Bang! Bang! Bang!!!
A dense barrage of bullets came flying, but Gunpowder immediately transformed into his namesake, letting the bullets pass harmlessly through his body.
Bege bared his teeth in a vicious grin:
"Full-Size Big Boss!"
His feet morphed into tank treads, his legs turned to stone structures, while his torso and head transformed into a towering fortress with a human face. His arms became two pointed watchtowers.
The incoming bullets collided with the fortress walls, instantly shattering into fragments without penetrating the defenses.
"What the hell is that?!"
"Is he an Ability User like the boss?!"
"The bullets are useless—let's get out of here!!"
The eight-meter-tall war fortress stood imposingly as the surrounding gang members panicked, the scene descending into chaos.
"Quiet! Quiet! That thing isn't invincible! Everyone, raise your guns and fire!!"
Boren roared, struggling to regain control while firing several shots at the fortress.
Brandon and the others quickly followed suit. With someone taking the lead, the terrified gang members instinctively raised their weapons and opened fire.
The fortress giant stood motionless, allowing the bullets to strike its body.
By now, Bege had already transferred his consciousness back inside his body. A miniature version of Bege emerged from the floor—this was his consciousness vessel, capable of performing more precise actions.
The trade-off was that his external body could only perform simple movements.
Inside the fortress, he frantically searched for a Den Den Mushi to call for backup.
"This is Bege. I'm on Kron Island—send reinforcements now!"
"Understood. Estimated arrival time: six hours."
The operator on the other end responded without hesitation.
Bege was a rising star in their organization—the Fortress Fruit's power was simply too perfect for warfare and assassination.
"Hurry! I'm under siege!"
Click.
The call ended, and Bege's expression darkened.
This operation had been a spur-of-the-moment decision, so he hadn't arranged for backup in advance. Now, reinforcements wouldn't arrive for another six hours.
Though he had enough weapons inside his body, he faced a critical problem:
No one to reload!
Flintlock guns could fire continuously, but they didn't have infinite ammunition.
He could twist the floor into hands to fire the guns, but reloading required precision beyond his current capabilities.
"Capture someone to help me reload—"
A sharp pain erupted in his abdomen, and Bege spat out a mouthful of blood.
Returning his consciousness to his main body, Bege saw... three giant slingshots.
Large elastic bands were tied between two trees on each side. By pulling back and aiming, the group could launch projectiles with sniper-like precision.
"Switch to oil barrels!"
Several men placed oil barrels into the slingshot pouches, straining to pull back the elastic bands.
Geno swung his arm down:
"Fire!!"
Whoosh~
The oil barrel arced through the air, striking the fortress giant with pinpoint accuracy.
Bullets sparked against the fortress walls, instantly igniting the entire castle in flames.
"Is that all you've got? Hahaha~"
Watching the fortress engulfed in flames, the surrounding gang members burst into laughter.
But their amusement was short-lived.
Bang! Bang! Bang!!!
Bege began his counterattack, unleashing a storm of bullets that sent everyone scrambling for cover.
The fortress giant bent down, attempting to draw water from the hot springs to douse the flames.
Boom!
A massive boulder came crashing down, interrupting the giant's movement.
Geno's slingshot squad kept up the pressure, launching a relentless barrage of boulders to disrupt Bege's actions.
Why is everything targeting me?!
Bege gritted his teeth, utterly baffled. Which mafia in their right mind would use something as impractical as a giant slingshot?
Meanwhile, the mastermind behind this chaos stood atop the hot spring inn's roof, observing the spectacle.
Robin adjusted several Den Den Mushi beside her and looked up to ask:
"That guy seems to be trying to escape. What's the plan now?"
"Let the fire burn a little longer. Tell Peak to use explosive barrels to slow him down."
Dier lowered his binoculars and calmly issued orders:
"Then have Julia use the water pump to cool down the overheated stones."
Robin nodded and relayed Dier's commands through the Den Den Mushi.
The explosive barrels thrown by Peak successfully hindered Bege's retreat.
Julia sprayed hot spring water to extinguish the castle giant, causing slight cracks in its stone body from the rapid temperature change.
Geno's slingshot squad kept up their assault, pelting Bege with massive boulders.
The fearless Gunpowder emptied his submachine gun into the tank treads.
Boren directed his mafia members in guerrilla tactics, minimizing casualties.
Brandon led the charge, fighting with unmatched ferocity.
After about ten minutes, Bege moved out of slingshot range, leaving only the mafia's firearms to harass him.
