[132] : King of the Screw-Ups!

~ Support & Read 12 Advanced Chapters on Patreon

❁❁❁❁

The battered ship belonged to the Maelstrom Spider—Squard, and his crew.

Squard had a history with Roger, his crew decimated by the Roger Pirates before he'd pledged his loyalty to Whitebeard—maintaining his own crew while operating under Whitebeard's banner.

Recently, upon hearing of Roger's return to the New World—Squard, fueled by vengeance, had foolishly challenged him again, his crew paying the price.

If it weren't for Whitebeard's intervention, the Maelstrom Spider Pirates would have been annihilated—again.

The defeat had broken Squard, his hatred for Roger festering.

"Captain—Let's go back to Pops' territory. Ask for help."

"If we leave the New World, who knows when we can return?"

"Captain, please! Make a decision!"

His crew pleaded, tears streaming down their faces. Squard's story wasn't unique.

Countless pirate crews had been crushed by the New World's titans, their dreams shattered, their ambitions drowned in the unforgiving sea.

Some were lucky enough to escape with their lives.

But such defeats were inevitable.

The New World was ruled by powerful emperors.

Those unwilling to live in the shadows—to cower and scrape by—had to challenge the established order, to face monsters like Whitebeard, Shiki, and Roger.

And most—broken by the sheer disparity in power, their spirits crushed—gave up, their dreams fading into distant memories.

Only a few, their ambition flickering, would retreat—to lick their wounds and plot their revenge.

"I won't burden Pops." Squard wiped away his tears, his expression hardening.

When Whitebeard had offered him a place on the Moby Dick—Squard had refused.

He wanted to defeat Roger himself.

Seeking help now, after another humiliating defeat—he'd be a disgrace, not just to his crew, but to himself.

It was a matter of principle.

"The New World has no place for us now. We'll return to Paradise. And one day, we'll come back for Roger's head!" Squard's voice was filled with a cold determination, his teeth gritted.

"Is the coating finished? Prepare to submerge! We're heading for Fish-Man Island!"

"Aye, Captain! All set!"

"Dive!"

The battered ship slipped beneath the waves.

——

Deep beneath the surface, Arthur, having emerged from the tunnel beneath the Red Line, frowned, spotting a ship approaching rapidly from above.

If he didn't alter course, they'd collide.

The pirates on Squard's ship also saw Arthur's vessel, their faces paling.

"Captain! A ship below! We're going to crash!"

"Oi! Idiot below! Get out of the way!"

"Turn! Turn! Are you trying to kill us?!" They yelled, panicked.

Arthur smirked, a cruel glint in his eyes. "You want me to move? Hahahahaha! What a joke. Enjoy your trip to the bottom of the sea."

He turned the wheel sharply, increasing speed, heading straight for Squard's ship.

"That idiot! He's going to take us down with him!"

"We're doomed, Captain!"

The Maelstrom Spider Pirates watched in horror as Arthur's ship accelerated towards them.

BOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The impact reverberated through the water, the force of it creating a powerful shockwave that shattered the bubble coatings around both ships.

The seawater, momentarily displaced, rushed back in, crushing the wreckage.

Bubbles rose to the surface, carrying the survivors of Squard's crew. Arthur, having activated his Isolation Field the instant the ships collided, swam upwards, unharmed.

——

Breaking the surface, he leaped into the air, hovering above the wreckage.

A familiar Jolly Roger—a skull with a crescent-shaped white mustache over its mouth, and crossed bones—was visible among the debris.

"Whitebeard's crew?" Arthur's eyes narrowed, his interest piqued.

Whitebeard was fiercely protective of his "family." Those who harmed his crew faced his wrath, his relentless pursuit.

"Making an enemy of Whitebeard—the strongest man in the world…Hehehe. Now that's exciting."

Moments later—

Figures, clinging to pieces of wreckage, surfaced, their clothes soaked, their faces pale.

"Where's that other crew?"

"Probably dead. If not—he'll learn not to mess with the Maelstrom Spiders!"

The pirates, their voices filled with anger, their bloodlust rising—

"Look!" One of them pointed towards the sky.

"It's him! Captain Squard! I saw him! He was on that ship!"

Squard, his rage reaching its boiling point, glared at the figure hovering above them.

Defeated by Roger was one thing—He was the stronger pirate. But to be humiliated by a newcomer to the New World?

"Who are you?! You destroyed my ship!" he roared.

"Oh?" Arthur, recognizing the name, smirked. "Squard, the King of the Screw-Ups. I've heard of you."

King of the Screw-Ups was an apt title. In the paramount moment, manipulated by Akainu, Squard had stabbed Whitebeard... What kind of idiot son would do such a thing?

And Whitebeard, in his infinite generosity—had forgiven him!

Squard hadn't even died in the war! He'd escaped Marineford, shedding a few crocodile tears for his betrayal.

Arthur rarely felt true dislike for anyone. It was a pointless emotion. But Squard—this pathetic excuse for a pirate—elicited a visceral disgust.

Not only had he betrayed his father figure, he'd indirectly contributed to Whitebeard's death. He deserved nothing but scorn.

"Forgive me for interfering, Whitebeard. You failed to teach your son a lesson. I'll do it for you."

He didn't care if he offended Whitebeard.

Their paths were destined to cross. Sooner or later, they would clash.

Squard had to die.

❁❁❁❁

~ 12 Advanced Chapters Available on my Patreon

https://p-atreon.com/dragonnx

(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)