Big brother, I want to become the strongest pirate in the world!

Based on the comparison with the previous naval warships, Kazan felt that the current ships were too slow, wasting a lot more time at sea. If they encountered warships in the future, they probably wouldn't be able to avoid battle, since they couldn't escape at this speed.

The three of them wandered around until they arrived at an ordinary wooden house, where a burly old man was chopping wood.

The old man glanced at Kazan and his two companions as they approached, showing no particular reaction: "How did you know I was here?"

“My brother has the ability to communicate with animals; the birds in the sky told him so.”

Kazan told the other party the reason without any hesitation, while pointing to the few seabirds that occasionally flew by in the sky.

The old man nodded slightly, glancing at Kazan's red eyes: "Build a ship or modify it?"

"Change the ship."

"Okay, bring your own materials. I won't use regular materials, and I'll prepare twice the amount. I'll keep half for myself."

"No problem, are there any other conditions required?"

Kazan felt that this level of preparation was perfectly acceptable. It was only natural to prepare the materials themselves, and it wouldn't be difficult to prepare twice the amount, since it was all a one-time effort anyway.

The only problem is finding rare materials. Kazan has no clue how to do it, but he will definitely go looking for them. After all, it's his own ship, and he needs to use better materials.

"...Do you know 'Red-Haired' Shanks?"

"...I know, so what?"

"If you happen to run into him in the future, please help me remove the two beads that were set in his pistol."

"……Well."

Kazan was somewhat confused, his mind seemingly stuck, unable to grasp the complex connections involved. And did Shanks even have a pistol?

"Don't overthink it. I just built a ship for him, and he cheated me out of two precious pearls. They weren't anything too valuable, but I just can't swallow this insult."

The old man seemed completely unconcerned, probably just saying it casually. He clearly didn't care much about the two beads, and more likely, he didn't have high hopes that 'Kazan could get the two beads off Shanks' gun'.

"Okay, I'll take this job."

Whether Shanks had a pistol, whether he lost it, or whether it had a beaded set of wolf-bite accessories, can be discussed later when we meet Shanks. Right now, Kazan wasn't paying attention to the old man's casual attitude and tone; he was more concerned about the fact that the old man was building a ship for Shanks.

The Red-Haired Pirates are an extremely powerful pirate crew, later even known as the Ironclad Pirates among the Four Emperors. All members are incredibly strong, and this "all members" naturally includes their ship, which is also their comrade.

The Red Fury, a pirate ship that would accompany them on their battles for decades, underwent several modifications and upgrades during that time. However, its initial basic structure determined its future potential. Just by thinking about the Red Fury in the future, one can see what level of shipbuilding skills this old man had achieved.

Perhaps there is no shipwright of his caliber in the entire seas. Even in the first half of the Grand Line, it is estimated that only Water Seven has a shipwright of this caliber.

"So, what about the materials?"

"...We are not ready yet."

"Then go and prepare. Leave the ship here for now. While I dismantle the useless parts, you can prepare the materials."

"Okay, thank you."

Kazan bowed with Bon Clay and Bellamy, then turned and left.

On the way, Kazan specifically asked Bon Clay to transform into a seabird and ask the other seabirds who lived on the island year-round if the old man had ever built a ship for a red-haired man in a straw hat.

The seabirds' answers were a jumbled mess, which made it a little hard for Foncray to understand, but he eventually confirmed that such a thing had happened.

That evening, Kazan and his two younger brothers boarded a fishing boat and set off immediately. This time, Kazan didn't bring his sisters. They must be very tired after sailing at sea for so long, so he let them rest there.

As for where to obtain the materials for shipbuilding, Kazan doesn't know yet.

But it doesn't matter. The number of pirates in the West Blue has decreased, but the number of gangs has increased dramatically. Kazan believes that these gangs must know where to find excellent shipbuilding materials.

If it's in the hands of pirates or gangsters, just rob it; you might even get something else out of it.

If it were in the hands of a legitimate businessman, then he could kill a few bounty-bearing bandits or gang leaders and have Bon Clay use his Imitation Fruit ability to exchange for Beryl, while also confiscating their assets. In that case, there would be no need to worry about Beryl.

Because the small fishing boat has a low chassis, the three people can row directly with oars. With all their might, the speed of the small fishing boat is not slower than their own small boat at all, but rather much faster.

There's an island in the nearby sea with quite a few small gangs. The Monster Pirates passed by there before without stopping, but they didn't expect to have to turn back. But it doesn't matter, they'll get there in three or four days.

Three and a half days later, Kazan led Bon Clay and Bellamy to the island.

boom.

Ouch!

As soon as he stepped into the town on the island, a stray bullet flew directly towards Kazan and hit him in the leg.

