The Four Great Families Stir

A few days later.

Hardbane Island.

Warm sunlight streamed through the broad floor-to-ceiling windows, spilling across the conference hall's fine velvet carpeting.

Dawn had only just returned to base after a stretch of travel and had not even had time to wash away the dust of the road before Stella cornered him here, asking about the details of his outing.

Leaning against the backrest of a chair specially made for him, Dawn recounted everything with an easy expression.

When he mentioned infiltrating Cipher Pol's training base, causing havoc, and leaving safely, Stella merely frowned slightly and made no further comment. To her, as long as Dawn had returned safely, a little danger along the way was still acceptable.

However, when Dawn casually mentioned that he had eaten a second Devil Fruit—

"What?! Are you insane?!"

Stella shot to her feet from the sofa beside him, her arms folded across her chest as her delicate body trembled slightly with lingering fear and anger.

Her exquisite face was covered in frost, her eyes filled with disbelief and intense worry.

"Do you know how dangerous that was?! Your body could be torn apart by the clash between two Devil powers! That's common knowledge on the seas! What if something had happened..."

Her voice carried the faintest tremor of tears, and she almost did not dare say the rest.

Her chest rose and fell violently, and the astonishing motion made Dawn, who had just endured the fatigue of travel, feel a little dizzy.

He subconsciously rubbed his temples and opened his mouth, wanting to explain his unusual physique. But seeing the concern in Stella's agitated expression, he ultimately swallowed his words, obediently closed his mouth, and put on the appearance of someone humbly accepting instruction.

Outside the conference hall window, Stussy and Kalifa poked their heads out, secretly peering inside.

Not far away, Lucci wore a cold expression. With his arms folded, he leaned against a pillar in the corridor. Hearing the scolding from within, he snorted disdainfully.

"Hmph. Such boring emotional entanglements are a complete waste of time."

He turned to the long-nosed youth beside him.

"Kaku, let's go train."

"Yes."

Kaku quickly answered, and the two hurried away from this troublesome place.

Inside the conference hall, Stella's barrage of criticism came like a violent storm, berating Dawn from head to toe until her mouth went dry and her breathing became slightly labored.

Dawn timely handed her a cup of warm water, wearing a soothing smile.

"Don't worry, Stella. I know what I'm doing. Before I ate that fruit, I had already learned about the peculiarities of my constitution through some... well, fairly reliable channels. I only dared to try it because I was reasonably confident. I wouldn't gamble with my own life."

Stella accepted the cup and took a few sips. The warm liquid slightly calmed her turbulent emotions.

She shot Dawn an irritated glare.

"Hmph, then why didn't you say so earlier?!"

Dawn thought to himself, You had to give me the chance. You started off by tearing into me—when was I supposed to interrupt and explain? But he obviously would not say something so emotionally clueless aloud.

A suitably apologetic expression appeared on his face.

"Sorry, that was my oversight. I forgot for a moment. From now on, I definitely won't hide anything from you."

After soothing her a little, he stood and gathered Stella's petite body fully into his arms.

Stella struggled symbolically for a moment before obediently leaning against his warm, solid chest. His familiar scent enveloped her, and the last traces of unease in her heart gradually faded. She raised her head and looked at that familiar face.

"Then... if something dangerous like this happens again and you still don't tell me, what then?"

Dawn had just been about to comfort her further and make a few promises when the heavy doors of the conference hall creaked open.

"Dawn, I've already made a preliminary inventory of the supplies you brought back..."

Robin entered carrying a stack of documents, tiny beads of sweat still on her forehead. She had only gotten halfway through her report when she clearly saw the two embracing inside.

Her mind had long matured beyond her years, and she seemed to recall a scene from some book. Her little face instantly turned bright red.

"I'm sorry! I... I came at a bad time!"

She lowered her head in panic, blurted out the words at lightning speed, then retreated almost stumbling over her own feet. She even carefully shut the doors behind her again.

Dawn looked at the closed doors and smiled helplessly. Lowering his head, he spoke to the equally flushed Stella in his arms.

"Let's go somewhere else. We'll be interrupted here."

Stella nodded lightly in agreement.

West Blue, Panlenia Island.

The sun had set and the moon had risen.

The night was deep. Moonlight spilled down like water, draping the island in a silver veil. Streets that were usually fairly lively now lay completely silent, without a single civilian in sight. An invisible sense of oppression hung over the place.

At the edge of the island, before a massive warehouse that appeared abandoned, mafia members of every sort of dress and fierce expression crowded the area three layers deep.

Their waists bulged with concealed weapons. Their presence had driven away every civilian who dared walk at night.

Inside the warehouse, unlike the grim atmosphere outside, smoke drifted thickly through the air. The smoke from expensive cigars and women's cigarettes mingled together, making the place resemble some bizarre fairyland.

Four of the five giants of the West Blue Underworld had gathered here, with only one topic on the table—how to deal with the suddenly emerged Dawn and Hardbane Island, the important stronghold that had originally belonged to Boom, the King of Gunpowder, but had been forcibly seized by him.

"That damned brat! He really stepped in shit and got lucky! Who would've thought the World Government actually wouldn't pursue the matter!"

A Longarm Tribe man with a crew cut, dressed in a black overcoat and expensive suit, slammed his palm onto the sturdy mahogany conference table with a loud bang.

Across from him, a woman with fiery red hair lounged lazily against her chair. Her curvaceous figure was wrapped in a low-cut black gown, and she radiated the unique charm of a mature woman, like a ripe peach.

She elegantly blew out a ring of smoke, her face full of contempt.

"I told you long ago that those hypocrites in the World Government would never openly admit to having dealings with the Underworld. None of you believed me. None of you dared act. And what happened? Someone else picked the fruit. All I can say is... you had it coming."

"Enough, Liliana. Since it has already happened, there's no point making such sarcastic remarks."

A man in a meticulously tailored dark suit of fine material, wearing a monocle and carrying himself like an old aristocratic gentleman, spoke to smooth things over. After a pause, he looked at the Longarm Tribe man.

"Vincent, calm down as well. Only by keeping your head can we figure out how to respond."

Vincent snorted coldly, completely unmoved.

"Hmph, stop putting on airs, Magadino! Your Buffalo Family accounts for more than half of all arms sales in the West Blue! You know better than anyone what the resources on Hardbane Island mean for weaponry! Don't tell me you aren't tempted!"

Magadino shrugged, neither confirming nor denying it, that unfathomable gentleman's smile still on his face.

He turned his gaze toward the other side of the conference table, toward the short man who had remained silent since the meeting began, dressed in a burgundy suit with a cigar clenched between his teeth.

"Bege, if I remember correctly, you also have a great demand for gunpowder and weapons. What do you think?

"Should we keep probing Hardbane Island, or... launch a joint all-out assault?"

TO BE CONTINUED