"Thud..."
"Thud..."
As a series of crisp footsteps approached, starting from the outskirts of the crowd, the thugs seemed unable to withstand the mental torment. Their mouths fell open, their eyes rolled back, and they collapsed on the spot.
Like wheat blown down by the wind, they fell to the ground in wave after wave.
Inside the building at the center of the district,
As though they had sensed that terrifying, oppressive presence, Madam Sammy led a group of subordinates and girls out of their rooms and onto the balcony.
They looked around in surprise and delight.
"Who is it?! Get out here!!"
Diamante, one of the Donquixote Family's officers and the user of the Float-Float Fruit, roared.
The other officers also searched everywhere for the source of the footsteps.
"What kind of joke is this?! This presence??"
As the strongest person present, and likewise a user of Conqueror's Haki, Doflamingo was the one who could most directly sense just how terrifying this presence was.
Veins bulged across his forehead as cold sweat streamed down without stopping.
Black-red lightning filled the air. Accompanied by those footsteps, it felt as though each step landed directly upon their hearts, stirring uncontrollable fear and panic in their minds.
Yet the truly horrifying part was that, despite hearing the footsteps clearly, no one could determine where they were coming from.
Only when the footsteps grew clearer and clearer did everyone finally see the figure approaching from afar.
Over the bodies of a group of fallen grunts, a tall man in military uniform slowly walked forward.
His attire was predominantly black, while the sword at his side and the gun on his back were his most distinctive features.
That tall, slender figure wreathed in black-red lightning advanced step by step from the distance, his pace calm and elegant.
Yet with nearly every blink, he drew closer at a terrifying speed, like a ghostly Asura crawling out of hell.
At the sight of him, Sammy's body, which had been tense to the limit, finally relaxed.
The sudden release of tension nearly made her lose her footing.
Fortunately, the subordinate beside her supported her, sparing her from embarrassing herself.
"My, my. Madam's legs went weak with excitement the moment she saw Lord Austin arrive."
Airi, the trusted subordinate who had served her for over a decade and was supporting her, could not help teasing her, making Sammy blush slightly.
"You're the only one who knows how to talk."
Of course, Sammy was not the only one excited.
"Ah~ Lord Austin is here!!!"
"He's so handsome! I want to have your babies, Lord Austin!!!"
For a moment, the Red-Light District, which had been silent until then, seemed as though the riot had never happened. Countless women who had hidden away poked their heads out from the windows of the buildings.
They screamed and cheered to their hearts' content, as if venting all the grievances they had just suffered through their welcome for Lord Austin.
In contrast, the members of the Donquixote Family looked utterly miserable.
Where the hell had this formidable outsider come from?
They had been investigating Sammy's background for years, yet they had never heard of someone like this.
Amid the cheers of the women in the Red-Light District and the stares of every member of the Donquixote Family,
Austin slowly walked into the heart of the crowd without encountering the slightest obstruction.
Because wherever Austin passed, only the sound of bodies collapsing to the ground could be heard. Not even the elites and officers were exceptions.
By the time Austin stopped before Doflamingo, only Doflamingo himself remained standing in the entire massive Donquixote Family.
The difference in strength was obvious!
Doflamingo had lost all his former arrogance and clamor. He clenched his teeth tightly as veins continued to bulge on his face.
At the same time, the pupils beneath his sunglasses trembled nonstop as he stared in disbelief at the smiling man before him.
How could someone like this possibly appear in Paradise!!!???
His flowing, tousled black hair, his highly recognizable black military uniform, the sword in his hand and gun on his back—
Upon that handsome, gentle-looking face sat a pair of eyes that looked down upon everything.
A member of the Roger Pirates.
A bounty of 1.09 billion Beli.
Black Gun Dotol Austin!?!?
What kind of joke was this!!!
Austin's lips curled slightly. Though he wore a smile, his eyes were filled with utter indifference.
Using his height advantage of two meters and sixty centimeters, he looked down at the still-young Doflamingo.
"Didn't you hear my question?"
He leaned down slightly, scarlet light erupting from his pupils as he stared into the trembling eyes behind Doflamingo's sunglasses.
"Who are you going to kill?"
His calm yet domineering condescension, along with the terrifying presence that suppressed everyone present, left no one able to calm their hearts for a long time.
At this critical moment, seeing their half-boss make such an ostentatious and overwhelmingly domineering entrance, the male employees of the taverns and casinos were so excited their scalps went numb.
As for the girls of the Red-Light District, it went without saying. Several of them nearly fainted, their fragile hearts filled with an overwhelming sense of security.
"Ah!!! Did you see that?! Little Seven, Master is here!"
"Mhm, mhm. I knew Lord Austin would definitely come. He's so handsome..."
Beside Sammy, although Austin had not looked their way, the two little maids still waved excitedly.
As Austin's personal maids, Little Six and Little Seven had long since been conquered by his strength and handsomeness, their hearts already completely devoted to him.
At the same time, when the riot broke out, they had firmly believed that Lord Austin would arrive and drive all these villains away.
Because of that, when the Den Den Mushi could not get through the first two times, if Sammy had not promptly dealt with those who questioned Austin, the two little maids might have raised their guns and fought those doubters to the death.
Being threatened before so many onlookers made it hard for Doflamingo to save face.
He was, after all, a user of Conqueror's Haki. He was not so frightened that he could not even speak. Resisting the urge to wipe away the cold sweat on his forehead, he gritted his teeth and said:
"Black Spear, why would a man like you appear here!?"
"Even if you are a member of the Roger Pirates, aren't you meddling too much? Don't forget... Roger was just captured by the Marines. Yet you still dare to appear so openly under the World Government's very nose!"
"Let me remind you, my surname is Donquixote!!!"
Austin's smile widened at those words, though not a trace of amusement remained in his eyes.
"So, Doflamingo... is the World Government you keep talking about where your confidence comes from?"
"Or do you think those pigs would choose to go to war with me over your death? Do you even believe that yourself?"
Austin stared directly at him and drove the knife deeper into his heart.
"You're nothing but trash driven out of Mary Geoise!"
"Shut up!!!"
Austin's words finally broke through Doflamingo's defenses. Veins bulged across his forehead as hatred and humiliation made him forget the gap in their strength and his fear of the Roger Pirates.
"What right does someone like you have to judge my life!!!"
The shadows of his childhood were the pain of his entire life. Once that last shred of dignity had been mercilessly torn away, he could no longer remain rational.
In the end, you're just a fifteen-year-old brat!!!
Before you continue