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"Akatsuki?"

Crow King tilted his head, clearly not understanding what it meant.

"Yeah. Akatsuki as in the light of dawn, representing the dawn that comes after a long night."

"All pain, disasters, and killing intent awaken at dawn, then preserve the finest things and create protection!"

"Unaffiliated with any side, detached from worldly matters, possessing its own free will—that is Akatsuki."

Ye Qiong's eyes blazed. Though the ideal goal was unprecedentedly difficult and almost unimaginable, the resolve he displayed made it even more compelling, instinctively inspiring trust and conviction.

Ye Qiong was just that kind of person—once he made a decision, he never wavered.

"It's hard to understand, but whatever Brother Ye tells me to do, I'll do!"

Crow King agreed without a care in the world.

A fiery light flickered in White Snow's silver eyes before quickly fading. Yet when she raised her head to look at Ye Qiong, there seemed to be something more beneath her usual coldness.

"I still can't beat you."

She smiled faintly, her silver eyes curving into delicate crescents and her pink lips lifting into a beautiful arc. That smile was like snow and ice melting in an instant, like an epiphyllum blooming briefly in the night—pure and noble.

Beneath the bar's dim lighting, White Snow's smile bloomed like a summer flower, breathtakingly beautiful.

Ye Qiong froze for a moment. He had never expected White Snow to smile, much less smile so stunningly.

Crow King stared blankly beside them. What did he know about appreciation? He simply felt that this terrifying woman, usually cold beyond measure, possessed a heart-stopping beauty at that moment.

"Then it's settled. Since you both agree, Akatsuki is officially established today."

Ye Qiong smiled happily and raised his glass.

Crow King and White Snow also lifted their glasses, but both tacitly lowered theirs and lightly clinked them against Ye Qiong's.

"Clink~"

The crimson wine splashed as the three of them drained their glasses in one gulp.

Perhaps even Ye Qiong had never imagined that the Akatsuki organization, which would one day stand aloof like gods, suppress enemies in every direction, force every power to bow its head, and make every expert yield its path, would be born in an obscure, shabby bar on the Sabaody Archipelago—all because of a sudden, whimsical idea of Ye Qiong's.

But that was a story for another time.

"Lately, the hottest topic has to be Ye Qiong, who escaped from Impel Down."

The pirates in the bar abruptly changed topics, drawing Ye Qiong and the others' attention.

Crow King winked at Ye Qiong and whispered, "Hey, Boss, they're talking about you."

Ye Qiong shook his head helplessly, but then he saw a burly man tilt his head back and say excitedly, as though he were personally involved, "Seriously! The notice says that Ye Qiong, the Impel Down fugitive, is only around sixteen years old, and he was locked up in Impel Down five years ago. No wonder the Marines gave him the title 'Demon.' His first bounty was as high as five hundred million!"

"Hehe, who in these seas doesn't know Demon Ye Qiong now? After Golden Lion, one of the older generation's great figures, escaped prison, another person escaped from Impel Down—and he's so young. It's perfectly normal for the Marines to fear him enough to put a five hundred million bounty on his head. If he forms a pirate crew, I'll be the first to join!"

"Give it a rest. With your strength, you're not even qualified to do chores for him. Didn't you see that Black Armor and Nether Wolf, who escaped alongside Ye Qiong, have bounties of one hundred and eighty million and two hundred and ninety million respectively?"

The noisy discussion in the bar made Ye Qiong raise an eyebrow.

Demon? Not a bad title.

"Black Armor? That's me?" Crow King's face lit up. "That's one hundred and eighty million! Maybe I should sell myself..."

Ye Qiong slapped Crow King across the forehead, hoping to knock some sense into his hopelessly foolish head.

Then Ye Qiong's gaze fell on White Snow. That bounty was a little off...

The strength White Snow had displayed was indeed greater than Crow King's, but her bounty should not have exceeded his by one hundred and ten million.

Was it because of White Snow's true identity?

Ye Qiong silently guessed.

Crow King gradually joined the pirates' discussion. After being cut off from the world for so many years, they still needed to gather intelligence.

