An Important Step

Sabaody Archipelago, Marcus's gang's base.

"Jona... I'm going to see Boss Marcus now. Wash this kid up properly, tie him up, and send him to my room." In the dim hall, Carlo licked his lips, seeming somewhat impatient.

"Sister Carlo... what if this kid gets scared? He's valuable merchandise... Boss Marcus will be angry if he finds out." The plump old woman took Reg, speaking anxiously.

"Don't worry. I'll cover his eyes."

"Oh, then that's fine." Jona turned and left with Reg in his arms.

Bathing, huh... I really should thank you, you dead freak.

Reg kept his eyes closed as his Observation Haki spread out... Though he could not open his eyes, he still reconstructed the layout in his mind based on Carlo and the others' movements.

There were three places with night guards: the entrance, the foyer, and the winding corridor.

There were not many night guards in this hall instead... From the directions Carlo and Jona had walked in, along with the noisy sounds coming from the other side, he could tell that some people were drinking. There were female voices too, though he could not determine whether they belonged to companions or female slaves.

Click, click, click... High heels struck against the floor, accompanied by faint breathing.

"Lord Jona... aren't we locking this one up?"

"This is what Carlo wants... You two had better not slack off and fall asleep. If you get caught later, you'll definitely be punished."

"I see..."

"Of course we won't, heh heh..."

One... four people in total. Two guards... the remaining one should be a child... That touch... a cross-dressing guy?

The brief conversation ended. As Reg recorded the information, he also identified Jona's true gender from the way he was being held... Those breasts were obviously fake. Still, that was fine. He did not want the first person he killed to be a woman.

These children... would be rescued tonight by the Marines who would "arrive." The older ones would be sent back to their respective hometowns or placed in care institutions.

The younger ones would be sent to Tower Forest Island... That had been the arrangement back when he was with Sam.

Creak... As the iron door opened, Jona's footsteps turned to the right.

One...

As Jona walked, Reg recorded the breathing behind the doors on both sides of the passage... Though a door separated them and the sounds were not entirely clear, he could still "hear" them.

"Tsk, tsk... With such a cute face, this one will fetch a good price... Will Lady Maggie's envoy offer five million Beli, or ten million...?"

Jona turned the doorknob and entered the bathroom, closing the door behind him... Before he could untie the ropes around Reg, he saw the child in his arms open his eyes. There was no fear, much less any crying. He was perfectly calm instead.

An Adam's apple... So he really is a shemale... Now!

Rip... Along with the sound of snapping rope, Reg drove his right fist into Jona's chest while his left hand immediately covered Jona's mouth as he tried to cry out in pain.

Thud... A dull sound echoed as the heavy body hit the floor. Reg caught most of Jona's weight with one foot and landed steadily. "Shh. If you don't want to die... don't make any unnecessary movements."

"Mmph..."

Faced with the cold Reg, the pale Jona hurriedly nodded... A single punch had drained all the strength from his body, and cold sweat streamed down his face.

"Judging by that expression, you should know what I am... Interrogation or answering my questions. Choose one." Reg's gaze grew even colder.

Jona's eyes began to dart away... The more he knew, the faster he would die.

"Very well. Looks like you've made your choice..."

Reg sighed helplessly. A bath would take at least fifteen minutes, enough time for him to do many things... Though he did not want to use the methods he had learned to torture someone.

Creak... Five minutes later, Reg emerged from the bathroom. His face was pale, but his expression was resolute. Just minutes ago, his mind had been so chaotic that he could not even use Observation Haki.

At the age of ten, the reserve members of the Ninth Tower could apply to Jona... for a duel with vicious prisoners.

Even Eileen, who seemed so carefree... had gone through this process of "growing up."

But because Reg had developed quickly and left somewhat suddenly... he had never had the chance to apply.

Before Colin left, he had also warned him... If he wanted to survive in this turbulent world, this was a step he had to face.

Reg agreed completely. He had to take this step himself... Marine Admiral Zephyr's "no killing" principle was certainly admirable, but Reg would not imitate it. That would be gambling with his own life.

If he still harbored any wishful thinking now, then what would happen to Jabra?

If anyone escaped, it would mean mission failure... And the result of failure would be pursuit by P9's official members.

Reg did not want his indecision to force Jabra to flee alongside him.

Nor would he allow any flaws in his plan... The upcoming Sky Island plan was the most, most important step in determining the course of his life. Nothing else came close!

"One thought to heaven, one thought to hell..."

Muttering to himself, Reg began walking down the dim corridor lit by kerosene lamps... From the moment he acted, there had been no turning back.

There was no need to discuss good and evil, nor was there any need to discuss sides... Those who killed would eventually be killed.

Even if, one day, he was killed by someone else... there would be no need to resent them. He would only have himself to blame for not working hard enough, for not being strong enough.

This shemale, Jona, was nowhere near as tough as he imagined himself to be... Reg merely told him what he was about to face first: flaying.

Then, right in front of him, Reg used a razor to slice a bar of soap into countless extremely thin pieces. Jona broke down and spilled everything Reg wanted to know like pouring out beans... The whole process took less than a minute.

Reg knew that people like them, who had committed every kind of evil and lived only for pleasure, could not withstand such immense psychological pressure.

According to Jona's confession, there were three escape routes in total... There was a hidden door in the wall at the end of the entrance.

There was one in the middle of the hall they had come through... and another beneath the bed in Marcus's room.

There were people where the children were being held—eight from the entrance to the hall he had just come from.

There were nine people where the drinking sounds came from.

Including Jona, whom he had killed, there were forty-one people in this base.

At least four were outside... but that was Jabra's responsibility. Judging by the time, he should have dealt with them by now.

What Reg needed to do now was take down the guards at the entrance and signal Jabra without alerting anyone else.

He had to seal off the escape exits at the entrance and in the hall first... the one in Marcus's room would be left as his route out.

Reg had just opened the door and was about to step out when his gaze shifted to a door beneath the dim lights... someone had moved, and they were about to open it.

"Kill!"

Having made his decision, Reg did not hesitate in the slightest... swish!

He did not use Shave; it would have made too much noise... even so, Reg was extremely fast.

Creak... The man who had just opened the door saw only a flash of white.

Crack... The sound of a neck snapping rang out, and Reg's face turned slightly pale.

Suppressing the discomfort rising within him, Reg slowly lowered the man to the floor and entered the room with him.

The man beside the window was still sprawled on the bed, snoring soundly... Reg silently approached the bedside, and the next moment—crack!

The sound of bones breaking rang out once more... Reg's face grew even paler as he closed his eyes. "Nineteen left... no one has moved."

After sensing the surroundings again, Reg gently opened the door... tonight was destined to be a night of slaughter.

Other than the children being held captive, everyone here... had to die.