Chapter 22

If they had remembered correctly, the Devil Fruit this brat had eaten was clearly the Paramecia-type Hollow-Hollow Fruit, a Devil Fruit with a "fatal flaw"!

As everyone knew, the user's original body was always the fatal weakness of the Hollow-Hollow Fruit!

But could someone tell them why this brat's ability was so bizarre?

Was this really the Hollow-Hollow Fruit?

Or had this brat eaten some other fruit?

Or perhaps... a Logia?!

Capone Bell refused to believe it and said flatly, "Bege, don't stop! Increase the firepower! This brat has only eaten the Hollow-Hollow Fruit for a month. There's no way he could have developed his abilities to this extent. His bizarre power must have major limitations!"

"Yes, Father!"

After receiving the order, a vicious glint suddenly flashed through Capone Bege's eyes. He raised both hands at once, further intensifying the artillery assault.

The already tottering Hard Shell Bar was blasted directly into ruins, yet Adrian before them remained completely unharmed. There was not even a speck of dust on his clothes.

Adrian continued walking slowly toward the Capone father and son one step at a time. His expressionless bearing radiated suffocating pressure.

"Brat! Fire Pistol and artillery units, keep firing! Cavalry, charge!"

Capone Bege gritted his teeth. While pulling Capone Bell along with his right hand, he transformed both legs directly into tank treads and rapidly retreated. His speed was not the slightest bit slower than that of a real tank.

At the same time, faint ripples appeared beside Capone Bege. Countless openings emerged across his body. Looking closely, they were actually castle gates.

The castle gates opened and the drawbridges lowered. Eight light-cavalry units, five men to a group, charged out one after another. Holding long blades gleaming with cold light, they launched a fierce assault against Adrian!

That was not all. Inside the castle, fifty-man Fire Pistol and artillery teams opened fire simultaneously at Adrian!

Everything happened in the blink of an eye.

Even a West Blue Great Pirate with a bounty of over ten million would probably have met his end under the nearly perfect encirclement Capone Bege had deliberately created.

However...

Mini Hollow: Nova Fire!!

Hundreds of White Ghosts pounced toward the charging cavalry like swarms of insects drawn to blood. With only a single exchange, the forty-man light-cavalry unit was reduced to almost nothing.

The remaining Mini Hollows attacked Capone Bege's original body with an arrogant air, blasting him off his feet.

The momentum of attack and defense instantly reversed.

"Whether it's Fire Pistols or sabers, I don't care.

"It's nothing more than passing the time with you."

Adrian idly flicked his fingers. Facing this gang force that could only throw its weight around in the West Blue underworld, he could not muster even the slightest desire to fight.

"Jumping Bomb!"

A deafening explosion came from Capone Bege's direction, and a tall, imposing figure was "launched" over like ammunition.

"Brat, don't get too arrogant! This is—Capone Gang territory!

"Bomb Blast: Hell Cannon!"

Capone Bell's hands transformed into enormous bombs burning with flames. He brought them together and slammed them down toward Adrian.

Boom—!!

The bar floor, along with the surrounding stone-brick walls, was blasted to pieces.

Hard Shell Bar, the terrifying establishment that had carried the Capone Gang's fame for more than a decade, finally met its end today.

On the smoke-filled street, a sinister smile appeared on Capone Bell's hideous, terrifying 'Scarface.' "My bomb fists have never been blocked by anyone!"

Capone Bell, the current godfather of the Capone Gang, was also a Devil Fruit User!

And the ability seemed vaguely familiar.

"Paramecia-type Bomb-Bomb Fruit? Or the Explosion Fruit, or perhaps the Bomb-Bomb Fruit?" Adrian's voice suddenly came from behind Capone Bell, carrying a trace of surprise. "But it doesn't matter..."

The veins on Capone Bell's forehead bulged, making his features look even more frightening. He spun around instantly and forcefully spat out a mouthful of white mist.

Then, it detonated in an instant!!

"Annihilation Minefield!"