"But it's enough. That guy probably can't reload—it's been three minutes of single-gun fire."
Dier hefted a Thompson submachine gun, wearing a confident smile:
"Within an hour, he'll surrender!
Tell Boren to start the surrender negotiations. Say we won't kill him."
"Do you really think he'll believe that? There are too many questionable points."
"No, I'll make him believe it!"
Dier pointed to his eyes. The slightest waver in Bege's resolve, and he could amplify that doubt through long-distance Hypnosis.
With that, he shouldered the Thompson and left the roof via the stairs.
The second floor was surprisingly high.
Another ten minutes later,
Boren stood at the battlefield's edge and bellowed:
"Capone Bege!!"
"We know you favor assassinations, so we had to strike first!"
"Stand down! Blackfire doesn't dare make enemies with the family behind you!!"
Blackfire was just a small-time gang from a minor island, while Bullet was one of the Five Great Families—the difference between them like that of an infant and a grown man.
"Who in their right mind would entrust their life to others?"
Bege grumbled to himself as he manually reloaded inside his castle.
Outside, the castle giant lumbered dumbly toward town, though Peak's interference made its progress painfully slow.
"If you don't want trouble, then scram! I'll leave on my own!"
"Don't joke around! How do we know you won't come back for revenge?!"
"And how do I know Blackfire won't kill me in desperation?!"
"I, Boren, swear we won't kill you!!"
"And I, Bege, swear I won't come back for revenge!!"
Bege pointed through a window at Boren's side and roared:
"That masked shorty over there keeps firing a Thompson! You've got zero sincerity!"
Boren glanced at the enthusiastically shooting Dier beside him and immediately retorted:
"That's self-defense! Defensive fire!!
If you'd stop attacking, he wouldn't need to defend!"
Belly saw black spots from rage and couldn't hold back his curses:
"Have you no shame?!
My flintlock potshots are 'offensive,' but his Thompson spray is 'defensive'?!"
Boren nodded matter-of-factly and responded loudly:
"Bullets don't work on you, but they'd leave a gaping hole in him, so you're the offense while he's the defense. Enough nonsense—surrendering would benefit us both!"
"You withdraw your men first, then I'll surrender immediately!"
"You surrender first, then I'll withdraw immediately!"
"You first!"
"You first!"
The two sides began bickering like children.
During this exchange of words, Bege's gaze kept involuntarily meeting Dier's.
The thought of surrender gradually gained ground. After all, the Bullet Pirates held the advantage. If he died, the Blackfire crew wouldn't escape either.
After careful consideration, Bege concluded that unless the Blackfire crew had gone mad, his life wasn't in real danger—he might suffer, but he'd survive.
"My stamina won't last six hours of fighting, and we haven't captured anyone. Feigning surrender might be a good option."
Bege roared, "Cease fire!"
"I won't attack, and you don't move either. Maintain the status quo. Once my men arrive, I'll leave immediately!"
Boren was about to retort—this condition was utterly unacceptable. Without controlling Bege, when the Bullet Pirates arrived, Blackfire would be at their mercy.
"Agree to it!"
Dier's voice cut through. Boren immediately changed his tune:
"Fine, ceasefire all around. But you must guarantee no retaliation afterward!"
"Of course! My word is my bond!"
The battlefield fell silent instantly.
The eight-meter-tall Castle Giant still stood at the center.
The surrounding area was pockmarked with small craters from Gunpowder explosions.
Brandon and others maintained a safe distance, remaining vigilant.
"Hey, is this really okay?"
"Why isn't any leader or captain objecting?"
The gang members had mixed feelings; some had already begun sneaking away.
Expecting gangsters to keep their promises?
Might as well expect the Navy not to arrest pirates.
Once the Bullet Pirates arrived, their lives would depend on the enemy's whims.
Boren noticed the deserters and asked quietly:
"Boss, should we deal with those deserters?"
"Just blacklist them from promotions. That they're only running now is impressive—I thought they'd bolt when the fighting started."
"Well..."
Boren said awkwardly:
"A few did flee when the battle began."
Dier: "..."
Deserting at the first shot was outright betrayal.
They'd been fed and paid well, only to flee when needed?
Even gangs couldn't match the Navy's mercy.
"Call the port to help apprehend them. There's a large wasteland eastward—send the deserters there to reclaim it."
"Understood, boss. Your supplies have arrived too."
Boren nodded, handing over a bag of food and alcohol. Dier took it and dragged the bag toward Bege.
Now it was time for a heart-to-heart with Bege.
"Here to curry favor?"
"No, here to mock you."