The Devil Sheriff

West Blue

"Zehahaha! Has the time finally come? Looks like I'll have to speed things up!"

Teach looked at the bounty poster in his hand, then pulled some Beli from inside his clothes and tossed them to the News Coo he had forcibly dragged aboard. "I only forgot to pay last time. I wasn't deliberately freeloading! Go back and tell your companions that any newspapers should be delivered to my ship first! Don't worry, I'll give you a tip!"

Teach's words made the News Coo's eyes light up. Although he had rudely dragged it aboard, he had given it far too much money! What News Coo would ever turn down money?

"Caw!"

The News Coo opened its beak and cried cheerfully. After nodding at Teach, it left.

"What a greedy, stupid bird!" Teach shook his head, then turned his gaze back to the bounty poster in his hand. That huge smile was so familiar!

"Luffy has already defeated Crocodile? A bounty of one hundred million Beli—now that's a pretty good amount!" Teach chuckled. As a transmigrator, he naturally didn't believe the newspapers' claim that Crocodile had been defeated by a Navy captain. It was merely a lie the incompetent Navy had told for various reasons!

"But judging by the timing, Pops should have received the letter I sent by now, right?"

After parting ways with the Red-Haired Pirates, Teach had written a letter and paid a hefty sum to have a News Coo deliver it to the Whitebeard Pirates' ship.

The letter naturally explained why he had become a Shichibukai, as well as his plans to temporarily use that title to do certain things more conveniently. With Whitebeard's magnanimity, he believed Pops absolutely wouldn't mind him doing so.

"Captain Teach, we've arrived!"

Shit's voice interrupted Teach's thoughts. He slowly raised his head, and a luxurious dock appeared before him. Only one magnificent ship was moored there; the other smaller boats had been reduced to splinters nearby.

"Zehahaha! What a fine place!" Teach praised it insincerely. His group moored the ship and stepped onto land they had not seen in a long time.

"This really is a strange place..." Fuckyou looked at everything around him and couldn't help commenting. He held a bottle of liquor in his right hand and had a pistol tucked into his waist. The small belly he had developed from drinking had now become solid abdominal muscles, and his eyes were filled with overwhelming confidence!

"Wihahaha! Looks like Captain Teach got it wrong!" Burgess paid no attention to the surrounding scene. His upper body was bare, and he wore only a pair of briefs below. A metal armor covered his right arm, complete with spikes and exhaust vents!

After eating the Kinga Kinga no Mi, Burgess's strength had risen rapidly. At the same time, Teach had obtained a mechanical arm armor through his sign-in system. The armor was exquisitely crafted and far stronger than Burgess's metal armor two years later in the original story. Since Burgess was the only one aboard suited to use it, the mechanical arm armor, combined with his Kinga Kinga no Mi, made him a genuine "fighting Champion"!

As for Shit, he now carried a golden ax on his back. With the Paramecia Kansei Kanji no Mi, his Observation Haki had reached a terrifying level. Combined with his tireless training, Shit had long since undergone a complete transformation!

The group looked at the surrounding buildings, which were dilapidated beyond recognition, and the environment filled with flying yellow sand. The emaciated civilians were kneeling together and bowing toward one direction.

"How dare you defy this noble lord! Guards, kill him!"

An enraged roar came from the crowd. Relying on his height of over three meters, Teach slowly looked toward the center of the gathering.

A finely dressed nobleman was angrily pointing at a ragged little boy. The boy stared miserably at the apple beneath the nobleman's feet, which had already been crushed into the dirt. A trace of despair appeared in his thin, sallow eyes.

It was the only food he had obtained in two days. As a beggar, he also had a younger sister. That apple was their only hope. But because his hand had slipped and the apple had touched the nobleman's shoe, the nobleman had flown into a rage and wanted to kill him.

"Yes, Your Excellency the Viscount!" The guard beside the nobleman showed not the slightest pity. He drew the long saber at his waist and hacked straight toward the little beggar's head. There was no doubt that if the blow landed, the boy's head would roll!

"Clang!"

The sound of a blade cutting into flesh never came. When everyone opened their eyes, they saw a man wearing a top hat, looking like a character from a play, standing before them. He was handsome and tall, with only one flaw: his skin was excessively pale!

"My apologies, Your Excellency the Viscount. I am Laffitte, the security officer of this region! He is only a little beggar. Killing him would likely damage Your Excellency's elegance. Why not spare him?"

Laffitte held a cane sword and had a pistol tucked into his waist. A smile rested on his pale face, and his every movement was exceedingly graceful.

A smile appeared on Teach's face when he saw the newcomer. The three men beside him—Burgess and the others—looked enlightened. It seemed this security officer was their target.

"Hmph! Do I need you to teach me what to do? Remember your place! You're nothing more than a dog under us nobles. Don't get too insolent!"

A hint of mockery appeared on the viscount's face. After straightening his clothes, he said to Laffitte, "I've been far too merciful! Since this child acted unintentionally, I've decided to grant him a painless death. His family won't need to be implicated, either! Be grateful for the mercy of Lord Anzi Earless Gong!"

Teach stared blankly at the unbearably pretentious viscount. What the hell? You're pretty impressive!

The others had no idea what was strange about the man's name. They merely trembled as they listened to the viscount. No one dared disobey his will.

"These nobles are nothing more than the Celestial Dragons of a kingdom, aren't they? So the Celestial Dragons exploit the nobles, and the nobles exploit the commoners. Layer upon layer of exploitation—it's truly laughable!" A trace of anger appeared in Shit's eyes. Without the Celestial Dragons' exploitation, he might still have been at home living peacefully with his wife. But the crushing taxes had broken their happy family apart in an instant. In the end, only he remained...

"The faces of these nobles are truly sickening!" Teach said in disgust. His voice carried a long way, and every civilian's face filled with fear. A few of the bolder ones looked up, only to see the nobleman's face twisted with rage.

"Wihahaha! As expected of our captain!" Burgess laughed heartily, and the sight of his grin was painfully glaring in the nobleman's eyes.

"Kill them! Kill them all!" the nobleman screamed. He had completely discarded the so-called elegance, and his vulgar behavior made Laffitte frown slightly. "What an idiot pig! Forget it, forget it. We might as well finish him off!"