Target: G-2 Branch

The night wind swept through the palace square, carrying a faint salty tang unique to the island.

Rain stood before the towering obsidian wall, pressing his intact left hand against its cold, hard surface. At a thought, he instantly released his Logia power.

"Rumble—"

The four black walls, each a hundred meters tall, lost the support of their compressed density and collapsed into gray-white stone dust amid a dull roar. The dust drifted down like a dry blizzard, scattering across the palace ruins and square.

With the physical barrier gone, the true scene outside once more entered Rain's sight.

The hundreds of thousands of Siswal citizens who had been crowded outside the walls, frantically clawing at the stone, now lay sprawled across the ground like freshly cut wheat. Odel's death had instantly shattered the brainwave control of the Suggestion-Suggestion Fruit. The exhaustion, hunger, and physical injuries that had been forcibly suppressed for months erupted all at once like floodwaters bursting through a dam.

The entire square was filled with agonized groans, muffled sobs, and weak gasps.

A miner whose legs had long been broken clutched his knees and rolled around on the ground in pain, tears and dirt smeared across his face. A woman holding a child looked at her festering hands, ruined by endless labor, and burst into tears.

Those eerie, identical perfect smiles were gone.

In their place was humanity's most genuine pain. The sight was miserable, chaotic, and thick with the stench of blood, yet it finally possessed the warmth of living people.

"Tap, tap, tap."

A burst of disordered footsteps came from behind the main hall. Bal, leader of the resistance, approached with more than a dozen surviving followers who could still move, supporting the king, who had only just regained his senses and was frail from prolonged inhuman torment.

When they saw Odel's corpse lying amid the ruins, a hole burned through his chest, everyone stopped breathing.

Bal's remaining eye widened as he stared at the black-clad young man standing beside the corpse, scorch marks covering his body. His legs gave out, and he dropped to his knees in the stone dust.

"A miracle... This is a miracle..." Bal's voice trembled as tears spilled from his eyes.

The supported king pushed away his attendants and painstakingly straightened his tattered, dust-covered royal robe. He walked up to Rain, bowed deeply, and lowered his head into the dust.

"Mighty warrior from afar, thank you. You have not only saved my life, but also the souls of hundreds of thousands of Siswal citizens." The king raised his head, his eyes full of reverence and gratitude. "Please allow me to name you Siswal's eternal Protector of the Nation. If you are willing to stay, half the wealth and power of this island will be yours."

For a monarch who had just survived the brink of national ruin, any price was worth paying to win over such a powerful fighter.

However, Rain merely shook his head.

"No need." Rain flicked the lime dust from his cloak, his voice hoarse but calm. "I'm not interested in ruling a bunch of civilians. Sailing the seas and killing all this trash is far more interesting. I saved you, so taking a little payment is reasonable, right? Take me to Odel's treasury."

The king froze for a moment, seemingly not expecting the hero who had saved the nation to spare not even a single polite word. But he quickly recovered, nodded repeatedly, and personally led the way.

Deep beneath the palace, the massive doors of a treasury made from refined steel slowly opened.

Torchlight illuminated the chamber within, and even Rain's gaze paused slightly.

The place was piled with crates of gold bars, enormous uncut diamonds, and large quantities of premium shipbuilding timber wrapped in moisture-proof cloth. These were all the ill-gotten gains Odel had extracted and plundered through the tireless day-and-night labor of hundreds of thousands of "smiling mine slaves."

"This wealth was originally meant for that pirate to grease palms and buy weapons." The king looked at the mountains of gold and sighed. "Lord Rain, since you have refused the title of Protector of the Nation, please take whatever you need as payment for your help."

Rain did not refuse. He was no moral saint. Once he had killed his prey, taking the spoils was simply the natural rule for a bounty hunter.

Without ceremony, he packed away three entire large chests of pure gold and gemstones, then casually took a katana that looked exceptionally sharp.

Just as he was about to leave, his attention was suddenly drawn to a mahogany desk in the corner of the treasury.

