Right now, his other Phantom form — the Great Demon Lord of Fear — was still stationed in District 69, keeping the Marines there under control.
Of course, even if he agreed to help, it was all just an act. His real goal was simply to make all these factions obediently hand over their fruits.
He feared no one, but trying to wipe out so many powerful groups all at once would still be quite troublesome and exhausting.
The best strategy was to let them wear each other down first, while he sat back and waited to reap all the benefits.
"If you wish to invite me into your ranks, first offer up one fruit as a sign of your sincerity!"
Vladimir crossed his arms and grinned down at everyone.
What shamelessness!
Many cursed inwardly — this was nothing more than demanding payment right on the spot!
...
Completely shameless!
Every person present thought the same thing in their hearts.
He was jacking up the price on the spot — merely showing a tiny hint of willingness to cooperate was enough to make everyone rush to hand over their Devil Fruits.
None of them were fools; it didn't take long to realize what was happening. Yet even knowing it was a trap, they still had no choice but to step right into it.
"King of Heroes, we are willing to offer one fruit as a token of our goodwill!" someone called out loudly.
"And as for our alliance — if you help us seize the blueprint, we shall reward you with thirty fruits immediately once it is ours!"
Hearing this, Rei frowned and turned to look at the speaker.
He was also a king of his own nation, though his country was not affiliated with the World Government.
Two small white wings sprouted from his back, looking almost like decorative ornaments.
"The King of Sky Island?" she whispered to herself, then raised her voice toward Vladimir.
"Honorable King of Heroes, our Delgado Clan may not have as many fruits, but we still offer twenty in exchange for your alliance!"
"Rei, let it go," the giant beneath her spoke in a low voice. "This man only pretends to listen — his only real goal is collecting fruits. He will never truly ally with anyone."
"You don't understand!" Rei gritted her teeth. "It's no longer about whether he joins us or not — it's about making sure he doesn't join anyone else!"
Even if they couldn't win him over, they couldn't afford to let him fight on another faction's side.
Looking back, she realized she had acted too rashly. She should have spoken to him in private first — that way, things would never have escalated to this point.
But the real reason everyone backed down was simple: his strength was just too terrifying.
Even now, no seawater had flowed into the deep chasm before them — as if the laws of gravity themselves had stopped working, or some immense power was actively bending reality itself.
The giant standing beside her still couldn't quite grasp the situation, but just then, a pirate captain suddenly spoke up:
"King of Heroes! We of the Toronto Pirates wish to offer you three fruits! And we know full well we are not worthy of standing beside you — so consider this simply a gift, in the hope that we will never cross paths as enemies on this island!"
With that, he took a small chest from one of his officers and tossed it straight toward Vladimir.
Vladimir caught it effortlessly, opened the lid, and was slightly surprised.
They really had given him three whole fruits!
The other factions stared in shock, then immediately cursed inwardly.
"Damn him… that's such a clever trick!"
"Is this just a gesture of friendship? He's smart — knowing he can't get an alliance, he gives tribute instead, so this King of Heroes will have no reason to attack him later!"
"Captain, should we do the same?"
After a few quiet exchanges, more people quickly caught on.
"King of Heroes! We offer one fruit — not to ask for your alliance, but merely as a greeting. May we have the honor of working together in the future!"
Another captain called out, threw a single fruit, then turned and led his crew away without the slightest hesitation.
Following their example, most of the smaller and medium-sized groups also stepped forward to offer a fruit as a peace offering.
In just a few moments, nine out of ten of the four thousand people had left, leaving only about three or four hundred remaining.
And Vladimir had just received eight more fruits!
"Hahaha… it truly is so easy to gain what you want without even lifting a finger," he thought to himself with amusement — though he also felt a little reluctant.
Now that they had all given him their fruits so willingly, it felt almost rude to just turn around and rob them anyway.
Originally, his plan had been to make them bid higher and higher against each other, then step in and take everything once they were weakened.
"But no matter — there are still at least six or seven hundred fruits scattered across this island. If I don't take these, I can just go take them from everyone else!"
With the new eight added to the eleven he already had, his total now stood at nineteen — more than enough to advance to Four-Star rank.
He raised his eyes to look at the only four groups left before him: the Delgado Clan, the Marines, the King of Destruction, and the King from Sky Island.
Meeting his gaze, the Sky Island King shook his head helplessly.
"Since the King of Heroes has no intention of allying with us… then please accept this small gift. If fate permits, you are always welcome to visit our island."
Three more fruits!
Rei sighed softly. "King of Heroes, you truly leave us no choice. Even if we cannot reach an agreement, our clan has no wish to become your enemy. Take these — and farewell."
The giant beside her handed over one fruit with great reluctance, but Rei glared at him and added two more herself.
Another three fruits!
After them, the King of Destruction also gave up three fruits, though very grudgingly.
Having already exchanged harsh words with Vladimir earlier, he knew refusing would only lead to an immediate fight.
"Let us go!"
As soon as the King of Destruction and his people left, only one group remained before Vladimir — the Marines.
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