Old man, times have changed

Bang!

A glass slammed heavily onto the bar, followed by a thoroughly disgruntled voice:

"It's been ten days! Where the hell could that damned Devil Child be hiding?!"

The bartender said nothing, silently wiping the bar as he served the short, fat Gunpowder another drink.

Gunpowder hadn't expected a mute to answer him anyway. He turned to his right-hand man, Boren.

Unlike Gunpowder, Boren was tall and slender, dressed in a pink suit and holding a glass of red wine like a gentleman.

He drained the wine in his glass and offered some advice:

"If we really can't find her, let's give up. With our strength, joining Bullet won't be difficult anyway."

Gunpowder shook his head, lit a cigar, and exhaled a cloud of smoke.

"I'm not starting out as some grunt. The Devil Child is our ticket to the higher-ups."

He knew his own limitations well. He had no talent for management or combat. Apart from his unkillable gunpowder body, he had nothing going for him.

Joining Bullet directly would get him a combat captain's position at most. Who knew how long he would have to wait to become a senior officer?

Capturing Robin, however, would be a major achievement, making promotion easier.

Unfortunately, he still hadn't found his target. After ten consecutive days of intensive work, quite a few of his men were complaining.

The empty tavern was proof of that. Normally, plenty of people would still be sleeping off their drinking here at this hour. Now, only he, Boren, Pica, and the bartender remained.

"Boss!!"

Brandon rushed into the tavern in tattered clothes and shouted:

"We found the Devil Child!!"

"What?!"

Gunpowder reached Brandon with a speed that shouldn't have been possible for someone his size and asked urgently, "Where is she? Where?!"

"In that warehouse near the forest. Captain Geno is leading the men in an assault."

"She's a great shot. Our men have suffered heavy casualties, and Captain Geno's Den Den Mushi got shot too, so he sent me back for reinforcements."

"Useless trash! You can't even handle a child."

Gunpowder spat his cigar onto the floor, grabbed Brandon by the shoulder, and rushed out of the tavern.

"Where exactly? I'll go myself!"

As the two figures receded into the distance, Boren instructed his own right-hand man, Pica:

"I'll follow the boss. Gather the men. Call everyone, whether they're resting or on patrol. Now that we've found her, we absolutely cannot let her escape."

With that, he rushed out of the tavern, making a point of looking up at the night sky.

There wasn't a cloud in sight. No rainy weather.

He secretly sighed in relief before hurrying after Gunpowder and Brandon.

Only Pica and the mute bartender remained in the tavern. Pica took a Den Den Mushi from his clothes and began dialing, while picking up a bottle and knocking the bartender unconscious with it.

Buru buru buru~

Click~

Once the call connected, Pica said with utmost respect:

"Boss, Gunpowder and Boren have set off."

"Good. Understood."

Click~

The bright moon cast its light over the scene outside the warehouse. Eight gang members in suits lay on the ground, blood seeping from their wounds and staining a small patch of earth beneath them red.

Seeing his fallen men added anger to Gunpowder's already urgent mood.

These were all his core men, the trusted followers he would take with him when he joined Bullet.

Gunshots still rang out from inside the warehouse. Gunpowder dropped Brandon and spoke through gritted teeth:

"That damned Devil Child. Once I catch her, I'll give her a good torturing before handing her over to Bullet."

He took a lighter from his clothes, sparked it, and set his clothes alight. Flames gradually spread from his chest across his body. Not only did he feel no pain, but a vicious grin also appeared on his lips.

The user of the Paramecia-type Gunpowder-Gunpowder Fruit possessed extremely high fire resistance, and his body, transformed into gunpowder, was immune to ordinary physical attacks.

Boom!

Gunpowder smashed through the warehouse doors, with Boren close behind. Once they saw the scene inside, both paused involuntarily, a flicker of confusion passing through their minds.

It was completely empty.

No Devil Child, no Geno. Even the gunshots had stopped.

They exchanged a glance, instantly arriving at the same possibility.

An ambush!

Psssh~

Before either could act, droplets of water pattered down, extinguishing the flames on Gunpowder's body.

Gunpowder's expression grew uglier. Wet gunpowder couldn't ignite, and blunt weapons coated in water could hit him too.

Bang, bang, bang!!!

Gunfire erupted. Countless bullets shot through the curtain of water, passing through Gunpowder's head before striking the ground.

What he feared was blunt weapons. Objects as small as bullets couldn't hurt him even when wet.

Boren, beside him, had no such ability.

Three bullets struck him, opening three bloody holes in his body.

