“Oh?
You’re surrendering already?
But I haven’t beaten you half to death yet.
The lesson won’t leave a deep enough impression this way.
What if you lose your mind and decide to betray me someday?” Yuri asked with a smile.
“I won’t!
I won’t!
If you keep hitting me, I’ll really die!” Bege said.
Bege’s expression was extremely gloomy.
At the same time, he was deeply shocked.
He had already recognized the identity of the person before him.
The Railgun, Gadile Yuri, whose name had recently spread across the seas and whose bounty was one hundred and thirty million Berries.
When Bege first saw that bounty poster, if he hadn’t already been the head of one of Ida City’s three great underworld families, even he might have been tempted.
After all, to Bege and everyone else, Yuri looked like nothing more than a teenager in the bounty photo.
He had delicate features and looked like the sort of kid they would normally bully without a second thought.
Yet someone like that had a bounty of one hundred and thirty million Berries.
It was unbelievable.
It practically looked like the Marines were handing out free money.
But afterward, news kept spreading of powerful pirate hunters failing one after another.
That was when everyone began to realize Yuri wasn’t someone to be trifled with.
Even then, Bege still hadn’t taken a pirate like Yuri seriously.
After all, Yuri was alone and had no real organization behind him.
But now, Bege would never dare think that way again.
This guy alone was more terrifying than an entire army.
That Railgun attack, which had heavily injured his Big Father with a single shot, was simply too terrifying.
“Well, I suppose this counts as quite a memorable first meeting.
I’m sure you already know who I am.
I came here today to invite you to join my pirate crew.
So, how about giving it some serious thought?”
“What if I don’t want to join?”
“Heh, relax.
I’m someone who never likes forcing people.
If you don’t want to join, then forget it.
However, I value your Devil Fruit ability quite highly.
I’ll just have it change owners and see whether the next person is willing to join my pirate crew,” Yuri said with a smile.
Cold sweat immediately poured down Bege’s forehead.
This wasn’t forcing someone?
A Devil Fruit would only reappear somewhere else in the world after its current user died.
If Yuri wanted the Devil Fruit to change owners, Bege’s fate was obvious.
“So, what’s your choice?” Yuri asked.
“Do I even have a choice?”
“I don’t think so.
But sometimes, having no choice is the best choice.”
“I understand.
I’ll join your pirate crew.
What do you want me to do now?
Abandon this place?” Bege asked.
“No, there’s no need.
Our pirate crew isn’t ready to properly set sail yet, so you can continue playing your little underworld game for now.
We can even help you out.
Daz, when you’re not training, you can help Bege kill some people.
After all, we’ll be companions from now on,” Yuri said with a smile.
“Him?” A trace of doubt appeared on Bege’s face.
What could some brat possibly do to help him?
“Don’t underestimate him.
In the future, he’ll be one of the main combat forces of our pirate crew.
He’s still a little immature right now, but his future achievements will definitely be limitless.
Even at his current level, dealing with some underworld gangs in the West Blue is more than enough,” Yuri said seriously.
Yuri actually placed great value on Daz.
Daz’s Devil Fruit ability was quite good.
If the Dice-Dice Fruit were properly developed, its power would definitely be extraordinary.
More importantly, Daz had the ambition to become stronger, as well as the perseverance needed to pursue that strength.
In the original story, the reason Daz became nothing more than a stepping stone for Zoro was because his experience and horizons were too limited.
He didn’t know just how much stronger people could become in this world, so he never developed his cutting abilities to a higher level, wasting far too much time in the first half of the Grand Line.
Once he witnessed the New World, he would inevitably become stronger.
Unfortunately, by then, he would already be somewhat older.
But things were different in this life.
With Yuri around, Daz would definitely become stronger than he had in the original story.
When it came to knowledge and perspective, there were probably very few people in the entire One Piece world who could compare with Yuri.
So once Daz truly grew up, he would definitely become one of the pirate crew’s primary combat forces.
“A brat like this is going to be one of our crew’s main fighters?
Looks like the future of our pirate crew is rather worrying,” Bege said calmly.
“What did you say?
Say it again if you’ve got the guts.” Daz spoke flatly as his fingers and arms transformed into blades.
“A Devil Fruit user?” Bege was slightly surprised and began examining Daz again.
After a moment, Bege said, “In that case, I can speed up my takeover of the West Blue underworld.”
His earlier comment had only been a test.
He knew that someone valued by Gadile Yuri, the Railgun with a bounty of one hundred and thirty million Berries, couldn’t possibly be ordinary.
But he never expected Daz to be a Devil Fruit user as well.
Devil Fruits were treasures of the sea.
Forget the West Blue.
Even on the Grand Line, they were extremely rare.
Yet among the four people in this hall, three were Devil Fruit users.
Who knew what Bege would think if he learned that Robin was also a Devil Fruit user?
With Daz’s assistance, Bege’s expansion throughout the underworld truly accelerated.
It wasn’t long before the Capone Family launched attacks against the other two great underworld families.
With the combined strength of Daz and Bege, the two families were forced into retreat again and again.
Meanwhile, under the protection and concealment provided by the Capone Family, Yuri finally began training to awaken Armament Haki.