Chapter 48: Clockwork Island.

East Blue - Near Clockwork Island.

After sailing for a whole day, 'Black Star' finally arrived at the vicinity of Clockwork Island.

On the ship's deck, Austin and his subordinates gazed at the island's silhouette, which became more visible as they advanced forward.

' Despite using my wind's ability to speed up the ship's pace, it still took us an entire day to arrive here.' - Austin scratched his chin, thinking. - ' Since we have changed our course this much, it will take us two days from here if we want to head to Loguetown afterward.'

Examining the island's appearance, Austin couldn't help but be amazed by its magnificent shape.

' Even in my previous world, this would definitely be a masterpiece that could even surpass the Statue of Liberty in New York or the Eiffel Tower in Paris.' - Austin smiled, appreciating the beauty of One Piece world.

" This is simply a work of Art!" Sebas, who stood by Austin's side, commented on the island structure. His remark made even the always-serious Erya nod in agreement.

" Indeed, this is a beautiful feast to the eyes," Azuth added, smiling and enjoying the magnificent view.

" Hmm, I think it's an artificially created island, not a naturally formed one," Brain interjected, curious.

" I wonder who created this masterpiece." Zero added, examining the island form.

" I'm more interested in how they managed to create it," Austin stated.

" Back to work!" Austin looked at the bound Skunk-One and asked, "How can we get to the top?"

" There are staircases right there, di-gas. " Skunk-One pointed with his head toward a specific direction.

" Tsk, you really want to die, huh? " Austin clicked his tongue in annoyance.

" What?!... I swear there are staircases there, di-gas!" Skunk-One started sweating profusely.

Austin grabbed Skunk-One by his throat and tightened his grip around his neck until he almost killed the skinny man by strangling him.

" Don't try to play tricks with me ... " Austin looked into the choking Skunk-One's eyes, threatening.

Noticing that Skunk-One was on the brink of death from the lack of oxygen, Austin released his tight grip, causing Skunk-One to fall to the ground, coughing badly and trying to catch his breath again.

" Now, let's try again ... How do I get up there?" Austin paused, pointing at the top of the island, and added in a deep voice, " ... The easiest way!"

Looking at this devil before him, Skunk-One was truthfully frightened.

He tried to lie by sending them toward the staircases circling around the island, which were filled with traps designed to counter invasion. But his trick was seen through easily by this smiling demon.

" There's an elevator... in the central shaft that... can bring people up, di-gas," Skunk-One pointed out at the center, explaining shakily, " You can use that, di-gas."

Austin took out one of the Den Den Muchi they found on one of the previous ships seized from the Trumps pirates and handed it to Skunk-One.

" Good. Now, we only need you to contact whoever guards that elevator so they can allow us to use it easily. " Austin said with an evil smile, sending shivers down Skunk-One's spine, whose eyes trembled slightly in response.

"I'm sure there must be some password to use such a strategic transportation tool," Austin smirked. "Otherwise, it would be a foolish mistake on your crew's part not to properly guard their door."

Sebas untied Skunk-One so that the skinny man could use the Den Den Mushi, which the latter took and made a call to the pirates on the island.

" This is the control room ... Identify yourself! " Someone responded from the Den Den Mushi.

" This Skunk-One, di-gas! ... Open the elevator quickly, di-gas ... I'm bringing back some 'serious' and 'dangerous' information, di-gas! .... " Skunk-One stated with a solemn voice. " ... So, notify all the other siblings, di-gas."

" Alright, Skunk-One-sama. Rest assured, we will 'welcome' you properly!" The person replied from the Den Den Mushi after a moment of silence.

" Good, I'm looking forward to it, di-gas!" Skunk-One said before ending the call.

" It's done, di-gas," Skunk-One said, looking at Austin, who merely smiled playfully at him in return.

Skunk-One was mocking the group in his mind because he had just told the other person a 'secret' code that signified he was with the enemies, powerful and dangerous ones, on top of that.

