Sabaody Archipelago, Area 13.
Inside a tavern named "Pirate's Home," the clamor of voices was deafening.
"Have you all heard?!"
A pirate with a face full of fierce flesh suddenly slammed the table and stood up, tearing the newspaper in his hands to shreds.
"That bastard Raiver has set a new rule! Every ship passing through Fish-Man Island and within a twenty-kilometer radius must pay a toll of one million Belly per person!"
The tavern instantly erupted into chaos.
"What?!"
"One million per person?!"
"Who does he think he is?! Does Raiver think he can just impose a toll whenever he wants?!"
A bald pirate jumped up and roared, "Exactly! One million Belly per person—why doesn't he just rob us?!"
"What's the difference between this and robbery?!" someone nearby chimed in.
A man wearing a captain's hat said with a grim expression:
"That's right, we must resist! The World Government has already blocked the route above—going through Mary Geoise is suicide. Now, even the underwater route has been blocked by Raiver. How are we pirates supposed to reach the New World?!"
These words resonated with everyone present.
Ever since Roger ushered in the Great Pirate Era, countless people had flocked to the seas, dreaming of one day finding the One Piece and becoming the new Pirate King.
But to reach the New World, there were only three routes.
The first was through Mary Geoise—a suicidal move, as the World Government would be more than happy to capture anyone who tried.
The second was crossing the Calm Belt—a nest of Sea Kings, where survival was a one-in-ten chance.
The third was to coat their ships at Sabaody Archipelago, dive underwater, pass through Fish-Man Island, and enter the New World—the safest and most commonly used route.
Now, the safest route had been blocked by Raiver.
"What should we do?" someone asked.
Silence.
Then, a low voice spoke up.
"Unite."
Everyone turned to look. The speaker was a man sitting in the corner.
He was burly, with a long scar across his face and a sinister gleam in his eyes.
"I am the captain of the Raging Bear Pirate Crew, one of this year's Supernovas, with a Bounty of two hundred and eighty million Belly."
He slowly stood up:
"Alone, none of us can defeat those Shadow Soldiers. But what if we unite?"
He scanned the room and said, word by word:
"This year, there are six Supernovas gathered at Sabaody Archipelago, including me. The lowest Bounty is one hundred and sixty million, and the highest is three hundred and thirty million. If we join forces with other pirate crews and gather over ten thousand people, I refuse to believe we can't defeat those hundred broken machines!"
The tavern fell silent for a moment.
Then—
"Alright! Let's do it!"
"I'm in!"
"Count me in!"
The crowd erupted with fervor, their roars thundering through the air.
That night, the six Supernovas gathered on a flagship to hold a strategy meeting.
Leading them was Victor, known as "Ghost Edge," with a Bounty of three hundred and thirty million Belly.
He was a man in his early thirties, with silver hair and eyes as sharp as blades.
His weapon was a black longsword, rumored to have once slain a Marine Headquarters Rear Admiral in a single strike.
"Everyone," Victor stood before the conference table, pointing at the nautical chart spread out on it:
"Our goal is simple—break through Fish-Man Island and enter the New World."
He paused, then said coldly, "By the way, let that bastard Raiver know that this sea doesn't belong to him alone!"
"Well said!" someone exclaimed, slamming the table.
"But..." another Supernova, the "Iron Arm" Grom with a bounty of 290 million, frowned, "Those Shadow Soldiers are said to be formidable. We need a detailed plan."
Victor nodded. "I've already thought it through. We'll split into three groups—a frontal feint and flanking maneuvers from both sides. First, lure those Shadow Soldiers over, then wear them down with long-range firepower. Once their numbers are reduced, we'll concentrate our superior forces and defeat them one by one."
"Are those Shadow Soldiers really said to be unkillable?" someone asked.
Victor sneered, "Unkillable? That's just a legend. Even if they're made of steel, there's a limit. Continuous attacks on the same spot—I refuse to believe they can't be destroyed!"
Everyone nodded in agreement.
The plan was settled.
Three days later.
A massive fleet of seventeen pirate ships set sail from the Sabaody Archipelago.
Nearly ten thousand pirates stood on the decks, sabers drawn and guns loaded, their morale high.
"Set sail!" Victor stood at the bow of the flagship, waving his hand grandly. "Destination—Fish-Man Island!"
The fleet submerged, disappearing into the deep blue sea.
Outside Fish-Man Island, a patrolling Shadow Soldier suddenly turned its gaze toward the distant deep sea.
There, faint points of light were moving.
More and more of them.
The Shadow Soldier began scanning and analyzing. Three seconds later, it notified the other Shadow Soldiers.
"Unit 3 reporting! Large-scale invasion detected. Numbers... seventeen pirate ships, estimated ten thousand personnel. Request immediate support."
"Received!" All one hundred Shadow Soldiers stationed at Fish-Man Island simultaneously received the message.
"Unit 7 en route to support!"
"Unit 16 en route to support!"
"Unit 94 en route to support!"
All Shadow Soldiers swiftly converged on Unit 3's location.
Infused with the bloodline factor of fish-men, the Shadow Soldiers moved through the deep sea as if on solid ground.
On the flagship at the forefront of the pirate fleet, Victor narrowed his eyes, watching the distant black figures.
"Are those the Shadow Soldiers?" he sneered. "Just this many?"
"Captain, could it be a trap?" his deputy whispered.
"A trap? What trap?" Victor scoffed. "A hundred against ten thousand—even if they're made of iron, we can overwhelm them with sheer numbers!"
He drew the saber at his waist, pointing its blade forward.
"All forces, attack—!"
All seventeen ships accelerated simultaneously, charging toward Fish-Man Island!
The battle erupted.
The first to charge were the five fastest vanguard ships.
They maneuvered to the flanks, attempting to encircle the Shadow Soldiers.
But the Shadow Soldiers were faster.
Like bolts of black lightning, they instantly surged toward those ships!
"Fire! Fire!"
The pirates opened fire frantically!
Bullets struck the Shadow Soldiers, clinking and clattering in a cacophony, yet leaving not a single mark!
"What?!"
A pirate widened his eyes in shock, but before he could react, he was sent flying by a single punch!
The Shadow Soldiers darted across the decks, each strike claiming a life!
In less than a minute, all five vanguard ships were annihilated!
"Damn it!" Victor gritted his teeth and roared, "Long-range attacks! Use the cannons!"
Over a dozen ships opened fire simultaneously!
Cannonballs poured down like a torrential rain, blanketing the entire sea!
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom—!!
The explosion sent up a massive wave of water, engulfing all those Shadow Soldiers!
The Pirates cheered.
"We hit them!"
"We blew them to pieces!"
However, as the dust settled, their cheers abruptly ceased.
Those Shadow Soldiers were still standing right where they had been.
Their bodies showed some cracks, but those cracks were healing at a visible rate!
A few seconds later, all the Shadow Soldiers were as good as new!
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