Chapter 89: Sniper

In Raven Port, atop the City Lord's mansion.

A man over three meters tall, wearing a black cloak, slowly lowered the exaggerated long spear in his hand, his brows furrowing slightly:

"Ah la ah la~"

"Is this the fate of that bullet?"

As the man spoke, several guards surrounded him and said respectfully:

"My lord Van-Orca, is it resolved?"

"What nonsense? Of course not!"

The man drooped his eyelids, glanced at the two guards, and said indifferently:

"Tell your lord that the opponent is far more troublesome than expected. If we are not mistaken, one of the leaders should be a Zoan-type Devil Fruit user."

"Judging by their advance route, they must be heading straight for here!"

"Devil Fruit user?"

The several guards were stunned.

They immediately recalled the powerful abilities Lord Gasha gained after consuming a Devil Fruit.

At once, fear appeared on the faces of all the guards.

"Even you can't handle it?"

"No, what I mean is... the price must go up!"

A few minutes later.

Van-Orca's words reached Gasha's ears; even with Gasha's temper, he couldn't hold back and exploded on the spot:

"Money! Money! Money!"

"I hired him less than half a month ago, and how many times has he raised the price? Does he really think I'm a fool?"

After taking a long breath.

Gasha slowly calmed down.

In that previous war, most of Raven Port's guards were killed or wounded, almost completely losing their combat capability.

The sea escorts could rely on Gao Wen's pirate crew, but maintaining basic order within the port still depended on these guards.

Thus, Gasha naturally began a new round of conscription, and that was when Van-Orca was discovered.

With a spear technique so masterful he could hit the bullseye every time even from several thousand meters away, such a sharpshooter was hard currency wherever he went.

Therefore, even though the price was a bit high, Gasha held his nose and accepted it.

But in this situation, is this damn kid really treating me like an ATM?

"Young Lady~"

Jasmine reminded from the side:

"The opponent was able to bypass the surveillance routes set up by Mr. Gao Wen and advance all the way here; their strength is probably not that simple."

"Perhaps Van-Orca is also reminding you."

Gasha took a deep breath, his expression returned to normal, and he began to make deployments:

"Para Island is a bit far from here; Mr. Gao Wen shouldn't be able to rush over for a while. Notify the Cat People brothers first."

"Also, have the guards in the port stay alert. Once the opponent enters firing range, open fire immediately!"

"Yes!"

When Gasha's orders spread through Raven Port, on the distant horizon, a pirate ship flying a lizard skull flag had already slowly entered view.

The guards in the port, without further ado, launched a round of cannon fire.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

Crimson meteors fell across the sky; several cannonballs even struck the deck directly, yet could only leave a faint black mark on that ship.

The guards in the port finally understood at this moment that these weak cannonballs were utterly incapable of stopping the pirate ship's invasion.

A few minutes later.

Two figures leaped from the pirate ship's deck, crossed a distance of nearly a hundred meters, and landed steadily within the port.

Thud!

The overwhelming impact force completely shattered the floor; web-like cracks spread several meters in all directions.

The crowd in the port instantly scattered in all directions; only a few guards, steeling their courage, remained in place, trembling as they watched the scene before them.

But after the dust gradually cleared, what appeared before everyone's eyes were two monsters that were half-human, half-cat.

"Lions and cheetahs?"

While the guards were confused, Rachet, having transformed into his human-beast form, curled a sinister smile at the corner of his mouth:

"They are bobcats and Maine Coons!"

Having said that.

Rachet's figure flickered, and he vanished directly from everyone's sight.

The next instant.

A scream suddenly erupted from the crowd.

Everyone turned to look and only then realized that a guard had already been disemboweled by Rachet's sharp claws; after struggling weakly for a few moments, he drew his last breath.

Rachet licked the fresh blood from his fingertips, his gaze ferocious and terrifying:

"A sweet taste mixed with a metallic bloodiness—truly a intoxicating scent!"

The guards were instantly terrified out of their wits; some even had a warm patch between their legs. Though their bodies trembled uncontrollably, they still gripped their weapons tightly, facing the enemy before them.

It was only because there were people they needed to protect in the port behind them.

Seeing this, Ratchet's sneer grew even more twisted. His back arched slightly like a feline's, and he darted out like lightning, only to halt in the next instant...

Boom!

A bullet pierced precisely in front of Ratchet, embedding itself deep into the wall; it missed his chest by only a few millimeters.

Ratchet turned his head and saw only a string of transparent holes.

He then realized that this single bullet had completely pierced through an entire row of walls.

Had it struck him, even with the Zoan-type Devil Fruit ability enhancing him, it would likely have torn away a large chunk of flesh and blood.

"Interesting!"

Ratchet licked his lips, turned his head toward the direction the bullet came from, and saw a black figure leap down from a high building.

"So it was him who attacked me earlier."

Ratchet waved at Labute beside him:

"I'll go chase that sniper; you handle these small fry in the port."

Before Labute could react, Ratchet transformed into a leopard cat, took a step, and galloped toward the distant Van Augur.

"Truly... a bloodthirsty fellow."

Labute shook his head, then looked at the guards gradually gathering beside him. A sneer curled his lips as he said:

"Can you tell me where that woman named Jazza is? She stole something of ours, something very important."

The guards fell silent. Though fear filled their hearts, they gripped their weapons tightly and did not retreat a single step.

Many among them were survivors of that earlier battle and had long regarded Jazza as the person they respected most; how could they possibly retreat now?

"Is that so?!"

"Then that is truly a pity!"

As Labute's words fell, the pirate ship in the distance finally reached the port. Over a hundred people leaped from the deck, waving swords and blades as they charged into the crowd.

A slaughter began.

Amidst the flashing blades and sword lights, Labute repelled several guards blocking his path and slowly walked toward the port.

Using the Maine Coon's vision, he could clearly see a beautiful woman, accompanied by two pirates dressed like cats, hurrying toward this place.

"Look, the target has arrived!"

Night fell.

A thin layer of mist gradually gathered over Para Island.

It carried a chill.

Gao Wen sat before his desk with a gloomy expression, holding a Den Den Mushi receiver in one hand while listening to the intermittent voice from the other end.

"You're saying a group of reckless pirates attacked Raven Port, injured the Mink brothers and Jango, and even stole Jazza and the Devil Fruit she was preparing to give me?!"

Anyone could hear the barely suppressed fury in Gao Wen's tone, yet the man on the other end of the phone seemed completely unaware, speaking calmly:

"Ah, that's about right."

"Such is fate!"

"By the way, if I die, could you trouble yourself to send the payment for this mission back to my hometown?"

Gao Wen paused slightly and asked:

"What is your name?"

"Van Augur!"

Van Augur added:

"Oh, and remember, triple the reward—no, five times the reward!"

(End of this chapter)