one piece: gene extraction and fusion system

"Silvers Rayleigh… he's actually the vice-captain of the Pirate King's crew?!"

At Shaqi's bar, the atmosphere was thick with shock.

After Kidd had left, Rayleigh brought Luffy and his crew here. Just moments after introducing himself, the Straw Hats stared at the old man in disbelief.

The calm, white-haired figure before them was none other than the vice-captain of the Pirate King's legendary crew.

"Then… what do you want with us?" Sanji asked cautiously, a frown on his face. "We don't know you, and you don't know us either."

"Hahaha, you're right—I don't know you personally," Rayleigh said with a laugh, taking a sip of wine. "But I know of you. Luffy, I heard about you from Shanks. Since you've come to the Sabaody Archipelago, I figured I'd see what kind of man you are—the one Shanks praised so highly. And now that I see you…" Rayleigh's smile deepened. "You're not bad."

"Shanks? He's in the New World?" Luffy's eyes went wide with curiosity.

"Ah, not bad." Rayleigh nodded.

"Who's Shanks?" Chopper tilted his head.

"He's the one who gave me my straw hat." Luffy's voice was serious as he reached up to touch the hat with a fond smile. "I promised him I'd return it to him myself."

"He'll be pleased to hear that," Rayleigh said warmly. "But you'll need more strength to find him. He's one of the Emperors of the New World—the second half of the Grand Line."

"Emperor? Like the Black Crow?" Zoro asked.

"Yes." Rayleigh nodded, his expression turning slightly grave. "Speaking of which, you encountered the Black Crow Pirates in the East Blue, didn't you?"

"Yeah." Nami nodded. "But we don't know much about Black Crow. What kind of person is he? He seemed really dangerous. Luffy's grandfather even warned us not to provoke him."

"Dangerous?"

Rayleigh smiled bitterly and shook his head. "That word doesn't even begin to describe him. To you, the Black Crow Pirates aren't just dangerous—they're untouchable. With your current strength, you wouldn't even register as a threat. They're giants, and you're ants. That's the gap."

"Impossible… such a big gap?" Zoro's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Don't doubt it," Shaqi said with a faint smile, holding a lady's cigarette between her fingers. "You know far too little about young Mio. Luffy's grandfather was right to warn you—Black Crow is too dangerous for you. He's on a completely different level, even among the other Emperors."

"Shaqi, tell them everything," Rayleigh said calmly. "If they understand, they'll know just how terrifying the Black Crow truly is."

"Alright."

Shaqi exhaled a thin stream of smoke, her lips curling in amusement. "Let me explain. I have some information on him right here."

Hearing this, even Luffy—who was busy devouring meat—paused and glanced over, his curiosity piqued.

"Mio Kurogane was born in the North Blue. No one knows which island exactly, but his rise started there. At just seventeen, he became a supernova like you, Luffy—but even more shocking, his first bounty was 500 million berries."

"500 million?!" Nami's jaw dropped. Even with Luffy's bounty sitting at 300 million, 500 million was staggering.

"Yes. 500 million." Shaqi nodded. "And do you know why? It wasn't because he was notorious for petty crimes. No, Mio was arrested by Admiral Aokiji in Water 7 and thrown into Impel Down."

"Impel Down? Isn't that the massive underwater prison—the iron fortress?" Nami asked.

"That's right."

Shaqi took another puff and continued. "But Mio didn't stay there. A year later, he orchestrated a major riot in Impel Down and escaped. Afterward, he arrived here at the Sabaody Archipelago."

She smirked, glancing at the Straw Hats. "The Black Crow Pirates were a lot like you back then—only eight members. But don't be fooled. The combined bounty of their crew was over 1.3 billion berries. They weren't your average rookies. Most of them were supernovas too."

"1.3 billion berries?!" Chopper exclaimed, his eyes wide.

"What about now? What's their bounty today?" Zoro asked seriously.

"Now?" Shaqi shook her head slightly. "Their bounties aren't even worth calculating anymore. The Black Crow's alone has surpassed 5 billion berries, and the total bounty of his crew exceeds 10 billion."

"10 billion?!!" Even Luffy froze mid-bite.

"Unbelievable…" Nami whispered.

"Believe it," Shaqi said firmly. "The Black Crow Pirates weren't just strong newcomers—they were special. They could fight admirals head-on. Even a single admiral wouldn't stand a chance against them and could very well lose their life in the attempt. Shortly after entering the New World, they joined forces with Charlotte Linlin to eliminate two rival pirate crews and took their place as Emperors."

Shaqi slid a stack of bounty posters across the table. "Here. These are the current bounties of all the Black Crow Pirates. Memorize them. If you ever encounter them, do not provoke them. Their strength is beyond anything you can imagine. There are no fewer than five admiral-level fighters in that crew. Even Marine Headquarters avoids direct conflict with them."

"Gulp… Grandpa was right. We definitely shouldn't mess with these people," Usopp said, trembling.

The names on the posters sent chills down their spines:

Black Crow… Kurogane Mio

Werewolf… Warwick

Deep Sea Demon… Hanba

Each poster had an intimidating string of zeroes. Not a single crew member had a bounty under 100 million berries. Many exceeded 1 billion.

Even Zoro clenched his jaw, gripping his swords tightly.

"In short, Black Crow is far too dangerous for you," Shaqi warned. "But Mio isn't the type to hunt down those who leave him alone. So don't provoke him."

"Oh, one more thing…"

Shaqi's eyes narrowed slightly. "If you want to reach the New World, you'll have to pass through Fishman Island, which lies beneath the sea. That's one of Black Crow's territories. Whatever you do, don't speak ill of him or his crew there. The merfolk revere the Black Crow Pirates, especially Mio himself. One wrong word, and you'll be kicked out before you can blink."

Chopper quickly scribbled these warnings in his notebook and tucked it away carefully.

Suddenly—

Rayleigh's sharp eyes flickered as he turned toward the port. A small smile played on his lips.

"Tch… I don't know whether this is good or bad," Rayleigh murmured under his breath, his brows furrowing slightly.

"Uh… did something happen?" Usopp asked nervously.

"Yes." Rayleigh nodded. "The Black Crow Pirates have arrived at Sabaody. I don't know if they have business here or if they're just passing through on their way back to the New World. But for you, the real danger isn't them—it's Kizaru."

"Kizaru?!" Usopp paled instantly.

"One of the three admirals of the Navy," Rayleigh confirmed. "He's here to deal with rookies like you trying to enter the New World."

The Straw Hats froze.

They'd seen Aokiji's terrifying power back in Water 7. The thought of facing another admiral—this time without warning—made fear creep up their spines.

But then Usopp hesitated and asked, "Wait… if the Black Crow Pirates are here, won't Kizaru focus on them instead of us? Maybe we'll be safe?"

"Heh…" Rayleigh chuckled softly. "You're thinking too much. Kizaru wouldn't dare antagonize the Black Crow Pirates. Not even an admiral is foolish enough to pick a fight with Mio right now. His target is you… but maybe you won't be in as much danger as you think."

His cryptic words left the Straw Hats uneasy.

At the Sabaody Archipelago port

Mio stepped off the Black Glory, his calm eyes scanning the harbor.

In front of him stood Admiral Kizaru, flanked by a group of cyborgs resembling Bartholomew Kuma.

"Kizaru," Mio said evenly. "Did you come here to arrest me?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Kizaru replied, rolling his eyes and shrugging lazily. "I'm not suicidal. I just happened to have business on Sabaody. Since you're here, I figured I'd strike a small deal. Just… don't get in my way."

Mio waved his hand indifferently. "As long as you don't get in mine."