Chapter 35: QUEEN
ââSomewhere in the waters of an island in the "Grand Line," that legendary sea.
We reunited with our crew shortly after and set sail for that rumored islandâbringing along a formidable new ally.
"Ahhh, this is so relaxing~~~⥠With a navigator around, I donât have to do a thing~~~âĄ"
"...How the hell were you managing your voyages until now?"
"Huh? I did everything myself, obviously. Navigator, cook, doctor, shipwrightâall of it."
"WORORORO!! Nue can handle anything!! My dumbass crewâs useless except in a fight, so she had no choice but to do it all!!"
"...âŚItâs a miracle youâve survived this longâŚ"
That muttered remark came from a man clad head-to-toe in black, with wings and flamesâKing. He stood before me and Kaido as we ate on the deck. Thanks to him joining as an executive of the Beasts Pirates, along with his ship and a handful of his subordinates, our manpower shortage eased a bit. Specifically, we finally got a proper navigator and such.
Well, there was a bit of a scene when King officially joined. When he announced it to his crew, things got⌠intense.
ââ"Starting today, Iâm joining the Beasts Pirates, led by these two as Captain and Vice-Captain⌠So you lot, decide right now. Either get off this ship, or join the Beasts Pirates with me. There are no other options."
"Wh-what!? Th-thatâsâ!"
"You canât just drop this on usâŚ!"
"B-besides⌠putting aside that giant guy, a weak-looking girl as Vice-Captain? What kind of pirate crew evenâ"
ââ"The hell did you just say?"
"Huh? âGURK!!?"
Amid the bewildered crew, one sailor had the nerve to mock Kaido and meâespecially me. King seized him with a massive arm befitting his size. The others stirred, but ignoring them, King dragged the man to the shipâs edge, dangled him over the side, and growled:
"Youâd better⌠watch your damn mouthâŚ!! Iâm âKingâ of the Beasts Pirates nowâŚ!! Anyone who disrespects Kaido-san or Nue-san wonât be sparedâŚ!!"
"IâI get it!! P-please, stoâ!!"
"Didnât you hear me say you wonât be sparedâŚ!?"
"G-GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!?"
"Youâre sentenced to deathâŚ!!"
With that, King engulfed his former subordinate in flames, burning him alive right at the shipâs edge. The screamsâthe death throesâechoed across the deck. In less than ten seconds, a charred corpse was all that remained. Without a shred of remorse, King tossed it into the sea. Kaido and I couldnât help but laugh.
"WORORORO⌠No mercy, huh?"
"My, my, saved me the trouble. I was gonna use him as todayâs âWhim Lunchâ ingredient and everything~"
Iâd considered teaching his crew the hard way just how terrifying I could beâsince letting them look down on us wouldâve been annoyingâbut King handled the purge first. Oh well, thereâd be time for that later. Amused, I watched as King turned back to his cowering crew, jerking his chin at them.
ââ"If any of you here canât swear loyalty to Kaido-san right now⌠get the hell off this ship."
"Y-yesâŚ"
This time, no one dared complain. Even King wouldnât slaughter his former crew for no reason. He gave them a choiceâlive only if they stayed. Those who left⌠were killed. A few idiots failed to read between the lines and got cut down by King the moment they tried to disembark. Not that we particularly cared, but to King, it was about "tying up loose ends." If they werenât joining the Beasts Pirates, they were enemies now. And he made it clearâeven former subordinates would die if they crossed that line.
ââAnyway, the end result? Kingâs massive prison ship, along with thirteen of his crewâincluding the navigatorâjoined the Beasts Pirates. âŚWhat? Thatâs too few? Well, Kaido kinda killed the rest⌠There were supposed to be dozens more, but no point crying over spilled milk. For now, letâs just celebrate our new comrades!
ââ"So, Nue-san. Youâre sure the next recruit candidateâs on that island?"
"Probably~. Word is, heâs some deranged pirate who spreads plagues and gets off on twisted executions. Sounds promising, right?"
"...If heâs useful, fine. If not⌠leave him to me. Iâll break his will with torture."
"Ahhh, well, if heâs no good, who cares? Right, Kaido?"
