One Piece: Wielder of the Void

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Anos's sudden fainting caused everyone on the ship to panic, and Suzu froze in place, too scared to move.

The two sides had only been fighting for a short time, but Anos had already been seriously injured.

Others began to sigh, acknowledging the strength of Camolong's forces as truly formidable.

When Anos regained consciousness, he was almost fully recovered. After all, no matter the situation, he would only ever be severely injured never fatally. Because of…

Anos slowly opened his eyes, gazing at the clear blue sky and the white clouds above, as well as the massive ships sailing with the wind over the sea.

"I was careless…" he muttered to himself.

He remained lying down, his thoughts suddenly racing.

Indeed, this time, he had been careless. Such a simple situation had left him covered in scars, all in the name of gaining experience.

But after this incident, Anos realized one thing: next time, if he has the money, he'll buy himself combat experience.

At least then, he wouldn't be caught off guard but the problem is it's very expensive to buy anything useful for his combat style. He needs at least 1 Billion Beris to increase his strength in a short time.

This might happen again, or perhaps other unforeseen circumstances would arise due to his carelessness.

For now, the real issue is that he has no funds, and the tens of millions of Beris left on the ship are useless to the system except for purchasing some food.

"Your Majesty, you're finally awake…" Suzu, who had been sitting next to Anos's reclining chair, whispered as she cried.

Since Anos had fainted, Suzu had stayed by his side almost constantly, afraid to even blink for fear that something might happen to her King.

She knew that if anything did happen, she would not be allowed to return to the kingdom. She'd be torn to pieces before that happened.

"What's wrong? How long have I been unconscious?" Anos asked with a faint smile.

"Your Majesty, you've been asleep for two days this time. Suzu was scared to death!"

Seeing Suzu crying, Anos smiled gently and comforted her. "Don't worry, I'm fine."

"Fine? After you passed out, your entire body started turning green. Even the ship's doctor thought you were beyond saving!" Suzu wailed, her tears falling even more freely.

The other guards standing behind her looked equally grim, their faces filled with guilt and concern for their King.

"I'm fine, don't worry," Anos reassured them as he sat up. He glanced around and asked Suzu, "Where are we now?"

"Ah? Let me ask!" Suzu quickly ran off toward Barlow.

Watching her dash off, Anos closed his eyes in exasperation. He couldn't believe he had entrusted such an important responsibility to someone like her in the first place.

Suzu returned after asking Barlow and reported, "Your Majesty, we are nearing Loguetown now!"

"Good, I understand."

At that moment, Anos began to wonder why Camolong had allowed them to pass. Why would such a powerful individual remain in East Blue or is he here for something like treasure?

When the crew saw that Anos had woken up, the former members of the Barlow Pirates began to act freely, celebrating wildly alongside the guards loyal to Anos. They drank and shouted, enjoying their brief freedom.

Even though they weren't pirates, Anos didn't stop them. After all, it was a good way to alleviate the boredom of life aboard the ship.

The only serious person onboard was Barlow, the ship's navigator, who was responsible for guiding the ship's course.

While the ship could sail with the wind, even a minor miscalculation could result in a vast deviation from their destination.

The real challenge was that there was no clear navigation, and missing their mark could mean ending up somewhere completely unexpected.

Nearly two hours later, Suzu called from the deck, "We're here!"

Anos, still lying on his chair, opened his eyes slightly. The island ahead came into view.

Those who had been drinking quickly sobered up. After seven or eight days at sea, the sight of land was almost disorienting.

The port of Loguetown was packed with ships of all kinds merchant vessels and pirate ships alike lined up side by side. Pirate flags could be spotted from a distance.

Though East Blue had fewer pirates compared to the other seas, Loguetown served as their final supply station before entering the Grand Line.

The number of pirates on the island was staggering, with the era of pirates already in full swing. Pirates in the four seas now outnumbered the Marines.

Though pirates often avoided conflict in Loguetown, knowing it was a Marine base, some exceptions inevitably arose.

"Your Majesty, may I explore a bit after we dock?" Suzu asked timidly.

"Sure, but don't wander too far. With so many pirates around, someone like you, without any combat skills, might be kidnapped by any random crew."

Anos's words made Suzu nervous again, though she knew he was right. Seeing all the pirate ships was a clear reminder of the dangers in Loguetown.

"Why don't you come with me…" Suzu suggested softly.

