Apophis

The man in the Ghoul Mask had no time to think before an irresistible force shoved him aside. Instead, he felt relieved. "He didn't kill me? Looks like this guy is just a high-quality fake at most."

Feeling that he had found his courage, the man in the Ghoul Mask was about to step forward and argue, only to find that the surrounding pirates were looking at him in terror. His confidence swelled further. "You lot, go kill that impostor for me!"

"Ah!"

To his surprise, the pirates screamed after he spoke. Some fled the guild in blind panic, while others lost all strength and collapsed limply to the floor.

Seeing this, the man in the Ghoul Mask began to feel afraid as well. Only then did he realize that there seemed to be something wrong with his voice. The scenery before his eyes appeared layered with overlapping shadows, as if the entire world had tilted sideways.

"W-what's happening to me?" The man in the Ghoul Mask forced down his fear and looked toward the mirror at the counter, only to freeze abruptly.

The mask on his face in the mirror had long since shattered. A thin line of blood ran from the center of his brow all the way down to his crotch, like a lotus root split down the middle. Only that bloodline was keeping the two halves of his body connected.

"I... I'm already dead?" The man in the Ghoul Mask stood there in a daze. As soon as the thought arose, he horrifically discovered that the bloodline was breaking apart section by section, and his split body began to topple to either side.

"No, don't! I don't want to die!" The man in the Ghoul Mask pressed both hands against the sides of his head and forcibly tried to piece himself back together. The horrifying sight made quite a few pirates tremble below the waist, followed by a warm, damp sensation spreading through their crotches.

Boom!

The body split in two crashed to the ground, devoid of even the slightest trace of life.

Seeing that the impostor had finally died, the other pirates all let out long breaths of relief. As pirates who lived by the blade, they had long grown accustomed to corpses. But a monster that was half-dead and half-alive was still beyond their psychological endurance.

Thinking of this, the pirates who had failed to escape in time all turned fearful gazes toward the man sitting at the counter. Such bloody, supernatural methods had already proven his identity: the traveler from hell—Demon Sword Apophis!

If they had once admired Apophis's strength merely because of the legends, then now they feared his methods because they had witnessed them firsthand.

It was terror that seeped into the soul!

At this moment, even if the real Apophis announced that he was recruiting crew members, no one would dare crowd around him as recklessly as before. They did admire powerful and brutal captains, but Apophis had completely surpassed their definition of brutality.

"Information." In the suffocating atmosphere, Apophis spoke coldly.

"Ah? What?" The bald guild manager clearly had not caught on. He asked blankly, then suddenly remembered the impostor's fate. His face turned deathly pale as he hurriedly replied, "Y-yes, yes! I'll bring you all the information right away."

As if drunk, the manager staggered toward the back on legs too weak to stand straight. When he passed the mirror, he seemed to gather immense courage before sneaking a glance at his reflection.

"My nose, eyebrows, eyes, mouth... they're all here. I'm alive, I'm alive!" The manager laughed madly to himself, his steps turning light and unsteady as he charged headfirst into the wall and smashed through it.

Seeing the manager's comical display, the pirates sitting on the ground and too frightened to rise felt not the slightest contempt. Had it been them, they would probably have fared even worse.

After all, quite a few of them were still floating in a sea of their own urine, too scared to move for fear that the slightest sound would draw that man's attention.

The receptionists abandoned by the manager were nearly in tears. They did not know whether to move or remain still, feeling as though they were sitting on pins and needles. It was ten thousand times worse than having their period.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Apparently afraid that Apophis would grow impatient, the bald manager began shouting from inside the records room. The next moment, he rushed out wearing a fawning smile. "Lord Apophis, according to guild rules, as a four-star hunter, you may only browse information rated four stars and below. But I took the liberty of bringing out all the branch's records. You may read as much as you like."

When Apophis showed no reaction and simply began looking through the documents, the bald manager felt relieved instead. As long as he could send this great demon away, anything was acceptable.

Besides, the highest-level intelligence in his branch was only five-star anyway. Considering Apophis had effortlessly slaughtered Ogre Barlo, who carried a 92 million Beli bounty, it was not excessive to classify him as a five-star hunter in advance.

The Hunter Guild's star ranking was simple. Anyone registered with the guild was a one-star hunter. Killing a pirate with a bounty exceeding ten million Beli automatically promoted one to two stars; killing one worth over thirty million made one a three-star hunter, and so on. Four stars required over fifty million, five stars over one hundred million, six stars over three hundred million, while seven stars required the killing of a Great Pirate recognized by both the Marines and the World Government.

The methods of hunting were even more simple and crude. It did not matter how it was done—assassination, poisoning, or even scavenging another person's kill. As long as one obtained the target's head, one would receive the Hunter Guild's recognition.

In a sense, the Hunter Guild itself was also a method used by the World Government to recruit lone wolves. Through the prestige and status brought by star rankings, along with various hidden benefits, it induced strong individuals unwilling to be constrained by the Marines or the government to work for the government in this manner.

The hidden benefits mainly encompassed two areas: intelligence and merit.

The importance of intelligence was naturally especially great in the Pirate World. Take the Hollow-Hollow Fruit, the Hobby-Hobby Fruit, or the Lucky-Lucky Fruit—without prior knowledge of their abilities, even strong individuals could easily fall victim to them.

For those lone wolves who were confident in their own strength, the Hunter Guild's intelligence network could, to a certain extent, make up for the disadvantages of not joining a faction.

Merit, meanwhile, could be used to purchase things that ordinary means could never obtain, such as certain rare Devil Fruits or Great Grade Blades, as well as weapons and equipment eliminated by the government and Marines but still difficult to acquire outside.

"Skull Crusher, Buffett!"

Hearing Apophis's utterly emotionless voice, the bald manager pulled out the corresponding file at the fastest speed of his life.

"Skull Crusher Buffett was once a Great Pirate active on the Grand Line, with a bounty as high as 120 million Beli. Ten years ago, he withdrew from the Grand Line and established a Mafia spanning several nations in the West Blue. His illegal enterprises include drug trafficking, casinos, brothels, human trafficking, arms dealing, and more. Centered in the West Blue, his influence extends across the Four Blues and even into the Grand Line. He likes manipulating everything from behind the scenes."

"That man is a pure Martial Arts powerhouse, possessing terrifying brute strength capable of collapsing a small mountain with one punch. His weapon is a Three-headed Flail, and his base is located in the Aitfei Kingdom of the West Blue."

Apophis took the file and opened the suitcase. Inside was a bloody human head, its expression seemingly twisted to the extreme by terror.

"Ogre Barlo!" The bald manager cried out. As the manager of a Hunter Guild branch, he instantly recognized the vicious monster notorious even among pirates, one who loved sucking the brains from children. Yet such a brutal pirate had apparently still been trapped in terror before his death.

What kind of pain had he endured?

The mere thought sent chills down the bald manager's spine. He quickly said, "The 92 million Beli, I'll immediately—"

Before he could finish, Apophis pushed the suitcase forward, then turned and walked outside without saying a word.

The bald manager's first thought was that he was already dead!

He hurriedly looked toward the mirror. Seeing that every part of his body was still intact, he sighed in relief, then deliberately raised his voice. "Harry, hurry up and credit the bounty to Lord Apophis's account. Remember to round it up to a hundred million Beli..."