Since it was already late, the Going Merry was anchored right next to the Napo.
The difference in size between the two vessels was staggering; from a distance, the Merry looked like a tiny chick huddled beside a giant white hen.
Cloaked by the dim cover of night, seven pirate ships—each about half the size of the Napo—were rapidly approaching. They advanced aggressively, carrying not a shred of goodwill. Judging by the twin flags flying from their masts, these were likely the "Registered Pirates" Shuraiya had mentioned.
The bright moonlight was obscured by dark clouds drifting in from afar. In the dense shroud of darkness, the tension grew thicker with every passing second as the seven pirate ships drew closer.
"Isn't the armament on those pirate ships a bit ridiculous?"
Standing on the deck with her spyglass raised, Nami looked at the menacing cannons lined up on the prows of the pirate ships. The orange-haired navigator subconsciously shuddered.
She suddenly felt that the Merry, a small, old-fashioned caravel, would be at a severe disadvantage in the voyages to come.
"Don't forget, the one thing the Oswald Family has no shortage of is weapons."
Robin set down her coffee cup and explained with a calm expression, "I remember a saying back in Hannabal: as long as you give the Penguin more Berries, you can become stronger!"
"Tch, these guys sure picked a perfect time to show up."
Zoro, looking thoroughly annoyed as he held his Wado Ichimonji—which was only half-coated in sword oil—curled his lip. He sheathed the blade, untied the green bandana from his arm, and tied it securely around his head.
"Hey, perverted cook, want to place a wager on who takes down more enemies in a bit?"
"Hmph, as if I'd be scared of you, idiot moss-head." Washing the last dish, Sanji wiped his hands clean, lit a cigarette, and followed Zoro out of the cabin.
"Zoro! Sanji! Captain Usopp will provide long-range support from the far rear!" a certain long-nosed sniper hiding behind the mast shouted loudly, causing Nami to shake her head in exasperation.
On the other side, the crew members aboard the Napo cried out in terror after recognizing the incoming pirates' flag.
"It's the Ursa Pirates!"
"Damn it, how did we run into that lunatic? Word is he's one of the few brutal pirates who leaves absolutely no survivors!"
Although most Registered Pirates adhered to the rules set by the Penguin, pirates were pirates after all; there would always be a few rogue wildcards, and the Ursa Pirates were supposedly one of them.
Listening to the wails of the Canary Trading Company crew around him, Luffy picked his nose and glanced in confusion at the brown-haired youth currently selecting a weapon.
"Is that guy named Urgar strong?"
"It's Ursa. 'White Bear' Ursa," Shuraiya corrected with a roll of his eyes. "That guy is a Zoan Devil Fruit user, and he's considered one of the top powerhouses among the Registered Pirates."
"Even though his bounty is lower than yours at only 60 million Berries, that's purely because bounties don't increase within the Penguin's territory. You absolutely mustn't take him lightly."
—Chuanying Jing!
Activating his Devil Fruit ability, scenes of the distance immediately materialized within Sherlock's mind.
Standing at the prow of the Ursa Pirates' flagship was a round, rotund figure cloaked in a snow-white fur mantle, making him highly conspicuous in the dark night. A massive scar ran across his right eye, which combined with his already ferocious countenance, made him look incredibly menacing and hideous.
Honestly, with a face like that, the guy could forget about ever playing a good guy in his life.
(White bear... Could it be that he ate the Bear-Bear Fruit, Polar Bear Model?) Sherlock suddenly recalled Duncan, the former president of the Kohler Trading Company back in the East Blue. That dead fatty had eaten the Bear-Bear Fruit, Black Bear Model. Heh, if nothing else, the difference in size between the two of them really wasn't that big.
Just as a certain bespectacled man lost himself in reminiscence, the opposing pirate captain spoke up.
"Madame Emily, where are you? Your 'old friend' has come to visit! Ee-hee-hee-hee..."
Holding a megaphone, Ursa grinned savagely and bellowed toward the white merchant ship ahead, "Don't be so cold! After all, we both came to the Grand Line all the way from the North Blue, didn't we?"