"If heâs worthless, do whatever the hell you want."
"Aah, Iâll handle that oneâŚ!!"
With Kaidoâs permission, King cracked his knuckles, brimming with enthusiasm. Must be the thrill of his first proper voyage as part of the crewâor maybe heâs just got energy to burn.
Then again, you could also say heâs just plain bloodthirsty. Kingâs got that hardcore brawler vibe, like a yakuza enforcer who lives for fights. Normally heâs calm, but the ferocity is always there. Fits right in with us. Apparently, heâs good at torture for the same reasons I am. From now on, we can leave the interrogations and info-extraction to him. Honestly, for me and Kaido, his methods are⌠excessive by normal standards, but hey, it works.
âŚStill, Iâm kinda curious about this guy weâre recruiting next⌠Sounds like fun in all sorts of ways. What to do, what to do~?
"HmmâŚ"
"...Something wrong with the food? If so, Iâll summon the cookâ"
"Eh? What, you gonna put on a little cooking show for me?"
"âIf. Necessary."
The cook, whoâd just stepped onto the deck, let out a terrified "EeekâŚ!?" at Kingâs words. Hilarious. Butâ
"Weeell~ Sounds fun, but Iâm not really in a steak mood today~ Maybe next time, sorry!"
"Tch⌠Pity."
He actually looked disappointed. Wait, what? Was King the one who wanted to do it? Thatâs⌠way more messed up than I thought. But hey, itâs useful and entertaining. Maybe Iâll let him put on a proper torture show someday. The locals on our turf would love it.
Anywayâweâre almost at the island. Hell, I can see it already. Just need to drop anchor somewhere.
âHmm. Guess IâllâŚ
"Kaido, mind if I scout ahead a bit?"
"What? You itching for a fight too?"
"Something like that. Gonna go check out that âderangedâ guy we heard about!"
"...What should I do?"
"King, you and Kaido can follow at your own pace! Oh, and handle the crew for me while Iâm goneâjust give âem the usual orders!"
"...Understood."
I leapt off the ship, got a quick nod from Kaido, and headed for the island ahead of them. Left King in charge of wrangling the crew too. Kaido handles the big commands, but the finer details are usually my jobâso Kingâs the best replacement. Our crewâs nothing but fighters aside from Kaido as Captain and me as Vice-Captain, so weâve never had a proper chain of command. But King can manage. With himâand one moreâthe Beasts Pirates might finally function like a real organization.
Smiling at the thought, I hummed to myself.
"âAlrighty, time to go get excited~"
And with that, I strolled toward the islandâs heart, lured in by the distant pulse of manic music.
The dance stage was a roaring success.
At its center, a hulking, overweight manâQueenâheld the entire island captive with terror through his performance.
"GET EXXXXCITED!!"
"Q-U-E-E-N, QUEEN!!"
"Q-U-E-E-N, QUEEN!!"
Amid the chants of his crew, Queen surveyed the frenzied crowd with satisfaction. Every last one of them was suffering from disease, writhing in agonyâyet they had no choice but to obey. This despair, this miseryâall of it was his doing. Was there anything more hilariously wretched than this?
Riding the high, Queen launched into another song. The show had only just begun. He strutted back onto the stage for an encore, breaking into a dance alongside a few of his lackeys.
"If I got skinny, I'd be TOO POPULAR~⍠So I stay THICC by choice~âŤ"
"FUNK IT UP!!"
"Round? Nah, it's all MUSCLE, baby~⍠A singin', dancin' MACHINE~âŤ"
"FUNK IT UP!!"
ââThatâs right. He might be fat, but he was a star. The kind of funk that set crowds on fire. Pouring his soul into the dance, he belted out the lyrics, the chorus ringing in his ears. He couldnât stopâdidnât want to stop. Swiveling toward a young girl nearby, he continued:
"If I acted sweet, I'd be TOO ADORABLE~⍠So I go for TERROR instead~âŤ"
"CUTE BUT DEADLY!!"
"Scary? Nah, I'm a BEAUTY~⍠A singin', dancin' DREAM~âŤ"
"CUTE BUT DEADLY!!"
"GET EXXXXCITED!!"
