The man who arrived was tall and powerfully built, exuding a calm, mountain-like presence.
Every inch of his body, including his face, was covered in black. A mask and visor concealed his features, giving off a cold, menacing aura. A long blade hung from his waist, while red flames curled around the black wings on his back and the nape of his neck.
He was none other than the Beasts Pirates' All-Star, "The Conflagration" King.
Sensing the gloom and fury on Kaidou's face, King immediately realized the recruitment hadn't gone smoothly.
Kaidou shook his head, his voice laced with anger.
"Those two are full of pride. They're not ones to surrender easily."
"But..."
He paused for a moment, then suddenly chuckled.
"One's a killing machine who wiped out an entire country's army. The other's a Marine monster who took down Byrnndi World and even gave Roger trouble…"
"If they gave in that easily, it'd just be boring."
King could clearly see the admiration in Kaidou's eyes and couldn't help but frown.
"Kaidou-san, if they won't submit, keeping them alive may not be a wise move."
He spoke up cautiously, his tone laced with unease.
At just seventeen or eighteen years old, King already displayed a level of composure, precision, and maturity far beyond his years.
As second-in-command of the Beasts Pirates, he knew exactly what his most important duty was:
To stop their captain from making reckless, foolish decisions.
Even if it was precisely Kaidou's fondness for doing stupid things that made King willingly follow him in the first place.
Like getting captured by the Marines on purpose, or trying to ignite the world's largest war... Call it manly idealism if you're being generous. If not, just call it madness.
"Those two are both fiercely independent. They won't bend so easily."
"If anything goes wrong during their confinement and they escape... the location of our base could be exposed."
Kaidou laughed.
"Arber, I'm lucky to have you as my right-hand man."
He used King's real name, something only the two of them shared.
"But I'm sure they'll come around."
His voice radiated overwhelming confidence and Haki.
"Especially Rogers Daren, that 'scum of the Marines.' With his personality and methods, he was born to be a pirate!"
"What a waste, choosing to be a Marine instead!"
"He'll eventually realize the free seas are where he truly belongs!"
"And as for Douglas Bullet... I saw it in his eyes—the burning hunger to grow stronger, the ambition. That'll make it even easier."
"I'll give him a few days to recover. Once he's healed, I'll give him a fair fight!"
"And then—I'll show him, no, show them both... just how terrifying the 'strongest creature' on this sea really is!"
"With overwhelming, absolute strength... I'll conquer their hearts!!"
"Wororororo!!"
Kaidou threw his head back and let out a thunderous laugh, raising his massive kanabō high into the air.
His booming laughter echoed across the sky, making the very ground tremble.
King gazed at the exuberant Kaidou in front of him, eyes filled with reverence, his heart surging.
But silently, his hands clenched into fists.
'I hope you're right, Kaidou-sama…' he murmured to himself.
...
A dark prison.
"Muhahaha..."
A sinister laugh echoed through the dim cell. Queen, the oversized man in overalls, danced gleefully as he looked over the two new "toys" he now considered his.
Under the flickering firelight, his round, pudgy body displayed a surprisingly unnatural flexibility that clashed with his size—so much so that Daren and Bullet both twitched at the sight.
They exchanged a glance.
'Is this guy seriously an idiot?'
'Who knows?'
Maybe it was the shared misery of being prisoners, but at that moment, Daren and Bullet felt an odd sense of camaraderie.
"What's with those looks?! I saw that! Just because I wear sunglasses doesn't mean I can't see you!"
Queen suddenly stopped dancing and stormed over, his cigar-chomping face squishing grotesquely between the iron bars.
"How dare you look at the great scientist Queen-sama with eyes like that? Looks like I'll have to teach you a little lesson."
With a twisted grin, he unlocked the cell with a loud click.
"Even if you two inmates can't stir up much trouble, this will make the next experiment more convenient..."
He carefully picked up a pair of shackles with his modified mechanical limb and clamped them onto Daren and Bullet.
Neither of them had the strength to resist. They could only watch helplessly as Queen did as he pleased.
Clack!
The moment the shackles snapped shut, Daren's face changed. His pupils shrank sharply.
A wave of weakness crashed over him like a rising tide, stealing away his senses. He grabbed the iron bars tightly, like a drowning sailor clinging to floating wreckage.
Bullet collapsed outright, completely motionless.
Seastone shackles.
And without a doubt, they were high-purity Seastone shackles!
"Hehehe, even among us Beasts Pirates, there aren't many of these beauties..."
Queen chuckled smugly, patting his massive belly.
"Now then... let's begin."
Clack. Queen's mechanical arm suddenly shifted, transforming into a syringe. A long, gleaming needle flickered coldly in the dim light.
Daren and Bullet's expressions changed as their hearts sank. Cold sweat beaded along their backs.
Trapped, powerless, being watched by a perverted fat man in overalls holding a needle... even their ironclad nerves couldn't suppress a shiver of horror.
Their scalps tingled.
"Relax. I'm not going to let you die that easily."
"I'm the greatest scientist in the world—not some cheap knockoff like those losers from Germa 66."
Queen cackled and pulled out rows of sealed test tubes from a nearby toolbox.
"See this? This is the latest Mummy Virus developed by the great Queen-sama."
He held up a test tube filled with glowing green liquid, lifting it high for Daren and Bullet to see clearly. His face was practically glowing with mania.
"I'll dial the toxicity down just a bit... so you can fully experience the hellish torment! You won't be able to live, but you won't be able to die either! Muhahaha!!"
Without giving them a chance to react, Queen drew some of the virus into the syringe. Waddling forward step by step, he made his way to Daren.
"Your injuries are a little lighter... so you're up first, Marine."
The needle gleamed in the firelight as it rose, then descended in a flash, reflected in Daren's tightly contracted pupils—
Snap!
The needle broke.
Daren: ?
Bullet: ??
Queen: ?????
...
(70 Chapters Ahead)
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