Chapter 438: SVOP - 438

Chapter 438: SVOP: Chapter 438

"A tiger?"

Down below, a female pirate rolled her eyes. "Are you kidding me? We’re out here on the open sea!"

"No, I’m not lying! It really is a tiger — no, wait, not a tiger... it’s a thunderbeast! And it’s already here!"

The lookout had barely finished speaking when there was a deafening crash. A streak of lightning slammed onto the deck, making everyone scramble back in alarm.

It took a moment for the blinding light to fade. When they saw what stood before them, every jaw dropped in shock.

"Y-y-you... what kind of creature are you?!" the female captain stammered. Then she slapped her own forehead.

"Ugh, I must be terrified out of my mind — actually talking to a thunder-tiger."

Vladimir looked at her calmly and spoke in a clear, human voice.

"Which crew do you belong to?"

"I-It spoke!?" The captain’s eyes went wide, but she quickly pulled herself together.

"You... you’re an ability user! We are a subordinate crew of the Beast King Pirates, serving Emperor Lane. I’m the captain of the Lycan!"

"The Beast King Pirates?"

Vladimir raised an eyebrow, his gaze fixed steadily on the woman.

Judging by her aura, she wasn’t exceptionally strong, but a female captain was a rare sight in itself — and being a subordinate of an Emperor’s crew made it even more unusual.

Seeing Vladimir staring at her, the captain’s curiosity got the better of her.

"Who are you anyway? A talking tiger... Did a human eat a Zoan fruit, or did a tiger eat a Human-Human Fruit? No, that doesn’t explain the lightning powers... what exactly are you?"

She threw out guess after guess, only to dismiss each one herself. 𝙛𝓇ⅇ

"I am the Divine Beast Raikou, master of all thunder and lightning in this world," Vladimir replied casually.

"I simply happened to cross paths with you. Now, quickly bring fine wine and food to entertain me."

"Captain... this tiger is pretty arrogant," the lookout muttered as he climbed down from the crow’s nest.

"Should we capture him and present him to Lord Lane?"

The captain shot him a sharp look, then immediately switched to a bright, welcoming smile as she turned back to Vladimir.

"Prepare a feast at once! We must properly entertain Lord Raikou! We of the Lycan are always hospitable. Meeting on the vast sea is fate — let us be friends."

Friends? There’s an agenda here, Vladimir thought, though he showed no sign of concern.

"Tell me about this Emperor Lane you speak of. What kind of man is he?"

"Lord Lane?" The captain thought for a moment.

"I’ve never actually met him. Orders usually come from his First Mate. This time, we were sent by the First Mate to sail into Big Mom’s territory and deliver a message to the other Emperor."

That piqued Vladimir’s interest. Who exactly was this Lane, that even his own subordinate captains had never seen his face?

Of course, it was possible she was lying... but he had a sharp instinct for truth, and she sounded genuine.

"You are heading to see Big Mom? Perfect — I am going that way too. You may give me passage." Vladimir said. "

But I am very curious about the Beast King Pirates. Tell me everything about them."

"With pleasure!" The woman smiled broadly. "Lord Raikou... why don’t you join our Grand Fleet? You look incredibly powerful, and you fit our recruitment standards perfectly!"

Trying to recruit me?

Vladimir almost laughed. "First, tell me how your organization works."

And so, the female captain began to explain the basics in detail.

First: The Beast King Grand Fleet. Aside from the main crew itself, it commanded eighteen subordinate crews — the Lycan being one of them.

Every captain of these eighteen crews was an awakened Zoan-type user. The lowest bounty among them was over 300,000,000 Berries, while the highest reached a staggering 800,000,000.

As for the main Beast King Pirates, their numbers were actually very small — fewer than ten members.

However, this crew was special, or rather, extremely militant. Every single member was a combatant, possessing immense strength.

Especially their captain, the Beast King Lane. Legends said he could clash head-on with Whitebeard and hold his ground without being outmatched.

"So... what do you say? Will you join us?" she asked, looking hopeful.

Vladimir remained noncommittal. "What is the purpose of your visit to Big Mom?"

"I don’t know. We were simply tasked with delivering an Audio Shell to her," she replied with a shrug, then stepped closer.

"Actually... we have a second mission as well. Not long ago, a major event happened within the Whitebeard Pirates. Marshall D. Teach — formerly of the Second Division — murdered Commander Thatch of the Fourth Division. He stole a large stock of Devil Fruits, defected from Whitebeard’s crew, and declared independence. He has now formed the Blackbeard Pirates."

"Blackbeard..."

Vladimir froze. Is history repeating itself? Did he really get the Dark-Dark Fruit? No... she said he stole a whole batch of fruits. Those wouldn’t happen to be the ones Whitebeard owed to Phantom, would they?!

Vladimir’s expression darkened instantly. That ambitious fool... he could have targeted anyone, but he dared to set his sights on what belonged to Phantom?

In that moment, Teach was added to his personal hit list — right alongside that Saintess from the Sky Island.

"Our other mission is to find this Blackbeard... and invite him to join the Beast King Pirates," the captain finished.

"I thought you only recruited Zoan-type users?" Vladimir asked.

"That was the policy of the previous Emperor, Kaido," she corrected with a smile.

"We of the Beast King Pirates recruit strength, above all else. Kaido was crushed to death with a single blow by the great Emperor Vladimir years ago. If only he had gathered enough powerful allies around him, perhaps he wouldn’t have ended so miserably."

Her eyes shone with pure admiration and reverence. "But honestly... that Emperor Vladimir was a monster. A peak existence that surpassed even the Four Emperors!"

Vladimir rolled his eyes inwardly. I’m still not entirely sure if Kaido actually died or not... but this woman speaks with absolute certainty.

"Indeed, indeed," he said dryly. "Emperor Vladimir was invincible. A true idol to us all."

...

The New World — Chaotic Seas — Meteor Archipelago

Nine years ago, the three great pirate crews ruling these waters had all been destroyed.

The captains of the Unicorn, Lance, and Tempest crews met different fates: one was locked away in Impel Down, another was struck down by Vladimir’s palm during the battle at Sabaody and sent sinking to the ocean floor, and the third — considered the luckiest — was still alive somewhere, though his sister remained in Doflamingo’s custody.

Time had passed. Now, nine years later, the "Three Great Crews" were gone. Only one crew remained to dominate the islands here:

The Glutton Pirates, led by one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea — "Glutton" Heinel.

At this moment, within the great hall of a palace on the central island...

Heinel sat upon a massive throne, wearing a golden crown. He was a muscular, middle-aged man, distinguished by his thick, bright red handlebar moustache.

Had the Red-Haired Shanks or Whitebeard not existed, he would have proudly claimed the title "Redbeard" long ago.

Heinel looked down at the man standing in the center of the hall and spoke calmly.

"Marshall D. Teach... or should I call you Blackbeard now? You truly did something astonishing. After murdering a division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, you come running here? What are you plotting, you traitor?"

"Zehahahahaha!!"

It was still that same ugly face, grinning widely to reveal a set of broken, jagged teeth.

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