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"Since you're so eager to die, I'll oblige you." Charlotte Ninz drew his blade with a cold smile.
An icy blue sheen rippled along the edge as it chopped toward the catfish fishman's neck.
For a heartbeat, the catfish fishman shut his eyes in despair, yet there was no regret in his chest. Offending Big Mom meant little to him, but defying Lord Liu Yun's will was unthinkable. Without Lord Liu Yun, Fish-Man Island would still be a playground for cruelty, a place with no guardian.
After tasting peace, he never wanted to go back.
Goodbye, beautiful world.
"Rankyaku."
A crisp voice cut through the taut air. A silver-white crescent slashed in from the side, aiming not at Ninz, but at his blade.
"Careful, Lord Ninz!" Capone Bege spat out his cigar and threw himself forward.
"Armament." In an instant, his chest turned jet-black as he took the brunt of the incoming slash head-on.
"Who's there!" Bege's face went as dark as a soot pan as he glared toward the source.
Two figures streaked in across the square, both strikingly beautiful, one with a killer figure that made eyes widen.
"We're saved. The two ladies finally made it!"
A Fish-Man Island soldier exhaled hard and wiped his brow. That really had been a brush with death.
The newcomers were Peach Rabbit and Tsunade.
Word had reached them the moment Big Mom's ships slid into harbor. With a name that fearsome, trouble was almost guaranteed, and on its own Fish-Man Island had no chance of resisting.
"Yo-ho-ho. Relax, Bege, you'll scare the ladies," Ninz grinned, molars flashing.
His gaze dropped to Tsunade's generous curves and he swallowed unconsciously, a filthy thought flickering across his painted face.
Bege, despite the act Ninz put on, never relaxed. He had recognized one of them at a glance. Peach Rabbit, a former Marine top brass candidate.
They looked harmless enough, but a veteran like Bege could feel the danger prickle along his skin.
"Lord Ninz, step back. These two aren't simple," he warned. A fight felt inevitable.
He knew Ninz's limits too well. Without underlings, the man was just a spoiled brute. If not for the Big Mom flag at his back, someone would have taken his head years ago. Let him strut. He was asking to die.
Ninz didn't listen. He tottered straight toward Tsunade, the stagger of a man hollowed out by wine and women.
"This lady looks familiar. Have we met?" Ninz leaned in with a greasy smile. With his painted face, the line landed like a bad joke.
Tsunade's lips curled. "Please. Wake up from your daydream."
"Monster Strength."
Danger.
The hair on Bege's arms rose. He reached for Ninz, but he was too slow.
Boom.
Ninz pinwheeled through the air like a rag doll, crashing through a dozen pirates before skidding another thirty meters and crumpling against a coral outcrop. He didn't move.
A cold hiss rippled through the crowd.
No one had imagined a seemingly slim woman could hit that hard. One punch had put down the Headsman with a 70-million-berry bounty. Had Fish-Man Island become a den of hidden dragons and crouching tigers?
"Hmph. With those weak tricks you still dared to flirt with your granny? You don't know how high the sky is," Tsunade snorted, eyes cutting to Capone Bege.
"Do you realize the size of your mistake?" Bege's voice was flat and dark as water in a well, his focus shifting away from Ninz to this deceptively strong woman.
"I'll be blunt. With that one punch, not only you, but everyone tied to you will be dragged into hell. Foolish woman, do you truly understand what Big Mom means?" He drew a fresh cigar, lit up, and puffed calmly, as though Ninz's fate meant nothing.
Murmurs rose. Cold-blooded. Even Big Mom's son and he didn't flinch?
Bege only snorted inwardly. Mama had dozens of children. A few died every year. Ninz was dead weight anyway. Better gone than a headache.
Tsunade laughed softly. "Oh? Is this where I'm supposed to act scared? Maybe I should tell you exactly who's 'tied' to me."
Bege's brow lifted. Most people trembled at Mama's name. This woman showed not a twitch of fear. If anything, she seemed amused.
"I'm not worried about anyone connected to me," Tsunade said lightly. "And if you really have the ability, I'd love to see that little brat get bullied for once."
Peach Rabbit felt a bead of sweat slide down her temple. So Lady Tsunade still hadn't gotten over losing to him. Truly, some women you do not provoke.
"Oh? Then I'll enjoy seeing who gives you that confidence," Bege said, drawing deep and flicking his cigar away. Smoke curled from his lips. Those who knew him recognized the cue. He was about to move.
"Right now there's only one person I'm… entangled with. Lord Liu Yun," Tsunade said, as if mentioning the weather.
Another sharp hiss swept the onlookers.
No wonder she was so strong. She was Lord Liu Yun's woman.
If Tsunade knew what they were thinking, she might have regretted how vague that sounded. Then again, wasn't it exactly that kind of relationship?
"So what if it's Lord Liu Yun? Compared to Mama he's trash. I'll start by cutting you down to dent that arrogant fool's prestige," Capone Bege snarled, and lunged.
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