One Piece: Capitalist Brook's Crew Expansion Plan-Chapter 74: Look, There’s a Ship in the Sky

Dagger-wielding assassins spread out in all directions, forming a tight formation like a massive net, completely surrounding Newgate.

Seeing their gunmen injured and their firearms shattered, the losses were too great. They had to take down Newgate today to claim his bounty and recover at least some of their losses.

"All together!"

The assassins, armed with poison-laced daggers, charged at Newgate from every direction, hoping to overwhelm his defenses with sheer numbers. As long as they landed the first strike, the poison would take effect, and everything else would fall into place.

They had used this tactic countless times before. Pirates, always arrogant, rarely paid attention to minor wounds—until the poison set in. Then, without fail, they would curse them as cowards.

But as assassins, why should they care? Against ruthless pirates, was it really cowardly to coat their blades in poison? Wasn't this simply an equal exchange—brutality for cunning?

...

Newgate eyed the assassins closing in, their daggers glowing with a sinister green hue. One glance was enough to tell him they were coated in something nasty. With so many attackers, even he couldn't block every strike. He had to break through.

A powerful shockwave burst from his fist, surging forward. The assassins in his path flinched, instinctively retreating, unwilling to take the hit head-on.

"Don't dodge! Hold the line!"

The assassin leader roared in frustration, furious at his subordinates' hesitation.

One assassin, gritting his teeth, obeyed the order and thrust his dagger at Newgate's glowing white fist. But the moment the poisoned blade made contact, it vibrated violently, completely out of control. In an instant, the dagger shattered, and the assassin's entire arm exploded into a bloody mist.

"Aagh!"

The man screamed in agony, clutching his ruined shoulder as he was sent flying. The sheer terror on his face made the surrounding assassins tremble.

"Damn it!!"

The assassin leader gritted his teeth. This target was far tougher than expected—stronger than even some of the notorious pirates with 200 million Belly bounties. There was no way he was just worth 90 million!

Newgate burst out of the tavern, stopping in front of a nearby building. At least this way, he wouldn't be completely surrounded. But the assassins still refused to let him go.

His fists glowed with white energy, yet his face bore a grin. These assassins weren't as strong as he had expected.

"Gurararara~ Come on! Let's have a real fight!"

The assassin leader led a dozen more dagger-wielding killers after him, only to see that Newgate had taken a stance, back against the building, ready to face them head-on.

"Call the boss! Now!"

The leader no longer dared to underestimate him. If they kept taking losses like this, he wouldn't be able to explain himself later. He quickly ordered one of his men to use a Den Den Mushi to call for backup.

"Yes, sir!"

One assassin immediately pulled out a Den Den Mushi and relayed their dire situation.

"Useless idiots! Hold him there! I'm on my way!"

Hearing their boss's furious response, the assassins finally relaxed a little. Their leader was someone who had successfully assassinated a pirate worth 210 million Belly—he would surely turn the tide.

...

"More assassins coming?"

Newgate wasn't about to sit around and wait. He charged forward, swinging his massive fists. His overwhelming strength, combined with the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, sent the assassins scrambling to dodge. Those too slow were crushed into bloody messes.

"You rats don't even want to fight? Then I'm leaving!"

Seeing the assassins scurrying away like mice, Newgate scoffed at their cowardice. There wasn't even any real battle experience to gain from this.

"Leaving? After what you did to my men? Our boss is coming to take care of you!"

The assassin leader didn't dare fight him head-on, but he didn't need to—just keeping Newgate trapped here was enough.

Newgate suddenly accelerated, smashing another assassin into the ground. The formation wavered, the encirclement breaking apart.

"Hmph! I'd like to see just how strong this boss of yours really is!"

Newgate had never backed down from a fight in his life. As a child, he had battled slavers and pirates alike. He wasn't about to start running now.

"Fine! Stay right there! Our boss will be here any second!"

Just as those words left his mouth, a figure appeared atop a nearby building, leaping rapidly toward them.

Boom!

The figure landed with a heavy impact, cracks spreading beneath his feet, sending dust billowing into the air.

"You're the one who hurt my men?"

As the dust settled, a rugged man with short black hair was revealed. A deep scar ran down his face from his forehead to his cheek, giving him a brutal, menacing appearance. At a glance, he looked more like a savage pirate than an assassin.

"You attacked me first. No need for useless talk—let's fight!"

Newgate wasted no time in explanations. He clenched his fists and charged, eager to test this so-called boss's strength.

"The last arrogant pirate I met ended up in the grave. You'll be joining him soon!"

The assassin boss, Poison Blade Kev, unsheathed a short, venom-coated dagger. The weapon looked out of place in his massive hands, but appearances were deceiving.

Kev was not just a brute. Beneath his rough exterior was a cunning, ruthless man, known for his vicious tactics and utter lack of mercy.

"Boss, watch out! His Devil Fruit ability is incredibly destructive!"

The assassin leader quickly warned Kev, worried his boss would be caught off guard.

Kev's dagger and forearm darkened, covered in a layer of Armament Haki. A seasoned fighter in the New World, he was no stranger to Haki.

His poisoned blade clashed against Newgate's glowing fist, sending shockwaves rippling through the air.

"What?! I can't cut through?!"

Kev's eyes widened in shock. His Armament Haki-infused dagger couldn't pierce Newgate's defenses—and worse, he felt a powerful force repelling his weapon.

"Get lost!"

Newgate's massive left fist swung at Kev, forcing him to backflip away to safety.

"Tch. That Devil Fruit ability is troublesome. Fine, I won't fight you head-on."

Kev exchanged a glance with his lieutenant. He would play it smart, wearing Newgate down before going in for the kill.

...

Meanwhile, near the harbor, the murmuring of the crowd turned into a clamor.

"Look! There's a ship in the sky!"

"Yeah! Is it a pirate ship? Could it be the Sky Pirates everyone's been talking about?"

Even Newgate and Kev turned their attention to the spectacle above. A massive ship was floating in the sky, slowly descending toward them.

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+100 Chapters on p@treon/tambeerg