News of Treasure Tree Adam

"Luo Ya, your strength has basically hit a bottleneck. It's time for you to head out to sea," Maynard said, slowly exhaling a puff of white smoke.

"Yosh! Then what kind of ship have you prepared for me? Let me see, Dezi!" Luo Ya said excitedly.

"A real man finds his own ship when he heads out to sea! You want an old man like me to prepare a ship for you? There is no ship, but do you want information on a piece of Treasure Tree Adam?"

"The Camorra Family obtained a piece of Treasure Tree Adam and plans to auction it off in half a month. The location is their base of operations, Naples Island. This is the five million Beli from your previous mission," Maynard said, tossing a briefcase to Luo Ya.

The Camorra Family was one of the five major Mafia families in the West Blue, managing the sea trade and auction business in the region. Of course, that was just on the surface; the underground organ trafficking in the West Blue also belonged entirely to the Camorra Family.

"Five million Beli? That's not even enough for a twig of Treasure Tree Adam! How could there be so little left from my mission pay!" Luo Ya's teeth turned into shark-like fangs as he roared.

"Who's to blame for that? This is what's left after deducting the money you owe me. If you don't like it, don't head out to sea," Maynard said, spreading his hands with an expression so punchable it could rival Kizaru's.

"But the Camorra Family would need a shipbuilding material like Treasure Tree Adam themselves, right? Why would they put it up for sale? Is it a sting operation?" Luo Ya asked, puzzled.

"The volume of this Treasure Tree Adam is very small; it appears to be just a branch. It's fine for building a small boat for three or five people, but it's not enough for anything larger. Since it offers too little improvement to the Camorra Family's power, it's more practical to convert it into Beli," Maynard explained.

Luo Ya snatched the briefcase; having five million was better than nothing. In his memories from his past life, he vaguely recalled that when Luffy and his crew bought Treasure Tree Adam for their ship's keel, it cost two hundred million Beli.

Even if this piece wasn't large, five million definitely wouldn't be enough, and the costs for shipbuilding and supplies wouldn't be low either. It seemed he would have to emulate the "zero-dollar shopping" of the free United States.

"Dezi, do you have a grudge against this Camorra Family? You're clearly telling me to rob them in broad daylight, aren't you? I, Luo Ya, a model of morality and the bane of justice—ahem, the bane of evil—firmly resist such illegal and criminal behavior!" Luo Ya said righteously.

"So, you don't want this Treasure Tree Adam?"

"What I mean is, the price needs to be increased." At that moment, the figure of the Money-Loving Hermit seemed to appear behind Luo Ya, shouting, "It's so smooth!"

"Heh, if you can bring back the Treasure Tree Adam, I'll cover the shipbuilding costs and the supplies for your voyage," Maynard said with a wave of his hand.

"Boss is generous! Don't worry, on Naples Island, I'll kill anyone who stands in my way, be it man or Buddha," Luo Ya said excitedly.

"Heh, just taking out the leader of the Camorra Family, Camorra Principle, will be enough."

"What kind of unspeakable love-hate relationship do you two have?" Luo Ya teased.

"If it were the old days, would I need a brat like you? I would have chopped him into eight pieces long ago," Maynard said indignantly.

"Don't worry, Dezi. Your enemy is my enemy. I'll definitely bring his head back for you," Luo Ya said, full of confidence.

"This is the intelligence on the Camorra Family. Don't capsize in the gutter; I'm too old to be collecting your corpse, kid." Maynard tossed a stack of paper files to Luo Ya and turned to leave.

Luo Ya had long since realized that Maynard was no simple character. At the very least, he had once been a powerful swordsman. The crisscrossing scars on his body told the story of a man who had once been a spirited youth; it looked as if he had suffered a brutal beating in the New World, even breaking his Grade 21 Great Sword, which was why he had come to the West Blue to retire.

Luo Ya flipped through the files and discovered that the Camorra Family's strength was indeed not to be underestimated. No wonder Dezi hadn't gone for revenge. With his sword broken and his body aged and frail, he likely wouldn't be a match for them.

The leader, Camorra Principle, nicknamed the Blood Lion, was a user of the Cat-Cat Fruit, Lion Form. He had mastered Armament Haki.

Of his four major executives, three were stationed on other islands guarding the family's businesses.

Only one, an executive nicknamed the Honey Badger, a user of the Honey Badger Fruit, stayed by the Blood Lion's side at all times. Intelligence suggested this was to keep the Honey Badger from going out and causing trouble.

Sure enough, there were no wrong nicknames, only wrong names; in his past life, the honey badger was known as an animal that lived life without fear of death, always ready to fight.

Moreover, in terms of strength, the Honey Badger was the strongest. It was said that he had once had his throat cut two-thirds of the way through and still tore his enemy apart; it was suspected that he had awakened his Zoan fruit.

If he weren't so fond of fighting and causing trouble, he would have been sent out to expand their territory long ago.

The entire gang only listened to the Blood Lion, which was why the Honey Badger was currently acting as his bodyguard.

The base of operations, Naples Island, had a permanent population of at least a thousand people, all of them desperate criminals who lived by the blade.

After all, since they operated an organ trafficking business, they had enemies everywhere, so the Blood Lion placed great importance on the protection of his home base and had never appeared anywhere outside of Naples Island.

"So, they often pretend to be pirates to land on islands and slaughter villages. After killing people, they loot their valuables and dig out all the organs from the corpses. No wonder Dezi is so angry. I'm really looking forward to this."

Luo Ya sighed after finishing the files, then tucked his hands behind his head and fell into a deep sleep.