Marines High-risk Occupation, New Blessed Ones

Mandrell's territory—Zeraora had already arrived here. Of the high-ranking officers who went out, he was the fastest to reach his destination. Setsuna, being No.0, had to participate in the competition, so he came alone.

Things here were the same as before, except there were more Merfolk and Fish-Men around.

"Sir Zeraora."

"Enough with the chit-chat. You should head out too, and come back quickly."

Since his promotion to the rank of "father," he hadn't gone out on many missions. The last time was during the Skypiea incident caused by Enel. So this trip was a rare occasion for him.

"I'll be quick, don't worry! Rusalka, let's go!"

Mandrell called out behind him, then shot a stream of water into the ocean. Soon, a massive Gyarados revealed its figure.

With Mandrell and his group aboard, they left.

"That guy… dragging his whole family to a competition," Zeraora muttered, as he watched Mandrell disappear into the distance. Then, he snapped his fingers towards the sky, and the once white clouds gradually turned dark, building up a massive amount of lightning within.

"Come on, let's see if there's any ignorant idiot who dares to attack."

...

A while later, somewhere in the New World, aboard a Marine surveillance ship. The soldiers on the ship were under immense pressure.

They were the Marine soldiers with the highest casualty rate, tasked with monitoring the movements of the Emperors of the Sea. Their safety was never guaranteed. If one of these monsters ever made a big move, they would be the first to suffer a calamity.

In a way, their mission wasn't to monitor the pirates' actions but to use their lives as an early warning for Marine Headquarters. This was why they sent small warships, scattering several teams across a region to minimize potential casualties.

At this moment, message after message was being sent back to Marine Headquarters.

They knew the Beasts Pirates frequently held ranking battles, but no one could guarantee that these pirates wouldn't use the opportunity to gather their forces for something terrifying.

Kaido alone, with his dragon, was enough to launch an attack on G-1 Base. Combined with those terrifying officers and biological weapons, no one dared to gamble.

"Reporting, this is Surveillance Ship 177. Beasts Pirates' No.1, Mandrell, has arrived."

"Reporting, this is Surveillance Ship 176. High-ranking officer of the Beasts Pirates, Queen the Plague, has appeared. We have identified seventeen captains of their subordinate pirate crews... correction, now it's twenty-one..."

The captains of these subordinate pirate crews weren't Numbers. They were here just to watch the battle. Moreover, they represent only a portion of the Beasts Pirates' subordinate crews, and they are more qualified, which is why they received an invitation to the main island.

Some of them were strong and might not be weaker than the lower-ranking Numbers. It was like the Whitebeard Pirates—captains of subordinate ships weren't necessarily weaker than regular crew members of the main team. [TN: Lower-ranking here means higher Numbers.]

For various reasons, they hadn't fully joined the crew, rather became part of the Beasts Pirates' affiliates. But obtaining anything from the Beasts Pirates was much harder for them.

"This…this is Surveillance Ship 174... Kaido has been sighted... Arceus is also with him... Most of the Beasts Pirates' forces have... appeared..."

The voice on the communicator trembled slightly. Through his binoculars, he felt as if Kaido was staring directly at him.

But Kaido didn't intend to take care of these small fry this time. Even if a batch of Marine surveillance ships was wiped out, they would just send more. As long as they didn't get too close and disrupt their activities, he would let them be.

...

"I swear I saw Boss Kaido flying this way just now. Where'd he disappear?"

"Seems like he headed toward the center of the island. But were these kinds of events always like banquets? It's my first time here—anyone care to explain?"

Even though they were all part of the Beasts Pirates' subordinate crews, some of the captains were seeing each other for the first time in their lives. Normally, this wasn't in their nature, but in the presence of so many officers directly under the Beasts Pirates, they all acted very respectfully.

At that moment, the ground shook slightly. Something unknown seemed to be moving underground toward them and stopped right at their feet.

A bald man with a scruffy beard suddenly emerged from inside, his body covered in yellow scales, resembling a Sandshrew.

In the original timeline, he was a member of the Beasts Pirates known as the Madillo-Man, but now, he was Beasts Pirates No.51, one of the Blessed Ones, with the ability of Sandshrew.

He had dug his way here partly to show off his ability and partly as a warm-up before the match.

"Don't worry about what Lord Kaido is doing. Whatever he does is always right. You should just appreciate this honor. Getting to watch this battle is something many dream of. You should be grateful that you're here with your captain."

As direct members, they always carry a sense of pride, appearing superior to the members of the subordinate crews. Even the captains of these subordinate crews were beneath them, let alone the ordinary members.

But at this moment, an arrow without a tip shot down from the sky, hitting the scaly top of his head. After bouncing several times, it finally landed nearby.

"You ba*tard! What the hell are you doing?!"

"Kikikiki, calm down, calm down. It's just a tipless arrow! I just found it funny seeing you teach these rookies so seriously."

Up in the sky, a plump man flapped the bat wings on his back while holding an empty bow, offering a half-hearted apology.

Facing the stones thrown by the other party, he nimbly dodged them, and after a round of back-and-forth, the two considered their greetings done.

In the original timeline, this man was known as Bat-Man, referred to as the "Sixth Emperor." Now, he was Beasts Pirates NO.49, another Blessed One, with the ability of a Golbat. [TN: Another Chinese fan-made term]

"Weren't you supposed to be on Skypiea?"

"Boss Kaido's orders. I'm on the list of those summoned too. Why are you even asking? Look, everyone's pretty much here. This is going to be a big competition."

"Yeah, let's hope those youngsters don't go too hard. It's getting harder and harder to hold onto our position these days."

Woof! Woof!

Before they could say much more, another pirate ship docked. Amid a few barks, two Mightyena came running off the ship, with two white figures visible on their backs.

"Sorry, Lady Setsuna. I didn't expect those two to bond with the Mightyena so quickly…"

The land of Wano had become home to many Pokémon, and most of them had grown familiar with the pirates of the Beasts Pirates, so the spectators at this event weren't just pirates; some Pokémon partners had also come along. Those two Mightyena were one of them.

Before the gangplank could even be lowered, Meowna and Wolff had already dashed out on Mightyena.

"It's fine, I don't blame you. I should've expected this... but Bepo! Didn't I tell you to keep an eye on them?!"

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