As Bartolomeo spoke so confidently, many pirates and intelligence agents actually began to believe his words.
In a dim corner of the bar, a thin man carrying a rifle quietly observed the green-haired punk and the brawny man chatting animatedly.Nearby, an old man who looked half-dead was slumped over a skinny horse — yes, right inside the bar — and even the bartender didn't bother to chase them away.
"Ahahaha! Ogre! Finally meeting you in person! I've heard of your name even back in the East Blue. You've always called yourself the number one fan of the Wild Dragon! Aren't you afraid the Marines will come after you for that?"
A man with wild red hair, dark skin, and a lion-like aura strode into the bar from outside. His voice was so loud and powerful that the shockwaves it produced made the entire building tremble faintly.
"Soundwave Edrago!"
"Another guy from the East Blue!"
"Don't tell me he's also a fan of the Wild Dragon from East Blue?"
"When the Wild Dragon, Souta Kiryuu, declared the Age of the Great Conquest back in Loguetown, could it be these two were both inspired by him?"
The moment this lion-like man entered, the bar erupted into heated chatter.
Bartolomeo threw his head back and laughed. "Hahaha! My admiration for Lord Kiryuu has never been a secret! Soon enough, I'll go from being his number one fan to becoming an official officer in the Kiryuu Pirates! Then I'll sail alongside Lord Kiryuu, Lord Tyrant, Lord Thunder God, and even Empress-sama herself!"
His eyes shone with pride. Even their ship, the Barto Club, was modeled after Kiryuu's likeness.That kind of devotion couldn't be hidden even if he tried.
Edrago grinned. "Good man! Then let's go find Lord Kiryuu together!"
He stepped closer to Bartolomeo and whispered the name of an island into his ear.Bartolomeo's eyes widened instantly, sparkling with excitement as he looked at Edrago.
"So you're a kindred spirit! A brother who shares my passion for Lord Kiryuu! Cheers to that!"
Throwing an arm around Edrago's shoulder, Bartolomeo shouted in delight.The sudden burst of enthusiasm caught the attention of everyone in the bar. The pirates exchanged glances — something was up.The intelligence brokers began reading the mood carefully, coming to the same conclusion:
These two reckless idiots… might actually know how to find the Kiryuu Pirates.
Suddenly, the whole bar buzzed with a silent, restrained excitement.
At the corner, the sharpshooter Van Augur narrowed his eyes, observing the two fools — and then the spies quietly taking notes around them.
If Souta Kiryuu ever found out that these two were leading a trail of spies to one of his meeting islands, he'd strip them of the right to join his crew on the spot.Utter foolishness.
Still, this could be a good chance for Van Augur himself to make contact with that powerful group.
After all, there was no denying it — the Kiryuu Pirates were the most powerful and promising young force on the seas right now.Anyone daring to challenge the Celestial Dragons at Sabaody Archipelago had proven their worth.
Perhaps that man — Souta Kiryuu — was the kind of leader worth following.
Poison Q, sitting quietly beside his sickly horse, had the same thought.He too noticed the stupidity of Bartolomeo, Edrago, and the massive brawler Burgess — but also saw the opportunity hidden in their recklessness.Where there was danger, there was fortune.
And so, countless pirates and spies silently made up their minds:They would follow these two men and try to find the legendary Kiryuu Pirates.
The Kiryuu Pirates possessed an airship and a user of the Paw-Paw Fruit. They rarely sailed the seas — making them nearly impossible to track.For all those who wished to join them or even find them, there had been no clues… until now.
If Bartolomeo and Edrago truly had a connection, this was their only shot.
"Wahahaha! Captains! Take me with you! Name's Jesus Burgess — the Fighting Champion! My strength outmatches any pirate around!
My bounty's only twenty million berries for now, since I just set sail… but I can guarantee that even someone with sixty million can't beat me!"
Burgess' sharp instincts told him these two idiots might actually be connected to Souta Kiryuu. His sixth sense rarely failed him.
"Ahahaha! You look pretty strong! Fine, join the Barto Club for now! Once I become part of Lord Kiryuu's crew, we'll all serve under him together!"
Seeing the massive, muscle-bound Burgess, Bartolomeo felt the guy didn't seem like a bad person at all — so he welcomed him aboard.
"Wahahaha! Then it's settled, Captain Barto!" Burgess grinned, showing off his gleaming white teeth. He could barely contain his excitement.Today was his lucky day — he might actually get to see the legendary Souta Kiryuu, a man with a bounty of 8.8 billion berries, one of the most wanted men in the world!
As Burgess joined the Barto Club, the entire bar erupted.
"Captain Barto! I'm a huge fan of Lord Kiryuu too! Please, let me join you — my bounty's thirty million!"
"Captain Barto! I've got a personal grudge against the World Government — take me too!"
Within moments, the bar had turned into a chaotic recruitment frenzy. Every pirate wanted to join Barto's crew and earn a chance to meet Kiryuu himself.
"SHUT UP!!"
Edrago's roar shook the entire tavern, the sound waves making countless pirates clutch their ears in pain.
"Barto," he growled, "how about letting Burgess test these guys' strength? We'll see who's actually worthy to sail with us."
Even Edrago felt a rush of excitement at the sight of so many eager, capable pirates.That was the influence of Lord Kiryuu — a man whose name alone could move the seas.
"Wahahaha! I was just itching for a fight anyway! Captain Barto, let me test them!"
Burgess cracked his knuckles, the popping sound echoing through the air as his eyes gleamed with raw battle spirit.This was his moment — the perfect chance to prove himself and maybe even boost his bounty.
"Ahahaha! Sure, let's give them a brawl!" Bartolomeo shouted eagerly. Chaos was his kind of fun.
"Wahahaha! All right, whoever wants to join the Barto Club, step up! Especially that thirty-million guy!If I beat you, my bounty's definitely going up!"
Burgess strode out into the open square outside the bar, flexing his muscles and exuding a terrifying aura of violence.
High above, Poison Q and Van Augur watched the scene unfold.They both knew — joining the Kiryuu Pirates wasn't something decided by fools like Bartolomeo or Edrago.Still, having Burgess screen these wannabes wasn't a bad way to weed out the weaklings and spies.
As one pirate after another stepped forward, Burgess let out a mighty roar — and launched an indiscriminate attack.A single devastating strike cleared out most of the unworthy challengers.
At that same moment, one of Golden Lion Shiki's flying fleets — responsible for recruiting subordinate crews — happened to arrive at the island.They were searching for strong new pirate captains to add to their ranks, though even among the Grand Line's "short giants," few could truly impress them.The real monsters were all in the New World, after all. In the first half of the Grand Line, pirates with bounties over one hundred million were still a rarity.