Donquixote Family and the Shipping King

At that moment, a slash came flying from Barlofiya's direction, cutting straight at Yun Ye.

Yun Ye raised a hand and pointed a finger. White lightning shot forth and collided with it, shattering both attacks.

Barlofiya leaped out of the crater and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, wariness flashing through his eyes. "The man backing me is the 'Shipping King,' Umit! Are you really prepared to face the consequences of offending a king?"

From their brief encounter and exchange, he already knew that he was no match for Yun Ye.

If he wanted to survive, he could only invoke the name of the man behind him!

Hopefully, it would be enough to intimidate Yun Ye.

The Shipping King? Yun Ye muttered inwardly. Although he could not remember what the man looked like, he still knew of him.

He was said to control the shipping industry across the New World. Yun Ye had not expected his influence to extend even into Paradise.

Then... who was the other king trading with the Shipping King?

North Blue... the Donquixote Family? Heh... Yun Ye suddenly made a connection, and an inexplicable smile curled across his lips.

"The Shipping King? Never heard of him. What stray dog is he supposed to be? So what if I offend him?" Having thought of this, Yun Ye stopped wasting words. He would kill them first.

With Instant Burst activated, Yun Ye's strength surged dramatically. Combined with Flash Step, it produced an effect akin to teleportation over short distances.

Instant Burst plus Flash Step—the technique of Flash Goddess Yoruichi!

In the blink of an eye, Yun Ye appeared before Barlofiya. His gaze was icy as crackling sounds rang out behind him, and he unleashed a fierce, powerful punch!

"What?"

Barlofiya's expression changed drastically. He had not expected Yun Ye to be so fast, and he had no time to react.

He could only barely raise his sword before him, trying to block Yun Ye's blow!

However, just as Yun Ye's attack was about to strike Barlofiya, he shifted slightly. This blow was a feint!

The real attack was in his left hand!

Thunder Roar Cannon! Yun Ye sneered. His calm voice rang out as lightning surged in his palm, and a pillar of thunder erupted, blasting Barlofiya away!

The lightning pillar drove Barlofiya backward without pause, smashing through the buildings ahead with repeated booms. Finally, it slammed violently into the ground as a deafening boom erupted!

A thunderous explosion rang out, black smoke billowing everywhere. A crater more than ten meters long appeared in the ground, with arcs of electricity flickering within it from time to time!

After landing that strike, Yun Ye did not even look back. He turned and charged toward the others.

Seeing Yun Ye's ferocity, the others were scared out of their wits.

They did not even dare think of resisting. Their only thought was to run.

But how could Yun Ye let them go?

"Go keep him company!"

Yun Ye raised his hand. This time, he unleashed a wider-range Azure Firefall!

Pale explosive flames spread outward in a fan shape, engulfing everyone!

The explosions sent shockwaves sweeping out, instantly leaving countless dead and wounded!

Yun Ye used Flash Step to appear before a survivor and stomped down heavily. The lightning behind him faded as he looked down at the survivor and said flatly, "Tell me about your mission this time, as well as your deal with the other king. Refuse, and you die!"

Yun Ye's expression was calm, and his tone did not ripple in the slightest. Yet to this survivor, his words sounded like the whispers of a demon—terrifying beyond measure!

"No, don't kill me! I'll talk, I'll talk!"

He did not dare resist and could only obediently reveal their mission, along with the title of the other king.

Heh, so it really was Doflamingo?

After Yun Ye learned the general details, he let the man go.

It was deliberate. He wanted to draw the Shipping King Umit's attention and lay the groundwork for his future power.

Yun Ye's gaze flickered as thoughts raced through his mind.

The Shipping King's transportation routes were of immense importance to someone like him, who wanted to build a force.

A series of ideas churned through Yun Ye's mind.

And Doflamingo... an underworld broker...

Yun Ye's smile became strangely unsettling, like the grin of a demon...

At an auction house somewhere on the island.

Inside the hall, a man wearing a fur-trimmed hat, with two markings on his face and a red cloak draped over his shoulders, smashed a table to pieces with one slap. His eyes widened as he glared furiously at the trembling underling before him.

"You said our goods were seized by a Bounty Hunter? Who was bold enough to lay hands on something belonging to the Donquixote Family?"

The underling trembled as he replied in a shaking voice, "It was a Bounty Hunter who recently rose to fame. He previously wiped out a Pirate Crew with a bounty exceeding ten million Beli!"

"Just a Bounty Hunter, and he dared attack us? What the hell was Dia doing? Why didn't he take care of this person?"

"M-My lord, Boss Dia has already been killed by that Bounty Hunter!"

This man was one of the Donquixote Family's officers, Diamante, code-named "Diamond"!

Diamante suddenly thought of something and frowned. "I remember that we hired the Shipping King's fleet, didn't we? The deal has not even begun yet, so why were the goods seized?"

Their deal was not supposed to begin for several more days. They were still negotiating minor matters such as payment, and the goods had not even reached their hands. How could they possibly have been taken?

The underling said, "The Shipping King's fleet—one of the Pirate Crews under his command—was wiped out by the Quincy. Our goods fell into his hands as well!"

Hearing this, Diamante's eyes flashed before he snorted coldly. "Young Master places great importance on that item. Nothing can happen to it!"

After thinking for a moment, he continued, "Notify the Shipping King. Tell them that the goods they were supposed to deliver were taken before they even reached us. Ask them how they intend to resolve this!"

"Yes!"

The underling answered, wiped the cold sweat from his brow, and hurried away!

After the underling left, Diamante's gaze turned cold. "To offend two Kings of the Dark World at once... Quincy the Bounty Hunter, you've got quite some nerve!"

Elsewhere, on a gray island in the North Blue.

This was the North Blue branch of the Shipping King's forces.

It handled all matters throughout the North Blue.

A bald, obese man with a huge belly slapped the beautiful woman sitting on him away. He glared at an underling crawling on the floor before him and roared, "You said our deal with the Donquixote Family was sabotaged? Just who is this Quincy? Why did he dare attack us?"

This man was Simon Sandy, one of the Shipping King's officers, with a bounty of eighty-eight million Beli!

The underling explained, "This Quincy is..."

"Hmph. A mere Bounty Hunter from the North Blue dared attack our people? Gather the fleet! I want to see what this Bounty Hunter is capable of!"

Splash...

As Simon Sandy's words fell, everyone on the island sprang into action.

Soon afterward, a fleet set course for Bavely River Island!