In truth, after the World Government had ruled the world for eight centuries, nearly all natural islands, except for Laugh Tale, the mysterious final island only the Pirate King had ever set foot on, were recorded on various sea maps. Even Loguetown, the endpoint of the Grand Line, was no exception.
Yet there were always exceptions.
Some islands, for various reasons, had been erased from all sea maps, making them impossible for ordinary people to find or reach. These islands typically belonged to the dark underworld, engaged in illegal industries.
Take, for instance, Coffin Island, a coffin-shaped island floating somewhere on the Grand Line.
Coffin Island, that was its name.
At the center of the island stood a bustling little town.
At the town's entrance was a ferocious smiling face, wearing a clown mask, with hair like a lion's mane.
"Mission report: This is the head of the criminal organization leader from the Woka Kingdom."
Inside the town's tavern, a Hitman wearing a hood and sporting a purple beard tossed a bloodstained package onto the counter.
"Alright, please wait for confirmation." Behind the counter stood a woman wearing a spider mask. On her headband were the words "Drug Peclo."
Beside her, several masked figures who looked like guards picked up the bundle and began inspecting it.
Not long after…
"Identity confirmed." The woman smiled and nodded, then picked up the logbook beside her. "Hitman Code Name 'Purple Mustache,' current rank 'Gold'... this mission earns you 10 points and a reward of 100 Million Beli. Would you prefer cash or bank transfer?"
Hearing this, the Hitman grew visibly annoyed. "I'll take the bank transfer... and my Code Name is 'Purple Beard,' Miss Spider. Haven't you corrected that yet?"
"My apologies," she replied. "Once a Code Name is registered, it cannot be changed unless you are a Diamond-tier Elite Hitman."
"Diamond!?" Purple Beard's frustration deepened. "How could I ever reach that rank? The last Diamond-tier Hitman was Daz Bones from West Blue, years ago, wasn't it?"
He shouted his complaints, drawing the attention of others in the tavern.
"Rules are rules, and please refrain from shouting in the House of Death." Miss Spider remained polite, but her tone had turned icy. "Or do you have a problem with the rules set by 'Major Undertaker' Drug Peclo?"
"Th-this…" Purple Beard did not dare say another word.
Because he naturally knew what would happen if he kept talking.
This was Hitman Town, the city built by 'Major Undertaker' Drug Peclo.
Elite Hitmen from all over the world could come here to accept missions and earn commissions. But at the same time, they also had to obey the rules here.
Just at this moment…
Bang!
The tavern door was pushed open ana a figure wearing a rat-headed mask strode in.
"A Sea Beast mask… another newbie who doesn't know how to value his life."
Inside the tavern, many Hitmen turned their gazes toward that figure.
When they noticed that the mask he was wearing was the South Blue specialty, the "Sea Beast Mask," disdain appeared in their eyes.
To be fair… people coming here wearing masks wasn't strange at all.
In their line of work, hiding one's identity was of utmost importance.
But the "Sea Beast Mask" was special.
After all, recently, that organization called "The Twelve Zodiac" had risen to fame on the seas. Robbing Heavenly Tribute and killing a Warlord in battle had instantly made them the focus of worldwide attention.
And the fact that all members of that organization uniformly wore Sea Beast masks was no secret.
It was easy to imagine that anyone showing up on the seas wearing such a mask would inevitably draw attention.
Not only did it fail to hide one's identity, it did the opposite and made one stand out.
So to Hitmen, anyone who put on that mask was obviously a newbie, and a stupid one at that.
At this moment, the person wearing the rat-head mask had already walked up to the counter.
"I'm here to take a mission." He spoke openly, with nothing hidden in his words.
"Of course, no problem… please report your codename. I will arrange a suitable commission based on your rank."
The tavern owner, "Miss Spider," said with a smile.
"No, I don't need you to arrange a commission for me, I want to choose my own assassination targets, and I also want to specify the contents of my reward."
Hearing this, all the Hitmen present once again confirmed their earlier suspicions.
"Hey, kid! You're a newbie, right?" Purple Beard interjected bluntly from the side. "Specifying assassination targets and choosing your own rewards? Only Diamond-Rank Elite Hitmen have the authority to do that!"
"Diamond rank?" The man in the rat-head mask seemed to genuinely not know about this.
"You don't even know that and you dare come to Coffin Island? Who told you the coordinates here?"
Purple Beard, surprisingly willing to mentor newcomers, explained, "Hitmen here are ranked by points: White, Gold, Crystal, Diamond, and the highest tier, Seastone."
"To reach Diamond-tier, you need 1,000 points, meaning you've assassinated targets worth over 100 million Beli in total. As a newcomer, you should register a Code Name first."
He spoke fluently, but halfway through his explanation, the 'newcomer' interrupted.
"I heard you mention Daz Bones earlier. Is he a Diamond-tier Hitman?"
"That's right," Purple Beard nodded. "When Daz Bones was in West Blue, he successfully assassinated a marquis of a kingdom, earning his promotion to Diamond-tier."
It was a legendary story in their line of work, he naturally knew it well.
"Then there's no problem." The Rat-Headed Mask murmured, "If he's just an Elite Hitman, I'm probably a hundred times stronger than him."
As soon as those words fell, several Hitmen almost burst out laughing.
"Is this newbie drunk or something? What kind of stupid nonsense is he saying…"
But they didn't get to finish saying that. Because in the next instant, they saw the man in the rat-head mask raise his hand.
His hand reached into the air itself, and pulled out three blood-stained bundles.
"If we're talking about a value of 100 million Beli… this is the head of the king of the World Government–affiliated nation, the Drum Kingdom."
He first tossed one of the bundles onto the counter.
Before Miss Spider could even speak, he added: "If that's not enough, there are two more here."
He tossed them again.
"They are two members of the World Government's spy organization CP-9: 'Blueno' and 'Fukuro.' I'm not sure how much their heads are worth here, but the total value should be over 100 million, right?"
When his words ended, the entire tavern once again fell into silence. But this time, no one inside dared to make a mocking sound.
"H-Hey… you're joking, right?"
"Drum Kingdom? That medical superpower?"
"CP-9 agents were killed? That's impossible, right?"
Even the Hitmen's hushed discussions sounded painfully loud.
"Gulp…"
At this moment, Purple Beard's entire body was trembling. He swallowed hard and looked at the rat-head mask beside him.
His reason told him this was impossible.
Hitmen were all vicious executioners… but in the end, they took missions to make money, not to seek death.
Assassinating the king of a World Government–affiliated nation?
Anyone who dared do that would be immediately labeled by the World Government as one of the most vicious criminals, and their bounty would easily exceed 100 million Beli.
Aside from the lunatics of the Revolutionary Army, what sane person would do something like that?
As for CP-9's heads, that was even more absurd…
Who didn't know that CP-9 members themselves were the top-tier Hitmen?
Moreover, as a spy organization directly under the World Government's command, killing a CP-9 agent was practically equivalent to slapping the World Government in the face.
So naturally, Purple Beard didn't dare believe it.
But…
His instincts told him the man was telling the truth.
And at this very moment, an instinctive guess arose in his heart.
That mask the guy in front of him was wearing…
It was a "Sea Beast Mask"!
If he wasn't a rookie, but a powerhouse who dared to and could kill CP-9 agents and the King of a World Government Affiliated Nation...
Wouldn't that mean he was likely...
"Also, Purple Mustache over there suggested I register a Hitman Code Name."
"So, please register me. My Code Name is 'Zishu'."
A true member of the Twelve Zodiac!
(End of Chapter)
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