Island Amid the War

Yake hummed a tune as he steered the ship.

The ship headed straight for Sagunto Island according to the Eternal Pose. He had no idea what kind of island it was, but as long as they could resupply, that was enough. Their priority now was finding crew members and at least completing the mission.

Although he could complete the mission by recruiting just anyone, Yake believed in quality over quantity. Not just anyone could board his ship.

After an unknown amount of time, Robin emerged with a smiling face, leading out a dejected Perona.

"Captain, Perona will be an intern on our ship from now on. Please take good care of her!" Robin pulled Perona before Yake and spoke to him.

"Say something..."

"Ah, Captain Yake, I'm Perona. I'll be an intern on the ship from now on. I can do anything..." Perona said pitifully.

Yake met Robin's eyes from across the distance, as though asking, What did you do to her?

"Ahahaha, don't be nervous. On my ship, you'll be safer than anywhere else. Other than me, no one can hurt a single hair on your head." Yake tried his best to display his captainly charm, hoping Perona would sincerely join the crew soon.

"All right, Perona, go clean the deck!" Robin immediately ordered. Once Perona focused on cleaning, she walked over to Yake.

"Yake, this girl is still a little unwilling. Keep an eye on her in the future, or she might run away."

"Don't worry. Once people board my ship, no one ever thinks of escaping." Yake grinned.

After sailing for more than half a month, they finally reached Sagunto Island. However, the island seemed somewhat strange. Smoke and dust filled the air, as though a war had just taken place.

"It looks like there's been a war on this island. Let's go down and take a look." Yake frowned. This was troublesome. They had sailed for over half a month, and their supplies were nearly gone. If there was a war, would anyone still be selling things?

"War?" Robin's expression also turned grave.

"Don't worry about that yet. Let's assess the situation first. Hm?" As Yake spoke, a black cannonball flew toward them. He raised a hand, held it in midair, and tossed it into the sky.

"Looks like the fighting's pretty intense." Yake released an Electromagnetic Barrier, enveloping the three of them to keep stray bullets from bothering them.

"Don't step outside this barrier. No one will treat you if you get hurt," Yake reminded them.

Perona nodded frantically and pressed herself tightly against Robin.

When they reached the city center, they found the two sides engaged in battle.

One side consisted of soldiers wearing highly futuristic combat suits, while the other looked like a royal guard force. However, under the overwhelming firepower of the high-tech soldiers, the guards were being forced back again and again.

"Report! Unidentified individuals are lingering over there. Should we eliminate them as well?" One of the soldiers spotted Yake and the others and immediately reacted.

"Warning! The Germa Army is currently engaged in battle with the Sagonto Kingdom Guard Force. All unrelated personnel must leave immediately, or they will be designated targets."

Naturally, Yake did not leave. Even as dense ranks of soldiers surrounded him, his face showed no fear.

"Orders received. Commence the attack immediately."

Countless bullets and cannon shells flew toward Yake and the others, but without exception, every one of them was blocked by the Electromagnetic Barrier.

"Germa 66's army. I've been looking for them for a long time. Today, they'll become my subordinates!" Yake said excitedly.

"That's... North Blue's evil army?" Robin clearly knew something about the Germa Kingdom of North Blue.

"That's right. I value their research capabilities and cloning technology. If we want to oppose the World Government, it'll be difficult to make an impact with individual strength alone." Yake gave Robin a brief explanation before preparing to make his move.

Yake spread his Observation Haki across the entire island. In the perception of Observation Haki, Germa soldiers and ordinary humans were practically two entirely different species. After all, the Germa Army consisted of Clone Soldiers.

"This makes things easier. No need to worry about harming innocent people."

Thunderous Heavenly Punishment! Yake's left hand turned into an electric current, sending violent lightning into the sky. Massive dark clouds immediately gathered overhead, with countless flashes of electricity flickering within them.

Descend!

Lightning fell, striking every Germa soldier fighting below with precision. The once-noisy city suddenly became quiet. Every soldier struck by the lightning had been reduced to charred corpses, while the steadily retreating kingdom guards were utterly bewildered, having no idea what had happened. They could only assume that the Celestial had sent down wrath to devour the lives of those evil soldiers.

"S-So scary!" Perona trembled. No wonder Demon King Robin had warned her not to think about escaping. So this was what would happen to her.

"The war is over," Yake said calmly.

"Now we just wait for Germa's main force to arrive. Otherwise, how will we subdue them?"

Out at sea, inside a giant snail.

"What? All the soldiers on Sagunto Island have lost contact? Damn it, what happened? Reiju, take Yonji and find out what's going on." Vinsmoke Judge nearly exploded with rage after receiving the report from his researchers. There was only one reason Clone Soldiers would lose contact: death.

Even if the lives of Clone Soldiers were worthless, it still took at least five years to cultivate one. Just moments ago, more than two thousand soldiers had lost contact at once. The loss was far too great.

"Yes, Father." Reiju answered expressionlessly, then set off with Yonji.

"Seriously, I was just resting! What could possibly happen on some tiny island?" Yonji complained in dissatisfaction.

"Shut your mouth, Yonji. This is Father's order." Reiju mercilessly scolded her younger brother. Although Reiju still possessed emotions, she had nothing good to say to her scumbag fourth brother.

"Damn it, don't use Father to pressure me."

Yake's side had already finished cleaning up the aftermath. The king of Sagunto Island personally received Yake and invited him to become the kingdom's guardian. However, Yake refused every offer. After taking some supplies, he went with Robin and Perona to the harbor to await the arrival of Germa 66's main force.

Yake put on sunglasses and reclined in a chair. Perona very conscientiously came over and began kneading his shoulders.

"What's gotten into you today, Perona? Why are you being so well-behaved? This doesn't seem like you at all!" Yake teased.

"No, no, Captain, this is what I should be doing. Captain, does this feel comfortable?" Perona asked cautiously.

"Hmph, she was scared out of her wits by you today." Robin lay in a chair beside Yake, reading a book without even raising her head. She knew Perona's little schemes all too well.

"Oh, so that's what it is." Yake was somewhat disappointed. He did not want his crew to be filled with fear of him, forced to stay aboard only because they feared his strength.

Perona's situation was somewhat special. After all, he had directly killed her former captain and forcibly brought her aboard. He would let her be for now. Things would get better with time, and besides, the massage felt rather nice...

Out at sea, a massive black shadow slowly advanced. Yake took off his sunglasses.

"Oh, they're finally here. Break time's over, Robin."