APJ CHAPTER 168 THE COMBINATION OF MODIFIED HUMAN AND BESTOWING ABILITY

In accordance with tradition, pirates who manage to survive and reach the Sabaody Archipelago are known as Rookies among pirates as it is considered impossible for many to traverse the first half of the Grand Line.

And among them are the notorious pirates with bounties exceeding one million, known as Super Rookies. They possess exceptional strength or have committed numerous heinous crimes, resulting in increased bounties due to their immense threat.

Furthermore, these pirates of the first half of the Grand Line have a distinct characteristic: they are unaware of the dangers and it is difficult to find someone from the New World courageous enough to challenge the already renowned great pirates.

They are well aware of the strength of those monsters, and only those who have recently set sail and lack understanding of the world possess such courage.

Especially the Super Rookies, their own bounties often foster a blind self-confidence, leading them to act in irrational ways with little manipulation.

Panguin, one of the members of CP9 and identified by the codename “Pangolin,” joined the Pumpkin Pirates a few months ago in the first half of the Grand Line.

The captain of this crew is the Super Rookie of the era, the Pumpkin Maniac – Seburoro, a pirate with a strange obsession with pumpkins, to the extent that even his pirate ship resembles a gigantic pumpkin.

With a bounty of 110 million Berries, he infiltrated this pirate crew using a simple method: pretending to be an enthusiastic pumpkin lover. Now, he has gained Seburoro’s trust.

Recently, he received a mission from the organization to find a way to persuade Seburoro to go to Kaido’s territory and investigate certain matters.

This investigation is by no means ordinary. If it were just gathering information, there are already undercover agents posing as merchants who have been sent to those islands. His task is to provoke a conflict between Seburoro and the Beasts Pirates.

The main purpose is to observe the fighting styles of those peculiar devil fruit users within the territory of the Beasts Pirates, in order to deduce some things through their combat style.

Ordinary islands may not have such individuals, but the main island once controlled by the Beasts Pirates is highly likely to have guardians with unique abilities.

As for how to manipulate Seburoro, it is not difficult for Panguin. His identity on the ship is the Navigator, responsible for charting the course.

Regarding Seburoro’s objection, as long as he mentions the possibility of finding delicious  pumpkins there, he will have no objections. Many people go out to sea for even more inexplicable reasons.

For example, Seburoro’s initial goal was to find the most delicious pumpkin, but he has some problems. If he cannot obtain a pumpkin, he becomes extremely agitated and even goes on a killing spree.

When not sailing, countless pumpkins were growing on the island, so he didn’t experience any symptoms, but the lack of goods during the long voyage often made him agitated.

Similar to Big Mom’s eating disorder, but not entirely the same, this condition and his personality ultimately led him to become a pirate with a bounty.

While the Pumpkin Pirates were adjusting their course, on the Winter Island, Scotch was conducting routine patrols with a group of people.

Most of the elite members of the Beasts Pirates were taken by Kaido to Wano Country. However, the outside territories still possessed some defensive capabilities. Thanks to the reputation of the Beasts Pirates during this period, life here was generally peaceful.

Scotch’s heavy footsteps pressed into the snowy ground, causing the accumulated snow on his shoulders to scatter.

Kaido and Arceus entrusted the safety of the island to him, which he considered as a sign of their trust in him. He diligently carries out his tasks every day without any negligence.

The individuals accompanying him were not members of the Beasts Pirates but rather Jabull  and a patrol team comprised of villagers under his command.

After Kaido’s departure, this place experienced several invasions. Beasts Pirates had altered the way of life here over the years, and these people had grown accustomed to the protection provided by the Beasts Pirates.

Especially after Kaido relocated, the events that unfolded made them realize the significant role Kaido played in the stability of the island, and the initial voices of opposition gradually faded away.

In order to better stabilize the villagers’ lives, Jabull even organized the original team to take responsibility for maintaining the village’s security, providing additional assistance to the remaining pirates.

“A pirate ship is approaching! It bears an unfamiliar flag!”

The lookout post at the port relayed new information, which was the situation that Jabull disliked the most. Unfamiliar flags typically indicate newcomers, and those newcomers meant that the stability of the island would once again be disrupted.

The territory of great pirates has their own rules. In the Totto Land’s waters, ordinary pirates entering without permission would be directly destroyed.

However, that was because of Charlotte Linlin’s unique ability. The large number of Homies she created provided her with abundant forces. Kaido didn’t have enough manpower to monitor all the sea areas, but those who landed still had to pay a toll.

“Prepare the coastal cannons.” Watching the approaching pirate crew, Scotch raised his left hand. Over the years, he had willingly undergone extensive human modifications by Queen, and now only the area below his left shoulder remained in its original state.

The island’s exceptional military capabilities allowed the construction of an array of coastal defense cannons, giving the entire island a fortress-like appearance.

They didn’t know the intentions of this pirate ship, but as long as they had the intention to dock, they would have to pay the toll.

The pirate on the lookout tower signaled the Pumpkin Pirates to stop their ship using flag signals.

However, the other side showed no intention of stopping and instead chose to open fire directly.

“Confirming that they are enemy! Return fire and annihilate them all.” Scotch gave the command to the gunners. Then, his legs and left hand underwent a transformation, turning into two large magnets, while his right arm still remained as a revolving machine gun.

Soon, his massive body defied gravity and began to float slowly, with electric currents flowing over his body.

Modified form – Magnemite, but he was the most unique among the individuals who were bestowed abilities in the Beasts Pirates. The reason for his modification into Magnemite had a significant connection to his own status as a modified human.

His ability was not of his own choosing but rather a result of Arceus’ spontaneous inspiration, stemming from his identity as a modified human.

By replacing the modified body with “steel” attribute and subsequently incorporating the power of lightning, the ability of Magnemite was ultimately born. Being a modified human himself, these modifications required less energy compared to others.

The large magnet in his left hand aimed at the enemy’s pumpkin ship, and electric currents began to gather at the front of the magnet, forming a thunder ball imbued with immense power.

His floating figure naturally caught the attention of the enemy. A series of gunshots rang out,  and countless bullets were fired at him, but nothing happened except for a few clinking sounds.

In his Magnemite form, his entire body was composed of steel, and he possessed powerful magnetism. The powerful magnetism disrupted the trajectory of the bullets as they approached, causing them to lose kinetic energy and be attracted to his body.

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