Pirates: I Can Repel Anything

A day later.

On a stretch of the North Blue.

"Report!"

"An island spotted off the starboard bow! There's a pirate ship moored along the shore. Off the starboard bow—"

At the lookout's cry, Burgess sprang to his feet and peered in that direction.

"There really is a pirate ship! Now we can have a fight! Wahahaha!"

Burgess threw both arms up, his face alight with excitement.

Doc Q looked over too, his smile turning sinister. "It's been too long since I killed anyone. About time I saw some blood."

Lafitte twirled his cane and smiled faintly. "It hasn't been easy. These are the first pirates we've encountered since I set sail."

"But whether we change course isn't up to us."

Lafitte looked at the others, his expression serious. "Captain Chris is the only one who can steer this ship."

Luo nodded in agreement. "We'll wait for word. No need to worry about it."

Hawkins added, "A ship can only have one captain."

"Whatever course we sail, the captain alone makes that decision. There's no question about it."

Just then, footsteps approached.

Anticipation lit Honey Queen's pretty face. "Pirates have appeared, and our luck has turned."

"Nothing like this has happened before."

Belo Betty glanced ahead. "Whatever we find this time is bound to be different."

Carina's eyes gleamed with mischief as she grinned. "We'd better take all their treasure."

Floating in midair, Perona let out a bright laugh. "This princess will teach those pirates what fear means! Horohorohoro..."

Burgess jumped up with a roar of laughter. "The captain's here! Looks like I get to cut loose!"

Doc Q chuckled. "Finally, I can kill someone. I've been holding back for ages."

"Then you'd better hope the enemy isn't too weak."

Lafitte planted his cane before him and smiled like a gentleman. "Ordinary pirates won't be much of a fight for us."

Luo cradled Kikoku in his arms. "What I really want to see is the captain fight."

"But this is the North Blue. There aren't any powerful pirates here, so the captain won't make a move."

Hawkins nodded. "If the captain fights, there'll be nothing left for us to do."

"And the crew won't get any practice that way."

Before long, the Chris reached shore and docked beside the other pirate ship.

At the sight of the enormous vessel, everyone began talking at once.

Burgess laughed excitedly. "A pirate ship that big? They can't be too weak. We'll finally get a proper fight!"

Doc Q studied the ship with an enigmatic smile. "It's bigger than ours. Why don't we just take it?"

"Our ship really is too small."

Hawkins wore his usual deadpan expression. "As more people join us, it'll get crowded."

Luo nodded. "It is time we got a new ship."

"Yes, yes!"

Perona's eyes sparkled. "That ship looks so imposing! Let's use it from now on."

Carina stared at the ship without blinking. "A pirate ship that big must have heaps of treasure aboard. We're going to be rich."

"I recognize that pirate flag," Reiju said, touching her fair chin with a smile.

Honey Queen quickly asked, "Reiju, who are they? Why is their ship so big?"

The others fell silent and turned to Reiju, waiting for her answer.

Reiju brushed back her hair, a gentle smile gracing her flawless face. "I've looked into all the better-known pirate crews in the North Blue."

"That flag belongs to the White Ghost Pirates."

"Their captain, White Ghost Oliford, has the highest bounty in the North Blue: eighty-three million Beli."

Reiju gave everyone a sweet smile. "He's ruthless. He's spent years raiding and has killed countless civilians and Marines."

"The Marines have hunted him all this time, but he always escapes before they arrive. He's been a real headache for them."

Burgess's shoulders slumped at Reiju's words.

"Only eighty-three million Beli? Damn, that's weak. Give me someone worth over a hundred million! Then we'd have a real fight."

Lafitte straightened his top hat. "That doesn't make sense."

"The four seas aren't the Grand Line. Bounties are generally much lower here."

"For Oliford to have a bounty of over eighty million in the North Blue, he can't be weak."

Luo nodded. "That's the highest bounty I've heard of in the four seas."

Hawkins remained as composed as ever. "I've heard of him. He's a notorious pirate in the North Blue."

"If he's that bad, I suppose taking his ship is only fair."

