Near the harbor of Pleasure Quarter.
As the mechanical paddle wheels reversed, the bow of the Groudon Ship slowly withdrew from the stern of the Mama Chant Ship.
Compared to the massive hole torn in the Chant Ship, the Groudon Ship only suffered minor damage to its bow, completely unaffected in terms of navigation.
It was like poking a knife into someone's rear—
Total victory!
"Damn you, Beasts!"
Oven slid down from the wall, rising to his feet with a furious roar. He hadn't expected the Beasts Pirates to actually dare ram their ship!
This was an act of war!
Before he could even rally his soldiers, three figures descended from above.
BOOM!
The deck trembled once more!
It was the Beasts Pirates' executives—the Flying Six's Ulti and Page One, along with an unfamiliar bald man!
Mont-d'Or, the Cheese Minister, paled at the sight of Gurd's face. "Oven, that's Earth Calamity Gurd!"
"What?!"
Oven's pupils contracted.
Earth Calamity Gurd—the fourth calamity of the Beasts Pirates, a monster with a bounty exceeding 1 billion Berries , even higher than Katakuri's!
He had heard plenty of rumors about this man recently, but he never expected him to be such an unremarkable-looking bald guy.
This was bad!
He hadn't anticipated a calamity being aboard the Beasts' ship. Wasn't this guy supposed to be at Hachinosu Island? Why was he here in Pleasure Quarter?!
Gurd swept his gaze across the scene, raising an eyebrow.
No Sweet Commander in sight.
Heh. They dared provoke him without a Sweet Commander present?
Looking for a beating, were they?
Gurd's eyes locked onto Oven. Judging by his position, he was likely the leader here—and the one with the highest bounty.
A measly 300 million Berries .
Gurd's expression turned disdainful.
"Is this ship only carrying trash?"
"You bastard, don't look down on me!" Oven bellowed in rage.
He was the fourth son of the Charlotte Family, the younger brother of the top Sweet Commander, Katakuri! A man who had made his name known across the seas for decades, who had crushed countless enemies foolish enough to challenge their family!
And this guy was just some upstart!
"Don't misunderstand. I'm not singling you out."
Gurd waved a hand dismissively, his calm eyes sweeping over all the ministers on the deck as he delivered his assessment with complete seriousness.
"What I mean is—every single one of you here is trash."
"..."
The ministers' eyes instantly burned red with fury.
When had their Big Mom Pirates ever been looked down on like this?!
"Kill this bastard!" Oven roared, his body glowing with intense orange heat as his siblings brandished their weapons.
But the next moment, a terrifying spiritual shockwave engulfed them all!
THUD!
Aside from a handful of ministers, everyone else collapsed to the ground, foaming at the mouth with their eyes rolled back, completely unconscious.
Oven's body trembled faintly, every hair on his body standing on end as shadows overtook his horrified gaze.
Right now, Gurd loomed before him like an insurmountable mountain, his icy stare suffocating.
"This is... the same as Mama... and Big Brother Katakuri's..."
"Conqueror's... Haki!"
Just his sheer presence alone had overwhelmed them!
Gurd spoke coolly, "If you want to fight me, go call Katakuri. You lot aren't even worth my time."
"Page One, Ulti."
"Let's go."
Gurd turned and leaped off the deck.
Ulti and Page One followed, though not before Ulti stuck out her tongue and pulled down her eyelids at the ministers, mocking them without mercy.
"You're not even worth it, wahaha!"
"Come on, sis, let's go."
As the Groudon Ship sailed away, the ministers' faces twisted with frustration.
"Damn it!"
Oven's veins bulged on his face as he smashed his fist through the wall, roaring, "Inform Mama—no, contact Brother Katakuri immediately!"
"Calm down, Oven!"
Mont-d'Or quickly tried to dissuade him.
This time, they had provoked first. The fact that Earth Calamity hadn't retaliated was already giving them an out. If they really called a Sweet Commander here, that would only cause more trouble.
Oven angrily grabbed Mont-d'Or by the collar.
"How the hell am I supposed to calm down?!!"
"..."
Mont-d'Or's expression darkened as his own temper flared. He snapped, "Dock first! Don't forget our mission—Mama is still waiting for us to return!"
"..."
At the mention of their mission, Oven finally regained his composure. Everyone knew how much Mama hated waiting.
"Dock the ship!"
"Lord Oven, the rudder got jammed during the collision earlier. Emergency repairs are underway—it'll take some time before the ship can move again."
"..."
Damn it!!!
Pleasure Quarter, harbor.
The Groudon Ship slowly approached the shore.
"Ahhh, that's better!"
Gurd stepped onto solid ground, his mood instantly improving. He ordered, "Page One, stay here. Later, tail the Big Mom Pirates secretly and find out what they're up to."
"Got it."
Page One turned and left.
Seeing her little brother assigned a task, Ulti immediately perked up. She fidgeted like a proper lady, batting her eyelashes.
A blatant hint!
"Gu Jiang, what about me?"
"You?"
Gurd glanced at Ulti and sighed before pulling out a wad of cash from his pocket and slapping it right onto her face.
"Go have fun. This island has plenty of luxury shops."
"Gu Jiang, you're the best!"
Ulti's eyes sparkled as she swiftly stuffed the money into her skirt, then happily raised her arms and started bouncing around Gurd in excitement.
As expected of Gu Jiang—he instantly understood what she wanted!
The Pleasure Quarter was one of the most famous entertainment hubs in the New World. Aside from tourists, most of the island's population were women, so it was packed with trendy shops catering to female tastes.
She'd been looking forward to this for ages!
"Gu Jiang! Gu Jiang!"
"Alright, alright, go have fun already."
Gurd waved her off like shooing a fly.
Ulti was too restless and unreliable compared to Page One. Aside from being strong in a fight, her only redeeming quality was her nice legs.
Besides, now that he was in the world's largest pleasure district, about to meet the renowned Pleasure Quarter Queen, shouldn't he play the part properly?
Bringing his wife along would just kill the mood!
"Stussy..."
Gurd stroked his chin.
To be crowned a queen, beauty was an absolute requirement. If the first tier consisted of legends like the Pirate Empress and the Mermaid Princess, then Stussy belonged to the second tier.
He wanted to see her for himself.
There was another thing—the Pleasure Quarter wasn't particularly famous for any signature delicacies, and it wasn't Tea Party season either. Under normal circumstances, the Big Mom Pirates wouldn't come here.
Mama's motives intrigued him.
Stussy had close ties with the Big Mom Pirates and was a regular at Tea Parties. She might know something.
Though she probably wouldn't tell him.
Meanwhile, in the largest establishment on the Pleasure Quarter.
Inside a second-floor private room, laughter and cheers filled the air as women holding champagne played hide-and-seek with a man sporting goat horns.
The "Evil Scientist" Caesar Clown.
Bounty: 300 million Berries !
"Shurororororo~~"
"This is paradise!"
Caesar's face was covered in lipstick marks, his cheeks practically blooming with joy, though his heart still simmered with resentment.
Not long ago, he blew up Punk Hazard!
Currently, he's wanted.
"Damn that Vegapunk! If it weren't for that guy being jealous of this genius's research, I wouldn't have been reduced to hiding like this!"
"Joker, come pick me up already!"
"Wahhh, I'm broke now!"
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