The bustling streets overflowed with life.
Crowds surged, voices clamored, the city pulsed with energy.
Three young men in short-sleeved shirts, each with brightly dyed hair of a different color, fixed their greedy gazes ahead.
Their eyes locked onto a boy only a few years old, clutching over a million Berries in his arms.
"Do we make a move?" one whispered.
"Not yet," another muttered.
"Too many people here. If we act recklessly, the Marines might notice."
"For now, let the brat carry the money for us."
The three followed the boy closely, their eyes burning with desire.
But then—
The boy vanished.
No trace.
No sound.
Not even a footprint.
"What?!"
"Where'd he go?!"
"He was right here!"
Panic spread across the trio's faces. They darted from their hiding spot, searching frantically at the spot he disappeared.
"Damn it!" the blue-haired one cursed, his expression ugly.
"That brat slipped away in the crowd?!"
Suddenly—
A calm voice whispered right behind him:
"Were you… looking for me?"
The atmosphere froze.
All three stiffened, fear crawling up their spines. Slowly, with stiff necks, they turned.
There he was.
The boy they'd been tailing stood quietly behind them, smiling playfully, his eyes sharp.
Unnoticed, he had appeared out of thin air.
Of course—
This was Kai, using Soru, one of the Rokushiki.
"When did he—?!"
The blue-haired thug's pupils contracted. His face darkened with suspicion.
"This kid's not normal," one of his partners muttered, inching closer.
But greed quickly swallowed fear.
"Bah, what's there to be afraid of? We've always lived with our heads tied to our belts anyway. A fat sheep like this? We can't let him go!"
"Over a million Berries! If we snatch him, we can even ransom his family for more. We'll be rich for life!"
The others' eyes gleamed as they nodded.
They stared at Kai as if they could already see themselves swimming in gold.
"Brat," the blue-haired one sneered, "not running just now was the worst mistake of your life."
Kai tilted his head, smiling faintly.
"I'm curious… why did all the other shady eyes around me vanish the moment you three appeared?"
The blue-haired thug chuckled darkly.
"Heh, sharp little brat."
"Why? Because we have a boss backing us up! In Loguetown's underworld, no one dares touch our prey once we've marked it."
"Once you became our target, no one else would dare move against you."
"Your boss?" Kai's smile deepened.
"Then I'd like to meet him. Think you can introduce us?"
The thug blinked, then laughed mockingly.
"You want to meet our boss? Kid, you must be insane. Do you even know who he is? He's the king of Loguetown's underworld!"
He hesitated for a moment, then smirked cruelly.
"Well… since you're so eager to die, I'll grant your wish. Come, I'll take you to him."
"Much obliged," Kai replied casually, his expression utterly calm.
The four set out.
The blue-haired thug led the way, while Kai walked in the middle. The other two stuck close behind, sealing off any escape routes.
They thought the boy had no chance of running.
But they were wrong.
From the very start, Kai had no intention of escaping.
He wanted to meet this so-called underworld king.
He wanted to see what kind of fool dared set sights on him.
His smile grew faintly playful.
Soon, after walking three or four kilometers southeast, they left the bustling streets far behind.
The land grew desolate—
Barren hills, silent fields, no soul in sight.
A chilling stillness hung over the place.
The blue-haired thug turned with a grin:
"Scared now, brat? Too late to run."
"You wanted to meet our boss? Fine. Don't piss yourself when you see him."
"Our boss is a famed pirate on these seas!"
He stopped in front of a massive tavern.
Inside, raucous noise spilled out—shouts, drunken laughter, clinking glasses. Colorful lights flickered wildly within.
Creak—
The door opened.
The blue-haired thug gestured mockingly at Kai.
"Go on in, brat."
Without hesitation, Kai stepped inside.
The moment he entered—
The tavern fell silent.
All the rowdy noise cut off, replaced by suffocating stillness.
Bang!
The doors slammed shut behind him, the thugs sealing the exit.
Flickering lights painted the smoky room in garish colors.
"Look closely, brat," the blue-haired thug sneered.
"The man in the admiral's coat up there is our boss."
Kai looked.
On a sofa, dressed flamboyantly in a white captain's coat, sat a man with a smug air.
His build was ordinary—neither tall nor short, neither fat nor thin.
His forehead bore a skull-and-crossbones motif.
But what stood out most—
Was his big, round, bulbous red nose.
An aura of menace that should have been imposing… collapsed instantly into absurdity with that comical feature.
"Eh…?"
Kai blinked, momentarily stunned.
Then his lips curled into a playful grin, eyes glinting with amusement.
"So it's you…"
"I wondered who was behind all this."
"I didn't expect—"
"The one pulling the strings would be you, Buggy the Clown!"
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