This early warning would result in gathering all the crew's forces, including the other Trump siblings, which will be led by Bear King personally.

According to Skunk-One's predictions, his crew will probably set an ambush on the elevator's door. And as soon as the door opens, the entire crew forces will attack the enemies, taking them by surprise and destroying them without mercy!

Contrary to Skunk-One's expectations, Austin has already seen through his little tricks.

Actually, it would be an insult to Austin's intelligence if he didn't predict it because, just from Skunk-One's current smug face, which was screaming, ' I got you!', you could tell that he was up to no good.

Still, Austin decided to play along with this idiot 'genius' plan.

So, smiling playfully, he ordered his group to speed up 'Black Star' and head to the elevator.

Surprisingly, the elevator of Clockwork Island was a replica of the Aqua elevator in Water 7 City. After 'Black Star' entered the elevator, the doors closed, and water began pouring in from the sides, causing the ship to rise slowly to the top.

The group was amazed by this incredible experience, and even Austin was no exception. Despite having already seen it in the anime, witnessing it firsthand was a different story.

Noticing the group's astonishment at the elevator's sight, Skunk-One was laughing in his mind at these fools who didn't know what was waiting for them at the top. He couldn't help but feel proud of his 'ingenious' move.

But soon, his smug expression turned to shock at Austin's next words.

"I have to say, Mr. Skunk-One, you really did a great job!" Austin paused, looking at him, " Not only did you make our journey easier, but you even helped us more with that 'secret' signal of yours."

" Now, we don't even need to waste time searching for everyone because they have probably already gathered and are waiting for us to arrive. Like chickens waiting to be slaughtered, Hahaha!" Austin laughed mockingly at Skunk-One's stupidity.

Skunk-One looked at Austin in disbelief, and just as he was about to say something, his head flew into the air by Erya's sharp sword.

' It will be really embarrassing to fall for such an obvious and stupid trick,' - Austin thought, shaking his head.

He stored Skunk-One's corpse in his Inventory before turning to his crew, warning them, " Prepare yourself! We are likely gonna get attacked right after the doors open!"

" My lord, why not let me take care of it?" Azuth smiled as he turned his hands into Gatling guns and added, " After all, I'm the most suitable one for fighting an army alone."

" Hmm..." Austin smirked as he agreed, " Alright, let's see how you perform in this battle."

" I will not disappoint you, my lord, " Azuth bowed deeply to Austin.

.....

On the island's top, the Bear King stood at the dockyard with the forces he had gathered, consisting of over 300 pirate underlings, and his other siblings, namely the Honey Queen, Pin Joker, and Boo Jack.

The Bear King surveyed his forces and nodded in satisfaction.

" Now, if I can finish the King's cannon, I will easily rule over the seas, hahaha!" The Bear King laughed before looking viciously at the elevator door. " But before that, let's put these fools in their place."

" You don't need to intervene, Bear King-sama!" Honey Queen spoke up from the side.

" She is right, " Pin Joker agreed.

" We are more than enough!" Boo Jack added.

"I know. It's just for insurance," Bear King nodded his head in approval and stated. " Since Skunk-One said they are dangerous, then we must take our precautions."

Shortly after, someone informed the Bear King that the elevator had arrived at the top, which meant its time to welcome their 'guests'.

The Bear King smirked and raised his hand in the air, preparing to order his forces to attack immediately as soon as the elevator's door opened.

But his hand abruptly paused in the air, alongside his whole body, as a massive pressure and killing intent descent on the area, suffocating and pressing him down.

He was shocked and terrified by this occurrence, prompting him to look around hurriedly, only to find all his siblings in the same state while the other underlying pirates were in an even worse shape.

The Bear King gulped his saliva and looked at the massive Black battleship coming out of the elevator, feeling fear for the first time in a long time.

Standing beside him, the terrified Honey Queen, who lost all her previous confidence, cursed in a trembling voice." Fuck...What kind of monsters did that bastard Skunk-One bring to our home?!"

