The Sun Came Out?

Inside a shop in the middle district of Dark Island, Nangong Yan drifted in lightly. A waiter hurried over, bowed deeply, and said respectfully, "Greetings, Captain."

"Mm. Where's Lafitte?" Nangong Yan responded casually, looking around. He discovered that this was an arms shop. It was not large, but the firearms all gleamed with oil, and their quality was clearly quite good.

"Lord Lafitte is discussing something with the shopkeeper in the back courtyard."

"I see. Bring me that pistol. Get the expenses reimbursed from your shopkeeper or Pike. Put it on the company account!"

Nangong Yan had been in this world for so long, yet he had never played with a gun, because ordinary firearms were practically useless to him as a Mythical Zoan user.

Thus, Nangong Yan had never touched a firearm since coming to this world. Now that he saw them, his hands itched a little, and he could not help wanting to try one out.

Following Nangong Yan's gaze, the waiter was instantly speechless... What a sharp eye. He had immediately picked out the shop's prized treasure.

It was an exquisite short purple pistol interwoven with silver patterns. It had a beautiful design and smooth lines, giving off a faint glow beneath the lights that drew the eye.

Although the waiter felt rather speechless inside, he still swiftly took down the gun and respectfully handed it to Nangong Yan, saying with a fawning smile, "Just take it, Captain. You are the captain of the Demon Emperor Pirates, so everything in this shop belongs to the Demon Emperor Pirates. It belongs to you. Why would there be any need for reimbursement?"

Nangong Yan did not deny it, nor did he say anything like the Demon Emperor Pirates belonged to everyone. In fact, from the moment he founded the Demon Emperor Pirates, Nangong Yan had regarded them as his private property.

No matter who they were, any pirate who joined the Demon Emperor Pirates had to obey its orders. Otherwise, they would be killed without exception. The entire Demon Emperor Pirates needed only one voice, one emperor!

"Kid, you've got potential. Go collect a reward of thirty thousand Beli from your shopkeeper later. It's from me." Nangong Yan gave him a small compliment, then headed toward the back courtyard while playing with the short pistol.

He had indeed been joking about the reimbursement, merely teasing this young man who was younger than him. Mistakes would not be punished, but pleasing him would be rewarded. It was a little perverse amusement of his.

Before even entering, Nangong Yan called out, "So, Lafitte, have you found detailed information about your enemy?"

Creak. The wooden door opened, and Lafitte and the shopkeeper walked out. The shopkeeper was a middle-aged man with an honest, guileless appearance.

Influenced by Nangong Yan's preferences, this arms shop was also made of wood, its style leaning toward classical China. Though it was somewhat neither fish nor fowl compared to the genuine article, Nangong Yan found it fairly pleasing to the eye.

"Captain, I found him. My enemy is a squadron commander under Dracula Piedro, considered a mid-level officer. Tonight, he'll be attending a meeting of Dark Island's three major giants with Piedro."

"The shopkeeper and I were discussing how to kill him." Lafitte had returned to his classic anime attire: a top hat, a checkered shirt, a cane, black trousers, and an almost theatrical appearance.

"Why make it so complicated? We'll just go kill him!" Nangong Yan sat on a stone stool in the courtyard, took out three bottles of alcohol, and motioned for them to sit.

The two were flattered, especially the shopkeeper. His honest face flushed red with excitement as he respectfully accepted the liquor with both hands, standing straight and tall.

"Captain, wouldn't that be too risky? We cannot put you in danger." Lafitte said with a serious expression.

"What isn't risky? Being a pirate is one of the riskiest professions there is. Since training on Divine Punishment Island for a year and a half, the only battle I truly enjoyed was my fight with Big Mom."

"I'm rather looking forward to seeing what kind of strength the three giants of the underworld can bring out. No need to say more. My mind is made up. Lafitte, act according to the situation when the time comes!" Nangong Yan drank half the bottle of peach blossom-scented wine in one gulp and declared boldly.

"Yes, Captain!" The two rose from their stone stools and answered solemnly.

The captain's orders were absolute and supreme. Even among the Straw Hat Pirates, whenever Luffy gave an order as captain, everyone else would carry it out without condition!

"Captain, according to our intelligence, the three giants of the underworld are not bringing much fighting power this time. They do not know that you have designs on them."

"Combined, the forces each of them brings are probably slightly stronger than two Marine vice admirals. Together, they might cause you some trouble. However, as far as I know, although the three are partners, their relationship is quite fragile. Once they encounter an irresistible danger, they will fall apart."

