NOVEL WEB Chapter 19: Chapter 18
As the Krieg Pirate fleet drew closer, the once-noisy sea fell instantly silent.
Shock rippled through the onlookers, who watched the approaching armada in stunned quiet. Even seasoned pirates couldn't help but marvel inwardly... 'So this is the former Overlord of the East Blue! The Krieg Pirates.'
Don Krieg, the former Overlord, carried a bounty of 17 Million Berries.
They had initially thought Captain Mock's staggering 50,000,000 Berri bounty made the former Overlord of the East Blue seem like a joke.
But seeing them now... it was clear the Krieg Pirates were still a force to be reckoned with.
Fifty pirate ships led by a massive triple-decker galleon... the sheer scale of the fleet was enough to stun everyone present.
Many suspected Krieg's fleet alone possessed the strength to dominate all the pirates in the East Blue.
The Mock Pirates, on the other hand... while their captain boasted a high bounty, they only had a single ship.
Dante, standing off to the side, narrowed his eyes as he watched the Krieg fleet approach. He knew Don Krieg's story well. The man would later lead this very fleet of fifty ships into the Grand Line, only to be annihilated within seven days by a passing Dracule "Hawk Eyes" Mihawk, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. His entire fortune, squandered in a week.
'A spendthrift from the East Blue!' Dante sighed inwardly, his eyes narrowing slightly as he surveyed the fifty ships and five thousand crew members.
At that moment, the notable pirates already aboard Mock's ship stared intently at the former Overlord. Some wore solemn expressions, others sported sneers. They'd expected a straightforward celebration for the Mock Pirates, but this... this was getting interesting.
The Mock Pirates...
The Krieg Pirates...
Would these two crews clash before Mock even challenged the Marines? As prominent pirates of the East Blue, none of them believed Krieg had brought such a massive fleet merely to support Mock.
Just as the tension aboard the ship grew palpable...
Suddenly...
"Captain Mock's coming out!" a surprised shout erupted from the deck.
"It's Captain Mock! The new Overlord of the East Blue! The 50,000,000 Berri man!"
Instantly, all eyes snapped away from the Krieg fleet, focusing instead on a burly figure emerging from the cabin of the Mock Pirates' ship.
He was a bald, powerful man. Bare-chested, revealing impressive muscles, he wore a magnificent golden lion's mane cloak. The plush, light-yellow mane seemed to shimmer faintly in the sun, draped around his neck like royalty.
His presence alone commanded immediate attention. His imposing figure left everyone thinking... 'Truly the highest bounty in the East Blue, the new Overlord, Captain Mock.'
But that wasn't all.
Then, people looked up. Flanking Captain Mock, who stood with arms crossed, eyes bright and fixed forward, were two large banners held aloft by his crew. Another flew above him.
Left: Master of My Own Tides.
Right: Challenge Me And Drown.
Above: Overlord of the East Blue.
Reading the bold declarations, the crowd gasped. The sheer arrogance!
'No wonder Marine Headquarters slapped such an unbelievable bounty on him before he even left the East Blue,' they thought. 'With that kind of attitude... he's bound to shake things up.'
Even Kuro, the former captain of the Black Cat Pirates, who'd been watching with disdain, narrowed his eyes at Mock's appearance.
'Too arrogant!' He'd assumed Mock was just some lucky fool who'd stumbled into offending Marine HQ, earning him that outrageous 50,000,000 Berri bounty. After all, this was the East Blue. What could someone possibly do here to warrant that? Destroying a Marine base wouldn't even cut it!
But now...
"Looks like we might have been wrong," Jango, the Wandering Dancer, murmured, narrowing his eyes at the imposing figure. "The East Blue might just be producing a major player."
"This is interesting," Kuro replied, snapping back to attention, "The Marines certainly seem to have their hands full this time!"
After they spoke, Mock gave the 'King's Cloak', specially commissioned by the Boss for this event to project his Overlord aura, a deliberate flick. Swish. He had to admit, combined with the banners his crew held, it looked impressive.
'Just like the Boss planned,' Mock thought with satisfaction, glancing subtly at the pirates lining the rails. 'Looks like they're all intimidated!'
Of course, he hadn't forgotten his mission. Nami had specifically instructed him earlier: a 'big client' was coming, and he absolutely had to keep them here and bring them along for the attack on the Marine 16th Branch. The alternative? She'd capture him and cash in his bounty.
