"FIRE!!!"
Somewhere along the Grand Line, the massive flagship of the Crimson Harvest Pirates encountered a rival pirate armada. A fierce naval battle instantly erupted.
"Bring the ship closer!" the enemy captain roared. "If we take out the Crimson Harvest Pirates, we'll be the most famous crew in the world! And we can have the world's most beautiful woman, Shakky! Charge, brothers!"
A 70-meter pirate galleon, boasting a crew of over three hundred men, brazenly braved the cannon fire from York's massive flagship and drew near, successfully pulling alongside the hull.
Ropes with grappling hooks were thrown over the rails. One fearless, greedy pirate after another, brandishing swords and spears, swung over the gap and rushed onto the deck of the Crimson Harvest.
"KILL!!!"
Half an hour later.
The pirates who had been so fearless and arrogant moments before were now meekly bound, kneeling in a bloody line on the main deck.
York stood on the three-story balcony of the sterncastle, looking down at the defeated, trembling prisoners.
"I'm giving you two choices right now," York said coldly. "One: surrender your loyalty to me. Two: die where you kneel. Which do you choose?"
"Surrender! We surrender! Let us join the Crimson Harvest Pirates!" the enemy captain wept, pressing his forehead to the bloody planks.
The battle ended.
The Crimson Harvest's original 1,500 new recruits and 49 ship doctors suffered about fifty casualties during the boarding action. In exchange, they captured and absorbed over two hundred hardened enemy pirates. With this brutal gain and loss, the Grand Fleet—not counting core cadres like York and the medical team—now boasted a total fighting force of over 1,600 men.
The voyage continued.
After leaving the Drum Kingdom, York had absolutely no interest in lingering in the first half of the Grand Line. After a brief resupply in Alabasta, he ordered Dragon to push the winds directly toward the Red Line.
More than ten days later.
The colossal flagship slowly approached the fairy-tale-like islands of the Sabaody Archipelago, massive soap bubbles rising from the mangrove roots into the sky.
York stood at the dragon-head bow, holding a Den Den Mushi, issuing orders to the thousands of pirates swarming the decks.
"Lads! We've reached the Sabaody Archipelago! Prepare to land!"
York's eyes gleamed with a predatory light.
"Listen closely to the rules! Groves 1 through 29 are the lawless zones. Those groves are entirely within the range I permit you to plunder!"
"Of course," York grinned viciously, "if you're feeling suicidal, Groves 60 through 69 belong to the Marines. You are welcome to try your luck there, but don't expect me to save you when an Admiral shows up."
York pointed his sword toward the chaotic, lawless side of the archipelago.
"All forces! Attack!"
"WOOOOOOOO!!!"
1,600 pirates roared in unison, their blood boiling.
As the massive ship dropped anchor with a deafening crash, the Crimson Harvest Pirates swarmed off the decks like a plague of locusts, sweeping straight into the slums and black markets of Sabaody.
Sabaody Archipelago had always maintained a tense, fragile peace out of sheer terror of the nearby Marine Headquarters. Today, that peace was violently shattered.
"Who the hell are you bastards?! How dare you block our turf!" a local gang leader yelled, drawing his pistol.
"We are the Crimson Harvest Pirates!" a recruit laughed maniacally, swinging a bloody cutlass. "By order of the Lord of Corruption! Hand over all your valuables! If you resist, you die!"
On Grove 18, a massive brawl erupted in the streets.
"Crimson Harvest?!" a rival pirate captain gasped. "Atlas D. York?! The guy with the 4.5 Billion bounty?!"
"Haha! We were just looking for him, and his crew delivered themselves right to our doorstep!" the rival captain yelled. "Brothers! Grab your weapons! Take out these recruits! If we bring down York, today is the day we make a name for ourselves!"
Brutal, bloody street wars erupted on almost every single island between Grove 1 and 29.
The warring parties included arrogant rookie pirates, local mafia gangs, human trafficking rings, and the private guards of visiting nobles.
While the recruits caused chaos in the streets, Kaido led a small, elite strike team straight toward Grove 1.
Swinging his massive spiked club, Kaido killed anyone who stood in his way like a god of war, eventually arriving at the front doors of Sabaody's most world-renowned establishment: the Human Auction House.
They arrived just in time. A massive, highly profitable slave auction was currently underway.
BOOM!!
The tightly closed, gilded front doors were violently smashed inward by a thick, Haki-coated spiked club. The towering, horned figure of Kaido stepped through the splintered wood, his massive frame blocking out the sunlight.
"Worororo! Still selling flesh, I see!"
Kaido strode down the center aisle of the auction house. His predatory gaze swept over the luxurious room. He completely ignored the terrified slaves chained on the auction block, his attention entirely focused on the fat, wealthy nobles who had turned pale at his violent intrusion.
"You rude ruffian!" a nobleman in a tailored suit yelled, standing up. "Do you know who I am?!"
Before the noble could draw a weapon, an impeccably dressed auction house manager sprinted down the aisle, intercepting him.
"Please calm down, esteemed guest!" the manager bowed frantically. "These invaders are enemies of our establishment! Please sit back and leave this trash to us!"
Appeasing the noble, the manager turned to Kaido, adopting an incredibly arrogant sneer.
"Where did this giant small-fry come from?! Don't you know whose territory this is?! How dare you break in here! You must have a death wish!"
