Tears Behind Bars

West Blue, Aitfei Kingdom.

Inside an extravagantly luxurious hall, a somewhat plump middle-aged man sat at the head of the room while a short man in a pinstriped suit beside him reported the situation.

"Godfather, some time ago, an abandoned passenger ship was discovered near the Kaya Kingdom. Everyone aboard had been slaughtered by pirates."

"What was strange was that those pirates had also died on the ship. Every one of them wore a smile before death, so the local fishermen believed they had been attacked by a ghost ship."

"A ghost ship?" The middle-aged man sneered disdainfully. "Only idiots would believe in that!"

"According to my analysis, those pirates may have been killed by Apophis. Rumors across the Grand Line say that he can command evil spirits from hell, making his enemies die in despair and agony. He can also let them die peacefully and serenely, without even realizing they are dead!"

"He made it to West Blue so quickly? That bastard really can't wait to take my life!" The middle-aged man snorted, clearly placing great trust in his subordinate's abilities.

"Godfather, I've made all the arrangements according to your instructions. The moment Apophis enters our territory, endless firepower will rain down on him. Even if he's a monster forged from steel, he'll become a pile of scrap metal in an instant!"

"Very good, Bege. Do you see that? This is the power of authority. No matter how strong he is, he's only one man. How could he possibly fight against my countless subordinates? He wants my life? He should first see whether he has the ability!"

"The disparity between us is simply too great. He's as good as dead." The short man spoke calmly. "However, our only way of identifying Apophis is his Ghoul Mask. If he removes it and infiltrates us, then I'm afraid..."

"A conceited monster like Apophis would never willingly lower his head." The middle-aged man hesitated briefly before continuing. "But your concern is valid. It would be too foolish to place our hopes in the enemy's hands. Fortunately, I made a second set of preparations. They should be arriving soon..."

"They?" the short man asked in confusion. "Godfather, who are you referring to?"

"Who else could it be? Naturally, the Eight Treasures Navy I invited from the Flower Country. It's a pity their leader, Chinjao, has already retired. Otherwise, a pirate with a bounty exceeding five hundred million would truly count as a monster from hell!"

"But it doesn't matter. Leader Chin's son, Huajao, the future thirteenth pillar of the Eight Treasures Navy, has already accepted my invitation."

(Since Oda never explained Chinjao's son, I chose the name Huajao by combining Chinjao with the Flower Country. Feel free to roast it however you like. (-))

"His own strength is already extraordinary, and even if he loses, Great Pirate Qing Jiao stands behind him. Could Apophis really risk offending such a Great Pirate just to fight me to the death?"

"The Eight Treasures Navy of the Flower Country? They truly are formidable support."

"I originally thought I could use Apophis to get rid of this guy, then take over his territory afterward. What a pity. That old bastard may have lost the ferocity he had as a pirate, but he still retains his caution."

Capone Bege dispelled the lockdown within the castle inside his body with a grim feeling. "Since Apophis is bound to die, there's no need for me to deliberately leave a path open for him. Heh, I'll just treat this as watching a spectacular fireworks display!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Thunderous explosions erupted, shaking the earth and mountains. Even the ground beneath Bege and Buffett split open with long, narrow cracks from the violent tremors.

"Hm? What's going on? Has Apophis already attacked?" Buffett steadied himself in time and asked in slight panic.

Seeing Buffett's terrified appearance, Bege sneered inwardly. This guy had long since lost the mentality a pirate with a bounty of over a hundred million should have had when he retreated from the Grand Line ten years ago. As expected, the Mafia is nothing but a childish game that will never amount to anything. Only pirates and the sea are a man's true destination!

"Godfather, that should be our first line of defense. I buried more than ten tons of explosives along his only route. Just when he believes those attackers are all the firepower we have, the explosives will blast him to pieces!"

Bege's tone was cold. The meaning behind his words clearly showed that he intended to kill even the Mafia stationed at the first line of defense, but Buffett was overjoyed. "Hahaha! Bege, you truly haven't disappointed me. You buried so many explosives! Once that bastard is blown to death, I can finally sleep peacefully!"

"I didn't expect it to be this easy. It seems the Godfather was right. That Apophis is merely an arrogant beast."

Brrr, brrr, brrr~~~

Capone Bege frowned slightly as he took out his Den Den Mushi. The creature vividly reflected the other party's terrified expression on its face.

"Second boss, they're dead! Everyone is dead!"

Capone Bege tugged at the corner of his mouth. He had been about to say, "I'm not dead," but after thinking it over, he gave up on such a pointless remark. "Apophis is dead too?"

"No, he isn't dead!" The voice coming through the Den Den Mushi still trembled uncontrollably.

"What did you say? The explosion covered a one-kilometer radius and lasted half a minute. How could he have survived? Or did you worthless fools attack before he entered the blast zone?" Capone Bege demanded harshly.

"No, every one of us watched him walk in. We sacrificed the lives of over a thousand brothers to lure him inside!"

"But... everyone died, yet he survived. That man is a monster!" The voice from the Den Den Mushi sounded utterly lifeless, then suddenly erupted in a hysterical roar. "We're all going to die! Every one of us is going to die! If we oppose that devil who walked out of hell, it doesn't matter whether it's me, you, or the Godfather—we're all dead! We're all dea—"

Crack!

Capone Bege coldly clenched his hand. The Den Den Mushi and its communication device burst apart, disgusting fluid splattering everywhere.

"You've got to be kidding me. The firepower of several thousand men, enough explosives to blow up an entire street, and he still survived? Is he really not human?" Buffett muttered distractedly, clearly frightened by the ghostly curse from the Den Den Mushi.

"Godfather, that man has gone mad. There's no need to believe the words of a madman." Though he sneered inwardly, Capone Bege maintained an outwardly respectful manner.

"You're right. That guy has gone mad!" Buffett emphasized as if encouraging himself, then looked hopefully at the man beside him. "Bege, since there was a first line of defense, that means there's a second one, right?"

"Of course. The second line of defense consists of poison gas bombs I bought on the black market. As long as one inhales even a little, even giant Sea Kings have no chance of surviving!"

"Hahaha! Bege, you truly are dependable. As expected of—" Buffett's laughter abruptly stopped halfway through, because from the corner of his eye, he saw the shadow of death standing at the doorway.

"You've got to be kidding me. My carefully arranged defenses didn't even buy three minutes of time. Or rather... did he simply stroll through them?" As Apophis's blood-red gaze turned toward him, Capone Bege's heart began pounding violently against his will, and sweat seeped from his forehead.

"Bege, hurry... hurry and bring out your third line of defense!"

"That's right! Now we can only activate the third line of defense!" Capone Bege took a cold step back and pressed the remote in his hand. An iron grating dropped down, instantly separating him from Buffett.

"Th-This is?"

"My dear Godfather, don't you understand yet? This third line of defense... is you!"

Buffett clutched the iron bars, looking at Capone Bege, who was so close yet impossibly far away, and Apophis steadily approaching from behind him. Tears of regret could not help but stream down his face!