News of the Devil Fruit

In this world, the West Blue is unlike the East Blue, North Blue, or South Blue. Family ties are deeply ingrained, with everything revolving around the family. Each island is primarily ruled by a specific family, and while nations exist, they are not the dominant force, being far fewer than in the other three seas.

The West Blue Mafia wields immense power in these waters, arguably being the true rulers of the West Blue. Aside from the Marines, who are backed by the World Government and thus somewhat feared, they are not particularly intimidated by any other forces, including the pirates who roam the West Blue.

The West Blue Mafia not only maintains connections with various dark forces, including pirates, but also has intricate ties with the governments of different countries and officials worldwide, making them masters of both the underworld and legitimate society!

Carlos had been involved in the mafia for over half a year and had gathered a fair amount of intelligence on the West Blue Mafia.

The five major mafia families of the West Blue are the Capone Family in the north, the John Family in the south, the Ferro Family in the east, the Charlie Family in the west, and the Gambino Family in the center.

The influence of these five families extends to islands they directly manage as well as islands where their affiliated forces operate, giving them substantial sway.

Iron Island falls into the latter category, an island where the Mike Family, an affiliated mafia family of the John Family, has a presence. While they may not have complete control over these types of islands, they can still make their influence felt significantly!

The mafia is tightly organized with a strict hierarchy, divided from lowest to highest rank as: Outer Members, Full Members, Combatants, Junior Officers, Officers, Senior Officers, Family Heads, and the Godfather.

Outer Members are thugs affiliated with the mafia. They handle various dirty, rough, and simple tasks with no fixed pay, earning rewards based on their contributions. Those who excel can be promoted to Full Member.

Full Members are allowed to wear brown suits and carry swords. They receive a fixed monthly salary of fifty thousand Belly, along with various additional incomes such as bonuses, compensation, and medical expenses.

Combatants are the elite members of the mafia. In addition to swords, they can be equipped with firearms and wear black suits with brown capes. Their fixed salary is one hundred thousand Belly, plus various additional incomes.

Junior Officers are the lower-level cadres of the mafia. They can wear any type of clothing without restriction and can carry any weapons they please. Their fixed salary is two hundred thousand Belly with a one percent profit share, and naturally, other benefits are even better.

Officers have a base salary of five hundred thousand Belly plus a three percent profit share; Senior Officers receive one million Belly plus a five percent profit share. Senior Officer positions are typically held by direct descendants of the mafia families.

The "profit" referred to here is the profit gained from a single victorious battle, not the profits from the mafia families' own industries.

Above Senior Officers are the various Family Heads. The Godfather, who is on the level above, is also a Family Head, specifically the head of the five major West Blue mafia families. To signify their uniqueness and status, they are referred to as Godfathers, and the five major families are the five Godfathers!

A Junior Officer typically commands fifty men, a mix of Full Members and Combatants, with a higher proportion of Combatants indicating greater strength.

An Officer oversees four Junior Officers, totaling over two hundred men; a Senior Officer commands three Officers, numbering over six hundred men.

This is the intelligence Carlos had gathered about the mafia families. Progressing to Junior Officer in half a year is considered quite good, and those under him must respectfully address him as "Boss"!

In reality, Carlos could have reached the rank of Officer, or even higher with a fifty percent chance, but he deliberately concealed his full strength to remain inconspicuous.

The current Carlos is not the Carlos of the past. He has greater ambitions than merely becoming a Full Member of the mafia!

While his ambitions have begun to sprout, they cannot yet fully blossom due to his current strength and influence. He needs time to grow them gradually!

Recalling the past, Carlos felt increasingly relaxed and slowly drifted off to sleep, slumbering until evening when the sun began to set, casting a blood-red glow.

"Boss Carlos, Boss Carlos..."

A voice called out, rousing Lucifer Carlos from his deep sleep. He opened his eyes, yawned, and turned to look behind him. A sturdy young man, dressed in a brown suit and cape, stood about ten meters away, shouting at him with a wide smile...

"What is it, Noah? Disturbing my sleep..." Carlos said, still groggy and clearly annoyed.

Noah, an ordinary-looking man, was his confidant and a Combatant, nicknamed Poison Mosquito. He was an excellent shot and particularly enjoyed ambushing his targets!

"Heh heh... Boss, don't be angry. It's Boss Cani inviting you for a drink..."

"He's treating, he's paying."

