Chapter 350: Become My Right-Hand Man!

Chapter 350: Become My Right-Hand Man!

Five days later.

The first half of the Grand Line.

A Marine warship docked at an island for resupply.

A group of Marines disembarked, led by a marine officer wearing a dog-head mask.

"You guys handle the resupply. I'm going to walk around."

The dog-headed Marine seemed to sense something, telling loudly to the Marines behind him.

"Yes, Vice Admiral Garp!"

Indeed, this was the legendary Marine, Garp.

He was here because of the upcoming Reverie for the allied nations.

Garp had been dispatched to escort the kings of these nations.

His current mission was to protect King Cobra of Alabasta Kingdom, a superpower in the first half of the Grand Line, renowned for its vast territory and population.

This stop was merely a transit point.

As the Marines behind him saluted with reverent gazes, Garp strolled off confidently with his adjutant in town.

He headed in a specific direction, drawn by a notable presence.

To an ordinary strongman, this aura was already significant.

Especially in the first half of the Grand Line, it was rare enough to pique his curiosity.

On the other side of the island, a bustling street stretched out—one of the livelier areas of the island.

Stalls and shops lined both sides.

But the arrival of a group of menacing, blade-wielding pirates sent the crowd scattering—some running, some hiding, some retreating.

Yet, in the corners, onlookers gathered.

Some in the crowd pulled out cameras to take photos, ready to snap a shot.

Word had spread about the figures about to clash.

The president of the World Economy News Agency had publicly announced in the papers:

If a news event occurred, anyone who provided photos and rough details to the agency immediately afterward could earn a reward based on the story's significance.

The reward tiers were even listed in a table in the newspaper.

It was enough to make ordinary folks drool.

A big scoop could mean striking it rich.

As a result, some people lingered in high-incident areas, hoping to catch a story.

In the New World, within the territories of the Four Emperors, some even joined these forces to get close to big news.

Not everyone was that daring, of course, but carrying a camera was common enough.

Morgan's table had birthed a new breed of people—civilian paparazzi.

At that moment,

The group of pirates who'd stormed in was recognized.

The Cockroach Pirates, led by a notorious pirate known as Cockroach King, with a bounty of 83 million Berries.

He was a man poised to become a Supernova.

Rumor had it he could transform into a cockroach via a Zoan-type Devil Fruit.

This ability once belonged to a prominent New World pirate.

Though it was an ordinary Zoan fruit, its incredible resilience and rapid ground mobility made its wielder a formidable threat.

Especially for those skilled in physical combat and hand-to-hand fighting, it amplified their power.

Surrounded by the Cockroach Pirates was a lone man.

A man with red hair styled in a side-parted undercut, carrying a bass guitar on his back.

He gazed coldly at the menacing pirates encircling him.

"Are you Iori Yagami?"

A burly man over two meters tall stepped forward from the group of ferocious pirates. It was the Cockroach Pirates' captain, Cockroach McCoco.

Despite his somewhat cute name, he was anything but cute.

Seeing Iori Yagami silently staring at them, McCoco grew impatient.

He was a hothead who couldn't stand dawdling. Raising his voice, he bellowed,

"Can't you speak? Whatever! Today, I'm here to invite you to join my pirate crew and become my right-hand man, Iori Yagami!"

So it really is Iori Yagami?

McCoco's loud voice carried clearly to the onlookers nearby.

The identity of the man surrounded by the Cockroach Pirates was confirmed in an instant.

This man had risen to fame in an astonishingly short time—just the past few days.

In that brief period, he'd crossed multiple islands, defeating and killing numerous pirates.

The highest bounty among those he'd taken down was a pirate worth 78 million Berries.

But his most famous feat occurred on a pirate-infested island, a hub for all sorts of crews.

There, he single-handedly crushed six pirate crews that had banded together against him, slaughtering many in the process.

That battle left heads rolling and purple flames blazing across the island, striking fear into the hearts of its pirate inhabitants.

In the World Economy News Agency's reports, this man—suspected to be a bounty hunter but more akin to a wanderer—was dubbed the "Aloof Purple."

In this vast sea, the only similar title belonged to the "Aloof Red," Patrick Redfield, a legendary pirate.

It was clear how highly the World Economy News Agency regarded this sudden newcomer.

It was precisely this potential that drove Cockroach McCoco to personally intercept Iori Yagami the moment he learned of his presence here.

Confident in his own strength and domineering by nature, McCoco was eager to claim such a promising rookie.

However, he hadn't considered the possibility of rejection.

Iori Yagami glanced at the man brimming with confidence before him, his brow furrowing slightly.

Then, in a cold tone, he spat out a single word: "Scram!"

At that, McCoco's face darkened.

He glanced around at his crew and the distant crowd, he felt they were mocking him inwardly.

For McCoco, this was an unbearable experience—his pride, or rather his vanity, was immense.

"Iori Yagami, I'm Cockroach McCoco, a great pirate with an 83 million Berry bounty! My ability once belonged to Badger the Evil Cockroach, a man who died fighting the Demon God himself! I'll give you one more chance to reconsider."

McCoco growled in a low voice.

Indeed, the New World pirate Badger the Evil Cockroach had been killed by Sukuna, but no one knew why—perhaps Sukuna simply found cockroaches repulsive.

When Sukuna dominated the New World, many big-name pirates who clashed with him survived, making Badger's death a rarity.

For McCoco, inheriting Badger's ability, this rarity became a point of pride to boast about.

Seeing this persistent fool refuse to back off, a flicker of bloodlust flashed in Iori Yagami's eyes.

Normally, Iori didn't like taking the initiative. He despised violence and pointless fights.

To him, violence meant fighting, and fighting meant killing—that was his logic.

This guy insisting on pushing him was testing his limits.

( End of this Chapter )