"Byojack… get the hell away from me!!!"
World suddenly let out a furious roar.
Looking at Byojack kneeling on the shattered planks, desperately begging for mercy, he could not help but think back to that night thirty years ago.
Back then, in order to escape the Marines' arrest, his brother and crewmates had abandoned him without hesitation.
Now, thirty years had passed. Though the World Pirates had gathered together once more under his call, World had never truly forgiven their betrayal.
And now, seeing Byojack kneel directly before the enemy, even willing to throw away the dignity of the entire pirate crew, an endless fury surged through World's heart.
If he was defeated by the enemy, then whether they killed him or tortured him, he could accept it.
But as a great pirate, there was no way he could accept this kind of humiliation.
What World had not expected, however, was that Byojack—who had always felt guilty toward him since his release from prison and had obeyed him in everything—would suddenly shout back at him from his kneeling position:
"That's enough, World!!!"
"Cough, cough…"
After thirty years, Byojack was no longer the strategist who could gallop across the seas, helping the pirate crew devise plans and chart routes.
It could be said that for these past thirty years, he had lived every moment in guilt.
Regardless of whether their escape back then had been the best possible choice under the circumstances, what they had done had already deeply wounded World.
Byojack could feel it.
The current World no longer trusted them.
Or perhaps every member of the World Pirates felt the same thing.
But they did not care.
These thirty years were time that World had won for them.
So they were willing to use what little life they had left to accompany World on the final stretch of his journey.
The moment Byojack's words fell, several voices rang out one after another from nearby.
One by one, the members of the World Pirates staggered over atop fragments of the ship from every direction.
Bartolomeo's methods could be called invincible, but all of the destructive force had been concentrated on their ship itself.
Aside from looking somewhat bedraggled, the members of the World Pirates had not actually suffered especially severe injuries.
The most seriously affected among them was merely a Devil Fruit user who had fallen into the sea.
At this moment, drenched from head to toe and limp with exhaustion, he was being supported by a Fish-Man pirate as they made their way together to the front of the Going Luffy-senpai, where he too knelt before Bartolomeo just like Byojack.
"Lord Barto! Please spare Captain World!"
"We're willing to join under the Straw Hats and become blades in your hand!"
"If you're still angry about what just happened, then kill me instead! I'm willing to die in Captain World's place!"
"Yeah! If someone has to die, let it be me!"
"That's right! I can too—"
One after another, the pirates of the World Pirates pressed their foreheads hard against the ground, desperately pleading for mercy on behalf of their captain.
As a Devil Fruit user, World had completely lost any chance of victory once he lost his ship.
At this moment, none of them dared cling to any fantasies any longer. They only hoped that Captain World—the man who had saved them back then—would be able to live out the rest of his life in their stead.
"You… you all…"
World stood there blankly, looking at his brother and subordinates who were endlessly begging for him, and for a moment he did not know what to say.
At that moment, Byojack slowly raised his head. A glistening liquid streamed from the corner of his eye—whether it was seawater that had splashed there earlier, or tears, no one could tell.
"World… it's enough…"
"We're all old now. This world has become more and more unfamiliar. To have made it this far, I'm truly grateful to you."
"If you hadn't dragged me out to sea so forcefully back then, maybe I would've just spent my whole life fishing in our village, drifting through life in mediocrity."
"I'm proud to have a younger brother like you."
"But… this is enough. Our adventure… is over…"
"Brother…"
Since being released from prison, this was the first time World had addressed Byojack with those two words.
A form of address neither of them had heard in decades instantly left both World and Byojack in a daze.
A moment later, the corners of Byojack's lips slowly lifted into a relieved smile.
Bang!
He slammed his forehead into the wooden debris once more, and the horned helmet on his head—styled like a Viking's—rolled off with a clatter and fell into the sea.
"I beg you, my lord, give us one more chance!"
"The World Pirates are willing to submit under the Straw Hats!"
"Alright then~"
Clang.
A pile of Seastone handcuffs suddenly dropped from the sky, landing precisely in front of World and the others as if they had been prepared in advance.
The members of the World Pirates quickly looked up, only to meet Bartolomeo's calm, smiling expression.
It was as if he were saying:
"What are you all staring at? Do I have to tie you up myself?!"