They struck a synchronized pose. Strangely, this show felt even more electrifying than usual. Wiping sweat from his brow with a grin, Queen let out a booming laugh.
"Muhaha!! Yeah, THATâS the stuff!! Nothinâ beats a cute, killer showtime!!"
"Oh, câmon, your hype shows are great too!!"
"Nah, nah, a pretty girl singinâ and dancinâ? Thatâs PEAK entertainment!!"
"Huh? Really? Aww, youâre makinâ me blush~~~âĄ"
"Why be shy?! Flaunt that cutenessâ
...Wait.
WHO THE HELL ARE YOU!?"
"Took you long enough."
Queen finally noticedâthe mysterious girl standing beside him wasnât part of his crew.
After dancing and singing my heart out, I wiped the sweat from my brow. Whew~ Nice, I nailed itâboth the singing and the dancing. All those voice and dance lessons really paid off!!
Just then, the manâQueenâfinally seemed to notice me. His eyes practically bulged out of his skull in exaggerated shock before he quickly composed himself.
"What brat just waltzed into MY SHOWTIME like thisâŚ!?"
"But I did great, right? Plus, Iâm a total cutie!!"
"Yeah, yeah, you were decent. And sure, youâre cuteâ
WAIT, NO!!
Hey, you idiots!! Why didnât anyone SAY anything!? Now Iâve got an unplanned guest screwing up the schedule!!"
"S-sorry, sir! We couldnât interrupt the performanceâŚ"
From backstage, a pirateâwell, more like a live crew staff memberâscrambled out. Iâd peeked around earlier, and I gotta say, Iâm impressed theyâve got a proper backstage team. You canât put on a good show without solid support! Oh, rightâthis is a performance, not a concert. Anyway, after hearing the report, Queen fell silent for a beat⌠but didnât explode in anger.
"...Eh, whatever. Itâs not a big deal, and the crowd loved it. Iâll let it slide."
"Th-thank you, sir!! Oh, and thereâs something we postponed reporting because of the showâŚ"
"Muhaha! Alright, hit me. If you put it off, it canât be that serious! âSo?"
"Well⌠weâve spotted a pirate ship off the coast."
"WHAAAAAAAAAT!? And that ship is�"
"Already docked at the island. And this girl⌠probably came from it."
"WHAAAAAAAAAT!? THEN WHY THE HELL DIDNâT YOU SAY SO EARLIER, DUMBASS!!!"
Queenâs over-the-top reaction to the sudden report had me grinning. Nice comedic timing! Dudeâs got energy. This guyâs gonna be fun to mess with. I need him on our crew.
So, time to get down to business. Queen finally turned back to me, sizing me up.
"...So, youâre a pirate?"
"Yep! Here, take my bounty poster. Oh, and my captainâs too."
"Ohhh? Got a price on your head, huh? Lemme seeâŚ
MUHAHA!! 380.1 million berries! Not badâ
WHAAAAAAAAAT!? THATâS HIGH!! And your captainâs over 400 million!?"
"Hehe~ Impressive, right!!?"
"Impressive my ass!! Why the hell are big shots like you still in the first half of the Grand Line!? Get your asses to the New World already!!"
Whoa. Thatâs⌠a surprisingly reasonable complaint. And Queenâs pretty well-informed for a rookie pirate, knowing about the New World and all. Dudeâs got skills.
"Sooo, wanna join us? âSign up now, and youâre an instant executive! No experience required! Merit-based! A crew where you can grow! Super homey atmosphere! Gather here if you wanna aim for the top!!"
"Thatâs just a scam companyâs sales pitch!! Whoâd fall for that!?"
"Aww, câmon~ Iâll throw in unlimited sweets and free rein on recreational activities!"
"Shut it!! Like I need permission toâ"
"Hm? Whatâs wrong?"
As I kept pestering him, Queen suddenly froze, deep in thought. Wait⌠is he actually considering it? Is he tempted?
Tilting my head, I waited for his answerâuntil Queen finally cracked a grin.
"âFine! Iâll join your damn crew!"
"Wait, really!? YES!!"
"WHAAAAAAAAAT!? QUEEN-SAMA!!?"
