"Yes..."
Parker crashed down at the warehouse entrance, rolling more than ten times before coming to a stop. Ignoring the pain that made his body feel like it was falling apart, he forced himself to stand and limped away in a hurry.
The Steel Puppet paid Parker no mind, instead turning its "gaze" toward the rusty iron cages.
With a raised hand, magnetic force set the cages gliding across the ground. Carrying the children inside, they flew out of the warehouse and headed for the crowded harbor.
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Once they reached a place full of people, kindhearted folks would naturally save the children.
Then, the Steel Puppet walked over to a row of black suitcases standing on the ground. It casually laid one flat and opened it. What entered its Mantra was stack after stack of neatly arranged Beli notes.
The Steel Puppet casually picked up a stack from the suitcase, held down one corner, and flipped through it. One "banknote" after another beneath the surface came into view.
They were all blank sheets of paper!
"Heh!"
The Steel Puppet sneered, tossed aside both the suitcase and the stack of paper, then turned and left.
Not long after, John opened his eyes in a town inn.
"How can humans, creatures whose very bones are filled with such vile roots, ever become better?"
John lowered his head and looked at his hands, recalling the changes he had undergone recently.
Ever since he had left Rocks's world-renowned circle, escaped the Death Omen Star of fate, and begun dealing with small fry like Morgans, he had become somewhat...
Arrogant and dismissive of everyone!
He had lost all reverence for everything.
"I can't go on like this." John clenched his fists, his eyes flickering constantly.
He had always believed that what made him better than others was his ability to see himself clearly.
If abilities were unequal, how could people be equal?
When someone gained immense military strength and power, even if they began with a sincere heart that believed all lives were equal, they would gradually be affected and changed over time.
They would become arrogant, lofty, and aloof.
Others were like that. John himself... was no different!
As for those who dared pat their chests and claim they would never be corrupted, it was only because they had never experienced the taste of power and force.
Once they truly experienced the power to make others fall into endless trouble with a single sentence, even put their lives in danger, they would understand just how unequal people really were.
People were born to be discriminated against.
"But if I stay above everyone else for too long, I'll become like the Five Elders and Imu—lose my drive to advance, and ultimately be cast aside by the surging tide of the era."
"I need to correct myself!"
John rose from his chair and strode out of the inn room.
Meanwhile—
The boundary between the West Blue and the Calm Belt
The Treasure slowly passed from calm waters into violently churning seas. Its mast had snapped, its hull was leaking, and it had been damaged to the absolute limit.
On the deck, Pete and the pirates lay sprawled about. Their lips were cracked, their eyes bloodshot, and they were exhausted beyond measure.
To salvage the treasure that might have fallen into the sea, they had spent over half a month near that island. They had not been forced to return until their food and water ran out.
Food had not been much of an issue. After all, this was a nest of Sea Kings. Massive prey large enough to fill the stomachs of an entire shipload of people was everywhere.
But water was a fatal problem. The island was made entirely of stone and could not retain any rainwater. Yet the Calm Belt, where rainfall was normally frequent, had not seen a single drop of rain during the past half month.
After the rum on the ship ran out, the pirates had no choice but to return and find an island to replenish their water supply.
However, without Conqueror's Haki to intimidate them, the Sea Kings had gone mad, lining up to attack the ship.
As a result, what should have been a short one-day voyage became exceptionally difficult. Several times, they had nearly been buried at the bottom of the sea along with their ship.
"We finally made it out alive."
Feeling the familiar sea breeze, Pete felt as though an entire lifetime had passed.
Hearing his sigh, the other pirates either nodded or voiced their agreement.
"Yeah, being alive is great."
"I'm so thirsty. I want water... No! I want to drink an entire barrel of rum!"
"I want an ice-cold cola..."
At this moment, Pete and the pirates had no thoughts of treasure whatsoever. All they could think about was having a huge meal and a good drink, then heading to the Pleasure District to cut loose properly.
Whoosh—
Just as the pirates indulged in their fantasies, shrill whistling sounds tore through the air, rapidly closing in from afar.
The familiar sound made the pirates leap to their feet. They saw black dots shooting toward the Treasure from starboard.
"Those are... cannonballs!"
"Enemy attack!"
"Men, get your asses in gear!"
Rather than being alarmed, Pete and the pirates were overjoyed, as excited as if they had found an oasis in the desert.
Enemies meant food and water, and perhaps even... women!
In an instant, flintlock guns fired bullets coated in Armament Haki, while cutlasses unleashed flying slashes, detonating the rapidly approaching barrage of cannonballs in midair.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Smoke spread everywhere as flames and shockwaves swept outward, kicking up layer after layer of raging waves and making the ships on the sea pitch even more violently.
"Quick! Bring the ship over!"
At Pete's command, the helmsman guided the Treasure through the rolling smoke, and then they saw...
Five Marine warships!
"Damn it, why are the Marines here?!"
Looking at the seagull flags fluttering in the wind, Pete's face turned utterly grim.
Because their attention had been entirely focused on the incoming cannonballs, combined with the arrogance of being remnants of the Rocks Pirates, he had completely ignored the enemy's identity.
But now that he saw they were Marines, their instincts as pirates filled them with fear.
"Forget it. For food and water, even if they're Marines, we'll sink them!"
Pete gritted his teeth. Driven by hunger and thirst, his expression gradually turned savage.
"Yeah! Sink the Marines!"
"Even Marines are worth robbing!"
The pirates also rallied themselves. In the face of survival, all that bullshit about "evil" and "justice" could get lost.
Biu—
Just as the pirates' ferocity erupted, one of the warships flashed with a blinding light.
Chaychitz Maffey stood at the bow, opening her mouth full of sharp teeth as a laser gathered within.
"You damn pirates, hand over everything that bastard John has!"
Somaz stood beside her, covering his upper chest with his right hand. The hollow feeling inside filled him with terror.
His heart was still with John!
He had to get it back!
"Quick, quick, quick! Turn the helm! Dodge the attack!"
Seeing the dazzling light gathering on the warship ahead, Pete's pupils suddenly contracted. He hurriedly ordered the helmsman to evade.
The Treasure was still some distance from the warships. It was far beyond the range of the Reaction Fruit's power, so they could not affect the enemy at all.
Sizzle—
As the Treasure turned, the laser beam arrived in an instant. It grazed the port side, streaked across the distant sea, and triggered a violent explosion.
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