Chapter 52

One day later.

Somewhere on the North Blue.

"Report..."

"Island spotted off the starboard bow! There's a pirate ship moored on the shore. Off the starboard bow..."

Hearing the lookout's voice, Burgess quickly stood and looked toward the starboard bow.

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

Burgess threw both arms up, his face flushed with excitement. He was delighted.

Doc Q looked in the same direction and said with an eerie smile, "It's been so long since I killed anyone. Finally, we can spill some blood."

Lafitte twirled his cane and smiled faintly. "It certainly 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."

Looking at the others, Lafitte said seriously, "Captain Chris is the only one who can steer this ship."

Law nodded in agreement. "We just need to wait for orders. No need to concern ourselves with that."

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

"Whatever course we take, only the captain can decide. There's no question about that."

Just then, footsteps approached.

Anticipation lit up Honey Queen's pretty face as she said with a smile, "Pirates have appeared, and good luck has come along too."

"We've never run into a situation like this before."

Looking toward the starboard bow, Belo Betty remarked flatly, "Whatever we find this time is bound to be something special."

Carina's brows curved as she blinked, a mischievous gleam in her eyes. "We absolutely have to steal their treasure!"

Perona floated in the air, her laughter ringing out. "This princess will teach those pirates the meaning of fear! Horo-horo-horo..."

Just then, Burgess jumped up and laughed heartily. "The captain's here! Looks like I'll get to go all out!"

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

"Then you'd better hope our opponents aren't too weak."

Lafitte planted his cane before him and smiled like a gentleman. "After all, ordinary pirates wouldn't put up much of a fight against us."

Holding the Demonic Sword Kikoku against his chest, Law said coldly, "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 need to lift a finger."

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

"In that case, the crew won't get any experience."

Soon, the Chris reached the shore and moored beside the other pirate ship.

Seeing the enormous pirate ship alongside them, everyone began talking.

Burgess grew excited and said with a hearty laugh, "With a pirate ship that big, they can't be too weak! Now we can have a proper fight!"

Doc Q eyed the huge ship with a cryptic smile. "That ship's bigger than ours. Why don't we just take it?"

"Our ship really isn't big enough."

Wearing his usual deadpan expression, Hawkins said in a low voice, "We'll have more and more newcomers joining us. It'll get crowded."

Law nodded in agreement. "It really is time to change ships."

"Yes, yes!"

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

Carina stared unblinkingly at the huge ship and marveled, "A pirate ship that big must have loads of treasure aboard. We've hit the jackpot!"

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

Honey Queen immediately pressed her for details. "Reiju, who are they? Why is their pirate ship so big?"

The others said nothing, all turning to Reiju as they waited for her answer.

Reiju smoothed her hair, a gentle, charming smile appearing on her flawless face. "I've investigated all the more famous pirate crews in the North Blue."

"That pirate flag belongs to the White Ghost Pirates."

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

Looking at everyone, Reiju smiled sweetly. "He's a ruthless man who's been committing crimes for years. He's killed a lot of civilians and Marines."

"Although the Marines have been hunting him all this time, he always manages to escape beforehand. He's been a real headache for them."

Hearing Reiju's explanation, Burgess shrugged, looking a little disappointed.

"Only eighty-three million Beli? That's way too damn weak! At least give us someone worth a hundred million. Then we could have a satisfying fight."

Lafitte adjusted his top hat and said mildly, "That makes absolutely no sense."

"The Four Seas aren't like the Grand Line. Bounties are generally very low."

"If Oliford has earned a bounty of over eighty million in the North Blue, he certainly can't be weak."

Law nodded in agreement. "This is the first time I've heard of a bounty that high in the Four Seas."

As composed as ever, Hawkins said in a low voice, "I've heard of him. He's a notorious big-name pirate in the North Blue."

"Since he's such a bad guy, we'd be justified in taking his ship."