Honey Queen blinked, an adorable smile spreading across her face.

Then Chris spoke. "Crew, go check it out. That ship is ours from now on."

"Yes, Captain Chris!"

"Come on, hurry! We're getting a bigger ship! Hahaha!"

"Move your asses! There's bound to be treasure aboard! Gahaha!"

"Heh heh heh. Running into Captain Chris was just your bad luck. I'll observe three minutes of silence for you."

"Cut the damn chatter and take the ship! La la la..."

(Since setting sail, they still hadn't fought any pirates. It was time for a scrap. And what might be on the island? Could you guess? The North Blue's top pirate was bound to have quite a collection (*￣︶￣).)

Treasures Deep on the Island ### Deep within the island!

A crowd of pirates had gathered there. Every one of them was a man; not a single woman was among them.

"Brothers, bring out all the treasure we took this time."

Oliford sat atop a huge boulder and waved a hand, his voice brimming with arrogance.

He was tall and heavyset, with a broad, bearded face and vicious eyes.

He looked like a demon, the sort whose face could scare a crying child into silence.

"Yes, Captain Oliford."

Everyone hurried to work, their faces flushed with excitement.

For pirates, this was the moment they loved most.

Amid the shouting, they tipped out all the treasure.

Gold and silver, jewels, silks, jade, pearls...

It piled up into a small hill, flashing in every color beneath the sun.

The glare was dazzling!

"Not a bad haul this time! Hahaha!"

Oliford threw back his head and laughed. "Sort through it. Let's see what's good."

Laughter soon rose from the men below.

"Whoa, this gold is heavy!"

"This pearl must be worth a fortune! Gahaha!"

"We're rich! This haul will keep us going for months! Heh heh heh..."

Then a low-ranking pirate shouted.

"A Devil Fruit! I found a Devil Fruit!"

The others stopped what they were doing and looked over.

Oliford could no longer sit still. He sprang up and strode forward.

"Out of my way! Get back to work."

The men feared Oliford. They quickly scattered and went back to sorting through the treasure.

Kate beamed at Oliford. "Captain, we've really struck it rich."

He was the First Mate, with a bounty of thirty-one million Beli.

Oliford picked up the small chest. Inside were three things.

A Devil Fruit, a notebook, and two Den Den Mushi.

Oliford was rough on the outside but shrewd beneath it. After a moment's thought, he called out, "Where did we take this chest?"

The men stopped and exchanged glances.

A skinny young man raised his hand, grinning. "Captain, it was me! I found it!"

The men around him looked on with envy. They figured he was about to move up in the world.

After a find like that, Oliford was bound to reward him.

Oliford picked up the Devil Fruit and laughed. "Good. Very good."

"Where did you take it? Tell me."

The young pirate hurried forward. "Captain, I took it from an old man's house."

"The old bastard wouldn't hand over his valuables, so I killed him and searched the place."

"I found this chest under his bed."

Rubbing his hands together, the pirate said excitedly, "It was locked, so I didn't open it. I never thought there'd be a Devil Fruit inside."

Oliford waved him off with a laugh. "I'll give you credit for the find. Go sort through the treasure."

"Yes, yes, Captain Oliford!" The pirate's shifty eyes lit up, and he hurried away.

Kate frowned at the Devil Fruit in Oliford's hand. "It's shaped like a pineapple and green all over. Doesn't it look poisonous?"

Oliford nodded, narrowing his eyes in agreement.

"Just what I thought. This Devil Fruit probably has something to do with poison."

He set the fruit aside, picked up the notebook, and smiled. "One look tells you this thing is old."

He opened it and began to read carefully.

"Rocks? Who's that? Never heard the name."

Kate stared at the notebook in confusion. He had no idea who that was.

The more Oliford read, the more irritated he became. "Kaido? And Charlotte Linlin? Who the hell are these people?"

He snapped the notebook shut and tossed it to Kate, unwilling to read another word.

Then he reached for the two Den Den Mushi.

Suddenly, a booming laugh rang out.

"So much treasure! It's all ours now! Wahahaha!"

The pirates froze in shock.