"Boss, there's a pirate ship coming in from the open sea." Sherilmo, shirtless and swinging a massive log some ten meters long, walked over from the beach.
Wilder, who was sitting on a large boulder, looked up. The swamp in his palm silently receded.
"Did you get a good look at the Jolly Roger?"
Sherilmo nodded, understanding Wilder's meaning. "It's not one I recognize. Probably a local East Blue crew."
"Perfect timing. It's about time we left, anyway. This warship... it's a bit too conspicuous," Wilder said, getting down from the boulder with a sinister smile, his words laced with implication.
"Hehehe..." Sherilmo rubbed his hands together, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "I'll go get the others!" he declared, before rushing off eagerly.
On the sea, a pirate ship flying a skull and crossbones flag slowly approached the shore of Filgus Island, landing on the opposite side from where Wilder's crew had come ashore.
A group of men disembarked, setting foot on the land.
Leading them was a burly man wearing a captain's hat and wielding a large, bone-cleaver sword. His cruel, triangular eyes scanned the surroundings.
"Heh!" Suddenly, the burly man let out a cold laugh, revealing a mouthful of jagged, blackened teeth. His gaze fell upon several messy footprints in the sand nearby.
"Looks like someone beat us to it!"
His expression turned vicious. "Men! Tell me! Who does everything here belong to?!"
"It belongs to Captain Kabuzan!" the pirates behind him shouted back, their faces twisted in狞smirks.
"Hahaha! It doesn't matter who it is, today, Captain Kabuzan will teach them a lesson! As for the treasure, they won't get a single piece of it!"
It was clear that this group of pirates had come for treasure. The crew strode across the beach and into the jungle.
Back at the encampment in the center of the island, Wilder opened his eyes, a hint of a smile playing on his lips.
Beside him, Claire, Vice, Eigg, Yves, Bacon, Sherilmo, Bica, Ashin, and Franpetar – all nine of them – were gathered.
The group sat around a fire, roasting meat and drinking, their boisterous laughter echoing through the air.
"Hahaha! We need to fill up on this last lunch here! Bacon, my boy!" Vice roared, his thick, muscular arm slung around Bacon's neck – who was just as large – shaking him playfully. Meat was stuck between Vice's gleaming white teeth.
"Le-let go! You bastard!" Bacon gasped, rolling his eyes, nearly suffocating.
"Hahaha, they're having a party! How convenient! Is it prepared for me?" Just then, a brash voice boomed out. The burly man and his crew emerged from the jungle, their faces contorted in savage grins. When they spotted Claire, the only woman present, their pupils constricted, and their eyes lit up with excitement. "Hahaha, and there's a beauty, too!"
The group swaggered closer, but Wilder's crew ignored them, continuing to drink, eat, and chat amongst themselves, never once glancing at the approaching pirates.
The burly man's face gradually darkened. "Damn it...! You dare ignore me?! Do you know who I am?!"
"Thump!" He slammed his sword down on the log that served as their table, splitting it in two with a dull thud.
The clearing fell silent. Wilder finally turned his gaze to the burly man, his voice flat and devoid of emotion. "So... who are you?"
For some reason, the instant Wilder's gaze landed on him, the burly man tensed up. A strange chill ran down his spine.
He steadied himself, a surge of anger rising within him. His eyes turned fierce. "I'm the great pirate with a bounty of eight million Berries, Kabuzan the Bone Cleaver!"
The clearing remained quiet...
After a long pause...
"That's... terrifying," Bacon said quietly. Then, he suddenly felt that the phrase was strangely familiar, and moreover, saying it made him feel incredibly satisfied.
"Huh?" The others were also taken aback, a strange sense of familiarity washing over them.
"Hahaha! That's right! I'll give you one chance. You must have found the treasure on this island, right? Hand it over, and I'll let you leave. Of course... the woman has to stay." Kabuzan's eyes gleamed with excitement as he stared directly at Claire.
"Bacon, you handle this one. I want to see what else this bear is good for besides hiding treasure," Wilder said suddenly, standing up with a blank expression. He headed straight towards the beach. The others glanced at Bacon, chuckled, and followed.
"Don't keep us waiting too long," Wilder's voice drifted back. Bacon's mouth twitched, finally releasing a helpless sigh.
"Damn it! Did I say you could leave!?" Kabuzan, snapping back to his senses, drew his bone-cleaver sword. "Men! Kill them!"
Kabuzan's crew charged after Wilder's group, while Kabuzan himself lunged at Bacon with a savage grin, swinging his sword!
"Although, I'm not much on the boss's ship, BUT! And this is the important part!" Bacon raised his head, his eyes hazy as if he were drunk. "Someone like you isn't even qualified to do odd jobs for us! And you dare to dream of having Miss Claire! A guy like you... Awooo! Die!" Bacon swayed back and forth, taking strange dance steps. His narrowed eyes, combined with his swaying motion, made him look as if he were looking down on all creation!
"You... you you you you! A piece of trash like you...!" Taking seemingly unstable dance steps, Bacon's body flashed, dodging Kabuzan's strike. When he reappeared, he was right in front of him!
"I... am the pirate with a bounty of one hundred and eighteen million Berries... Dancing Polar Bear Bacon!" Bacon's eyes snapped open! The music in his heart abruptly stopped! His dance steps ceased. A white bear paw pierced through Kabuzan's chest. With a gentle push, Kabuzan collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
Bacon turned his gaze to the fleeing pirates, his hazy, drunken look returning. He stomped on the ground, a whirlwind exploding beneath his feet, and vanished.
He leaped through the trees, displaying an agility unbecoming of a polar bear.
"Awooo! Bear Wind White Claw Storm!"
His claws unleashed a flurry of wind blades, dense and numerous, shaped like knives. They ripped through everything in their path, leaving a trail of blooming crimson as the pirates fell!
"Awooo! Dance complete!" Bacon landed, throwing his arms wide, his face tilted up, reveling in the lingering beauty of his dance.
"Tch... not bad," Sherilmo muttered, glancing at Bacon's flamboyant pose with a sneer.
The crew boarded the newly acquired pirate ship. For Wilder's group, the recent events were merely a minor interlude, not even causing a ripple in their hearts.
The supplies from the warship, including its rare components, had been dismantled and stored in the pirate ship's hold. The Jolly Roger had been taken down.
The sails were raised!
_______
+50 chapters on: patreon.com/Shinobi_Scrolls