Every training item Kaito Arisawa had established carried necessity and purpose.
Since setting sail, he had followed his plan with strict discipline, training relentlessly each day.
The War Pirates did not wander aimlessly across the sea.
On the second day after departing Rumtown, the faint outline of an island appeared ahead of the fleet.
This island was their first destination.
Since the beginning of the Great Pirate Era, pirate numbers had surged dramatically. Wherever there were people, pirate ships were never far away.
But different places handled pirates differently.
Some rejected them.
Others welcomed them.
Rejection required no explanation.
Welcome, however, stemmed from something simple—
Spending power.
Pirates were not creatures who only took and never gave.
After looting, they spent freely.
Money came quickly, and with one foot often already in the grave, few pirates were frugal. When they had money, they indulged recklessly.
That consumption brought prosperity.
Of course, such "welcome" only existed where there was sufficient armed force to deter plunder.
The island ahead was exactly such a place.
At its heart stood a prosperous city named Lovisa.
Beneath its prosperity lay strength.
Lovisa possessed not only the kingdom's official security force but also a Marine branch base permanently stationed there with three thousand soldiers.
Three thousand Marines did not merely represent numbers.
They were trained regular troops.
In West Blue, such a presence was enough to deter most pirate crews.
And that was only the visible power.
In the shadows, another force ruled.
The underworld.
The gang controlling Lovisa's underground operations was known as the Iron Fist.
The name itself might sound unremarkable.
But its strength was not.
Excluding peripheral affiliates, the Iron Fist had eight thousand official members.
In raw numbers, that was nearly three times the Marine detachment stationed in the city.
In West Blue's underworld, they were a first-class organization.
When the island loomed closer, Kaito stepped out onto the deck of the flagship, halting his training session early.
Dressed in his black uniform trimmed in gold, twin blades resting at his waist, he stared at Lovisa as it drew near.
Given the sailing distance, Lovisa lay close to the former territory of the Sword Gang.
Where gang territories bordered, conflict was inevitable.
Even though Kaito had never been particularly interested in expanding territory before turning pirate, others had not been so indifferent.
The Iron Fist had long eyed his lands.
Among all rival gangs Kaito had faced in the past, Iron Fist stood at the forefront.
Had it not been for his rigorous training of his men—and the support of his two strongest subordinates, Mangu and Robin—the Sword Gang might already have been swallowed.
That was then.
Now, Lovisa was their first port of call for two reasons.
One—
To openly reveal the War Pirates' presence, ensuring that news of their whereabouts would spread and draw attention away from Rumtown.
Two—
To settle matters with an old enemy.
Kaito had already mapped out the future path of the War Pirates.
He did not intend to follow an elite-only model like the Roger Pirates.
Instead, he would pursue a traditional pirate structure—
Both quality and quantity.
High-end combatants were rare and difficult to cultivate.
Grassroots forces, however, could be expanded.
His intention regarding the Iron Fist was simple.
Incorporation.
The fleet approached Lovisa's port.
With its formidable defenses, the city did not fear pirate arrivals—especially not a previously unknown crew like the War Pirates.
When the fleet docked, a few curious glances were cast their way.
Then life continued as usual.
At least at first.
Thick planks were extended from each of the four ships onto the dock.
Men began to disembark in orderly fashion.
Even after leaving some personnel aboard to guard the vessels, roughly a thousand War Pirates stepped onto the port.
That changed the atmosphere.
The locals were accustomed to pirate ships docking.
But this—
This was different.
The War Pirates descended in disciplined formation.
Uniform attire.
Rifles and blades in hand.
Solemn expressions.
Their movements resembled soldiers more than common pirates.
"Which crew is this? Why do they look like Marines?"
"I've never seen that skull emblem before…"
"That's a lot of people. Are they here to cause trouble? Should we inform the Marines?"
Murmurs spread across the dock.
People swallowed nervously.
Some quietly retreated.
Others hurried off with uneasy expressions.
The military bearing of the War Pirates created a palpable pressure.
Kaito descended from the flagship, Robin and Mangu flanking him on either side.
His presence was commanding.
Even without speaking, attention gravitated toward him.
Before he reached the dock, his men had already moved ahead, clearing a direct path through the port with swift, disciplined efficiency.
The crowd parted instinctively.
Ahead lay Lovisa.
Behind him marched a thousand armed pirates.
And at the center of it all—
Kaito Arisawa walked forward.
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