"A 100 Million Berries, huh? Seems this guy isn't some ordinary punk after all."
"Idiot! What's a hundred million compared to our captain? His bounty's three times that—three 100 Million Berries!"
"Exactly. That brat's bounty is barely a third of the captain's, and he came alone. Setting foot on this ship is suicide!"
The pirates who had been drinking all stood up, drawing their weapons and glaring at El.
Every single one of them was ready to fight.
"A bounty of one hundred million, eh? Interesting. I must admit, we were rude just now."
Captain Anos rose slowly to his feet, smiling confidently as he said,
"Someone as strong as you should join me. I, Anos, will one day rule these seas as their king!"
"The king of the seas, huh?" El grinned faintly.
Difficult… far too difficult.
This era was a nightmare compared to Luffy's time.
The seas were ruled by the likes of Rocks D. Xebec, who sought to become King of the World.
Gol D. Roger, the man destined to be Pirate King.
Edward Newgate, the man called the World's Strongest.
Kaido, the so-called Strongest Creature.
Big Mom, who dreamed of becoming Queen of the Seas.
And even Golden Lion Shiki, the legendary pirate.
In this era filled with monsters, the words "King of the Seas" were almost a joke.
"Join my crew, El," Anos said again, his tone soft but commanding. "I'll make you my vice-captain."
On this ship, only Anos himself carried a bounty over 300 million.
Most of his crew were worth a few dozen million at best.
A pirate like El—with a bounty of 100 million—certainly had the qualifications to be his right-hand man.
"Not interested," El said flatly.
Anos's smile vanished. His expression darkened.
"Think carefully, boy. You step foot on my ship and then turn me down—there's only one way that ends. Death."
Even if he'd been the one to provoke El first, he couldn't afford to let a man walk away after rejecting him.
If word got out that a stranger had walked onto his ship, refused his offer, and left unscathed, his reputation would be ruined.
"Too much talking," El said coldly.
Shing!
In the next instant, El's blade flashed.
Clang!
Anos reacted quickly—he wasn't a 300-million pirate for nothing. His Observation Haki had warned him in time, and his arms instantly hardened with Armament Haki, blocking the strike.
"You bastard… seems you've chosen death!" Anos growled.
"Try me," El replied.
A deep, dark sheen spread across El's blade and arms as his Armament Haki thickened.
He drew back his sword, then swung again—this time with even greater force.
Shing!
The air screamed as the blade cut downward, slicing through wind and light alike.
Clang!!
Anos crossed his arms to defend, the clash ringing out like thunder.
The shockwave tore the deck apart beneath him.
His legs sank into the planks, wood splintering underfoot—
he was being pushed down.
"C-Captain… the Captain's being overpowered?!"
"Impossible! How can he be this strong?!"
"His bounty's just a hundred million! The Captain's bounty is three times that!"
"This… this guy's a monster!"
The pirates looked on in disbelief.
They had always thought bounty reflected strength—at least for pirates under a billion.
And normally, it did.
A 300-million pirate should utterly crush someone worth only 100 million.
That was supposed to be an unbridgeable gap.
But right now, their captain—their pride—was being crushed.
"So weak," El said coldly, looking down at Anos, whose knees were buried in the deck.
"This is the power of a 300-million pirate?"
The truth was, El's bounty didn't reflect his real power at all.
He'd never cared about bounty posters.
He wasn't out to make a name for himself—only to train.
To hunt down strong foes.
To fight, kill, and grow stronger.
Every victory fed his Sage Body's progress.
The only reason he even had a bounty was because he'd clashed with the Marines—and left none alive.
Those encounters alone had earned him his hundred million.
After all, in the lawless New World, the Marines were scarce.
It was a sea ruled by pirates—
and El had carved his path through it with his sword.
He had fought countless battles, slain countless foes, and honed his strength through blood and fire.
So even though his bounty was only 100 million—
in truth, he was far beyond that level.
"Don't underestimate me, brat!" Anos roared, veins bulging across his arms as he poured more Haki into them.
He tried to push El back—to break free of the crushing pressure on his guard.
But no matter how much strength he used, the sword didn't budge.
El's blade was as immovable as a mountain.
"Hey! What the hell are you all staring at?!" Anos bellowed. "Get over here and help me!!"
He hated to admit it, but El's strength was overwhelming.
If this continued, he'd lose—and for a pirate, defeat meant death.
"Everyone, attack together! There's no need to fear one man!"
"Yeah! No matter how strong he is, he can't take us all at once!"
"We've got this! Get him!!"
Dozens of pirates roared and charged, surrounding El in a deadly ring.
El tilted his head slightly, eyes cold.
"The outcome of a battle isn't decided by numbers."
Then—
BOOM.
A violent, invisible wave of pressure burst outward from El's body, rippling through the air like a shockwave.
In an instant, it engulfed the entire deck.
The air itself trembled. The pirates froze mid-charge, gasping for breath as their chests tightened and their minds went blank.
The overwhelming presence pressing down on them was suffocating—
as if the heavens themselves had fallen upon their heads.
This was—
Conqueror's Haki.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
One after another, pirates' eyes rolled back, and they collapsed to the deck, unconscious.
The strength of Conqueror's Haki depended entirely on the user's will and power.
And El—who could crush a 300-million pirate head-on—
was far beyond anything these men could withstand.
His will flooded the air, suffocating everything around him.
"This… this is Conqueror's Haki?!"
"No way! Only one in a million can awaken it!"
"Only those born with the spirit of a king can wield this power… he—he's a monster!"
"So young, and he already wields that power? We can't fight him… we'll die!"
Even the most hardened pirates among them—those who didn't faint outright—
found their knees trembling under the weight of El's spirit.
That invisible force seared itself into their hearts,
crushing any thought of resistance.