New World, a certain sea area.
The Groudon Ship advanced at full speed.
"The new Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea, [Tyrant] Bartholomew Kuma, former bounty of 296 million Berries !"
Inside the cabin, Gurd flipped through the newspaper.
Hanafuda's position had been vacant for nearly a year, and now the final seat among the Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea was finally filled.
It was easy to imagine that the world's attention would now focus on Kuma. A new official always needed to make a strong impression.
"Hmph, trying to steal my spotlight!"
Gurd sneered and tossed the newspaper aside.
Announcing it neither earlier nor later, but precisely at this moment—clearly, the World Government was trying to divert attention from Hachinosu Island.
How despicable!
Stealing his spotlight was practically the same as robbery and murder.
He'd remember this debt!
"We should be close now."
Feeling the ship slow down, Gurd perked up and quickly made his way to the deck. There, he spotted the small resort island directly ahead.
That was the Pleasure Quarter—the territory of Dark King Stussy and also the largest brothel in the New World, a paradise for men.
But that wasn't all.
Due to the difficulty of sailing in the New World, relying solely on one island wouldn't sustain a large business. Thus, the Pleasure Quarter offered another highly praised special service.
Girls' Ship!
In other words, pleasure ships.
No matter where you were in the New World, as long as you made a reservation via Den Den Mushi, the Pleasure Quarter would deliver the girls right to your doorstep, traveling thousands of miles if necessary.
Now that was professionalism!
Of course, the price was anything but cheap.
"So many pleasure ships!"
Gurd could already see numerous pleasure ships coming and going at the port. Some even passed by his ship, with the beautiful girls aboard waving at him.
Oh ho, such charming little minxes!
Gurd grinned and flexed his muscles.
Indulging in debauchery wasn't good—it sapped one's fighting spirit and led to hedonism—but damn, it felt amazing!
"La la la, we're a ship, we're a ship~"
Just as Gurd was showing off his muscles and exchanging flirtatious glances with the girls, a strange song reached his ears.
A subordinate rushed over in a panic, pointing to the other side of the ship.
"Lord Gurd, trouble ahead!"
"I can see that."
Gurd moved to the other side and saw an enormous cake-shaped ship rapidly approaching. His expression darkened immediately.
Queen Mama Chanter!
The flagship of the Big Mom Pirates!
"What are they trying to do?!"
"Bastards, they're about to hit us!"
"Hey, get out of the way!"
The crew descended into chaos.
"Everyone, stop!"
Gurd bellowed, and instantly, all his subordinates froze, trembling as they watched the massive cake ship draw closer.
In terms of sheer size, the Groudon Ship—comparable to a large battleship—was less than half the size of the Queen Mama Chanter.
Even on a global scale, the Queen Mama Chanter ranked among the largest ships, capable of serving as a warship for giants.
If the two ships collided, the Groudon Ship would undoubtedly suffer heavy damage, possibly even capsizing.
The distance between them closed rapidly.
At the last possible moment, the Queen Mama Chanter slowed down, executing a sharp drift that shifted its trajectory from a head-on collision to sailing alongside the Groudon Ship. The resulting waves crashed onto the deck, drenching everyone aboard.
"Ahahahaha, let's go!"
"Eat our dust!"
Amidst mocking laughter, the Queen Mama Chanter sailed away without hesitation.
Undoubtedly, this was a provocation!
But then again, this was the proper way for crews of the Four Emperors to greet each other—the Whitebeard Pirates' gentle approach was the real anomaly.
"Those bastards!"
Page One transformed into a Spinosaurus, shielding Gurd from the crashing waves. Feeling the seawater drench his body, his fury ignited instantly.
Ulti was equally enraged.
The crew members gathered behind Gurd, still shaken, and hesitantly asked,
"Captain Gurd, should we wait a moment?"
"Why?"
Gurd's gaze was icy.
The pirates were stunned.
Why else? Their ship was clearly no match for the flagship of the Big Mom Pirates on the open sea. A direct confrontation would only lead to losses—they weren't even in the same league.
With Big Mom's ship ahead, if they waited for it to enter the port first and then followed, they could avoid unnecessary conflict.
"Idiots!"
Gurd roared in anger.
"Who the hell do you think I am?!"
"Eh?!"
The crew members collapsed to the deck in terror.
Gurd's eyes blazed with fury. "We're the Beasts Pirates, infamous for our brutality! How can we let a provocation slide?!"
"Prepare for battle! Full speed ahead!"
"Ram that damn ship!!!"
"Wha—?!"
Ram it?!
The pirates were horrified but didn't dare argue.
"Quick, start the external wheels!"
"Load the cannons! Battle stations!"
"Full speed ahead!!!"
The Groudon Ship surged forward at maximum power, charging recklessly toward the Queen Mama Chanter with no intention of stopping.
The Big Mom Pirates noticed the commotion behind them. Ministers rushed to the stern, watching as the Groudon Ship barreled toward them, cannons aimed directly at their vessel. Their faces twisted in rage.
"Hey, you've got to be kidding!"
"Are they seriously planning to ram us?!"
"Bastards! Are they declaring war?!"
When crews of the Four Emperors crossed paths, intimidation was standard procedure—akin to exchanging threats, just to gain some verbal advantage.
Like earlier, they had merely tried to scare the Beasts, not actually ram them despite their ship's superiority.
If they really collided, things would escalate fast.
"No need to worry—they wouldn't dare!"
Charlotte Oven sneered, crossing his arms with confidence.
As the fourth son of the Charlotte Family, he was leading this operation. It had been his order to intimidate the Beasts earlier.
Lately, the Beasts had been making waves—had they grown too arrogant?!
The ministers gathered around Oven, their expressions mocking. But as the distance closed and the Beasts' ship showed no signs of slowing, their faces gradually paled, sweat dripping down their backs.
If they didn't slow down now, it'd be too late!
Oven glared at the Groudon Ship, his eyes bloodshot as it drew nearer.
He refused to believe the Beasts would actually ram them!
And yet—
BOOM!!!
The Groudon Ship's bow smashed straight into the Queen Mama Chanter's rear!
"WAAAH—!"
The ship lurched violently, sending the ministers of Totto Land tumbling. Even Oven was flung against a wall.
They really did it!
"The hull's breached!"
"Damn it, seawater's flooding in!"
"Do something!"
The soldiers panicked, scrambling to patch the gaping hole.
The collision of two massive warships instantly caused chaos. Tourists and women from the Pleasure Quarter rushed to the shore in alarm.
"It's the Beasts and the Big Mom Pirates!"
"Are they going to fight?!"
"This is terrifying!"
If the Four Emperors were to fight on the island, even the Pleasure Quarter would be destroyed.
On a certain viewing terrace.
Stussy held a glass of lemonade, her seductive legs crossed as she watched the commotion at the harbor. With a smirk, she licked the corner of her lips.
"What a brutish man."
"Earth Calamity—Gurd."