Chapter 59: The Mantises Part 1
“What the hell happened?! What the hell are Shiki and that guy John doing!”
Linlin, whose physique was different from ordinary people, was the first to recover from the explosion’s effects. Looking at the mushroom cloud rising to the sky, she couldn’t help but curse loudly.
“Uh… what was that explosion just now?”
Kaido shook his head and also came back to his senses. The sudden massive explosion had truly caught him off guard.
“Should we go take a look, Mr. Kaido?”
The one speaking was Ember, who at this moment didn’t seem to have any major issues.
The Lunarian tribe’s super high environmental adaptability made him appear even more composed in the explosion’s aftermath compared to Katakuri not far away.
“Go! Of course we’re going!”
The one speaking wasn’t Kaido, but Wang Zhi gritting his teeth.
He had already regarded this island as his own territory by now.
Thinking of the street shops on the island that brought in considerable income every month now being destroyed beyond recognition, rebuilding them would take who knows how much time and effort, and during that time he would collect much less money…
This normally serious great pirate was now heartbroken and grimacing.
Wang Zhi looked up and gazed out. Hachinosu Island now had no buildings left except for a bit of the standard skull structure in the center; even the traces of the original foundations couldn’t be found.
If Shiki hadn’t wrapped the explosive rock in seawater at the last moment, the island would probably have sunk underwater by now.
Wang Zhi took the lead, carrying his greatsword as he headed toward the site of the earlier explosion.
Kaido also called for Ember to follow. He was now very curious about the situation over there.
The earlier explosion reminded him of something he had heard the researchers in the laboratory mention back then.
As for BIG MOM, she was lagging at the back. She seemed to be listening to her son Katakuri saying something.
……
“Cough, cough… that madman John!”
Shiki, in a disheveled state, sat on a split rock, with his two famous swords stuck beside him.
He now had burn marks in multiple places on his body, his gorgeous robe had disappeared, and his originally flamboyant golden hair was mostly curled and wilted like dry grass.
While coughing, he lit another cigar. The earlier steam and heat wave had made Shiki’s throat feel like it was burning.
“Phew~~~~”
After taking a deep drag and feeling the smoke travel down his trachea into his lungs and then exhaled, Shiki felt a bit better.
“Hm?”
After recovering a bit, just as Shiki was about to stand up, he saw one of the Flying Pirates’ executives limping toward him.
“Cough, cough, Boss Shiki, are you alright?”
“I’m fine. Hainar, how are our people’s casualties?”
This was Shiki’s biggest concern. The reason he had first used water to reduce the explosion’s power wasn’t just to protect himself, but also to prevent too many of his own people on the island from dying.
These people were vital forces for his future domination of the world; they couldn’t all be lost here at once.
“Thanks to you stepping in, Boss, our pirate crew only lost less than a fifth of our people. The rest are just injured.
As for the casualties among the subordinate pirate crews below, we don’t know yet.”
As one of the executives personally selected by Shiki, Haelna’s abilities were quite reliable. On the way here, he had learned the approximate casualty numbers from the various battle team captains.
This was also thanks to the terrifying aftermath of the battle between Shiki and John, which had made everyone around stay far away; otherwise, the casualty numbers would have doubled.
“Less than twenty percent… that’s good. As for those who died, they can only blame their own weakness. No need to mind them.”
Hearing Haelna’s report, Shiki finally relaxed. A twenty percent loss was far less than he had expected.
As for the people from those subordinate pirate crews, if they died, they died.
Every year, pirate crews from Paradise coming to the New World were a dime a dozen. As long as Shiki himself was still around, there would be as many cannon fodder as needed.
“So, next is…”
Just as Shiki was about to stand up to go find John, an angry and overbearing voice suddenly came from afar.
“Hey! Shiki, what the hell are you doing! Where’s John?”
Turning his head and seeing the three from BIG MOM charging over aggressively, Shiki narrowed his eyes and gripped his sword hilts again.
“That guy John detonated the explosive rock; he’s probably been blown to fragments by now. As for you three, when did you team up?”
“John’s dead?! You old guy aren’t fooling old lady, are you!”
BIG MOM was somewhat skeptical of Shiki’s words.
In her expectations, with John’s strength, even if he couldn’t beat Shiki, he shouldn’t have lost so quickly. Moreover, using self-detonation didn’t fit John’s usual greedy and cowardly style at all.
“If you don’t believe me, go find him yourself! I’m going to get the treasure now; all of you get out of my way!”
Shiki held his swords with both hands, and a violent aura erupted without reason.
But the three opposite him weren’t intimidated at all; they even stepped forward simultaneously, with BIG MOM at the front still unrelenting.
