Outer New World.
Black Bone Island.
From afar, the island looked like a jet-black beast bone thrusting up from beneath the sea.
Towering, steep cliffs encircled the entire harbor, with only a narrow channel leading inside.
Gun emplacements and watchtowers lined both sides of the channel. Any ship that approached without permission would be blasted to pieces before entering the harbor.
At the center of the island stood a massive fortress built from black stone.
More than ten skull-and-crossbones flags stood around the fortress, snapping loudly in the sea wind.
This place belonged to no nation, and there was no such thing as law.
More than ten pirate crews jointly occupied the island, making their living through slave trading, weapons smuggling, and raiding merchant ships.
They locked captured civilians in dungeons, sold stolen weapons to stronger pirates, then sent those unable to pay ransom to underground auction houses.
As long as one paid enough Berry.
Any crime could find protection here.
At this moment.
Inside the island's largest tavern, hundreds of pirates were raising their cups in revelry.
The long tables were piled with roasted meat, strong liquor, and jewels freshly seized from merchant ships.
Liquor spilled across the floor.
The pirates' laughter nearly blew off the roof.
Above the tavern hung both Kaido's flag and Charlotte Linlin's flag, but that did not mean Black Bone Island truly belonged to either Emperor.
The people here merely paid protection money to both sides.
When the Beasts Pirates came, they claimed they transported weapons for Kaido.
When people from Totto Land arrived, they immediately declared their loyalty to the Charlotte Family.
No matter who came to question them, they could pull down an Emperor's flag and hold it in front of themselves.
"A New World cleansing campaign?"
A one-eyed captain wearing an