One Piece: Fist of the World.

Chapter 227: Marco and Squard

After adding fuel to the game of "chase and escape" between Kaido and Crocodile, Rod put aside the report from Genos and the others.

According to the intelligence we got before, Crocodile and his mischievous subordinates have mixed up with Moria.

Although their subordinates are hard to describe, Crocodile and Moria have improved a lot in strength after returning to the New World.

When Kaido brought his men to Dressrosa before, Crocodile and Moriah took the opportunity to go to Wano Country and fought a fierce battle with the remaining members of the Beasts Pirates, and seemed to have a slight upper hand.

Not only that, it is said that Kaido's daughter Yamato also left with them.

Not to mention Crocodile and Moria's subordinates, the combined strength of the three of them is already the strongest force under the Four Emperors.

However, this was exactly what Rhodes wanted.

In the first half of the Grand Line, he drove Moria and Crocodile into the New World just to let them muddy the waters.

Putting aside the things over there for the moment, Rhodes focused on the last team that went out this time.

Bowness and Webber's team.

The two of them went to an island called Urukum.

Urukum is a winter island, covered by wind and snow all year round. And unlike Magnetic Drum Island, in addition to several towering mountains, there are still some habitable areas on Magnetic Drum Island.

As for Urukum, the entire island is covered with rugged rocks and the natural environment is extremely harsh. Except for the small town near the sea, there is almost no place suitable for living.

The only thing worth mentioning is probably the blacksmith there.

Although the environment in Urukum is harsh, the blacksmiths there are highly skilled and have forged weapons of the "good and sharp sword" level more than once. They are also well-known in the surrounding waters.

The skills of those blacksmiths are also an important supplement to the current Rod Pirates.

···
The coast of Ulukum Island.

A ship flying the Rhodes flag docked, and Bonis and Weber brought some members of the security company to the island.

“The environment here is so comfortable!”

The cold wind was howling, and everyone, including Bonis, was wrapped in thick clothes, except Weber, who was shirtless and wearing only shorts on the lower body.

Bonis glanced sideways at Webber and said nothing.

After the Donquixote family was destroyed, all of their devil fruits were obtained by the Rod Pirates. At that time, Captain Rod took out all the fruits and let Weber choose freely.

In the end, Weber chose the nature-type [Snow Snow Fruit].

Although this fruit may not be the most suitable for Weber, Weber, who has experienced the period of Enel's dominance, is impressed by the power of the natural system.

As the user of the [Snow Snow Fruit], Weber himself is like snow, so how could he be afraid of the severe cold of the winter island's snow and wind?

The wings behind Weber swayed slightly, and the wind and snow falling from the sky were instantly driven by him, spinning slightly around his body. Weber's own body also turned into wind and snow and dissipated.

"go there."

Seeing Weber turning into blizzard and disappearing on the spot, Bonis led the remaining members to rush towards the town.

In addition to obtaining the security agreement for this small town, one of the purposes of this operation is to provide some training for these newly recruited members.

call--

Just as Bonis led his men forward, the snow and wind on the island suddenly became violent.

The snowflakes falling from the sky were spinning at high speed. With the place where they were located as the center, a powerful snowstorm was brewing and then expanding at an extremely fast speed.

"too exaggerated."

Bonis glanced at the blizzard that seemed to be swallowing up the entire island.

Natural system, this is the natural system!

They can transform themselves into elements of nature and can also use the elements of nature to fight. If the user of a natural devil fruit is in a suitable environment, the increase in combat power is terrifying.

On this island where snow falls all year round, Weber's power is amplified to the extreme.

Weber turned into a snowflake, driving a blizzard across the island, and a sense of emotion rose in his heart.

The nature-type devil fruit allows one to transform into nature and control nature, just like the power of a god.

Enelu probably thought the same way back then.

The image of Enel's face suddenly flashed through Weber's mind.

The man who controlled thunder and lightning, was extremely arrogant, and called himself a god.

The next moment, Naylu's cold face appeared in his mind, making Weber calm down instantly.

Even someone as strong as Eneel had his devil fruit turned into something and was eaten by Neru. He also obtained the [Snow-Snow Fruit] only after killing its original owner, so he must not be complacent.

Calming down his head which was heated up by the increase of strength in the suitable environment, Weber controlled the storm on the island to gradually subside, and then appeared directly in front of a tavern in the center of the town.

