Vinsmoke

The arena was wealthy and lavish, so its reception area was naturally spacious. Even Patch's hulking frame did not make it feel crowded in the slightest.

A second-class cripple roughly Roy's size emerged from the darkness, clapping his hands as he walked. "Lord Roy truly is young and promising. To possess such terrifying strength at your age is truly enviable."

Roy could clearly tell that the middle-aged man before him was trash with a combat power below five—the kind he could easily crush to death with one hand. Still, Roy was not surprised. After all, the strong were not necessarily suited to management. The fact that this weakling had made Flavie Arena flourish showed that he had some skill and ability.

"Where's the item?" Roy had no intention of engaging in much conversation with him. After roaming the seas for so many years, he had seen plenty of the tactics used by merchant associations and arenas. The gentler ones would try to recruit and win people over, while the nastier ones would threaten and control them. Roy had no interest whatsoever in playing along with him.

The manager froze for a moment, his expression becoming slightly awkward as he forced a laugh. "Lord Roy is certainly straightforward. Of course, the Devil Fruit has been properly stored away, but it will take some time to retrieve it. While we wait, why don't we have a little chat?"

"Fine. What exactly do you want to say? No need to beat around the bush." Roy knew that if this continued, the other party would probably start spouting all kinds of nonsense to build rapport or probe for information about him. He had no interest in such a waste of time.

Seeing that Roy had put it so plainly, the manager grew serious and asked, "Does Lord Roy have any intention of joining a faction? Please don't rush to refuse. The force behind Flavie Arena is no minor power. It is renowned even on the Grand Line. If Lord Roy joins us, it would absolutely be a win-win arrangement for both sides."

"Oh? What faction? The Marines? The World Government? The Four Emperors? The Shichibukai? The Revolutionary Army?" Roy teased.

With every name Roy mentioned, the manager's expression worsened. By the end, his face looked as though he had been constipated for over ten days. Finally unable to bear it any longer, he decided to stop pretending to be mysterious.

"Hmph. The force behind Flavie Arena is the Underground Emperor of the North Blue, the Uncrowned King of the North Blue—the Vinsmoke Family." There was a trace of pride between the manager's brows, as though he were waiting to see Roy's shocked reaction. Instead, Roy merely gave a simple "Oh," nearly making him cough up blood in frustration.

Somewhat exasperated, he demanded, "Damn it, do you even know what the Vinsmoke Family means in the North Blue? In the North Blue, whether Marines or pirates, all must bow at the feet of the Vinsmoke Family. Vinsmoke is the sky of the North Blue."

To be honest, the Vinsmoke Family truly was powerful. They had once controlled the entire North Blue through force. Though they no longer possessed territory, they could still attend the Reverie, making them the most feared family in the North Blue.

But no matter what, Vinsmoke was merely a power hopping around in the beginner's village—at most, a little boss of the beginner's village. If he was afraid of even that, how could he ever become the Pirate King? If he had to face the Vinsmoke Family, then he would use them as his whetstone and tread upon their corpses on his way to the Grand Line.

Thus, Roy merely looked at him calmly and asked, "Finished? My answer is—no. Now hurry up and bring me the Devil Fruit. I'm still waiting to go eat."

The manager's face twisted with rage. He had managed Flavie Arena in the North Blue for so many years, yet this was the first time he had encountered such an arrogant rookie pirate. Even the several overlord-level Pirate Crews active in the North Blue had always been respectful and deferential upon hearing of the force behind him, never daring to overstep in the slightest.

For a moment, he even wanted to summon men and have Roy killed on the spot. But when he remembered that sword strike that had split the earth, fear crept into his heart, and he forcibly suppressed his anger.

"Forget it. I'm a magnanimous man, so I won't hold it against you. Get lost already."

Roy's gaze turned dangerous. Narrowing his eyes, he asked, "Hm? What do you mean by that? Are you planning not to give me the Devil Fruit?"

At those words, Patch shifted behind Roy. His enormous figure loomed over the manager. His instincts told him that a fight might break out at any moment. As for Vinsmoke? Sorry, he had never heard of them. Besides, he was hoping someone would come looking for a fight.

The manager felt a chill run down his back at the sight. Only then did he remember that neither of the two men before him seemed normal. Cursing inwardly, he hurriedly put on a flattering smile. "How could that be? Hahaha, you must be joking. Why has Flavie Arena stood firm in the North Blue for so many years? Because of our reputation, of course. A person must live by the word 'integrity.' Rest assured, Lord Roy, I'll immediately have someone speed up the delivery of the Devil Fruit. Those useless fools, taking so long just to deliver something. Don't worry, I'll give them a harsh and ruthless scolding later."

Roy found his clumsy acting somewhat amusing, but he did not pay it much attention. After all, he would soon have to deal with the Vinsmoke Family's retaliation, and he was actually looking forward to it. He had coveted the Vinsmoke Family's foundations for quite some time.

Leaving aside their technological capabilities, their Dream Memory alone would make it worthwhile. The Vinsmoke Family was a famous and influential force, after all. Perhaps he could obtain methods for cultivating Haki from their Dream Memory.

Not long after, someone entered the room carrying an exquisite treasure chest. After receiving it, the manager reluctantly handed the chest over to Roy.

Roy opened it and took a look. It was a banana-shaped Devil Fruit. As expected, it was a Zoan. When Roy had sought out a Devil Fruit before, he had not entered the competition because he had guessed that the Devil Fruit offered as a reward would most likely be a Zoan.

Do not assume that Zoan Devil Fruits were useless. The main reason Roy did not want a Zoan Devil Fruit—excluding Ancient Zoans and Mythical Zoans—was that their upper limit was relatively low. But for most people, even the strength of a Warden Beast was something they might never reach in their entire lives.

Even the members of CP9, a direct agency of the World Government, had eaten nothing more than Zoan Devil Fruits. It was therefore no surprise that the manager looked so pained.

Naturally, Roy was not collecting Devil Fruits because he wanted to eat a second one. He had no desire to use his life to test whether transmigrators had any special exceptions.

To become the Pirate King, being a Lone Commander was definitely not enough. Talents like Patch were not easy to find either. In the end, Roy would likely have to cultivate his own people, and that was where the Devil Fruits he collected would come in handy.

Watching Roy and Patch leave, the manager's expression became incomparably grim. "Damn bastard. You dared humiliate me like this. I will make you understand that the things of Flavie Arena are not so easy to take—and I will make you understand just how unwise it is to provoke the Vinsmoke Family."