The bar was dimly lit, and the three sat in a corner, making it difficult for others to see their faces clearly. Besides, even if they were discovered, Ye Qiong and the others were not afraid of being exposed. Unless two Admirals came, no one could truly do anything to them.

After leaving Impel Down and escaping the excessive restraints of Seastone, Ye Qiong's fully unleashed spatial ability had given him strength that even he found difficult to imagine.

While Crow King chatted with the pirates, Ye Qiong leaned back in his chair and enjoyed this peaceful moment.

Before they knew it, Crow King deliberately steered the conversation toward women.

"If you ask me, every mermaid on Fish-Man Island is top-notch. Just looking at them makes you want to catch them and have some fun."

"Hey, what a shame. Fish-Man Island is heavily guarded against outsiders. Trying to catch one or two mermaids is really difficult, and even if you catch them, you might as well sell them to the Celestial Dragons..."

"That's true. The Celestial Dragons don't treat money as money. A top-grade mermaid can easily fetch over a hundred million at the auction houses here."

"Keep it down! Do you want to die, casually talking about the Celestial Dragons?"

At that reminder, the somewhat drunken pirates all lowered their voices.

These pirates who lived with blades at their throats, roaming everywhere without fearing heaven or earth, nevertheless looked anxious whenever the Celestial Dragons were mentioned.

Celestial Dragons, the world nobles!

They were called descendants of the gods, born to stand above all others! Their status was supreme!

Especially on the Sabaody Archipelago, with Marine Headquarters and the holy land of Mary Geoise right nearby.

No one dared provoke the Celestial Dragons here. Otherwise, there was no way out but death.

"Hey, forget mermaids. The Black Pounce Pirates caught a black-haired girl at sea a few days ago and sold her for a price comparable to a top-grade mermaid," a burly pirate said dismissively.

Bang!

Ye Qiong's hand suddenly clenched, instantly shattering the wine glass in his grip. Crimson wine splashed everywhere.

"Brother Ye, you..."

Crow King was startled and was about to say something when an invisible, overwhelmingly oppressive aura surged from Ye Qiong and swept in all directions.

That bearing of one who ruled over all instantly enveloped the entire bar, bringing a suffocating, deathly pressure!

The lively chatter in the bar abruptly stopped. Then, like wheat being harvested, the pirates collapsed one after another in a daze.

Only one burly pirate remained conscious. He stared in terror at his companions, who had fallen for no apparent reason, his face drained of color as his whole body trembled at the bizarre scene.

Crow King and White Snow looked at Ye Qiong. His expression remained calm as he silently wiped away the glass shards and spilled wine from his hand.

For some reason, compared to the five years in Impel Down, it felt as though Crow King and White Snow were seeing Ye Qiong truly enraged for the first time. He was so silent and repressed, so terrifying that the fear seemed to reach into their souls.

"I ask. You answer."

Ye Qiong rose from his chair and walked forward, staring at the burly pirate. White Snow and Crow King quietly stood as well, taking positions on either side of him.

The pirate's scalp went numb. Any pirate who could make it to the Sabaody Archipelago was no fool; naturally, he understood that he had provoked a terrifyingly powerful expert.

"You said the Black Pounce Pirates caught a black-haired girl a few days ago. What exactly happened?" Ye Qiong asked calmly.

How could the pirate dare refuse? His forehead was covered in cold sweat as he blurted out everything. "It has nothing to do with me! A few days ago, I saw the Black Pounce Pirates return from the sea, and they clearly looked like they'd made a haul. So I secretly took a look and saw that they had brought back a black-haired girl. Later, they sold her to the Celestial Dragons for a high price."

"What were the black-haired girl's features?" Ye Qiong asked, suppressing the anger rising within him.

"Features? She was about thirteen years old, with long black hair and big eyes..."

"Enough!"

Ye Qiong cut him off. His gaze sharpened, and the burly pirate immediately collapsed unconscious.

"We're leaving."

Ye Qiong silently walked out of the bar.

Crow King and White Snow exchanged a glance, not understanding why, but hurriedly followed after him.