"An incompletely evolved reptile."
Footsteps rang out. A group of people walked out from the shadows, led by a red-haired boy. He looked only eight or nine years old, yet possessed a pair of fierce, beast-like eyes.
His crimson, spiky hair stood up in a rebellious fashion, and a pair of dark sunglasses was tucked onto his forehead. He wore a leather jacket studded with rivets and held a wrench stained with grease.
Standing beside him was a boy whose entire face was covered by a mask, obscuring any expression within.
The masked boy held a peculiar spinning sickle in each hand, the blades gleaming with a cold light.
If Dawn had been here, he would surely have recognized these two—Eustass Kid and his subordinate Killer.
Only, at this time, they were not yet the supernovae with bounties exceeding one hundred million in the future, merely juvenile delinquent gang leaders of the southern district of Kuketsu Island.
Yet that fierce aura was already beginning to show.
"Dressed like a long-armed monkey from the circus,"
Kid's gaze swept past Apoo, then landed on Kaku.
"Long-nosed poker face."
"Get lost. This is my territory, not some place where you can run amok."
On both sides of the street, dozens of delinquent youths poured out from the buildings, holding various modified weapons. These people had fierce expressions yet were surprisingly well-disciplined, quickly forming a encirclement.
Kaku's eyes narrowed slightly. He pressed down Apoo, who was about to act up, and stepped forward.
"Kid, do you know who we are?"
"No. But I have two rules. First, I don't like others causing trouble on my territory. Second, I don't act as anyone's dog."
The wrench in Kid's hand began to vibrate slightly, and the surrounding metal fragments began to tremble and float into the