"To think your assassination target would be such an insignificant gang leader,"
Dier tossed over some food, his eyes behind the mask filled with mockery:
"And you even failed. How shameful."
The Castle Giant caught the food, delivered it into his body, then retorted:
"If you hadn't possessed my intel, how could I have possibly failed?"
"Failure is failure. Only the weak make excuses."
Dier sat cross-legged, locking eyes with the Castle Giant:
"Besides, your assassination target was too small. Interested in collaborating for something bigger?"
"With you? A coward who doesn't even dare show his face?"
Bege's expression showed disdain. From his build, this guy was clearly just a kid, yet he had the audacity to talk about collaboration:
"Kid, you're not qualified."
"Bege, I'm the leader here."
Dier removed his mask, revealing delicate, youthful features as he picked up the Den Den Mushi and ordered:
"Gunpowder, pull everyone back 500 meters for perimeter security."
"Roger that!"
Click~
The Den Den Mushi disconnected, soon followed by a loud shout nearby:
"All units, fall back 500 meters for perimeter security!"
Under Boren's leadership, the surrounding gang members began an orderly retreat.
The morning sun blazed mercilessly over the pockmarked earth where the giant and the boy sat facing each other.
Dier raised his head, his gaze fixed on the Castle Giant:
"Now, do you believe me?"
...
Three hours later.
The eight-meter-tall castle shrank into human form.
Bege lit a cigar, grinned, and extended his hand:
"That's one insane idea."
Dier used his grip to pull himself up while whispering temptingly:
"The Celestial Dragons are this world's true masters;
If we're going to assassinate leaders, we might as well aim for the biggest one."
"Not bad. I'm in. Here's to our partnership."
Bege produced two wine glasses from within himself along with a bottle of red wine.
Dier hastily waved his hand:
"Make mine milk. Minors shouldn't drink."
Bege: "..."
Clink~
The wine glass met the milk glass with a crisp sound.
They spoke in unison:
"May we soon topple the Celestial Dragons!"
Robin, who had come running over, froze in place.
What just happened?
Since when were they fighting Celestial Dragons?
She'd seen the castle transform back and came to check, only to hear these treasonous words upon arrival.
"Oh, your people are here."
Noticing Robin's arrival, Bege tactfully retrieved the glasses and turned to leave:
"I'll take my leave. Remember to contact me via Den Den Mushi if needed."
"Right. I'll leave Gunpowder and the others in your care."
Dier waved farewell cheerfully. Once Bege was out of earshot, his smile vanished as he weakly said:
"Quick, hold me up. My legs are jelly."
Robin hurriedly supported him while whispering:
"How did you end up like this again? And what was that about Celestial Dragons?"
Dier put his mask back on and explained muffledly:
"People differ;
Some have few moral boundaries—they're easy to hypnotize. Others have iron wills—they're difficult;
Capone Bege's subconscious holds one unbreakable principle: no one gets to be his boss!"
Not even the future Yonko Big Mom could make him truly submit. Joining her crew was only for the sake of better assassination opportunities.
"I couldn't shake this bottom line, so I changed my approach."
"By portraying the Celestial Dragons as the greatest leaders of the world's largest organization, then igniting his assassination desires to make him interested in overthrowing the World Government."
"And I became his ally in assassinating Celestial Dragons;"
"Until the complete overthrow of the World Government's rule, we would be the most solid allies."
Robin's eyes beneath the mask were complex.
The World Government was the murderer who destroyed Ohara. If possible, she naturally wished to see it completely overthrown.
Yet she also feared the power of the World Government, with the Buster Call being a lingering shadow she couldn't shake off.
Now, hearing Dier talk about overthrowing the Celestial Dragons, her emotions were tangled.
"What are you thinking about? Let's go, time to eat."
Dier whispered urgently in Robin's ear.
Overthrow the World Government?
Let whoever wants to do it take care of it.
He worked hard to improve his strength only to protect himself and Robin, ensuring they could travel the world more smoothly.
Not to fight life-and-death battles against five old monsters.
Calculating the time, the future Sun God would soon be born. At most, they'd have to wait twenty-some years, and the World Government would naturally collapse.
When that time came, he wouldn't mind kicking Im a couple of times to help out.
But to take the lead in the charge?
That was out of the question.
Buru buru buru~
Click~
"Gunpowder, take the men and leave. It's over."
"Understood."
After hanging up, Dier dialed the port manager's Den Den Mushi:
"Kono, how many ships are scheduled to depart this afternoon?"
"Three passenger ships and one cargo ship are expected."
"That's not enough. Find a way to delay some ships scheduled for noon departure to the afternoon."
"We need at least ten ships sailing in the afternoon. If we can't manage that, have subordinates take a trip to the neighboring island."
Click~
The call ended, and Robin immediately grasped Dier's plan:
"Are we leaving?"
"Right, this commotion was too big."
Dier nodded. With gunfire lasting half an hour, even the town's dullest residents would have heard it.
Moreover, to hypnotize Bege, he had removed his mask and shown his face. Some sharp-eyed gang members might have recognized him.
Just in case, it was better for him and Robin to leave first.
"Why not have that Bege take us with him?"
Robin was puzzled. "Didn't you say he could help us leave the West Blue?"
"He could, but we need to keep his identity clean."
"If we hide inside him to go to the next island and coincidentally get discovered there, the World Government would investigate—"
"Ho, this Bege appeared on the same island as the Child of the Devil. Could they be accomplices?"
"Plus, the World Government has a Devil Fruit encyclopedia. The Castle Fruit's abilities probably wouldn't escape their notice."
"Having Bege take us directly out of the West Blue wouldn't work either. An Ability User who can hide people inside him suddenly rushing to leave the West Blue after meeting the Child of the Devil would inevitably raise the World Government's suspicions."
"So, we'll have to escape on our own for a while, completely distancing ourselves from Bege. Only then can we safely leave the West Blue."
Could gang members travel through Mariejois?
Dier wasn't worried about that.
With a World Government-affiliated country's endorsement, even wanted criminals could set foot on Mariejois.
Take Lao Cai from the future Flower Country for example.
The mafia can't compare to pirates—they might not even need endorsement from an affiliated nation, just paying some money to get by.
"Let's go, first we'll eat at a restaurant, then we'll stir up some trouble!"
...
At noon today, a violent incident occurred in the town of Coron Island.
The Child of the Devil and Kali Dier took a restaurant hostage by force.
During the confrontation, Kali Dier displayed formidable combat prowess, causing extensive damage to the town's buildings.
Reports indicate that he wields the power of Flame Power, publicly igniting an armory and triggering a massive explosion that inflicted heavy losses on the Blackfire Organization.
In this critical moment, Gunpowder, the leader of the Blackfire Organization, along with his deputy Boren, vanished without a trace, leaving the entire organization paralyzed.
Undeterred by the danger, fifteen-year-old Colleen stepped forward at the crucial moment, earning the trust of the Blackfire Organization.
Under her leadership, the Blackfire Organization successfully repelled the Child of the Devil, safeguarding the lives of the townspeople.
Amid the cheers of the crowd, Colleen became the new town mayor, and the Blackfire Organization was renamed the Public Safety Department, managed by Captain Geno.
Due to the terrorist incident, the port was temporarily closed, and no one was permitted to leave.
After the incident concluded, the port supervisor personally boarded the ships to deliver food and fresh water as an apology.
The ten ships stranded at the port did not linger long and immediately set sail for their respective destinations.
"Oh~ This is written really well. Is it a news article?"
"Mister, you're too close. Hina doesn't like it."