Hachinosu Island.
This island, which Roa had reduced to ruins a little over a year ago, had once again flourished today.
After all, this was once the headquarters of the Rocks Pirates, the starting point of all the legends of the great Lord Roa, and many pirates even came here on a pilgrimage.
Thus, over the past year, pirates had almost spontaneously rebuilt a small town on this island.
Although Hachinosu Pirate Island could no longer compare to its former glory, it had indeed regained vitality, and many pirate crews had gathered on the island.
The small town, which was not large in size, was dominated by various taverns, and they were almost full every day, with many courtesans moving between them.
For these pirates who risked their lives on the high seas, strong liquor and women were their greatest comfort after a long voyage.
And currently, inside one of the taverns on the island.
A man as sturdy as a wild bull was holding a heavily made-up woman while raising a huge wine glass and drinking heartily,
"Hahaha! Everyone said the Pirate King started the Great Pirate Era, but looking at it now, what is the Great Pirate Era compared to this!"
"What Lord Roa created is the true era that belongs to us pirates!"
"That's right!"
The pirates in the tavern responded collectively, every face bearing an excited smile, "If it weren't for Lord Roa, who would dare imagine we could live like this!"
"Hahaha! Yeah! We can go and rob any country we want, and no Marines will come to bother us anymore!"
"Who would have dared to think this before! The Marines, the Warlords, and even the Pirate Emperors, a slight mistake could bring about a disaster!"
For the pirates living in this area, the past year or so has truly felt like paradise.
"Hahaha! When Lord Roa first returned, and the newspapers introduced information about him, I scoffed at it!"
Another drunken pirate laughed loudly, "I thought there was no such terrifying person in the world, but who knew, Lord Roa is so much more incredible than what the newspapers said!"
"For us, this is the best era! Hahaha!"
The man as sturdy as a wild bull laughed heartily, raising the wine glass in his hand high, "To Lord Roa!"
"To Lord Roa!"
The pirates responded in unison, everyone cheerfully raising their wine glasses.
Although none of them had ever met the great Lord Roa, it didn't stop them from holding immense respect for that incredible man.
It was at this moment that the tavern door was kicked open.
The joyful atmosphere in the tavern instantly vanished, and everyone looked angrily at the entrance.
"Which blind bastard dares to interrupt my drinking!"
The man as sturdy as a wild bull roared, "Believe it or not, I'll crush your head?"
"Mongo the Iron Arm, whose head are you going to crush?"
A man walked in from outside the door.
He wore the iconic Captain's bicorne hat, carried a long blade at his waist, had a thick beard, and his narrow, triangular eyes instantly focused on the sturdy pirate.
"Uh!!"
Mongo, the great pirate nicknamed 'Iron Arm,' with a bounty of 130 million Berries, instantly turned pale the moment he clearly saw the man's face.
The tavern instantly fell silent, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
A few seconds later, someone screamed, "R-Reckless Sword Rex!"
"Why is a great pirate with a bounty of 420 million Berries here!"
"Didn't he join the Calamity Company!"
The pirates instantly boiled over.
Mongo was already one of the highest-bounty pirates on this island, and even in the entire New World, you wouldn't find many great pirates with a bounty exceeding 100 million Berries.
But Mongo had absolutely no presence in front of this man, Rex!
Rex's bounty was far higher than Mongo's, and more importantly, he was an executive of the Calamity Company!
"S-S-Sorry, Lord Rex!"
Mongo instantly stood up, his face deathly pale, stammering apologies repeatedly, "I didn't know it was you! Please, please spare me this one time!"
Of course, he absolutely dared not offend the man in front of him.
Not only was this man's individual strength far superior to his, but more critically, he was a member of the Calamity Company!
To oppose him was to oppose the Calamity Company!
Just thinking about that made cold sweat break out on Mongo's back.
"Hmph."
Rex snorted lightly, his sharp gaze assessing Mongo from head to toe. Then, he spoke calmly, "Mongo, you are a Paramecia user with the Strength-Strength Fruit, correct?"
"Y-Yes, I am!"
