Chapter 89: Sniper

On the rooftop of the lord’s mansion in Raven Port

A man over three meters tall, clad in a black cloak, slowly lowered the extravagantly designed rifle in his hand, frowning slightly:

“Ah la la~”

“Is this the fate of that bullet?”

As the man spoke, several soldiers gathered around him, bowing respectfully:

“Lord Fan Aoka, is it done?”

“What nonsense are you talking about? Of course not!”

The man, half-lidded, glanced at the two soldiers and said coolly:

“Tell your lord that the opponent is far more troublesome than anticipated. If we’re not mistaken, one of their leaders is an Animal-Type Devil Fruit user.”

“Judging by their advance route, they’re heading straight for here!”

“Devil Fruit user?”

The soldiers froze.

They immediately recalled the immense power Lord Gasha gained after consuming a Devil Fruit.

Fear instantly flickered across their faces.

“Even you can’t handle it?”

“No, what I mean is… raise the fee!”

…

A few minutes later.

Fan Aoka’s message reached Gasha, and even with his temper, he couldn’t hold back—he exploded on the spot:

“Money! Money! Money!”

“I hired him for less than half a month—how many times has he raised his price? Does he think I’m a fool?!”

After exhaling deeply,

Gasha slowly calmed down.

In the previous battle, half of Raven Port’s soldiers had died or been wounded, rendering them nearly combat-ineffective.

Naval guards could rely on Gao Wen’s Pirate Crew, but maintaining basic order within the port still depended on these soldiers.

Thus, Gasha had begun a new round of conscription, and it was during this time that Fan Aoka was discovered.

His peerless marksmanship—able to hit ten rings with every shot from several kilometers away—made him a priceless asset anywhere.

So even though he demanded a high price, Gasha gritted his teeth and accepted it.

But now, was this bastard really treating him like a cash machine?

“My lord~”

Jasmine reminded him from beside:

“The enemy bypassed Mr. Gao Wen’s surveillance routes and advanced all the way here—his strength is likely not ordinary.”

“Fan Aoka might be warning you.”

Gasha took a deep breath, his expression returning to normal, and began issuing orders:

“Parra Island is too far away—Mr. Gao Wen won’t arrive in time. First, notify the Cat Brothers.”

“Also, alert all port soldiers—once the enemy enters firing range, open fire immediately!”

“Yes!”

…

As Gasha’s orders spread through Raven Port, a pirate ship bearing a lizard-skull flag slowly entered view on the distant horizon.

The port soldiers, without hesitation, unleashed a barrage of cannon fire.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

Crimson meteors rained down; several shells struck the deck directly, yet left only faint black marks on the ship’s hull.

Only now did the port soldiers realize these feeble cannonballs could not stop the pirate ship’s advance.

A few minutes later.

Two figures leapt from the pirate ship’s deck, crossing nearly a hundred meters to land firmly within the port.

Thud!

The force shattered the floor completely, cracks spreading like spiderwebs for several meters in all directions.

The crowd scattered instantly; only a few soldiers, summoning courage, remained in place, trembling as they stared at the scene before them.

But as the dust cleared, what emerged before them were two monstrous creatures, half-human, half-cat.

“Lion and cheetah?”

As the soldiers hesitated, Ratchet, in his beast form, curled his lips into a cruel grin:

“It’s a leopard cat and a Maine coon!”

With that,

Ratchet blurred—and vanished from everyone’s sight.

The next instant,

A scream erupted from the crowd.

Turning back, they realized one soldier had been ripped open from belly to chest by Ratchet’s claws; after a few weak thrashes, he breathed his last.

Ratchet licked the blood from his fingertips, his gaze fierce and terrifying:

“Sweet, with a metallic tang—what an intoxicating flavor!”

The soldiers were utterly terrified; some even wet themselves, their bodies trembling uncontrollably, yet they still gripped their weapons tightly, standing firm against the enemy.

Because behind them, in the port, were the people they had to protect.

Seeing this, Ratchet’s grin widened. His back arched like a feline’s, and he shot forward like lightning—then abruptly halted…

Bang!

A bullet pierced cleanly through Ratchet’s chest, embedding itself deep into the wall behind—barely missing his heart by millimeters.

Ratchet turned to see a line of transparent holes.

Only then did he realize the bullet had punched clean through an entire row of walls.

Had it struck him, even with his Animal-Type Fruit powers, it would have torn off a large chunk of flesh.

“Interesting!”

Ratchet licked his lips, turned toward the bullet’s origin, and saw a dark figure leap down from a high-rise building.

“So it was him who attacked me before.”

Ratchet waved to Labut beside him:

“I’ll chase that sniper. You handle these scraps in the port.”

Without waiting for Labut’s reply, Ratchet transformed into a leopard cat and sprinted toward Fan Aoka in the distance.

“What a bloody-minded bastard.”

Labut shook his head, then turned to the gathering soldiers, curling his lips into a cruel smile:

“Can you tell me where that woman Gasha is? She stole something from us—something very important.”

The soldiers fell silent, fearful yet standing their ground, weapons gripped tight.

Many of them were survivors of the previous battle; they already regarded Gasha as the person they respected most—how could they retreat now?

“Is that so?!”

“What a pity!”

As Labut’s words ended, the pirate ship finally reached the port. Over a hundred men leapt from the deck, swords and blades raised, charging into the crowd.

A bloody battle erupted.

Amid flashing blades, Labut pushed back several soldiers blocking his path, slowly advancing into the port.

With his Maine coon’s vision, he clearly saw a beautiful woman, accompanied by two pirate crewmen dressed like cats, hurrying toward him.

“Look—the target’s here!”

…

…

…

Night fell.

A thin mist gathered slowly over Parra Island.

It carried a chill.

Gao Wen sat grimly at his desk, one hand holding a Den Den Mushi receiver, listening to the fragmented voice on the other end.

“You’re saying a band of foolish pirates attacked Raven Port, injured the Cat Brothers and Zan Gao, and even stole Gasha—and the Devil Fruit she was going to give me?!”

Anyone could hear the barely contained fury in Gao Wen’s voice—but the man on the other end seemed utterly oblivious, replying calmly:

“Yeah, more or less.”

“That’s just fate.”

“By the way, if I die, could you please send my pay back to my hometown?”

Gao Wen paused, then asked:

"What's your name?"

"Fan Aoka!"

Fan Aoka added:

"By the way, remember it's triple, no—five times the reward!"

(End of chapter)