A chance to leave the West Blue

"Who?! Capone Bege!?"

Dill abruptly sat up, a flicker of excitement flashing through his eyes.

Capone Bege, a future Supernova and a Paramecia-type Castle-Castle Fruit user.

He could create a space inside his body and freely control every inorganic object within it.

Anything that entered his body would shrink, then return to its original size after leaving his ability's range. He was practically a mobile spatial ring.

Robin frowned in puzzlement. Was he someone Dill knew? Why was he so excited?

"I don't know whether he has a surname. He only said his name was Bege. If you're in a hurry, should I have Gunpowder call him over now?"

Dill shook his head, rejecting Robin's suggestion:

"No, don't call Gunpowder. Give me the Den Den Mushi."

Bege had a hobby: assassinating the leaders of organizations.

He wasn't after territory or followers. After each assassination, he would grab the treasure and leave. Even Big Mom, one of the Four Emperors, had nearly fallen victim to him.

Dill didn't want to become a target, so after taking the Den Den Mushi, he called Geno and asked about Bege's appearance.

Short and stout, with stubble on his upper lip and a cigarette or cigar always hanging from his mouth.

"It really is him."

After hanging up, Dill rubbed his hands together excitedly. He absolutely couldn't let talent like this slip away.

In the future, Bege would unite the West Blue's mafia and only head out to sea as a pirate because he was bored.

"Did he say he was a Devil Fruit user when he joined?"

Robin shook her head.

"Hmm... has your identity been exposed?"

Robin shook her head again.

Gunpowder had bought a single-story house to serve as a secret chamber. Robin worked inside, and her instructions were then passed on in Gunpowder's name.

Whenever she came and went each day, Robin wore a mask and height-increasing shoes to disguise her identity.

In front of outsiders, she treated Gunpowder with great respect and had stated more than once that she was merely his secretary.

In reality, however, she was the one directing all of Black Fire.

"Then we're good!"

"Work as usual tomorrow. Be careful not to let Bege discover your identity. Leave the rest to me."

"What's going on? Is there something wrong with this Bege's identity?"

Robin was completely bewildered. Why had he decided to act after asking just a few questions?

Dill climbed out of bed, set the Den Den Mushi on the table, and explained as he dialed:

"That guy loves assassinating bosses. This time, he's probably after Gunpowder's head."

"At the same time, both his Devil Fruit ability and his personal capabilities are quite impressive. He'll be able to unite the West Blue's mafia in the future;

with his ability, we can leave the West Blue too and go wherever we want."

The four seas, the Grand Line, and the New World were all connected, and their connecting point was Mary Geoise.

A port had been built beside the Red Line, near the Calm Belt. Ordinary people could ascend the Red Line there to travel between seas.

Hundreds of years ago, Noland the "Great Liar" had returned from the Grand Line to the West Blue this way.

Naturally, large objects such as ships couldn't be taken up the Red Line, so the ports bought and sold ships. The difference in price had earned the World Government quite a fortune.

If an ordinary person from the West Blue wanted to go to the East Blue, he would most likely take a passenger ship to the port, cross the Red Line to reach the East Blue's port, then choose another passenger ship there to take him to his destination.

Still, people who could travel between seas generally weren't ordinary people. A single trip cost quite a bit.

For Dill and Robin, money wasn't the problem. Their identities were the key issue.

Robin couldn't maintain her disguise for long. Two wanted criminals going to Mary Geoise would practically be walking into a trap.

But now they had Bege, whose identity was clean and who could hide people inside his body.

Buru buru buru~

Click~

"Oh my, boss. What can I do for you so late at night?"

A seductive female voice came from the other end, with the faint sound of running water in the background.

"Have you finally decided to favor me with your affections?"

"Julia, clear the hot spring bookings for the seventh. Black Fire is booking the whole place."

"As you command, boss! It's just that there have been a few little problems lately that require you to personally..."

Click~

The call was mercilessly cut off.

Hypnosis only made someone loyal to Dill. It didn't change their personality or preferences.

Just as Brandon still liked drinking and Geno still liked seeking amusement, Julia still liked making advances on minors.

"Is this Bege very strong?"

Robin could see what Dill intended. He was simply preparing a trap in advance, just as he had when dealing with Gunpowder.

She just didn't understand why he had to be so cautious and mobilize all of Black Fire to deal with Bege.

Dill started dialing again:

"Whether he's strong depends on whether he's eaten the fruit. If he hasn't, he's weak. If he's already eaten that fruit, even all of Black Fire might not be a match for him."

Most of Bege's fighting strength came from the Castle-Castle Fruit.

Without it, he was just a slightly stronger ordinary person.

With it, he was a mobile fortress of war, with large numbers of troops and weapons deployed inside his body.

Dill intended to prepare for both possibilities. If he couldn't win, he would run immediately.

Buru buru buru~

Click~

"Prepare a large ship. Have the sailors stand watch aboard in two shifts, and make sure it can set sail as soon as I give the order."

"Yes, boss!"

Buru buru buru~

Click~

"Send a water pump and hoses over to the hot spring."

"Yes, bo..."

Buru buru buru~

Click~

"Buy lamp oil and high-proof liquor. As much as possible."

"Yes..."

Early the next morning.

Bege woke up in the inn and habitually lit his first cigarette of the morning.

He was twenty-two that year and had already been in the mafia for four years. He liked smoking, drinking, and assassination.

A month earlier, Gunpowder had publicly announced that he was canceling the plan to capture the Devil Child, causing one of Bullet's higher-ups to lose face.

When I tell you to do something, you can fail, but you can't refuse to do it!

Although somewhat displeased, that higher-up hadn't taken any further action. He had merely complained about it at a banquet.

Bege had overheard and decided to take advantage of his rare vacation to come here and indulge his personal hobby.

Assassinating Gunpowder, the leader of Black Fire.

Putting on an ill-fitting black suit and fastening his tie, Bege exhaled a mouthful of smoke, stepped out of the inn, and headed toward the tavern.

"Are you new? You look sharp in that outfit."

Some of the bolder civilians on the street greeted Bege. Since Gunpowder had forbidden the oppression of civilians and greatly reduced their protection fees, most people's attitudes toward Black Fire had improved.

Bege nodded in acknowledgment, feeling thoroughly uncomfortable.

Since when had the mafia become so friendly to the people?

This operation was somewhat unusual for Bege.

Normally, he wouldn't join the organization he intended to assassinate the leader of. Instead, he would sneak in or disguise himself as a waiter or the like, waiting for a chance to approach the boss.

Then, finally, bang!

The assassination plan would be perfectly executed.

But that wouldn't work on Gunpowder. The Paramecia-type Gunpowder-Gunpowder Fruit allowed him to avoid most physical damage. Killing Gunpowder with a surprise attack would be far too difficult.

So Bege had chosen to join Black Fire and seize an opportunity to poison him.

I'll investigate Gunpowder's eating habits today, then decide whether to infiltrate the tavern or the dining hall!

Thinking over his assassination plan, Bege, a newcomer to Black Fire, walked into the tavern.

Today was tax collection day. Most of the manpower had been dispatched to collect taxes on the various streets, so there weren't many people in the tavern.

Just as Bege was lamenting his poor timing, Brandon's voice suddenly rang out beside him:

"Yo, Bege. Your cover's blown!"