one piece: gene extraction and fusion system-Chapter 201: Followers and Contenders
Chapter 201 - 201: Followers and Contenders
Night gradually fell.
But the island remained lively.
Some pirates had even begun conducting private transactions.
On the Black Glory, Mio and Hei Yan were sitting cross-legged on the deck, drinking and chatting.
But at that moment, on the flagpole, Hei Er, who had been curled up in his newly built nest to rest, suddenly opened his eyes and stared off in one direction. His deep, glowing gaze exuded a faint light, like the breath of death itself.
Mio raised his hand and held up the wine bottle, then turned his head toward the same direction, speaking lightly. "Come out."
"Hehe, as expected of Lord Black Crow. I can't hide from you at all." A strange laugh echoed, and a figure emerged from the shadows with a smile. The man slowly approached Mio and stopped about a meter in front of him.
Robin looked at the newcomer and spoke slowly. "A bounty of 270 million—Araki the murderer."
"What do you want?" Mio asked calmly as he raised the bottle and took a sip, lowering his head to continue eating the barbecue.
Hei Yan and the others remained seated, unmoving.
Araki grinned. "I thought I'd take this chance to see if Lord Black Crow is truly someone I should follow."
The moment he finished speaking—
Araki's pupils contracted. Without hesitation, he clenched his right fist, coated it in Armament Haki, and punched behind him.
But midway through the strike, his arm halted in place, frozen in the air.
Behind him stood Erica, her katana unsheathed. The tip of the blade hovered just at Araki's neck, gleaming with cold light. One small thrust would pierce him cleanly.
"What about now?" Mio asked in a flat tone.
"Hehe..." Cold sweat streamed down Araki's face, yet he still smiled. "That's enough."
"I see..."
Clank!
Mio placed the bottle heavily on the deck, then looked up at Araki and said lightly, "But not just anyone can fly the flag of the Black Crow. If you want to kill in the sea using my name, you'll need the strength to match."
"You can test me," Araki grinned. "Even if I'm not the strongest in the New World, I'm far from weak. I can still handle most situations."
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"Hmm." Mio smiled, then raised his hand and pointed to the coastline. "Come see me tomorrow. Bring five heads with bounties over 100 million. Let me see your strength."
"In that case..." Araki stepped back slightly, placing his right hand over his chest and bowing with a twisted grin. "See you tomorrow, Lord Black Crow!"
With that, he turned and left, his figure quickly disappearing into the darkness.
"Captain, it seems more and more people want to follow us," Robin said, watching him go.
Lilith rested her chin on her hand and added, as if it were obvious, "Of course. You're famous, sir. There are those who want to make a name by stepping over us, and those who want to rise by standing beside us."
"That's right." Mio nodded. "Some people want to see the strength of the Black Crows before deciding. But not everyone can bear the name 'Black Crow' and kill under it."
"I don't look kindly on the weak."
Just as Mio finished speaking—
Figures silently appeared on the deck.
It was the Black Shadow Corps.
The leader of the Corps respectfully stepped forward and presented a stack of bounty posters, bowing his head as he awaited orders.
"These guys... they don't know their place?" Mio said, taking the posters and flipping through them with a faintly amused, disdainful smile.
The members of the Black Shadow Corps nodded silently.
"All right. You can go." Mio waved his hand.
The pile of posters was significant—more than a dozen names. That meant over a dozen pirate crews had their eyes on the Black Crows.
Hei Yan glanced at Mio, his eyes sharp and his voice low. "Sir, shall I take care of them?"
"No," Mio said, shaking his head and placing the bounty stack in front of him with a calm smile. "Let's wait for tomorrow. Someone else will take care of it."
"They're followers?" Erica asked.
"Yes." Mio nodded. Only a few of them truly mattered.
Especially Boken.
...
Time passed unnoticed, and the second day arrived.
As dawn broke, the island became even more lively. More pirates poured inland, flooding the central areas until they nearly formed a makeshift town.
Stalls selling various goods popped up everywhere—most items could only be found on the black market.
Many of the stalls were even selling slaves.
At that moment—
A pirate ship slowly sailed into view from the horizon.
A black pirate flag fluttered at its mast, drawing the attention of nearby pirates.
"That's... the Boken Pirates?"
"He really came."
"This is gonna be good. I heard Boken plans to take over the Black Crow Pirates. Since the Black Crow is already here, well..."
Many pirates were excited, eager to see what would happen between Boken and the Black Crow Pirates.
On the ship stood a burly man staring toward the island ahead. He radiated power and confidence.
"Boss, word is the Black Crow is already here," one of the men behind him reported with a smile.
That man was none other than Boken.
His bounty was a staggering 2 billion.
It was one of the main reasons he was considered a contender for the pirate throne.
"In that case, go invite the Black Crow," Boken ordered in a deep voice. "Also, once we land, get everything we need as fast as possible, then we leave. That lunatic Charlotte has been causing us trouble. I won't let her off."
"Boss, there was a rumor that Charlotte clashed with Kizaru near Cake Island recently. Should we try to find her and see if she's injured?" a sharp-eyed subordinate suggested.
"If she's wounded, maybe we could..."
"Hmph. Killing that woman isn't so easy." Boken scoffed, shaking his head. "Unless you've got what it takes to kill Kaido, don't even dream of it."
"Then what should we do?" the subordinate asked with a frown.
