Chapter 577: Captain Hook

“Damn it!”

In the giant underground of Bean City, there was a temporary fighting arena called ‘Gu Poison’.

Inside this ‘Gu Poison’, Big Mouth responded to Oliver’s cheers with a curse.

His voice was so loud that it echoed through the entire underground arena. The spectators watching were all shocked.

“Holy hell, is that Greedy Bag talking?”

“Crazy, this is the first time I’ve seen this…”

“So the market rumors were true.”

“What are you doing?! Record it, you idiots!”

“Yes, Master!”

Most of the people in the audience were black magic union members, and they had begun observing and recording the speaking Big Mouth with keen interest.

‘So this is the black magic city, huh? Sure, there are lots of them here. But the atmosphere is more striking than their numbers.’

Oliver observed the black magic sorcerers in the audience.

The hierarchy seemed strict, yet there was a different vibe from the Families.

Like the Families, the higher-ups assigned the lower tasks like record-keeping but also offered guidance, maintaining a relationship like that between a craftsman and an apprentice.

It was very impressive. Despite the constant backstabbing among black magic organizations, there was still something to be learned here.

‘They’re impressive, but…’

Oliver’s gaze paused in the audience.

There, a few of Bean City’s pirates and smugglers were gathered.

According to Jack, they were influential figures in Bean City and, as people who operated in the shadows, were quite formidable.

“Who do you think will win?”

“Are you serious? It’s 10 against 1. Is this even a fair bet?”

“Bah, foolish talk. This just proves how strong that ‘1’ is. I’m betting on that Big Mouth, the Greedy Bag.”

“But why are we even doing this? I came because it seemed fun.”

“Don’t know. Isn’t it a new business? Like gambling?”

“I heard it’s a ritual. A black magic item enhancement ritual.”

Unlike the black magic sorcerers here to study, they came purely for entertainment.

‘But, it doesn’t seem like everyone is here just for fun.’

Oliver noticed a few of the pirates and smugglers looking at him.

They kept glancing at Oliver, suspicious and speculative about his intentions.

They worried he might disrupt the power structure of Bean City.

But Oliver was just here to take care of business… He wondered if he should explain when Big Mouth’s cry resounded.

“Grooook!!”

Big Mouth, shouting ‘Victory for the player,’ dashed forward with heavy steps, landing a Superman punch at the Greedy Bag at the forefront.

“Grok?!”

The sudden attack caused the Greedy Bag, which had been strengthened through cannibalism, to have its face deeply dented.

Greedy Bag 1, unable to even scream from the intense shock, was a sight that terrified Greedy Bags 2–10.

Without losing momentum, Big Mouth landed on the ground and delivered a sidekick he learned from the Zombie Puppet – Duncan (Child – Force) to Greedy Bag 2.

“Gwek?!”

The power of the sidekick was incredible, sending Greedy Bag 2 flying with its abdomen deeply caved in.

It was hard to believe such power came from such short limbs.

Then, Greedy Bag 3 tried to ambush Big Mouth from behind.

This showed that these Greedy Bags had also been strengthened through cannibalism.

However, Big Mouth had been enhanced through much more brutal and vicious cannibalism. He countered with a backspin elbow, evading and attacking simultaneously.

“Grooooook!!”

“Gyek?!”

The sound of hitting a water-filled leather bag and the admiration of the spectators filled the air.

“Ooooh!!”

People were amazed by Big Mouth’s fighting prowess.

After all, Greedy Bags weren’t designed for combat, and their large, leathery sack-like bodies weren’t ideal for fighting.

Nevertheless, Big Mouth displayed incredible skill, holding his own despite being outnumbered 10 to 1.

He would parry incoming punches and deliver counters.

“Grerreeeck!!”

“Gurkh-!”

He would use the opponent’s force against them, slamming them to the ground.

“Gurook!”

“Gwek!!”

He widened the distance just as he was about to be surrounded.

“Gwek! Gwek! Gwek!”

“Crazy, he parried the punches?”

“Insane, he’s using grappling?”

“Is he seriously using footwork?”

The black magic sorcerers who had initially reacted negatively to the idea of Greedy Bag fights were now in awe of Big Mouth, recording the battle in detail.

“That’s a relief.”

Someone approached Oliver from the side. It was Jack, the mayor of Bean City.

“I forced the creation of the Greedy Bags, made them cannibalize each other, yet at this level, they should be thankful instead of holding a grudge.”

Indeed, Oliver’s plan to enhance the black magic items through cannibalism and turn the Greedy Bags into Big Mouths as new workers for Bean City had been met with resistance by the black magic artisans.

The method was too absurd and dangerous.

However, Jack, the mayor of Bean City, accepted the proposal, forcibly mobilizing the black magic sorcerers to complete the task.

