Charlotte Linlin's arrival had disrupted the balance of the battlefield in a very delicate manner. Especially for Shiki. He certainly didn't want to deal with a flying adversary while simultaneously fending off attacks from other powerhouses.
He was strong, sure—but he wasn't invincible.
Still, while the fighting had temporarily ceased, the casualties already sustained were staggering.
The pirate forces on the island had lost at least half their numbers. Even the advance unit led by Shutenmaru, which had maintained a defensive posture throughout, had suffered significant losses.
On the other hand, the truly powerful pirates had emerged largely unscathed.
For fighters of their caliber, a battle like this was merely an appetizer. The fiercest combatants were none other than those ruins guardians. These machines were devastating against lesser foes—even rookie pirates fresh from Paradise found them troublesome.
But for veterans who had carved out a living in the New World, one or two ruins guardians hardly posed a real threat. The reason for the massive casualties was simply the overwhelming number of these machines!
With so many different factions gathered here, the ruins guardians caught in the crossfire outnumbered those from the war between Inazuma and Shiki!
Under these conditions, even a reasonably capable pirate could fall victim to concentrated firepower.
"Long time no see, Linlin." Shiki held a sword in each hand. Though he still looked ready for battle, he greeted her quite naturally. He wasn't just addressing Big Mom, either—he was speaking to Wang Zhi and Silver Axe as well.
It really had been a long time since they'd seen each other. In truth, the Rocks Pirates had disbanded over four years ago. After going their separate ways, each had built up their own forces.
Aside from the occasional clash in the early days that required personal intervention, these past two years most disputes had been delegated to their subordinates.
After all, their respective territories had stabilized. They spent most of their time in their own domains, and unless something major happened, they rarely crossed paths.
And their relationships weren't exactly warm to begin with. Charlotte Linlin hosted a tea party every year, but she had never invited Golden Lion or Wang Zhi.
"I never thought our old comrades would end up like this." Shiki shook his head, looking as though he were lamenting the loss of their bond.
Wang Zhi and the others, however, sneered.
"How laughable. Do you actually care about our old camaraderie?"
"Mamamama, I never trusted Rocks to begin with. And of course, neither did you." Big Mom looked at Shiki and couldn't help but laugh.
Her figure had already begun to fill out, though she was nowhere near as massive as she would become in the future. If you removed the strange makeup from her face, she might—generously speaking—still pass for a wilting flower in desperate need of water.
"If you're so nostalgic about the friendship of those days, why don't you just walk away now? Like Newgate did. He'd never get involved in something like this." Silver Axe joined in the mockery.
If there was anyone among the former Rocks officers worth befriending and trusting, it was probably Newgate alone.
Silver Axe still remembered when Newgate first came aboard—he didn't even have a beard yet. Within a few years, a crescent-shaped white mustache had appeared on his face.
He was still young, and nobody knew why his beard had gone white so early.
"Newgate, huh..." Shiki repeated Whitebeard's name softly, as if chewing on a fragment of memory.
Speaking of Whitebeard, he still felt a sense of regret. That guy had strength no weaker than his own, yet he lacked any real ambition. If Newgate had been willing to join forces, Shiki's dream of conquering the world would have been one step closer to reality.
The big shots gathered together reminiscing about old times, making it seem like they might suddenly pull out drinks and start toasting. But the rank-and-file pirates below weren't nearly so carefree.
Waldo had accidentally wandered into a battlefield that didn't belong to him and ended up injured. Fortunately, it wasn't too serious—at the time, Wang Zhi and Silver Axe had been drawing attention on his behalf. Shiki had wounded him but never got the chance to land a finishing blow.
He found an opening to retreat from the fight and was now being treated by Kotone.
However, Kotone's expertise lay in traditional medicine. She was skilled at treating illnesses, but her ability to heal combat wounds was actually not that impressive.
Of course, for injuries that weren't immediately life-threatening, she could manage just fine. After setting Waldo's bones, she quickly wrapped him in bandages.
Though he'd never formally learned techniques like Rokushiki, powerful fighters tended to develop an intuitive grasp of Life Return through sheer experience. Waldo had broken several ribs and lost a number of teeth, but thanks to Life Return, he was recovering at an accelerated pace.
This, however, came at the cost of tremendous stamina—and an overwhelming appetite.
His older brother seemed concerned and wanted to persuade him to leave this trouble-filled place. But the experiences of recent years had fundamentally changed Waldo's character. He couldn't stomach the humiliation Shiki had inflicted upon him.
Even though he knew he probably wasn't a match for Shiki.
His current goal was simply to cause Shiki as much trouble as possible. Even Captain John's treasure itself had lost its appeal. Wealth had never meant much to him anyway.
Or rather, other pirates valued money because, in some sense, they still needed it for trade. But for Waldo, he preferred to simply take what he wanted by force.
"Inazuma" had never traded with him. In fact, he'd hijacked ships transporting ruins guardians several times.
But that had nothing to do with Ren. After all, Inazuma only handled sales—they didn't deliver. If the cargo got seized, that wasn't his problem.
Under normal circumstances, Great Pirates or the Marines would choose to send their own people to pick up their orders—it was simply more secure. But some smaller nations lacked military forces formidable enough to deter pirates. In those cases, they turned to Umit.
Many weren't too familiar with the name, but in the Underworld, he was actually a fairly well-known figure. Decades into the future, he would even bear the title of "King of the Shipping Industry"—one of the six emperors of the Underworld.
At present, Umit's fame was still relatively modest, and his trade networks extended only across a handful of small nations. But in recent years, thanks to the ruins guardians, he had turned a handsome profit. He was now in a phase of rapid expansion.
Just as the various factions were locked in their standoff, those with keen Observation Haki suddenly sensed something strange.
Ren looked up at the sky. He couldn't shake the feeling that the surroundings were gradually growing darker.
Kaido beside him had slightly weaker Observation Haki. Though he also sensed something was off, he hadn't yet identified the specific problem.
"Looks like... time's up. Skul Island's—polar night."
[
Dear Readers,
I am currently posting two chapters every day across two active fictions, along with bonus releases and extra chapters. The workload is steady, and I am putting in the effort to keep the schedule consistent for everyone.
Right now, my financial situation is not great. Patreon support is what keeps this translation work sustainable. If you have been following the stories and want to help, joining a tier makes a direct difference.
Here is what membership offers:
Adventurer — $3 per month
10 chapters in advance for all of my works
Warrior — $7 per month
20 chapters in advance for all of my works
Immortal — $10 per month (Highlighted Tier)
30 chapters in advance for all of my works
Access to character images
Important note: Subscribing through the Apple App adds an extra 30 percent fee (Apple/Patreon policy). Subscribe through your browser to avoid the extra charge. Apple also processes payments very late (2 to 3 months), which makes it much harder for me to receive money quickly after you subscribe.
If you can support, it would genuinely help me continue the daily releases and early access content. If you cannot, reading and sharing the work is also appreciated.
Thank you for your time.
Patreon: patreon.com/anish_44
Ko-fi: ko-fi.com/anish_44
]