Although he didn't understand why this man would be concerned about his Devil Fruit ability, the sense of crisis urged Mongo to nod forcefully, not daring to show the slightest hesitation or delay.
"Very good,"
Rex nodded softly, "The Boss said that all ability users in this half of the world under his rule should be used by him."
"Mongo the Iron Arm, I will only ask once, are you willing to join the Calamity Company and fight for the Boss?"
Mongo's face trembled violently, and his hands shook as well.
The next second, he exclaimed incredulously, "Lord Rex, are you truly not joking?"
Rex's expression remained unchanged, and he merely said calmly, "You just need to answer me, yes or no."
"Yes, yes, yes! Of course, yes!!"
Mongo shouted in ecstatic surprise, his face flushing with excitement, "To tell you the truth, I have dreamed of joining the Calamity Company and contributing my strength to Lord Roa!"
He wasn't the only one excited; his subordinates in the tavern were equally thrilled.
The other pirates, however, looked on with envy.
Not everyone was qualified to join the Calamity Company!
A bounty of 100 million Berries was the minimum requirement, and that was when the Calamity Company began its major expansion a little over a year ago.
Now that the situation had stabilized, that Lord had basically stopped recruiting pirates into the Calamity Company.
Countless pirates in the New World wished to serve Lord Roa, but they couldn't even find a way in.
"Very good."
Rex nodded in satisfaction, "Then from today onward, you are a member of the Calamity Company. Next, you will come with me to find other ability users."
"Yes!!"
Mongo was ecstatic.
He finally earned the qualification to refer to that great Lord as "Boss"!
Looking at the overwhelmingly excited man, the corner of Rex's mouth twitched slightly.
The message from the great executives was that if someone was deemed unworthy of the Devil Fruit they possessed—Heh.
"By the way, Senior Rex!"
Mongo quickly seized the opportunity, immediately referring to Rex as a "Senior," "What should we do if we encounter someone who dares to refuse?"
"Refuse?"
Rex sneered, "No one in the world can refuse the Boss."
New World, Magara Kingdom.
"The Calamity Company? I'm not interested!"
The speaker was a short man with a very muscular bare upper body, wearing boxing gloves, who looked like a boxer.
A hint of anger showed on his face, "Don't you bastards see what you've done to the New World? Even I, a hitman, can't get any jobs!!"
The man's name was Kelly Funk, a Paramecia user of the Jacket-Jacket Fruit, and a hitman.
The hitman business had not been easy over the past year or so.
Besides pirates, there really weren't many people left in the New World rich enough to hire a hitman.
Even the dignitaries of various countries were equally persecuted by the pirates.
"You seem to have misunderstood something, Kelly Funk,"
The Calamity Company pirate who came to find this man said calmly, "No one in the world can refuse the Boss."
Saying this, the pirate's body began to grow taller, sharp claws and fine fur appearing on his skin.
Kelly Funk's eyes widened gradually.
A moment later, Kelly Funk was dragged away like a dead dog.
Even a notorious monster in this country did not have the right to say no to the Boss.
A new storm spread rapidly. The pirates of the New World realized belatedly that the Pirate Alliance had started moving again.
Roa had sent his pirates to hunt down all the ability users in this sea area.
If they were willing to join his ranks, they would become a member of the Calamity Company.
But if they chose to refuse, they would be subjected to relentless attack.
If they were defeated on the spot, it was actually acceptable. The worst fate was for those ability users who were victorious and managed to repel the pirates who came for them.
In such cases, the true strength of the Pirate Alliance would be deployed.
Monsters known as the Calamity Knights would soon arrive, bringing absolute despair and destruction.
Monsters of that level were no longer something ordinary pirates could contend with.
Submit or perish—these were the only two choices for the ability users who were sought out.
And this storm was not only raging in the New World; it was also covering the West Blue and the North Blue.
West Blue, a certain island.
Daz Bonez looked at the man in front of him with a look of astonishment, "You're saying you're here to invite me to join the Calamity Company?"