If they could operate Greedy Bags with transportation capabilities like Big Mouth’s in units, it would make food supply acquisition much easier.

So, despite their dissatisfaction, the black magic sorcerers obeyed for now.

“If the results had been lackluster, all that discontent would’ve fallen solely on me. But seeing their reaction, they might even thank me… Thank you.”

“It was all part of our deal, no need to make a fuss.”

“…That’s true, but can Greedy Bags learn fighting techniques by devouring other Greedy Bags?”

Jack asked, watching Big Mouth’s dazzling movements.

Big Mouth was systematically overpowering his opponents with surprisingly adept skills.

He isolated them by attacking their mobility and delivered decisive blows.

He finished them off with a Military Press Slam.

The newly-strengthened Greedy Bags were almost half defeated by those incredible skills.

Oliver answered Jack’s question.

“No, that’s unlikely. Big Mouth was trained in combat.”

“Ho… Who trained him?”

“The Child I created. It’s a long story, but the main point is that Child taught Big Mouth fighting techniques, including shooting skills.”

Oliver recalled Child’s camaraderie with Big Mouth. They had a bond forged through hardship, united in their criticisms of Oliver.

“Can Greedy Bags learn such skills?”

“Honestly, I’m not sure. I can only guess that their intelligence and learning ability might have been enhanced during the strengthening process. It would be better to hear from an expert like Ewan, but… Is Ewan still held captive?”

As Oliver said, Ewan was indeed still captured. He was caught by the very disciples he had once sold out.

Though Jack desperately mediated, the disciples decided to forgive their master in exchange for Ewan providing labor and some knowledge to the black magic artisans’ guild. Ewan was still paying off that debt.

‘You bastard!’

That was what Ewan shouted when Oliver caught him and dragged him away, unable to escape.

“Yes, he was uncooperative at first, but after some persuasion, they say he’s now quite cooperative. There are many experts among the pirates, after all.”

“That’s a relief.”

Oliver responded while wondering how exactly they had ‘persuaded’ him. As Oliver pondered whether to ask, Jack suddenly brought up a topic.

“Oh, and I called Captain Hook.”

“Excuse me?”

“Originally, I was going to call him after this was all over, but you paid the bounty, and he also played a big role in securing the city. So, I summoned him three days ago. He should be arriving soon.”

“Ah… Thank you.”

Oliver spoke sincerely.

He wasn’t in a rush, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t anxious. But Jack had scratched an itch before Oliver could even ask.

“Once you build trust, you can start dealing with promissory notes… Hook should take a few more days to arrive, but there’s something I want to say in advance.”

“What is it?”

“He’s quite a skilled black magic sorcerer as well, but just as tough to deal with as his prowess would suggest.”

“…”

“I’m not disregarding Dave’s skills. But in fights, you can’t always say who will win. It depends on the situation and environment.”

“I agree.”

Oliver nodded. No matter how superhuman, one wasn’t immune to environmental influences. In certain situations, the environment could have an even greater impact.

As an example, Oliver fighting Theodore at Lake Village wouldn’t have been possible without the lake rich in magical power.

If not for that supply of magical energy, he would’ve struggled against the difference in power.

“Captain Hook will likely be reluctant to help Dave easily. He’s picky, will dismiss him, provoke him, and test him.”

“When you say test him…”

“He’ll want to see the skill directly? And there’s something to note: Captain Hook’s fighting style is quite unique. On land, it might be okay, but—”

—Ooooh!!

The sudden cheer that arose drowned out Jack’s words.

Curiosity piqued, both Jack and Oliver glanced back inside ‘Gu Poison’.

To their surprise, Big Mouth, who had been overwhelming the Greedy Bags despite being outnumbered, was now in a pinch.

“Grooooo…!”

The reason? One of the Greedy Bags had thrown sand into Big Mouth’s eyes.

A cowardly and cunning tactic indeed. The black magic sorcerers admired it and fervently recorded it.

After all, even such despicable and crafty tactics require intelligence to execute.

“Aha! So, cannibalism increases not just physical capabilities but intelligence too?! Eureka!!”

“Ahhh-! It’s beautiful!!”

The black magic sorcerers, their intellectual desires fulfilled, excitedly recorded their observations.

However, despite the chaos in the audience, Big Mouth was in real danger.

Literally, not figuratively.

Now that the flow of the battle had been broken, and the Greedy Bags had surrounded Big Mouth, the tide was turning.

Until then, Big Mouth had dictated the battle by avoiding the encirclements and launching attacks first.

But now, with sand in his eyes, he was surrounded.

What was left was obvious.

“Gueeeeeck!!”

“Groooook!!”

“Gyweck!!”

“Gurock! Gook! Grock!”

A merciless gang beating, using their numerical superiority.

