When Kuro crossed the Calm Belt from the East Blue and arrived at the Grand Line, William's fleet had just passed Reverse Mountain and successfully entered the Grand Line.

Well, it wasn't all that smooth sailing.

After returning to Swites, they requisitioned five more ships and recruited those who wanted to join William as pirates, forming a large pirate crew of 1,500 men to sail the Grand Line. However, four of their ships were destroyed in the turbulent currents of Reverse Mountain.

Having finally crossed the Reverse Mountain, they immediately encountered a storm, and the three already damaged ships were submerged by the surging waves.

Finally, they encountered a giant sea monster that swallowed a ship whole when the ship was off guard, then disappeared into the sea, leaving behind the will of Seven.

At this point, they arrived at a relatively calm sea area.

On the deck, William stood at the very front, soaking wet, his face grim.

"This is the Grand Line!"

He lost half his forces after just passing one Reverse Mountain; that's the damned Grand Line.

"Montblanc, is the weather always like this on the Grand Line?" he asked slowly.

“Yes, the Grand Line has always been like this,” Montblanc nodded.

He was originally from the Grand Line, so he wasn't surprised to encounter such an accident when he re-entered the Grand Line.

But William was different. Hearing Montblanc's words, he nodded and looked at the sea. "It seems my preparations were correct. This place is indeed too dangerous."

Losing half of his troops is nothing; his core leadership and trusted confidants are still intact.

But from now on, he needs to be extremely vigilant; this sea is indeed dangerous!

"Captain William!!"

Just then, a pirate on the mast poked his head out and said, "A pirate ship has been spotted ahead!"

Pirate ship?

"telescope!"

Montblanc called out first, and then a pirate brought over a telescope. Montblanc looked directly in the direction the pirate on the lookout tower above the mast was pointing.

In the middle of the sea, there really was a pirate ship. Montblanc didn't recognize the pirate flag. "Svir, come and take a look."

Swell took the binoculars, glanced in that direction, and frowned. "I know them. It's the Lion-Hound Pirates. Their captain, Lion-Hound, is a notorious pirate with a bounty of 60 million!"

As people preparing to enter the Grand Line, they naturally need to pay attention to news about the Grand Line. Swell, who specializes in intelligence, is responsible for collecting information on this. He remembers which navy is strong and which pirates are powerful.

He remembers everything that has a bounty, especially those with high bounties.

Sixty million, that's double William's!

"Sixty million..." Montblanc shook his head, his expression relaxing. He thought to himself, "That makes sense. We haven't been out of Upside Down Mountain for long. How could we possibly encounter someone with a high bounty?"

He didn't care about such a bounty. He used to be a subordinate of a great pirate with a bounty of 200 million, a rare 'supernova' back then.

Later, the captain was arrested by the Navy. He escaped death and arrived in the East Blue. He originally looked down on William and his crew, but he was impressed by William's strength and strategy and believed that William was a man who could become a great pirate.

He didn't take it seriously before, and he takes it even less seriously now. He has surpassed himself and become incredibly strong. He has learned the domineering aura that he didn't learn in the first half of the story.

A mere 60 million...

Montblanc sneered, "This level is just so-so, William, we can..."

If we fight well, we can even get that 60 million bounty pirate to surrender and raise their captain's bounty. The current bounty is too low; we must make a name for ourselves.

Just as Montblanc was about to say this, a loud roar rang out.

"Everyone, get ready!!"

Steam billowed from William's body, and steam bursts erupted from his legs, propelling him into the air as he stared intently at the gradually emerging silhouette of the pirate ship.

"Montblanc, Sverre, fight with all your might! Elmira, prepare to evacuate!"

"I'll engage them first. I'm a nature user, so I won't be in trouble easily. All ships, align your cannons and aim at the target! Everyone except the gunners, prepare to fire and get ready to remount! The enemy's captain alone costs sixty million. We need to be prepared for a tough battle or even to run away!"

The steam around William's body surged and transformed into a huge, surging steam giant, which swept towards them like a giant wave.

"Hey...no, William, this is a misunderstanding! Come back quickly!" Montblanc was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening and called out, but William had already flown over at top speed.

That speed... was achieved at full speed!

William was panicked.

When William was in the East Blue, he encountered pirates numbering in the millions, at most a little over ten million. But a little over ten million and thirty million are two different things, and thirty million and sixty million are the same thing.

Sixty million! That's double his!

To be honest, William was still bothered by the bounty. His bounty was only released after he met Kuro, which means that Kuro also gave his opinion. He believed that he was only worth 30 million, which meant that he only had 30 million strength.

The Grand Line is indeed dangerous!

But he's determined to become a great pirate, and 60 million won't make him submit.

Since suffering so many losses at the Inverted Mountain, morale has visibly declined. Now, this is his first battle, and he must show his strength, otherwise the people's hearts will be scattered!

Even if we lose, we must fight with spirit!

With this thought in mind, William gritted his teeth and flew over. At the same time, the steam giant descended onto the waves, and as it approached the pirate ship, its two giant steam arms plunged directly into the sea.

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