"Eh! Again?"
Robin shook her head, preparing to reach for the newspaper beside her.
However, her movement stopped as she turned her head.
Just then, Allo's voice echoed from the crow's nest.
"Kouta, another ship is heading straight for us. It looks like a pirate ship, and they don't seem friendly!"
"Oh..."
Hearing Allo's shout, Kouta lifted the blanket covering him.
They hadn't gone far from Alabasta, and the arid dryness of the desert was no longer felt. Instead, being at sea, it was a bit chilly.
So everyone had put on their robes again.
Of course, Kouta didn't care about the slight chill. He was still wearing a thin white shirt, floral shorts, and slippers.
He turned his head, his eyes flashing red, and his Observation Haki instantly shot towards the black speck in the distance.
"Yo! Another strong one!"
The strong one he mentioned was a true powerhouse, at least at the level of a Marine Admiral.
The one Allo had shot dead earlier was, in his eyes, a weakling.
Such a weakling didn't even deserve a glance from him.
This wasn't arrogance, but rather he didn't want to bother. After all, it wasn't like the old days when he and Kuina had to handle every little thing on the ship.
A Hua and the other two had undergone four months of training.
And it was training with his cheat-like assistance.
There were also two giant mentors who had fought for 100 years, and he himself was a mentor who knew everything.
Their strength, let alone in the first half of the Grand Line, could even hold their own in the New World.
Especially Allo.
Ever since he obtained "Meikyo," Kouta believed that not many people in this world could dodge his gun.
Especially when his Armament Haki advanced further to a higher level, besides the Four Emperors' crews and some exceptionally strong pirate crews in the New World, he alone could destroy any non-flying pirate ship on the seas.
On the vast ocean, without a ship, it was essentially a declaration of the pirate crew's demise.
As for A Hua's strength, while it couldn't compare to Allo's destructive power at sea, his role was not primarily combat. With the robots that could restore stamina, he was the best guarantor for their team.
And this guy also had the secret weapon "Berserk."
He had only used it once in front of Kouta, and its terrifying power had even surprised him.
As for A Tao...
His Devil Fruit ability could be said to be the one that truly increased their strength the most, but its utility was the least among them.
It depended on how he developed his abilities, and Kouta didn't have any good ideas.
Although A Tao's eye ability was strong, it was useless against strong opponents. They could only wait and see for the future.
Kouta straightened up, the red light in his eyes vanished, and he stood up with his feet on the ground.
He took a long, tube-shaped telescope from under the coffee table nearby, walked to the bow, and raised it to his eyes.
In the first half of the Grand Line, someone with this level of strength would certainly not be a nobody. He wanted to see who this person was, daring to come and trouble him.
Didn't they want to live anymore?
"Eh!"
Kouta looked through the telescope lens at the white horse on the bow of the approaching ship, a hint of confusion flashing in his eyes.
This ship...
He seemed to have seen this ship somewhere before.
In this world, he was certain he hadn't seen this ship, so it must have been in his past life.
Even after more than ten years in this world, he should remember the ships of powerful pirate crews from his memories, even if he had forgotten them, he would recall them with just one look.
And this ship in his view, while it gave him a sense of familiarity, didn't ring a bell.
He put away the telescope and shook his head. If he couldn't remember, he wouldn't dwell on it. After so many years, he had long forgotten the impressions of some minor pirate crews. Perhaps this was one of them in his mind!
Kouta withdrew his gaze, turned around, and leaned his back against the railing at the bow.
Seeing Kuina and Robin both standing up, he first smiled gently at Kuina, then raised the telescope in his hand and tossed it to Robin.
"Robin, take a look. What kind of pirate crew is that?"
"Okay."
Robin took the telescope, walked to Kouta's side, leaned her upper body on the railing, raised the telescope, and facing the sea breeze, looked at the black speck ahead.
"Is there a strong person?"
Kuina, holding Wado Ichimonji, walked to Kouta's side and tucked a strand of hair that had fallen across her eyes.
She raised her head, gazing at the sea ahead, a hint of curiosity in her eyes.
Her Observation Haki, while strong, wasn't of the super-long-range detection type, so she couldn't sense the powerful aura from the distant black sailboat.
However, even though she couldn't sense it, it could attract Kouta's attention, so it might be a good opponent.
Such a person might just be a slightly stronger ant to Kouta, but could be a match for her.
After sailing for so long, her warlike nature hadn't diminished; instead, Kouta had indulged it further, making it more uncontrollable.
As long as she encountered a strong opponent with good skills, she would want to engage them in battle.
This attitude of fearing no opponent was also the reason her strength had improved so rapidly.
Although Kouta was with her, she wouldn't experience life-or-death situations, but she believed that through countless battles, she could still develop the confidence to be invincible in the world, the resolve to fear no one, and the matching strength.
Of course, the opponent's strength couldn't be too weak.
If they were so weak that she could defeat them with one strike, what fun would that be!
Before Kouta could answer, Robin replied first.
She lowered the telescope, turned to Kouta and Kuina, and smiled, "There is indeed a strong person on the opposite ship."
"Oh..."
Kouta tilted his head and asked Robin, "Tell me, who is it?"
Robin turned around, leaned her back against the railing, tidied her wind-blown hair, and glancing at the approaching black speck, smiled, "The other side is a pirate rookie who has gained fame in the past four months."
"Rookie?"
A hint of confusion flashed across Kouta's face.
"A rookie couldn't possibly have this aura."
He turned his head to look at the distant sea, then said, "Then who exactly is that pirate crew?"
"Mmm!"
Robin touched her chin and smiled, "It seems their name is something like 'Beautiful Pirates.' Anyway, they've been in the headlines frequently these past few months. They are the most active pirates in the first half of the Grand Line during the time you were gone."
"Oh... so it's him!"
Hearing Robin's words, Kouta's eyes lit up with realization.
No wonder the ship felt familiar. It turned out to be that split-personality guy!
Seeing Kouta's expression, Robin asked curiously, "Captain, you know him?"
"Mmm!"
Kouta nodded, "I know a little, just a little. Continue."
"Oh!"
Robin withdrew her gaze, turned around, and propped herself on the railing, looking ahead, "The Beautiful Pirates can be said to be a one-man pirate crew. As far as I know, all the crew members on their ship are fodder, and only the captain is worth paying attention to."
She paused, then continued, "Their captain, 'Cavendish,' is known as 'The Handsome Prince of Pirates,' 'Rommel's Scythe,' and 'White Horse Cavendish.' He set sail just over four months ago, and his bounty has reached a staggering 120 million Berries. He is arguably the pirate who has garnered the most attention recently, besides you, Captain."