Bear stared blankly as the Paw-Paw Fruit in his hands was taken away by the man before him.
"No! Give it back! Without it, there's no way to save everyone!"
Realizing it a moment too late, Bear lunged at Dimon.
Dimon held the Paw-Paw Fruit in one hand and pressed the other against Bear's head.
"Don't worry. I'll get you safely off this island. As for this Devil Fruit, Uncle will be taking it."
Stussy burst out laughing. Was he some creepy uncle stealing candy from children?
"What are you laughing at?"
Dimon shot her a glare, then turned to Charlotte Linlin, who was gripping Ivankov by the throat.
"Let him go. Linlin, where are the other Devil Fruits?"
"They're all here, in the boxes."
Charlotte Linlin released him and opened the remaining four treasure chests one by one. Each of them contained a Devil Fruit.
"I recognize the Azure Dragon and the Paw-Paw Fruit. What kind of Devil Fruits are these four?"
Dimon walked over and lowered his head to inspect them.
Since they had been placed alongside the Azure Dragon and Paw-Paw Fruits as prizes, they surely weren't ordinary goods.
"You'll have to ask Rocks." Charlotte Linlin shook her head. She had never seen a Devil Fruit encyclopedia either.
"Put them away for now. We'll figure it out later."
Dimon rummaged through the storage, found a piece of cloth, and wrapped up the Paw-Paw Fruit along with the remaining four fruits.
Then he stood up and said, "What are you going to do with the Azure Dragon Fruit? Give it to Kaido?"
"I can't give it to him for free. He'll owe me a favor!"
"Do whatever you want with it. I'll take these kids off the island. We've got what we came for. Time to retreat."
With that, Dimon gestured for Ivankov to lead the way.
"Can we trust you?"
Ivankov hesitated. There was no better option now. These people had taken all the fruits, so he could only gamble one last time.
He took Bear with him and led the way ahead.
Stussy did not follow. She merely watched Dimon leave.
Charlotte Linlin teased, "Why aren't you clinging to Whitebeard anymore? Changed targets?"
"Newgate isn't nearly as interesting as Dimon." Stussy answered with a smile.
"Let's go find Kaido." Charlotte Linlin was speechless.
The two set off together. They had barely gone far when a gunshot rang out. A bullet pierced Stussy's temple, and she dropped to the ground with a thud.
"Who was that?"
Charlotte Linlin clicked her tongue and had no choice but to stop.
Her Observation Haki immediately locked onto the target, standing atop a rock roughly ten kilometers to their right.
The girl stuck out her tongue playfully, holding a sniper rifle as she giggled.
"Bullseye!"
"But... an immortal body?"
Stussy, whose head had been pierced through, slowly rose to her feet. Her wound had already healed.
"I'm really angry now. Why am I always the one getting shot?" A shadow fell over Stussy's eyes. "The Holy Knights, right? Don't underestimate a scientist, bastard!"
Dimon followed Ivankov to a cave.
Many people were hiding inside. They were all slaves of the Celestial Dragons, the prey marked for slaughter in this hunting competition.
"Big Brother Ivankov! Kuma-bro!"
A petite little girl with faint freckles on her face stepped out from the crowd.
"He is..."
"He's from the Rocks Pirates. Sorry, Ginny, the plan failed." Ivankov apologized first, then encouraged everyone. "But he promised to get us safely out of here..."
"Pirates?"
"The Rocks Pirates!"
"Can we trust him?"
The slaves looked terrified as they watched Dimon warily.
Dimon, however, was studying Ginny.
He remembered that this girl had it rough. It was not obvious now, but she would grow into a great beauty, be abducted and forcibly married by a Celestial Dragon, give birth to Bonney, and contract a serious illness herself.
"Whether you trust me or not doesn't matter. Sending you away is just something I'm doing in passing."
Dimon pressed his index and middle fingers together and drew a massive Pentagram Magic Circle on the ground.
Then he said to everyone, "If you want to leave, stand inside. This is a Teleportation Magic Array."
Ginny opened her mouth in shock. "A magic circle? What's that?"
"Enough questions, little girl."
Imu's magic circles had many restrictions, unlike his. As long as he had coordinates, he could teleport anything, whether people or objects.
Dimon did not want to waste time, so he forcibly herded the more than thirty people in the cave into the magic circle.
Then he bent down and placed one hand before the magic circle.
"The destination is a bar on Hachinosu Island. Once you get there, you can stay or leave as you please."
Teleport!
In an instant, the magic circle spewed out great clouds of black mist, like smoke and cotton, engulfing everyone in the blink of an eye.
When the black mist dispersed, the slaves within the Pentagram Magic Circle had vanished as well.
After finishing, Dimon stood and dusted off his hands. He picked up the bundle beside him, wondering whether he should devour them all.
As he considered it, his Observation Haki sensed a powerful presence approaching.
Dimon walked out of the cave and looked up to see a giant bird flying over. Standing atop it was a long-legged woman with heterochromatic eyes.
"Found him." Princess Junzi held a hand to her ear, seemingly speaking with someone from afar. "He's..."
After reporting in, she leaped down. As she landed, the bird in the sky unraveled like a knitted sweater, transforming into a long ribbon that wrapped around her arm.
"You got here pretty quickly, Holy Knights." Dimon greeted her with a smile. "I remember you. You're Gunko."
Gunko's eyes shifted slightly. "Have we met, brewer Dimon?"
Dimon did not answer. His Observation Haki detected someone else approaching, this time a familiar presence: Giant King Harald.
It was not just the Giant King. There was another powerful presence as well, likely another member of the Holy Knights.
"You want to catch me that badly?"
Dimon shook his head, guessing that Imu had given the order.
During his earlier battle with Saturn, he had used demonic power to break through the man's immortal body. Imu must have seen it and recognized that he was no ordinary person.
"Dimon, you can become one of us and gain the status of a Celestial Dragon. It is a position countless others beg for. Why would you refuse?"
Gunko watched Dimon calmly without rushing to attack. She was waiting for reinforcements.
Dimon's expression remained unchanged. "You're watching, aren't you, Imu?"
Gunko frowned slightly.
"Next time we meet, I'll pay you a personal visit. For today, let this be a greeting, Gana."
As he spoke, Dimon chuckled and snapped his fingers.
The next instant, a Pentagram Magic Circle appeared beneath his feet.
Gunko's expression changed slightly when she saw it. The same ability as Lord Imu's?
Stop him!
Imu's voice rang out in Gunko's mind.
Gunko immediately flung out her ribbon, its arrowhead aimed directly at Dimon within the magic circle.
However, the mist swirled, and his figure had already vanished without a trace.
Hachinosu Island, Immortality Bar, second-floor bedroom.
Black smoke rose from the magic circle on the floor as Dimon slowly straightened up from within it.
"Want to catch me? What a joke."
Dimon laughed, opened the bundle, and saw five top-tier Devil Fruits lying quietly inside.
Before you continue