Like in his first fight against a Greedy Bag bigger than himself, Big Mouth tried to crawl away across the ground.

Due to the Greedy Bag’s bulky form, they couldn’t block all the incoming punches and kicks.

However, the Greedy Bags seemed aware of this and would grab Big Mouth’s legs and drag him back whenever he attempted to escape.

In the end, all Big Mouth could do was curl up to minimize damage.

Big Mouth, now on the defensive, could only cry out, ‘Grrrr. Grooo-’ just like in his first fight.

The difference was that this time, there was no Child to toss him a sawed-off shotgun.

Judging the outcome to be obvious, the people who participated in the bet began splitting their winnings, while the black magic sorcerers were wrapping up their recordings.

Oliver, too, felt deep regret.

Wouldn’t this mean they needed another Big Mouth?

At that moment, Big Mouth and Oliver’s eyes met, and seeing Oliver’s sorrow, Big Mouth expressed a fierce will to survive and fury, then clasped his hands together and cried out.

[Hate Bullet]

Big Mouth had used black magic.

***

“Great job, Big Mouth.”

Oliver sincerely said to Big Mouth.

Amazingly, despite being a black magic item, Big Mouth used black magic fueled by his own emotions to instantly turn the tide of the battle.

Although his black magic was crude compared to that of black magic sorcerers, it was enough to penetrate Greedy Bag 7’s body and put him in critical condition.

With that one shot, the fighting spirit of the Greedy Bags encircling Big Mouth was completely broken.

Oliver was genuinely impressed by this and praised Big Mouth.

Big Mouth merely glared back in disdain with several eyes on his body.

“…”

The silence made the contempt even more palpable.

“Fortunately, it seems he’ll recover.”

Jack, who had come down into the improvised fighting ground, pointed to the severely injured Greedy Bag 7, the one struck by Big Mouth’s black magic.

Greedy Bag 7, who was unlucky enough to be hit, was being repaired by the black magic artisans.

“They say it can be repaired perfectly, with no deterioration in function… It looks like all that’s left is to wrap things up.”

Jack pointed to the Greedy Bags kneeling at one side.

These were the Greedy Bags that had lost the will to fight after witnessing Big Mouth’s black magic. As a show of submission, they had all knelt before Big Mouth.

All that was left was for Big Mouth to tell them to work hard for Bean City.

For some reason, when Greedy Bags fought and one lost, the loser would submit completely, even while being eaten.

If Big Mouth ordered them, the Greedy Bags would likely obey.

Recalling this, Oliver made a request to Big Mouth.

“Big Mouth, would you please help out a bit?”

“…”

Big Mouth remained silent, glaring at Oliver with contempt. He seemed deeply angered.

Oliver made an offer.

“I’ll give you one of the gold bars you ate.”

A hefty gold bar, worth far more than a pile of cash.

But this time, it was no easy task. Despite the hefty price, Big Mouth didn’t budge—

“—I’ll give you two bars.”

“Grook!!”

Finally, Big Mouth jumped up in agreement and walked over to the knelt Greedy Bags and those being healed, starting his speech.

“Grook! Gurrrrook! Grr. Grookgrok! Gook! Groooook!”

“Big Mouth says that he’ll be merciful and not devour them, so they should cooperate with Mr. Jack.”

“So that frog-like croaking meant that?”

Jack was sincerely impressed by Oliver’s translation. After all, no one in Bean City could understand the Greedy Bag’s language.

“The repairs are finished.”

While Jack and Oliver were talking, a master artisan from the black magic union approached and reported the repair results.

Though Jack thanked him and said he could leave, the master artisan instead spoke to Oliver.

“That’s an incredible Greedy Bag, Mr. Dave.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

“No, no. It’s not just flattery; I mean it.”

I’m truly amazed by its fighting skills and even more so by its speech. With such high intelligence and self-awareness… But using black magic, that’s beyond incredible.”

The black magic artisan expressed pure admiration and curiosity, while also revealing a hidden greed to acquire such a skill.

“As expected of one of Randa’s prominent figures! …If you don’t mind, would you grant our union a chance to broaden its horizons by paying us a visit?”

The black magic artisan pushed forward directly.

But he wasn’t the only one.

Other black magic sorcerers showcased interest, approaching Oliver, and even a few pirates and smugglers began to make contact.

“Hello there. I’m…”

“I’m quite familiar with Randa…”

“I’m a merchant…”

“Our union…”

People approached Oliver from all directions, impressed by Big Mouth’s match.

Jack, aware of the dangers that being a famous figure brings, attempted to step in for Oliver, but everyone ignored him, intensifying the commotion. That’s when a youth came rushing in from the underground entrance, shouting.

He was a herald delivering news to Bean City.

“Captain Hook has returned! His ship has just arrived at the harbor!”