Chapter 156

"This, at least, will give him some early exposure and experience."

With that, he fell silent.

Lu En, standing beside Captain Kapu, stared in daze.

As for this,

he had been utterly taken by surprise throughout.

And Qingzhi's expression was even more blunt.

He gaped at Captain Kapu, then at Lu En, barely four years old.

Opening and closing his mouth, Qingzhi looked utterly bewildered: "Captain Kapu, are you certain this won't go wrong? Those are a band of utterly ruthless pirates!"

"Aren't you even the least bit worried…"

"that your grandson Lu En might fall victim to these vicious pirates?"

Qingzhi had never seen anything like it.

Someone actually pushing their own grandson into the fire.

Captain Kapu…

How much did he despise his own grandson, to send him against the Demon Men Pirates?

Isn't this just nonsense?

It's practically a death sentence!

Qingzhi could not understand Captain Kapu's actions at all.

The Demon Men Pirates were a notorious large pirate gang in the Grand Line.

They had drawn in countless villains from the Grand Line…

Every single pirate with blood on their hands, utterly wicked and depraved, flocked to join the Demon Men Pirates, forming a gang that ran rampant, burning, killing, and looting across the Grand Line.

In recent times,

countless merchant ships had perished in this sea because of the Demon Men Pirates!

Their actions had severely disrupted…

the order and peace of this sea.

Precisely because of this,

Qingzhi had personally set out!

Thus,

one could easily imagine.

How powerful and vicious the Demon Men Pirates truly were!

Yet,

Captain Kapu intended to send his own grandson Lu En to join the campaign against the Demon Men Pirates?

This left Qingzhi utterly confused.

Is this real?

How much did Captain Kapu hate his own grandson?

To send his own grandson to his death?

"Captain Kapu, you…"

Qingzhi's face twisted in conflict, words stuck in his throat.

It wasn't that he didn't want to help.

It was simply…

Facing the Demon Men Pirates alone was an easy task — a relatively simple mission for a warrior of his caliber.

But,

if he brought along a burden, the mission's difficulty would instantly become entirely different.

Bringing along a burden…

the boy might very well be taken hostage by the pirates.

Then,

would Qingzhi save him?

Or not save him?

If he saved him, he might face mission failure.

If he didn't save him, he could never live with himself.

After all,

Hero Kapu was Qingzhi's lifelong idol, whom he revered.

If he stood by and watched,

the grandson of his idol die right before his eyes, Qingzhi would never find peace, morally or emotionally.

In short,

Qingzhi truly did not want to carry a burden during his mission.

Especially…

a four-year-old brat!

"Captain Kapu, please reconsider."

"The Demon Men Pirates are entirely different from other pirate crews."

"This entire pirate gang numbers no less than three thousand!"

"Even I, when dealing with the Demon Human Pirates alone, have to stay vigilant at all times to avoid capsizing in a ditch."

"Against such an enormous and dangerous pirate crew, how would I have the spare energy to protect a four-year-old brat?"

"Isn't this purely just making my mission harder?"

Aokiji appeared utterly helpless.

The Demon Human Pirates are no small fry!

They are a power group formed by a band of notorious pirates!

Their leader, the Demon Human Oren, is an extremely terrifying monster in terms of strength.

Even looking across the Grand Line,

one would be hard-pressed to find a few pirates stronger than the Demon Human Oren.

Besides being an Awakened Zoan user, the Demon Human Oren is also a powerful human with Giant bloodline, standing six meters tall and possessing an immensely formidable physique.

Even without a Devil Fruit, the Demon Human Oren would still be a top-tier powerhouse of considerable strength.

Dealing with this kind of great pirate…

even Aokiji would have to brace himself.

Moreover,

the Demon Human Pirates have, over the past half-year of expansion, already recruited countless powerful pirates.

A gathering of villains under one roof.

Among them,

there is the great pirate Bai Lang Jia Er Sen, with a bounty of thirty million Berries.

there is the great pirate Pufferfish Ghost Green, with a bounty of thirty-eight million Berries.

and the great pirate Gunslinger Homa, with a bounty of forty-one million Berries.

……

In short.

The Demon Human Pirates are a sinister force composed of extremely powerful great pirates.

Letting Aokiji deal with them alone, with his Logia Devil Fruit abilities, he could still handle these vicious pirates with room to spare.

But once you throw in a liability…

then Aokiji would be quite powerless.

"Vice Admiral Kapu, you may not yet understand the Demon Human Pirates deeply enough."