Honey Queen blinked her lovely eyes, a cute smile spreading across her face.

At that moment, Chris spoke calmly. "Men, go inspect it. That ship belongs to us now."

"Yes, Captain Chris!"

"Hurry, hurry! We're getting a bigger ship! Hahaha..."

"Get a move on, all of you! There's bound to be treasure aboard! Gahahaha!"

"Hehehe! Running into our Captain Chris is just your bad luck. We'll observe three minutes of silence for you."

"Quit your damn chatter and loot it first! La-la-la..."

(They haven't fought any pirates since setting sail. It's time for a brawl. By the way, can you guess what's on the island? The North Blue Overlord must have quite a collection! (*￣︶￣))

Chapter 52

Deep within the island!

A large crowd of pirates had gathered there. They were all single men, without a woman among them.

"Brothers, bring out all the treasure we plundered this time!"

Seated atop a huge boulder, Oliford waved his large hand, his tone utterly arrogant.

He was tall and bulky, with a fat face, large ears, a thick beard, and a vicious glint in his eyes.

He looked like a hideous demon, frightening enough to silence a crying child.

"Yes, Captain Oliford!"

Everyone hurried to work, their faces alight with uncontrollable excitement.

As pirates, this was undoubtedly their favorite moment.

Amid loud shouts, all the treasure was poured out.

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

They formed a small mountain, glittering in a rainbow of colors beneath the sunlight.

It was positively dazzling!

"Looks like we got a pretty good haul this time! Hahaha..."

Oliford threw his head back and laughed, declaring with wild arrogance, "Sort through the treasure and see what goodies we've got!"

Soon, bursts of laughter rose from below.

"Whoa, this gold is heavy!"

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

"We're rich! This haul will last us months! Hehehe..."

Just then, one of the lackeys shouted.

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

Hearing that, the other lackeys stopped what they were doing and quickly turned to look.

Oliford could no longer sit still. He sprang to his feet and strode over.

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

The lackeys were terrified of Oliford. They quickly scattered and resumed sorting the treasure.

Kate looked at Oliford, his face beaming. "Captain, we've really struck it rich this time."

He was the first mate, with a bounty of thirty-one million Beli.

Oliford took the little box and saw three kinds of things inside.

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

Despite his rough exterior, Oliford was a shrewd man. After a moment's thought, he called out, "Where did we steal this little box?"

The lackeys stopped and exchanged glances.

Then a skinny young man raised his hand and said delightedly, "Captain, it was me! I found it!"

Everyone nearby looked at him with envy, certain he was about to rise in the world.

Having discovered something so valuable, he was bound to receive a reward from Oliford.

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

"Where did you steal it? Tell me."

The lackey hurried forward and explained excitedly, "Captain, I stole it from an old man's house."

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

"I found this little box under his bed."

Rubbing his hands together in excitement, the lackey said, "The box was locked, so I didn't open it to look. I never imagined there'd be a Devil Fruit inside."

Oliford waved a hand and burst into laughter. "I'll make sure you get credit for this. Go back to sorting the treasure for now."

"Yes, yes, Captain Oliford!" The lackey's shifty eyes lit up, and he hurried aside in excitement.

Looking at the Devil Fruit in Oliford's hand, Kate frowned. "It's shaped like a pineapple, and it's green all over. Why does it look poisonous?"

Oliford narrowed his eyes slightly and nodded in agreement.

"Exactly what I was thinking. This Devil Fruit probably has something to do with poison."

With that, he set the fruit aside and picked up the notebook, saying with a smile, "You can tell at a glance that this thing's old."

He opened it and began reading carefully.

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

Kate looked at the notebook in confusion, having no idea who that was.

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

He snapped the notebook shut, too annoyed to read any further, and tossed it straight to Kate.

Then he reached for the two Den Den Mushi.

Suddenly, loud laughter rang out.

"So much treasure! It's all ours now! Wehahahaha..."

Shock.