Krieg: The World Can't Be This Big!

"Yes, yes, yes!"

Seeming to realize something, Big Bazar nodded furiously and said with an awkward smile, "Grandpa, do you know Boss Krieg?"

"As it happens, I need to see him about something. Where is he?"

"I... I don't know. The admiral is always on the move. He only summons us when necessary, so I don't usually see him either."

As he spoke, Big Bazar watched Dimon's expression. Seeing Dimon frown slightly, he quickly changed his tune and shouted:

"But I can contact him!!"

To stay alive, he gritted his teeth and went all in. "Grandpa, you're doing him an honor by asking for him! Idiots! Hurry up and bring me the Den Den Mushi!"

He roared the last part at the subordinates hiding behind him.

Those useless fools had put him in front of them when faced with a powerful enemy. They had already earned their deaths!

"No need. Just give me the Den Den Mushi's number."

"All right, all right. Listen carefully, Grandpa. The admiral's number is..."

Big Bazar turned back with a flattering smile and hurriedly rattled off a string of numbers.

Dimon didn't write it down. He simply called out into the air.

"Ain."

"Yes, Master."

A voice came from thin air.

The sight nearly scared Big Bazar out of his wits.

A ghost!?

Meanwhile.

Somewhere in the East Blue, there was a gigantic sailing ship with three decks. Its name was the Dreadnaught Sabre.

In the admiral's quarters, Krieg studied a chart of the East Blue, considering the pirate crew's next course of development.

He wanted to build up more strength, find a chart of the Grand Line, and ultimately challenge that devilish sea.

Just then, the Den Den Mushi on the desk rang, interrupting his daydream.

Purupuru~ purupuru~

Krieg frowned in annoyance and picked up the receiver, his tone chilling.

"Who is it? I'll give you one chance to explain yourself. I'm sure I told you not to contact me unless it was important!"

"I'll give you one chance too, Krieg. Help me find a pirate named Portgas D. Ace."

Chapter 11: Krieg: The World Can't Be This Big!

With no caller ID, Krieg had no idea who was on the other end.

"What did you say?" He laughed in anger, staring at the Den Den Mushi in his hand as the corners of his mouth involuntarily rose.

Anyone who knew him would recognize that he was ready to kill.

He considered himself invincible in the East Blue and had declared himself its overlord. How could he tolerate someone speaking to him so arrogantly?

"I hear you're eager to go to the Grand Line?"

Catching the key words, Krieg's expression changed.

"You have information about the Grand Line?"

"I just came from there."

Krieg's pupils contracted sharply, and he laughed heartily. "Hahaha, so you're a pirate who came back from the Grand Line? You're from the East Blue too? In that case, I suppose I should call you senior."

"A pirate? I could be. My name is Sabo, and I'm from the Goa Kingdom in the East Blue."

Away from home, you could give yourself whatever identity you wanted.

In front of the Marines, Dimon was a bounty hunter. When dealing with pirates, he didn't mind playing the part of a senior.

"The Goa Kingdom, eh? That's the most beautiful country in the East Blue." After paying him the compliment, Krieg promptly probed, "So you want me to help you find someone? I think we should meet and talk."

"All right. I'll send someone over."

With that, the call was disconnected.

Listening to the busy signal in the receiver, Krieg stared blankly for a while before his face gradually darkened.

Damn it, does he think he's so great just because he's a pirate from the Grand Line?

"He's only sending someone to meet me? He has no respect for me at all!"

Krieg took a deep breath and suppressed his anger. Rather than letting it cloud his judgment, he frowned.

"How could he possibly know where I am? No one should know my whereabouts except the members of the main crew here with me!"

The East Blue, in waters near the Calm Belt.

The deck of the Big Bazar Pirates' ship.

After hanging up, Dimon immediately asked, "Have you pinpointed him?"

"Based on the feedback from the thought waves, I've pinpointed his exact location."

Ain's abilities went beyond making calls and eavesdropping. As the Den Den Mushi Fruit come to life, using thought waves to dig up someone's personal information was as easy as eating and drinking.

Ed, that second-generation military brat, didn't understand the fruit at all!

If Krieg had refused just now, Dimon could have followed the network cable straight to him.

"Mammon, go over there."

"Yes."

High in the air, a large black bat flapped his wings and flew swiftly in Krieg's direction.

A faint breeze curled around a strand of his hair, a clone Ain had split off.

The clone lightly vibrated the air, producing a voice that sounded almost real.

