Leaving the house that had been cut in half by Kokushibo, Zoro walked through the small town.
This island was too close to that chaotic sea, so it was very poor. Those who could afford it had already fled, leaving mostly the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled who were inconvenient to move. Very few young people would choose to stay in such a place.
While it looked like two different worlds from the chaotic sea, the distance was still too close. The disturbances in the chaotic sea would sometimes affect this place, so the island's climate was unpredictable. How could ordinary people live here?
This led to fewer and fewer people on this small island, and external forces noticed its secrecy and moved in. The lower-rank demon who Zoro had just interrogated was someone who had come here to be a local overlord.
Although his main purpose was to find Kokushibo, as a bounty hunter, he also had to take on missions to survive.
Whether it was a Marine base or The Black Order base, as long as it was related to the World Government, a bounty hunter zone would be set up in the public hall. This was a move by the World Government in recent years to utilize neutral personnel who were neither World Government nor pirates.
The bounty hunter zone didn't just have missions to hunt pirates. It was all-encompassing, from assassinating Four Emperors and great demons to helping people find cats and feed dogs. Even those who weren't professional bounty hunters would go to the bounty hunter zone to find something to do if they were short on money.
And after years of development by the World Government, the bounty hunter community had indeed seen some progress, even producing some very powerful top-tier individuals. Currently, the strongest bounty hunter was a swordsman named Issho, who was also Zoro's target.
It had to be said that in the current situation, the World Government was quite capable. Their rule, which had been precarious after Kaido's attack, had gradually stabilized under their management, and various projects were proceeding successfully, which was very different from the original story.
It could only be said that the World Government in the original story was too arrogant. The Celestial Dragons didn't feel much threat, so they were too lazy to carry out drastic reforms.
After experiencing the attacks by the Nine-Tails and Kaido, the Celestial Dragons were severely weakened and could only try to support factions to deal with their enemies and maintain various internal balances.
Bounty hunters were also one of their attempts. Currently, the World Government was actively trying to recruit Issho, preparing to bring the equally large group of bounty hunters under their control.
However, Zoro didn't know what the World Government was thinking. But he was indeed very grateful for their policy, which made things so much more convenient for him, and he earned a lot of money.
For example, this time, Zoro had taken on a mission to escort a bridge expert, which led him to this town. It was here that he encountered information about demons and learned that the legendary swordsman "Kokushibo" from the East Blue had also become a demon over the years.
But whether he was a demon or not, as long as he was a powerful swordsman, he was Zoro's target!
Zoro walked on, feeling a bit bored. At this moment, he heard the sound of rapid footsteps behind him.
"Roronoa Zoro, you don't have much time left."
Behind him, a bald man in a black suit said with a fierce expression, "I know you're strong, but our boss does business with the Marines. If you continue to oppose us, we'll have to call the police and have the Marines arrest you!"
Zoro turned his head and saw him and the dozens of muscular men behind him. In such a barren country, having so many strong men was not normal. The combined strength of all the young and able-bodied people on this island might only be a few dozen, and it would be impossible to be as strong as them.
"You guys are really annoying. Go tell that Gato that I've taken a liking to this place. If he has any objections, he can go find the Marines to see me." Zoro sounded impatient. He was already unhappy that he hadn't fought with Kokushibo, and now he was being bothered by these people buzzing in his ear, making him naturally impatient.
"I know you're strong, but no matter how strong you are, you can't possibly fight against dozens of us, right?" The bald man felt a little less confident seeing Zoro's attitude, but when he thought of the dozens of people behind him, especially the one specially sent by their boss, he straightened his chest again.
"I'll do it."
At this moment, someone walked out from behind him. He didn't look particularly fierce; instead, he was relatively thin, with glasses under his slicked-back black hair.
"Huh? Who are you?" Zoro said, but his hand was already on the hilt of his sword.
However, the man with slicked-back hair didn't make a move. He simply said casually, "Roronoa Zoro, I know you're strong, but no matter how strong you are, you can't possibly look after all the residents of this island, can you? Although I don't know who commissioned you, we can kill all the people on this island."
He pushed his glasses up with the back of his hand instead of his finger. The sunlight glinted off his glasses as he spoke menacingly in a calm tone, "This is an area the Marines can't easily reach. Even if we kill them all, no one will notice. They're just a bunch of useless people abandoned here to die. Do you really need to make an enemy of us for them?"
Then he changed his tone, speaking in a seductive manner, "Aren't you bounty hunters in it for the money? Gato has plenty of money. How much do you want? Ten million? Twenty million? Fifty million? A hundred million! Money is just a number to Gato. He can give you far more than these poor wretches."
"I have to admit, you make a lot of sense," Zoro said, as if he suddenly understood. "As long as I leave here, Gato will give me money? Even a hundred million Berry?"
"Of course, and if you join Gato's group, you'll get even more." The man with glasses and slicked-back hair smiled, as if he had already foreseen success, but Zoro's next words sent him plunging into an ice cellar.
"But, I refuse!"
Zoro immediately drew his sword and pointed it at the man, saying, "I'm sorry, but my master told me that when an enemy might cause harm to others because of me, then that risk must be completely eliminated. If disaster befalls others because of oneself, then that person can never become a strong swordsman."
"One Sword Style: Instantaneous Drawing - Lion Strike!"
In an instant, Zoro's body disappeared. When he reappeared, he was already behind these dozens of people.
"You won't have to wait long. You'll meet that Gato soon."
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