The surrounding area suffered a second devastating explosion. The buildings on both sides of Hard Shell Bar were completely destroyed and collapsed, while the Capone Gang thugs who had surrounded the area were all sent flying beyond the blast zone, screaming as the violent shock wave battered them.

The next moment, Capone Bell's feet transformed into bombs and abruptly detonated. Using the enormous blast force, he shot into the air and swept his gaze back and forth across the smoke-shrouded ground.

For some reason, Capone Bell had a feeling that his second large-scale explosion still had not injured that brat.

"Looking for me, Mr. Capone?"

"Bomb..."

Before Capone Bell could finish calling out the move's name, he suddenly discovered two enormous, lustrous-white arms appearing before him. His proudly powerful body was not even as large as one of their palms.

Capone Bell stiffly raised his head and saw an enormous Ghost face appear directly above him. Its pitch-black eyes stared down at him without the slightest chill.

"Since you like playing with bombs so much, go play with it."

Adrian snapped his fingers.

Snap!

Giant Ghost: Peacemaker!

Boom-boom—!!!

An extremely violent shock wave erupted in midair, roaring with the force to split clouds and shatter stone. Even the thick cloud layers high above were scattered by the incomparable explosion.

Faint golden sunlight poured down, bringing a negligible trace of warmth to the ruined wasteland.

[39. Chapter Thirty-Nine: Legend Points · [White Ghost]]

Step, step, step...

Steady, powerful footsteps rang beside Capone Bege's battered body. He braced both hands against the ground and struggled to raise his head.

"What an ugly state you're in, Mr. Capone." Adrian looked down at Capone Bege sprawled on the ground, a smile of indescribable meaning appearing on his face.

"Draw your weapons!"

"Prepare to attack!"

"Protect Bege!"

A chaotic uproar came from within Capone Bege's body. Then one figure after another leaped out of him. In an instant, more than a hundred gang thugs appeared on the battlefield. They raised their firearms and artillery, surrounding Adrian and Bege.

"Mr. Capone, are you still not planning to surrender?" Adrian asked mildly.

Capone Bege slowly rose to his feet and spat out the cigar that had long since gone out. His fierce gaze fixed on the black-haired young man before him.

The Castle-Castle Fruit gave his body extremely powerful defensive strength. The earlier barrage of Mini Hollow bombs had not caused Capone Bege any substantial injury; it had merely left him looking somewhat wretched.

Capone Bell, however, had not been so lucky.

Bege glanced at his father lying in a pool of blood nearby, his fate unknown, and a trace of grief flashed through his eyes.

"I admit that I underestimated you, Adrian..." Capone Bege's eyes turned cold, gradually filling with a hint of madness. "But with the absolute difference in numbers and firepower, there's no way you can win! Open fire! Kill him!"

"Tch—"

A disdainful sound rang out through the air.

Mini Hollow: Fireworks Festival!

Thousands of Mini Hollows densely filled the entire sky, even blocking out the sun's radiance. They gradually gathered into an enormous ball of light, as though fireworks were falling from the heavens, and began indiscriminately bombarding the battlefield. Like torrential rain, they covered the ground without the slightest concern for losses.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

As soon as the explosions began, more than half of the gang members who had leaped from inside Capone Bege's body were instantly lost. Amid the subsequent succession of chaotic blasts, the remaining gang members also set foot on the road to the Underworld one after another.

Capone Bege, meanwhile, received Adrian's special attention.

Hundreds of Mini Hollows bombarded him without pause. Even though Bege's physical defenses were extraordinary, the explosions still left blood flowing from his mouth and nose.

The bombardment continued for several full minutes, and the center of the town had been completely flattened.

Amid the swirling dust, the refined black pinstriped suit on Capone Bege's body had become little more than an oversized rag. Blood covered him from head to toe, and not a single patch of intact flesh could be seen on the exposed parts of his body.

"Mr. Capone, I have one last question to ask you." Adrian spoke gently. "Do you happen to know the whereabouts of Captain Clivatt, the unfortunate man your people brought to Oatfee Island?"

