This sudden "reassurance" made the tightly wound string in Barton's heart snap loose. The ecstasy of surviving death surged into what remained of his skull.
Cloudy liquid even welled up in his swollen eye sockets. His lips trembled as he prepared to squeeze out a few fawning words of gratitude—
A sudden change occurred.
Avery's hand, which had been "gently" patting his shoulder, shot upward like a great white shark striking in the deep sea. Fingers carrying the scent of the ocean instantly turned into an iron grip, precisely and coldly clamping around Barton's fragile throat.
The wild joy in Barton's eyes instantly froze beneath boundless terror and suffocation. His eyes bulged so wide they nearly split, and only desperate choking sounds could escape his throat.
"Still, I have no need for useless subordinates."
Avery's voice suddenly turned icy, his brown eyes filled with a predator's cruelty.
Crack!
An incomparably crisp sound of breaking bone exploded through the deathly silent hall. Clean and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.
Barton's head drooped limply at an unnatural angle, and the light in his eyes went out completely.
With a casual flick, Avery hurled the still-warm corpse away like discarded trash. It crashed heavily onto the crimson carpet with a dull thud.
"Dispose of it."
Avery did not even glance at the corpse on the floor, as though he had merely brushed away a speck of dust. His order was calm and indifferent.
Two thugs dressed as clowns silently darted out from the shadows at once. They efficiently dragged away Barton's body and quickly wiped the few dark-red splatters from the carpet.
A trusted subordinate with weeping clown makeup on his face cautiously approached Avery from the shadows. His voice was lowered to almost a whisper, yet the fear in it could not be concealed.
"Godfather... that guy who ruined our business... and Egadi... how should we deal with them?"
Avery returned to his broad, throne-like chair. His thick fingers tapped against the cold armrest, producing dull knocking sounds.
After a long while, he slowly spoke.
"Did Gambino... recently recruit some brat? His whole body... can turn into steel?"
The Gambino Family was one of the Five Great Families ruling the Underworld of West Blue. Their main businesses were assassins, underground boxing, and illegal drugs.
The weeping clown subordinate froze. He had never expected the Godfather to suddenly bring up such a seemingly irrelevant matter.
But he reacted quickly and immediately understood the deeper meaning. He hurriedly bowed and answered at a rapid pace.
"You remember correctly! There is such a brat. His ability is extremely troublesome. There are even rumors that no swordsman can defeat him."
Avery's lips spread into a savage grin, revealing sharp, pale teeth. A murderous glint that seemed capable of destroying everything flickered in his eyes.
"Place an order with Gambino. Name that brat specifically. The mission target—kill every breathing creature on Ejadi Island. Whoever hurts the Colombo Family must pay the price in blood. Make the whole island pay!"
The subordinate's body trembled almost imperceptibly as a chill shot from his spine to the top of his head. He did not dare hesitate in the slightest and immediately bowed deeply.
"Yes, Godfather!"
He then quickly retreated into the shadows, as if staying even one second longer would have him swallowed by that destructive aura.
Elsewhere in West Blue, at the Bernano Family's territory.
The atmosphere here was completely different, yet equally oppressive. The room was spacious but dimly lit, with thick dark-green velvet curtains sealing off everything outside.
The air carried the rich scent of fine tobacco and the faint smell of expensive leather. William Bernano, the Godfather of the Bernano Family, stood before a wall covered in all kinds of firearms.
He stood tall and straight, dressed in an impeccably tailored black velvet suit. A monocle set with a black diamond rested steadily over his right eye, reflecting the faint, flickering firelight from the fireplace.
The wall was filled with weapons: ancient flintlock pistols gleaming with brass, sleek percussion pistols shining with the cold hue of blued steel, and even several revolver machine guns and early-model light machine guns that radiated a brutal aesthetic, silently displaying the violent heritage of this family.
A man with an exceptionally prominent hooked nose, his body likewise wrapped in bandages, stood respectfully several steps behind William. Fine beads of cold sweat seeped from his forehead, soaking the edges of his bandages.
He tried hard to keep his voice steady, but the end of each sentence still carried an almost imperceptible tremor.
"Godfather... I fell at the buffer zone docks... I ran into an ability user... he was extremely difficult to deal with... Colombo's men and ours... they were all wiped out. I was the only one... lucky enough to escape..."
