Whoosh!
The instant Red finished speaking, a bolt of white lightning suddenly shot up from behind him and soared straight into the sky toward Kaido in the distance.
"Gum-Gum White Pistol!!!"
Boom!!!
Before the man arrived, his voice came first!
It was clearly the simplest, most unadorned strike imaginable, yet wrapped in terrifying Conqueror's Haki, a sheet of black lightning suddenly burst across the sky. Like a living dragon, it coiled around a gigantic fist as it smashed toward Kaido's body.
"Guh!"
Completely unaware of Luffy's movement, Kaido was struck head-on in an instant. His long body caved inward from the blow, and his eyes popped out of their sockets in a bizarre display that perfectly testified to the sheer power behind that punch.
Then, amid Luffy's loud laughter, the two of them were belatedly carried away by inertia, their bodies shooting off like bullets as they slammed toward a distant mountain peak.
In the blink of an eye, all four members of the Beasts Pirates had been completely subdued by the Straw Hat crew.
Even though Queen and Caesar on the deck still had some strength left to fight, under the watchful gaze of the legendary pirate Redfield and the former Seven Warlords of the Sea member, First Son of the Sea Jinbe, the two ultimately gave up struggling.
In truth, even Redfield, who had only just joined the Straw Hat Pirates, had been shocked by the crew's thunderous methods.
Nami, who could summon rain beneath a clear sky, and Brook, who could unleash abyssal ice, were one thing...
But just the combat power Sanji and Zoro had displayed was enough to leave him stunned for a lifetime!
Because he actually wasn't confident he could retreat unscathed under attacks from those two!
And with the mysterious, all-capable vice-captain Red, plus their captain Luffy whose strength seemed to have no visible limit...
"I really did join one hell of a pirate crew..."
Redfield sighed inwardly, a slight smile rising at the corner of his lips.
Who said he didn't want to join a pirate crew?
...
...
"So this was all Kaido's doing!?"
Within the pirate formation below.
Several strong fighters who had not yet been completely defeated by illness heard every word Red had deliberately amplified.
In an instant, they finally understood why they had ended up in such a state.
But even if they knew, what could they do!?
The overwhelming pain and weakness were continuously crushing their resolve.
Death was drawing closer and closer to them with every passing moment.
Whether it was an illusion or not, it seemed that in their blurred vision, they could already see a beam of light, along with a gigantic Grim Reaper brandishing a scythe.
It felt as though even if they died in the very next second, that would be perfectly normal.
Yet just as despair consumed them, a figure carrying a long blade suddenly appeared before them.
"Everyone, do not act rashly. Your lives have not yet reached their end!"
"Those who have already been treated, immediately check whether there are any critically endangered people around you."
"If you find any, raise your hand at once!"
A voice brimming with authority, accompanied by an aura of righteous dignity, spread throughout the entire pirate formation.
"Treated!? What treatment!?"
Some pirates who had not yet been driven fully into despair froze in confusion, then quickly looked toward the source of the voice.
And then they saw that Mihawk, who had suddenly disappeared yesterday, had somehow reappeared and was now standing atop the highest point of a ruined mound, looking down at them from above.
Mihawk!?
The former world's greatest swordsman!?
Why was he here!?
The pirates were all baffled.
Many of them had even assumed that after his defeat, Mihawk had been executed on the spot by the Straw Hat crew.
Just as they were feeling lost, a massive swarm of bugs suddenly appeared behind Mihawk.
A rough count put them in the hundreds.
Each one varied in size, yet all of them were brilliantly beautiful, covered in vivid, dazzling colors.
But everyone knew that in nature, vivid beauty often concealed unbearable poison.
And among insects, that principle was even more applicable.
The more vivid and beautiful the insect, the deadlier the toxin it carried.
So when Mihawk suddenly summoned so many poisonous insects, all the pirates present were terrified.
This guy isn't planning to deny us even our final moments, is he!?
One after another, the pirates panicked.
But when those insects landed in front of them, they discovered that they were wrong.
And not just wrong—
They were completely, utterly wrong!!!
One by one, the flying insects descended into the crowd, each choosing a suitable target before releasing a strange wave of light.