"Hehehe, Daz Bonez,"
The speaker was a burly man in a black suit, whose demeanor suggested a mafia member more than a pirate, "A Paramecia user with the Dice-Dice Fruit, a famous assassin in this sea area."
"An opportunity to climb the ranks has arrived. The great Lord Roa is collecting ability users, and even someone as insignificant as you can become a member of the Calamity Company."
Daz Bonez hesitated.
While contemplating, his peripheral vision glanced at the man's back.
A group of heavily armed mafia members were glaring at him.
These guys were naturally no threat to him.
However, standing behind them was one of the two poles of the world.
"I don't think I have a reason to refuse."
"Excellent!"
In the North Blue.
A certain island.
On a somewhat dilapidated port.
A certain man was quietly telling fortunes.
The man had flowing blonde hair and a slender physique, with no eyebrows, replaced by three vertical lines above each eye.
He sat on a short box, with Tarot cards spread out on a taller box in front of him.
"Captain! Captain Hawkins!"
From the ruined town behind, a pirate rushed over, waving a newspaper, his face full of urgency,
"Latest news, the Calamity Company seems to be hunting Devil Fruit users, and many ability users in the North Blue have suffered!"
"We should run immediately!"
Hearing this, the man who was fortune-telling paused slightly.
Then, he casually flipped over another Tarot card. The vertical lines on his forehead, which replaced his eyebrows, pressed down, making his expression somewhat solemn,
"The probability of escaping this time is fifty percent."
He spoke slowly.
"Fifty percent, really?"
The pirate who brought the news was immediately overjoyed.
After all, the people they were trying to escape from were the Calamity Company!
Although they were only running, not actually fighting them, having such a probability was already quite astounding!
"That is the probability of escaping this time."
Hawkins slowly collected all the Tarot cards, "The probability of remaining safe one month from now is one percent."
"Eh!!"
The pirate, who had been overjoyed just moments ago, instantly let out a scream of despair, "Isn't that the end for us!!"
Hawkins raised his head and looked at the distant sea.
A pirate ship bearing the flag of the Calamity Company was already approaching.
"Then let me see where fate will lead us."
The actions of the Pirate Alliance not only profoundly shocked the side of the world near the Red Line, but the other half of the world was also shaken.
"Roa is collecting ability users! That can only mean he's preparing for war, right!"
"After just one year of calm, is he already impatient to start the next round of war!"
"A war with the world as the stake is about to break out; what will this world become!!"
Everyone realized that the power of the Pirate Alliance was expanding further.
War was imminent!
Somewhere above the Red Line, a pitch-black giant dragon headed towards the North Blue.
Robin closed the newspaper, her eyes even more serious.
Roa's power continued to expand!
If this continues, it's hard to say if Imu can still keep him in check, after all, Imu can only rely on herself now; that guy no longer has the Ancient Weapons!
She had to hurry!
The Revolutionary Army was also a formidable force, and their leader, Dragon, was an undeniable powerhouse!
This time, she and Shanks split up.
She would go to the North Blue to contact the Revolutionary Army, while Shanks accompanied Vista to gather the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates.
Hopefully, everything goes smoothly.
In the sky over another part of the world, inside another huge floating ship.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku was on a call with someone.
"This might be an opportunity, Mr. Sengoku,"
The person on the other end of the Den Den Mushi said solemnly, "The Calamity Company has stopped recruiting pirates for the past year, but now all ability users can join Roa's ranks! There's no better chance than this!"
"But—"
Sengoku's eyes showed hesitation and worry, "It's too dangerous, Rosinante!"
"No one is better suited than me, Mr. Sengoku!"
The person on the other end of the phone worm said decisively, "Any other spy would struggle to reach the true high-levels of the Calamity Company; I am the only exception!"
"Doflamingo is a trusted executive of Roa. With my relationship with him, I might actually have a chance to confirm Roa's whereabouts!"
"Only by finding him is there a possibility of victory, isn't that right!"
Sengoku bit his lip, his fists clenched tightly.
After a long time, he finally nodded, "Then go, Rosinante. Drake will cooperate with you."
"Yes!"
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