Capone Bege was in a semiconscious state and could barely remain standing through sheer willpower. Hearing Adrian's question, a cruel smile appeared on his blasted, mangled face.

"Brat... cough, cough... you mean that idiot who dared to steal the Capone Gang's possessions without permission? Cough, cough. Go look in the Back Bay District. If you're lucky, perhaps you'll find the scraps of his bones between a shark's teeth..."

Adrian fell silent.

"In that case, there's nothing left to say.

"Goodbye, 'Gangster' Bege..."

The next moment, a semitransparent Mini Hollow was created and slowly flew into Capone Bege's body.

Mini Hollow: Withering Heart-Piercer.

Capone Bege's eyes widened. Blood instantly sprayed from his chest, and he collapsed to the ground with a thud.

"We... chose the wrong opponent... Father..."

One figure after another emerged beside Capone Bege. These were the final forces hidden inside his body. Their appearance on the battlefield meant that the Castle-Castle Fruit had begun to lose its effect.

It also meant that 'Gangster' Bege, who would become a member of the Worst Generation more than twenty years later, had reached the end of his fate here and now.

"Bege!"

"How is this possible... Father and Bege actually..."

"Run for your lives, or you'll be killed too!"

"Spare me! I surrender! Don't kill me!"

The remaining members of the Capone Gang either scattered like frightened birds, knelt and surrendered outright, or chose to fight back.

Facing these people, Adrian's attitude was perfectly clear: "Enemies must be killed!"

Another indiscriminate bombardment followed.

And so, the Capone Gang, which had dominated Oatfee Island for more than a decade, was utterly destroyed!

The panel displayed a notification.

[B-rank Mission [Capone Gang], Completion: 93%, Mission ended. You obtained 1.8 million experience.]

With a completion rate of 93%, it seemed that some remnants of the Capone Gang had not been completely eliminated. But it was no longer important.

Adrian understood.

[You completed the objectives [Direct Confrontation 1: Kill at least 10 Capone Gang members], [Direct Confrontation 2: Kill at least 100 Capone Gang members], [Decapitation 1: Kill Capone Bell], [Decapitation 2: Kill Capone Bege]]

[The mission is being calculated... Calculation complete. Performance rating: Excellent]

[You received the Excellent rating reward: an additional 50% experience (900,000), Random Rewards x2]

"There are actually random rewards? My luck isn't bad at all!"

Adrian was slightly delighted. The experience reward was secondary. High-level missions received a corresponding completion rating after being completed, and missions rated Good or above also granted random rewards.

There were many types of random rewards. They could be experience, items, skills, Specialties, Free Attribute Points, Skill Points, and so on—almost anything was possible. What one drew depended entirely on luck.

[Determining random reward types...]

[The reward types you obtained this time are: [Free Attribute Points], [Item]]

[You obtained 4 Free Attribute Points!]

[You obtained the item [Paramecia-type Castle-Castle Fruit]!]

Four Free Attribute Points was fairly average—not good, but not bad either.

The item reward, however, was somewhat unexpected...

Adrian raised his hand. A dark-gray Devil Fruit, its skin covered in arabesque spiral patterns, appeared out of thin air in his palm. It looked exactly like the 'Castle-Castle Fruit' recorded in the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia.

"A rather rare spatial-type Devil Fruit, and one with both offensive and defensive capabilities. How should I use it?" Adrian fell into thought.

However, the panel's notifications had not yet completely ended.

[In view of your previous killing of Hog, a pillar of the Second Treasure Navy, and your complete destruction of the Capone Gang this time, you have obtained 1 Legend Point! (Experience gained within a specific range +5%)]

[West Blue Legend Points: White Ghost—Legend says he is the emissary of death, an undying White Ghost, a terrifying nightmare from the kingdom of the dead. He wanders above the West Blue, and no one knows when he will descend. Only the corpses on the docks slowly tell his story.]