However, Kazan has made it a habit to use steel to carry weights all over his body, training his agility and strength in this way. He maintains his steel body almost all the time, so stray bullets hit his steel legs and were bounced away.

"This... feels like a scene from Beihai."

Chapter 057 Target, Rainbow Town

Because Bellamy did not possess Observation Haki, Kazan and his companions did not simply walk through the hail of bullets.

"Upon closer inspection, everyone in this town looks fierce and menacing."

"They're just a bunch of lackeys."

"This number is indeed a bit more than that of Beihai."

Three teenagers, already two meters tall, pointed and gestured at the 1.8-meter-tall men in the streets and alleys.

There was no powerful force dominating the land and sea of ​​the West Sea, so the gangs had always been fiercely independent and each one was incredibly wild.

Kazan stood there for a moment, thought for a moment, and then walked toward the largest tavern in the center of town.

Hotels in places like this must hold a very important place. Perhaps there's an unwritten agreement among the various gangs that this is a peaceful zone and no violence should be committed here.

Kazan had these thoughts before entering the tavern, but as soon as he stepped inside, a bullet hit him squarely in the head.

Pong!

"A newcomer, huh?"

"They don't even know the rule about dodging bullets when entering a room."

"Hey! That guy..."

"Tsk... This is troublesome."

The group of grown men in the tavern fell into absolute silence the moment they saw Kazan's iconic eyes and ghostly hand.

And look at the other two, aren't they the 'ladyboy' and 'black fist' from the Monster Pirates?

boom!

Before the people in the tavern could react, Bellamy had already flashed out and punched someone in the head, blowing it off.

This is the guy who fired the shot at the door earlier; he must hold a high position among this group.

Gudong.

bang bang.

The sounds of swallowing saliva and heartbeats were crystal clear at that moment.

"Haha, Kazan, it seems we still have a lot of influence in the West Sea."

"Well... Xiao Bei, don't be so violent. Look at you, you're covered in blood, you're filthy."

"Uh...sorry, bro, I'll be more careful next time!"

Kazan looked at Bellamy, who was covered in blood, with a headache, and couldn't help but think to himself: Who's the red dog here, you or me?

Kazan casually scanned the auras of everyone present with his Observation Haki, and finding none particularly outstanding, he immediately understood that none of the gang leaders on the island were here.

Detecting the strength of another person's aura is one of the applications that only intermediate-level Observation Haki can master. In the New World, not having this ability would be ridiculed.

When the two pirate crews went to battle, the strong could immediately identify who the strongest person on the other side was, and thus choose the right target. This was achieved by using intermediate-level Observation Haki.

This is partly why Borsalino was able to immediately sense the threat posed by Ben Beckman when he pointed a gun at him during the Marineford War.

"Since you all know me, let me ask you a question: does any of you know where you can get high-grade shipbuilding materials?"

"..."

The room fell silent. A group of grown men broke out in a cold sweat, staring anxiously at each other, urging one another to give an answer quickly.

"Fine, it's too much trouble for a bunch of guys who've probably never left the island. I'll give you a chance to live. Call your boss over here within fifteen minutes."

"Xiao Feng, transform into an eagle and circle around the edge of this island. Anyone who dares to run away, just kill them."

"Then, the timer begins."

Splash!

As soon as Kazan finished speaking, everyone in the tavern sprang into action, scrambling to squeeze out.

If he couldn't squeeze through the door, he would jump out of the window; if there was no room in the window, he would smash through the wall and rush out. He was as energetic as if he had gone mad, even more ferocious than when he was fighting.

After all the scum in the tavern had run out, Bon Clay calmly stood up, walked outside the tavern, transformed into a goose, and flew away.

Bellamy stood at the tavern entrance, looking at the geese in the sky, a small question swirling in his big head.

Kazan rummaged around inside the bar counter for a bit, then couldn't help but complain, "They don't even have pure milk. This bar has lost its soul."

So a tavern without pure milk is soulless.

Bellamy, who had just turned and entered the tavern, heard his older brother's words and a question mark appeared on his forehead again.

Helpless, Kazan grabbed a bottle of fruit wine to drink. He'd let the bartender escape in the chaos earlier—what a blunder!

Less than ten minutes later, a cacophony of footsteps could be heard outside.

A dozen or so oddly shaped men, dressed in black fur coats, with slicked-back hair and cigars in their mouths, squeezed into the tavern.

"I put out the cigarette; I don't like that stuff."

Kazan's voice was like a divine command; several men who were about to offer him cigars immediately threw them away.

Kazan glanced at the group and couldn't help but sigh: Crocodile has corrupted so many people.

"So, where can I find the best shipbuilding materials?"

"I know I know!"

"I heard there's a pretty famous auction house in the south; you should be able to buy it there."

"No, no, there's a good shop in the eastern sea that specializes in selling shipbuilding materials."

……