Rising Star

"Someone like me, who made his fortune through bootleg liquor?"

Begg swallowed the other half of the Devil Fruit and looked at the middle-aged man with undisguised contempt.

"Simó, with your narrow-minded outlook, it's no injustice that the Colo family ended up being ruined in your hands."

With that, Begg stretched out his right hand to the side.

Behind him, a subordinate in a black suit promptly handed him a white napkin.

Begg took the napkin and wiped his mouth.

He figured he wouldn't be able to forget that indescribably disgusting taste for at least a month.

Tonight, he had nearly lost his life for this thing called a Devil Fruit.

He only hoped that the so-called ability would be worth the risk he had taken tonight.

But judging by the result, even if the ability failed to meet his expectations, eliminating two competitors in the process was still worth celebrating with a hundred gunshots.

Simó, boss of the Colo family, one of the Five Great Gangs of the underworld, tried to struggle to his feet, but he simply couldn't do it.

Blood flowed from his wounds, slowly draining away his strength.

Even though he could still speak, he had no way to refute Begg's words. All he could show was resentment and unwillingness.

Twenty years of accumulation had still been no match for a bootleg liquor business that had risen to prominence overnight.

One wrong step, and everything was lost.

"As long as you take the right path, even the cheapest liquor can be worth its weight in gold."

Sensing Simó's unwillingness and resentment, Begg continued trampling on the last shred of Simó's dignity with the bearing of a victor.

"And for an old stubborn fool like you, imprisoned in the past, leaving the stage is only a matter of time."

Begg dropped the napkin and turned to leave.

"Only by keeping up with the times can you go faster and farther. Do you understand now, you stray dog of the Colo family?"

The white napkin slowly drifted down onto Simó's head, blocking his last hateful glimpse of Begg.

Begg's men stepped forward, raising their guns and aiming them at Simó.

Bang, bang...!

The gunshots suddenly came as densely as falling rain.

"You lost without dignity, but I can give you a dignified death."

Listening to the dense gunfire behind him, Begg's expression was grim.

The chaotic auction hall still had quite a few guests left inside.

Most of the guests had been escorted to safety by the auction house's armed guards when the commotion first began.

But no matter where one went, there was never a shortage of people who loved watching the excitement.

The famous Devil Sheriff Lafitte was one of them.

So were Kid and Killer, who had come to buy guns.

Saul, who had already obtained a Fifty Crafts graded sword, was even more so.

As for Arthur, he had not wanted to get involved, but Saul had forcibly kept him behind for company.

He had watched with his own eyes as Begg ate the Devil Fruit he had dreamed of obtaining. Apart from jealousy, all he felt was jealousy.

It wasn't that he hadn't considered snatching it, but that would have been nothing short of suicide.

The corpses covering the floor were proof enough.

Capone Begg, huh...

What a ruthless bastard!

After witnessing Begg use himself as bait before eliminating two competitors, Arthur could only marvel inwardly at just how vicious Begg was.

Nearby, Saul watched Begg leave the auction hall with his imposing presence and said seriously, "They say Devil Fruits taste worse than shit."

Arthur glanced at Saul, thinking that even if they tasted worse than shit, so long as he could obtain a Devil Fruit, what would eating a ton matter?

"But you only need to eat one bite."

Saul rubbed the long blade in his hand and chuckled. "I wanted to remind him as a friend, but unfortunately, I never found the right opportunity."

"..."

Arthur's mouth twitched.

Saul first cast a subtle glance at Kid, who was present, then looked toward the hall entrance and said, "The show's over. We should head home too."

As he spoke, he walked straight toward the entrance.

What surprised Saul most tonight was not only the warlord-like bearing Begg had displayed, but also the formidable new faces like Lafitte.

As for someone familiar by now like Kid, he had been the rising star Saul had initially held in the highest regard.

But now...

An image surfaced in Saul's mind.

