In the West Sea, on a small island, there is a river that connects to the sea. The river extends to the center of the island and forms a natural, hidden harbor where many pirate ships hide.

On the island, in a cave filled with a lot of miscellaneous items, two figures slowly emerged from the deepest part of the cave.

As soon as he appeared, Hernando turned pale and sat down on the ground.

"Mr. Hernando!" Sciutica exclaimed in shock.

"You don't need to call me sir."

Hernando waved his hand. "When no one's around, just call me Hernando."

"Yes, I understand."

Hugh Tica's expression turned serious, and she instinctively raised her hand, but in that instant, she realized something, lowered her hand, and her expression was somewhat bitter.

"Hernando, how are you?"

"It's alright."

He crossed his arms, his face pale.

"Lord Hernando? Miss Hutica? You're back?"

A surprised sound came from outside.

Upon hearing the sound, Hernando immediately stood up and stood there with an air of arrogance.

Upon hearing that Hernando had returned, a group of pirates immediately rushed over and stood before him.

"Alliance Leader, you're finally back! We've been waiting anxiously for you."

One of the pirates rubbed his hands excitedly, "Pegasus Island is almost deserted. Shouldn't we switch to another island? My crew and I recently found an island with a rich town. Let's go there and plunder!"

"Yes, yes, Pegasus Island is almost completely emptied out. There's nothing there except people. Let's find another place."

“That’s right, my brothers on the island called me a couple of days ago, and they’re already really annoyed.”

"Yes, let's move to another island, build up our strength, and then head towards the Grand Line!"

The pirates rallied together in a fierce battle.

Snap!

A hand grabbed the pirate who spoke first and lifted him up. To the astonishment of the other pirates, with a 'crack,' the pirate's head tilted to the side.

Bang!

Hernando tossed the pirate against the rock wall like a rag doll. As the corpse fell, a cluster of white flesh sprouted from it. The flesh sprout grew rapidly and transformed into a humanoid figure that looked exactly like him, standing there blankly.

This scene left everyone speechless.

"Alliance, Alliance Leader..." A pirate swallowed hard.

Hernando glanced at the group of pirates, his voice low and hoarse, as if dragged up from hell, carrying a chilling undertone.

"You are not allowed to go anywhere except Pegasus Island. If I hear that anyone from the Pirate Alliance has plundered other places, I will make him a sacrifice for my clone."

When Hernando gave them that look, the pirates all lowered their heads and didn't dare to breathe.

Hugh Tica also looked at the group of pirates, his tone icy, "Didn't you hear me?"

"Yes! I heard you! I will absolutely not disobey the Alliance Leader's orders!"

One of the pirates being stared at by Hugh Tica couldn't stand the pressure, so he put his feet together and shouted loudly.

He was covered in cold sweat.

"Very good, disperse. Let's prepare for some repairs. A troublesome navy has come to Pegasus Island. This time, we'll send out the entire force to wipe them out."

Hernando nodded and addressed the pirates.

The pirates felt as if they had been granted a pardon and ran away as fast as they could.

Watching the pirates flee, Hugh Tica sighed and said softly, "Can it really be done, Hernando?"

There was no sound from the side until, after a long while, a firm voice rang out.

"I will never forget that moment, so we will definitely do it!"

...

In Pegasus Town, Kuro has returned.

He couldn't sense Hernando's presence on the island, which meant they weren't there.

Fortunately, they returned, and the remaining pirates on the island were surrounded and killed by Kuro, who led Ain, Binz, and the remaining marines.

There's nothing particularly compelling on the island; leaving it to Kro is sufficient.

Of course, the credit is usually given to Ain and the others, but Kuro doesn't need credit now.

Kro thought so too. He already had a base of operations, and once he wiped out the pests, he could live peacefully here.

In this respect, Kuro and Kuro have something in common.

The residents of Pegasus Town were terrified when the pirate corpses sprouted flesh and turned into identical people. Fortunately, weapons rained down from the sky again; otherwise, the remaining residents would probably have perished there as well.

"Mr. Zephyr, that Hernando, is he your student?"

Kuro sat on a large rock, lit a cigar, and asked Zephyr, who was spraying cigar mist into his mouth, a question he was asking.

This old man, like the white-bearded man, is also ill. He won't be able to hold on if he doesn't take his medicine.

After spraying the mist, Zephyr was silent for a moment before saying, "Hernando and Hugh Tica were both my former students. Especially Hernando, I always thought he would take over my job."

Such high praise?

Kuro was somewhat surprised.

But upon closer reflection, it doesn't seem wrong. The moment that blond guy made his move, you could tell he was skilled in physical combat and also knew advanced Armament Haki. If he were given a few more years of training, he might actually be able to do it.

"Hernando, the 'big shot,' a vice admiral, but seven years ago, he told me he had found the path he wanted to take and left the navy. Sigh... I should have strongly dissuaded him back then, damn it!"

Zephyr, still seething with anger, slammed his fist down, smashing a nearby rock into powder. "Why did he become like this?! And Hugh Tica too, she was so devoted to justice, treating the Navy as such a sacred profession, why..."

This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!