"Gyahahaha, Sengoku, I'm here."
The familiar voice arrived before its owner came into view.
From the sky above the sea to the right of the uninhabited island, five pirate ships descended through the clouds, rapidly landing on the ocean surface.
Standing at the bow of the central pirate ship was Shiki, looking exceptionally triumphant.
This past week had been incredibly satisfying for Shiki.
After achieving a major victory against the Navy alongside Brian, he felt his voice carried more weight within the pirate crew.
More importantly, Linlin's impression of him had significantly improved.
During this week, Charlotte Linlin, the so-called "public transport" of the Rocks Pirates, had cast friendly glances his way.
The two had spent a wonderful and unforgettable week together.
This feeling, Shiki admitted, lingered in his mind.
That fickle woman Charlotte Linlin had discarded him, Shiki, the moment Kaido came along.
Did she think Lord Shiki had no pride?
If not for your youth and beauty, and you approaching me three times, I wouldn't have bothered with you.
The disparity between them was quite significant. For Shiki, this week was both blissful and torturous.
As the mighty Golden Lion, he had been subdued by Linlin in bed.
He had absolutely no ability to resist and had been completely drained.
But this was somewhat normal. Charlotte Linlin was truly young in her youth, and her strength was exceptionally formidable.
As pirates, most found it hard to say no to her.
Returning from a great victory while riding the high of his renewed vigor, Shiki naturally appeared triumphant.
However, Brian, standing beside Shiki, was deeply puzzled.
Linlin and Kaido were one thing—their physiques weren't too drastically different.
But Linlin and Shiki? Wasn't the size difference between them a bit too extreme?
Then again, thinking about it, in the original story, even Gaban would later have children with a giant woman.
Brian suddenly felt enlightened.
Among pirates, remarkable individuals abounded. The truly impressive were impressive in every aspect.
In the world of pirates, anything was possible!
"Hmph, arrogant pirates."
"Enough talk. Where is Saint Naya? We're here to retrieve him."
Sengoku observed the numerous pirates on the five large warships and the two leaders, Brian and Shiki.
He felt considerably relieved.
Just two people. Good, good.
Even with the Griffin Girl, who was nearly Admiral level, that made only three top-tier fighters.
On their side, the three top Vice Admirals were all above standard and possessed Admiral-level strength.
There were also four other Vice Admirals led by Tsuru.
Plus two hidden Admirals and so many advanced laser weapons.
Five top-tier combatants against three?
The advantage was theirs!
"Gyahahaha, of course we brought the Celestial Dragon. What about what we want?"
Shiki laughed heartily, waving his hand.
A pirate quickly led a "monkey" off the ship onto the uninhabited island.
This was Saint Naya, who had been put on display at Hachinosu for another week.
He was a full size thinner than a week ago, gaunt and withered, with no trace of his former arrogance left.
Now that they had finally encountered the Navy, Saint Naya still showed little reaction.
He was led forward in a daze, barely resembling a human anymore.
Sengoku and the others watched with wide, furious eyes—this state of a Celestial Dragon was truly horrifying.
"Bring the items forward."
"Yes, Vice Admiral Sengoku."
Following Sengoku's command, one of the warships behind him quickly advanced.
Docking by the uninhabited island, a hundred Navy soldiers carrying various boxes swiftly disembarked.
After stacking all the boxes on the shore of the uninhabited island, they withdrew to the warship, awaiting further orders.
"Gyahahaha, in that case, let's inspect the goods."
"Meng Dan, you go check them."
"Brian, do you want to inspect them too?"
Shiki spoke, glancing at Brian beside him.
"Fine, Griffin, you go."
Both sent their strongest subordinates to ensure safety.
Casually, Brian took out the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia from his person and handed it to Griffin.
These precious Devil Fruits had to be personally verified before they could rest assured.
"Understood, Master."
Griffin nodded, flapped her wings, and flew off the ship, landing on the island in the blink of an eye.
Beside her, Meng Dan was slightly slower but also landed on the island.
The two exchanged nods—Griffin inspected the Devil Fruits, while Meng Dan checked the Berries and rare materials.
"Appraisal: Mythical Zoan-Medusa Fruit."
"Appraisal: Ancient Zoan-Lamia Fruit."
"Appraisal: Logia-Snow-Snow Fruit."
"Appraisal: Paramecia-Spring-Spring Fruit."
...
Griffin appraised all twenty Devil Fruits one by one.
Each time she identified one, she announced it, and the pirates on the ship recorded it in a ledger.
By the time she finished appraising all the Devil Fruits, nearly twenty minutes had passed.
Meng Dan had already completed his checks and was waiting for her.
"Huff, huff~"
Standing up, Griffin rapidly flapped her broad wings, summoning a small tornado.
The tornado seemed to have a mind of its own, swiftly sweeping up over a ton of supplies nearby.
It carried them straight to the pirate ship behind before dissipating.
The supplies dropped quickly, landing steadily on the pirate ship.
This display once again stunned the Navy side.
Only those with a certain level of strength could understand how terrifying such meticulous control was.
The Griffin Girl had once again greatly boosted Brian's prestige in front of so many people.
No wonder Brian doted so much on the Beast Girl Legion.
Who wouldn't love such a capable subordinate and reliable partner?
"Is that enough, Shiki? You've inspected the goods, now release the hostage quickly."
Sengoku and the others had long grown impatient—this was dragging on absurdly.
If it weren't for the Celestial Dragon, the Navy wouldn't have suffered such outrageous humiliation from pirates in years.
Tch, damn the Rocks Pirates and damn the Celestial Dragons!
"Gyahahaha, don't worry, don't worry. Our Rocks Pirates have always valued honesty."
Shiki was already beaming with joy.
Though he had known about the substantial gains beforehand, seeing them in person was an entirely different impact.
Especially the mountain-like pile of supplies, all rare and valuable treasures in the world.
The joy from such a massive impact was indescribable.
Waving his hand, Shiki had the pirate from earlier lead Saint Naya, who was hurriedly dragged to the center of the island.
After the pirates fled, leaving Saint Naya alone and motionless in a daze...
Swoosh~
With no other choice, Sengoku personally approached Saint Naya.
"Saint Naya, Saint Naya..."
Receiving no response, he placed a hand on the other's arm and directly escorted him back to the warship.
Once aboard the warship, a team of World Government doctors quickly surrounded Saint Naya and took him below for medical treatment.
What a tragedy—who knew if this child could ever fully recover.
"Since the transaction is concluded, we'll take our leave."
"Don't miss me too much, Navy."
Shiki activated the power of the Float-Float Fruit, causing the pirate ship to rise from the sea surface as they prepared to retreat.
But at that moment, Sengoku's expression darkened as he shouted:
"Attack!"
With his command, an attack that seemed to pierce through space instantly appeared.
Swoosh~
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