— — — — — — —
BOOM!
The ground shook as a deep crater formed from the impact.
Counter stood in his half-beast form, gripping a long spear. Behind him, 500 warriors covered in black stood in formation.
At this moment, both sides, the black-covered warriors and the pirates, stared down at each other.
However, neither side made a move.
The battle between the two leaders was about to begin.
But! No one dared to act rashly.
First, there were no orders, and more importantly, if they clashed now, it wouldn't just be a small skirmish—it would ignite an all-out war.
"Hah—" The towering man, built like an iron fortress, exhaled lightly before speaking in a sharp tone, "Impressive! As expected from one of the Charlotte Family's Five Generals. I've heard stories about your strength, but I never imagined it would be this terrifying."
His voice carried genuine admiration.
After all, he was already 31 years old.
And yet? His strength was on par with the young Counter at Bronze Level 7.
The five brothers: Opera, Counter, Cadenza, Cabaletta, and Gala! There are also others like Daifuku and Oven.
After reaching Bronze Level 7 or 8, they had all hit a bottleneck.
Breaking through that barrier would take time.
After all, Not everyone was a monster like Katakuri.
Potential alone couldn't determine everything. Monsters would always be monsters.
Counter grinned cruelly. "Hey, hey! Don't flatter me like that, Iron Tower. Are you mocking me?"
Iron Tower (IronT)! Once the captain of the Iron Tower Pirates. But now—IronT joined an unknown pirate crew.
Who were they exactly?
Even Counter wasn't sure.
However—One thing was certain: IronT's strength was undeniable.
His current bounty stood at 410.03 million Berries—a solid Bronze Level 7.
With his natural iron-like body and powerful Armament Haki, he could even go toe-to-toe with Bronze Level 8 or 9 fighters.
It wasn't an exaggeration.
The two had fought many times before.
Yet, neither had ever managed to claim victory.
That alone proved their strengths were completely evenly matched.
And Counter knew this very well.
Clutching his long spear tightly, he searched for a way to break the stalemate.
He cursed internally, "This is a pain! I just hope my big brother arrives faster than their backup. Otherwise, this is gonna be real trouble."
Thinking about it—Counter felt like swearing out loud.
Both sides were evenly matched right now.
But on his side, he had to protect the Snake-neck Tribe.
Generally speaking—His side was at a disadvantage.
If things escalated into a full-blown battle—If rage took over—Then things would spiral out of control.
Which was why—Neither of them made a move, locked in an intense standoff.
However, both knew their reinforcements were close. And neither would back down when it came to the Snake-neck Tribe.
The non-human races were naturally stronger than humans.
Forget the Fishmen, Giants, Longarm Tribe, Longleg Tribe, and Minks—who were all renowned for their strength.
Even races like the Three-Eyed Tribe or the Snake-neck Tribe possessed incredible talent.
"Heh heh heh—"
At that moment—A low, eerie chuckle echoed through the air.
Instantly! IronT's expression darkened.
He already knew. The enemy reinforcements had arrived.
Figures began emerging from the shadows.
Leading the way—Daifuku and Oven.
"Heh!"
"Hmph!"
Both men grinned menacingly.
Clearly—They were brimming with killing intent.
And then—A calm voice followed. "Iron Tower (IronT)! A man like you, being tamed by someone else? There aren't many in this world who could pull that off."
At that moment—A voice rang out from behind them.
IronT instantly knew who it was.
His face turned grim. "I never expected this... The head of the Charlotte Family—Charlotte Joey—himself has arrived. This is truly unexpected."
His eyes narrowed but he didn't try to escape and neither did his crew.
One thing was clear: These pirates were elite fighters. Even knowing they were at a disadvantage, they didn't crumble.
For pirates—That was rare.
Many pirate crews—The moment they realized they were losing, they would scatter and flee.
And that's exactly why—The major powers never took pirates seriously. They were just tools to be used.
An undisciplined, lawless bunch who just live for drinking, fighting, and indulging themselves.
Would anyone truly respect such a force?
What a joke! Taking them seriously would be an insult to oneself.
Clap!
Joey strode forward, with Daifuku and Oven following closely behind, like two towering giants.
To be honest, Joey wasn't exactly short. At 180 cm, his height was pretty much ideal.
But! Most of his siblings had grown far beyond normal limits. Not that Joey minded. Being five or six meters tall wasn't necessarily a good thing.
Joey wasn't a fan of excessive height.
Clap!
Stopping in front of IronT, Joey smiled and said, "Mr. IronT, tell me who's behind you, and you can leave right now. Take all your men and go."
"After all! You haven't harmed my younger brother. You haven't hurt my family. So, I have no reason to fight you, no matter what your objective is."