I threw my hands up and cheered, while Queenâs crew gasped in shock. Man, these guys are hilarious. But even as I celebrated, something felt⌠off. I didnât sense any real hesitation from Queen. So, staying wary, I waitedâand sure enough, he continued.
"ON ONE CONDITION!! You gotta BEAT ME first!!"
"Oh, thatâs it? Then letâs goâ"
"Huh!? That confident!? âHold up!! This ainât some regular fight!!"
"Oh? So itâs something flashy?"
"Damn right! A little game I cooked up~~~~⪠Whaddya say? You got the guts to play!?"
Queen sang the challenge like it was part of his act. âŚHmm. Ten-to-one odds, this is rigged with some weird gimmick⌠but eh, sounds fun!
"Letâs do it!!"
"No hesitation!? âŚTch, whatever. MUHAHA! Then letâs get set up! Hey, you morons!! Prep the stage!!"
"WOOOOO!! âQ-U-E-E-N, QUEENâ!!"
"MOVE IT, MOVE IT!!"
At Queenâs command, his underlings busily began assembling something on stage. It was pretty bigâa large square structure taking up almost the entire platform. Wait⌠Iâve seen this before! It's still hard to tell in its current stage, but this isâŚ
âMuahaha! The deathmatch between you and me begins now!! And its name isď˝ď˝ď˝ď˝ď˝!?â
Eventually, the setup was complete, and I stood atop the spacious ring. Compared to a normal one, it was much biggerâbut this could only beâŚ!!
âThe Mechanical Show of Lord QueenâKarakuri Live!!â
Queenâs underlings shouted with wild excitement. Illuminated by the stage lights, Queen and I stood on a platform framed by four corner posts connected with three vertical ropes. The match set to happen here⌠they called it something else.
âThe Electric-Rope Deathmatchď˝ď˝ď˝ď˝ď˝!!!â
...Itâs pro wrestlingâŚ!!
âHere, you and I will settle this one-on-one! Butâof courseâthese ropes arenât just ordinary ropes. Look.â
â!â
Queen, as if to show off, dragged over a young manâlikely a resident of the islandâand hurled him toward the ropes. And thenâ
âP-please, donâtâ!! GYAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!?â
âWhoa, thatâs intense.â
With a violent crackling sound, the man was fried to a crisp in an instant. That was some serious voltage. Pointing at the manâs smoldering body, Queen declared:
âAs you can seeď˝ď˝ď˝! Touch the ropes, and youâre electrocuted!! In other wordsâinstant death!!â
âGot it! So basically, I just have to make sure I donât touch the ropes!â
âMuahaha! Confident, are weâŚ!? But letâs see how long that confidence lasts against my powerď˝ď˝ď˝!! Referee!! Start the match!!â
âThis will be an unlimited 1-ROUNDâElectric-Rope Deathmatchď˝ď˝ď˝ď˝!! FIGHT!!!â
The referee, mic in hand, announced the start of the matchâthough, of course, he didnât step into the ring. Well, obviously. Itâs dangerous. Canât blame him. Still, I kind of care about those details. If thereâs a next time, I wanna be the referee. Do that thing where you never count to ten. Just keep the suspense going forever. Thatâd be fun. âŚWell, setting that asideâ
âAlright⌠you say Iâm confident, but you seem pretty sure of yourself too. Even after seeing my wanted poster.â
âOf course, I know youâre no weakling. Iâm not underestimating youď˝ď˝ď˝!! Which is exactly why I set this upâŚ!!â
â!!â
âAhh!! Lord Queen is using his transformation!!â
Queenâs underlings erupted in cheers as his form began to shiftâand honestly, even I got a little excited. His new appearance was that of a colossal, heavy beast from the dinosaur age. A long neck, massive frame⌠it could only beâ!!
âA Brachiosaurus!!â
âMuahahaâŚ!! I figured youâd know it! But rare, isnât it? The Ryu Ryu no MiâAncient Zoan type! Model: Brachiosaurusď˝ď˝ď˝âŞ This is my ultra-cool form!!â
âOh hey, one of my new crewmates just joined recently. Heâs an Ancient Zoan too. Pteranodon.â
âWhaaaaaaa!? Okay, wellâI canât really say anything, can I!? Dammit⌠fine, Iâll deal with him later. Right now, itâs your turn!!â
â!!â
Queen swung his long tail toward me with full force. Ahh, so thatâs why the ring is so massive. So he can transform without touching the ropes! Makes sense. And wowâheâs got some serious weight and power behind those moves. Not that it really hurts me, but still⌠this isâŚ!