When he turned into the wind and snow just now, he had already investigated the situation. Most of the people on this island are concentrated in this small town.

The tavern in front of us is the favorite place for most people in the town to stay in snowy weather.

bang——

The door of the tavern was pushed open by Weber, and the blizzard rushed into the tavern when the door was open, blowing the door of the tavern hard against the wall.

As if sensing some kind of atmosphere, the people in the tavern suddenly turned their heads and looked at Weber.

Dark skin, fierce face, and colorful tattoos on the body.

Even on the island of Urukum, which is covered with ice and snow all year round, this man was only wearing a pair of shorts.

"You are a warrior from the outer sea. I haven't seen a warrior as strong as you in a long time!"

The tavern owner spoke first, smiling, then took a glass and poured it a glass of liquor.

"No matter what brings you to the island, have a glass of strong liquor to warm yourself up first."

The burly, bearded tavern owner pushed a large glass of liquor forward and motioned for Weber to sit down and have a drink.

Weber walked forward, drank the liquor in one gulp, then turned around and looked at the people in the tavern.

"I am a subordinate of Tyrant Fist."

Scanning his eyes around the people in the tavern, Weber first revealed his identity.

"This island will be our territory from now on. Whoever has the final say, send a representative to sign the security agreement."

"Ba Quan?"

The tavern suddenly became quiet. The originally lively atmosphere suddenly cooled down, even colder than when the snowstorm came before.

"It's really not that easy."

Weber looked at the people in the tavern who were ready to fight.

As a small town that can forge high-quality weapons and has been able to survive in the New World for so many years, one can imagine the bravery of the blacksmiths here.

"Security protocol?"

"We don't rely on that kind of stuff to keep ourselves safe."

A burly man stood up, put the wine glass in his hand firmly on the table, and looked at Weber with a grim smile on his face.

"Rely on your own fists!" The next moment, one figure after another stood up.

···
Urukum on the other coast.

Two boats were moored to the shore.

Many ragged laborers were carrying boxes piled on the shore to the boats on the shore. These laborers were covered in dust and dirt, and even in the snowstorm, they were only wearing clothes that could barely cover their bodies.

A tall man stood on the shore. His upper body was extremely strong, and his two thick arms bulged high, revealing his solid muscles.

This is Marco Iron Arm, a pirate who once roamed the New World. When Roger dominated the Grand Line, he had already been traveling in the New World.

However, as they grew older, the old friends they knew at that time gradually left the stage, the faces they saw on the sea became more and more unfamiliar, and the space left for these remnants of the previous era to live in became smaller and smaller, so Marco also chose to retire.

The island where he chose to retire was his hometown, Urukum!

Urukum was originally just a sparsely populated island. Due to the constant snow and wind, even passing pirates would not stay for long.

It was not until Marco returned to his hometown that he discovered by chance that Urukum, which he originally thought was a deserted island, actually had a large amount of minerals!
The part that has been quietly mined so far has already brought him rich returns.

Marco also knew that with his strength, if the true situation on Urukum Island was exposed, he would not be able to keep the wealth by himself.

So he carefully mined the minerals here, reconnected with his former pirate crews, destroyed several pirate groups and merchant ships, and brought all the people on the ships to Urukum to mine the ore.

These people he captured were imprisoned on the island like slaves and used by him.

He reconvened his former crew members, with some responsible for managing these so-called miners but actually slaves on the island, and the other part responsible for transporting and selling the mined ore.

Relying on the rich mineral reserves of Urukum, they lived a more carefree life than when they first roamed the sea.

"Captain Mako, the cargo has been loaded."

A man with slightly gray hair and a huge sword on his back walked over.

"Thank you for your hard work, Swayne."

Marco looked at his second-in-command, Greatsword Swain, and patted him hard on the shoulder with his big hand.

The other party was his most loyal subordinate, and was so when he first ventured into the sea, and he still is so now.

"Go quickly and come back soon. Our friends will be here today too. I'm waiting for you to come back and hold a party together!"

"Ok!"

Swain nodded heavily, then turned and left, leaving with two large ships full of cargo.

Watching the two ships leave, Marco seemed to see a ship full of wealth waving at him.

When I was young, I liked to travel on the sea, going through wind and rain. Although I did gain a lot of wealth, it was far less than what I have now.

