Minion Island.
A burly middle-aged man carefully opened an exquisite box, his greedy gaze fixed on the fruit inside, which emitted an eerie glow.
The fruit was shaped like a strange heart, its surface covered in mysterious patterns and faintly radiating unusual energy fluctuations.
"A Devil Fruit worth five billion Beli... What a shame. If I hadn't already eaten a Devil Fruit..."
"Maybe I could have risen straight to the upper ranks of a World Government organization."
"Hmph. Then those cowardly weaklings at Marine Headquarters would have to watch their faces around me."
This man was Diez Barrels.
Several fierce-looking pirates stood beside him, vigilantly watching their surroundings.
They were all subordinates he had carefully selected. Though they were not particularly strong, they were extremely loyal.
"Is that so?" Lin Ye's voice rang out in the silent room, carrying a hint of amusement.
"Perhaps you should be glad that you've already eaten a Devil Fruit."
"Otherwise, if you ate the Op-Op Fruit, you would have brought death upon yourself."
Lin Ye secretly regretted that Diez had already eaten a Devil Fruit. Otherwise, having him eat the Op-Op Fruit before killing him for Blank Entries would have been the easiest solution.
"Who?!" Diez suddenly turned around. When he saw who it was, his pupils contracted sharply. "Lin... Lin Ye?!"
That forty-billion bounty poster had long since etched Lin Ye's face deeply into the eyes of every pirate.
Lin Ye, one of the Four Emperors!?
How could he suddenly appear before him!?
Glancing at the Op-Op Fruit in his arms, he finally understood what it meant to be innocent yet guilty for possessing a treasure.
As a former marine, he knew all too well how terrifying the man before him was.
Several years ago, he had already defeated Kaido, one of the