Those who kill will eventually be killed. Having resorted to assassination by any means necessary to eliminate his competitors, Sterry naturally feared that one day, someone might take his head as well.
So the Mr. 1 whom Sterry hired at great expense did not merely play the role of an assassin. He also disguised himself as a guard and stayed by Sterry's side at all times.
Although Mr. 1's appearance fee was exorbitant, and the cost of having him save the day could bankrupt even a noble family, one got what one paid for. Sterry's money had been well spent:
Mr. 1 was Baroque Works' top agent, second only to its leader. Even in the first half of the Grand Line, he counted as a formidable fighter. Once he arrived in the East Blue, known as the weakest sea, he was like a tiger among sheep, utterly unstoppable.
The righteous deed of the great hero Sterry shooting a "Celestial Dragon" sparked a frenzied counterattack from the feudal reactionaries.
Noble bodyguards, palace guards, and even some noble lords themselves rushed into battle. Like a roaring mountain flood and raging sea, they brandished their weapons and surged toward Sterry with savage expressions.
Meanwhile, the inconspicuous bald man merely shifted slightly, and a dazzling flash of cold light suddenly reflected beneath the sun.
He weaved through the crowd like a phantom, while flickering sword light carved simple yet deadly arcs across those flesh-and-blood bodies.
In only a few breaths, Mr. 1's muscular, steel-forged body had crossed through the waves of people and come to a steady halt before his employer, Sterry.
The soundtrack to his spectacular entrance was the agonized wails of dozens of dying men; the decoration completing the scene was the gushing blood spraying everywhere like fountains.
The tide of calls