OPTC Chapter 317: A Two-Hundred-to-One Advantage — How Could We Possibly Lose?
TL/N: Going away for a trip. Back to regular schedule in a week or so
Bang! Boom!
Krieg swung his massive war spear, the weapon weighing nearly a ton. The specially forged tip struck the bridge deck and exploded violently, blasting a crater into the newly repaired surface.
If Captain Kuro was the fastest among East Blue pirates, then Krieg was easily the strongest. His title as the Overlord of East Blue wasn't just for show.
The guards caught in the blast zone were torn apart, several nearby sent flying and crashing to the ground, lifeless.
"Yeah!!!" Krieg's men roared behind him, cheering for their captain's strength before charging past him into battle.
Gin and Pearl each led their own groups to attack the guards, while Krieg stayed back, spear in hand, watching with satisfaction.
After defeating the transport fleet, they had quickly repaired and disguised their ships, hanging fake government flags before rushing toward the Bridge Kingdom.
As Krieg expected, though the number of ships had increased, the guards here didn't suspect a thing. They thought reinforcements and new supplies had arrived—until the pirates, hidden among the arriving workers, suddenly attacked.
The guards were completely unprepared.
Some desperate overseers cracked their whips, shouting at the laborers to fight back, but none did. Those workers had long suffered under their cruelty—none of them would risk their lives to help. Instead, they scattered in fear.
All told, there were barely two hundred guards, even counting those stationed in the towers. Krieg's crew numbered over a thousand.
By the time the rest of the pirates climbed up the scaffolds, the fight was already over. Krieg had only joined in to put on a show of strength—an intimidation display for the workers, to make recruiting them easier later.
It worked. The laborers stared at the battle in shock, some trembling, some still dazed, and others gazing at Krieg's towering figure with awe in their eyes.
"Hey! Anyone know where the keys to your shackles are kept?" Krieg bellowed.
The crowd hesitated—until one worker spoke up, face alight with hope. "I know! They're all in that guard post over there! Each key is numbered! I can take you!"
"What's your name?" Krieg asked.
"I'm Nukianu! I used to be a shipwright with the Black Cat Pirates! I was caught last month and sent here! Captain Krieg, I swear my loyalty to you—please take me into your crew!"
"A shipwright?" Krieg grinned. "Good. That's a valuable skill. You're quick-witted too. From now on, you're one of us. Go with Aidiman and fetch the keys."
"Yes, Captain!" Nukianu saluted smartly.
The others, especially former pirates, grew frantic.
"Captain Krieg! I was with the Black Cat Pirates too—please take me!"
"I'm a shipwright too! Please, save me!"
"I was a pirate once! I swear my loyalty—just take me with you!"
Soon, the crowd was shouting. These men had long known there was no escape from this place. No laborer ever left alive—only death or endless work awaited them.
Now, finally, they saw a chance at freedom—and to join a mighty crew. They couldn't let it slip away.
Krieg slammed his spear down, the echo silencing everyone. "Listen well! I am Krieg. I came here to expand my fleet. My goal—five thousand men! We'll rule all of East Blue! Follow me, and I'll take you out of this place. Together, we'll seize everything we desire!"
"Yeahhh!!!"
"Captain Krieg!!!"
The pirates who had once been prisoners roared in frenzy. They'd lived under the guards' cruelty for too long. Now, blood and fire filled the air again—their true element.
Betrayal of former captains meant nothing. The strong ones were in Impel Down, and the weak ones were right here cheering beside them. Their crews had died the day they were captured. Following the man who saved them wasn't betrayal—it was survival.
Their excitement began to infect some of the ordinary laborers too.
They hesitated—if they didn't follow, they'd soon face even harsher guards once the government sent replacements. But if they followed, they'd become pirates.
Some thought of begging the pirates to free them and let them go. Others planned to flee once the pirates left. No one knew what to do—but no one dared to speak.
Soon, the last guards fell, and Nukianu returned with Aidiman, carrying over thirty key rings.
"Those who want to join Krieg's crew—line up by number and claim your key!" Aidiman ordered, dividing them into groups and unlocking shackles one by one.
Each man gave his name and was assigned to a ship. Skilled workers like shipwrights and doctors were given priority.
Then, Krieg discovered something even more surprising—some of these people were from the Grand Line.
Curious, Krieg questioned them, and the answers stunned him. The Black Pirates, the Musket Pirates, the Foxy Pirates…
He hadn't heard of those names, but the bounties of their captains were impressive—the Musket Pirates' captain, Portos, was worth fifty million Berries.
Unfortunately, the captured crewmen before him were small fry—the highest among them barely eight million. The man was a mere highway robber! Krieg and Gin were stunned. Was the Grand Line competition that brutal?
Still, Krieg was pleased. Over a hundred recruits from the Grand Line—stronger than his old subordinates—perfect for building a new elite core.
When he asked how the fifty-million pirate captain had been captured, his eyes widened—and so did those of the others.
"You were defeated by those people too?"