âWhoa!?â
âThere ainât a soul alive who can take one of my hits and stay standingď˝ď˝ď˝âŞ Now eat some electricity and die!!â
Thatâs the kind of raw power youâd expect from a Brachiosaurus. Even if the attack didnât hurt, it still sent me flying. âŚAh, yep, Iâm gonna hit the ropes. Oh well. I let it happen, letting the ropes catch my body.
âUghâŚâŚ!!!â
âWahahaha!! A bit sudden, huh? Not quite the hype I was hoping for! But canât be helpedâno time to hold back against someone with a bounty in the billions! Now then, letâs take that charred corpse of yours andââ
âAhhh, that shock really hits~⪠Even though I just got zapped not too long ago~âŞâ
âWait, WHAAAAAT!? Why are you totally fine!?â
Wow, heâs seriously freaking out. But what can I say? Itâs way weaker than Kaidoâs lightning⌠same with that torture the other dayâif anything, it left me wanting more. I mean, yeah, both of them did some damage, but honestly, itâs more fun when itâs stronger.
âTch⌠fine then⌠Iâll go all outâŚ!!â
âOh? You werenât already going all outâŚ? Waitâhuh?â
Just when I thought Queen was coming at me full force, he turns and runs the other wayâstraight toward the ropes! He throws himself into them to gain momentum, but⌠there's no electricity flowing through them? That catches me off guard.
âWait, what about the shock?!â
âI changed just now⌠My outfit is insulated!!â
Insulated? Oh, so itâs made of something that doesnât conduct electricity, like rubber. Aah, thatâs why his outfit looked differentâhow did I not notice!? Get it together, me!
More importantly, Queenâs charging at me at full speed with that momentum. What should I doâdodge? âŚNah, nowâs the perfect time to show him the difference in level. If I want to recruit him, I need to make a strong impression.
I brace myself to take him head-on. He comes barreling toward me at incredible speed, and I donât dodgeâI take the hit straight on.
âOutlaw BombâBrachio Bomber!!!â
!!!
That was a full-speed, high-mass attack packed with the power of his massive body. It could probably pulverize boulders and dent steelâbut I took it head-on...
âPhew⌠okay, yeah, that one did have some punch to it.â
â!!! N-No way!! You took my full-power move head-on!?â
âWhat kind of monster strength does that kid have!?â
âQueen-samaâs attack didnât workâŚ!!â
The mob of underlings loses it when they realize I tanked the hit. Queen looks shocked, too. I mean, yeah, that last hit was crazy strong. No average pirate could withstand that. Even I, whoâs used to Kaidoâs punches, felt my arms go numb. Not bad⌠Iâll give him a passing grade.
âWell then⌠guess itâs my turn now?â
âGhâŚ!! Hey! You lot!! Get in here and back me up!!!â
âEh?! B-ButâŚ!!â
âJust do it!! This ainât a performanceâitâs life or death!!â
âY-Yes, sir!!â
Ooh, looks like he finally realized what heâs dealing with. Good! Heâs willing to throw away appearances and take me down however he can. Thatâs the spiritâhe is a pirate, after all. Winningâs what matters. Itâs not cheating. Itâs common sense. I respect that. Recognizing youâre outmatched and switching to group tactics right away? Smart move.
Too bad it wonât help. No matter how many small fry you gather, it wonât make a difference. Actually, trying to surround me is already pointless. And with that thought, I leap high into the airâ
âGh!! Youâre a Devil Fruit user tooâŚ!?â
âYup yup! Weâre both Zoan-types~⪠Which means⌠itâs showtime!!â
From above, I unleash itâright at Queen and his crew. Letâs see if they can dodge this. Let the bullet hell begin.
âNue Style⌠Snake Show!!!â
!!!
