What serious navy likes these?

In just a few breaths, under the practiced movements of those men in black suits, the last of the blood was washed into the nearby gutter, and the ground was completely restored to cleanliness.

Seeing this, Yaen couldn't help but expand his Observation Haki, which he had already released, a little further.

This place... was too free, so free that Yaen worried he might get sniped while just walking down the street.

Especially with Yaen's current constitution; if he were hit in a vital spot by a bullet, he might actually need to be rushed back for emergency treatment.

"Kuzan, this place seems pretty dangerous. How about I slip away first?" Yaen suggested.

"It's fine," Kuzan replied. "Isn't it quite interesting here?"

"I don't think so..."

Yaen said, while observing the details of his surroundings.

"It really lives up to its reputation as Mafia territory; it's filled with violence, firearms, controlled substances, and so on everywhere you look."

"Hm? Those people coming and going, besides moving in groups, are all wary and guarded toward one another. Looking at their posture and movements, could they be from underground forces in other parts of the West Blue? In that sense, is this place a trading hub for the underworld?"

Suddenly, Yaen's footsteps faltered. He looked at a robust man nearby and said, "There are even Marines here?"

Kuzan glanced in the direction Yaen was looking and asked, "Hm? Yaen, how did you figure that out?"

"The calluses on his hands, the way he walks, and that posture—his back is kept perfectly straight..."

Yaen explained casually, adding, "I just don't know if he's an officer from another West Blue branch sneaking over here, or a Marine who has already defected."

After a pause, Yaen recalled how the Marine Warship had docked at the port of Capone Island, yet the entire island hadn't shown the slightest reaction, acting as if it were a common occurrence. He speculated, "It's probably the former. At the very least, all of Capone Island is accustomed to the presence of the Marines."

"If you're curious, why not just ask?"

Kuzan said, then walked straight up and placed a hand on the man's shoulder, asking, "Hey, which branch are you from? What's your rank?"

The man turned his head to look at Kuzan—with his sunglasses, headscarf, dark skin, and long face—feeling that he looked somewhat familiar, but his tone was unfriendly as he said:

"Do you not know the rules? Grabbing someone's shoulder like that, aren't you afraid of getting shot?"

"I couldn't help but get a little excited seeing a colleague here," Kuzan said nonchalantly.

"Did you sneak over here?" The man seemed to realize something.

Kuzan pondered for a breath, tilted his chin toward Yaen, who looked like a fresh-faced youth, and replied, "I brought a junior along to gain some experience, but we ended up getting lost as soon as we arrived."

"You don't come here often yourself, do you?" The man seemed to have figured something out and said.

"Yeah," Kuzan nodded.

"How reckless. You could have at least asked your superior about the precautions for coming here, or where the suitable places for entertainment are before you arrived..."

The man revealed a knowing look and said, "For the sake of being colleagues, just remember this mantra: 'East Yellow, West Poison, South Fight, North Gamble.' Got it?"

"Oh," Kuzan replied.

"Also..."

The man glanced at Yaen, who looked refined and handsome, and said, "I suggest you take this little guy to the east side of town first. He'll like it there."

"Thanks!"

Kuzan patted the man on the shoulder again and then bid him farewell.

As the man walked away, Kuzan turned to Yaen and asked, "So, Yaen, do you want to go to the east side and enjoy yourself?"

To this, Yaen rolled his eyes at Kuzan and said:

"Let's get moving. This is the west side; no wonder you can see controlled substances everywhere. That 'rat-tat-tat' from just a moment ago was probably someone who got high and started shooting randomly, right?"

"Don't you like these things, Yaen? Didn't you say you wanted to see the Mafia? Wasn't that what you meant?" Kuzan asked, suppressing a laugh.

Yaen retorted, "Do you like them?"

"What decent Marine would like these things?" Kuzan replied with a smile.

Yaen curled his lip and said:

"But looking at it now, the Marines in the West Blue aren't very decent. Judging by that Marine's tone just now, this place has likely become the default entertainment spot for the West Blue Marines."

When the conversation turned to this issue, Kuzan's expression became a bit more serious. He then lowered his voice and said, "It seems there's a reason why the underground forces in the West Blue are able to spread into every nook and cranny."

"Is there no way to clean it up?" Yaen asked.

"It's difficult..."

Kuzan shook his head and said, "You have to realize that some underground forces are secretly controlled by World Member Nations, and the Marines cannot interfere with the affairs of World Member Nations at will."

Yaen added:

"I'm talking about the Marines! Even if the main duty of the Marines is to deal with pirates and quell the chaos of the sea, if they allow the West Blue Marines to get this close to the underground forces like this, the roots will eventually rot, and the possibility of them colluding will be inevitable."

Kuzan also seemed to understand the gravity of the situation and replied cautiously, "This matter... I will report it to Admiral Sengoku."

"Hmm!"

Yaen nodded and said, "In that case, let's not delay. We should head back immediately."

"No rush!"

Kuzan pressed his hand onto Yaen's shoulder and said, "Since we've already walked right up to the Capone Mafia headquarters, why don't we take care of this tumor first?"

Yaen.

As Yaen looked up, he realized that without noticing, they had arrived in front of the tallest building at the very center of the town.

At the entrance of this building stood a full row of men in suits, holding weapons that resembled submachine guns.

Just as Yaen was wondering how to trick Kuzan into charging first so he could "stroll" in the back, Kuzan suddenly grabbed him, hoisted him up, and tossed him straight toward the line of suited men, shouting loudly.

"Yaen, the heavy responsibility of eradicating the Capone Mafia is entrusted to you!"

The next moment, before Yaen could even land, those well-trained men in suits reacted instantly. They leveled their submachine guns and fired a rapid, practiced barrage toward Yaen in mid-air.

"Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat!"

In an instant, through his Observation Haki, Yaen clearly perceived a wall of bullets pushing toward him.

"Scatter, Senbonzakura!"

In the nick of time, Yaen released his Zanpakuto, Senbonzakura, with unprecedented speed. A massive swarm of cherry blossom petals flew up, shielding him from the front.

"Clang, clang, clang!"

As the dense sound of collisions rang out, Yaen couldn't help but break into a cold sweat.

That was close... I almost got turned into a sieve!

After landing safely, Yaen, well aware that his physique might not be able to withstand gunfire, gritted his teeth and cursed under his breath.

"Kuzan, you bastard, just you wait."