Kakaman Island

It was the fifth day since Cifer abducted Hina and her uncle.

"I say, Cifer, what's your purpose in going to Kakaman Island?" Hina asked casually while steering. "That place is a notorious criminal island."

Kokaman Island is located in the first half of the Grand Line, but due to its remote location and the absence of a formal country on the island, the Navy generally doesn't go there.

This has led to the island being filled with all sorts of crimes. Those who have taken root here are basically human traffickers, pirates, or people with powerful backgrounds.

It is in such a chaotic place that some businesses that others dare not do can be found.

Over the past few days on Cifer's ship, Hina had come to realize that Cifer was not as bloodthirsty and cruel as she had heard at Marineford, unlike a criminal.

At Cifer's request, she called him by his real name, not by his epithet on the bounty poster.

"Because it's interesting."

At this moment, Cifer was no longer fishing. He had already made chess and played chess with Burley in his free time every day.

Hina was speechless. Cifer seemed to do things entirely based on his interests. Yesterday, when she asked him why he didn't find pirates as companions but instead chose her, his answer was also "interesting."

A man of great strength, casual personality, and no ill intentions. This was Hina's assessment of him after observing him for the past few days.

Marineford should have been the place for him to showcase his talents, not to wander around as a wanted criminal. Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Vice Admiral Tsuru shared the same opinion as her.

Cifer had never restricted Hina's contact with the Navy. Firstly, he wasn't afraid. Even if all the Admirals were dispatched, he could still escape even with his Second Resurrección. The Navy couldn't stop him if he wanted to leave.

Secondly, the Navy was unwilling and unable to dispatch more than two Admirals to apprehend him. Thirdly, he learned from Hina that Fleet Admiral Sengoku seemed to be considering making him one of the Shichibukai.

He seemed to be trying to communicate with the World Government about this matter. If an invitation were indeed issued, it wouldn't be impossible. Having the title of Shichibukai would make many things much more convenient.

After another lunch, Cifer and his group finally arrived at their destination, Kakaman Island. Hina and the other two were no longer wearing their Navy uniforms.

As soon as they docked at the port, Cifer felt countless eyes staring at him and his ship.

As expected of Kakaman Island! It suited Cifer's intentions perfectly.

The three disembarked one after another. Cifer wanted to look around, Hina wanted to go shopping, and Wright wanted to buy food. He didn't want anyone to stay on the ship to guard it; he had a better way.

"Esteemed guest, are you here to sightsee on the island?" A middle-aged man, less than half Cifer's chest height, walked up to him. "It's only 100,000 Belly per day, and my brothers and I will help you watch your ship! You can go shopping with peace of mind!"

Hina's brow furrowed, and she was about to step forward to argue. How could guarding a ship cost 100,000 Belly a day? It would be a few thousand Belly at most.

Cifer reached out and stopped her, then pointed to a man lying on the ground not far behind him, chewing on a blade of grass, who was over 2 meters tall:

"Is he also one of your brothers?"

In Cifer's perception, that person's strength was not weak, at least comparable to Hina's. He was overwhelmingly powerful among this group.

"That guy?"

The middle-aged man chuckled, "He's just a petty hoodlum, usually lazy and good for nothing. You could say he's one of my underlings!"

At this moment, a Sea King leaped high out of the sea not far away, as if enjoying a pleasant sunbath.

Cifer casually pointed, and a dark green flash instantly pierced through it, creating a huge vortex on the sea.

"Guard the ship well, or I'll break your legs."

A bag of Belly was tossed into his hand. Cifer and his men walked past him slowly, and the people around them all retreated, clearing a path.

Only when passing the grass-chewing man did Cifer glance sideways. The man was also looking at Cifer, but without the composure he had initially.

The middle-aged man's hand trembled as he held the Belly. On this island, guarding ships for pirates or human traffickers was also a business. Many would take the money and then steal the ship.

He had initially seen Cifer's ship as large and luxurious but lacking any flag, thinking they were easy-to-bully honest folk. That's why he quoted a high price. He never expected a devil to arrive!

"Everyone, pay attention!" the middle-aged man shouted. "If anything happens to this gentleman's ship, no one can bear the responsibility!"

His brothers swarmed forward, guarding the dock tightly and preventing anyone from approaching.

"Looking at it this way, you do seem a bit like villains."

Hina teased. In the past few days, they had encountered merchant ships at sea, and Cifer's friendly demeanor had made her wonder if he was truly a criminal who had killed Celestial Dragons.

"It depends on the person. Towards villains, one only needs to be more ferocious," Cifer smiled faintly. "Having a sword and not having one to use are not the same thing."

The three parted ways in the city. Cifer and another went shopping for clothes, ship supplies, and daily necessities, while Cifer, naturally, headed to the most chaotic place to see.

After all, he had been spending lavishly and had almost spent the millions of Belly he brought from Ryugu Palace.

After a bit of "cash ability," a middle-aged man who called himself Brother Kun led Cifer to the most prosperous and lawless area on Kakaman Island – the Colosseum! Coincidentally, today was the day the Colosseum was holding a grand competition.

Various factions on this island cultivated their own fighters. Once a month, a Colosseum competition was held. Whichever faction's fighter stood until the end could, to a certain extent, allocate the island's resources.

Could islanders outside these factions participate?

Of course, they could. But if you won the championship and lacked the ability to manage it, someone else would naturally take over.

"See that big guy? He's the boss of this Colosseum, the infamous murderer – Bait!"

The Colosseum was already packed, surrounded by layers of spectators. However, Brother Kun still had some influence; people made way for him wherever he went. Cifer noticed that the gazes people cast at Brother Kun held no fear, only respect.

He subtly pointed to a group of people sitting closest to the fighting arena. A large man, about 5 meters tall, was sitting at the very front, observing the battles.

"So, he's a Great Pirate with a high Bounty?" Cifer's interest was immediately piqued.

"Naturally! He's a Great Pirate with a Bounty of 37 million Belly!" Brother Kun gestured for Cifer to lower his head and whispered in his ear, "I heard that when he first set sail, he massacred several villages in the North Blue. Later, his rampages and plunder attracted a Marineford Colonel, and only then did he hide here."

37 million?

Cifer hadn't expected the bounty of such a minor character to be very high, but this was far lower than he had budgeted. He had thought, since they were in the Grand Line, it would be around 100 million.

"Aren't there any more powerful big shots on the island? Ones with higher bounties." Even a mosquito's leg is still meat. Cifer naturally didn't intend to let this one go, but it would be better if he could deal with more.

More powerful figures?

Brother Kun thought Cifer also wanted to join a faction for security. However, bounty didn't represent power. This young man was too young!

"There aren't any with higher bounties, but there are big shots!" Brother Kun's voice became even quieter. As he spoke, he kept looking around, as if afraid others would hear.

"The auction house nearby has good items changing hands every day, but no one has ever dared to cause trouble there. I heard a Shichibukai stands behind it! If you want to join someone, they are the best choice!"

Auction house?

Doflamingo!