"Insignificant mortal! How dare you claim to be my master? Do you even know who I am? I am of the Burning Legion…"
Mannoroth was cut off mid‑sentence.
"Spare me your drivel! I know exactly who and what you are!" Grimm replied with a look of disdain. This guy was nothing but a stepping stone that died over and over again in Warcraft lore.
"It was I who summoned you into this world. Therefore, I am naturally your master."
Mannoroth was currently nothing but a skeleton, so his expression couldn't be seen — but from the way his skull and jawbones twisted and contorted, it was clear he was furious.
"Tiny human! I will never acknowledge you as my master!"
With that, Mannoroth raised his massive, bone‑fisted hand and smashed it down toward Grimm.
CLANG!
Grimm instantly summoned Ashbringer and blocked the strike dead‑on. He then gave the blade a sharp twist and push, sending Mannoroth's colossal skeleton stumbling backward several paces.
"If only my full power were still intact… I wouldn't take this from a human…" Mannoroth grumbled, acting like a spoiled child.
"Silence! If you refuse to listen to reason, then just die!"
Grimm unfurled his wings and flew straight up to Mannoroth's face, raising Ashbringer high to cleave the skull in two.
That silhouette… that weapon… it looks terrifyingly familiar… I'm done for!
"WAIT! WAIT!!" Mannoroth suddenly yelled frantically. "I submit! I bow before you, Master! What does my Lord require of Mannoroth?"
Grimm immediately sheathed his weapon and landed lightly on the broad, flat bones of Mannoroth's forehead.
"My ship is wrecked. So for now… you will serve as my vessel."
Mannoroth: "Master… I do not know how to build ships!"
"You misunderstand. I mean — can you swim? Even a dog‑paddle is fine."
Mannoroth: ............
Grimm was now "aboard" — or more accurately, riding — the skeletal remains of a Pit Lord propelling itself forward across the sea in a clumsy, dog‑paddle style.
Truth be told, Grimm himself hadn't expected this outcome. When he had used Convert on San Juan Wolf, it had triggered a rare Mutation effect, summoning Mannoroth directly from the void in a severely weakened state.
Right now, Mannoroth paddled furiously with all four limbs, moving forward like a gigantic skeletal puppy.
Grimm, meanwhile, had taken the ornate ruby throne he had stolen from Mary Geoise out of his system storage and sat comfortably upon the large, flat bone plate on Mannoroth's back.
"Master!"
Mannoroth lifted his skull slightly to speak. "Where do we go next? To the New World, correct?"
He asked cautiously. Just moments ago, Grimm had forced a Soul Contract upon him — a magical pact of absolute servitude, meaning Grimm could destroy his existence instantly and without warning at any time.
Yet, despite this, Mannoroth was filled with curiosity about this strange world, and naturally, he was looking forward to the legendary New World where monsters roamed free.
"Indeed. We set sail — but before that…" Grimm's eyes gleamed with amusement.
"I want to test your current strength. About five kilometers northwest of here, there is a pirate ship. Go… and destroy it."
A flicker of excitement lit up Mannoroth's bony features.
He knew his continued existence depended entirely on pleasing this human. He had to prove his worth.
This first battle would be the perfect chance to demonstrate the true might of the great Mannoroth!
With that thought, Mannoroth increased his paddling speed. He shot forward across the water like a sharp arrow — faster than even the finest warships of the Marine.
Within minutes, the crew of the Jefka Pirates, cruising peacefully along the calm sea, felt the water tremble violently.
Before they could understand what was happening, a massive shadow loomed over them and drew rapidly closer.
"What in the world is that? Is it… a ship?"
Captain Jefka squinted. He saw a gigantic skull moving toward them, and perched atop the skull… a figure of a man could be seen sitting calmly.
BOOM!
Suddenly, a massive surge of waves rocked the pirate vessel so violently that the navigator standing in the crow's nest was thrown right off his perch.
"W‑what is going on?!" Jefka shouted, gripping the railing to keep his balance.
Without warning, Mannoroth opened his skeletal jaws wide. A terrifying suction force pulled everything toward him.
In less than ten seconds, a maw larger than the entire pirate ship swallowed the whole vessel in one gulp.
CRUNCH… CRUNCH… CRUNCH…
The sound of grinding and shattering echoed from within Mannoroth's throat as he chewed metal, wood, and bone alike. After a dozen seconds of grinding, he swallowed it all down.
"Truly brutal… just as expected of a Pit Lord…" Grimm sighed with admiration.
Several Days Later — Marine Headquarters, Marineford — Conference Room
"The Jefka Pirates have been eliminated!"
A Rear Admiral sat at the table and slapped a wanted poster down for everyone to see.
Kuzan looked half‑asleep as usual. Borsalino casually trimmed his fingernails, glanced at the poster, and drawled, "Ehhh… but they were just small fry with a measly 20,000,000 berry bounty. Did you really have to call all of us here? I'm supposed to be guarding a branch base… running back and forth is such hard work…"
"They were wiped out by a very strange creature," Sengoku spoke up from another seat. He then presented a new photograph — an image of Mannoroth.
"And furthermore… this same being defeated San Juan Wolf. And it is every bit as massive as Wolf was."
At this, the officers who had been half‑asleep or idle straightened up. Borsalino's expression shifted slightly, his eyes narrowing behind his sunglasses.
"Ohh? San Juan Wolf… the one said to have the largest body of any living human, a monster who debuted with a bounty of 90,000,000 berries… so scary… and yet… he was defeated?"
"And that's not all," Sengoku said, grinning bitterly through gritted teeth. "This giant creature that beat San Juan Wolf… belongs to Grimm."
He placed another wanted poster on the table. "This is the bounty issued for the being known as Mannoroth."
"190,000,000 Berries… Ehhh… every single member of the Holy Light Pirates is a monster…" Borsalino said, drawing out his words.
Another monster starting with a bounty exceeding 100 million… come to think of it, every single person with an astronomically high starting bounty seemed to be serving under Grimm.
"We planned to capture San Juan Wolf ourselves," Sengoku said gravely.
"We never expected him to be eliminated so quickly. And now this Mannoroth answers to Grimm — making him impossible to apprehend easily."
Against the men known as the Four Emperors, the Marines were currently adopting a policy of avoidance.
They would not send forces to provoke them; they would only respond defensively if attacked.
"Now then… let us move to the main topic — the matter of the Shichibukai."
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