As the final stroke was completed, blood splattered on the ground, slowly seeping into the soil.
Gū lū…
Everyone stared blankly at the blood-written characters on the water barrel, involuntarily swallowing their saliva. For a moment, no one dared to speak or make any move.
After a while, someone dared to run to the edge of the water barrel, looked at the gruesomely deceased Captain Rocchia of the Gale Pirate Crew at the bottom of the water, and hesitated, “Do we really… go and claim the bounty delivered here?”
Everyone exchanged glances, still showing traces of fear on their faces.
“What if not?” Someone softly said, “If we don’t follow the orders of that spirit, we might end up like the pirates lying on the ground, right?”
He pointed to the pile of pirate corpses on the ground as everyone shivered simultaneously.
Finally, the surviving residents restrained their fears. After a brief discussion, they immediately took action, gathering the bodies of the pirates together.
On a dim moonlight night and on a solemn street.
Silhouettes moved, men pushed carts together, transporting corpses, while women brought clean water, washing the streets. Everyone worked silently.
In the middle of the street, the people walking back and forth continually passed by a pitch-black humanoid armor without noticing.
The eye area of the face mask of ‘B.I.B.’ emitted a faint white light, silently watching these people busy.
When the work was almost done, the sky was gradually lightening.
The old town mayor, still in his sleepwear, pointed to about ten young and strong individuals, instructing them to escort this pile of pirate corpses to the Marine branch base and exchange them for bounty rewards.
Rumors about this thrilling night of slaughter spread uncontrollably across the island.
When ‘B.I.B.’ felt the time was right, it floated away, returning to its residence on the edge of the city. Like a ghost passing through walls, it reached the bedroom where the main body was located.
It extended its left hand with blue flame patterns and plucked the chip of the Flower-Flower Fruit (Hana Hana no Mi) from the sleeping body on the bed. It transformed itself into a black energy, flowing back into the main body.
Liam felt as if he had sleep paralysis, with aching pains all over his body and recurring nightmares. Soon, he furrowed his brows and woke up covered in cold sweat.
“Stop bothering your old man!” He cursed, sitting up, rubbing his forehead, and organizing the Stand memories flooding into his mind.
…
Liam finished the floral milk tea in one gulp, exhaling contentedly.
After recovering Stand in the early morning, the experiences of last night fused with him, as if he had personally done everything.
The screams of those pirates… the sensation of Stand’s palm mashing their brains…
“Strange, I don’t feel much discomfort!”
Liam squeezed his palm as he muttered to himself. He looked at the pitch-black ‘Iron Man’ standing nearby, contemplating, “Is it because you unleashed the devil in my heart, or— is it just my nature?”
‘B.I.B.’ also gazed at the main body, seemingly grinning.
Wait, it didn’t even have a mouth in the face mask—how could it grin? Liam realized he was the one smiling.
“Liam, are you okay?” Robin, tidying up the tableware, noticed Liam smiling at thin air, looking terrifying, startling her.
Liam stood up, “I’m fine, perfectly fine!”
He stretched lazily, preparing for the morning exercise.
“Oh, by the way, Robin,” Liam said without looking back, “I have a feeling that my stay on this island might not be long.”
In the recovered Stand memories, the dying words of Captain Rocchia of the Gale Pirate Crew mentioned “gunpowder.” Could it mean that he was deceived by the criminal organization on this island?
Robin was slightly startled and whispered, “Oh, I see.”
Just now, she wanted to ask if they would leave the island together if he decided to depart.
“Bo lū bo lū!” The green Den Den Mushi agilely climbed down from the table, energetically chasing after the pitch-black battle armor to Liam’s training yard.
…
At the Marine branch base, the Marines stared in disbelief at the scene unfolding before them.
Led by the old town mayor, a group of young men pushed a cart piled with corpses and stopped at the base entrance, the strong scent of blood nearly knocking the Marines off their feet.
“Is it the Gale Pirate Crew?!”
“How is that possible? How could Rocchia be… Ah, it’s Rocchia! He really got killed!!”
“That’s the formidable pirate with a bounty of 17 million Belly…”
Marines, especially the recruits with shorter service time, couldn’t help but murmur among themselves.
The old town mayor negotiated with the Marine officer at the base, saying in a deep voice, “The bounty order states ‘dead or alive,’ right? Well then, after verifying the pirate bodies, please fulfill the entire bounty…”
“Ah, yes!” The lieutenant at the base snapped back to reality, loudly commanding, “Quickly bring the bounty orders for the Gale Pirate Crew, verify the identities of these bodies!”
“Yes, sir!” The Marines stood at attention and started acting.
In no time, the Marines brought over a thick-bound volume of bounty orders. One by one, they moved the bodies pushed by the young men and cross-referenced them with the bounty order photos.
“Gale Pirate Crew, Rocchia, verified, bounty: 17 million Belly!”
“Gale Pirate Crew, Matt, verified, bounty: 9.1 million Belly!”
“Gale Pirate Crew, Noxia, verified, bounty: 7.2 million Belly!”
“Gale Pirate Crew…”
One by one, the bodies of the once fierce and pirates were checked. The hands of the Marines trembled, unsure if they were happy or shocked.
The lieutenant at the base, perplexed, asked the old town mayor, “May I ask how you managed to deal with them? Forgive me for being straightforward, but I don’t think the people of your town have the strength to wipe out the notorious Gale Pirate Crew…”
Some of the young men looked uneasy, seemingly recalling unpleasant memories. “Yeah, if it wasn’t for…”
“Shut up!” The old town mayor’s face darkened, and he sprayed the Marine lieutenant with no reservations. “Do I have an obligation to answer you? In any case, these pirates were killed by the people of our town. Log it however you like! If you must have a reason, write that they were beaten to death by the people of our town, or that these pirates, who usually committed atrocities, suddenly dropped dead when attacking our town, lying dead in the streets… In any case, the bodies are yours, the bounty is ours!”
“Old man…” The lieutenant wiped his face, silently cursing, but he didn’t want to argue with such an old man. “Rest assured! There are plenty of pirate hunters who won’t disclose the details of their battles while claiming the leader’s corpse for the bounty… Since the bodies of the Gale Pirate Crew are here, the bounty will definitely be paid!”
You better fulfill it! The old town mayor cursed inwardly. If the Marines dared to renege on the payment, he would lead the entire village to squat at the Marine base. They wouldn’t dare to return empty-handed!
Who knows what kind of things that so-called pirate king’s spirit might do if it doesn’t see the money?
…
In the afternoon, on the South Chicago Island, in a house near the palace.
Dim sunlight poured through the windows, casting the faces of the people in the room in a half-light, half-shadow.
A burly man in a black suit, draped in a black coat, held a cigar, exhaled a puff of blue smoke, and smirked, “Since that so-called pirate king’s spirit is still on this island, it means that the Devil Child is still here!”
(End of this chapter)
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