Bernano Family headquarters.
This had once been the most elegant mafia den in West Blue, filled with classical music, famous paintings, expensive red wine, and countless weapons.
But now, elegance had been crushed to pieces by absolute power.
The lavish hall looked as though it had been ravaged by some colossal beast. Priceless furniture had been reduced to fragments, the walls had collapsed, and the bodies of mafia members in tailored black suits lay scattered everywhere. They had died in different ways, but they all shared one thing in common: none of them had managed to put up any effective resistance.
At the center of the hall stood Adams's towering figure, his silver hair not even stained with a speck of dust. Beneath his foot lay the corpse of William Bernano, head of the Bernano Family.
This godfather had made his fortune through extortion, then styled himself as a gentleman after becoming famous. He always wore a gold-rimmed monocle and neatly pressed suits, but now he had died a particularly gruesome death.
His expensive suit was wrinkled and smeared with dust and blood. The lens of his gold-rimmed glasses had shattered, while the twisted frame hung crookedly from his face.
His chest had completely caved in, with ribs piercing through his skin as if he had been violently struck by a Sea Train charging at full speed.
Adams had just withdrawn his foot when the Den Den Mushi in his arms began to ring. He took it out and answered.
"Darling~"
Stussy's languid voice, carrying a hint of seeking praise, came through.
"I've already taken care of things on my end. What a pity, though... that Mary refused to surrender or beg for mercy even when facing death. Otherwise~ I could have brought you back a special gift. I heard that in certain areas... she's quite skilled, you know?"
A clear look of disgust appeared on Adams's face as he replied helplessly,
"I wouldn't want that filthy woman even if she were given to me for free. She's cleaner dead. There's nothing to regret.
Pack up all valuable spoils and every document or piece of information you can find. Return to Floating Island immediately. Don't waste time."
"Got it~ What a heartless man."
Stussy gave a coquettish pout, though her tone was utterly unconcerned.
"I'll head back and wait for you, then~"
Click. The call ended.
Adams put away the Den Den Mushi. Without even looking at the corpse beneath his feet, his figure flashed away from this luxurious morgue, heading for the next target that needed clearing.
Gambino Family headquarters.
The battle was nearing its end. A large number of thugs bearing the Gambino Family crest lay sprawled across the courtyard, their blood staining the cobblestone ground red.
At the heart of the battlefield, three people were joining forces against the Gambino Family's final pillar—their leader, Gambino Francis.
Francis was a member of the Longarm Tribe, which gave him an attack range far beyond that of ordinary people. Even more troublesome was the fact that his entire body, including his arms, was clad in armor that gleamed with dark light. This armor was clearly no ordinary item.
Lucci's expression was grim. The vacuum slashes from his kicks struck the armor, yet could only leave faint white marks.
Lafitte's figure drifted unpredictably, his cane darting like a venomous snake and striking at the armor's joints. Yet it could only throw up a few sparks with sharp clinks, unable to break through the defense at all.
Even Daz Bones's incomparably sharp blade arms could at most carve deeper marks or send streams of dazzling sparks flying when he attacked at full force. They could not inflict any substantial damage.
"Useless! Useless! Hahahaha!"
Francis laughed arrogantly, his ironclad arms whirling so densely that no opening could be found. Every so often, he even launched counterattacks from bizarre angles, forcing the three of them to evade repeatedly.
"With the likes of you, it's impossible to break this alloy armor that I spent a fortune forging! Just die obediently!"
Lucci and Bones said nothing, only attacking even more fiercely as they tried to find a weakness in the armor or a gap between its joints.
Lafitte's gaze was icy, like that of a circling hawk. He dodged a heavy punch and let out a low laugh.
"Hohoho... Confidence is a good thing, but excessive arrogance is often the fastest road to the grave, Mr. Francis."
As soon as he spoke, an eerie glint flashed through Lafitte's eyes, and he used hypnosis on Francis.
An intense wave of dizziness and drowsiness struck Francis instantly. His movements faltered involuntarily, and his swinging arm slowed by half a beat.
Though he immediately broke free from the state through sheer willpower, that moment of daze was already enough!
Daz Bones let out a low roar as his arms instantly transformed into high-speed spinning blades. Light burst from Lucci's eyes, his muscles swelling as he gathered all his power into his fists.
[Spiral Hollow]!
[Iron Body Shatter]!