He concealed the humiliation of being discarded in the street like trash, emphasizing only his opponent's strength and his own lucky escape.
After suffering a crushing defeat in the buffer zone, the hooked-nosed man had his sea chart and Log Pose completely destroyed. There was not even a decent ship to be found in that chaotic place.
He spent an entire month cutting down trees and building a raft like a primitive man. He drifted across the sea like a headless fly in search of a new Log Pose and sea chart before finally crawling back to this safe nest in a miserable state.
William's gaze was as sharp as a hawk's, as though it could pierce through the bandages and see the man's miserable state within.
"That fish with nothing but muscles and killing in his head must be so angry his lungs are about to burst by now, right?"
He slowly took a velvet handkerchief from the inner pocket of his suit and gently wiped his monocle.
"He already likes casually getting rid of his subordinates, and we killed quite a few of them. Now he has run into another setback in the buffer zone... tsk, tsk. He will probably have to swallow his pride and seek outside help even for revenge."
"Of course! A fish is just a fish!"
The hooked-nosed man immediately seized the opportunity. Enduring the pain, he straightened his back a little and eagerly chimed in.
"His brain does not work, so all he knows is brute force. He deserves to be used for target practice! How could he possibly compare to a Godfather like you, so farsighted and in control of everything?"
William casually waved a hand. The smile at the corner of his mouth carried both amusement and the coldness of someone who held everything in his grasp.
"Enough. Save the empty flattery. I know exactly what I am capable of."
His tone suddenly sank, like a piano melody shifting from lightheartedness into cold severity.
"It is understandable that you lost to an ability user this time. I will not pursue it."
"But remember, only this once. If you fail again for the same reason, then there will be no need for you to come back. Understand?"
A chill instantly shot from the soles of the hooked-nosed man's feet to the crown of his head. Cold sweat immediately soaked through the inner layers of his bandages.
He bent sharply at the waist, his voice trembling uncontrollably.
"This subordinate understands! Absolutely understands!"
"Good."
William put the cleaned monocle back onto the bridge of his nose, resuming his elegant and composed demeanor.
"As for the buffer zone..."
He walked to the fireplace, picked up a silver cigar cutter resting there, and idly played with it.
"Let that brute Gotti worry about it. Hasn't he always had his eye on our newly arrived heavy machine gun?"
"Tell him that if he can clean up all the... 'trash' in the buffer zone, then the Bernano Family will give him the machine gun he wants for free."
"Besides, he already does the filthy work of taking money to buy lives. We have attracted enough attention already. Unless necessary, do not dirty our own people's hands and draw those annoying Marine flies."
"Wise as always, Godfather! I will see to it immediately!"
The hooked-nosed man felt as though he had been granted a pardon. He hurriedly bowed to accept the order. Even when the movement pulled at his wounds, he paid it no mind, almost backing out of the room before quickly vanishing behind its heavy doors.
Guanhao Floating Archipelago, second-floor bedroom of the two-story building.
Adams lowered his head slightly, his gaze falling upon the watch on his wrist.
"Compare my current physical data with Specimen No. 13."
The pitch-black surface of the watch trembled ever so slightly before projecting two gentle beams of pale-blue light.
Adams quickly scanned the constantly changing figures and accurately caught several key indicators.
The average of the three values he had focused on last time had risen from a glaring "40%" to "50%."
Could intense combat in human-beast form also improve the physical strength of his normal state?
The conclusion flashed through Adams's mind like lightning. It brought a trace of unexpected surprise, but that was instantly replaced by even stronger delight.
This was an unexpected bonus. It meant the growth rate of his strength would far exceed expectations.
A satisfied smile full of confidence appeared on his lips. With a light tap against the side of the watch, the streams of data and human body model in the air silently vanished like popped bubbles.
He turned around, no longer focusing on the watch or its data.
His gaze crossed the center of the room. There, Perona, dressed in a gothic dress, floated in midair and chattered away at a Giant Toy Bear that could move freely. Stussy was speaking softly with Perona, with even a faint smile on her lips. The sight brought an almost imperceptible trace of comfort to Adams's eyes.
But that warmth lasted only an instant. Adams looked out the window and narrowed his eyes slightly.
"I wonder whether those two messengers we let go delivered the message properly..."
TO BE CONTINUED