East Blue · Debo Island.
This was the headquarters of the Krieg Pirates.
The name Krieg meant "war" on an island like this.
Krieg possessed strength far beyond that of ordinary men. His weapon, the Great War Spear, weighed over a ton, yet he could wield it with ease.
Most importantly, Krieg was ruthless, cruel, and ambitious. His overwhelming strength had forced countless pirates to submit to him.
Gin the Man-Demon, the chief combat officer, had submitted to Krieg's ambition and strength.
He was utterly loyal to his captain. Whatever task Krieg gave him, he carried it out without question—even if it meant slaughtering weak, defenseless enemies.
Recently, the small group formed by Big Daddy, the Pirate Hunter, and Kuro of a Hundred Plans had kept the Krieg Pirates in a state of turmoil. Even their captain had grown much more irritable.
More than a thousand of their men had already been taken out, and lately, every scouting ship they sent out had disappeared without a trace.
But yesterday, one scouting ship had managed to return with shocking news: Daddy Babaya, captain of the Big Daddy Pirates, had officially declared war on the Krieg Pirates.
He had even arrogantly told Captain Krieg to wash his neck and wait for them to come and take his head!
Krieg had been furious. He immediately gathered his main force, ready to wipe out this newly formed pirate crew!
Gin had carried out Krieg's orders with great seriousness, but he realized that, deep down, he actually admired the Big Daddy Pirates' courage.
He asked himself whether he would ever dare to take on the Krieg Pirates, with their thousands of men, with only a handful of people.
He suddenly found himself looking forward to meeting a man like Daddy Babaya. He had even thought about asking the captain to leave the man's corpse intact.
After all, he had never imagined the Big Daddy Pirates had any chance of winning!
He thought Daddy Babaya's courage could match Captain Krieg's ambition!
He had chosen to follow Krieg because he saw the man's powerful ambition to conquer the Grand Line. He had entrusted his own ambitions to Krieg as well.
"Woo! Woo!"
A series of urgent horn blasts rang out, and Gin immediately grabbed his Iron Ball Tonfas and rushed outside!
The Big Daddy Pirates had actually come!
Were they reckless fools? Brave? Or did they have unparalleled courage?
At Debo Island's pirate harbor.
Krieg watched the approaching pirate ship with a cruel grin. It flew a previously unseen pirate flag, its skull barely recognizable and utterly lacking in pirate flair. It was an absolute mess.
Today, he would send this new pirate crew to the bottom of the sea!
A duel? There was no way he'd fight a duel!
He was going to bury this clueless pirate crew under a barrage of cannon fire.
So what if their crew members were strong?
They would still die beneath their bombardment!
Meanwhile, Daddy stood at the bow of the Bezan Black, gazing at the island with blazing determination.
Today would be a true bloodbath.
Daddy had designed this new pirate flag himself. Instead of a traditional skull, it combined the Decepticon Emblem with Susanoo, its design conveying the Barrier-Barrier Fruit's hard, three-dimensional quality.
When the Cat Brothers saw the Krieg Pirates' thirty-odd ships turning their cannons toward them, cold sweat streamed down their faces.
"Come on! Get fired up!"
Jango pulled out a metal ring and placed the Cat Brothers and the swordsman Gollas under a hypnotic buff.
A huge loudspeaker appeared on a raised platform in the harbor.
"Daddy Babaya! Today's your last day! But if you can make it through my cannon fire, I'll give you the chance to challenge me! Hahaha!"
Krieg laughed cruelly. Did Daddy really think he would fight him one-on-one?
If Daddy had managed to recruit Kuro of a Hundred Plans, he must be pretty strong. Krieg wasn't a hundred percent confident he could beat him in a duel!
But what kind of man was Krieg?
He was the overlord of the East Blue!
He wasn't some fool who'd just started out as a pirate.
Even if Daddy really was that strong, he would surely be injured or exhausted after making it through so much cannon fire. Then Krieg could easily take out the arrogant bastard!
But in the next instant, a blue-white beam shot toward him. Krieg leaped frantically off the raised platform, and it exploded and collapsed behind him!
"That's... That's El Drago's Sonic Cannon! What's he doing on Daddy's ship?!"
Krieg roared in fury. Did that mean the Big Daddy Pirates had already gathered several powerful East Blue pirates?
Another Sonic Cannon blast sent several pirate ships to the bottom of the sea, throwing the Krieg Pirates into a brief panic.
"Fire! Hurry up and blast them out of the water!!"
Krieg shouted furiously. He refused to believe that three thousand men couldn't beat a handful of people!
Cannon fire soon thundered across Debo Island's entire harbor.
An orange-haired girl took advantage of the chaos to slip off a pirate ship and into the island's interior. She even prayed that the Big Daddy Pirates would hold out a little longer, giving her time to steal more treasure!
"Charge!!"
"Super Large Barrier: Dreadnought!!"
Standing at the bow, Daddy crossed his arms. A massive, cone-shaped barrier enveloped the pirate ship, shielding it from the bombardment of more than thirty ships as it drove straight toward Debo Island's harbor.
"Krieg!! Get over here and hand me your miserable life!"
Daddy threw back his head and roared, then charged onto the island first. He felt more fired up than ever, his killing intent soaring!
A man should be savage when he fights!
With Sandai Kitetsu in hand, a tinge of red in his eyes, he became a war machine, cutting through the dense crowd of pirates. Protected by his Barrier Thorn Shield, he left blood and flesh flying in his wake. Each slash cut down two or three pirates.
He paid no attention to whether Zoro and Kuro survived or not, lost in the thrill of slaughter. Only those who survived could become his crew.
There was only one word in his mind now: Kill!
To kill one was a crime; to slaughter ten thousand was to be a hero! To slaughter nine million made one the greatest hero of all!
Seeing Daddy go berserk, Kuro of a Hundred Plans grinned savagely. He became a merciless cat demon and swung his Cat Claws, slaughtering everyone in his path.
Zoro, meanwhile, had a clear target: Krieg and Gin the Man-Demon, the two strongest fighters. He cut down any pirates who blocked his way without a moment's hesitation.
The Krieg Pirates aboard their ships also poured ashore to surround and kill the Big Daddy Pirates, who had forced their way through the curtain of cannon fire.
Daddy's bloodthirsty frenzy sent a shiver of fear through Krieg, but he continued ordering his men to surround and kill him. He would bury the bastard beneath their numbers!
Once that mad dog ran low on strength, Krieg would step in and finish him off!
The Cat Brothers, Jango, and the swordsman Gollas chose to stay near El Drago, their living cannon. That way, they could protect him and give him plenty of time to attack while also improving their own chances of survival.
If they were surrounded by the pirates swarming all around them, they wouldn't last long.
After killing several hundred men, Daddy finally let some of his anger and killing intent subside. Then he spotted Krieg and laughed as he charged straight at him!
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