"Heh heh heh—"
IronT sighed and said, "As expected of you, Joey. That kind of confidence and composure! It's something those worthless fools could never hope to match."
"But my captain is a man who seeks to conquer the world, a man with boundless ambition! How could I possibly betray him here?"
He glanced at the Snakehead Tribe and shook his head. "Even if I die, it doesn't matter! I've already sent out word." Taking the Snakehead Tribe won't be easy. But I won't let my captain suffer more losses."
Clap!
Joey applauded in admiration. "Loyalty! Strength! Strategy!"
"A man who possesses both wisdom and bravery is truly rare, IronT. You are quite impressive. But! Can you guarantee the loyalty of those behind you? For them, betrayal might mean survival. That doesn't sound like a bad deal, does it?"
"Hahaha—"
IronT laughed loudly. "My brothers! I know them too well! There's no way they'd do something like that!"
No one answered IronT with words.
But, Their sharp, determined gazes said everything.
Daifuku's expression turned cold. "Tch, you really don't know what's good for you. Big Brother was going to let you live, but you just had to keep running your mouth."
As he spoke! Daifuku started rubbing his belt.
A demonic figure materialized.
Swoosh!
The demon swung its massive blade, unleashing a terrifying gust of wind.
As if it could cut down everything in its path.
"Heh heh heh—"
IronT merely smiled. "None of this matters anymore! I don't care if I die, as long as I can help my captain!"
Joey stopped Daifuku from making a move and said, "I can't deny it, your captain must have an incredible charisma to inspire such loyalty. But! That's expected, isn't it? In this era, every major figure has that kind of charisma."
Shaking his head, Joey didn't attack. Instead, he continued, "Golden Lion!"
"Hm?"
In that instant! Even though IronT tried to control his reaction, his eyes still shrank in shock.
More importantly, Even if IronT could suppress his emotions, what about the men behind him?
They couldn't hide their reactions at all!
At that moment, everyone turned to stare at Joey.
Joey chuckled and said, "Looks like I got it right! It wasn't a hard guess. A man who seeks to conquer the world, who also possesses overwhelming charisma—there's only one real candidate. Golden Lion Shiki!"
IronT's face turned even more serious. "So you've figured it out. What now?"
Joey shook his head. "No need to get so tense. I already told you, I don't plan on fighting you. Besides! Whether we become enemies of the Golden Lion or not isn't up to me. It depends on him!"
IronT's expression grew heavier.
He stared at the man before him. "Charlotte Joey!"
On the surface, he seemed gentle, easygoing—like a friendly big brother.
But only by facing him directly could one feel the sheer pressure he exuded.
It wasn't just an illusion. It was real, tangible pressure.
A force that gripped the soul.
"Huff—" Exhaling slowly, IronT knew.
Silence was the best option.
After all, no matter what he said, Joey would see right through him.
With just a few words from IronT, Joey had already figured out who his captain was.
That's right! IronT's captain was really Shiki.
After the split at Hachinosu, Shiki had gone on to form the Flying Pirate Crew.
Interestingly enough!
After assembling his crew, Shiki originally intended to take over Hachinosu.
But he ran into the Three group Pirates—John, Wang Zhi, and Silver Axe.
The result?
Shiki got completely beaten down by them.
He was nearly killed.
And honestly, that wasn't surprising.
Shiki was only at Silver Rank 3.
Against three warriors at Silver Rank 1 or 2!
3 Vs. 1!
He was lucky to even survive.
It really wasn't shocking at all.
After that, Shiki was forced to reevaluate everything.
He began building a true Flying Pirate Crew.
In the original story! Shiki led the Flying Pirates and nearly crushed Roger's crew—who were full of monsters—at sea. If they hadn't exhausted themselves in battle and gotten caught in a superstorm,
Roger might never have become Pirate King.
That alone proved it.
Shiki's Flying Pirate Crew was absolutely formidable.
At the very least, a man like IronT was willing to follow Shiki without hesitation.
"All right!" Joey said. "Enough talking. There's no need to drag this out any longer."
"Hm?"
IronT's sharp gaze locked on Joey.
He was ready to fight. He was even prepared to die here.
But?…
Dying didn't mean he would just sit and wait for death. He would fight to the very end.
In his mind, taking one down would be worth it. Taking two? Even better.
That was IronT's resolve.
"Heh heh heh—"
Daifuku sneered, clearly ready to strike.
Joey, however, lifted his head and smiled. "Golden Lion! Are you really planning to keep hiding? Honestly, with such loyal men, you choose to lurk in the shadows?"
"What?!"
"Huh?!"
"This…!"
For a moment,
Everyone was stunned.
.
.
.