Chapter 301: The Jade Doll
Whiskey Peak had been unusually lively over the past few days.
All because of Axel.
Most of the bounty hunters living there had enough self-awareness to understand the difference between themselves and someone carrying a four-hundred-million-Berry bounty.
But not everyone was sensible.
Some were greedy.
Some were reckless.
Others were cunning enough to believe they could profit from the chaos without personally taking the risk.
With so many different people gathered in one place and Axel at the center of their attention, conflict was inevitable.
Fortunately, Axel had never been particularly patient with troublemakers.
After several bloody lessons, the situation surrounding him gradually calmed down.
But that peace existed only because of overwhelming force.
The bounty hunters of Whiskey Peak were like wild beasts restrained by chains. Their movements could be limited, but their nature could not be changed.
The incidents surrounding Axel had stirred up old grudges, new ambitions, and opportunistic schemes throughout the town.
As a result, Whiskey Peak had become even more chaotic than usual.
And Cactus Rock Cemetery would soon gain several new tombstones.
Around this time, two newcomers approached the town.
The first was a man dressed in brightly striped clothing, with his hair shaped into the number three.
A young girl with twin braids followed beside him.
Their destination was Whiskey Peak.
The man looked around with obvious disdain.
"What a miserable little backwater."
He sighed dramatically.
"To think I have to waste my precious vacation coming all the way out here."
His name was Mr. 3.
He clearly wanted to project the image of a sophisticated gentleman. Even his glasses seemed chosen to reinforce that impression.
Unfortunately, the rest of his appearance worked against him.
Miss Goldenweek walked beside him and gave a small nod.
She was not particularly pleased about the trip either.
Coming here had interrupted her own plans, and Whiskey Peak hardly seemed like a suitable place to relax or work on her art.
Still, she remained practical.
"Mr. 3, this is a mission from the Boss."
"Whether we like it or not, we had to come."
She looked toward the town ahead.
"Besides, the person we're meeting has a bounty of four hundred million Berries."
"I think being cautious would be wise."
Mr. 3 sighed again.
If the target had been any ordinary pirate with a bounty that high, he would never have agreed to approach them personally.
But the information supplied by the Boss had given him enough confidence to make the trip.
He showed no obvious nervousness.
Instead, he lamented,
"If my brilliant artistic mind doesn't receive sufficient rest, who knows what irreparable damage might be done to it?"
Miss Goldenweek shook her head.
She did not bother answering.
Their arrival did not go unnoticed.
Whiskey Peak was filled with bounty hunters.
Pirates sometimes came seeking revenge.
Bounty hunters occasionally returned to settle old blood feuds.
Because of that, everyone living here was unusually sensitive to unfamiliar faces.
Several men quickly compared the newcomers against the latest bounty posters.
After confirming neither appeared among the wanted criminals, one stepped forward.
"Who are you?"
Mr. 3 adjusted his glasses.
"My, my."
"I try so hard to keep a low profile, and yet the current members of the organization don't even recognize me."
He shook his head.
"Standards really are declining."
Miss Goldenweek glanced at his hair.
"That number three on your head isn't exactly subtle."
Mr. 3 touched the curl proudly.
"Well, Miss Goldenweek, that is hardly my fault."
"It's a gift from nature."
He sighed.
"Though personally, I think the number two would suit me much better."
Mr. 3 straightened slightly.
"Once this mission is completed, I expect the Boss will finally recognize my value and consider switching my position with Mr. 2."
Miss Goldenweek merely shook her head again.
She had no intention of ruining his fantasy.
Their casual conversation, conducted as though the surrounding bounty hunters did not exist, quickly irritated some of the men nearby.
One particularly hot-tempered bounty hunter lost patience.
He raised his gun.
Bang!
The bullet flew toward Mr. 3.
Before it could reach him, a pale wall rose from the ground.
The bullet struck it with a sharp crack.
It barely penetrated.
Nearly two-thirds of the bullet remained visible outside the hardened surface.
Mr. 3 smiled.
Confidence immediately returned to his expression.
"The wax created by my Wax-Wax Fruit becomes harder than steel."
The surrounding bounty hunters stiffened.
A Devil Fruit.
And not just any user.
Someone quickly recognized him.
"Mr. 3..."
"A Senior Agent of Baroque Works!"
The man who had fired paled and immediately turned to run.
Too late.
A mass of wax shot forward.
It wrapped around his body before he could escape, binding his arms and legs completely.
The hardened wax climbed higher.
His struggles weakened.
Before long, he stopped moving entirely, suffocated inside the prison.
The entire exchange had been quick and merciless.
A strange Devil Fruit ability.
Decisive killing.
Absolute confidence.
Those traits were exactly what most ordinary members associated with Baroque Works' Senior Agents.
No one questioned Mr. 3's identity after that.
The bounty hunters immediately stepped aside and allowed him and Miss Goldenweek to enter Whiskey Peak.
Several even volunteered to guide them.
Their destination was Axel's temporary residence.
Before they had even reached the house, a voice came from ahead.
"Come in."
Mr. 3 stopped walking.
Miss Goldenweek did the same.
The two exchanged a glance.
They were still around thirty meters away.
The voice had not been loud.
Yet both of them heard it with perfect clarity, as though the speaker had been standing right beside them.
That was what made it unsettling.
Miss Goldenweek recovered quickly.
Her temperament had always been unusually calm.
Mr. 3 needed a little more effort.
It's only a voice.
At worst, some strange ability.
The Boss's intelligence already confirmed the most important part.
He silently repeated that thought to himself.
His confidence gradually returned.
Otherwise, he never would have volunteered to approach a criminal with a bounty this high.
Even Crocodile's frozen bounty was only eighty-one million Berries.
Of course, Mr. 3 knew perfectly well that the number no longer reflected his Boss's true strength.
But Axel's bounty was not merely one or two hundred million.
It was four hundred million.
That alone showed just how seriously Marine Headquarters and the World Government regarded him.
Fortunately, this was not an assassination mission.
Mr. 3 was here to extend an invitation.
The two continued toward the house.
As they advanced, the bounty hunters who had been guiding them gradually slowed.
One by one, they fell behind.
Mr. 3 noticed.
He could not tell whether they were frightened or simply unwilling to get any closer.
Either way, the atmosphere surrounding the small house had become strangely oppressive.
Quiet.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
Soon, Mr. 3 and Miss Goldenweek stood directly outside.
Neither moved.
For several seconds, neither of them seemed particularly eager to open the door.
It felt less like entering a house and more like prisoners deciding who should step onto the execution platform first.
Eventually, without a word being spoken, an agreement was reached.
Mr. 3 would go first.
He swallowed.
Then, perhaps to disguise his unease, he raised one leg and kicked toward the door.
His foot passed straight through empty air.
Mr. 3 nearly lost his balance.
He stared.
There was no door.
What he had mistaken for one was merely a painted piece of cloth hanging across the entrance.
Their nervousness had prevented either of them from noticing.
A voice came from inside.
"What an unusual way to enter someone's room."
Mr. 3 coughed several times and straightened his clothes, pretending nothing embarrassing had happened.
Then he looked toward the speaker.
A white-haired youth sat quietly on the edge of the bed.
His body was slender.
His complexion was unnaturally pale.
At first glance, he looked less like a dangerous criminal and more like a delicate jade doll, beautiful and fragile enough to shatter from the slightest hardship.
That was Axel.
....
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