Slaughterhouse

Just then, the gates of the facility opened, and a young man with grayish-white skin walked out.

"We have all the ingredients you need in our plant. Please follow me, you two..."

Hearing that the ingredients they needed were available, Mark smiled faintly and went inside with Daisy.

Beyond the massive iron gates lay a pitch-black path. Single-story buildings lined both sides, their grayish-white walls faintly peeling. Rotten odors occasionally wafted from the corners, making Mark frown slightly.

"Where are you from, brother?" the man leading the way asked.

Mark glanced around and replied, "Cocoyasi Village."

"Cocoyasi Village? That's quite a large village. Why would you come all the way here to purchase supplies?" The man's tone was calm, but Mark still detected a trace of probing in it.

Why was he probing him?

Though puzzled, he still made up an excuse. "We're a merchant ship from Cocoyasi Village. We need to replenish some supplies after traveling this far..."

The man raised his brows, gave an "Oh," and said nothing more.

Mark had no intention of talking to him either. The three walked silently past the single-story buildings and stopped before a rather large sheet-metal factory.

"Please wait here. I'll inform our boss." With that, the man turned and entered the sheet-metal factory.

After he left, Daisy suddenly took Mark's hand and whispered, "Mark, I think something feels wrong about this place."

Something was wrong?

At her words, Mark looked around.

Something did seem off.

It was too quiet.

A slaughterhouse should not have been like this.

Only then did he notice the strange atmosphere around them.

Mark narrowed his eyes slightly, spreading his Observation Haki through the surroundings.

A moment later—

His eyes suddenly snapped open. Just as he was about to speak—

A man about Mark's height stepped out through the sheet-metal doors and stopped in front of him. He wore a black-and-white fur coat, with two flintlock pistols and an enormous long blade hanging at his waist.

More than twenty people gradually emerged from the sheet-metal factory behind him. Their expressions were hostile, and the savagery radiating from their bones gave Mark a faint sense of danger.

Instinctively, he extended his left hand to shield Daisy behind him while his right hand quietly gripped the Mountain-Splitting Axe.

Pock approached Mark with several of his men and stopped, a sinister smile curling at his lips.

"Little brother, don't be so nervous. We're not bad people."

Pock's gaze drifted over Mark and Daisy. When he saw Daisy's appearance clearly, a flash of amazement crossed his eyes, followed by undisguised greed.

Daisy's face darkened under his stare.

Seeing Pock's unhidden greed, Mark's expression turned cold. He was now absolutely certain that these people were no good.

This bunch... was trouble!

Noticing Mark's expression, Pock gave a light cough.

"Hello, little brother. My name is Pock, and I'm the owner of this slaughterhouse. As for this little sister..." Pock introduced himself as he extended his right hand toward Daisy.

Whoosh!

Mark blocked Pock's outstretched hand with the Mountain-Splitting Axe, a faintly cold smile on his lips.

"Boss Pock, my sister and I came here to buy ingredients! Where are they?" Mark's tone was far from friendly.

Pock's extended hand was stopped, and a trace of irritation appeared on his face.

Before he could speak, one of the men behind him shouted at Mark, "Kid, don't refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit! Let me tell you the truth: this is the territory of the White Ghost Pirates. If you don't want to die, leave behind your money and that woman behind you!"

After saying that, he flashed Pock a fawning smile.

At least his subordinate understood him. Pock's lips slowly curled upward as he looked at Mark with amusement.

The White Ghost Pirates!

Mark frowned slightly. He had heard a little about this pirate crew.

The captain of the White Ghost Pirates was called Pock, with a bounty of seventeen million Beli. Even in the East Blue, he counted as a significant figure.

A look of understanding immediately appeared in Mark's eyes as he looked at Pock.

"So you're Captain Pock." Mark's tone remained calm, as though Pock's identity meant nothing to him.

Pock raised his brows, about to speak, when Mark said in a frosty voice:

"So that means you don't have any premium ingredients here?"

"Hey! You little brat, are you—" The man who had been flattering Pock spoke impatiently, then strode toward Mark. He raised an iron rod as thick as a wrist and smashed it down at Mark's head.

Slash!

But the moment he raised his iron rod, a gleaming black arc of an axe split it in two. Flesh and bone were instantly cleaved apart by the Mountain-Splitting Axe.

Gurgle!

Blood erupted like a fountain, instantly dyeing the fur coat of Pock, who stood closest to him, crimson.

Everyone fell silent.

Pock stood frozen in place. One of his pirate crewmen had just been killed right in front of him?

"A bunch of trash, wasting my time!" Mark sheathed the Mountain-Splitting Axe, gently took Daisy's hand, and headed outside.

The members of the White Ghost Pirates stared blankly at Mark as he left.

Then an extremely cold sentence came from Pock's mouth.

"Kid, who gave you the nerve to kill my crewman?"

Pock's face turned grim. He drew the long blade from his waist and swung it, sending a bright slash at Mark's back.

The blade tore through the air!

Mark sensed the danger behind him with Observation Haki. He turned and shifted aside, dodging Pock's long blade.

"Looks like you all want to die here!" Mark had failed to buy suitable ingredients and felt that they had toyed with him. On top of that, Pock's gaze toward Daisy disgusted him.

Killing one crewman to intimidate them should have been enough.

He still needed to hurry and buy ingredients, then get to Cocoyasi Village as soon as possible. For the moment, he had not wanted to bother with them.

But there were always people who could not read the situation!

"You're young, but you've got quite the mouth. I'm the White Ghost Swordsman with a bounty of seventeen million Beli!" Pock twisted his wrist and slashed again.

"You killed my crewman. Neither of you is leaving this place today!"

A swordsman? Mark raised his brows, but when he saw the long blade slashing toward him, disdain rose in his heart.

Pock's strength behind the blade was average, and a swordsman's conviction was so weak it was practically nonexistent. He was a hundred thousand miles away from being a swordsman. Even Buffettla was countless times stronger than him.

The corners of Mark's lips lifted. "Swordsman? A self-proclaimed one, I suppose. You learned that title from who knows where and dared to wear it. What a pathetic weakling!"

Releasing Daisy's hand, he lightly stomped the ground. Fruit power rapidly wrapped around the enormous Mountain-Splitting Axe.

Against someone so weak, there was no need for him to use Haki.

Whoosh!

Slash!

An arm was severed, and an enormous long blade fell to the ground alongside it.

"Aah!" Cold sweat poured down Pock's forehead. He clutched the severed stump with his left hand, his face full of disbelief.

He had lost so easily?

"What are you looking at? Get him!" Seeing that the crewmen behind him were still stunned, Pock endured the agonizing pain and roared.

Hearing his roar, the men behind him quickly snapped out of their daze. They drew the weapons they carried and charged at Mark.

"Kill him!"

"He cut off one of the captain's arms! We have to kill him!"

"We can't let him leave this place!"

They were all nothing but small fry!

Buzz!

Mark became a jet-black blur and rushed at the attackers.

The giant axe in his hand swung rapidly.

Black afterimages of the axe streaked through the air, striking the incoming men.

One strike severed a head.

Two strikes cleaved away half a body, spraying flesh and shattered bone.

Three strikes split a man vertically from top to bottom, cutting him in half as his organs spilled across the ground.