A Bountiful Harvest

A sudden knock sounded at the private room door.

Then a figure in a black robe pushed the door open, walked slowly up to Quilado, and stopped before him.

"Damn it... you ruined my fun. Who the hell are you?!"

Quilado angrily pulled his hand from the woman's embrace. His gaze at Mark brimmed with killing intent, his aura swirling around him as though he would strike and kill Mark on the spot the next second.

Mark expressionlessly extended his right hand behind his back.

As Mark made his move, Quilado suddenly sensed danger. He shoved the woman in his arms away and rose from his seat.

At over two meters tall, Mark looked tiny before the nearly five-meter-tall Quilado.

Yet the glint on the axe blade was exceptionally dazzling.

Screech!

Although Quilado sensed that something was wrong, Mark had long been prepared. The axe blade was coated in Armament Haki and the power of the Dark-Dark Fruit, making its already sharp edge even sharper.

Just as Quilado raised his right hand, a glint cleaved straight down from between his brows. His raised hand froze in place, his body seeming to be locked in that instant.

The axe blade reversed, and a glint flashed over the woman's head.

After doing all this, Mark put away his giant axe, turned, and left the private room as though nothing had happened, departing Golden Splendor Ballroom.

No one knew that the private room no longer held the great pirate Quilado, only two corpses neatly sliced down the middle.

Unlike the Viper Pirates, Mark did not trouble the Collision Pirates.

They could provide him with too little life energy.

It was like an level eighty Ghost Swordsman fighting level twelve Goblins. Even if he wiped them all out, they would provide barely any energy.

Instead, they would disrupt his plans.

Mark and Marcus quickly headed toward their next destination.

The sun was already nearing dusk, and more than half of the Green Lizard Pirates who had been out had returned. Nights on Wind-Snow Island were when the weather was at its worst. At night on Wind Island, yellow sand filled the sky; even pirates who enjoyed wandering outside had no choice but to find shelter.

Snow Island's temperatures became extremely cold at night, and blizzards sometimes struck. If they were unlucky, they could freeze to death outside.

After arriving at the Green Lizard Pirates' base, Mark deliberately changed clothes so no one would recognize him as Linx's killer. His red shirt, black headscarf, and cropped trousers made him look more like a pirate.

The Green Lizard Pirates' base was a large casino, and it was also the most profitable place on all of Wind Island.

The casino's interior was extravagantly decorated. It had three floors and covered nearly a thousand meters.

More than a dozen gambling tables were set up in the first-floor hall. The second floor provided entertainment, while the third floor was where the Green Lizard Pirates' core officers lived.

After entering the casino and seeing the packed crowd before him, Mark could not help clicking his tongue.

"The Green Lizard Pirates really make a lot. Wasn't Giant Lizard Jack supposed to be a brainless fool like Quilado?"

Marcus said, "Not exactly. Although Giant Lizard Jack looks like a brute on the surface, he is very clever. He merely uses the mannerisms of a reckless thug to hide it all. His mind is even sharper than Linx's."

Mark wandered around the hall, then nodded in deep agreement.

"You stay here. Get ready to collect the money later." Mark checked the time, then turned and spoke to Marcus behind him.

With that, he headed straight to the second floor. Without stopping there, he went directly to the third, but the guards at the staircase blocked his path.

Mark smiled faintly and told them he was Quilado's man, here to see Boss Jack on urgent business.

Perhaps they had lived too peacefully on this island for too long. The guards gave it little thought and let Mark pass.

Mark nodded to him amicably, then went up to the third floor.

The third floor was not as luxurious as the first. Instead, it had an ancient, rustic feel.

Animals were carved into the stone pillars, various green plants lined the corridors, and several lizards were kept in glass enclosures.

Mark walked straight into the largest room.

The men at the door stopped him. He fooled the guards with the same story, then went inside.

"Who killed Linx has nothing to do with us. Our priority is taking over Merck Tavern. As long as we take Merck Tavern and his estate..."

Giant Lizard Jack sat in the elevated seat at the head of the room, discussing their next plans with the dozen or so pirate officers seated around the long conference table below.

He swept his gaze over the core officers present and loudly declared,

"Then we'll become the richest people on Wind-Snow Twin Islands. In this world, as long as you have money, what can't you get?"

After hearing Giant Lizard Jack's plan, the officers below gleamed with greed and voiced their agreement.

Yet some officers also raised their doubts.

"Boss Jack, Quilado's side has their eye on Merck Tavern too. Are we going to fight them?"

Giant Lizard Jack turned toward the man who had spoken and let out a sinister chuckle.

"Quilado? That bastard only has muscles and women in his head. Dealing with him will be easy. I've already figured out a plan for him, so don't worry about him competing for Merck Tavern. You just need to take it."

"Boss Jack is wise!"

"Boss Jack is the strongest pirate on this island!"

"Boss Jack..."

The pirate officers showered him with praise, and Giant Lizard Jack thoroughly enjoyed it.

Just as his mood soared, a figure silently appeared before him. A pair of bright eyes met his own, and the sudden appearance made Jack's heart skip half a beat.

"Boss Jack, I'd like to borrow something from you..."

The same routine, the same method.

Jack wore the same expression and had the same reaction as Linx.

The difference was that he died differently.

To be safe, Mark suddenly swung the Mountain-Splitting Axe even as he spoke. Only after the blade had cleaved through Jack's body did he say, "I need to borrow some money."

Jack was killed on his elevated seat before he could utter a single word.

When the officers below saw this, their earlier excitement and exhilaration turned into fear and rage.

They did not care why Mark had suddenly appeared or how he had instantly killed Jack. They only wanted revenge.

"He... killed Boss Jack!"

"Kill him and avenge Boss Jack!"

"Don't let him escape! Block him!"

Blades tore through the air, and bullets shrieked.

Blade gleams and bullets turned into afterimages as they shot toward Mark.

Mark's expression remained unchanged. He used Silent Step and appeared behind the pirates in an instant.

Perhaps these dozen pirate officers were much stronger than ordinary pirates, but they were still nothing in Mark's eyes.

Dark Fist!

A thunderous boom exploded.