Creed wasn't curious about why these small-timers dared to block his way; he was curious about how his movements were getting exposed so easily.
No doubt about it—someone had been tailing him ever since he left Whitebeard.
"Hm? Under the sea… fish?"
He thought it through and could only settle on the water below. If it were scouting birds in the sky, any odd movement would be noticed at once by him and Redfield. Only the layered seawater—dulling perception—and the chaos of innumerable fish could let a stalker slip past both their senses.
"A clever tracking method. I wonder if the fish-tamer is a mermaid."
Fishman Island had two races: fish-men and merfolk. Fish-men had human upper bodies and fish traits below, could walk upright, and boasted ten times a human's arm strength—Jinbe was one of them. Merfolk were the opposite, fish below and human above; every mermaid woman was stunning, and after thirty, their tails could become legs so they could go ashore and marry humans.
But because fish-men often ate fish, they generally didn't "commune" with them. Merfolk, who saw fish as partners, could speak to them freely. So Creed guessed the tracker was likely merfolk.
Just then—
"You're the Fifth Emperor, Creed? I'm Vandick of the West Blue—bounty, one hundred and thirty million belly! I'm here to slay you—"
A five-meter bruiser with a red mohawk, a huge nose ring, and wall-eyed glare stood at the prow of the lead pirate ship, pointing a blade at Creed and yelling his lungs out.
Behind him trailed several pirate crews—clearly, he'd been shoved out front to fire the first shot.
His bluster sent the rabble behind him into a frenzy.
"Boss Vandick is unbeatable!"
"Beat this Creed and the elders will hand you a Warlord seat!"
"Look at him—skinny twig! Our boss is way tougher!"
"Boss will gore him flat with the Sai Sai no Mi (Rhino-Rhino Fruit)!"
"Go, boss! Quit yapping!"
"Check it out—they're frozen stiff with fear! That's the Fifth Emperor? Hahaha!"
On the Creed, Robin and the others could only stare speechlessly.
They'd met a lot of pirates, but in terms of not knowing the height of the heavens, this lot was top-tier. Even if they'd only just come from Paradise, they shouldn't be this clueless…
"Captain, please allow me to handle them."
"Captain, I'll join too."
At Brook and Robin's request, Creed nodded.
Meanwhile, most of his attention had already slid toward several hidden points. What he sensed made the corner of his mouth quirk—no wonder these clowns had the guts to bark. So the real players were still lurking.
So many roadblocks even before Totto Land—was this Charlotte Linlin's ploy to wear him down?
Sensing several strong auras in the dark, another thought flashed across his mind. Big Mom wasn't the scheming type—she favored brute-force steamrolls. Could this be Katakuri's idea?
"But cheap tricks mean nothing before absolute power."
Creed snorted inwardly.
He was going to Totto Land today. No one would stop him. Even if Shiki himself showed up—it'd be the same result.
"Aaah!"
"Spare me!"
"We'll never do it again!"
Brook and Robin moved—and the Rhino Pirates collapsed, wailing.
Brook's swordsmanship had been honed under Redfield's guidance; the two often crossed blades, and his progress was lightning-fast. By now, his kenjutsu was SSS+ class. These one-hundred-million-belly riffraff were no match.
Where he passed, bodies flew. Pirates were sealed in rime by his Yomi no Kenki (Underworld Sword Aura), sprawling in icy heaps.
"Yohoho! You think you're some raging bull who can flip our captain?"
Brook leveled his blade at Vandick, who now lay on the deck like a flattened toad, and sneered.
"Mercy, great lord! I was only joking! I'm barely fit to grill rib-eye for Lord Creed! If Lord Creed doesn't mind, I'll be your humble lackey—serve Captain Creed with all my heart, unto death—"
Truly shameless. One knockdown and he groveled like boneless sludge.
Boom!
A brutal shockwave howled in—Brook sprang aside at once.
The Rhino Pirates' flagship took the hit, a gaping, irreparable hole blown through her hull. Seawater crashed in, and the surrounding pirates shrieked and dove overboard.
Brook and Robin vaulted back to the Creed and stared at the newcomer.
A spiky-haired redhead in goggles and a dark crimson coat stood on floating scrap iron, a masked man at his side, the mask cut with rows of holes of blue-white stripes.
The redhead's right arm had unfurled into a colossal metal fist—but its construction was crude, a junkyard clump forced together by some mysterious power.
"Boss Kid, what the hell?! That's not what we agreed—"
Seeing his ship holed, Vandick erupted—only to be swatted into the sea by the redhead's metal elbow before he finished.
"Help! Hel—"
The instant he hit the water, his body went limp. Crewmen hauled frantically to keep him from gulping brine.
"Eustass Kid—bounty, four hundred seventy million belly. His partner, Killer—one hundred sixty-two million. Both are of the so-called Worst Generation."
Redfield's eyes narrowed as he named them.
"Lady Robin, Brook-senpai—fall back."
Redfield frowned. Brook and Robin might not beat those two. Power aside, the real danger was their ruthlessness—countless pirates had died at their hands. He wouldn't risk his crew.
"Red Earl… Redfield! Creed's vice-captain! Perfect. Your head will make a fine offering for the Marines."
Kid's eyes slit as a feral grin crawled across his face.
"Oh? Sadly, you're not qualified."
Redfield smiled.
At that moment, Creed stepped forward and raised a hand to bar him. "Leave this one to me, Redfield-senpai."
"Mm? Very well, my captain."
Redfield didn't know why Creed was interested, but he had no objection and ceded the field at once.
Creed had a reason—perched above Kid's head, he'd just spotted a glowing prize: a purple treasure chest.
(End of Chapter)
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