The shooting continued, the dense barrage driving him deeper into the warehouse. Left with no alternative, Boren cursed inwardly and rolled farther inside.

"Boren!!!"

Gunpowder was about to help when a sudden punch struck his back, knocking him straight to the ground.

He looked back. It was Brandon.

"What are you doing, Brandon?!"

Gunpowder stood and threatened viciously:

"You think you can beat me with these petty tricks?!"

Brandon said nothing, simply throwing punch after punch.

Gunpowder had no choice but to fight back. Those water-coated fists could hit him.

Even without the advantage of his fruit ability, he still held an overwhelming upper hand, driving Brandon back with just a few punches.

Then, unexpectedly, Geno and the others ran over and started swinging without a word.

Fists rained down. Gunpowder gritted his teeth and struggled to fend them off.

The dense gunfire had now stopped. The flintlocks in this world could fire repeatedly, but they didn't have unlimited ammunition.

Boren looked up and saw twenty arms growing from the walls, each holding a flintlock that had run out of bullets.

Looking higher, he saw a closely packed row of rubber hoses fixed to the ceiling, water pattering down from them.

These were what Dill had spent the past few days preparing. The ceiling hoses were connected to barrels on the roof. Once the valve was opened, water would seep from the hoses, which had been pierced with tiny holes, creating artificial rain.

The twenty flintlocks had been obtained through Brandon and the others' connections. Robin lay by the window, observing the interior from outside and using her ability to shoot.

Using his position as squad captain, Geno had gathered a group of gang members and disposed of them outside the warehouse. Robin then fired her guns to create the illusion of a fierce battle, luring Gunpowder inside.

Unfortunately, Gunpowder was a better fighter than expected. He held off Brandon and the others single-handedly, leaving no one to deal with Boren.

"Wow, this Boren really is pretty good. He only took five shots, and none of them were fatal."

Clinging to the window, Dill watched the scene inside the warehouse and remarked:

"Robin, your aim sucks."

Robin couldn't help rolling her eyes. The arms she sprouted shared her sense of touch. With the recoil of twenty guns hitting her at once, it was impressive enough that she could keep firing, yet this guy was still nitpicking.

"How could I compare to the great hypnotist? I can't shoot straight with the recoil of twenty guns. I'm sure the great hypnotist could handle more, right?"

"I can't, but I have special combat techniques!"

Dill ruffled her hair, broke the window, and leaped inside.

The heavy sound of his landing immediately drew hostile looks from Gunpowder and Boren. This brat in front of them had to be the mastermind.

Ignoring Gunpowder, who was taking a beating, Dill rushed toward Boren.

There was a trace of blood at the corner of Boren's mouth. His pink suit was already in tatters, and five bleeding wounds left him increasingly weak.

I need to run first! Gather the men, then come back for revenge.

With that thought, he was about to flee when he inadvertently met Dill's eyes.

Damn it, how dare you look down on me!!

An inexplicable fury surged within Boren. Gritting his teeth, he swung his fist at Dill.

Bzzzt~

Electricity crackled. Dill bent down to dodge the attack, lightning flickering around his right fist as he took advantage of his height to deliver a lethal nut shot.

"Aaah!!!"

Boren screamed uncontrollably, his face contorted as he clutched his crotch and staggered back two steps. His eyes, filled with rage and pain, met Dill's again.

This bastard! I'm going to kill him today!!

The fury in his heart blazed hotter. Forcing himself to endure the pain, Boren swung again, aiming for Dill's head.

Dill raised his palm and caught the fist. Electricity flashed, spreading from the fist throughout Boren's body.

He extended two fingers on his other hand like a sword and pointed them at Boren's eyes. Flames sprang from his fingertips and shot straight toward his enemy's face.

The pain from five gunshot wounds and the numbness from the continuous electricity left Boren unable to dodge. He could only watch the flames approach in terror.

Whoomph~

Flames brushed across his cheeks, filling his vision with red before quickly fading. There was none of the scorching heat he had imagined. Boren felt only a wave of heat, quite warm.

"Tch, rain really is a pain."

Dill shook his hand, somewhat dissatisfied. Rain suppressed Gunpowder's flames, but it suppressed his flames too.

Fortunately, electricity and hypnosis alone were enough.

His right hand still gripped Boren's fist, releasing electricity. With his free left hand, he pulled a pistol from his pocket, casually chambered a round, and pointed it at Boren.

His face full of resentment, Boren struggled and muttered:

"You..."

"Old man, times have changed."

Bang!