"Tell the others to split up some should stay on the ship while the rest go ashore to gather supplies," Anos ordered.

"Understood, Your Majesty."

Though many of them didn't care much about the Pirate King, they were curious to see the place where he had been executed.

After all, someone who had led an entire generation of pirates deserved some recognition, even if it meant visiting a dangerous place like this.

Loguetown itself wasn't particularly large just a small island with a naval base. But what stood out was the town's lax security, at least for now.

Despite the sheer number of pirate ships at the docks, the Marines had done nothing, further demonstrating how loose security was in Loguetown.

When the nearly 100-meter-long ship docked at the port, it immediately drew a crowd.

Most of the onlookers were pirates. Their hungry gazes said everything about their desire for this massive ship.

The other pirate vessels docked nearby were much smaller, barely a dozen meters long, and could easily be overturned by strong winds.

Anos's enormous ship was one of the largest vessels Loguetown had ever seen.

The pirates at the port eyed the ship with envy and ambition.

"Captain, this ship looks impressive. It's not a pirate ship should we take it for ourselves?" a tall, burly man standing at the port said to his captain.

"Not yet. Let's wait until they leave and then make our move. We don't want to draw the Marine's attention."

The captain, a man with a cunning smile, warned his companion.

Many of the pirates had the same idea. After all, which pirate would pass up such a prime target?

As Anos's ship docked and the gangplank was lowered, he slowly descended with his entourage, unfazed by the many pirates gathered at the port.

"Brother, your ship looks good. Care to share it with us?" A scruffy-looking man, brandishing a long knife, approached Anos as he stepped off the ship.

Anos glanced at his guard captain and asked, "Do they all share this sentiment?"

The guard captain, already on alert, gave the surrounding pirates a cold stare. "Anyone else with the same idea, step forward. We can discuss the distribution."

The crowd of pirates erupted in laughter at this challenge.

"Seems like everyone here is interested in your ship. It's too flashy for such low-key behaviour. Why not let the veterans take it off your hands?" someone in the crowd jeered, causing even more laughter.

Anos turned to his captain, Haruya. "Are they all planning to come forward?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, it seems so," Haruya replied with a grin.

A sinister smile crept across Anos's face. He knew this was the perfect opportunity.

"Stay here and deal with them. Some of those pirate ships look valuable auction them off once we've stripped their sails. That'll save us time looking for a market," Anos said calmly.

Haruya, well aware of Anos's strategy, understood immediately.

With that, Anos moved forward with Suzu trailing behind, while his guards remained at the port.

Before long, the sounds of combat erupted behind them.

Though the pirates vastly outnumbered Anos's crew, their combat skills were no match for his elite force.

"Your Majesty, this is a Marine base. Are we really okay with this?" Suzu asked nervously.

"What's the issue? We're not pirates, nor are we the Marines. It's merely a conflict between a Kingdom and pirates. The Marines won't intervene; they would also want this," Anos replied with a smile.

"Oh, I see…" Suzu finally relaxed.

What Anos couldn't foresee was that this skirmish with the pirates would soon draw the attention of the Marine Headquarters.

But for now, that didn't concern him. What mattered most was the money.

Robbing pirates was far faster than doing legitimate business, and there were plenty of pirates out there some with fortunes rivalling entire Kingdoms.

Besides, this method wouldn't just earn him the people's love, it wouldn't violate anyone's moral standards either.

At worst, he was a pirate hunter. Catching a few pirates for fun didn't sound bad at all.

The streets of Logue Town weren't particularly wide, but the commerce on both sides was thriving.

Pirates were indeed despicable in many ways, but in a place like Logue Town, which had a naval garrison, they always made sure to pay their dues, no matter what they did.

"You go ahead and accompany the others to purchase the supplies needed for the ship. There's little need to worry about safety here. I'll head to the centre of Logue Town and take a look around. We'll meet back on the ship afterwards," Anos said, looking at Suzu.

"But Your Majesty, didn't you mention there are many pirates here?" Suzu asked.

"There's no need to worry now. Captain Haruya is already cleaning up the pirates at the port. Those remaining in Logue Town will naturally hear about it and steer clear, so don't worry too much over it."

"Alright…"

Suzu understood what Anos meant he wanted to be rid of them so he could explore elsewhere. Without asking further questions, she followed Barlow and headed in another direction.

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