one piece: gene extraction and fusion system-Chapter 205: Blood and Allegiances

Another sound of wind being torn echoed.

Warwick suddenly appeared at the man's side. His right claw gleamed with a cold metallic shine under the sun as he swung it down in one clean strike—separating the man's head from his shoulders.

"No one's going to come after me now, right?" Robin murmured quietly as he watched the scene unfold.

Most of the surrounding pirates who had initially gathered to watch the spectacle now backed away, stunned by the raw display of power.

The fighting strength of the Black Crows had shocked them all.

Even Mashi, who appeared to be the youngest of them, was incredibly dangerous. Her speed was overwhelming to most onlookers, and her power resembled that of a mythical beast—terrifying and incomprehensible.

"I heard the Black Crow Pirates had a bunch of mythical beast-type ability users... Looks like it's true."

"Two of them already look like mythical beasts..."

"Give it a few more years, and the Black Crow Pirates might really be able to challenge the top dogs. But for now... it's still hard to say."

The murmurs grew louder among the onlookers.

However, the killing of Boken's men seemed to have triggered a serious reaction.

A large group of pirates began surrounding Lilith and the others—at least a hundred of them. Judging from their expressions and coordinated movements, they were clearly Boken's subordinates, staring down the Black Crows with seething bloodlust.

They were waiting for a command to attack.

"You really think you can go against us? You lot don't even know whether you're alive or dead," sneered Soma Ryo, one of Boken's elite officers. A user of a powerful Superhuman-type Devil Fruit and holder of a 700 million bounty, Soma Ryo wore a grim smile.

"Even if you're strong, how long can you last against a force like this?"

As his voice faded, more pirates moved in.

"You can try," Bai Feng said calmly. There wasn't a hint of panic on his face, but the breeze rustling his hands showed he was already prepared.

If they made a move, he would strike without hesitation.

Given their strength, the Black Crows wouldn't fall here—even surrounded. In fact, it wasn't impossible for them to wipe out their attackers entirely.

Just then—

"Lord Black Crow, looks like you could use a hand," came a voice from the edge of the crowd.

Araki slowly stepped out of an alley, followed by a group of his men. In his hands, he carried five freshly severed heads. When he reached Mio's position, he casually tossed them to the ground in front of him.

With a wide grin, he said, "I brought these back. That's enough to be called a Black Crow now, right?"

"Yes," Mio replied with a glance toward Araki. He directed the massive scarlet skeleton under his control to throw a punch, clashing directly with Boken before quickly withdrawing and creating distance.

"Dammit, Black Crow! None of you are leaving here alive. You all die today!" Boken roared. The loss of his men had clearly enraged him. After yelling at Mio, he turned toward Soma Ryo and barked the order. "Go! Kill them!"

As the order was given, Soma Ryo's eyes filled with bloodlust and he prepared to strike.

"Hey, hey, hey, I'm not too late, am I?" came another voice, this time from Katsumata Wuliu—also known as the Ripper. A user of an ancient Zoan-type Devil Fruit, he emerged through the crowd with his men. In one hand, he held a severed head, which he tossed down near Mio with a grin.

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"Lord Black Crow, that guy was on the bounty poster. I brought his head. If it's time to fight, count me in."

"Hey, I got one too!" another voice called out.

"And me! This guy was on your bounty list!"

"Lord Black Crow, I hope this qualifies me!"

One after another, pirates squeezed through the crowd, each carrying a severed head. They tossed them on the ground and stood proudly before Mio, waiting.

All the heads belonged to people listed on the bounty posters that Mio had distributed earlier.

Mio grinned. "Of course. I keep my word. If you brought back a head, you're now a member of the Black Crow Pirates."

"Hey!" Katsumata Wuliu turned to Boken with a sneer. "Looks like we're going to have some fun now. Boken, even your people are starting to look fed up. If you want to fight, come on!"

"That's right!" someone else shouted. "And you, Saya—still clinging to Boken? You're just a leftover from the last era. What makes you think you're worth following?"

"Hahaha! I love this part—the killing!"

The pirates who had pledged themselves to Mio laughed and jeered. None of them showed fear. On the contrary, they looked thrilled at the idea of bloodshed.

"You bastards..." Boken growled, glaring at the traitors—people he once looked down on. Now they had turned their backs on him, siding with Black Crow. His face twisted in fury.

He wanted nothing more than to rip them apart.

But then—

His expression changed.

Boken's pupils contracted sharply as he spotted someone in the distance. His face paled as he shouted, "Barrett?! Why the hell are you here?!"

Mio also looked in that direction, a wide grin spreading on his lips.

"Long time no see, Bullett."

Atop a nearby hill sat a towering muscular man, casually sipping from a bottle of wine while watching the scene below. As his identity became clear, shock rippled through the crowd of pirates.

"The Demon Heir... Bullett!"

"When did he get here? I didn't even notice!"

"This is getting good... Is he going to join in the battle between Boken and Black Crow?"

"Hahaha, this just got interesting."

Indeed, the figure was none other than Bullett.

He swept his eyes across the field, first glancing at Boken, then at Robin, before finally settling on Mio.

"I still owe you a favor," Bullett said quietly. "So I came to see if you needed help."