Gluttony Baron, Darkness of the Outer Harbor

The outskirts of Bacchus Island, commercial port district.

Unlike the Primeval Forest inland, which is filled with the raw scent of blood, this place is a decadent den of gold and debauchery. High-end restaurants with luxurious decor line both sides of the street, and the air is thick with the rich aroma of expensive spices and roasted meat.

"Move! Get out of the way, all of you! If you break this cart of premium rum, you won't be able to pay for it even if I sell you all off!"

Buggy wears sunglasses, pulling a harness over his shoulder as he huffs and puffs, dragging a heavy flatbed cart piled high with massive barrels while cursing and clearing a path through the bustling street.

"Back in the day under Captain Roger, I at least saw the big world. To think I've been reduced to a porter for two East Blue brats—how truly miserable," Buggy mutters to himself, his habitual complaint as an old-timer, while wiping away sweat.

Carina, walking ahead, completely ignores Buggy's grumbling.

She is dressed in a form-fitting trench coat, holding a small abacus, and is skillfully haggling with the owner at the entrance of a spice shop.

"Sixty percent of the market price, or we go to the next shop." Carina clicks the abacus shrewdly. "Besides lunatics like us who dare to enter the deep mountains, ordinary merchant ships have no use for these Primeval Leaves that dispel the sourness of ancient beast meat. Boss, you don't want this stock to rot in your warehouse, do you?"

The spice shop owner wipes away cold sweat, eventually nodding in bitter resignation to close the deal.

Sabo stands to the side, adjusting the brim of his hat, not interfering with Carina's procurement. His gaze sweeps over this bustling port town, seemingly casual.

As someone born in the Goa Kingdom, Sabo has a sensitivity to distorted prosperity that most people cannot match.

He notices that the laborers on this street—those serving plates, carrying heavy loads, or even those chained like livestock to the back kitchen doors of restaurants to wash dishes—are all wearing extremely crude animal skins. Their skin is marked with a uniform black brand, and their eyes are dull and hollow.

"The foundation of this island's prosperity is truly filthy."

Sabo withdraws his gaze, his eyes turning cold.

"Not just filthy, but obscenely profitable." Carina finishes paying and walks to Sabo's side, whispering, "I just happened to ask around. The reason this island is called the City of Gourmet and Hunting is because of its actual controller, Gluttony Baron Truff."

"It is said he is an underground powerhouse with a bounty as high as 85 million Beli, and he is a user of the Zoan-type Ancient Species."

Carina flips open her notebook. "He occupies this island and has captured all the natives to use as slaves. Not only that, he specifically caters to those World Government nobles with perverted appetites, capturing ancient beasts from the interior on a massive scale."

"The rarer the prey and the more cruelly it is tortured, the more expensive it sells on those nobles' dining tables." Carina closes the notebook and shakes her head. "No wonder the outskirts are so prosperous; this is simply a black industrial chain built on ecology and human lives."

After hearing this, the coldness in Sabo's eyes deepens.

What he loathes most in his bones is this kind of behavior that tramples on life just to cater to corrupt nobles.

Just as the three of them prepare to return to the Eclipse with the cart full of supplies:

"Get lost! Get out of the way, you bastards! Are you blind?!"

A wave of extremely arrogant shouting suddenly erupts from the front of the street.

Accompanied by heavy hoofbeats, a team of heavily armed men in uniform black attire comes charging through the crowded street, riding several tamed Velociraptors.

Merchants and passersby along the way scramble to avoid them in terror. Several native slaves who fail to dodge in time are sent flying by the raptors, crashing heavily to the roadside and vomiting blood, yet no one dares to step forward to help them.

The leader, a burly man with a scarred face, has a giant wild boar skull tattooed on his chest. He brandishes a barbed leather whip, driving the crowd away with extreme impatience.

"Move faster! Baron Truff's main hunting team has already entered the mountains today to capture that centuries-old Ancient Kong alive! If we delay the delivery of supplies to the masters, we'll all lose our heads!"

The scarred man roars while riding his raptor straight toward Carina and the others.

The originally spacious street seems somewhat crowded because of Buggy's large cart filled with a hundred barrels of rum.

"Hey! You red-nosed freak! Why haven't you pushed this piece of junk into the sewer yet?! Are you looking to die by blocking the path of the Baron's Guard?!" The scarred man swings his whip arrogantly, making a move to lash it across Buggy's face.

Looking at the barbed whip, Buggy stops in his tracks.

He doesn't dodge; instead, he slowly adjusts his sunglasses, his mouth twitching uncontrollably.

