The carriage jolted, traversing the streets and arriving at another district in the city of City.
Compared to before, the streets here were noticeably cleaner, and the pedestrians were dressed in more refined and beautiful attire. As they walked, their demeanor exuded politeness and grace.
A standalone mansion stood not far ahead – the residence of Hogback.
Further in the distance, there was a broad staircase leading to a majestic palace – the royal palace of the City.
Inside the carriage, Liam muttered to himself, “In the world of pirate kings, it seems that palaces of all nations are built at elevated points… even the secluded Wano Country is no exception.”
…
“What on earth is he?!”
“It’s a Cursed Spirit! The Cursed Spirit has followed us back!!”
Within the Gunpowder Gang, gang members exclaimed in shock as cigars floated in the air, emitting wisps of blue smoke with sporadic red sparks.
“It’s cursed!” The Old Boss, angered by having his cigar snatched, grabbed an ashtray and hurled it, but it missed. The floating cigar was not in the presence of an invisible person, as he had assumed.
Absolutely… no one.
The cigar continued to float, and subsequently, sketches of Liam, Robin’s Bounty notice, and a pile of business documents inexplicably levitated from the table.
The Old Boss kicked the table, attempting to strike the cigar and documents. However, they skillfully evaded, leaving the Old Boss kicking at thin air. He fell to the ground, and as he looked back, the lit end of the cigar was now resting on the edge of those papers, setting them ablaze.
Sparks surged, flames spread, and soon a blazing inferno enveloped the room.
Even though they knew this was likely a Devil Fruit ability and not a genuine vengeful spirit, a chilling sense of unease crawled up the Old Boss’s spine.
Damn, how do you fight against an enemy like this!?
Several gang members, already desensitized to gruesome scenes, abandoned the corpses. Whoever wanted to contact the undertaker to collect the bodies could go ahead, as they just wanted to slip away for now!
They hadn’t taken a few steps when a sudden, sharp pain shot through their shoulders.
“Aaaahhhhhh!!”
It felt as if an icy hand reached into their shoulders, forcefully tearing apart their flesh, grabbing onto their bones, and mercilessly squeezing.
This kind of pain could only be expressed through piercing screams.
“Ah, no, don’t come near us!”
Inside the room, cries of agony echoed.
On the street outside, passersby heard the commotion emanating from the building. However, the residents in the vicinity, more or less, understood what kind of place this was.
Although everyone was accustomed to the dealings of criminal organizations, it was best to avoid unnecessary involvement.
Inside the room, sheet after sheet of paper, whether sketch paper, Bounty notices, transaction records, or various ledgers, were invisibly lifted from the individuals and thrown into the bonfire on the floor. The flames roared louder.
“My… my Belly…”
Members of the criminal organization, their faces covered in blood, lay in pools of blood, pain etched across their faces as they watched the invisible hands snatch the money from their pockets.
Piles of Belly were discovered, and a few gang members, with their arms under the control of the invisible Cursed Spirits, helplessly watched their money fly toward the bonfire. After a moment of hesitation, they ultimately threw their money into the flames.
Even a Bounty notice hidden in a drawer compartment was unearthed.
It was a yellowed Bounty notice, evidently quite old.
The photo depicted a beautiful woman with long, pink, wavy hair, looking sideways with a large smile, exuding a charm filled with eerie allure.
Death or alive!
Bounty: 1,400,000,000 Beli!
Named – Charlotte Linlin!
Several onlookers shivered as they recognized the notorious Bounty notice of one of the ferocious Emperors of the sea, Big Mom, in her younger days.
Could it be that, during the times the Old Boss smoked cigars in the room, he also occasionally took out Big Mom’s youthful Bounty notice to admire it?!
That’s just way too intriguing!
Charlotte Linlin’s Bounty notice fluttered down, slowly descending onto the bonfire.
The branch’s Old Boss, his face covered in blood, wore an expression of reluctance. Despite his agonizing pain, he couldn’t bear to see his cherished Bounty notice turning into ashes. Just as he attempted to rise, the merciless “Cursed Spirit” enforcing the orders reached into his arm, gripping his elbow bone and dislocating it.
“Aaaahhhhhh!!”
‘B.I.B.’ gleamed with white light in its eyes, and the flames at its feet spread and burned, unable to touch it, leaving it unscathed.
It gave each criminal organization member another kick, picked up a wooden stick, dipped it in the blood on the floor, and approached a wall. It removed the hanging scrolls on the wall.
Recalling the instructions it received from the main body before the gunfire erupted in the street, [‘B.I.B.’] remembered Liam’s words: “After taking down these people, follow them… find their lair and give them a ruthless lesson! And if you find any Bounty notices or the like, burn them all! …Finally, hmm… before you come back, write a message on their wall…”
‘…’ ‘B.I.B.’ held the bloodied wooden stick in silence for a moment but didn’t start writing on the wall.
The criminal organization members groaned in pain, rolling in the pool of blood, gazing in horror at the bloodied stick hovering on the wall.
Was there a hidden meaning behind this?
What more did this terrifying Cursed Spirit intend to do?!
As the fire spread, consuming the table legs, the bloodied stick suddenly flew back, striking each terrified criminal organization member on the head. Finally, the stick flew into the blood pool.
The members shuddered, restraining themselves from making any moves.
For a long time, apart from the crackling flames, there was no other sound in the room.
“Is it… is it gone?”
…
After leaving the Gunpowder Gang, ‘B.I.B.’ stood at the door like a ghost, using subtle senses to identify the direction of its main body.
It paid no attention to streets or routes, simply passing through walls.
Naturally, a straight line was the fastest route! ‘B.I.B.,’ being an energy entity, ordinary walls posed no obstacle. It moved through half of the city district like a gust of wind.
Whether it was an elderly person sleeping in a room, noble dining at a table, a girl reading at a desk, children playing ball in the courtyard, or individuals engaging in various activities in the bedroom…
When ‘B.I.B.’ found a luxurious standalone building in the upscale district below the palace, it entered and located its main body waiting in an empty room.
“You, wait…”
Liam, in the midst of a conversation with Robin, sensed something, turned his head, and saw the pitch-black armored figure rushing towards him like a ghost.
‘Stand Blue’ flame’s left hand extracted the Flower-Flower Fruit (Hana Hana no Mi) chip from Liam’s body, placed it in the inverted triangle area on its chest, and immediately flowed into the main body.
“Ah…! Hnng…”
Liam trembled like someone with epilepsy, emitting a soul-stirring moan.
Robin’s face, covered by the “flesh pieces” she used for disguise, transformed into petals that fluttered down, revealing her original appearance. Even with a crew cut, she looked cute.
A question mark slowly appeared above her head.
“Damn, what a rush…”
Liam gritted his teeth, trying to catch his breath.
At this moment, a peculiar sensation spread through his limbs and bones, Stand’s experiences, fatigue, and gains seamlessly merging with him.
Simultaneously, Stand’s memories during its time outside instantly flooded into Liam’s mind.
“Indeed, this way of reporting is much simpler and more straightforward than speaking! You’re quite clever, my boy, truly worthy of me!”
Liam laughed, and black energy flames surged from his body, releasing ‘B.I.B.’ once again.
“However, being illiterate and unable to write is quite embarrassing, so don’t bother coming back to me for that, okay?!” He gritted his teeth, avoiding the perplexed Robin with a buzz cut, lowering his voice in embarrassment, “Can’t you ask those people on the ground?! Don’t you know how to do that?!”
(This chapter is complete)
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