior, was truly ruthless.

Louis knew what the Golden Lion's current abnormal movements were for. The numerous pirate crews under the Golden Lion Pirates were beginning to gather, with a single target: Roger. Of course, it was Roger. The year was now 1495 of the Sea Calendar. The Battle of Aethelwold, which would truly decide the hegemony of the New World, was about to begin, wasn't it? The Golden Lion was about to run into serious trouble.

But could Louis report this intelligence directly? Naturally, he could not.

Hence this infiltration mission. The infiltration personnel of the CP series were quite formidable. They easily procured an identity for Louis and then created an opportunity for him to board this ship, a ship belonging to one of the pirate crews under the Golden Lion.

"Hey! Mario, you brat,"

A hearty voice came from behind. "Are you still reminiscing about your distant homeland?"

"No, Captain, how could I!"

Louis plastered a smile on his face. "A man will set sail one day. I'm just anticipating what kind of scenery awaits me beyond the ship's bow! The sea, as they say, is such an exciting place!!"

"Hahahaha!! Good, good, Mario!"

The tall, middle-aged man, Captain Rhode of the Blood Hand Pirates, laughed heartily. "You brat are truly born to be a pirate! It is precisely this beautiful sea that continuously attracts heroes from ancient times to the present to venture into it! The world is beautiful because of adventure! A person's life is essentially a continuous adventure!"

With a bounty of 150 million, they were one of the pirate crews under the Golden Lion Pirates, currently on their way to gather in response to the Golden Lion's call. This was also why Louis had chosen this particular pirate crew.

"Hey! Captain, newcomer, ship spotted ahead!"

From the crow's nest above, a middle-aged man with a long beard, Cutter Barlo, the first mate of the Blood Hand Pirates, shouted. "Oh! Oh! Woohoo!! It's a merchant ship!!"

"Oh? Hahahaha, business is here!!"

Rhode clapped Louis on the shoulder. "Mario! Come on, your first chance to fight as a pirate has arrived!!"

"Ah!"

Louis responded with high spirits. After all, he was a pirate now. Just a pirate.

A long, long time ago, there was a handsome prince who fell into a deep slumber due to a witch's curse. Captivated by the prince's beauty, countless princesses gathered there. But no one knew when he would awaken. All anyone could do was sigh powerlessly. Until one day, the supreme god descended with a divine decree: if enough recommendations were sacrificed, the prince could awaken. Recommendations? But where could they be found? No one knew, so the prince could never awaken. To this day, outside the prince's castle, old princesses still sigh, "Where are the recommendations!!"