"Hey, have you guys heard? The Four Emperors, Lucifer, has taken action against the Kings of the Dark World in the New World. The Sea King Umit and the Funeral Director Dellagu are both dead!"
"Of course, I heard! Through this battle, Lucifer has completely seized control of 70% of the Dark World! The Nether Pirates are now the most powerful and terrifying force in the New World."
"That's right! Even the Whitebeard Pirates can't compare to them now."
"Do you think Lucifer will declare war on the Whitebeard Pirates next?"
"Lucifer is so powerful. Shouldn't he stop expanding his influence?"
"I doubt it. I think he wants to rule the entire New World!"
"Not just the Whitebeard Pirates—even the Red-Hair Pirates and the Beasts Pirates will become Lucifer's targets."
"Maybe Lucifer can even overthrow the World Government!"
"Hahahahaha!"
In a lively tavern on an outlaw island in the New World, countless pirates and bounty hunters gathered, talking animatedly about Lucifer and his exploits.
"Do you think we should join Lucifer? With his power backing us, we wouldn't need to fear anyone."
"Don't even think about it. The Nether Pirates only recruit monsters. With your pathetic three-legged skills, you wouldn't even make it past their front gates."
"Who says? I'm a pirate with a bounty of 37 million Berries. Isn't that powerful enough?"
"Thirty-seven million?"
The other pirates burst into laughter, wearing expressions that screamed mockery.
A pirate with a 37-million-Berry bounty wasn't even fit to be cannon fodder for the Nether Pirates. How could someone like that even survive in the New World?
"Actually, there's still a chance to join the Nether Pirates," a pirate said suddenly, his tone mysterious.
"What chance?"
Everyone turned to him, curiosity piqued.
The pirate sneered and replied, "Lord Lucifer has already declared that anyone who kills a Celestial Dragon with their own hands will earn his protection."
"If you dare, go hunt down a Celestial Dragon!"
"If you succeed, you'll officially become a member of the Nether Pirates!"
"Really?!!!"
The entire tavern erupted in excitement. The pirates were visibly moved.
"Of course it's true."
The pirate stood up, proudly revealing the Laughing Demon logo tattooed on his shoulder. "I'm a member of the Nether Pirates."
"My elder brother's second uncle's cousin's younger sister is the wife of the captain of the Thirteenth Division under Lord Pizarro's command. Do you think I would lie to you?"
When the other pirates realized he was part of the Nether Pirates, they all looked at him with awe and respect.
"So you're one of the big brothers of the Nether Pirates? I've admired you for a long time!"
"Please, have a seat! Drinks and food are on me tonight! Hey, boss, bring out the best wine and food!"
"Call some dancers, too!"
Even though the man was just a low-ranking member of the Nether Pirates, the pirates in the tavern went out of their way to flatter him. Such was the influence and fear inspired by the Nether Pirates now.
"Brother, I feel a strong connection with you. Why don't we become sworn brothers?"
"Yes, from now on, we'll share both fortune and hardship together! Please take care of us!"
"I agree. Let's toast to that!"
"Hahaha, easy to talk about!"
Being praised so highly, the small-time pirate's ego swelled. In his mind, he felt like he had reached the pinnacle of his life.
In the corner of the tavern, a shirtless pirate snorted and muttered under his breath, his expression filled with anger, "Is Lucifer really so powerful that even trash like him can act this arrogant?"
"Of course it's true," someone replied. "According to the information I've gathered, Lucifer's influence spans the entire New World, the Grand Line, and even the whole world. His power is far greater than we could have ever imagined."
"It's not just Lucifer," the speaker continued. "Even the cadres under him are monsters."
This group of people is none other than the Jack of Spades Pirates.
The angry pirate is none other than Fire Fist Ace.
After months of sailing, they finally broke into the New World.
Ace said, "No matter what, the old man's revenge must be avenged."
"Now that we've entered the New World, the target of our challenge is Lucifer."
Ace set sail to surpass Luo Jie and become the strongest pirate.