What I release is a swarm of green serpents made of laser light. If they hit, theyâll easily pierce fleshâtheyâre real projectiles, not just for show.
But of courseâthey donât fly straight. Just like real snakes, they twist and weave from side to side as they target their prey.
âWh-What the hell!? These green snakesâGAAAAHH!!â
âEeeeek!! S-Somebody save meâŚ!!â
Queenâs underlings canât dodge them. One after another, they fall to the writhing storm of serpents. Some islanders caught in the area get hit too, but heyâcanât be helped. Bullet hells are indiscriminate. If youâre there, youâre part of the show. If you want to survive, dodge. Itâs not impossibleâjust takes skill. If you get hit, thatâs on you. Just like Queen, whoâs back on the ring and in human formâ
âDamn itâŚ! Donât underestimate me!! Iâm Queenâthe singing and dancing machine!! Dodging this kind of stuff is nothing!!â
âWow, amazing! Dodging it on your first try? Youâre seriously impressive~âŞâ
âShut up!! Get your ass down here already!!â
âWhoops!â
Despite that bulky frame, Queenâs dodging every serpent with impressive footwork, twisting and weaving through the chaos. For someone with such a massive hitbox, heâs doing great! True to his image as a funky, danceable brawler. No lies in those lyrics. And now heâs pulling something out from his coatâfiring it at me. Hmm, a poison?
âA poison shot?â
âPoison? Please! This ainât some cheap trick!! Itâs my handcrafted Plague Excite Round!! Stuffed to the brim with engineered viruses! You take a hit from this, youâre not walking away unscathed!!â
âOoh, that sounds fun!! Let me try it out too if we become crewmates!!â
âThatâs why it wonât work!! Get your ass down here already!! This time, Iâm stomping you flat!!â
Queen fires multiple rounds of his Plague Excite Bullets right at me. Hmm⌠I could let one hit me for fun⌠but it looks like heâs heading this way now, so maybe Iâll just finish this alreadyâ
âAh! Thereâs a UFO over there!!â
âDonât give me that crap!! You think Iâm dumb enough to fall for aâwait, whaaaat!? Thereâs really a UFO floating there!?â
ââWell then, Iâm coming down.â
â!? Craââ
âYou should brace your stomach, okay? Huuuup⌠Hyaaa!!â
â!!!â
He got so distracted by the UFO that he let his guard down. I channel Armament Haki into my trident and swing it full force with both hands straight into Queenâs gut. I actually hit him pretty hard.
Queen crashes straight through the ring and stage, slamming into a rock wall about a hundred meters away. Is he down for the count? Meh, either wayâs fine. With the fight over, I rest my spear on my shoulder and look ahead.
ââŚFinally showed up, huh⌠Now then, letâs see what happens.â
âU-Uwaaaaahhh!! Lord Queen!!â
His subordinates scream in panic, probably shocked by what just happened. I decide to watch. See how our crewâs top dog handles this.
Queen was blown away by an insanely powerful attack and slammed into the cliffside.
Just one hit drained his strength and left him barely clinging to life. But stillâ
âGuh⌠huff⌠huff⌠Damn it⌠What insane powerâŚ!! Blowing me away like thatâŚ!!â
Queen stood back up. Holding his gut and coughing blood, but still on his feet. That toughness was pure Queen. Pure strength.
âThat little bratâs dangerous⌠That 300 million bountyâs no joke, huhâŚ? If thatâs what sheâs like, then the captain must beââ
ââYouâre the one they call âQueen,â right?â
â!! âHuh!?â
Thatâs when it happened. Queen saw it. Realized it. Thought he was dead.
The one who spoke appeared out of nowhereâfloating in midair.
âWh-What the hell is that monsterâŚ!?â
âA d-dragonâŚ? No, a ryuuâŚ!?â
âW-Wait, that dragon just talkedâŚ!!â
Yesâjust like his men said with trembling voices and weak knees⌠it was a massive blue dragon.
Bigger than anything. Towering many times over Queenâs already massive frame. It had to be over a hundred meters longâmaybe way more. Impossible to guess its full size.
But⌠just seeing it made you look up and give up on fighting.
The presence, the scaleâit was something else. One glance was enough to know. You couldnât win. There was no point in trying. You wouldnât beat this monster.