"Mr. Mammon, seven o'clock, approximately 800 kilometers away."

"Got it."

"No, I can't just let this go!"

Aboard the Dreadnaught Sabre, Krieg couldn't sit still. The more he thought about it, the more convinced he was that something was wrong.

He didn't know how the mysterious pirate from the Grand Line had learned his exact coordinates, but surely someone close to him had leaked them.

This was blatant betrayal!

Krieg immediately summoned his trusted subordinate, "Demon" Gin, commander-in-chief of the Krieg Pirates.

"Krieg, you wanted me?"

Gin soon arrived in the captain's quarters. He was a somewhat scruffy man of medium build, with thick lips, deep dark circles around his eyes, and a gray-and-blue striped bandanna on his head.

Krieg nodded slightly and briefly told him what had happened.

After listening, Gin's lips twisted into a cruel smile. "Don't worry. Leave it to me."

With that, he turned and left. An order went out across the ship, summoning everyone.

Hundreds of people lined up on the spacious deck. Some grinned and joked, while others sensed that something was wrong and trembled with fear.

"Commander Gin, what did you summon us for?"

"Does the admiral have orders for us?"

"Come on, tell us. Hehehe, who are we going after this time?"

"Hmph, there's a traitor among us!"

Gin sneered, his hands behind his back. "Someone leaked Admiral Krieg's whereabouts. I'm giving you a chance to step forward now. I can guarantee that, at the very least, your family won't be harmed!"

The pirates' expressions changed.

They looked at one another. Those who knew each other exchanged glances and shook their heads, each signaling that he hadn't done it.

"No one's coming forward?"

Seeing that everyone remained silent, Gin grinned. "I'll put in a good word with the admiral for the first person to confess. I can't guarantee anything else, but at least your life will be spared. You have my word!"

While "Gin catches the traitor" played out on deck, Krieg stood at the window of the captain's quarters, looking down on everything from above.

He would not allow anyone to leak his whereabouts!

As the head of an overlord-level power in the East Blue, Krieg had no fear of the local Marine Branches. None of them could do anything to him.

Even if they found him, he could easily repel their attempts to surround and wipe him out.

But the Marines were like a plaster you couldn't shake off. Beat the youngsters, and the elders would come.

Could you beat a Marine captain? Then they'd send a branch colonel.

Couldn't a branch colonel handle it?

Once or twice was fine, but if it happened often enough, Marine Headquarters would find out and send a Headquarters colonel down!

Or even... a Headquarters Vice Admiral!

Krieg knew very well that powerful pirate crews had occasionally appeared in the East Blue before, only to mysteriously disappear.

Rumor had it that Marine Headquarters had sent powerful fighters down.

Krieg had no desire to follow in those "idiots'" footsteps.

"The East Blue is too small. The Grand Line is my stage. Troops... I need more troops!"

Krieg watched silently until an hour later.

A dark figure came flying swiftly from the horizon. By the time he noticed it, it was less than a kilometer away.

"Is that him? So fast!"

Krieg's face grew grave as he looked up and fixed his gaze on the approaching figure.

As it drew closer, he gradually made out a gigantic black bat with a wingspan of several dozen meters. When it arrived above the pirate ship, it caused an uproar.

"M-monster!"

"A bat?! How can there be a bat that big in this world?!"

"Are my eyes playing tricks on me? What the hell is that?!"

The pirates on deck panicked.

Suddenly, Mammon opened his mouth and unleashed an extremely piercing sonic wave. It spread downward in a cone, striking the surface of the sea and instantly stirring up huge waves.

The pirate ship rocked violently, throwing the pirates on deck every which way. Some of the weaker ones couldn't withstand the sonic wave and spat blood, collapsing on the spot.

"Who are you?!" Cold sweat dripped from Gin's forehead as he looked up and roared.

"My name... is Mammon."

Mammon hadn't forgotten Dimon's instructions. The simplest way to deal with pirates was to give them a show of force. He swept his gaze over the deck but didn't spot Krieg.

Listening to the returning ultrasonic waves, Mammon turned his gaze and immediately located the man in the captain's quarters.

The man had light purple hair and wore a suit of golden armor.

"Are you Krieg?"

"..."

Krieg's heart stopped for an instant, and his hand hidden beneath the windowsill clenched involuntarily.

There was no need to test him. The moment Krieg saw him, he understood: this was a monster, not an opponent he could handle.