It Was Me

However, even though Yaen cursed Kuzan furiously in his heart and instantly came up with dozens of plans to "repay" him, his most urgent task was still dealing with the dozen or so submachine guns continuously pouring bullets at him.

Faced with the large amount of dazzling, beautiful cherry blossoms that had appeared out of thin air, the dozen suited men remained completely calm. Clearly, as members of the West Blue underground forces, they knew very well that Devil Fruits existed.

Moreover, one of the suited men standing at the very back took out a Den Den Mushi and began reporting the situation, requesting more firepower as reinforcements.

"That's going too far. You're even requesting fire support?"

Yaen clearly heard the suited man's voice and couldn't help muttering.

With a thought from Yaen, a large portion of the cherry blossoms surrounding him from every direction separated and swept toward the row of suited men.

"Huh?!"

Seeing this, the suited men fired even more frantically. Some of them even relied on their powerful physiques to draw two submachine guns at once and open fire, trying to blow apart the incoming mass of cherry blossoms.

Unfortunately, these cherry blossoms were countless blades. There was no way a mere dozen or twenty submachine guns could disperse them.

In the next moment, beneath the terrified gazes of the suited men, the vast expanse of beautiful pink cherry blossoms swept past them.

As the cherry blossoms returned to Yaen's side and continued swirling and drifting around him, countless deep, bone-visible wounds suddenly appeared across the bodies of the suited men. A massive amount of spurting blood soaked the ground almost instantly.

Yaen felt regretful that, when faced with Senbonzakura, these suited men had not fled but instead fired their guns wildly.

"Cherry blossoms are beautiful and fragile, but they're deadly too..."

It was true that Senbonzakura in its Shikai state did not possess particularly powerful attack or destructive capabilities, but that depended on whom it was being compared with.

Compared with powerhouses such as Gion, whose strength far exceeded her rank and who would become a future "Admiral candidate"; or Vice Admiral Sauron, the giant; or Kuzan, who was about to become a Marine Admiral, it was naturally lacking.

But...

"They're just Mafia."

Yaen glanced back at Kuzan, who had lazily found a corner to lean against, then helplessly entered the Capone Building.

Ultimately, the Mafia existing in the West Blue were nothing more than a joke to Marine Headquarters.

However, since many underground forces and Mafia organizations were connected with the World Member Nations, and most Mafia groups did not cause trouble on the open sea, they could not be considered part of the Marines' jurisdiction.

The reason Yaen had been somewhat worried about the West Blue Marines earlier was merely that he feared the West Blue Marines would gradually become broadly corrupt under the influence of the underground forces. He had never thought these so-called Mafia could amount to anything.

"Whatever. Since I'm already here, I might as well go in and take a look." Yaen muttered, then walked into the Capone Building.

As for the merit issue Yaen had always been worried about, destroying a Mafia organization would ultimately yield merits barely equivalent to the level of a noncommissioned officer at most.

Such a rank did not even count as a proper officer within the Marine hierarchy, so it was still within the range Yaen could reluctantly accept.

More importantly, even if Yaen wanted to slack off, Kuzan—who was clearly becoming even lazier behind him—would never allow it.

"So, aside from comforting myself like this, what else can I do?"

Thinking of this, Yaen grew somewhat irritated and vented the little frustration he had onto the Mafia members blocking his path.

Along the way, Yaen spread his Observation Haki, nearly enveloping the entire Capone Building.

Every trap, every ambush, and every attack naturally escaped neither Yaen's perception.

Anyone who pointed a gun at Yaen upon seeing him was greeted by cherry blossoms transformed from countless blades.

As for those Mafia members who attacked with their fists and feet without deliberately aiming for Yaen's vital points, Yaen merely knocked them unconscious.

Unfortunately, very few Mafia members managed to escape unscathed.

As Yaen broke through floor after floor toward the rooftop, the Mafia members tried all kinds of weapons, yet they still could not hinder him in the slightest.

Combined with the fact that the dead Mafia members' corpses looked as though they had been hacked apart by a thousand blades, even those cruel and brutal Mafia members gradually felt a chill in their hearts.

"Mon... Monster..."

"H-He's completely on another level."

"Every kind of firearm—even cannon shells—is useless against him. Those cherry blossoms kill anyone they touch."

"It's over. The Capone Family must have provoked this monster somehow. The Capone Family is finished."

Gradually, Yaen found that fewer and fewer people were blocking his path.

In the end, Yaen felt as though he was strolling leisurely through this Capone Building, which was filled with guns and violence. No one came to bother him at all.

After thinking it over, Yaen glanced at the elevator-like facility beside him. He ultimately abandoned such a dangerous method and instead walked step by step toward the top floor of the Capone Building.

Standing outside the door to the top-floor room, Yaen yawned, then lightly knocked on the door.

According to Yaen's perception, the strongest people in the Capone Building had gathered behind this door. Moreover, following the usual rule that the big shots were always on the highest floor, Yaen had come straight here.

Behind the door, a middle-aged man named Capone Bege was puffing on a cigar and draped in a fur coat, exuding the air of a Mafia boss. He gestured to the four burly Mafia men standing to either side.

The four burly Mafia men cautiously stood behind the door as well. Their bodies immediately swelled, revealing their respective animal forms. Their exposed fangs and claws were poised for a surprise attack at any moment.

Only then did Capone Bege ask, "Who is it?"

"It's me," Yaen replied.

"Who?!" Capone Bege froze and asked again.

"It's me," Yaen continued.

"Who the hell are you..."

However, in the next moment, a large number of cherry blossoms suddenly drilled through the gap beneath the door and swept straight toward the four Zoan Devil Fruit Users.

"Ah! Ah!"

The mass of cherry blossoms continuously sliced through their flesh. The Devil Fruit Users who had just been preparing to launch an extremely fierce ambush began rolling across the floor while screaming in agony.

Only then did Yaen leisurely push open the door. Looking at the somewhat pale-faced Capone Bege before him, he adjusted his glasses and said,

"I told you, it's me!"

Capone Bege looked at the utterly unfamiliar Yaen and shouted in terror and despair, "So who the hell are you?!"