It spoke. Queen, shaking, replied.
âY-Yeah, thatâs me⌠and you areâŚ?â
âIâm Kaido. Iâve heard the rumors about a madman named Queen⌠Worororo⌠Iâve come to recruit you.â
âI-I seeâŚâ
The words came out polite without him meaning to. Inside, he was sure it was over. But apparently Kaido had come to make him an offer. Then it clickedâhe remembered.
That girl from earlierâthe one called Nueâwas part of his crew. That monster and this monster lead the same pirate crew⌠Queen couldnât even begin to imagine beating them.
âŚThat brat⌠no, that monster, and this beast⌠lead the same crew⌠Thereâs no way in hell I can winâŚ
Thatâs what he thought as he struggled to decide what to do. If he wanted to survive, the smart move was to say yesâsay heâd join them, at least for now. And the moment Queen saw Kaido, he knew thatâs what he should do. âBut he didnât.
Why? He looked up at that monsterâKaidoâand thought:
ââDonât you dare underestimate meâŚ!!â
"...?"
The monster continued to gaze down on them, just as intimidating as ever. The pressure was crushingâbut even so, Queen spoke up without flinching.
"You think I'm just gonna say âSure, why notâ because you asked me to join you...!? I became a pirate so I could do whatever the hell I wanted! If being your subordinate means giving that up, I'd rather dieâ"
"If it's rampaging you want, I'll let you go wild as much as you please... Aside from orders from me and Nue, you're free to do what you like. What I want are powerful, ruthless pirates worth their salt...!! Not some wannabes playing pretend pirate gamesâreal ones."
"ââAlright!! If youâre going that far, Iâll join!! Looking forward to working with you, Kaido-san!!"
"EHHHHHHHHHH!!? QUEEN-SAMAAAAA!!?"
âJust like that, Queen decided to join. Not because he was scared of Kaido. Really, he wasnât. Okayâtruthfully, yeah, the moment he saw the guy, he instinctively felt this one was bad news. And yeah, he didnât want to be under anyone if he couldnât do whatever he wanted.
But still, he had a gut feelingâif it was under this monster, it might not be so bad. So he spoke his mind, and when Kaido offered him free rein and a high-ranking position, he jumped at the offer. Sure, that insane pressure when he even thought about saying no had been terrifying, but honestly, he was already halfway to yes even before that, so it wasnât like he was lying.
Queen was honest about what he wanted. And besides, he was all about the vibe. The excitement.
...Plus, there was that girl, Nueâher strength. And above that, this monstrous presence that dwarfed everything. It wasnât just fear. Somewhere in there... was a sense of awe. Yeahâârespect.â Thatâs what it was. Thatâs why he joined.
"You sure decided quick. Haha, even I didnât see that coming~"
"Yo, Nue-san! Letâs work well together from now on!!"
"Th-That was so casual!! Q-Queen-sama!? Are you serious!? Thatâs the same person we were fighting a minute ago!!"
"Whatâre you talking about? Iâve been planning to join from the start!!"
"Ehh!? Thatâs so unfair, Queen-sama!! Then weâre joining too!!"
"ââFine. Iâll talk to Kaido-san for you."
"Youâve only been in for like a minute and you already act like an executive!!"
"ââWe donât need small fry."
"AND WEâRE REJECTED!?"
"Come on now, we do need manpower. No reason not to take them in, right?"
"...Youâre right. Then get in. Anyone who doesnâtâdies."
"O-Of course... W-Weâll gladly join!!"
Queenâs subordinates were just as into it as he was. Kaido had reflexively refused them at first, but after Nueâs comment, he reversed course and gave them the okay. Not that they werenât planning to join anywayâbut being told âjoin or dieâ suddenly made it kinda terrifying and even slightly off-putting. Still, dying sucked, so they nodded.
Just as everything was starting to come togetherâsomeone showed up behind Queen and Nue.
"Hmph... I donât trust you."
"Hah!? Who the hell are you to talk like that to an executive like me!?"
"Q-Queen-sama!! I think... no, Iâm sure this guyâs your senior!!"
