“Tap, tap, tap, tap…”
Torrential rain poured over the old district, drenching the streets.
The dim yellow streetlamps barely illuminated a five-meter radius around them, while rows of dilapidated buildings stood on either side.
A figure raced through the darkness, the sound of his shoes splashing through puddles particularly conspicuous in the silence.
Under the dim streetlight, Elik suddenly came to a halt.
A large group of men dressed in black emerged from the darkness ahead of him, their faces filled with ill intent.
Elik turned around and was about to run, only to discover another group of black-clad men emerging from the darkness behind him.
Valsa leisurely stepped out from among them.
Wearing black sunglasses, he compared the rain-soaked information in his hand with the young man standing before him.
Valsa lowered his sunglasses slightly, revealing his eyes.
“Looks like you must be Elik.”
Elik had pale-purple hair styled into a bizarre shape, with a black object resembling protective goggles covering his face.
He stared warily at Valsa.
Valsa strolled forward, removed his sunglasses, and casually tossed them to one of the men behind him.
His tone remained lazy and relaxed.
“Kid, you and I have no grudge against each other.
Unfortunately, someone offered ten million Berries for your head.”
“Sigh~ I don’t really want to make trouble for you, but he’s paying way too much.”
Valsa deliberately put on a regretful expression.
He stopped wasting words and waved his right hand.
“Take him down.”
The black-clad men on both sides suddenly drew swords from who-knows-where and charged at Elik.
“You’re forcing me to do this!”
Elik looked left and right as though he were afraid some terrible secret was about to be exposed.
Then he roared in apparent desperation, his face twisting into a ferocious expression.
In the next instant, his arms transformed into sharp, scythe-like blades.
With a single sweep, he sent a large number of the men in the front ranks flying.
Their clothes were torn open across the chest, revealing terrifying wounds.
“Oh?
So you’re a Devil Fruit user?”
Valsa immediately understood what he was seeing.
This was his first time encountering a Devil Fruit user since arriving in this world.
There was something indescribably strange about seeing one in person.
“Lucas, go test him out.”
“Yes, Boss!”
Standing over three meters tall, Lucas emerged from behind the others like a miniature giant.
He rolled up his sleeves and walked toward Elik.
“You forced me into this!
Now that you’ve seen me like this, you’re all going to die!”
Elik roared and charged at Lucas, swinging both arms wildly.
So this kid doesn’t even know he’s a Devil Fruit user.
I guess in a remote backwater like this, some people haven’t even heard of Devil Fruits.
The two quickly clashed.
Elik was incredibly fast.
Every swing of his arms carved numerous wounds into Lucas’s body.
Lucas’s attacks carried tremendous force, but he was far too slow.
Elik dodged every single one.
“Lucas, stand down.
I’ll see for myself what this so-called Devil Fruit user is capable of.”
This was Valsa’s first time fighting a Devil Fruit user, and his fists were already itching for a challenge.
If this continued, Lucas would inevitably lose.
So Valsa decided to step in personally.
He removed his suit and tossed it aside, leaving himself in nothing but a black tank top that revealed his explosively muscular arms.
[Knuckle Down]!
Golden light illuminated both of Valsa’s hands.
He charged toward Elik at a breakneck pace.
With the movement-speed boost from [Knuckle Down], combined with Valsa’s already terrifying burst of speed, he practically appeared in front of Elik in the blink of an eye.
Elik didn’t even have time to react.
When he suddenly saw Valsa standing directly in front of him, his expression changed drastically.
He hurriedly crossed his arms in front of his body to block.
But would that actually help?
CRACK!
Valsa drove a left hook straight into Elik’s guard.
Both of Elik’s arms snapped instantly.
The enormous pain nearly knocked him unconscious on the spot.
Then came an uppercut.
BAM!
Valsa’s fist smashed into Elik’s chin, sending his entire body flying more than ten meters.
His eyes rolled back.
He passed out before he even hit the ground.
“Too weak.
He couldn’t even get me warmed up.”
Valsa sounded disappointed.
This island can no longer contain me.
Leaving this place has to become my top priority.
“Whoa!!!”
Seeing their boss take down that monster with just two punches, the subordinates erupted into excited cheers.
“Take him back.”
A Devil Fruit user, no matter how weak, was still far beyond an ordinary person.
Besides, any Devil Fruit was worth at least 100 million Berries.
There was no way Valsa could simply kill him.
He vaguely remembered hearing that when a Devil Fruit user died, their Devil Fruit could somehow reappear nearby, supposedly by using fruit.
Something like that.
He couldn’t quite remember the details.
…
On the western coast of the Kingdom of Lenk, waves continuously crashed against the reefs.
The white-sand beach glittered beneath the sunlight, while the deep-blue sea shimmered under the gentle sea breeze that caressed the face.
“One!
Two!
Three!
Pull!”
With a tremendous crash, seawater was sent flying more than ten meters into the air.
A thirty-meter-long ship was successfully dragged into the sea.
“Woohoo!”
The workers who had been hauling the ship along the beach erupted into enthusiastic cheers.
The enormous vessel they had spent three months building day and night was finally complete.
Ford Quans stood on the beach, watching everything unfold.
One thirty-meter-long ship.
Two medium-sized twenty-meter ships.
Ten small ten-meter boats.
Along with several lifeboats.
Together, they were enough to form a formidable fleet capable of carrying around two hundred people.
Even if every member of the fleet were an ordinary person, its overall strength would be comparable to a Marine fleet commanded by a Lieutenant at a Marine branch.
“All the ships have been thoroughly inspected.
They’re confirmed to be ready for service.”
Quans looked toward the fleet.
“I need to give Boss the good news.”
…
It was the same familiar bar.
After hearing Quans’s report, Valsa was delighted.
Unfortunately, what Quans said next poured cold water all over his enthusiasm.
“Boss, one-third of the Midnight Rose’s savings has already gone into building the ships.
The remaining two-thirds was spent purchasing firearms and ammunition, and we’ve still acquired less than half of what the fleet needs.”
“And that’s not even counting the supplies we’ll need aboard the ships—daily necessities, food, fresh water, and…”
Valsa scratched his slightly throbbing head.
Quans’s words were giving him a headache.
He tried to argue anyway.
“Didn’t we just make ten million?
Take that money and—”
“It’s useless, Boss.”
Quans interrupted him.
“Forget whether we’ll even be able to collect the remaining eight million.
The main problem is that we’ve already run out of channels for purchasing weapons and ammunition.
Everything that’s left is controlled by the other gangs and the nobles in the Inner City.”
Valsa hadn’t even finished speaking before Quans cut him off.
He rested his chin on one hand, a strange look flickering through his eyes.
Then Quans suddenly raised his head and looked at Valsa.
His expression had turned utterly indifferent.
Valsa immediately understood what he meant.
He grinned.
“Looks like one of our men happened to get lost inside their territory.”
“It seems someone doesn’t think much of our boss.”
A cold smile appeared on Quans’s face.
“Perhaps it’s time we let them suffer a little.”
“Heh…”