Capone Family

Capone Family territory.

"All four families are gone! Jason, Frank... one after another. We're definitely next!"

"Godfather, make the call! Do we fight, make peace, or lie low for now?"

"We'll follow your lead, Godfather!"

Several family officers had bloodshot eyes, veins bulging at their temples as the shadow of death slowly gnawed away at their reason.

"No need to panic."

A calm voice came from the high-backed chair in the center of the hall. Capone Bege held a cigar between his teeth, its ember flickering through the smoke.

He was short, unable to reach even most of his subordinates' shoulders when standing on the ground. Yet as he sat in that chair, whose legs had been specially raised, no one thought he looked short.

"He who laughs last wins."

He slowly exhaled a cloud of smoke. White cigar ash fell onto the handkerchief spread across his knees.

"In terms of manpower, we have the most."

"Those four weren't Devil Fruit users. I am."

"Hold steady. We can win."

Night poured over the island like ink. When Lafitte and Daz Bonez stepped onto the dock, they were greeted by a silence so thick it was almost tangible.

The doors and windows of the houses on both sides of the street were tightly shut, even the curtains drawn tight. The candlelight leaking through the cracks was so faint it seemed ready to go out at any moment.

Lafitte narrowed his eyes, ran through the map he had obtained through hypnosis once more in his mind, then nodded to Daz Bonez.

They followed the route marked on the map, advancing inch by inch, until a fortress abruptly appeared before them.

It crouched in the open space at the end of the street. Six cannon barrels, arranged in upper and lower rows, protruded from its front wall, their dark muzzles aimed directly at them.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

A barrage of cannonballs tore through the night sky and poured down on the two like a torrential rain.

Boom!

Blazing fireballs shot into the sky, shredding the darkness. Explosions hurled up rocks and dirt, and after several volleys, the once-level ground had become riddled with craters.

The smoke was split apart. Two cold flashes cleaved out of the explosive firelight, dividing the billowing smoke in two.

A trace of blood hung from the corner of Daz Bonez's mouth, and several charred holes had been blasted through his clothes. The "One" tattoo on his chest flickered in and out of view amid the smoke and dust.

His feet turned into blades, scraping harshly over the rubble. Sparks trailed from his heels like two shooting stars as he charged toward the fortress like a black cannonball, his bladed arms crossing before his chest in a cross-shaped flash.

"[Spar Claw]!"

The blade light struck the fortress wall viciously, throwing up a string of sparks.

Rubble flew everywhere, leaving two shallow dents in the wall.

A small hatch suddenly flipped open atop the wall, and a machine gun silently extended from the opening.

Rat-a-tat-tat!

Flames burst from the muzzle. Bullets poured over Daz Bonez like a storm, scattering dense showers of sparks across his body.

His body was steel, and the bullets could not penetrate it. But they carried momentum, and round after round struck him like an unending barrage of invisible sledgehammers.

His bladed feet plowed two long, narrow trenches into the ground as his body was forcibly pushed back several meters.

At the same time, the cannon barrels on the front of the fortress rumbled once more. The metallic clatter of shells being loaded came from within the walls.

A white figure swept into the battlefield from the side. A pair of angelic white wings spread from Lafitte's back, carving an arc beneath the moonlight as he flew to Daz Bonez's side.

He sent Daz Bonez, who was still preparing to endure the next volley head-on, flying with a kick.

Their bodies rolled several times through the night sky. The cannonballs nearly grazed their feet before smashing into the ground behind them and blasting several washbasin-sized craters into it.

Lafitte grabbed Daz Bonez by the shoulder in midair. His wings beat fiercely, carrying them swiftly upward and out through the fortress's firing blind spot, where they vanished into the night.

The fortress stood quietly for a moment. Once it confirmed that the enemy had retreated, cheers erupted from within its walls.

"Hahaha! We won!"

"The other four families weren't much after all!"

"We're the strongest! Long live the Capone Family!"

In the dark depths of the sea, the Eos cruised steadily along the seabed, its hull occasionally swaying gently with the currents.

Inside the cabin, Lucas reclined comfortably, the back of his head resting against Baccarat's proud breasts.

Baccarat leaned behind him, idly twirling a strand of his silver hair around her fingers. Every now and then, she lowered her head and pressed a silent kiss to his forehead.

The Den Den Mushi on the table suddenly began ringing urgently.

Pururururu—

Lucas opened his eyes, reached out, and picked up the receiver.

"My apologies, sir. The mission failed. The Capone Family's firepower... was too strong."

The Den Den Mushi mimicked Lafitte's guilty voice.

"Being able to deal with three of them already proves your capabilities. Leave the last one to me."

Click.

The Den Den Mushi call ended. Lucas set the receiver back in place, rested the back of his head against Baccarat's chest again, and closed his eyes.

Objectively speaking, at this point in time, as long as he did not provoke the Flower Country, Capone Bege was invincible in the West Blue.

Those without Haki found it difficult to inflict any substantial damage on a Shiro Shiro no Mi user. Moreover, Bege's firepower setup at this stage was downright insane. Dense, sustained firearm attacks could pierce steel without much difficulty.

Taken together, Lafitte and Daz Bonez's defeat was not surprising.

Lucas had anticipated this, so he did not blame them too harshly.

To be continued.

(PS: The fortress in this chapter was one of Bege's transformation forms from Jinbe's memories. During his gangster days, Bege did not transform into the Great Father from Whole Cake Island, but into an actual fortress.)