"..."
"..."
For some reason, even though they had all been immersed in grief just moments ago, the pirates now felt a strange sense of powerlessness.
Clearly, they had already entered the flashback portion, ready to burst into tears…
Yet what they got in return was Bartolomeo's casual smile and props he had prepared ahead of time, as though everything had been within his expectations all along.
To that, Barto could only say… what a joke.
Did they really think he was some rookie who had just set sail?
He had read through the intelligence on the World Pirates who knew how many times already. He had long expected they might pull some dramatic scene like this.
Bonds? Friendship? Family?
In the Straw Hat Pirates, there was as much of that stuff as anyone could ever want. He had seen plenty of it already!
Of course, Bartolomeo was famously and unapologetically double-standard.
If something like that happened to the Straw Hat Pirates, he would cry his eyes out while shouting his support.
But if it was some random outsiders?
The world was huge—who cared about their old sesame-seed-and-rotten-grain history?
They should just obediently bow their heads and devote themselves to shining for the Straw Hat Pirates!
Still dazed, the pirates of the World Pirates looked at one another in confusion and used the restraints to tie up their familiar comrades.
The Seastone's effects were immediate. World, who had been so overbearing just moments ago, visibly weakened at once, and even the aura around him changed.
In the end, of the entire World Pirates, only the little old man Byojack remained, pitifully holding up a Seastone shackle and looking at Bartolomeo above him.
And Barto, clean and efficient as ever, simply tilted his chin toward one of his underlings.
The subordinate immediately understood and, with a clattering rush, led a group of men up the barrier stairs created by Barto to inspect how securely World and the others had been bound.
It was obvious that the World Pirates were truly afraid Bartolomeo might snap and throw them all into the sea. So when they tied each other up, they had done it ruthlessly, leaving no room for movement at all.
Like this, they had completely become meat on the chopping block.
Though, since their lives and deaths had already been in Bartolomeo's hands to begin with, World did not experience much of a psychological shift.
Even when he was carried onto the deck of the Going Luffy-senpai, he merely hung his head low and remained silent.
As for the little old man Byojack, Bartolomeo found him far too pitiful. Even his IV drip had gone missing somewhere in the chaos just now. So Barto merely had his men find him a small room and lock him up there.
"Mm… the Destroyer of the previous era, Byrnndi World. With him joining us, the Straw Hat Grand Fleet's strength is about to rise to another level!!!"
Watching the World Pirates being locked into the ship's hold, mysterious light gleamed in Bartolomeo's eyes.
Though he had mocked World without restraint, after that battle he naturally understood just how terrifying World's Devil Fruit ability truly was.
According to the description of the Momo Fruit in the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia…
The multiplier this fruit could produce was actually related to the user themselves.
In other words, if an ordinary person ate the Momo Fruit, they might only be able to enlarge an object three to five times at most.
Someone like World, who could amplify it directly to one hundred times, was already rare even in the records of the encyclopedia.
But that only proved that ever since the fruit began being recorded, it had never encountered a truly powerful user.
Even World, who could push the Momo Fruit's effects to a hundredfold, had only developed this fruit to a half-awakened state.
It was easy to imagine just how terrifying he would become if he truly managed to awaken the fruit completely.
But there was no need to rush.
The Straw Hat Pirates were, to begin with, a place full of miracles.
Barto believed that with Lord Red and the Straw Hat Pirates' methods, they would definitely be able to fully bring out the potential hidden within World.
When that time came, the forces under the Straw Hats would gain another fearsome powerhouse.
"If Lord Red finds out about all this, he'll definitely praise me like crazy, right?!"
"Hehehehe~"
Bartolomeo revealed an infatuated expression, already fantasizing about the Straw Hats surrounding him and showering him with endless praise.
Yet just then, a sudden ringtone abruptly interrupted his daydream.
It was not the traditional "buru buru" sound of a Den Den Mushi.
As an important member of the Straw Hat Grand Fleet, Bartolomeo had long since been equipped with a Personal Terminal that could be used across the world.
And the ringtone he had chosen was none other than the theme song of Pokémon World, passionately sung by Uta.
Although the sudden sound gave him a fright, the song was just too pleasant to listen to. He almost did not want to answer and wanted to keep listening.
