Bellamy's Interruption, Battle Ends in an Instant

"Cough, cough... Is this it for me? What a shame. I haven't fulfilled my dream yet—not even close. Not a single warship, not even an ordinary boat have I ever completed. Looking back, what have I even been doing for the past twenty-odd years..."

Inside the rubble of the main building, in a corner shielded by a few pillars, Grey lay on the ground. After coughing up two mouthfuls of blood, he continued muttering to himself.

"Is this kid alright?"

Rod watched Grey, who was still rambling, and felt a headache coming on. For a moment, he actually hesitated.

Should he really let this guy become a companion? Sure, his skills had been certified by Nerl as genuinely impressive.

But with this chatterbox trait, he felt like stuffing the guy's mouth shut!

"It's nothing—just four broken bones."

After briefly checking Grey's injuries, Nerl nodded at Rod.

The enemy's cannon fire had been too sudden. They hadn't expected the opponent to be so reckless, firing directly without regard for the other family members still inside the building.

"Boss Kyle..."

A few surviving gangsters turned pale, never imagining that their boss would disregard their lives and blow the entire building to pieces with cannon fire.

So what did their sacrifices for the family even amount to?

The weapons slipped from their hands and clattered to the ground. These gangsters had lost all will to fight.

Even though they had been intimidated by Rod and his group's strength, they had still fought desperately. But their boss's cold-hearted actions had completely extinguished their fervor.

These people no longer had the will to continue fighting.

Rod swept his gaze over the remaining few and thought to himself.

He wasn't some bloodthirsty killer. Faced with people who had completely lost their fighting spirit, he couldn't bring himself to raise his blade again.

Kicking aside the rubble and wood in front of him, Rod looked toward the courtyard in the center of the estate. The battle there was already over.

"He's a demon..."

Staring at Fulk Kyle's mangled body on the ground, then at the purple-haired woman standing nearby, the gangsters' faces went pale. They could barely stand.

Just moments ago, Boss Kyle, who had led them to build the powerful Felke Family, had been killed by this woman in a near-torturous manner, without any resistance at all.

"Honestly, it's a mess everywhere again. This is why I hate using this combat form."

Looking around with disgust, Nia's eyes flickered with a trace of aversion.

She was a Zoan-type Devil Fruit user, the Cat-Cat Fruit: Black Cat Model.

For some reason, beyond the physical boost the fruit gave her, every time she transformed using her Devil Fruit ability, she couldn't control herself.

When she entered her human-beast form, her combat power skyrocketed, but correspondingly, she would uncontrollably do things she normally wouldn't.

Not only would she toy with her enemies, but she would also use cruel methods to slaughter them.

So, she generally didn't use her fruit ability much.

"You people can leave. I have no interest in the weak."

After surveying the situation, Rod spoke. The surrounding gangsters immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

Their boss was already dead. They had no desire to keep fighting now.

Besides...

Neither the catwoman who had slaughtered their boss so brutally nor the red-haired man who had emerged unscathed from a barrage of dense cannon fire were opponents they could handle.

"Wait!"

Just as the gangsters were about to leave, Nia suddenly called out to stop them.

"Pay me my reward first, you bastards!"

Their hearts, which had just settled, dropped again. The group of underlings turned to look at the surviving Jason.

"Please wait. I'll bring the agreed-upon reward without a single coin missing."

With a complicated look in his eyes, Jason led a few people quickly toward the depths of the estate. If he had a choice, he would rather have handed over that portion of the reward back on the coast.

Bang!

"Ah!"

Accompanied by a gunshot and several screams, a dozen figures emerged from the shadows behind the estate. They looked like a group of young teenagers, but every single one of them wore a wild grin on their faces.

"A mere gang family dares to meddle in that man's business? Don't you know that the arms trade in the North Blue is all controlled by the Donquixote Family?"

The one at the front had short blond hair and a cruel smile on his face. In his hand, he dragged a barely breathing man—the same Jason who had just left.

After casually scanning the scene, the newcomer tossed Jason aside.

"A bunch of nobodies. Let me, Bellamy, clean them up for that man!"

"Hey, hey, Bellamy, don't hog all the glory."

The newcomers paid no attention to the remaining people in the area. Instead, they seemed eager to show off, charging at everyone present with various weapons. Though they looked like mere youths, their actions were merciless.

"You there—you're the boss of this Felke Family, right? Looks like you've just been through a fight. But I'll show you that a real pirate battle is nothing like what your pathetic gang family can handle."

After scanning the room, Bellamy's gaze settled on Rod. Among this group, this red-haired guy looked the most imposing.

A wild grin spread across Bellamy's face as he spoke, his legs suddenly transforming. Lines appeared, and his legs turned into springs, accompanied by the sound of springs compressing.

A Devil Fruit user?

Seeing the change in his legs, Nia was slightly startled.

The next moment, the compressed springs released, powerful kinetic energy launching Bellamy's body forward. A sneer curled at his lips as he raised his fist and slammed it toward Rod.

So fast!

Nia's heart jolted at his charging speed. The instantaneous burst of velocity was something even she could only match after using her Devil Fruit ability.

Smack!

Facing Bellamy's attack, Rod's eyes sharpened. He sidestepped slightly, dodging the fist, then grabbed the man's face with his palm, halting Bellamy's momentum.

Before Bellamy could react, Rod twisted his waist and slammed Bellamy's head into the ground.

Boom!!

Terrifying force erupted instantly, cratering the earth. Bellamy lay sprawled on his back, completely unconscious.

"Big Brother Bellamy!"

His companions, who had come with him, were horrified to see him knocked out in a single exchange.

Bellamy was a Springman who had eaten a Devil Fruit, able to turn any part of his body into springs. The impact from compressing and releasing those springs was stronger than a cannonball.

And this red-haired kid had defeated Big Brother Bellamy in an instant—who the hell was he?!

This guy really is strong!

Watching Rod end the fight in a flash, a glint of admiration flickered in Nia's eyes.

"So, can any of you explain the situation?"

With the battle over in an instant, Rod turned to the group that had arrived later and spoke calmly.

In the original timeline, they should have met Luffy on Jaya Island and had some conflict. They also played a role in the later Dressrosa Arc, seemingly as peripheral members of the Donquixote Family.

But they didn't have the Donquixote Family's mark on them, did they? Were they already Doflamingo's lackeys now?