.....

Moments earlier, on 'Black Star', Austin and his crew were ready to engage in combat, especially Azuth, who had already changed both his hands into Gatling guns and pointed them at the elevator's door, ready for action.

As soon as the door opened, Austin activated his 'Predator Mode' Skill to its maximum capacity, producing an unbearable pressure and killing intent that weighed heavily on everyone on the enemy's side.

Simultaneously, Azuth sprang into action and began firing at the pirates located at the front of the crowd, reducing their numbers and creating an opening for his group to land on.

Without delay, Austin used his wind ability to accelerate the ship, propelling it out of the elevator and towards the crowded dockyard.

Soon, 'Black Star' arrived at the dockyard, which was swarming with pirates.

Upon closer examination, Austin spotted four individuals standing at the back of the crowd, distinguished from over 300 other pirates.

The first one Austin recognized was The Bear King, a burly man with black hair and whiskers dressed in clothing that reflected his card and animal themes. He wore a furred captain's jacket with a collar resembling a golden spade, a blue shirt under a clover, and a large teddy bear hat.

The second was Honey Queen, a tall, slender, and strikingly beautiful woman with long wavy blonde hair tied into two tails and dark brown eyes. She was dressed in revealing yellow clothes, a purple fur coat with pink spots, red high-heels, and a fishnet stocking over her right leg.

The third person was Pin Joker, a man with long black hair tied up in a ponytail and a stitched scar running from his right forehead to the left cheek. He wore a strapped vest over purple clothes with a diamond design and a yellow-furred collar, with a red marking on the right side of his face and a tear-like design on the left.

The fourth and final person was Boo Jack, an overweight man in a pig-themed outfit. He wore a bandanna-like hat with a pig's head design, a yellow shirt with a "J" printed on the front, suspenders, and a white-furred back that functioned as his Toge Toge Armor.

Austin smiled upon seeing them, and since everyone had gathered here, he was more than happy to get rid of them all at once.

The Black Storm pirates disembarked from 'Black Star', landing in the empty space created by Azuth's previous ruthless attack.

As soon as the crew landed on the ground, Azuth resumed firing, targeting all the pirates except for the four officers.

The pirates couldn't even fight back properly due to the 'Predator Mode' Skill's effect, which can now weaken the enemies by 15% since the Skill is at level 2.

It didn't take long before the pirates began to fall to the ground with bodies filled with holes from the Gatling guns.

Austin and his group advanced toward the Bear King and his officers while Azuth continued his slaughter, casually firing nonstop from his Gatling guns.

Arriving before the Trump sibling, Austin canceled his 'Predator Mode' Skill and smiled.

" Yo, weaklings! " Austin said playfully, " You really have some guts. I was sailing casually, minding my own business, yet you just had to attack me, huh?"

" It wasn't us!" The Honey Queen replied quickly, desperately trying to explain the situation to them. " It was all that Skunk-One's fault ... We were told you attacked us first."

The frightened Honey Queen had already lost all her will to fight from the moment she felt that pressure and killing intent because she knew they weren't these monsters' opponents.

And what confirmed her conclusion was the fact that just one of these monsters, who was also a Devil fruit user just like her, managed to get rid of over 300 Pirates easily in a couple of minutes.

" Well, it doesn't matter anyway..." Austin paused, smiling a savage smile, and stated, " You did something wrong to us, and you should pay for it!"

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( A/N: If you like to read some chapters in Advance, you can visit my Patreon page! You will find there up to 5 weeks' worth of Chapters in Advance.

Patreon: https://p@treon.com/Asbarta. ( There's an 'A' in the place of @ )

Discord: https://discord.gg/qqHc4PprW9.

Ps: The Second Volume, " East Blue Conquest", has officially ended on Patreon.

So, I'm taking a few days off to rest and prepare for the next Volume. The next chapter will likely be published on Wednesday.)