"You should be the one watching your mouth. Iâm King, an executive of the Beasts Pirates."
"King, huh!? What a smug-sounding name...!!"
"And youâre Queen? I donât know why you call yourself that, and I donât careâbut talk about a name that doesnât live up to itself."
"Hah!? You bastard, Iâll crush you!!"
"Oh yeah!? You wanna go right now...!!?"
King and Queen locked eyes, sparks flying from their words. Just as the tension peaked, Nue, still smiling, stepped between them.
"If youâre gonna fight, me and Kaido will join tooâsound good?"
"ââFine, Iâll let it slide for today."
"Hmph... consider yourself lucky."
The fight was over in an instant. Even these two hotheads knew better than to throw punches in front of dragon-form Kaidoâand especially not with Nue ready to jump in. Queen, in particular, was still heavily injured, barely standing out of sheer willpower. King snorted with a smug smirk, mocking him, and Queen glared back. It was clear: they stopped for now, but the day would come when they'd throw down for real. Watching them, Kaido let out a booming laugh.
"Worororo...!! I like it. Nothing like a little fire in the blood!!"
"Right!? Our crew just got a serious power boost!!"
Hearing Kaidoâs voice, Nue beamed with the same enthusiasm. Seeing that, both King and Queen backed off a little.
"...So, Kaido-san. Whatâs the plan from here?"
âCome to think of it, do you guys have some kind of goal?â
It was a natural question from the two. Despite being named as executives, they were still newcomers to the crew. They had no idea what the Beasts Pirates were aiming for from this point on.
Thatâs why both Kaido and Nue made it clear once again. The goal of the Beasts Pirates wasâ
âTo create the strongest pirate crew in the worldâŚ!!! Thatâs my goalâŚ!!!â
â!â
â!â
âTo put it simply, Kaido wants to become the worldâs strongest, and heâs gonna gather the strongest crew to form the strongest pirate crew there is. Oh, and by the way, my goal is to be the worldâs cutest, scariest, and most mysterious pirate while having tons of funâso nice to meet you!!â
âTo become the strongest.
It was a goal that couldnât be more straightforward. King and Queen, and the subordinates gathered there, all heard it loud and clear. After a brief silence, both King and Queen broke into sinister, fierce grins.
âI see⌠Not a bad goal at allâŚâ
âWahahah!! Sounds like itâs gonna be one hell of an exciting ride!!â
âRight? So do your best!! Iâll give more detailed orders laterâor rather, Iâll leave most of it up to you guysââ
âFirst off, letâs head back to our turf. âAlright, set sail!!! Move out, boys!!!â
âOOOH!!â
With the addition of King and Queenâtwo enormous boosts in powerâthe Beasts Pirates continued to grow steadily as one of the pirate crews sailing the Grand Line.
âBut they still didnât know. Just how towering the walls of this sea⌠the âGrand Lineâ⌠truly were.
âThe âGrand Line.â Somewhere along its vast routeâ
ââŚDad. This articleâŚâ
ââŚThe Beasts Pirates⌠sounds like theyâre making quite the ruckusâŚâ
This pirate had been gathering a âfamilyâ from across the seas, slowly but steadily building up his reputation as a pirate crew.
The massive man leading that crew, reading the article featuring familiar faces, furrowed his brow.
He couldnât help but care. About that pirate crewâno, that pirate. From long ago, sheâd been a person he couldnât quite ignore.
As a pirate, she embodied everything he hated. That much had always been clear.
And yet, the fact that she was a young girlâand the way she would approach him like an ordinary girlâmade it impossible for him to fully dislike her.
But that was only because they used to be comrades. He cared about his crewmates. He could never bring himself to completely hate one of his own.
But now, they were no longer crewmates. Still⌠that didnât make things any simpler.
âWhat should we do?â
ââŚNothinâ. If we run into âem as pirates, thereâll probably be a fight.â
He brushed off the question from his âfamily.â He wasnât going to do anything special. No different than with any other pirate.
So maybe if they met, theyâd just talk. Or share a drink together⌠Thatâs how it could go. ButâŚ
That wasnât going to happenâhe, Whitebeard, could tell. Knowing those guys, thereâs no way it wouldnât end in a fight.
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