"Hiss—what a disgusting voice!" Nami shuddered, goosebumps breaking out all over her body just from listening to that grating tone.
"Meow~~" Bestie whimpered softly, seemingly in total agreement with Nami.
Inside the Napo's captain's quarters.
"The North Blue? Napo, is your hometown in the North Blue?" Chopper asked, turning to Napo.
"That's right." Looking at the still-unconscious Madame Emily, Napo gave a heavy nod. "Not long after I was born, my mother led the Canary Trading Company here to Hannabal."
The young boy clenched his fists tightly. After hesitating for a moment, he gnashed his teeth, turned around, and rushed out.
"Young Master Napo! Don't do anything foolish!" the old ship doctor cried out in alarm.
"Napo!" Chopper hastily gave chase.
On the other side, seeing that no one had responded to him for so long, Ursa's expression instantly turned sour.
"Fine, I won't waste any more breath, Emily. If you know what's good for you, hand over all your cargo right now! Don't try to play dumb with me—I've known the true purpose of your voyage all along!"
(True purpose?) x N
Nami, Sanji, and the others, along with most of the Napo's crew—including Shuraiya—were utterly bewildered. Only a handful of high-ranking executives from the Canary Trading Company underwent a drastic change in expression upon hearing this, while Sherlock wore a look that said, Just as I thought.
"Don't think you can bind me with the rules laid down by the Oswald Family, because I already plan on leaving these waters. However..."
Ursa suddenly flashed a thoroughly wretched smile. "If you agree to my previous marriage proposal right now, I can guarantee that I won't harm that precious son of yours."
"Otherwise, I bet a gorgeous female slave like you and a cute little boy like your son would be incredibly popular in Hannabal's [Talent Market]! Ee-hee-hee-hee..."
"Ahahahahaha!" x N. The lackeys of the Ursa Pirates instantly erupted into a chorus of piercing laughter.
"Scumbags!" Standing at the prow of the Merry, Zoro's face was dark as still water. In his heart, he had already handed down a death sentence to these rampant pirates.
He instinctively turned his head, only to find to his utter shock that a certain love-struck cook was actually burning with near-tangible, raging flames!
"Hey! Are you okay, Curly-brow?" The green-haired swordsman's lip twitched slightly.
"I'm fine. I'm perfectly fine!" Gritting his teeth in a burning rage, Sanji took a massive drag of his cigarette; the tobacco, which was less than a third of the way burnt, instantly turned to ash.
"I just suddenly felt like trying my hand at making a whole roasted bear!"
"Those bastards!" Hearing their own president subjected to such insults, several sailors cursed furiously in indignation.
The bear-man's words had thoroughly ignited the fury in the hearts of all the sailors aboard the Napo, but when they remembered the immense gap in strength between the two sides, their blood ran cold.
In the end, everyone turned their hopeful gazes toward the Straw Hat Pirates.
"The 'Talent Market' he mentioned must refer to a slave market," Sherlock said calmly, gently nudging up his glasses. "Hasn't the World Government strictly forbidden that? How is human trafficking still operating in Hannabal?"
Shuraiya hesitated for a moment before giving a heavy nod. "Yes. Though it's hard to admit, the Oswald Family has always been running that kind of dark, underhanded business over there."
"How disgusting... I'm liking this island less and less, and I really hate that 'Penguin'."
The usual goofy, grinning expression on Luffy's face was completely gone, replaced by a seriousness that made him look like an entirely different person.
"Sherlock."
"Yeah? What is it?"
"Can you get me over to that ship?" A cool night breeze swept past, rustling their airheaded captain's sharp black hair. He pressed down on the straw hat atop his head; beneath its brim, a pair of bright, piercing eyes pierced through the endless night, locking dead onto the flagship where Ursa stood.
"I'm gonna send that bastard Ugil flying!"
Sherlock chuckled softly. "Just make sure to leave him with a breath of life. I still have a few questions to ask him."
"Cough, cough... His name is Ursa..." Shuraiya weakly corrected from the side.
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