Amid everyone's shocked gazes, Kuzan stood up and bowed politely to those around him. "From now on, I'll be like-minded partners with all of you. Please take care of me."
How could anyone dare put on airs? They all rose and returned the gesture.
A powerful existence like Kuzan was, at this conference table—no, even within the entire Alliance—the strongest person beneath Alliance Leader Uchiha Hikaru. Who would dare act superior before him?
Law, Urouge, Drake, and the others even showed faint, guarded looks of rejection. After all, after consecutively defeating fleets from the Big Mom Pirates and the Blackbeard Pirates, Hikaru had personally established the Uchiha Hikaru Grand Alliance. Germa 66, which had joined later, had even been promised future control over the North Blue. Wouldn't veterans like them have even brighter prospects?
With their past achievements in hand, and with the chance to follow Uchiha Hikaru into battle across the seas in the future, they would surely earn both fame and fortune in the Alliance. It was far more glorious than being pirates had ever been.
Thus, during this time, Law, Urouge, and Drake had all become somewhat confident and self-satisfied.
But Kuzan's arrival today made them feel an immense sense of crisis.
If someone this powerful joined them, he would absolutely be qualified to become Hikaru's right-hand man. When that happened, his contributions to the Alliance's construction and development would likely surpass theirs with ease.
In that instant, the self-satisfaction they had felt for days was completely extinguished. Their somewhat frivolous and arrogant hearts gradually settled, becoming steady, restrained, and poised without showing their edge.
The corner of Hikaru's mouth rose almost imperceptibly. Then he said, "Come on, sit down, all of you. There'll be plenty of chances for you to get acquainted later. I have more