"Urouge, it was them who killed someone on the island. They have no regard for the Saijin Temple at all," the monk said to Urouge.
"Urouge?!" Hearing this, Kaido looked at the newcomer, taking a closer look before recognizing that it was indeed Urouge—the future captain of the Fallen Monk Pirates, one of the Worst Generation, who would later go on to defeat one of the Sweet Commanders, Charlotte Snack.
"Do you know me, sir?!" Urouge asked, seeing Kaido's gaze upon him.
Kaido grinned, revealing sharp white teeth. "You could say I know of you." He surveyed his surroundings, continuing. "Urouge, staying in a place like this forever must be boring, right? With your potential, you could clearly become much stronger, but this little backwater only wastes it. How about following me to witness the vastness of this great sea?!"
These words drew the attention of everyone present. King, Bullet, and Queen all turned to look at Urouge, their eyes carrying a scrutinizing gaze. Anyone personally invited by Kaido must have something exceptional about them.
Urouge's expression darkened. "You come to our island and kill someone, and now, upon first meeting, you even want me to become your subordinate? Isn't that going a bit too far?"
"Ugo go go go..." Kaido let out his signature booming laugh. "Too far? I don't think so." His eyes suddenly turned sharp. "Since we've met, you'll become my underling from now on!"
Before the words had fully faded, a violent Haoshoku Haki burst forth from Kaido's body. The surrounding air seemed to solidify; ordinary citizens collapsed one after another, losing consciousness.
"Huh?! What is this?! What did you do?!" Urouge was also shaken by this Haki, but he quickly steadied himself, looking in shock at the people collapsing around him.
Kaido shook his head in disappointment, a flicker of disdain in his eyes. "As I thought. Staying too long in a small place makes even one's perspective narrow, doesn't it?" He turned his head to look at Bullet beside him, his tone flat yet brooking no argument. "I'll leave this fellow to you."
"As you command, Captain!" Bullet's lips stretched into an excited grin, his knuckles cracking crisply.
This giant of a man, nearly three meters tall, strode toward Urouge with steady steps, each one causing the ground to tremble slightly. His eyes gleamed with a bloodthirsty light, a ferocious smile played on his lips, and an oppressive aura that was suffocating emanated from his entire being—a killing intent tempered only in mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
Urouge met him head-on without fear, thick veins bulging on his brawny arms. "Looking for a fight? I'll keep you company to the end!" Before the words had fully left his mouth, he had already swung a fist the size of a sand pot, whistling through the air straight for Bullet's face.
THUD!
Two iron fists collided in mid-air, unleashing an ear-splitting roar. Shockwaves exploded outward from the two men, whipping up clouds of dust.
A cold smirk tugged at Bullet's mouth. The muscles on his arm suddenly bulged, veins throbbing, as terrifying power instantly erupted, actually blasting Urouge's entire body backward.
CRASH!
Urouge shot into a stone house by the street like a cannonball. The thick brick wall crumbled upon impact, kicking up a large cloud of dust and debris.
But the next second, an angry roar came from the pile of rubble. He charged out, shouldering a roof beam column thick enough for two men to embrace, the blood seeping from his forehead adding to his fierce demeanor.
"Die!" Urouge roared, swinging the massive column. The wind it whipped up sent surrounding rubble flying into the air.
Bullet, however, threw his head back and laughed. "Hahaha! Perfect timing to test my newly mastered power on you!" Both his arms instantly became coated with jet-black Busoshoku Haki, gleaming with a metallic cold light under the sun.
BOOM!
The moment the massive column came crashing down, Bullet neither dodged nor evaded, his right fist firing out like a cannonball. The thick roof beam was actually shattered clean through, wood splinters spraying in all directions like rain.
Urouge's pupils contracted sharply. Before he could even react, Bullet had already appeared before him like a ghost.
"Whoosh!" In his haste, Urouge hurled the broken column at Bullet, only for the other to casually swat it aside. Immediately after, an iron fist wrapped in Busoshoku Haki was already before his eyes.
Urouge hastily threw up a punch to block, but it felt like hitting solid steel, a piercing pain shooting through his knuckles.
"Interesting!" Bullet sneered. The veins on his right fist suddenly bulged, and terrifying force sent Urouge stumbling back several steps once more.
The latter staggered to regain his footing, a trickle of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth, yet the fighting spirit in his eyes burned even hotter. "Don't screw with me! How could I possibly lose?!"
He roared, launching a frenzied, storm-like assault, his fists becoming blurs as they attacked Bullet. But the battle-hardened Bullet merely blocked with ease; every collision produced a dull metallic clang.
Suddenly, Bullet seized an opening. His right leg swept out horizontally like a battle axe, landing squarely on Urouge's abdomen.
"Ugh!" Urouge doubled over in pain, yet he stubbornly withstood this heavy blow. Clenching his teeth, he straightened up, an unyielding fighting spirit blazing in his eyes. The very instant he prepared to counterattack, Bullet's iron fist had already shot toward him like lightning.
THWACK!
This punch landed solidly on Urouge's face. His brawny frame flew out over ten meters like a kite with a severed string, plowing a deep furrow into the ground. When the dust settled, he lay sprawled on his back amidst the ruins, consciousness gradually fading until he sank into darkness.
Kaido looked at the fallen Urouge and nodded in satisfaction. "Not bad. Being able to withstand a few moves from Bullet, he really does have some skill."
King crossed his arms, commenting blandly, "Still falls a bit short, though."
Queen, cigar in his mouth, added with a chuckle. "It's already quite good. And this guy looks to be about the same age as King. His future potential is promising."
Bullet shook his fist, grinning. "The guy's resilience is pretty strong, though. If it were an ordinary person, they wouldn't have gotten up after my first punch hit. He held on for quite a while. His potential is much greater than Sebastian's or Gavin's."
Kaido walked forward, looking down at the unconscious Urouge from his height. "Bring him aboard. We'll have a proper talk when he wakes up."
"Yes, Boss Kaido!" Queen immediately beckoned his subordinates, who lifted Urouge up.
King glanced at the collapsed citizens all around, asking, "What about these people?"
Kaido waved a hand dismissively. "Don't bother with them. They won't die anyway."
Soon, Kaido's group left the island with Urouge, heading toward their pirate ship.
After a while, the people who had been unconscious earlier gradually began to wake up, quickly discovering that Kaido's group and Urouge had vanished.
"Lord Urouge... was taken away?" a monk murmured.
"Who... what kind of people were they?" another asked, trembling.
No one could answer their questions.