The threat worked. Mock was taking this seriously, even remembering the Boss's key advice for important occasions: don't talk much, don't laugh, just strike a pose. He wasn't entirely sure what 'strike a pose' meant, but he was determined to follow the Boss's orders.
With another swish of his cloak, Mock stopped scanning the crowd and walked towards the ship's railing, expression blank. Time to receive his guest.
Reaching the railing, his eyes immediately fell upon Admiral Krieg, standing on the deck of his own flagship opposite them. The Dreadnaught Sabre, Krieg's personal vessel, was a triple-decker galleon, significantly larger and taller than Mock's ship.
'Ah,' Mock thought, finally understanding Nami's urgency. 'This is indeed a big client!' That ship looked expensive, even Mock felt a pang of envy. His own vessel, the one the Boss had left him, was decent quality but only medium-sized, dwarfed by the Dreadnaught Sabre.
Of course, he couldn't lose his composure!
'Still,' he reminded himself, 'can't lose composure now!' Mock lifted his chin, crossed his arms, and stared impassively up at Admiral Krieg, who stood on the higher deck clad in golden armor. Mock narrowed his eyes, trying to project strength.
From his higher vantage point, Captain Krieg looked down at Mock. He'd seen the bounty poster, of course, Mock had looked like a simpleton in the photo. But seeing him now...
'Have to admit,' Krieg thought, 'even for a former Overlord like me...'
'...he carries himself like the one who stole my title,' Krieg conceded internally. 'Maybe bounty doesn't always equal strength, but truly strong pirates always have high bounties.'
Krieg admitted to himself that he'd underestimated Mock. He'd intended to intimidate the newcomer, but between the bounty and this display... the man stood unfazed before his entire armada. Facing fifty ships with such calm... that suggested absolute confidence in his own strength.
And those banners behind him... especially the one proclaiming 'Overlord of the East Blue!' It grated on Krieg, a blatant declaration to everyone present.
'Such arrogance! Such nerve!' Even Krieg, in his prime as Overlord, hadn't dared such open defiance. 'Only someone confident in their power would act like this. Is he looking down on the Marines too?'
"So, you're the new 'Overlord of the East Blue', Mock," Krieg finally said, his voice carrying across the water.
But Mock remained silent, his expression unchanging, maintaining his steady gaze.
Seeing this apparent dismissal, Krieg's hands clenched into fists. 'Is he looking down on me?' The thought sent a chill through him, his face hardening as he stared coldly at Mock.
But Krieg didn't know Mock wasn't intentionally ignoring him. The simple captain was preoccupied, mentally scrambling to figure out how to fulfill the Boss's mission. 'How do I rope this big fish in without looking weak?' he agonized inwardly. 'Can't just invite him outright! What do I say so I don't lose respect?' He hadn't even registered Krieg's words, too busy admiring the Dreadnaught Sabre and Krieg's armor.
Lost in thought, Mock let out a barely audible, frustrated sigh, just as he was about to try and speak...
...Hearing the sigh, Krieg took it as the ultimate sign of contempt. A vein pulsed on his forehead. "Are you mocking me? Looking down on me?!" he roared.
The sudden outburst snapped Mock out of his thoughts. 'What?' He looked up at Krieg, utterly bewildered. 'Did I say something? Look down on him? What's his problem now? Damn it, what if he gets mad and leaves because he thinks I'm disrespecting him?' Panic seized him.
His heart tightened. He opened his mouth to say something, anything, but before a word could escape...
"Bounties mean nothing!" Krieg spat, his face a mask of fury. He drew himself up to his full height, mimicking Mock's crossed-arm stance, leveraging his higher position to glare down. "A mere Marine branch? I can destroy that myself!"
Without waiting for a response, Krieg abruptly waved his hand, bellowing at his crew behind him. "Turn the fleet around! Set course for the Marine 16th Branch! My Krieg Pirate Armada will obliterate it with ease!"
His eyes locked onto Mock again. "I'll show you the consequences of looking down on Don Krieg! After I destroy that Marine base, I'll make sure you and everyone else knows who the true Overlord of the East Blue is!"
While Mock stood dumbfounded and the other pirates watched in stunned silence, the massive Krieg Pirate fleet began turning, setting course for the Marine 16th Branch.
'Look down on him?' Mock thought, still utterly baffled. 'I didn't even say anything!'
But now... watching the fleet sail away towards the target...
'...' A thought struck Mock. 'Does... does this count as completing the mission?'
He instinctively struck a pose, then quickly thrust out a hand, shouting belatedly, "Wait a minute!"
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