"Hm? Who's calling at a time like this?"
Curious, Bartolomeo raised his arm and looked at the Personal Terminal's screen, where he saw the image of a man wearing a spotted round hat.
"Trafalgar Law? Why's it that guy?"
Still puzzled, Barto pressed the answer button.
The next second, Law's voice immediately came through the Personal Terminal.
"Barto? You finally picked up, damn it!"
"Hey!" Having just made a great contribution to the Straw Hat Pirates, Bartolomeo raised his brow and haughtily replied,
"Watch your tone, junior!"
"You think you can call me Barto? You should be calling me Lord Barto!!!"
Having joined the Straw Hat Grand Fleet more than half a year before Law, Bartolomeo clung tightly to his identity as a senior.
And after saying that, he smugly flaunted the achievement he had just won:
"You know that, junior? Just now, I successfully brought the Destroyer Byrnndi World under the Straw Hats' banner. So what exactly have you been doing lately, huh?!"
"So you were fighting just now, huh~"
Law paid no mind to Bartolomeo's antics.
After all, after knowing one another for so long, the earlier batch of people who had joined the Straw Hat Grand Fleet already understood each other very well.
Hearing Bartolomeo's proud report, Law spoke in a matter-of-fact tone:
"Byrnndi World, the Destroyer. Yeah, that really is a powerful guy."
"Compared to that, I really haven't done much lately…"
"Just recently, I found a place called the Boin Archipelago, and I successfully persuaded the island's Heracles to join under the Straw Hats and become our ally."
"Besides that, yesterday I just defeated some huge guy. I think his name was… Edward Weevil…?"
"He kept shouting about how he was Whitebeard's son. Though to be fair, his strength really wasn't weak."
"In the end, I only managed it by ambushing him and taking his and his mother's hearts. Under that threat, the two of them can't stir up any trouble for the time being and have sensibly agreed to obey my orders."
"Oh right, the Destroyer you mentioned—that's your achievement for today, right?"
"So what about yesterday?"
"..."
"..."
Listening to the faint snickering coming from the other side of the Personal Terminal, Bartolomeo's face immediately darkened.
That bastard…
No matter how great the Destroyer's potential was, it was still only future potential.
Judging from the strength World currently possessed, who knew how many people in the Straw Hat Grand Fleet could already defeat him?
After all, no matter how many times a cannonball was enlarged, it was still just a cannonball. Against truly powerful individuals, it simply was not all that threatening.
In the anime, wasn't the final attack World launched by pouring all his strength into it casually destroyed by Dracule Mihawk with a simple slash?
By comparison, Edward Weevil—who had already begun making a name for himself around the world—was a bona fide top-tier fighter on the level of an Emperor's right-hand man.
And then there was Heracles, whom Lord Red had specifically mentioned during the meeting…
Law's accomplishments absolutely crushed his!
Damn it!
I'll make up for it sooner or later!
After viciously encouraging himself in his heart, Bartolomeo no longer brought up anything about seniors and juniors. Instead, he directly asked Law:
"So… why exactly are you calling me!?"
Law's voice gradually calmed from its obvious amusement before he replied:
"You idiot, you haven't had time to check the big group chat yet, have you?!"
"Just now, Moria proposed a plan to subdue the giant nation, Elbaf, and Lord Red approved it!"
"Everyone in the group is already getting excited and signing up, dying to take part in this campaign!"
"Come to think of it, I remember you should be near Elbaf right now. You weren't reacting in the group chat, so I figured I'd remind you."
"..."
Bartolomeo was momentarily ashamed. He had not expected Law to be this considerate.
As a true man, he would not stubbornly cling to pride over something like this.
"Thanks!"
"I'll go check the group chat right now."
"This time, I owe you one!"
"But don't think that means I'm admitting defeat. On this contribution ranking, I'm definitely taking first place!!!"
"Just wait and see!"
Law replied flatly, "Do whatever you want~"
"Hurry up and sign up in the group chat. Once enough people are in, there won't be anything left for you to do."
"Going right now~" Barto answered urgently and took the initiative to hang up.
Then he opened an app marked with a Straw Hat icon and entered a group chat bearing a bold 999+ notification…
(End of Chapter)