At Sabaody Archipelago.

“What a shame, if I were twenty years younger, I’d definitely set sail with you. But you came too late,” Shakky said with a bit of regret.

She was genuinely curious about how exciting Kuke’s future would be.

But after nearly thirty years of retirement…

Many of her abilities had deteriorated. She no longer had the strength or desire to return to the seas.

“Even if you don’t sail with me, you can still be part of my crew,” Kuke wasn’t giving up.

“Alright, I’ll be an honorary member of your crew. I can’t help with much else, but I can certainly provide you with intelligence,” Shakky said, extending her hand, and Kuke gave her a firm handshake.

The deal was sealed.

[Ding! Recruited Shakky as an honorary member of the crew: Combat Power +30,256.]

Kuke smiled inwardly. “Meeting one condition for recruitment also provides a bonus, although it’s only a 50% increase. If Shakky had actually joined my ship, her combat power would have gone up to over 60,000.”

However, Kuke didn’t want to use underhanded tactics to force someone as kind-hearted as Shakky.

He wasn’t greedy.

This was more than enough.

As Rayleigh took a sip of his drink, he suddenly stared at Kuke in surprise.

“Why do I feel like you just got stronger?” Rayleigh asked in astonishment.

It wasn’t an illusion.

It was real, and Kuke had grown much stronger.

At this point, Kuke’s total combat power was now over 190,000, just a few hundred away from breaking through 200,000.

“Shakky agreed to join my crew, so I’m happy,” Kuke laughed it off.

Rayleigh didn’t believe him, but internally, he was shaken.

He wasn’t worried about Kuke’s future anymore.

He was excited for it.

“Kuke, why did you only invite Shakky? Why not me? Am I not worthy?” Rayleigh teased, pretending to be upset.

“My ship can’t carry the weight of the Dark King,” Kuke replied with a grin.

Rayleigh burst out laughing, “Hahaha, don’t underestimate yourself. Your journey is going to be just as spectacular as ours.”

At that moment.

“Boom!” In the distance, the sound of battle echoed from Sabaody Archipelago.

Rayleigh closed his eyes for a few seconds before his expression changed. Fury filled his face. “Those Marines, what are they doing?”

Kuke reacted a little slower.

“Shakky, Rayleigh, I’ll take my leave now,” Kuke said, and in an instant, he disappeared, turning into a blur as he rushed towards the commotion.

He dashed toward the battlefield.

“Rayleigh, close the door for me. I can’t sit back and do nothing while my new captain is in trouble,” Shakky said as she took off. Though fast, she couldn’t keep up with Kuke’s speed.

“I’m getting old, truly old,” Shakky muttered in frustration.

…

At Sabaody Archipelago, Island 45.

Hundreds of Marines had surrounded the bustling streets.

The crowd on the street stared angrily at the Marines.

They were being forced to strip for inspection.

“Are you sure you want to defy the Marines? As long as you take off your clothes and prove you don’t have the ‘Hoof of the Celestial Dragon’ mark, the Marines won’t trouble you,” Onigumo said, glaring at Hancock.

It was her.

She had injured several Marines.

“A bunch of dogs. Either move, or die,” Hancock replied coldly.

“Then don’t blame me,” Onigumo said, slowly drawing his sword.

“Be careful of the items they’re holding. They seem to value them, so they might be dangerous. Seize what they’re holding first, then capture them,” he ordered.

“Yes, sir!”

A dozen elite officers used Soru, instantly appearing next to Hancock and her sisters.

They reached out, trying to grab the large bags in their hands.

“Get lost!” Hancock suddenly unleashed even more power, kicking all the officers away. They turned to stone mid-air and shattered as they hit the ground.

“Even stronger than before? It must be something important,” Onigumo concluded, his resolve hardening.

He stomped the ground, his blade carving through the earth as a sharp wave of energy slashed toward Hancock.

“You two, fall back!” Hancock bit her lip and pushed her sisters aside.

“It’s over,” a Marine sneered, confident. With Vice Admiral Onigumo personally attacking, failure wasn’t an option.

The enemy would be captured soon.

Although Hancock’s strength had been impressive, the Marines believed she was no match for Onigumo. After all, she couldn’t even use Haki—she wouldn’t be able to block his attack.

“You dared to attack the Marines. I have no reason to spare you,” Onigumo declared, not holding back.

Clang!

A large blade blocked Onigumo’s sword.

“If you lay a hand on Hancock, I won’t spare you either,” a cold voice said.

An overwhelming force crashed into Onigumo’s chest. He watched helplessly as his sword shattered, and his chest split open, sending him flying back, blood spewing from his mouth.

He was hurled across the street, slamming into one of the massive mangrove trees. The tree collapsed under the impact.

It was him.

“That’s… Kuke?!”

“What’s he doing at Sabaody Archipelago? Notify Headquarters immediately!”

Both Marines and civilians stood in shock as they watched Kuke stand before Hancock and her sisters.

“He actually dared come to Sabaody. His guts are enormous,” Onigumo said as he emerged from the rubble.

“Guts? Is that all?” a voice above him said coldly.

Onigumo looked up in horror as Kuke descended from the sky, sword raised high.

“Path of the King of Hell!”

The Path of the King of Hell—face him, and life or death is uncertain.

A massive cone-shaped shockwave of sword energy crashed down from above.

“Harden!” Onigumo’s body turned black with Haki, and he used Life Return to manipulate his hair, creating limbs like a spider’s to defend against the strike.

Boom!

Island 42 trembled violently.

A bottomless pit formed, devouring everything in its path.

Kuke, like a falling meteor, slammed into the pit. Deep within, the sounds of destruction echoed as cracks spread across the ground.

The entrance to the pit collapsed.

A lone figure emerged.

His sword was dripping with blood.

“Could it be…?” The Marines paled, staring at the collapsed pit, hoping Onigumo would emerge.

But no miracle came.

“This time, I’ll spare your lives. Consider the Marines’ debt repaid,” Kuke said to the stunned Marines.

He wasn’t repaying a debt for himself.

The Marines owed Kuke.

They had taken his money but hadn’t delivered the goods.

He was paying this debt for Gion.

“Hancock, let’s go,” Kuke said.

“Yes!” Hancock and her two sisters eagerly followed in Kuke’s footsteps.

No one dared to stand in their way.

…

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep