Chapter 42: Chapter 42
Swamp Island, usually an insignificant and unvisited island, had recently seen some activity due to the arrival of a group of people, bringing life to this uninhabitable island with harsh conditions.
"They actually escaped to this hellhole, truly no peace of mind."
A pirate woman, towering at two and a half meters, muscular, and more robust than any man, disembarked from the ship, her face wrinkled in disgust.
She was the captain of the Black Wind Pirates, with a bounty of 27 million Berries, the dual-axe wielding Jacqueline!
In the North Sea, she was considered one of the infamous pirates.
She once wiped out all the women in a village, took the remaining men into her harem, and dismembered any servant who didn't satisfy her.
Her cruelty sent chills down even her fierce henchmen, living in fear of catching her attention and enduring her abuse.
Luckily, Jacqueline was aware of the principle of not fouling one's own nest and seldom harmed her crew, thus no mutinies had occurred.
Her presence here was due to stumbling upon a group of fools openly selling Devil Fruits in the underground black market. She had followed their ship and ended up here.
Jacqueline knew she wasn't the only one with designs on this group, so she planned a quick attack.
However, the premise was, she absolutely couldn't let the others get desperate and eat that Devil Fruit, or else all her efforts would be in vain.
"Captain, there are a lot of footprints over here. Those guys probably went in this direction."
"Heh, they think they can shake us off by utilizing the complex terrain of this island? They're dreaming!"
Jacqueline said disdainfully.
Just earlier, she had already had the docked ship on the shore checked, and apart from some leftover food and freshwater, there was nothing.
So she inferred that the enemy must have another ship hidden somewhere around the island.
The previous ship was merely a decoy to attract attention!
"Chase them, we mustn't let them escape!"
Jacqueline loudly gave the command, and dozens of people immediately began to move forward.
However, as Jacqueline had expected, the terrain here was not only complex but also dangerous.
Swampy areas were everywhere, along with annoying poisonous insects.
A moment's carelessness could lead to sinking into the swamp or getting bitten by these pests.
Fortunately, Jacqueline had brought a large number of people, arranged in a single-file line, with a certain distance between each person.
This arrangement ensured that if someone in front fell into a pit, the person behind could immediately catch and rescue them.
So, for most of the journey, they only encountered close calls. Besides the occasional unlucky ones who couldn't be saved in time or were bitten to death by insects, the rest of the group became more skilled and sped up.
But when they passed by another slightly larger swamp, things suddenly changed!
A giant mouth shot out from the swamp, and with a speed that left no time to react, bit Jacqueline's arm.
"Ahh!!!"
Jacqueline immediately let out a horrible scream, but this also triggered her fierceness.
She prepared to use the axe in her hand to chop off the head of this crocodile.
However, she didn't notice the human-like mockery in the eyes of the crocodile.
Death Roll!
The crocodile that attacked Jacqueline, aided by the buoyancy of the swamp, suddenly began to rotate its body counterclockwise, like a horizontal whirlwind!
In a blink of an eye, Jacqueline's caught arm was torn off.
She was dragged into the depths of the swamp in a miserable state.
The unspeakable pain made Jacqueline's whole body tremble, and her brain went blank for a moment.
As she began to struggle due to difficulty breathing, a dark shadow had already arrived behind her.
It all happened in an instant, stunning everyone.
Then they snapped back to reality,
"The captain has been attacked!"
"Everyone be careful and prepare for battle!"
"Come with me to rescue the captain!"
Due to Jacqueline's uncertain fate after being dragged into the swamp, the remaining crew inevitably fell into some chaos.
Some prepared to kill the enemy first, some wanted to save their captain first, and others were stunned and didn't know what to do.
However, someone immediately made a choice for them.
"Wipe them out!"
Suddenly, a group of ferocious individuals had surrounded them, their gun barrels aimed at their targets, spewing out tongues of flame.
Bang, bang, bang.
In the blink of an eye, a large number of people Jacqueline had brought fell.
Without the advantages of time, location, and people, they were unable to mount an effective resistance.
Especially when a humanoid creature with a crocodile's head emerged step by step from the swamp, dragging a mangled body. The morale of the remaining people, already low, instantly collapsed!
"The captain has been killed!"
"Run, I don't want to die!"
"Ah, monster, I'll fight you!"
It wasn't long before this one-sided massacre easily came to an end.
After stripping the bodies clean, they were thrown into the swamp, sinking slowly into the bottom, disappearing without a trace - an excellent way to dispose of evidence.
"Hahaha, boss, you're amazing! Who would've thought of using such a method to 'fish'. I bet these idiots didn't realize who the real hunter was until they died!"
The first mate, who had just finished counting the spoils of war, was very excited, offering lavish praises like they were free.
Rekdu, the captain of the Fierce Croc Pirate Crew, who had now resumed his human form, was very pleased.
His square face was full of pride, and his triangular eyes were full of appreciation, so the first mate flattered him even more enthusiastically.
"One hundred million Berries for my Devil Fruit? Pah!"
"If nobody is sincere about buying, and everyone is just looking for a bargain, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
"On this island, all who come can expect one thing - death!"
Rekdu laughed arrogantly.
As a consumer of the Zoan-type Crocodile Fruit, he could usually lurk in the swamps.
So this Swamp Island was the perfect place for him to demonstrate his power.
Once his ambush was successful, even enemies with higher bounties would instantly meet their ends without a chance to fight back.
The earlier defeat of Jacqueline, the dual-axe wielder, was particularly bitter.
In a different location, in a one-on-one situation, even if she were not victorious, she would not have lost so quickly.
"First, hide the captured ship at the usual spot, then send someone to take our ship out for a spin, see if we can 'fish' for more."
"After a few more hits, it won't matter whether we sell the Devil Fruit or not."
Upon hearing this, the first mate's eyes immediately flashed with greed.
Given that Captain Rekdu already had the power of a Devil Fruit, if this Devil Fruit wasn't sold for money, the most qualified person to consume it would naturally be him!
No matter what kind of power he would ultimately acquire, he was a hundred percent willing!
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone