"W-wait, you can hit Celestial Dragons here, but you can't kill them." The squid fish-man forced his voice to stay steady.
"Trash, you got a death wish talking to Lord Ninz like that?" Capone Bege barked, whipping a short pistol from his waistband and leveling it at the squid fish-man.
Gulp. The squid's tentacles flailed in a panic, signaling he meant no offense to Charlotte Ninz.
"Yoh hoh hoh. Bege, don't get so worked up. We're here to take a tour, not pick a fight." Ninz's smile was cold. He said one thing, but the mad gleam in his eyes said quite another.
"Still, a little lesson is in order. Some gutter rats don't know their place. Don't even check what they are before mouthing off to me." His tone flipped, gaze turning icy as it settled on the squid fish-man.
"Fish-men really are a garbage race. With looks like that, no wonder you're barred from the Reverie." Ninz snorted and slapped the squid fish-man flat to the ground.
"You're Big Mom's son, right? Get us out of here and I'll give you anything you want. Money, power, women." The Celestial Dragon who had been screeching earlier suddenly switched tack, beady eyes burning with the need to live. He was the first to openly scoff at Lord Liu Yun on Fish-Man Island.
"Yoh hoh hoh. Telling me jokes now? I admit, that one was pretty good. Made me laugh." Ninz's grin didn't reach his eyes. He glanced up and noticed the signboard a short distance away.
Beat a Celestial Dragon at will. One slap, 100,000 Beli. One kick, 500,000 Beli.
The calligraphy flowed like dragons and phoenixes, but it was clear enough. A few lovely mermaids manned the cashier's table. Thanks to Headsman Ninz's arrival, the line had vanished.
"Do I look short on cash to you? Don't make me laugh. Today I'll show you just how rich I am, I'll beat you to death with money." Ninz leaned close to the noble's ear, whispering. Then he straightened and said to the man beside him, "Bege, put down ten million Beli up front. I want this idiot to understand that I, Lord Ninz, am not broke. Yoh hoh hoh."
Bege produced a black combination case from behind him and tossed it onto the counter. "Don't bother counting. Ten million. If anything, it's more."
Ninz turned back to the Celestial Dragon, smiling. The noble's whole body shook.
"Yoh hoh hoh, let's do some math. Ten million buys how many slaps and how many kicks? Try to hold out. If I accidentally kill you too fast, they'll make me pay damages."
He raised a slender hand.
Smack. A crisp crack. Blood beaded at the Celestial Dragon's mouth.
"Yoh hoh hoh. So your faces are made of plain meat after all. I thought you might be bulletproof."
Smack. Another crack. The man's face swelled like a steamed bun, squeezing his eyes to slits. He mumbled through puffed lips, "Lo ow I'll ill ou."
Ninz ignored the threat and hit harder. "I'd like to see how you plan to kill me. With those tiny eyes? Yoh hoh hoh. Or maybe you'll gross me to death with your flab?"
He kicked, disgust twisting his face. Crack. The noble's squeal was hog-slayer ugly. Ribs, for sure.
"Yoh hoh hoh. Pathetic. A few slaps and you're already like this." Ninz flicked his wrist, took two steps, and started in on another Celestial Dragon.
Smack.
Blood sprayed. Screams overlapped. Teeth clattered to the ground. Around them, people looked away. This wasn't venting anger anymore. This was torture.
"Now that's a rush. Way more fun than taking a head." Ninz was giddy.
"Bege, top me up another twenty million. I want to play. Can you imagine those high-and-mighty lords bawling and begging in your hands? You should try it. Yoh hoh hoh."
Splashes of blood dotted the greasepaint on his face. He didn't care. If anything, the sight sent him deeper into a frenzy.
"Another thirty million. No, fifty million. Thirty isn't enough. I've got so many tricks I haven't used yet. I want to savor this. It's too much fun. This Liu Yun fellow, I'll admit, he's a genius." Ninz ranted, completely lost to the high, babbling like a lunatic.
"Lord Ninz, we're out of money," Capone Bege said with a pained look.
Ninz's head snapped around. "We brought three hundred million Beli. How are we out?"
Bege lifted his hands, helpless, and nodded toward the cashier's table. It was piled high with green stacks that made onlookers' eyes ache.
"Sir, you've been at it almost an hour. The three hundred million is gone," he said, cheeks burning.
Ninz's face darkened. "Quit kidding me. I'm just getting warmed up. You saying I should stop?"
The chill in his voice carried a thread of killing intent. Bege shivered.
"Hmph. Money or not, I'm not done. I'll stop when I'm satisfied." Ninz sneered and turned back toward the penned nobles.
"Stop. Lord Liu Yun's rules are clear. Pay first, then hit. Small business. No tabs," the catfish fish-man burst from a corner, voice hard.
He was terrified, but he said it anyway. King Neptune had decreed that everything Lord Liu Yun commanded must be followed to the letter. If they angered him, Fish-Man Island would face a sky-falling calamity.
Ninz's face twisted, gore-smeared and grinning, somehow even more terrifying. "Filthy bottom-feeder, sounds like you're tired of living."
He lunged. One punch dropped the catfish fish-man where he stood.
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