In just a few breaths, under the practiced work of those men in black suits, the last traces of blood were washed into the drainage ditch at the side, and the ground was completely clean again.
Seeing this, Yaen expanded his already released Observation Haki a little further despite himself.
This place... was too free. So free that Yaen worried he might get shot by a sniper and disappear while walking around.
Especially with a physique like Yaen's, if he were shot in a vital spot, he might really have to be dragged 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 this place rather interesting?"
"I certainly don't think so..."
Yaen observed the details around them as he spoke.
"This really is worthy of being Mafia territory. Violence, firearms, controlled substances, and so on are everywhere."
"Hm? Those people coming and going are traveling in groups, and they're all wary of one another. Judging by their movements and postures, could they be underground forces from other parts of the West Blue? In that case, this place is, in a sense, a trading district for underground forces, isn't it?"
Suddenly, Yaen stopped and looked toward the burly man beside them. "There's even a Marine 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 the straightness of his back..."
Yaen casually explained, "I just don't know whether he's an officer from another West Blue branch who came here secretly, or a Marine who has already deserted."
After a pause, Yaen recalled how a Marine Warship had docked at Capone Island's Port, yet the entire island had shown no reaction at all. Instead, everyone had acted as though it were perfectly normal. He speculated, "It's probably the former. At least, the entire Capone Island seems completely accustomed to the presence of Marines."
"If you're curious, why not ask him?"
Kuzan said this, then walked straight over and placed a hand on the man's shoulder. "Hey, which branch are you from? What's your rank?"
The man turned and glanced at Kuzan's long, dark-skinned face, sunglasses, and headscarf. Though he found him somewhat familiar, his tone was unfriendly. "Don't you know the rules? Aren't you afraid someone will draw a gun and shoot you for casually touching their shoulder like that?"
"Seeing a fellow Marine here got me a little excited," Kuzan said indifferently.
"You snuck in here?" The man seemed to understand something.
Kuzan thought for a moment, then raised his chin toward Yaen, who looked like fresh meat, and replied, "I brought a junior here to broaden his horizons, but we got lost as soon as we arrived."
"You don't come here often either, do you?" the man said, seemingly having noticed something.
"Mm." Kuzan nodded.
"How reckless. At the very least, you should have asked your superior about the rules here before coming, as well as the best places to seek pleasure..."
The man wore an understanding expression. "For the sake of our fellow service members, remember this mnemonic: 'East for gold, west for poison, south for fighting, north for gambling.' Got it?"
"Oh," Kuzan replied.
"Also..."
The man glanced at the refined and handsome Yaen. "I suggest taking this little fellow to stroll around the eastern side of town first. He'll like it here."
"Thanks!"
Kuzan patted the man on the shoulder again, then bid him farewell.
After the man walked away, Kuzan turned to Yaen and asked, "So, Yaen, do you want to go enjoy yourself in the east?"
Yaen rolled his eyes at Kuzan and said, "Let's get moving. This is the western side. No wonder controlled substances are everywhere. That 'rat-tat-tat' just now was probably someone getting high and starting to fire wildly, right?"
"Could it be that Yaen, you don't like this sort of thing? When you said you wanted to see the Mafia earlier, didn't you mean this?" Kuzan asked, suppressing a laugh.
Yaen countered, "Do you like it?"
"Who in their right mind in the Marines would like this?" Kuzan replied with a laugh.
Yaen curled his lip and said, "But judging from what we've seen, the Marines of the West Blue aren't very proper. Judging by that Marine's tone just now, this place has probably already become the West Blue Marines' unofficial entertainment venue."
When the subject was raised seriously, Kuzan's expression also grew slightly solemn. He lowered his voice and said, "It seems there's a reason the West Blue's underground forces can spread into every corner."
"Can't they be dealt with?" Yaen asked.
"It's difficult..."
Kuzan shook his head. "You have to understand that some underground forces may actually be secretly controlled by the World Member Nations. The Marines can't interfere in the affairs of the World Member Nations at will."
Yaen added, "I'm talking about the Marines! Even if the Marines' primary duty is to deal with pirates and quell the chaos at sea, allowing the West Blue Marines to remain so closely connected with underground forces will cause their roots to rot sooner or later. The possibility of them colluding with one another will eventually become inevitable."
Kuzan seemed to understand the seriousness of the matter as well. He replied cautiously, "This matter... I'll report it to Admiral Sengoku."
"Mm!"
Yaen nodded. "In that case, there's no time to lose. Let's hurry back."
"No rush!"
Kuzan placed a hand on Yaen's shoulder. "Since we've happened to walk right up to the Capone Mafia's base, why don't we deal with this cancer first?"
Yaen.
When Yaen looked up, he saw that they had unknowingly reached the very center of the town, standing before its tallest building.
At the entrance of the building stood an entire row of men in suits, each holding a weapon resembling a submachine gun.
Just as Yaen was thinking about how to trick Kuzan into charging ahead while he stayed behind to "window-shop," Kuzan suddenly picked Yaen up and threw him straight at the row of men in suits, shouting, "Yaen, the important task of destroying the Capone Mafia is up to you!"
The next moment, before Yaen had even landed, the well-trained men in suits quickly reacted. They raised their submachine guns and skillfully swept the airborne Yaen with gunfire.
"Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat!"
For a moment, through Yaen's Observation Haki, he clearly sensed a mass of bullets, almost like a wall, being pushed toward him.
"Scatter, Senbonzakura!"
At this critical moment, Yaen released the Soul Reaper Blade: Senbonzakura at a speed he had never reached before. Countless cherry blossoms flew up and blocked the space in front of him.
"Clang, clang, clang!"
As the dense sounds of collisions rang out, Yaen couldn't help breaking into a cold sweat.
That was close... I almost got turned into a sieve!
As he landed safely, Yaen, fully aware that his physique might not withstand gunfire, cursed through clenched teeth.
"Kuzan, you bastard. Just you wait."
Before you continue