In the blink of an eye, the situation across Scrap Island shifted yet again.
As if appearing out of nowhere, a colossal warship emerged at the island's sea outlet. It was slightly larger than the Sky Pirates' ship, lavishly inlaid with multicolored gemstones, extravagance on full display. The entire hull was shaped like a purple-red shark, its massive bulk completely sealing off the exit.
At the same time, on Scrap Island itself, right in front of the pirate hunters, the spot where a figure had just been cut down and sent crashing into the island began to clear. As the smoke dispersed, a huge, bloated man appeared, his body radiating intense heat and blinding light.
"Th-this is…"
The pirate hunters, who moments ago had been pale with fear, now had greed creeping back into their eyes.
Whoever these people were, they were clearly here for the Sky Pirates as well.
Which meant… their chance had come again.
...
From the sky above that enormous crimson warship, Tiger descended and landed heavily on the deck.
"This is really something…"
He had heard from the captain that the owner of this ship was a treasure hunter and that it should be loaded with valuables. Still, seeing it with his own eyes left him stunned.
The deck was piled high with gold, jewels, weapons, antiques, and works of art. The value was easily far beyond fifty billion Belly.
Beneath the mast, surrounded by a crowd of subordinates, sat a burly man wrapped in chains, alongside a drunken female archer and a dark-skinned man.
"With this much treasure, you're still not satisfied?" Tiger asked.
Hearing that, the man known as Mad Treasure let out a sharp, rasping laugh.
"Jararara… you've got it wrong, fish-man. Treasure itself doesn't matter to me at all. I'm a treasure hunter. I'm only obsessed with the thrill of obtaining it in that very moment."
"I see."
"But you're quite bold, boarding our ship alone. I'm not particularly interested in the slave trade, but a fish-man like you, with your rising reputation, would probably fetch a hefty price if sold to the Celestial Dragons."
At those words, the ease on Tiger's face vanished, replaced by a grim expression.
"Slavery, huh. In that case, I guess I'll have to go all out."
As he spoke, Tiger's muscles swelled, killing intent pouring off him in waves.
"Jararara… what a terrifying aura. Still, I don't really feel like wasting time on you, fish-man. Naomi, Psycho P, I'll leave him to you."
"Got it, boss!"
The drunken female archer tossed her wine bottle aside, drew an arrow from the quiver on her back, and aimed it straight at Tiger.
"Leave it to us, yo!"
The dark-skinned man began rapping as he sprayed himself with a can of paint. In moments, his figure faded away until he vanished completely.
Meanwhile, Mad Treasure rose to his feet and leapt forward, vaulting over Tiger and heading straight for the Twin Goddesses.
Tiger's expression darkened.
At last, he understood why the captain had chosen to face this battle with such a grand display, even at the risk of exposing so many secrets.
"I really was underestimated..."
In an instant, Tiger vanished from where he stood, as if he had teleported away.
His speed was so extreme that no one could even react. All that remained was a faint disturbance in the air.
Just as Mad Treasure had flown up into midair, a massive shadow suddenly filled his vision.
It was an enormous crimson iron fist.
"What?!"
Boom...
Mad Treasure didn't even have time to react. His body was sent flying back toward the ship like a kite with its string snapped, blasted away by a single punch from Tiger.
"Boss!!!"
The female archer named Naomi turned pale. She hurriedly drew her bow and fired.
Six arrows shot out in rapid succession, but none of them managed to stop Tiger from returning to their ship. He slipped past every shot with ease.
At that moment, Psycho P, who had been invisible, quietly appeared at Tiger's side. A look of triumph crossed his face as he raised his blade and slashed at Tiger.
Clang!
What rang out was not the sound of flesh being cut, but the sharp crash of metal against metal.
Psycho P stared in horror as his longsword struck Tiger's pitch-black arm, completely coated in Armament Haki, unable to advance even an inch.
Before he could react, another blackened fist slammed into his face with blinding speed.
In that instant, Psycho P felt the world spin. His mind went blank, his eyes rolled back, and he lost consciousness.
Just before passing out, a single sentence from the fishman echoed in his ears.
"You treasure hunters… do you really have such a big misunderstanding about a pirate with a 680 million Belly bounty…?"
...
At the same time, on the other side of the battlefield, the four Kuro brothers were facing off against the pirate hunters.
As the smoke dispersed, a figure blazing like the sun emerged, and Erik descended from the sky.
"Master Erik!!!"
Kuroli saluted excitedly at Erik's arrival.
Erik kept Yemu's instructions firmly in mind.
"You've done well. I'll take care of this fat guy. The rest are yours. No problem, right?"
"Don't worry, Master Erik! We won't let the boss down!"
The four Kuro brothers returned the salute, then charged straight toward the pirate hunters behind Achino, clearing the area and leaving the battlefield open.
"Then..."
At that moment, Erik felt as though he had returned to his younger days, back when he first stepped into the realm of swordsmanship, brimming with ambition.
How many years had it been since he last felt this kind of burning passion?
Ever since learning about Ayala's illness, he had been forced to abandon his sword training in order to treat his sister, even giving up his pursuit of the path of a great swordsman.
But now, he could finally fight without restraint again.
And all of it was thanks to Captain Yemu and Mr. Tiger. They had given both him and his sister a second chance at life. He absolutely could not disappoint them.
With confident eyes, he faced the man radiating intense heat before him and swung his twin blades.
"Sorry, but next, I'm going to cut you down. Don't worry, I won't kill you. After all, those are the captain's orders!!!"
Not far away, the veins on Achino's forehead bulged the moment he heard Erik's words.
"You say you're going to cut me down… you bastard..."
"Wait, Dad, don't get angry!"
His sons and daughter beside him immediately panicked.
"We can hold him back! Your real target is the Sky Pirates' captain..."
"Shut up..."
Achino's body temperature continued to rise.
"How dare he look down on me. I'll melt him down completely..."
Scorching heat flooded the entire Scrap Island, forcing the surrounding pirate hunters to retreat several steps.
"It's so hot… What is this? Is this also a Devil Fruit ability?"
Seeing this, Achino's sons and daughter no longer dared to approach him. The intense heat was already melting everything around them, forcing them to retreat as well.
With Achino at its center, the entire Scrap Island began to burn.
At that moment, Achino's daughter seemed to realize something and cried out in terror.
"Wait, Dad! This island is hollow underneath, it's the sea! If you keep burning it, we'll fall into the ocean!"
"What?!"
Achino was startled into shock. He immediately calmed down, and his body temperature dropped sharply.
"So that's how it is. But it doesn't matter."
He stretched out both hands, glowing red like branding irons that had been heated for a long time, and sneered arrogantly at Erik.
"Do you know why I never trained Haki? Because it's completely unnecessary for me. My Atsu Atsu no Mi can raise my body temperature to ten thousand degrees. This heat alone is enough to melt anything it touches, including the swords in your hands..."
"I see. Thanks for the explanation. In that case, as long as I don't touch it, there shouldn't be a problem..."
"Shinto Sword Style: Spiral Rapid Slash..."
...
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