Small Town

At sea, lightning flashed in the New World, and thunder roared. Fierce winds, torrential rain, ice spikes, and lightning storms of various kinds emerged, resembling an apocalyptic scene.

However, these apocalyptic scenarios only appeared within a kilometer radius. Soros, under the relentless assault of various natural disasters summoned by Aenirus, had already begun to feel overwhelmed.

He was covered in wounds in less than an hour since the battle started. His ship, the Explorer, burned fiercely. Dozens of bodies lay on the deck. Some were frozen into ice blocks, some were struck by lightning, and various forces had killed others.

"Sigh... Damn it! How can there be such a huge difference?" Soros gasped for breath on the ground, looking at Aenirus, crouching not far away, with disbelief.

Despite being just a teenager with a lower bounty than his, Aenirus possessed overwhelming power.

"Haha, hey Soros, can't keep up anymore? I haven't had enough fun yet," Aenirus said mockingly as he approached Soros, swaying a golden staff in his hand.

"You could have avoided so much suffering if you had obeyed me from the beginning, considering how weak you are," Aenirus taunted Soros while walking towards him.

Aenirus arrived before Soros, looking down on him from a higher vantage point. He then struck Soros on the head with the golden staff.

Blood splattered, and Soros felt dizzy from the powerful blow. He was sent flying, crashing onto the deck. Blood stained the rain-soaked deck.

Soros lay in the rain, full of resentment, staring at Aenirus in disbelief. "Oh, your eyes are quite good. I enjoy seeing the resentful look in the eyes of weaklings like you," Aenirus sneered.

With a disdainful look, Aenirus's arms turned into dark clouds. "Thunderstorm. Ice strength!" Violent lightning and bone-chilling ice spears instantly shot out from the dark clouds, targeting Soros on the ground.

"Ahhh!!!" A chilling scream echoed above the Explorer.

"Tsk, how boring." Aenirus walked up to Soros again, spat at him in disdain, and then skewered him with the golden staff, lifting him high.

"Getting tired of playing with you. Let's go meet our captain, Locke," Aenirus said casually. A red flame cloud formed beneath Aenirus's feet, and he used it to lift Soros and fly towards the pirate ship where Locke was located.

On the ship, Locke sat on a sofa, sipping his tea leisurely. He didn't show any reaction when Soros arrived.

After a while, Aenirus brought Soros back to the ship. He tossed Soros to the ground in front of Locke. Aenirus then grabbed a cup, poured himself a drink, and casually sipped.

"This tastes terrible." Aenirus tossed the cup onto the table, grabbed an apple, and sat down on the sofa, munching on it.

"Captain Locke, I've brought this guy. What's next is up to you." Glancing at Aenirus, who was acting arrogantly, Locke finally understood how Zoro from the Straw Hat Pirates felt.

"Indeed, quite irritating." Silently thinking, Lox turned his attention to Soros, lying half-dead on the ground.

"Soros?"

"Cough, cough..." Hearing Lox's call, Soros struggled to turn his head and look at Lox. His eyes were filled with hatred and reluctance.

Lox stared back at him, feeling nothing towards Soros. To him, Soros was just an ant that could be crushed at any moment.

"Soros, I'm interested in your treasures. How about we make a deal? You give me all your treasures, and I'll spare your life. What do you say?"

"Spit! Dream on, Locke! Even if I die, I won't give you my treasure! Hahaha! If you have the guts, just kill me now."

Soros spat out a mouthful of blood, then laughed maniacally. Locke glanced at Soros and gestured to the pirates on both sides.

"Take him down. When we return to Grems, hand him over to Rufus."

"Yes, Captain Locke!"The pirates quickly took out Sea-Prism Stone handcuffs and bound Soros, then led him into the ship's cabin, locking him in a cell.

"Captain Locke, is that guy's treasure really that valuable?" Aenirus asked, taking another bite of his apple, curious.

"On the Grand Line, there are two famous treasures. One is Captain John's treasure, and the other is hunter Soros's treasure. Both are rumoured to be worth enough to transform a small nation from poverty to prosperity," Lox explained.

"Our pirate crew wants to dominate the world, but we must overcome some financial difficulties. If we can get Soros's treasure, it will greatly alleviate our financial pressure."

Lox continued, looking up at the sky. "To become rulers of the seas, we still have a long way to go."

...

Sleepy Hollow, on the Grand Line, was a town with little fame. However, it had a distinct medieval European feel upon entering Sleepy Hollow.

There were churches, nuns, nobles, knights, farmers, and enslaved people. Despite its small size, Sleepy Hollow covered a significant area.

The town had limited contact with the outside world, primarily controlled by nobles. Apart from the occasional pirate ship, only ships belonging to the nobility ventured to other islands for supplies.

There was a legend of a vampire here, but it was said that a priest had defeated the vampire.

Locke, accompanied by Aenirus, sailed for another three days before finally reaching this small island.

As the ship came to a stop, Locke and Aenirus disembarked and entered the town. In the town, many people dressed in tattered clothing, emitting a foul odour, roamed the streets.

Street vendors constantly shouted, peddling their wares. In a dark corner, several ragged children were beating up another boy.

The whole town felt cold and heartless to Locke. "Hey! You two, where are you from? I've never seen you around here. Did you come from the open sea?" A group of armoured soldiers approached Lox and Aenirus.

Their leader wore a smug smile and asked arrogantly. Aenirus, observing the soldiers' arrogant demeanour, couldn't help but smirk even more arrogantly.

Aenirus disappeared from Locke's side and reappeared before the leader in the blink of an eye.

"Do you even know who you're talking to? Scumbag!" Under the leader's unbelieving and fearful gaze, Aenirus's golden staff instantly struck his abdomen with immense force, sending him flying.

"Hahaha! You're weak! Listen up, where's the owner of this town? Tell him that Locke, the captain of the Locke Pirates, has arrived here. 

He needs to come and meet me, got it?" Aenirus said with a smirk, addressing the remaining terrified soldiers.

"Yes, yes, yes!!! We'll go inform him right away!" The soldiers trembled and hastily retreated.