After saying this, Noah paused and added.

Cani was also a Junior Officer in the mafia, serving under the same Officer as Carlos. They were good friends and often drank together.

However, Cani had a bad habit of playing word games, especially when it came to paying for drinks. Carlos had often had to cover for him, which had significantly lightened his wallet.

"He's paying?"

"That's more like it. Finally showing some conscience..."

Although this guy liked to trick people into paying for drinks, he was generally trustworthy and would pay if he said he would. However, they had become distant.

"Gather the brothers who are free and come with me for a drink!"

"Oh, and the usual spot, right?" Carlos said as he walked, stretching his arms.

Although Carlos was only fifteen years old this year, he was considerably taller than his peers on Earth.

Carlos's face and complexion resembled those of the East. He stood at 1.7 meters tall, with sharp eyebrows, bright eyes, a high-bridged nose, thin lips, and messy black hair. His black suit was well-tailored, exuding a vibrant and heroic aura tinged with a hint of laziness!

"Yes, Boss. Clover Tavern," Noah replied respectfully, slightly bowing and dropping his smile.

The Boss was usually easygoing, but he wasn't someone to be trifled with. When the Boss had first become a Junior Officer, many people had resented being led by a mere child. The consequences... tsk, they were dire!

He had been disciplined too, but thankfully, he wasn't the most vocal resistor. Those who had been the most defiant were now long buried, with thick grass growing over their graves.

"Don't be so formal. Come with me, let's drink to our hearts' content tonight!"

"Heh heh, yes, Boss."

"Leave it to me tonight. I'm going all out! I'll definitely help you beat Boss Cani and make him collapse under the table!"

"Then I'll be looking forward to it."

"I won't disappoint you, Boss!"

As they spoke, the two figures gradually moved away, their shadows stretching longer across the grass.

Late at night, in the exclusive private room of the Clover Tavern in Iron City, mafia members dressed in suits were drunk and sprawled everywhere. Only Carlos and another young man in a floral shirt were still seated at the wine table, continuously challenging each other to drink.

"Carlos, I'll tell you a secret, but you can't tell anyone else..." the young man in the floral shirt slurred, his eyes hazy with drink. The smell of alcohol wafted from him, quite pungent.

"A secret?"

"Nonsense, what kind of secret could you possibly have?"

"Hic... Don't tell me you found out someone's having an affair with someone else, or who stole whose woman. How many times have I told you, I'm not interested in that kind of thing..."

Carlos's face was slightly flushed. Although he felt a bit dizzy, his mind was still quite clear. With his Golden Bell Shield mastered, his physical condition was excellent, and he could hold his liquor well. If it weren't for drinking from dusk till past midnight, he wouldn't even feel dizzy. These were all just a bunch of drunks, and not very good ones at that.

"This isn't one of those petty secrets, it's about... about a treasure of the sea... a treasure, the secret of a Devil Fruit!"

Carlos's spirit jolted, and much of his drunkenness dissipated. He became much more serious and calmly said, "You're just bragging. You actually know a secret about Devil Fruits?"

"Do you know the value of a Devil Fruit?"

"That's a treasure worth at least a hundred million Belly!"

"Who are you looking down on?" Boss Cani, with his drunken, hazy eyes, shot him a displeased glance.

"I'll tell you..."

Boss Cani leaned closer to Carlos and lowered his voice.

"Last night, on the coast near our Mafia territory where I was on patrol, some wreckage washed ashore. There were some treasure chests among the wreckage."

"The treasure chests contained a lot of Belly and jewels, but most importantly, there was a Devil Fruit inside!"

"If only I didn't have so many people from above working under me, I'd be rich by now. It makes me so unwilling to think about it!"

"That little bit of Belly rewarded from upstairs is nothing!"

As he spoke, Cani's voice grew louder, filled with complaints, unwillingness, and dissatisfaction. He no longer stuttered.

"It's indeed a bit much from upstairs. What happened after that?" Carlos followed his lead.

"After that... after that, Clan Leader... John personally came and took the items away..."

Some people always say Devil Fruit names are chuunibyou. I don't think they are. The reason I chose this name is because the fruit in One Piece is called a Devil Fruit, and it's also related to eye techniques, so I picked this name. Oh well, I'm too lazy to change it. I'm just writing for fun anyway. At worst, I'll get my full attendance and earn some pocket money. As long as I can write what I want, that's enough.