The massive Barrier Siege Engine vanished. Daddy was untouched, but his shoes were soaked with blood and bits of flesh!
Dezaya stared at the man she could barely recognize in terror. He had killed so many of her brothers!
"Babaya!! You'll pay for this!"
Seeing so many of her brothers die horribly, Bartolomeo glared at Babaya with bloodshot eyes and charged at him in a rage, swinging the Skillful Grade Sword: Yubashiri!
"You're responsible for half their deaths, too! You're the one who ordered them to their deaths!"
Daddy had gone berserk with bloodlust. He bared his teeth and gave a cruel grin.
Daddy raised the Barrier Shield again to block Bartolomeo's slash, then coated his right hand in a thin layer of Armament Haki and punched Barto in the face, knocking him to the ground.
Daddy spotted the sword at Bartolomeo's side, bent down, and snatched back the Skillful Grade Sword: Yubashiri from his hand. Then he pulled the scabbard from Barto's waist.
"It's not yours! Don't go snatching things!"
Daddy sheathed the Skillful Grade Sword: Yubashiri and hung it at his waist alongside the Cursed Blade: Sandai Kitetsu.
Under Bartolomeo's furious gaze, Daddy headed back toward the ruins where Granny Yubaba was buried!
Could that old woman be dead?
With his half-reliable Observation Haki, Daddy could sense that the old woman was still alive!
He hurried over and dug her out. Her right arm was broken. Her Armament Haki was weak, and her age had taken its toll. She couldn't withstand the tremendous impact of the Barrier Shield!
"Granny Yubaba! Teach me the complete method for training both types of Haki, and don't try anything funny! Otherwise, you and Barto will..."
Daddy gave a cold laugh. He had done so much for the Barto Family, yet he still hadn't earned her complete trust. She had even taken the Skillful Grade Sword: Yubashiri from him.
How could he, a transmigrator, swallow that insult?
Besides, Granny Yubaba had only taught Daddy a little about Awakening Two-Color Haki. She'd kept the rest to herself, refusing to teach him.
That had greatly delayed Daddy's departure to sea. If he hadn't obtained the Barrier-Barrier Fruit, he still wouldn't have been ready to set sail!
He might have waited until Luffy left to go to sea, but now he could set sail a year before Luffy!
That would give him more time to grow and become stronger!
After all, he didn't have the talent of Straw Hat Luffy, who could defeat a Shichibukai and traverse the Grand Line in a few months, then enter the New World and defeat a Four Emperor in just two or three years.
"Babaya! How did you become like this? You can't hurt Granny!!"
Red-haired Dezaya rushed over and stood in front of Granny Yubaba, glaring at the man!
Seeing Dezaya like this made Daddy feel unsettled.
"Granny Yubaba! All I want is the method for training Two-Color Haki. Otherwise, I don't mind making the Barto Family disappear—or turning it into the Babaya Family!!"
Daddy ignored Dezaya's fury. He wasn't about to give up a chance to grow stronger, whether it meant killing Yamashita Chuhide to take the Barrier-Barrier Fruit or getting the method for training Two-Color Haki from Granny Yubaba!
He didn't have time to keep earning Granny Yubaba's trust. The Great Pirate Era was about to begin, and he had to race against time to strengthen himself and build his own forces!
"I'll give it to you! But you must leave Loguetown at once. Don't hurt the Barto Family, and leave Dezaya alone!!"
Granny Yubaba said furiously. She'd never expected to be defeated by a mute, ungrateful wretch in a place like the East Blue!
"You're asking for death!!!"
Daddy glanced at Dezaya, then fixed the old woman with a murderous stare. She actually wanted him to leave his first woman?
"Babaya! Don't! Don't hurt Granny!! I won't go to sea with you! You monster, hurting your own family!!"
Dezaya shielded Granny Yubaba. Her eyes were red and filled with tears as she gritted her teeth and stared at the man she loved!
He had killed the Barto Family's top enforcer, Yamashita Chuhide, without cause, and hurt Bartolomeo and Granny, too. He had killed so many of her brothers. She couldn't forgive him!
And Daddy had kept so much of his strength and Devil Fruit abilities hidden from her. Did he really love her?
Hearing Dezaya's words, Daddy felt a pang of heartache. He staggered back, trembling, and looked into her furious, tear-filled eyes!
He clenched his fists, his expression filled with conflicting emotions!
"Just give me the method for training Two-Color Haki!!!"
Daddy shouted at Granny Tang through gritted teeth. He neither agreed nor refused, only fixing the old woman who had schemed against him with a furious stare!
"Under the third brick to the right beneath the bed in my bedroom!"
Granny Yubaba seemed to sense Babaya's murderous frenzy and stopped provoking the enraged beast. She was already satisfied if it meant Dezaya would leave the ungrateful wretch!
"Hmph! Don't lie to me! Or I'll come back and slaughter you all!"
Daddy glanced at Dezaya, then walked away without looking back. He broke into a slow run, not wanting to see the look in her eyes!
He raced to the Barto Family headquarters, broke into Granny Yubaba's room, smashed her luxurious bed, and overturned it. At last, he found a small booklet of Haki training notes!
He also spotted some rare gold and jewelry and scooped it all up. He hated the old woman and didn't want to leave her a single thing!
Not only had the old woman refused to teach him the rest of Haki, and taken his Skillful Grade Sword, but she had also schemed against him and Dezaya!
For Dezaya's sake, he would spare them this once!
He buried the little affection he'd felt for Dezaya deep inside himself!
Feelings were nothing but an obstacle on the path to becoming stronger!
Carrying his spoils, he headed straight for the port of Loguetown, where he had a small sailboat waiting for him.
Over the past two years, he had also learned plenty about sailing the Grand Line and the New World.
And in the East Blue, a calm sea with few extreme weather conditions, there was even less to worry about!
He never wanted to see that look in Dezaya's eyes again. He gave up on taking over the Barto Family!
He would start from scratch and build his own forces!
Daddy sailed his supply-laden boat out of the harbor. Looking back at Loguetown, where he'd spent a year or two, he felt his ambitions surge!
Today, he too would emerge from the depths, set sail, and roam the skies!
Suddenly, he spotted that familiar red figure. His heart gave a slight tremor!
But in the next moment, his resolve hardened once more!
Let them both bury their feelings deep in their hearts!
You need your family, and I have my own ambitions!
Daddy raised his sails and left the port of Loguetown behind, heading for the distant horizon!
At the harbor, the red-haired woman finally collapsed to the ground and wept, sobbing as if her heart would break!
The man who used to cheer her up with cheesy pickup lines had left her!
Granny Yubaba and Bartolomeo, their wounds freshly bandaged, appeared behind Dezaya, watching the sailboat disappear into the distance.
Granny Yubaba sighed as she watched Dezaya cry, her thoughts unreadable.
Bartolomeo cursed Babaya for being a traitor. One day, he'd go to sea and kill the bastard himself!
Before you continue