Pirates? Or mining makes money faster!
Marco turned and left, glanced at the group of laborers walking slowly into the mine, and frowned slightly.

The younger brother, who was observant of the situation, immediately whipped the whip and urged those people to hurry back to work.

Looking at the people trotting back to work, Marco nodded with satisfaction.

What they delayed was his time and what they wasted was his wealth. What kind of nonsense was it to procrastinate and dither like this?

···
"Hahahaha, I really envy pirates like you who can sail freely on the sea!"

In a huge restaurant, [Iron Arm] Marco was holding a huge wine glass in his hand, and was arm in arm with a bald man beside him.

"Brother Marco, you are a pirate with a bounty of 4 million berries! Your bounty is still hanging on my pirate ship!"

The bald man had a spider tattoo on his head. When he spoke, his tongue stuck out of his mouth uncontrollably, making Marco always worry that his sharp teeth would bite off his tongue.

Next to this bald man was an unusually large knife.

“I am so old now. No one has heard of my name anymore. No one respects me as an old man. I just want to enjoy my old age in Urukum.

Fortunately, you are here, Scuyard. If it weren't for your reputation, Urukum wouldn't have such a stable environment."

Marco took the wine barrel beside him and insisted on filling it up himself despite the bald man Squard's refusal.

"You are my brother forever! Although I am old now and can hardly lift a sword, as long as you need me, Squard, no matter what the situation is, I will fight alongside you even if it costs me my life!"

"Brother Mako!"

Hearing Marco's words, Squard was so moved that his eyes were filled with tears. He picked up the wine glass in his hand and drank it all.

"Brother Mako, why don't you join the Whitebeard Pirates? Whitebeard will protect all of us and we won't be bullied!"

Putting down the wine glass in his hand, Squard grabbed Marco's big hand, his eyes full of tears and sincere emotion.

Looking back to the past, when his pirate group was defeated by Roger and he was drifting with a few pieces of driftwood, it was his elder brother Marco who saved him and gave him a chance to survive.

And after that, when he was wandering on the sea like a lonely ghost, it was the old man with White Beard who accepted him, helped him cheer up again, gave him the same warmth as family, and gave him the courage and hope to live.

If Brother Mako could also join Whitebeard's team, we could truly become a family.

In this way, with the flag of Whitebeard, Brother Mako will no longer be threatened.

Everyone knows what would happen if they attacked Whitebeard's family. Therefore, in the New World, no one dared to attack the island under the protection of Whitebeard's flag, and no one dared to attack Whitebeard's family easily.

Even the other four emperors or the navy wouldn't dare to do that!

"No, I'm old now. I've lost the courage to continue to challenge this sea. There's no need to talk about joining the Whitebeard Pirates anymore."

Marco refused again and again.

In the world of pirates, there is also morality.

If he really joined the Whitebeard Pirates, he would have to participate when the Whitebeard Pirates came into conflict with others and needed to fight.

If he hesitates to move forward, he will be despised by everyone.

He originally chose to retire because he was tired of the fighting and killing in the pirate world, so why would he choose to join the Whitebeard Pirates again?

Not to mention, now that he has the mineral deposits deep beneath Urukum and has an endless supply of wealth, how could he choose to continue being a pirate?

It's fine as it is.

Everyone in the New World knows that the Giant Whirlpool Spider Squad is a pirate group under the command of the Four Emperors Whitebeard, and this island of Urukum, which has little oil and water, is a place that Squad often visits. Squad often tells others that Urukum is the territory he takes care of.

Although Marco did not join the Whitebeard Pirates and did not borrow Whitebeard's pirate flag, who would be so foolish as to provoke him?

"Of course, like I said before, Scuyard."

Sensing Squard's disappointment, Marco grabbed Squard's arm, his eyes full of sincerity.

"As long as you need me, I will stand by your side and fight alongside you!"

"Brother Mako!"

Squard was moved to tears again. He held Marco's arm tightly and patted his chest with his other hand.

"Don't worry, as long as I'm here, no pirates will invade Urukum and disturb your peaceful life!"

Boom! !
A violent sound came from the town, and even Squard and Mako could clearly feel the vibration.

Squard was stunned for a moment, then his whole face quickly turned red. He grabbed the big knife beside him, stood up suddenly, kicked open the door, walked outside with his big knife, and looked in the direction of the town.

"Which blind bastard is causing trouble in Urukum?"

(End of this chapter)