He was already harboring a raging fire in his belly after being ordered around as a porter by Ace today. Now, some mere small-fry actually dares to tell him to push the liquor he worked so hard to transport into a sewer?

"You blind pig."

Buggy takes a deep breath, his hands—wearing Seastone Knuckles—instantly clenching with a cracking sound, a flash of long-lost pirate ferocity appearing in his eyes.

"This is liquor for the Eclipse!"

"Bara Bara Cannon!"

Before the whip could even fall, Buggy's right hand detaches from his wrist like a bowling ball fired from a cannon, leaving an afterimage in mid-air as it slams fiercely into the scarred man's face!

"Bang!"

A dull, sickening sound of bone fracturing echoes.

The scarred man doesn't even have time to scream; his entire nasal bridge collapses instantly, and he is sent flying backward off the back of his raptor, crashing heavily through the glass storefront of a high-end restaurant.

The sudden turn of events leaves the entire street in dead silence.

Whether it is the passersby or the team of arrogant guards, everyone is stunned.

"You actually dare to lay a hand on Gluttony Baron Truff's men?!" The remaining dozen guards react, drawing their flintlocks and machetes, glaring at Buggy with uncontrollable rage.

"Daring to tell us to dump the goods we paid for into a sewer—your guts are indeed bigger than that so-called Baron's."

Carina has already retreated to a safe distance, crossing her arms and chuckling as if watching a show. For a treasurer who values money above all else, touching her cargo is the same as touching her money.

"It seems your Baron didn't teach you what manners are."

Sabo slowly steps forward, blocking the front of the rum-filled cart. He adjusts his top hat, his blue eyes surging with undisguised, icy fury.

These lackeys, who bully others to please the nobility, have stepped precisely onto Sabo's landmine.

"Kill the brat! Open fire and turn him into a beehive!"

The guards roared as they pulled their triggers.

"Bang, bang, bang, bang!"

A dense hail of lead bullets whistled through the air.

Sabo did not even bother to dodge. In an instant, his right arm transformed into a dazzling, orange-red flame.

The bullets passed through the fire without leaving a trace, not even grazing the hem of his clothes.

"A Logia user?!" The guards' eyes widened in terror.

"Since you enjoy hunting so much..."

Sabo slammed his alloy staff heavily against the ground. Wrapped in Armament Haki and flames, the staff carved a blinding ring of fire through the air.

"...then let you also taste the feeling of being hunted and roasted like prey."

"BOOM!"

A manic pillar of fire erupted from the tip of Sabo's staff like an angry dragon, instantly sweeping across the center of the street. The dozen or so guards riding raptors did not even have a chance to flee before they were completely engulfed, along with their mounts, by the terrifying high heat, turning into charred remains.

Clean and efficient, without a hint of hesitation.

The surrounding merchants and wealthy elites fled in a panic, leaving only the three members of the Eclipse on the vast street.

Sabo stowed his staff and walked over to the scarred man who had been smashed into the ruins of the restaurant and was still barely clinging to life, stepping firmly onto his chest.

"You said earlier that your main hunting party went into the mountains today? Their target is an Ancient Kong?" Sabo looked down at him from above, his voice icy.

"Cough, cough, you're dead meat..."

The scarred man coughed up a mouthful of blood, still threatening viciously, "Lord Truv is a pirate with a bounty of 85 million. He took five hundred elites and the most potent poison gas bombs into the Primeval Forest. When he returns, it will be the day you die."

Before the scarred man could finish his sentence, Sabo applied a slight pressure with his foot, knocking him completely unconscious.

Sabo turned his head to look at the inland forest, shrouded by massive tree canopies, and frowned slightly.

"An Ancient-type worth 85 million, plus five hundred poachers carrying heavy firepower?"

Carina walked to Sabo's side, casting a worried glance toward the forest. "Will the Captain run into any trouble hunting there alone?"

"Trouble?"

Buggy, who had been raging just a moment ago, was now expertly pulling the tow ropes of the cart. Hearing Carina's concern, he couldn't help but roll his eyes and scoff.

"The one who should be worried about trouble is that pig of a baron."

Buggy adjusted his sunglasses, his tone filled with a complex mix of awe and confidence. "Once you provoke our Captain, the ecology of this island will likely be completely reshuffled today."

Hearing this, Sabo couldn't help but smile as he tipped his hat.

"Let's go. Let's get the supplies back to the ship first."

Sabo looked toward the depths of the forest, his gaze softening once more.

"If I'm not mistaken, the Captain should have already found the 'prey' he was looking for by now."