First Half of the New World!
Across the vast sea, a pirate ship was speeding over the rolling waves.
Just then, the lookout on the mast shouted, "Captain Brownbeard!!"
"There's an island ahead!"
His words instantly ignited the mood on deck, causing the crew below to burst into chatter.
"That's weird! There's actually an island around here…"
"We've sailed this route more than once. How could there be an island here?!"
At the bow, Captain Brownbeard—whose chin was covered in thick brown hair—was equally puzzled. He hurriedly raised his telescope to check.
Sure enough, there really was an island in view. After the initial shock, Brownbeard grew excited. "There is an island!"
An island meant resources and territory. In this New World where billion-berry pirates roamed everywhere, competition over land and resources was brutal.
That's why New World pirates never let a single opportunity slip by.
Then Brownbeard noticed something else—on the beach of the island, there was a lounge chair, and on that chair lay a young man.
"Hm? There's someone on this island? Does that mean this island already has an owner?"
"Captain, what should we do then?"
Brownbeard burst into laughter at his crewman's question.
His gaze turned sharp. "You're asking me what to do?"
"We're pirates! Don't you know what that means?"
"In the New World, whatever you see is yours. Whoever has the bigger fist has the rights. Understand?"
"Just blast that brat into pieces with a cannon. Then the island has no owner!"
On deck, the pirates let out vicious, excited cackles. Killing was just entertainment to them.
"Captain's right!"
"Blast that guy into the sky!"
Meanwhile, on the island's beach—
Mork was lying comfortably on a lounge chair, enjoying the sun, when a steady male voice echoed in his mind: "Reporting to Host: A pirate ship is approaching…"
"Detected intruders: Brownbeard Pirates. Captain Brownbeard. Bounty exceeding 100 million…"
The voice continued describing their strength, bounty, etc., before concluding, "Please issue your command, Host."
Mork's lips curved slightly. "A measly hundred-million pirate, huh?"
"For small fry like this, you don't need to report to me. If any get close, just blast them straight to the afterlife. Got it, Fort-Fort?"
"Host, I am an advanced intelligent system. Please do not call me 'Fort-Fort.'" the system protested.
Mork laughed. "Relax, relax. It sounds more affectionate!"
The system clearly didn't want to argue. Instead, it issued a notice: "Main cannon loading…"
"Loading complete. Preparing for launch…"
Out at sea, the Brownbeard Pirates had already approached. As soon as they entered firing range, Brownbeard gave the order: "Gunners, prepare to open fire! Blow that guy into scraps!"
The surrounding pirates watched eagerly, ready to enjoy the spectacle.
But before they could fire—
A rumbling noise shook the air. The sudden violent tremor left the pirates stunned.
"Wh-what's happening!?"
"C-Captain… I think the sea is shaking!"
"And the sound isn't small…"
Their faces shifted constantly. Only Brownbeard at the bow remained calm.
"What's there to fear? We're pirates who've stepped into the New World and survived bounties over 100 million. What haven't we seen?"
His words made the others nod in agreement.
But suddenly, a pirate shouted in panic, "Captain!! Emergency—!"
"T-The island ahead is… transforming!!!"
The pirates snapped their gaze forward—and the next second, all of them stood frozen, eyes widened, shocked to their core.
"What the hell…"
"T-The island… did it just come alive?!"
"It looks like it's assembling into a fortress!?"
Pieces of steel rose from all around the island, assembling rapidly in a complex mechanical dance…
In an instant, the island vanished—replaced by a colossal steel fortress towering over the sea.
Its entire surface gleamed with a heavy metallic sheen, shaped like a flattened-tipped pyramid.
It looked like a steel behemoth emerging from the depths of the ocean!
The sudden transformation left Brownbeard and his crew mentally paralyzed. What they saw was far beyond anything they could comprehend.
"Captain… what now?" someone asked.
Brownbeard swallowed hard. Staring at the futuristic steel monstrosity, he trembled—
Then greed surged in his heart, curling his lips into a vicious grin.
"If we take this place… won't we get our own sea stronghold?"
With that thought, he barked, "Cannons ready! Blast open an entrance!"
But the next second, his expression completely changed. Cold sweat poured down his forehead.
Not just him—the entire crew froze in terror.
"I-Is that… a cannon!?"
A voice broke in disbelief.
A massive cannon barrel was emerging from the steel behemoth—its pitch-black muzzle large enough to swallow their entire ship.
That endless "darkness" struck fear into every heart. When had they ever seen a cannon this enormous?
"You're kidding me! Humans can't build something like that!!"
"Is it something made by Giants?!"
"If we get hit by a cannon like that, we won't even qualify as bait for Sea Kings!"
"Captain—what do we do!?" the helmsman shouted.
Brownbeard roared, "Idiots!!"
"At a time like this, you still have to ask?!"
"Turn around!!!"
"Hurry! Turn us around!!"
The pirates panicked, all earlier bravado evaporated.
At this moment—
A deafening BOOM exploded across several kilometers.
A massive cannonball shot toward the Brownbeard Pirates' ship at incredible speed.
The giant cannon had fired!
Seeing a cannonball several times the size of a man screaming toward them, the pirates' faces turned ashen.
Brownbeard stood frozen in terror. As the cannonball drew closer, his trembling lips muttered:
"The New World really is full of danger…"
"In a forest this big… you really see all kinds of birds."
The next moment—
A hundred-meter-high wave erupted, and the pirate ship was reduced to scrap in the explosion.
Inside the fortress's control chamber, the system's calm voice sounded in Mork's mind:
"Host, intruders eliminated. Would you like to recycle the wreckage and upgrade the fortress?"