"Yeah! That damned cat—I'll never forget it!"
"Their flag mocks us every time we see it!"
As soon as the name "Amber Travel Group" was mentioned, rage flared across the crowd. Hundreds of them had been captured by Zhang Da Ye's group—and every single one hated that cat-faced flag.
Some had been terrified at first, but standing now among a thousand men, their courage surged again.
Krieg frowned. "They captured this many in just half a year? What kind of group is this?"
The pirates who'd been caught at Sabaody began describing them in turn.
A man with a mysterious cat. A tavern owner with powerful bodyguards. A guy who ran everywhere like a madman. A violent lunatic who fought with stools. A man who could summon streetlights out of thin air. A skilled swordsman…
Krieg rubbed his temples. "Are you sure you're all talking about the same people? Or did that guy somehow turn from a nobody into a swordmaster who can cut steel in six months?"
"Maybe he never took us seriously," muttered Sword, face darkening. "I couldn't even beat his cat."
That explanation suited Krieg better—a powerful swordsman toying with weaklings.
"Now that you mention it, I think I saw them yesterday," said one pirate suddenly.
"Me too!" another shouted. "I thought I was imagining it!"
"No mistake! I'd recognize that cat anywhere!" Sword growled, his eyes burning with hatred.
As they confirmed the Amber Travel Group's presence nearby, all eyes turned to Krieg.
"Captain Krieg! Give us a chance to take revenge!"
One pirate from Sabaody added eagerly, "That guy used a stool made of gold when he beat me! He must have tons of it!"
"What?!" the others gasped. Even Krieg was momentarily speechless. Gold stools? Who the hell was this guy?
Krieg's armor might shine gold, but it was alloy, not actual gold. Gold was too soft for armor or weapons. Anyone who used it that way was either rich beyond reason—or an idiot.
But since that group had crossed from the Grand Line to East Blue, stupidity was unlikely. Which left only one option: immense wealth.
"If so many of you have a grudge, then as your captain, I can't just ignore it!"
Yes, their enemies were strong enough to defeat pirates worth fifty million, but Krieg didn't care. He had two thousand men, fifteen ships. According to reports, the Amber Travel Group had eight people—and two cats.
Two hundred times their numbers. Even if every one of his men threw a shoe, they could bury them alive.
Krieg's grin spread wide. "Brothers! Eat your fill, then we'll crush that travel group! Let this be the founding battle of our great pirate fleet!"
Seeing the starving men's faces light up, Krieg knew the surest way to win loyalty was to feed them well—and then lead them into battle.
"Yeah!!!" the pirates shouted, moving toward the scaffolds in organized groups under Aidiman's command.
"Captain, what about the ones who won't join us?" Aidiman asked, pointing at the laborers who stayed behind.
"Let them rot here," Krieg said coldly. "Anyone too cowardly to leave doesn't deserve a place in my fleet."
The laborers averted their eyes, though some stared longingly at the key rings in Aidiman's hand.
Aidiman, smirking, tossed the keys over the edge. "Catch them if you can," he sneered.
But before the keys hit the water, several greenish-black mists caught them mid-air.
A teasing voice rang out. "Hey! Littering's not cool. What if you hit a kid? Or a flower? You pirates really have no manners!"
"Who's there?!" the pirates shouted, rushing to the edge.
There, standing atop the sea, was a figure in a monk's robe and a golden hat, holding a staff.
If they had sharper eyes, they might have noticed the pair of dark green hands beneath his feet—Shark Chili, one of the Flag Demons, lifting him up for dramatic effect.
"He's… standing on the water?!" the pirates gasped.
The monk clasped his hands together. "This humble monk hails from the Eastern Lands, traveling west to seek enlightenment. Passing through your domain, I come to beg a small favor… these fifteen ships seem destined to be mine. Might the benefactor offer them freely?"
The pirates gawked at his audacity.
They didn't understand half his words—but his meaning was clear. He wanted their ships.
Krieg snorted. He didn't know how the man was standing on water, but that didn't matter. "Enough talk! Kill him!"
A dozen pirates raised their rifles—but before they could fire, each felt a sudden kick to the backside and tumbled screaming into the sea.
Krieg spun in fury. "Who did that?!"
Behind him stood a cat, upright on two legs, paws behind its back, whistling innocently.
Beside it was Rui Meng Meng, looking mortified. Her boss had egged her into a "kick competition" to see who could send them flying farther, and she'd foolishly agreed.
"Amber Travel Group. Zhang Da Ye," Zhang Da Ye said calmly, retracting his foot. "Nice to meet you."
The one who had carried them up—Jin Erpeng—had already flown off to fetch the others.
"That's them, Captain!"
"That cat! I'd recognize it anywhere!"
"The white-faced man and the sword girl too!"
Krieg's eyes narrowed. "Amber Travel Group… so you're the ones who caught hundreds in half a year?"
"That's us," Zhang Da Ye said with a grin. "Oh—and by the way… you're surrounded."
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