No matter what had led to it, his son was dead. Though he had been useless, a spoiled dandy, and a troublemaker, Abad would not let the girl named Kelly go because of that. Nor would he spare Carlos, whose suspicion was even weaker. Better to kill the wrong person than let anyone go—orders to hunt them both down were issued!
The John Family's forces, both open and hidden, sprang into action. Their overt and covert agents were all hunting the two of them.
Where was Carlos?
As Abad sent men out, Carlos was standing outside a firearms store operating under a legitimate license.
The firearms store occupied a vast area. One look was enough to tell it had powerful backing. On Maglin Island, its apparent backer was the city government, but in truth, it belonged to the John Family.
Using guns sold by the John Family to shoot the John Family and cause them trouble—now that was interesting!
Without further hesitation, Carlos headed toward the firearms store. At the entrance stood employees carrying loaded weapons. Dressed in store uniforms, they were broad-shouldered, thick-waisted, and fierce-looking, responsible for security. There were also some employees who looked less intimidating.
Seeing Carlos approach, a medium-built clerk came forward. Although Carlos wore sunglasses and a half-mask, the clerk did not mind. In an arms store like theirs, they saw plenty of strange people in bizarre outfits. As long as they could pay, that was all that mattered.
"Sir, what kind of weapon do you need?" the clerk asked with a broad smile.
"Do you have sniper rifles?" Carlos asked as he stepped into the spacious, brightly lit firearms store.
"Yes, yes, of course. To be honest, sir, our store has the most complete selection and the finest quality firearms in the Southern West Sea. We guarantee you'll find something satisfactory."
"I hope so," Carlos said blandly.
"Sir, what type of sniper rifle do you need? What price range?"
"I have a principle when I buy things."
Carlos was about to spin some nonsense.
"What principle?"
"I don't buy the best. I only buy the most expensive!"
"Huh?" The clerk froze.
"Is that a bad principle?"
"Of course not, of course not. It would be wonderful if every customer in the world were like you, sir." The clerk beamed, thinking that if he handled this customer well and closed the deal, he would strike it rich today.
"Then hurry up and bring me the most expensive sniper rifle in your store so I can take a look."
"Right away, right away. Sir, please have something to drink in one of our private booths and wait a moment. I'll be right back."
"Fine."
After a while, Carlos sat on a soft sofa, sampling some coffee—the expensive kind.
Hmm, he was not quite used to it. It did not even taste as good as the bagged Nescafé sold in supermarkets in his previous life. He should drink tea whenever possible in the future. It suited his tastes better and was healthier too.
At that moment, the clerk who had led him inside finally returned, bringing along someone in a suit and tie with gold-rimmed glasses, someone who looked like the store manager or a similar figure.
"Sir, this is the most expensive sniper rifle in our store. Please see what you think."
Sir? Mister?
Why were the forms of address in this store such a mess? Whatever. Maybe it was because of status.
"Are you the person in charge of this store?"
"Yes, I am, sir."
Carlos nodded, then his gaze was drawn to the firearm in the box the clerk opened. Men usually liked knives, swords, guns, cars, and the like. He was no exception.
The rifle was black and red, predominantly black. Its long body was entirely black, engraved with strange blood-red patterns resembling clouds, giving it an eerie feel.
As for its design, it closely resembled the sniper rifle used by Van Oka, the sniper from Blackbeard's pirate crew in the original story. Snipers in the One Piece world were not as technologically advanced as those on Earth, but they were pretty broken!
Carlos remembered that Van Oka's sniper rifle in the original story seemed to be called Thousand Riku. Its range reached several kilometers—possibly five kilometers—and it had shot down a seagull.
His marksmanship was unquestionably incredible. That range alone was absurd.
Although it was a famous gun, its shooting range was also monstrously excessive.
"By the way, I still don't know your name, sir. My apologies."
"Forget the name. We won't have anything to do with each other in the future anyway. What is this gun called?"
"Blood Night!"
"Blood Night, Blood Night. Nice name. I'll take this gun. Name your price."
"Sir, this gun is the treasure of our store..."
"Enough, enough, enough."
"Skip the tricks and show a little sincerity. Don't start telling me some story... Just be direct. How much? Why not just name a price?"
"Um, one... two million."
"Fine."
Carlos agreed without even bargaining. He was never stingy with things he liked. This sniper rifle suited his tastes, and he did not care whether it was expensive or cheap. One word: buy!
Seeing Carlos agree so readily, the person in charge—dressed in a suit and tie, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, and looking like a successful high-class professional—immediately regretted it. He should have raised the price further. Carlos had agreed so quickly, so he clearly liked the gun and was obviously not short on money.
But he had already named the price, so it was not appropriate to go back on it. He could fleece people, but he could not treat them as if they had no temper. After all, people who entered firearms stores were rarely saints.
"Also, prepare... fifty rounds of ammunition for me."
Carlos thought about it. If he did what he planned well, one bullet would be enough. Too many would also be inconvenient to carry.
"Fifty rounds? Then we'll give them to you for free, sir."
"I never planned to pay for the ammunition in the first place. I'm giving you such a big sale, so shouldn't you throw in some bullets?"
"You're right, you're right. Please wait a moment, sir. It'll be taken care of shortly."
"Mm, hurry up. I can't wait to test the gun."
"Yes, yes."
A few minutes later, Carlos paid with his black-and-gold card and walked out. The gun was packed inside a black wooden case and slung over his back. In high spirits, he stepped onto the street and vanished into the crowd.
A few minutes later, Carlos began to feel that someone was following him. He activated the Byakugan hidden beneath his sunglasses and swept his gaze around. Sure enough, he spotted several suspicious people. Some of them looked quite familiar.
"Damn, the John Family really plays dirty..."
"You're lucky. I can't wait to test my gun today, or I'd definitely take you all out. Bye-bye."
Carlos quickened his pace, his speed soaring. He soon shook off his pursuers and disappeared into the flow of people.
After getting rid of those following him, Carlos bought a tent, food, daily necessities, and other supplies, then left the bustling city. He planned to find a remote place on Maglin Island to test the gun and get familiar with it.
Three days later, he would quietly give the John Family a surprise. He had gained plenty of information from John Dilton's mind, and the most important piece was that someone extremely important to the John Family would arrive three days later in the morning.
This important figure was coming to the John Family in secret, apparently to discuss something important with John Abad.
To the John Family, this person was both a partner and a backer—a high-ranking official in the World Government. The two sides conducted all kinds of shady transactions. If he died, would the John Family not be left in a state of panic? Would they still have the mind to trouble him?
Even if the Mafia was not responsible, an incident occurring within its sphere of influence would still make it accountable. When the time came, hehehe... they would definitely be too overwhelmed to look after themselves!
Leaving everything else aside, if a government official died here, the World Government's various investigations alone would be enough to give the John Family hell!
A person of that level certainly would not be easy to snipe, even if he was arriving secretly. But opportunities always existed. Carlos refused to believe there would be no opening, that his security would be flawless...
Before you continue