Several documents lay scattered across the desk, beside an exquisite glass sphere containing a needle that constantly pointed in one particular direction.

An Eternal Pose.

Rain walked over and picked up a confidential document bearing the World Government emblem, scanning it twice. It was a list of secret transactions between Odel and a corrupt Marine officer. It clearly recorded Odel's attempt to exchange Siswal's rare minerals for the World Government's tacit "legalization" of his seizure of the country.

On the base of the Eternal Pose, several small words were clearly engraved: G-2 Branch.

As a major Marine fortress in the first half of the Grand Line, G-2 Branch was directly commanded by a Marine Headquarters vice admiral. Not only was its military strength formidable, it was also the center of order in these waters.

Rain lightly tapped the confidential document with his fingertips, narrowing his eyes. To suppress a coup in a non-member nation and even promise to "legalize" it, an ordinary small branch commander would never possess that authority.

"Odel kept this pointer..." Rain turned to glance at Odel's corpse, which his men had dragged inside. A cold glint flashed through his dark eyes. "It seems the high-ranking Marine official who made dirty deals with him and offered him protection may be hiding in G-2 Branch."

Such a parasite was even more hateful than pirates themselves. If Rain did not kill him, he would not be able to sleep. Besides, exchanging an eighty-five-million bounty head for only one payout would be far too wasteful.

If he went to an ordinary branch to collect the bounty, the procedures would not only be cumbersome, but might also alert the enemy, allowing that corrupt official to erase the evidence and strike from the shadows in advance. But what if he went straight to G-2 Branch?

Not only could he collect the eighty-five-million bounty in front of everyone, he might even follow the trail and drag out that corrupt high-ranking official hiding beneath a Marine coat, then "butcher" him too.

Moreover, as a transmigrator familiar with the plot, Rain knew perfectly well that G-2 Branch was not too far from Water 7. The Straw Hat Pirates would soon stir up an unprecedented upheaval in those waters over Nico Robin, even drawing the Buster Call that would destroy everything.

"First, I'll go to the fortress to collect the money and expose that parasite. Then I'll head to Water City to watch the show. The timing should be just right."

After pondering for a long while, Rain's lips curled into a cold yet practical smile. How could he be content without seeing such a classic scene with his own eyes? He tucked the Eternal Pose pointing toward G-2 Branch into his clothes, grabbed the heavy chest of spoils, and walked out of the treasury.

At last, the dawn broke through the heavy clouds and shone over Siswal's harbor.

With Odel's death, the strange sea fog that had shrouded the island for months finally dispersed. Long-lost sunlight fell upon the sea, making the waves shimmer.

At the docks, dozens of shipwrights who had only just regained consciousness, some still wrapped in bandages, were efficiently helping Rain repair the Bedrock, which had not actually suffered much damage. The gold Rain paid them was enough to let their families live comfortably for half their lives.

Everything was ready.

Outside the harbor, King Bal led several thousand citizens who had recovered a little of their strength and stood silently in the distance. They held no loud celebratory feast, for the nation still needed a long time to heal its wounds. Yet every gaze was fixed on the rock sailing ship about to depart.

Rain stood at the bow, not responding to those grateful stares.

He heavily tossed a sack onto the deck. Inside was Odel's preserved head. Then he glanced at Odel's arrogant face on the wanted poster, and a flicker of flame leaped from his fingertip, burning the poster to ash.

"I've already seen the defeated dog from the New World."

Rain turned toward the direction indicated by the Eternal Pose. His dark eyes burned with a desire for greater power and the ambition of a hunter.

"Next, let's take a look at the true top powers of these seas."

"Splash—"

The massive sail billowed in the wind. The Bedrock crushed through the morning waves and sailed out of Siswal Harbor.

Rain stood alone on the deck, letting the sea breeze brush against his dark gray cloak.

Next stop: the World Government's stronghold, the Island That Never Sleeps—Enies Lobby!