Chapter 162 Clouds Rising
Whoosh!
With a blur of movement, his body seemed to grow larger and potentially sluggish, but as soon as Kamakiri moved, he immediately displayed incredible speed.
"Rapid Claw Slashes!"
Afterimages flickered through the crowd.
Before the pirates could even react, blood had already stained the entire deck.
Under the tearing force of sharp velociraptor claws, the pirates were reduced to mere fragments one after another.
Kamakiri's involvement was just the beginning.
The officers stationed on the escort ships clearly weren't about to let their comrades steal all the glory.
Bon Kurei, Roche, Eddie, Galdino, and the others also struck out one after another, joining the competitive counterattack.
'It seems I won't be needing to step in.'
On the deck of the New Riding the Wind and Waves, Manlong sensed the situation with his Observation Haki. He silently withdrew the foot he had stepped forward and simply walked over to the alloy punch target to begin his training.
On the whole, the caliber of pirates in the New World naturally surpassed those in Paradise.
However, the officers of the Hunting Team were no third-rate nobodies either.
Under Zane's guidance and supervision, while these officers might not compare to the executives of a Four Emperors' crew like the Whitebeard Pirates, they were undoubtedly among the elite compared to the average pirates of the New World.
In barely half a day, a pirate force consisting of more than ten ships and nearly a thousand pirates was annihilated by the Hunting Team's counterattack.
All the treasure on the ships was plundered.
Those pirates lucky enough to survive were screened; those with outstanding strength and no major crimes were incorporated into the Hunting Team.
Those with heinous crimes were executed on the spot.
As for those with minor crimes but poor strength, they were simply cast adrift at sea to fend for themselves.
After the cleanup, the Hunting Team set sail once again.
Throughout the entire process, Zane never showed his face, leaving everything to the officers.
This was Zane's deliberate intention.
Now that he was the boss, if he had to handle every little thing himself, then why bother having so many subordinates?
As a leader, he only needed to control the general direction. Getting too involved in trivial matters would only invite unnecessary trouble.
Facts proved that Zane's public achievements, combined with his ten-billion-belly bounty, didn't have a very significant deterrent effect in the New World.
Or rather, as a newcomer to the New World, it was difficult to intimidate the wolves prowling these waters before truly establishing a foothold.
During the subsequent voyage, the Hunting Team encountered pirate attacks almost every other day.
Some were mere chance encounters, while others, like the first group, were specifically hunting Zane.
Instead of being angry, they were delighted.
The thrill of battle!
This was the mindset of everyone in the Hunting Team.
Facing the continuous waves of pirates, the members of the Hunting Team weren't frightened at all; instead, they were exceptionally joyful.
A bellicose atmosphere had long since been injected into the soul of the Hunting Team by Zane.
The more menacing the enemies were, the happier the Hunting Team became.
"Have the Three-Eye Pirates finally broken into the New World? A ten-billion bounty... I really don't know what they did to the World Government for them to issue such an exaggerated amount."
"They're certainly not simple. For a newcomer to wipe out every group of pirates that comes after them one after another—this momentum really feels unstoppable."
"The New World is nothing like Paradise. This place has already been carved up by the Four Emperors. If you want to make a name for yourself here, those four are mountains you cannot bypass. I wonder which one they'll choose to make their stand against."
"A member of the Three-Eye Tribe... that guy has definitely awakened the legendary special ability of his people. In other words, as long as we capture him, we'll have the power to decipher the coordinates of the Road Poneglyphs."
""
Since entering the New World, Zane had made no effort to hide his whereabouts.
As wave after wave of pirates were wiped out, news of him was quickly picked up by various factions.
Some coveted the ten-billion bounty, while others lusted after the Three-Eye Tribe's ability to decipher Poneglyphs.
Especially the latter.
The Road Poneglyphs, which recorded the coordinates to Laugh Tale, had always been something many pirates obsessed over.
Take Charlotte Linlin, for example.
"Mamama! This Zane has definitely awakened the special ability of the Three-Eye Tribe!"
On Whole Cake Island, the massive and corpulent Charlotte Linlin looked at the small bounty poster in her hand with greedy eyes.
Compared to other pirates, Charlotte Linlin definitely held an advantage.
Out of the four Road Poneglyphs, she had secured one very early on.
To that end, she had once gone through great trouble to find a member of the Three-Eye Tribe.
Unfortunately, that person hadn't awakened the special ability, leading Charlotte Linlin to have a child with them in a stroke of inspiration, producing another Three-Eye Tribe member.
Regrettably, the child she birthed still hadn't awakened the special ability she craved.
This resulted in her possessing a Road Poneglyph but being unable to decipher the coordinates recorded upon it.
Zane's appearance now undoubtedly reignited Charlotte Linlin's hope.
Strength does not lie.
Although he hadn't overtly displayed the special power of his third eye, the strength Zane had shown was enough to spark all sorts of speculation.
"Katakuri, Mama's good son, can you capture this Three-Eye brat for Mama?" Charlotte Linlin reluctantly averted her gaze from the bounty poster and looked at Katakuri, who was sitting in the hall.
"No problem. As long as it's what Mama wants, I can take care of everything," replied the tall Katakuri steadily, his lower face wrapped in a fluffy scarf.
"Mamama! So reliable! As expected of Mama's greatest masterpiece!" Charlotte Linlin laughed with extreme joy.
"Eh? Mama, do you really want to capture this Zane? He has a bounty of ten billion berries. Someone like that is obviously not easy to deal with."
As the eldest son, Perospero hesitated for a moment but couldn't help but caution his mother.
Charlotte Linlin turned her gaze toward him. Though she was still smiling, her expression became somewhat terrifying.
"Mamama! Perospero, do you think Katakuri is inferior to him, or do you think I would be defeated by him?" A stifling aura continuously radiated from Charlotte Linlin.
In an instant, the Homies throughout the palace began to shiver and tremble.
Katakuri also frowned and signaled his older brother, Perospero, with his eyes.
"...How could that be? Mama is naturally the strongest. I'm just afraid the target might hide, making it hard for us to find him." Sweating profusely, Perospero quickly changed his tune.
Despite being mother and children, everyone within the Big Mom Pirates knew that once Mama was enraged, even her own biological children would be eliminated without mercy.
Seeing signs of Mama's rising anger, Perospero was filled with regret.
He shouldn't have run his mouth. Although that Three-Eye brat was problematic, even if he was truly formidable, either Katakuri or Mama could surely handle him.