Sabaody Archipelago, Area 13.
A colossal mangrove canopy swallowed the sky. Intertwined roots formed natural corridors, while translucent resin bubbles rose from the ground and burst with soft pops.
This was the Lawless Zone.
The air did not carry the sweet scent of amusement rides. Instead, it reeked of dried blood, spilled rum, and lingering gunpowder smoke.
KING zipped his high-collared sweatshirt up to his nose, revealing only a pair of lifeless, sleep-deprived eyes.
He wasn't searching for pirates.
He wasn't searching for trouble.
He was searching for:
air conditioning
a power outlet
somewhere quiet enough to sleep
Ahead, a rotting wooden sign creaked:
RAKE-OUT BAR
He pushed the door open.
Inside the Bar
The air was so thick it felt drinkable.
Four factions occupied four corners like predators sharing a single watering hole — any sudden movement would trigger bloodshed.
On the left:
Capone Bege methodically sliced a rare steak, knife scraping the plate with a grating sound.
Across from him in the shadows:
Basil Hawkins sat before three untouched tarot cards.
Near the bar:
Urouge grinned broadly while tipping back a bottle.
At the center table:
Scratchmen Apoo tapped arrhythmic beats on the tabletop.
Across from him:
X Drake rested a hand on the haft of his weapon, ready to draw.
Supernovas.
Monsters of the Worst Generation.
None willing to yield.
Then came the sound.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Not loud.
But rhythmic.
Like an engine idling.
Like the heartbeat of something colossal.
Dust trembled in faint pulses.
The bar's tension crystallized.
Bege's knife froze mid-cut.
Apoo's tapping stopped.
Everyone looked at the door.
Creeeak—
The door opened.
Sunlight framed a tall silhouette.
The man stood there, hands in his pockets, hoodie unremarkable.
His gaze swept the room.
No hostility.
No interest.
That indifference made every spine tighten.
Because they recognized him.
KING.
The Marine monster whose name had spread across the seas after Alabasta.
The sound intensified.
THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP—
The Emperor Engine echoed like a death countdown.
Hawkins' fingers trembled.
One tarot card slipped.
The Tower.
A catastrophic omen.
The bar fell silent enough to hear ice melting.
No one spoke.
No one moved.
No one dared breathe loudly.
KING frowned.
Too many eyes.
But that wasn't the problem.
He spotted it:
A wall outlet behind the counter.
He walked forward.
Capone Bege's table sat directly in his path.
Bege's pupils shrank.
He's coming.
Castle-Castle mechanisms activated internally. Cannons aligned. Infantry mobilized.
If this man twitched—
He would fire.
One step.
Two steps.
KING stopped beside him.
The pressure was suffocating.
KING reached into his pocket.
Bege's heart stopped.
He pulled out…
a black handheld console.
KING sat on a stool.
Pressed the power button.
The screen lit up.
The suffocating killing tension evaporated slightly.
"A glass of ice water."
He didn't look up.
The bartender's cigarette dropped from his mouth.
This Marine legend had entered a den of Supernovas…
ignored five pirates worth hundreds of millions…
and sat down to play a game.
That arrogance was more terrifying than violence.
To him, everyone here combined was less important than the game.
Bege exhaled slowly, sweat soaking his back.
Humiliated.
Relieved.
Terrified.
This… was true dominance.
Not everyone understood.
BOOM—!!!
The bar's side wall exploded inward.
Brick fragments blasted across the room.
A voice burst through the dust:
"Oi! Heard it's lively in here!"
Eustass Kid strode through the rubble, red hair bristling like flames, grin feral and arrogant.
Behind him came Killer and their crew.
Kid scanned the room.
Noticed the tension.
Then saw the figure in the corner.
Playing a game.
"…Huh?"
His pride twitched.
He was the highest-bounty rookie of their generation.
Someone dared ignore him?
"Hey! Hoodie!"
He stomped closer, boots grinding glass.
"I'm talking to you. You deaf?"
KING guided his character across a collapsing platform.
Ignored him.
Kid's vein bulged.
Hawkins and Drake quietly stepped back.
They mentally cursed him.
"You're asking for it!"
Kid raised his arm.
WHOOSH—
Metal objects throughout the bar trembled.
Forks.
Knives.
Chandelier chains.
Barrel hoops.
They ripped free and spiraled into the air.
Within seconds, they fused into a massive steel arm.
The construct loomed like a crushing hammer.
It swung down toward the back of KING's head.
Wind pressure struck first.
It stirred KING's hair.
A speck of dust landed on the screen.
KING paused.
This could not be ignored.
This was the equivalent of:
unplugging someone's internet mid-match
bumping the console during a boss fight
blocking the screen at a critical jump
Annoying.
Extremely annoying.
KING sighed.
And finally lifted his eyes from the game.