Clang!!! Boom—!!
The deafening crash of metal rang out. Francis screamed as the combined strike of the two men actually sent his towering body flying off the ground. He crashed heavily seven or eight meters away, smashing a decorative stone sculpture to pieces.
However, once the dust settled, Francis, though disheveled, quickly struggled back to his feet. A clear dent and several cracks had appeared in the armor over his chest, but... it still had not been completely pierced.
"Cough, cough... Interesting little tricks!"
Francis wiped away the trace of blood shaken from the corner of his mouth, his eyes growing even fiercer.
"But what a pity! Still useless! Your attacks are still far too weak!"
The three men's expressions grew more solemn. The armor's defensive power was beyond imagination.
Lucci gritted his teeth, a trace of resolve flashing through his eyes, before he suddenly spoke in a deep voice.
"I have a move... that might be able to crack his turtle shell! But I need at least one minute to charge it, and I can't be disturbed! I need you two to buy me time!"
As he said this, he was actually deeply uneasy. Though the three of them were temporarily cooperating, their duties meant that they did not know one another particularly well.
He had always been able to sense Adams's distrust toward him, so he could not be certain whether these two teammates, who were extremely loyal to that man, would be willing to create an opportunity for him. They might even take advantage of the situation...
"Hoho, one minute? No problem."
Lafitte chuckled and spun his cane. Bones said nothing, merely transforming his arms into blades again and stepping in front of Lucci.
There were no doubts, no bargaining—only crisp, decisive cooperation.
Lucci was briefly stunned. Then he suppressed the complicated emotions in his heart and began preparing his move.
The two immediately sprang into action. No longer pursuing forceful attacks, they focused on entangling and harassing him. Like two agile hunting dogs, they continuously drew Francis's attention and deliberately lured the retreating Francis toward Lucci, whose aura was beginning to turn terrifying.
Though Francis was enraged, he was unable to break free under the pair's seamless coordination. The circle of battle gradually narrowed.
One minute passed in the blink of an eye.
When Francis was drawn in by Lafitte's bizarre sliding step, missed a heavy punch, and leaned slightly forward, Bones suddenly launched a fierce attack from the flank. He forced Francis to block, locking his body into the best possible attack angle directly in front of Lucci.
Now!
Lucci's tightly shut eyes suddenly flew open, his pupils contracting into dangerous pinpoints. He brought his long-charged fists together and thrust them forward.
[Six Powers Secret Art: Rokuogan]!
Boom—!!!
A pillar of shockwave energy, condensed to the extreme, erupted violently from his fists and struck the damaged armor on Francis's chest head-on.
Crack—Bang!!!
This time, the seemingly indestructible refined iron armor could no longer withstand the horrifying impact concentrated at a single point. Accompanied by a teeth-grating shattering sound, the armor completely broke apart, and the shockwave's power penetrated straight through his body.
The savage grin and arrogance on Francis's face froze completely, replaced by utter horror and pain.
He lowered his head and stared in disbelief at his shattered armor and completely caved-in chest. His mouth opened, and blood erupted from it like a fountain.
"Im... possi..."
Before he could finish the word, the light in his eyes completely faded. His towering body crashed backward like a collapsing mountain, kicking up a cloud of dust.
After confirming Francis's death, Lucci seemed to have been drained of all strength as well. His legs went weak, and he nearly dropped to his knees. He panted heavily, cold sweat covering his forehead. For him at his current level, Rokuogan was still too much of a burden.
Still breathing hard, he looked toward Lafitte and Bones, who had withdrawn their attacks and stood still. His gaze was complicated, but he eventually spoke in a low voice.
"...Thank you."
Lafitte adjusted his top hat and smiled. "No need to thank us. It's what we should do, after all. We're companions."
Bones also nodded silently.
Lucci looked at them and fell silent.
Companions... That word had once been incomparably distant and unfamiliar to him. But now, this feeling of absolute trust and coordination in battle...
"...Yeah."
In the end, he merely answered softly, but deep within his eyes, something as hard as ice seemed to quietly melt a little.
A meaningful smile appeared at the corner of Lafitte's mouth. He took out a Den Den Mushi and began dialing.
TO BE CONTINUED
Please tap the update reminder and leave more comments. This book's stats are really terrible. The original plot is almost over; basically, the Five Great Families arc is the only original part of the whole book.