Seeing how arrogant the man in the suit was, Kaido suddenly felt playful. He rested his spiked club on his shoulder.
"Oh-ho? Whose territory is this? I really haven't heard."
"Hmph!" The manager, seeing Kaido's apparent ignorance, puffed out his chest with absolute confidence.
"Listen well, you ignorant brute! This establishment is an official enterprise under Ochoku, the Pirate Patriarch of the Underworld!"
(Note: Ochoku is the canonical Japanese translation of Wang Zhi).
"You dare to trespass on Patriarch Ochoku's territory?! That means you have made an enemy of the boss of Hachinosu! You—"
SQUELCH.
Before the manager could finish his sentence, Kaido's spiked club slammed down without warning. The arrogant attendant instantly became a pool of minced meat on the red carpet.
Kaido extended his pinky finger and dug into his ear lazily.
"What did he just say? This is Ochoku's enterprise?" Kaido blew the earwax off his finger and grinned a ferocious, terrifying smile.
"Lads! Smash this place to smithereens!"
"WOOOOOOO!!"
The Crimson Harvest pirates roared, completely unbothered. They didn't care about some 'Pirate Patriarch' named Ochoku. Was his bounty 4.5 Billion Berries?! If not, he was just a roadside nobody!
Kaido led the charge, leaping directly into the seating area of the wealthy buyers. His spiked club swept left and right in a devastating arc, sending velvet chairs and noble flesh flying into the air.
"Worororo!" Kaido laughed heartily as the blood splattered.
This was what he had always wanted to do.
To drag these high-and-mighty, frail nobles—who thought they were untouchable gods above the common folk—down into the bloody mud for a fair fight.
"Come on! Come and fight me!" Kaido roared, smashing a noble through a brick wall. "Aren't you the elite?! Are you afraid?! Will you die just as easily as the bottom rung of society?!"
Under Kaido's lead, the pirates began an absolute massacre. Within minutes, the luxurious auction house was painted red. The nobles who had just been critically evaluating human lives on a stage were now letting out desperate, terrified screams as they were butchered.
Up on the auction stage.
The head auctioneer, seeing how utterly insane these pirates were, was so terrified he wet his pants. He had seen people cause trouble in auction houses before, but he had never seen anyone openly slaughter world nobles on such a massive scale.
In a blind panic, he crawled behind the podium and frantically dialed the golden Den Den Mushi that connected directly to his boss, far away on Pirate Island Hachinosu.
Purupurupuru... Click!
"Hello?! Who is it?!"
A gruff, commanding voice echoed from the snail's speaker.
Down in the aisles, Kaido paused his slaughter. Hearing the voice, his grin widened. He casually stepped over a pile of bodies, walked up onto the stage, and snatched the microphone from the trembling auctioneer's hands.
"It's... it's me! Lord Patriarch!" Kaido mocked, mimicking a terrified subordinate.
"Oh~ It's Dylan," Ochoku's voice relaxed.
"Why are you calling the emergency line? Is some rookie causing trouble at the auction house?"
"Y-Yes... Lord Patriarch! We need help!" Kaido faked a gasp.
"Ho ho! This truly hasn't happened in years! Someone actually dares to cause trouble on my territory!" Ochoku chuckled darkly over the line. "Tell me! Who is the pirate causing trouble?! I, Ochoku, the Pirate Patriarch, will surely grant them a destructive end!"
"Worororo!" Kaido dropped the act, his deep voice rumbling. "After occupying Hachinosu Island, you're starting to sound like a real hotshot, aren't you, Ochoku?!"
There was a heavy pause on the other end of the line.
"You are..." Ochoku muttered, his tone shifting. "Your voice sounds familiar. I think I've heard it somewhere before..."
"Hmph!" Ochoku quickly regained his bravado. "Although I can't remember right now, no matter who you are, to dare cause trouble in my enterprise... I have to admit you have great courage! State your name! If you have the guts, come find me on Hachinosu! I will grant you destruction!"
"Worororo..." Kaido laughed menacingly.
"Alright. I'll tell you my name right now. My name is Kaido! You just stay right there on Hachinosu... we'll be visiting soon!"
CLICK.
Kaido slammed the receiver down, hanging up the Den Den Mushi with a loud crack.
Deep in the New World. Pirate Island, Hachinosu.
Ochoku, the ruler of the Underworld, sat on his massive throne. He stared at the disconnected Den Den Mushi in his hand, a cold sweat breaking out across his forehead.
"Wh... what... what did the guy on the Den Den Mushi just call himself?" Ochoku stammered, turning to his lieutenants. He desperately hoped he had misheard.
"Reporting, Lord Patriarch," a subordinate swallowed hard. "The bastard on the other end just called himself Kaido."
"I heard it too, boss. He said Kaido. There's no mistake."
Gulp.
Ochoku swallowed heavily, a bitter, disbelieving smile twitching on his face.
"No, no, I think you heard wrong! That person's name definitely wasn't Kaido! Kaido is with York!"
Purupurupuru…
Before Ochoku could continue arguing with his men in denial, the golden Den Den Mushi began to ring again.
Ochoku's heart pounded against his ribs. His hands were visibly trembling as he reached out and picked up the receiver.
A calm, gentle voice echoed from the snail.
"Yo, Ochoku. Shakky told me this was your number..."
CLICK!
Ochoku violently slammed the receiver down, forcibly hanging up the Den Den Mushi in absolute, sheer terror.
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