Originally, his primary target was Whitebeard, but now, he had switched his focus to Lucifer.
"Don't be impulsive, Ace," Deus advised. "With our current strength, it's impossible to defeat Lucifer. I suggest we first take on one of Lucifer's cadres to test their strength."
"Yes, Seuss is right," another pirate added.
"Just the few of us? It's too foolish to directly challenge tens of thousands of Nether Pirates."
"This needs careful planning. I can't rush into it."
The other members of the Jack of Spades Pirates agreed with Deus's suggestion.
Ace thought for a moment, nodded, and said, "Okay, let's go with that. But who should we choose first?"
In truth, Ace knew little about the Nether Pirates.
Ace rarely read newspapers or paid attention to the world's news.
Except for Lucifer, he didn't know any of the other cadres.
Deus shook his head, a little helpless, and pulled out a stack of reward posters, all belonging to the Nether Pirates.
"These are the cadres under Lucifer," Deus said. "They're all monsters. Among them, five of them possess Logia abilities just like you."
Raytheon Enel, a Logia Thunder-Thunder Fruit user, with a bounty of 1,028,000,000 Berries;
Villain Guysa, a Logia Gas-Gas Fruit user, with a bounty of 622 million Berries;
Shiryu of the Rain, a Logia Blood-Blood Fruit user, with a bounty of 895 million Berries;
Evil King Pizarro, a Logia Lava-Lava Fruit user, with a bounty of 838 million Berries;
Big Wine Choate, a Logia Sand-Sand Fruit user, with a bounty of 755 million Berries.
"There are also other cadres with bounties over 500 million. Choose one yourself."
When the members of the Jack of Spades Pirates saw the stack of reward posters, their faces went pale with fright.
Bounties of 700 million, 800 million, 900 million, or even 1 billion? It was utterly terrifying.
This wasn't the first time they'd seen the Nether Pirates' reward orders, but no matter how many times they saw them, they still couldn't shake the sense of fear.
The members of the Nether Pirates were too terrifying—none of the core cadres had a bounty lower than 500 million Berries.
Other high-ranking cadres had bounties ranging from 300 to 400 million Berries, any one of which would be a powerhouse in the New World.
As for the Jack of Spades Pirates, Ace, with the highest bounty, only had 400 million Berries.
If they had the choice, they would never want to provoke the Nether Pirates.
But alas, they didn't have that choice.
Because they had an impulsive and reckless captain.
Although they were afraid, Ace was determined to go through with it. Even if it meant sacrificing their lives, they would follow him without hesitation.
Ace and Luffy shared one thing in common: the loyalty of their crew. No matter the enemy or the desperate situation, their companions would live and die together.
This was the first time Ace had seen the bounty posters of the Nether Pirates, and seeing them made his mouth go dry.
He'd never realized the true horror of the Nether Pirates.
When compared to the Jack of Spades Pirates, the Nether Pirates were like an elephant compared to ants.
Looking at the reward posters in his hand, Ace quickly dismissed any thoughts of challenging Lucifer for the time being.
He was impulsive, and sometimes lacked common sense, but he wasn't an idiot.
Ace scrolled through the reward orders, eliminated the core cadres, and finally chose a senior cadre.
"This is the one," Ace said, drawing out the reward order and placing it in front of everyone.
The poisonous scorpion, Martin Nasus, had a bounty of 435 million Berries.
Everyone looked at the reward order in unison and nodded in agreement, "Okay, let's choose him as our first battle in the New World."
The bounty of 435 million was slightly higher than Ace's 400 million, but the members of the Jack of Spades Pirates were confident in their captain.
The bounty alone didn't determine strength. They knew better than anyone how strong Ace truly was.
"It just so happens that the area guarded by the poisonous scorpion isn't far from here."
Deus, the deputy captain, was in charge of intelligence. Knowing that Ace had a personal grudge with Lucifer, Deus had gathered all available information on the Nether Pirates.
After determining their target, Ace and his crew set sail immediately.
Two days later, they arrived at the island guarded by Martin Nasus, the poisonous scorpion.
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