"Mamamamama, Kaido, you brat, not bad at all."
"Hahaha, of course! I'm the great Kaido after all. These small fries are just too weak."
On the deck of the Rocks Pirates' massive pirate ship, Charlotte Linlin spoke to the still-youthful Kaido who had returned victorious, rewarding him with a round of facial cleanser in the process.
With her height of over 8 meters and his over 7 meters, their heights were practically perfect for this.
Coupled with her currently peak-beautiful face, Kaido surprisingly found that he didn't resist at all.
In fact, he even wished he could say, "Why not do it again?"
While the two were fooling around, sitting nearby were other world-renowned figures.
Whitebeard, Shiki, Silver Axe, John, Wang Zhi...
Of course, the most eye-catching was the wild-looking man with black hair sitting in the main seat.
The true pinnacle of the current pirate world - Rocks D. Xebec.
"Gehahahaha, Linlin, you're being too good to Kaido, rewarding him like that," Shiki teased Linlin and Kaido, masking the envy and even slight jealousy in his heart.
"Hmph, Shiki, you old fool, shut up! I'll reward Kaido however I please," Charlotte Linlin retorted mercilessly, even though Shiki was a man she had shared intimate moments with before.
What nonsense! Go ask around - which man on this ship hasn't slept with me?
The true "public transport" Charlotte Linlin expressed pride, thinking that only fools like Whitebeard and a few others on the ship didn't know what they were missing.
"You?"
"Hmph, shallow woman."
Shiki snorted coldly and stopped paying attention to the two lovebirds.
Looking up, Shiki pointed toward Brian's ship and said to Rocks, "Gehahahaha, Captain, there's a strong one coming over there. You seem quite interested in him."
None of the officers present, including Kaido, were weaklings, so they naturally sensed the powerful aura emanating from Brian.
Especially the five who possessed Conqueror's Haki - they could clearly sense a similar presence from Brian.
"Wahahahaha, Shiki, you're right. I'm very interested in this brat."
"Why don't you test his mettle? I really want to recruit this kid."
Rocks was indeed very interested in Brian - not only did he possess the same kingly aura as himself, but his strength was also not weak at all.
Especially the extreme beastly aura emanating from Brian made Rocks particularly fond of him.
For next year's major operation, he had been gathering talents and strong fighters all these years, and naturally didn't want to miss out on Brian this time.
"Gehahahaha, fine, I'll go test his mettle."
Shiki said arrogantly with a cigar in his mouth, thinking that since he had just been provoked by Charlotte Linlin and was feeling frustrated, this was the perfect opportunity to vent and he wouldn't miss it.
"But Captain, if I end up killing that kid, don't blame me."
"Wahahaha! If you can kill him, that'd be quite impressive."
"Gurararara, Shiki, you shouldn't be so overconfident. That young man over there doesn't seem any weaker than you."
Whitebeard took a large gulp from his massive sake jug before warning Shiki.
Of course, there was also obvious amusement in his tone - he was clearly looking forward to the upcoming spectacle.
Not just Whitebeard, but everyone around including Linlin and Kaido turned to watch with expressions of anticipation.
"Hmph, just watch then! Witness this great man's magnificent prowess!"
Golden Lion Shiki snorted coldly and quickly ascended into the air, flying straight toward Brian's ship.
Arriving above the vessel, Shiki called down to Brian who was watching from the deck:
"Kid, I'm Golden Lion Shiki, an officer of the Rocks Pirates. You're in for a treat today."
"I'm here to test your mettle. Better put on a good show. If you happen to die by accident, don't blame me for it."
'A test?'
Ignoring Shiki's boasting, Brian glanced toward where Rocks and the others were gathered and instantly understood the meaning behind Shiki's behavior.
'Joining the Rocks Pirates at this time? Perfect timing actually - I'll still make it for next year's big show at God Valley.'
'Such a great place where precious Devil Fruits are practically everywhere for the taking. I can't miss this opportunity.'
The difficulty of collecting Devil Fruits over the past two years had long made Brian consider joining a major organization as a transitional phase.
At this point in time, nothing suited him better than the Rocks Pirates - a top-tier organization that would disband just one year later.
Since he'd encountered them, he wouldn't let this chance slip away. Time to fight.
"Then let's have a fight. I'd like to see the level of a Rocks Pirates officer - the famous Golden Lion Shiki."
"Hmph, arrogant brat!"
"Wave Slash!"
Without further delay, Shiki drew the two Great Grade Swords from his waist and swung them downward.
A massive sword slash appeared, carrying tremendous power as it descended toward Brian's pirate ship.
"Beast - Tiger Fist!"
Seeing this, Brian leaped up powerfully, his entire right arm turning black as energy gathered into a tiger head around his fist, which he punched forward.
Boom~
Their attacks collided mid-air, erupting in a violent energy field that generated powerful shockwaves.
Crack~
Crack~
Under the influence of these shockwaves, Brian's pirate ship below began cracking continuously and was even pushed several kilometers backward.
"Gehahaha! Not bad, kid! Being able to block this move of mine - I acknowledge your strength!"
Shiki recognized Brian's capability.
His Wave Slash might look simple, but to withstand this attack required at least vice-admiral level strength at minimum.
Otherwise, one would definitely be cleanly sliced in two by his slash.
"You're not bad either, old man. Quite interesting."
"Shall we continue?"
"Gehahaha! Continue, continue!"
"Try this move - Lion - Thousand Ripping Valleys!"
Swinging his swords Sakazuki and Kogarashi repeatedly, Shiki generated numerous massive sword slashes that intertwined and swept toward Brian with overwhelming coverage.
"Beast - Tiger-Leopard Dual Form!"
Vast amounts of Armament Haki surged from Brian's body, forming a massive tiger on one side and a giant jaguar on the other.
The overall form was quite similar to that of Tiger Girl and Leopard Girl, or rather, it was an ability manifestation derived from them.
This could be considered a minor bug resulting from Brian's arrival in this world. His development of the Millet-Millet Fruit was entirely different from how Tama utilized it in the original storyline.
The emergence of Beast Girls led him to develop this Millet-Millet Fruit in an unprecedented direction.
When a Beast Girl consumed the glutinous rice dumpling, the corresponding Zoan-type Devil Fruit ability within her would automatically become his to command.
This was the foundation of his confidence in earning the title "Hundred Beasts."
As long as he had over a hundred Beast Girls, he would become the true Hundred Beasts!