"If you suddenly strike with your full strength and catch them off guard, Captain, their instinct for self-preservation will likely allow us to achieve our objective easily." After considering his words, the honest-looking shopkeeper gave his analysis.

Nangong Yan nodded, took a rather bored sip of wine, and said, "If I strike suddenly, I can destroy most of that fighting power in an instant. Sigh... I thought I might encounter some hidden expert here. I didn't expect it to be this boring..."

"Should we notify them to prepare enough fighting power, then go have a wild and satisfying battle?"

"No, no, no, Captain! Help me get my revenge first, and then you can play however you want. You can even send me specifically to search for those hidden experts among the people. You don't even have to pay me, just cover travel expenses." Lafitte's expression changed, and he quickly put on a fawning smile.

Nangong Yan found it amusing. "Alright, I was just saying it. We'll act tonight."

"Thank you, Captain." Lafitte let out a long sigh internally. He suddenly felt that this captain's train of thought and leaps in logic were quite different from ordinary people's. He was having trouble keeping up.

"Oh, right, Captain. You caused such a commotion earlier. Won't that alert them?" Lafitte asked worriedly.

"No. You're worrying too much because you care. They have no idea that my purpose in coming to Dark Island is to target them. We had no grudges or enmity before this."

"You're currently unknown in the New World. No one would be so bored as to report you. Even if they are on guard, they'll be guarding against me."

"But do you think they can guard against me?"

"Let's settle this quickly. I thought I would meet an opponent worth fighting, but it turns out I made this trip for nothing. After this, I still need to recruit crew members."

Night fell, and Dark Island was shrouded in darkness. Only scattered, dim lights could be seen, while beneath their murky yellow glow lay who knew how many sins.

Nangong Yan and Lafitte flew high in the sky, looking down indifferently at a magnificent manor below.

"Lafitte, do you think your enemy can survive my next attack? Don't blame your captain if he dies and I don't leave you the chance to kill him with your own hands."

Hearing Nangong Yan's form of address, Lafitte's mouth twitched slightly. "Dying beneath the Captain's Solar True Flame would be his honor. As long as I can avenge my hatred, that is enough. Killing him with my own hands would merely be icing on the cake."

"But Captain, if this attack kills all those underworld giants, won't it bring great trouble to you and the Demon Emperor Pirates?"

"Zehahahaha... These people are steeped in evil, their hands stained with blood. Their deaths would be deserved! Your hands and mine are stained with blood as well. If one day we die, that too would be deserved. There is nothing to say about it. We can only blame ourselves for not being strong enough."

"The same goes for them. If they die, they can only blame themselves for not being strong enough! As for trouble? No one dares cause trouble for the strong, while the weak face endless trouble."

"If we are weak, even if we do not offend them, they will still come looking for trouble with us. On the other hand, the stronger we are, even if we offend them, not only will they not dare cause us trouble, they will turn around and try to curry favor with us!"

"Put simply, strength reigns supreme in this world. The strong set the rules, and the weak obey them. Even when the strong are wrong, they are right. Even when the weak are right, they are wrong!"

"Do you understand?"

"I understand. We must keep growing stronger. After this, I will spend my entire life working to make the Captain and the Demon Emperor Pirates stronger!"

Nangong Yan nodded, raised both hands high, and transformed them into two Golden Crow claws. Solar True Flame surged from his body, rapidly condensing above his claws into a golden fireball nearly two hundred meters in diameter. Its terrifying heat and radiance instantly turned Dark Island's night into day!

Nangong Yan had gathered even more power this time than he had on Cake Island. On Cake Island, there had not been enough time for prolonged charging. This time, he had plenty of time. It consumed a full half of his stamina, and if he expended even more stamina, it could become even larger.

Lafitte stared in shock at the super-sized golden fireball overhead. At such close range, if Nangong Yan had not deliberately restrained it, Lafitte's entire body would likely have caught fire.

Nangong Yan threw both hands down, and the super-sized golden sun nearly two hundred meters in diameter fell from the sky. Golden light instantly enveloped Dark Island, making it dazzlingly bright.

The people inside Dark Island's buildings were still wondering why it had suddenly become so bright and were about to look out the windows. Those in the streets froze at first, then screamed and ran madly toward the edges of Dark Island.

A man who had stumbled out of a tavern, drunk himself unconscious by the roadside, opened his bleary eyes and muttered, "The sun came out? That was too fast, wasn't it? It feels like I only just lay down..." After saying that, drowsiness and drunkenness overwhelmed him. He closed his eyes and fell asleep again.

Nangong Yan's strength, comparable to that of an admiral, was no joke. Which admiral did not possess the power to slaughter a city and destroy an island?