The explorer knelt on the deck, cursing in his heart.
Bringing King here to fight us? We'd have to be crazy not to surrender!
"Mr. Gusion, how should we handle this?"
King perched atop the railing, gazing down at those on the ship.
Seeing this, the explorers grew even more uneasy. They'd thought Gusion only held a nominal post within the Beasts Pirates, but now it seemed even King, once the top of the All-Stars, respected him. If word got out, it would shock the explorer community.
"Take their treasure and let them go," Gusion said.
He wasn't bloodthirsty. Since they'd already surrendered and offered their loot, killing them would be overkill.
The lead explorer breathed a sigh of relief and shouted, "Get all the treasure out here!"
He shot his companions a look. Though reluctant, they produced two Devil Fruits as their ransom.
Gusion glanced at the fruits after taking them. They were both Paramecia types—nothing special, but for ordinary explorers, this was probably their greatest haul in this world.
Devil Fruits acquired in-world could be certified and brought out at a low cost, with at least half the value retained. With certification limits, Devil Fruits were the best items to bring out.
"Bring your ship over and move it yourselves," Gusion ordered, eyeing the piles of gold and treasure.
The explorers nearly wept. Robbing them was one thing, but making them transport the loot themselves?
But none dared complain. Gusion's hand never left his sword, and King's gaze followed them like a hawk.
Soon, they brought their ship alongside the Beasts Pirates' flagship and began moving cargo.
Gusion wasn't merciless—he left them food and water to reach the next island.
In the end, the explorers slunk away with their crew, only daring to grumble once far off.
"Paramecia fruits, huh? You keep them," Kaido said when Gusion returned and showed him the fruits. Kaido wasn't interested and left them for Gusion.
Kaido's taste in Devil Fruits was extremely biased—he only cared about Zoan types, especially Ancient Zoans. Paramecia and even Logias didn't interest him, so his crew was almost exclusively Zoan users.
Devil Fruits were priceless on the black market, worth at least 100 million Berries each, sometimes several billion for rarer powers.
But to Kaido, these two were mediocre. He figured Gusion and Yamato needed to build up their own trusted followers, so these were investments in their future.
Gusion checked the fruit details: one Sticky-Stick Fruit type, the other a Cool-Cool Fruit. The gum fruit was similar to Mr. 3's Wax-Wax, but with some differences. Cool-Cool could freeze things, like a weaker, non-Logia version of Aokiji's Ice-Ice Fruit.
Kaido, though uneducated, was a seasoned pirate who knew the Devil Fruit encyclopedia by heart. He simply had no interest in these.
For Gusion, these fruits weren't useless—he could sell them for at least 100,000 End Coins each, and double that outside the world. Certified items like these were easy money.
By the way, the Ancient Zoan T-Rex fruit Kaido gave him didn't require certification—it was a space reward and could be taken out directly.
After this haul, Gusion realized there was a lot to gain from adventuring on these seas—especially with Kaido's backing. Any explorer they met, they could just rob.
So, for the next while, whenever Gusion spotted a ship at sea, he'd volunteer to plunder them.
Didn't matter if it was an explorer's ship or not. Some New World pirates fought back, but the result was obvious—even powerful enemies fell before King's blade.
Explorers, on the other hand, tended to be sensible. Seeing Kaido's ship, those who couldn't escape surrendered their spoils and lived.
After two weeks, Gusion noticed many explorers had entered the New World—he'd personally encountered over a dozen, all hoping to fish in troubled waters.
Their courage was impressive. Meeting Kaido, who only robbed them, was lucky. If they ran into someone like Red-Haired Shanks, the Ship Destroyer, they'd likely die.
Don't think of Shanks as a good guy. As pirates, they robbed as well—just usually not from nations, but from other pirates. If you had no connection or strength, he'd show no mercy.
If you provoked someone under his flag, he'd destroy you, ship and all. Just ask Kid—he spent ages being knocked out by Kaido, but Shanks wouldn't be so lenient.
In short, sailing the New World was dangerous. Kaido was probably the most reasonable of the Four Emperors—at least he'd spare your life if you surrendered.
Gusion explained all this to his latest guests. "So, stop sulking and hand over two Devil Fruits."
Snow Wind, whose face was usually cold, now looked humiliated. "Fine, you win!"
That's right—the Blizzard Adventurer Team had entered the One Piece world. Led by Snow Wind, once the top ranker in the arena, they'd done well on the Grand Line.
Half a month ago, hearing their stay was almost up, they'd decided to enter the New World and see if they could profit in the chaos.
They knew the original story well and could avoid many dangers. If they ran into a Yonko, they'd just surrender, get imprisoned, and wait out their time to return.
But as they carefully neared their destination, they ran into Gusion.
Gusion grinned. "Why so glum? If I hadn't been here today, you'd all be digging in Wano as slaves by now!"
He took the two Devil Fruits from her. "I'm letting you off easy because we're old friends."
Snow Wind felt wronged but knew Gusion was right. If he weren't in the Beasts Pirates, she'd have no room to negotiate.
The two fruits were a hefty price, but survival meant a chance to recoup losses later. If they'd been enslaved, there'd be no hope.
"Gusion, give us a chance—we want to join the Beasts Pirates," Snow Wind offered.
"Oh? What's in it for me?" Gusion smirked.
"You already got your reward," Snow Wind gestured to the fruits.
"That's for Mr. Kaido. Don't get it twisted," Gusion said seriously.
He turned to King, "Mr. King, these pirates are old friends from the Grand Line—should we consider recruiting them?"
King looked confused—recruitment was Gusion's job as the strategist. Why was he being asked?
Still, after a moment, King replied, "To join, you'll need to show more sincerity."
Gusion grinned at Snow Wind. "See, it's possible. Just missing a little something."
He did have the authority to recruit, but he wanted to squeeze more from them.
Snow Wind's team was sizable—they'd survived months on the Grand Line, and two fruits alone wouldn't buy their entry.
"You…" Snow Wind fumed, but realizing her position, gritted her teeth. "We have two more Devil Fruits. All for the Beasts Pirates—just please let us in."
Her crew retrieved two more fruits from the hold.
Satisfied, Gusion accepted. "Very good. From today, you're part of the Beasts Pirates. Don't worry, I treat old friends well."
Ultimately, Snow Wind's ship joined Kaido's fleet, and her key members boarded the flagship with Gusion's approval.
Of the four fruits Snow Wind offered, three were Zoans—Gusion gave them all to Kaido. The remaining Paramecia, Kaido didn't want.
"Nothing like seeing an old friend!" Gusion cheerfully told Kaido. "See? I only kept one fruit for myself."
Snow Wind was surprised Gusion actually handed most over, but quickly realized: This guy must have robbed loads already!
Indeed, in half a month, Gusion had plundered many pirate ships—he now had five Devil Fruits, including Snow Wind's.
That was his certification limit—any more would be wasted.
"So, you're heading to Sky Island?" Snow Wind asked, noting the fleet's direction. Now with Kaido as backing, maybe they could recoup their losses by robbing others.
"That's not your concern," Gusion said meaningfully. "My advice: the New World is too deep for you. Don't get in over your head."
He was only warning her out of old friendship. The Snow Wind team was still too weak for the New World, and while it was possible to profit in the chaos, they could easily die.
Snow Wind looked at him wryly. "Want to come along as our guide?"
Gusion just shrugged.
He beckoned to her and her crew. "Come on—I'll take you to class. Don't say I don't look out for old friends."
Snow Wind's eyes lit up—she'd nearly forgotten she was now aboard the ship of Kaido"