#40 The Kuja Pirates

"That flag looks really familiar... I feel like I've seen it somewhere before..."

Blackbeard frowned as he stared at the pirate flag on the ship being towed by two huge green pythons, but he couldn't remember which pirate crew it belonged to.

"That's... the Kuja Pirates, led by one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, the Pirate Empress!" Lafitte exclaimed before Carlo could respond, recognizing the ship instantly.

As a professional navigator, Lafitte was well-versed in the sea's happenings and the different factions.

"Oh, right! That's why it looked so familiar... Zehahaha, are we about to clash with a Warlord now?"

"Hey, what do you think, Carlo?"

Blackbeard looked slightly uneasy as he turned to Carlo for advice. With the tense situation and the ship docked so close to theirs, he feared the Warlord might be after them.

"What do I think? Just use your eyes, Teach. There's no need to overthink it. We'll find out soon enough. Are you really afraid of just one Warlord?"

Carlo's calm demeanor surprised Blackbeard. Despite the situation, Carlo seemed completely unfazed.

"Yeah, you're right... Zehahaha! A Warlord is nothing to be scared of!"

Carlo's words snapped Blackbeard out of his fear. They were about to do something monumental; they couldn't let a single Warlord intimidate them.

Blackbeard's nerves had been on edge lately, possibly because of all the shady things he'd been doing. Any little thing seemed to make him jump.

In contrast, Carlo was much calmer. He immediately recognized the pirate ship as belonging to the Pirate Empress, Boa Hancock.

"Let's go, we should—"

"Hey, wait for me!"

Carlo's sentence was cut off by a loud shout from behind. Annoyed, he didn't need to turn around to know it was Burgess, judging by the distinctive rough voice.

"Finally caught up! You guys were too fast! Don't forget about me! Wiihahaha!"

Completely oblivious to the tension, Burgess ran up, laughing and trying to get friendly with Blackbeard and Carlo. It took him a moment to realize the atmosphere was off.

"What's going on?" Burgess asked, scratching his head in confusion.

"Um... you interrupted the Vice Caiptain again..." Lafitte struggled to hold back his laughter, knowing better than to risk Carlo's wrath.

"Oh no! I'm sorry, Vice Caiptain, Carlo, sir! I didn't mean to! Please don't hit me again! Those punches you gave me were too 'effective.' If you keep hitting me, I won't survive!"

Burgess, known for his arrogance, quickly did a 180, pleading for forgiveness. He even started praising Carlo, trying to avoid another beating.

"...Fine. We're all on the same team now. No need to make a big deal out of it. Let's go," Carlo sighed, giving Burgess a stern look but letting it go.

After all, they couldn't just kill him, especially since he didn't interrupt on purpose. Plus, they couldn't waste a top-tier Devil Fruit user like him.

Blackbeard and Carlo led their group, including the newly recruited crew members, towards the port.

"This...?!"

"No way, what is happening here?!"

As they approached the two ships, Carlo watched Blackbeard stare down the giant serpents in confusion, like they were having a silent standoff. Suddenly, they heard a shocked scream from their own ship.

It was a woman's voice, sweet and melodious, more beautiful than any voice Carlo had ever heard, even in his previous life.

The crucial point was that the Kuja Pirates had boarded their ship!

Standing on Blackbeard and Carlo's ship were Boa Hancock, her two sisters, and the rest of the Kuja Pirates. Hancock had led her crew and fellow Amazonians on a voyage for over two months and was only now returning from the sea.

Amazon Lily, their home, was in the Calm Belt, a terrifying and windless zone near the Grand Line. Coincidentally, their home lay in the same direction as Saraca Island, but one was inside the Calm Belt, and the other outside it.

As was customary, the Kuja Pirates had stopped at Saraca Island to either trade or forcibly take resources from other pirates, gathering valuable and scarce supplies for their homeland.

But this time, as they arrived, they discovered a chaotic scene. From overhearing pirates on their way to the island's center, they learned that someone rich had arrived with Devil Fruits, recruiting people. Intrigued, the Kuja Pirates decided to take advantage of the chaos and steal from these "wealthy fools."

In simpler terms, they planned to rob the robbers.

Their first target was the various pirate ships docked at the port. They intended to loot the ships of their valuables before moving inland to continue their plunder.

However, when they boarded Blackbeard and Carlo's ship, they discovered something truly shocking in one of the cabins.