Saul smiled, gripped his Fifty Crafts fast blade, and left the auction hall under the gazes of Kid and the others.

At the scene, people like Lafitte also had no reason to stay any longer, and they left one after another.

Killer looked at his thoroughly satisfied captain and said, "Kid, it's time to go."

Kid nodded and gently stroked the short blade and short gun hanging at his waist with his right hand.

These were the weapons he had bought tonight, and their quality was fairly good.

They were far inferior to Keanu's Pistol, but they would do for now. Once he went to sea, he could always find better ones.

He looked at the last few figures leaving the venue.

Tonight, he had not only watched a good show, but had also finally seen quite a few fellow pirates worth taking seriously.

"It's time..."

The corners of his mouth stretched into a wide grin as he strode toward the entrance.

Recruiting crew.

A seafaring ship.

In this place, as long as one had money, anything could be prepared properly.

The top floor of the auction house.

The auction house's owner, Ralph, still dressed in a dark-red suit, stood with his hands behind his back before the floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at Mad Hatter Town, where the lights flowed like fire.

Listening to his subordinate's brief but complete report, Ralph's eyes remained pitch-black, without the slightest trace of emotion.

So black that no humanity could be seen, and so deep that they seemed like an abyss.

After the subordinate finished reporting, Ralph raised his head and looked at Wall Mountain, rising in the distance beneath the moonlight.

Compared to tonight's disturbance, what lay on the other side of the mountain was what truly occupied his thoughts.

"Any news from the factory?"

"Everything is normal."

"Leave."

Ralph nodded.

The subordinate quietly departed.

Only Ralph remained in the room.

He silently gazed at Wall Mountain, saying nothing for a long while.

The dock.

Haku stood at the edge of the deck, watching the two people approaching together through the night. His expression eased slightly.

Sabo and Clara had returned to the ship safely.

"We got it—the layout map of the area behind Wall Mountain."

Clara waved the blueprint in her hand at Haku.

"Nicely done, Koala."

Haku smiled faintly.

The mission was complete, so there was no need to continue using an alias. He called Koala by her real name instead.

"Not only did we get the terrain map, but Sabo also figured out the approximate troop strength and the number of slaves in the factory."

Koala glanced at Sabo, who was uncharacteristically silent.

"Sabo, what's wrong? You've been acting strange since earlier."

"Ah, it's nothing."

Sabo looked up and smiled.

"I was just wondering whether we should leave one person behind until the operation begins."

"You want to stay behind?"

Koala immediately understood what Sabo was thinking and looked surprised.

Haku directly rejected the idea. "There's no need."

Before Sabo could speak, Koala, who knew Sabo's way of operating well, pressed him again. "Why?"

Sabo scratched his head and said seriously, "Tonight, I encountered someone wearing a mask. He was most likely a Marine infiltrating the town, so he may have a lot of earlier and more useful intelligence."

"Huh?"

Koala immediately thought of the figure who had shot down the fishman slave's captors.

"Was he carrying a flintlock rifle on his back?"

Sabo looked at Koala in surprise when he heard that.

Koala then briefly described Maud's appearance, as well as how Maud had shot to save the fishman.

After listening to Koala's account,

Sabo gradually understood.

As a fishman, Haku said solemnly, "There's actually a Marine like that in this place..."

"Well, it hasn't been confirmed yet."

Saul returned to the weapon shop and immediately smelled the aroma of food.

Following the scent into the kitchen, he immediately saw Maud and Sunny eating noodles.

"Yo, you even prepared a portion for me?"

Looking at the steaming bowls of beef noodles on the table, Saul suddenly felt hunger pang his stomach.

He casually placed the fast blade he had just obtained on the table, scooped up a bowl, and began eating.

Maud's gaze was drawn to the long blade.

"Saul, is this one of the Fifty Crafts fast blades auctioned tonight?"

"Slurp, slurp..."

"Yeah. It's called Chidori."