“Did John tell you the treasure’s location?”
“How could he! Do you just meet that guy today?! John didn’t say a word about the treasure to me!”
“Really? Shiki.”
BIG MOM’s voice was somewhat cold. Although she thought Shiki’s words made sense, her inner greed and fluke mentality still made her unwilling to give up just like that.
“I’ll say it again: I don’t need to explain anything to you, and you have no right to question me.”
With that, Shiki directly raised his sword pointing at the three, like a lion about to explode in rage.
The Flying Pirates members around and the subordinate pirate crews under the Golden Lion banner also gathered and drew their weapons at this time.
Seeing this, the people on BIG MOM’s side were not to be outdone; they all raised their long swords and flintlock pistols, and the atmosphere instantly became tense.
At a time like this, silence was always hard to bear.
……
“Mama~ Mama~”
After a standoff, BIG MOM was the first to break the tension.
“Since that guy John is already dead and we don’t know where the treasure is…
How about we all search the island together? The one who finds it first gets to pick one item, then we split the rest evenly. How’s that?”
A very strange suggestion. Everyone present felt it wasn’t like Charlotte Linlin this woman’s style, but wasting time here wasn’t an option either.
To be honest, John’s move had disrupted the plans of almost everyone, including BIG MOM.
Originally, in BIG MOM’s expectations, John and Shiki would fight to the death, and then her trio would reap the benefits.
But now John was missing, presumed dead or not, while Shiki himself and his faction hadn’t suffered much loss. If they forced a battle now, Kaido and Wang Zhi might not be willing…
They might end up creating a fifth pirate alliance.
『Hm? Strange…』
Shiki was also somewhat surprised at this moment. Having a deep understanding of this woman’s personality, he had already prepared for battle just now.
He hadn’t expected BIG MOM to back down first. It seemed there were quarrels among these three that he didn’t know about.
But since the other side had given a way out, Shiki naturally went along with it.
“Hahahaha! Of course, after all, we’re still allies.”
The famous swords were sheathed, and the atmosphere became harmonious again for a moment, as if the earlier tension was an illusion.
“Kaido, Wang Zhi, you two have no objections, right?” Seeing Shiki agree, BIG MOM turned to look at the two behind her who hadn’t spoken.
“I have no objections.”
Kaido glanced at Ember beside him and the Beasts Pirates members around, almost all injured, and chose not to fight.
Although he was interested in fighting Shiki, now wasn’t the time to start a war.
“Me neither.”
Wang Zhi, well aware of his own strength, didn’t refuse either. Who knew if during the fight these three would kick him out first—they had come together originally.
“Then let’s go. Little ones, turn this island upside down for old lady! Mama~ Mama~”
BIG MOM waved her hand grandly and directly led her pirate crew in one direction to start the treasure hunt.
『What the hell is this woman planning?』
Shiki watched BIG MOM, who had unknowingly seized the initiative, and remained somewhat wary in his heart.
“Admiral, we…”
The pirates subordinate to the Golden Lion below saw someone had already taken the lead and grew anxious.
Pirates were like that—except for occasional hot-blooded rushes, the rest of the time they were driven by their desires.
“You go too.”
Shiki waved his hand; he had no reason to stop these people. But unlike BIG MOM, he didn’t lead them; he just let them scatter on their own to loot treasure.
No, not just treasure, but anything of value.
After all, this place had been managed for years by that famous miser John; who knew what astonishing wealth might be buried under which pile of ruins.
“Let’s go, Ember.”
Kaido shouldered his club and also led his people in a direction before leaving.
However, he had little interest in treasure hunting. The island’s weapon storage had already been mostly emptied by the Beasts Pirates.
Plus, Burufaruto had just sent the signal that the territory was successfully secured; the Beasts Pirates’ true goal for this trip had been achieved.
As for treasure, Kaido firmly believed in the simple values of “neighbors stockpile grain, I stockpile guns”—with martial prowess, how many Belly couldn’t he get!
Watching the departing crowd, Wang Zhi was the last to call over the portion of his subordinates he had brought.
Of course, he couldn’t have brought everyone to Hachinosu Island. On one hand, he wouldn’t bet everything on John’s promise; on the other, John wouldn’t have agreed to all his people coming ashore.
“Captain, what do we do now…” One of Wang Zhi’s executives asked.
“You go look for any treasure that guy John might have left behind, but be careful of the other pirate crews. Though things are peaceful now, they could stab us in the back anytime.”
“Got it.”
The executive was just about to turn and lead his people away when he was called back.
“Also, notify the people still at the stronghold to send half over. This island will soon be our territory.”
“?!”
“You mean…”
Wang Zhi nodded, then waved them off.
……
