"Huh?"
Anos and his crew, reveling in their victory and drinking freely, turned at the sudden disturbance. Their eyes locked onto the lone figure standing defiantly on the deck.
"Damn it! Who dares to set foot on our ship uninvited?!"
"What an arrogant brat! Do you even realize whose ship you just boarded? Our captain, Anos, is a feared pirate in the New World, with a bounty of 300 million berries!"
A murmur spread through the crowd as one of the pirates squinted, suddenly recognizing the intruder.
"Wait... I know that face... It's Ayr! The pirate who single-handedly wiped out multiple Marine fleets! He's got a 100 million bounty!"
"A hundred million?!"
A brief silence fell over the deck before one of the pirates scoffed.
"Hah! That's nothing compared to our captain's 300 million! He's just another fool walking to his death!"
The pirates, gripping their weapons, prepared for battle. But before they could strike, Anos himself spoke.
"Ayr, huh?"
Anos stood up, his presence exuding dominance. Despite the tension, he grinned.
"A pirate worth 100 million berries? You're more interesting than I thought. Apologies for the hostility—it's rare to find someone of your caliber. A man like you shouldn't be wandering alone."
He stepped forward, extending a hand.
"Join my crew. With your strength at my side, we'll rule the seas. I'll even make you my Vice-Captain."
Ayr chuckled at the offer.
"Overlord of the sea, huh?"
His mind drifted for a moment, recalling the true titans of this era.
This was an age even crueler than the one Luffy was destined to face.
Rocks D. Xebec—a man who sought to rule the world.
Gol D. Roger—the future Pirate King.
Edward "Whitebeard" Newgate—the man known as the Strongest in the World.
Kaido of the Beasts—the so-called Strongest Creature Alive.
Charlotte Linlin (Big Mom)—the tyrant queen of the seas.
Shiki the Golden Lion—a legend in his own right.
Compared to them, a mere 300 million bounty pirate was nothing.
Ayr's smirk deepened.
"Not interested."
Anos's expression darkened.
"Tch… You should rethink that. You step on my ship, refuse my offer, and expect to leave? There's only one outcome for you now… Death."
The surrounding pirates grinned, eager for bloodshed.
But Ayr simply shook his head.
"Too much talk."
"Shhh!!!"
In a flash, Ayr moved—his blade arcing through the air in a lightning-fast strike.
"CLANG!!!"
Anos barely reacted in time. His Observation Haki warned him of the incoming danger, and he instinctively coated his arms in Armament Haki, blocking the attack.
He staggered slightly but held his ground.
"So… that's your choice?" Anos sneered. "Then I hope you're ready to die."
Ayr didn't respond. Instead, he vanished.
"Shh!!!"
He reappeared mid-air, bringing his blade down with even greater force.
"CLANG!!!"
Anos blocked again—but this time, he wasn't unscathed. The deck beneath his feet shattered, splintering as his legs sank into the wood.
For the first time, fear flickered across his face.
"C-Captain…!"
The watching pirates were shocked.
"The captain… is struggling?!"
"H-How?! This guy only has a 100 million bounty!"
"The captain's bounty is three times that! There's no way he should be losing!"
But reality was undeniable. Anos was being overwhelmed.
They had severely underestimated Ayr.
The world government often stated that bounties don't always reflect true strength—they reflect the level of threat a pirate poses.
However, among pirates under 1 billion berries, a bounty usually indicated raw strength.
A 200 million difference should have meant an insurmountable gap.
Yet here they were—witnessing the opposite.
Ayr stood unshaken, looking down at Anos with cold indifference.
"Too weak," he muttered.
For him, this battle was nothing more than a warm-up.
His low bounty wasn't due to a lack of power—he simply didn't care about notoriety.
He had two objectives:
Find a Devil Fruit to awaken Nine-Tails Binding.
Seek out strong opponents to increase his Sage Body progress.
Many of the powerful foes Ayr had faced never lived to spread rumors about his strength.
His 100 million bounty came solely from the Marines—and even that was just because he had annihilated entire Marine fleets.
If the World Government knew how many battles he had truly fought…
If they realized how many legendary figures he had already faced…
His bounty would be immeasurable.
But he didn't care for such things.
Strength was the only thing that mattered.
"Grrr... You little bastard…!!!"
Anos roared, veins bulging as he channeled even stronger Armament Haki. His arms hardened, turning pitch-black as he attempted to shove Ayr back.
But Ayr's blade remained unmoving—as solid as a mountain.
No matter how much force Anos exerted, he couldn't budge him.
"Impossible…!"
Beads of sweat rolled down Anos's forehead.
The pressure from Ayr's blade was relentless—as if he were being crushed by an unstoppable force.
The watching pirates trembled.
"Captain… can't break free…?"
"I-It's like his sword is fused with the earth itself!"
Ayr's Sage Body had already far surpassed human limits. His physical strength was monstrous—his strikes held unimaginable power.
The gap between him and Anos was absolute.
And in the eyes of true monsters like Rocks, Roger, and Whitebeard…
A 300 million bounty pirate like Anos was nothing more than an insect.
Ayr exhaled slowly.
"This is boring."
Then—he moved to end it.
"SHH!!!"
With a final devastating slash, the battle would soon be over.