Under the glow of that wave, the pirates who had been tormented by disease felt their pain begin to ease immediately!
Though their stamina might still be far from their peak condition, they could at least clearly feel one thing...
Their lives had returned!
"H-How is this possible!?"
Cavendish stared blankly as a beautiful butterfly absorbed all the sickness from his body, then rushed off without pause toward the pirate beside him...
His entire mind went blank.
At that moment, Mihawk's voice entered his ears once again.
"Since you're already healed, why are you still standing there like an idiot!?"
"Check around and see if there's anyone seriously injured. Call the poisonous insects over and have them treat them as quickly as possible."
"Ah... y-yes, sir!"
Though he still hadn't figured out what was going on, under Mihawk's stern rebuke, Cavendish hurriedly stood up and began acting according to his instructions.
And the pirates who had already been treated and could still move on their own also quickly got to their feet and started searching for severely wounded people nearby.
What puzzled them, though, was why Mihawk was saving them.
And those insects that could detoxify and dispel illness...
At the mention of insects, the first person they naturally thought of was the Straw Hat Pirates' King of Insects—Usopp!
But now these powerful insects were obeying Mihawk's orders, and they had never once heard of Mihawk possessing any kind of insect-controlling ability...
In an instant, a bold idea surfaced in their minds.
Could it be that Mihawk, this upright and dignified man, had also joined the Straw Hat crew!?
Hiss~!
Then the Straw Hat Pirates' strength was just too terrifying, wasn't it!?
Looks like joining the Straw Hat crew really was something that had to be done as early as possible!
If you showed up too late, even your peers in competition would already be at Mihawk's level!
How could that be acceptable!?
Mihawk's appearance successfully stirred the thoughts of the pirates present.
Even those who had originally only wanted to use the Straw Hat Pirates' power to escape this place began to change their minds under the combined influence of life-saving grace and Mihawk's choice.
And seeing all of the expressions on these pirates' faces, Mihawk could not help but sigh inwardly.
No wonder when he said he wanted to repay his debt for being saved, the Straw Hat crew had asked for nothing and only requested that he help escort these pirates safely to the Pokémon seas.
At the time, Mihawk had found that request somewhat strange. After all, given the Straw Hat Pirates' combat power, when would they ever need him to escort anyone?
But now, he finally understood...
So the Straw Hat Pirates had been using him as a "role model" for this group of pirates!?
"They really do manipulate the human heart to the absolute extreme..."
Mihawk murmured softly.
Looking across the pirate world, most were either idiots who bulldozed through everything with brute force, or thugs who crushed an era under naked might...
Those who possessed strength and were also willing to scheme were exceedingly rare.
Yet every one of them left behind achievements worthy of being recorded in history.
For example, the former Marine Fleet Admiral Sengoku, known as the "Strategist." During his tenure, he not only cultivated three Admirals for the Marines, but also countless elite Marine powerhouses.
Under his leadership, the people's trust in the Marines rose steadily, surpassing that of any other Marine Fleet Admiral in nearly the past hundred years.
And besides Sengoku, the second person Mihawk could think of who played with people's hearts...
Was the Pirate King Roger, who had already been publicly executed!!!
With just a few words before his execution, he opened an entirely new era!
Roger clearly understood what people desired, and he also clearly understood what this sea needed.
"So then... what kind of role will you all play in history?"
Mihawk looked toward the horizon, where Luffy had already engaged Kaido in battle and was thoroughly overpowering him, and could not help but grow curious.
Of course, he knew that many of the Straw Hat crew's plans came from the mouth of Vice-Captain Red.
But for a being like Red to willingly assist someone in claiming the throne...
There was no way Mihawk would ever believe from the bottom of his heart that Luffy was just some fool who only knew how to use force!
To gather so many powerful figures together and have them strive toward a single goal...
The true depth of Straw Hat Luffy's charisma was utterly immeasurable!
And that was the real face of the Straw Hat Pirates as they existed now.
On the surface, it seemed as though Red was coordinating everything, looking more like the captain than Luffy himself.
But without Luffy's existence, the Straw Hat Pirates could never have possessed such terrifying cohesion.
So some people were simply born to be kings!
(End of Chapter)