Chapter 49: A Moonless, Windy Night for Killing

"I was just feeling dejected, when suddenly, within a few days, I learned that the Arlong Pirates had been wiped out, and the heroes who rid the people of this scourge are now standing right before our eyes!"

Speaking thus, Sophia's expression suddenly turned solemn; she was the first to raise her right hand. "All marines, attention! Salute the heroes!"

—Swish! Swish!

The surrounding marines snapped to attention and saluted in perfect unison; this sudden move startled Nami and Nojiko greatly.

"Hey, Nojiko."

With her little face flushed red, Nami whispered quietly into her ear, "Don't you feel that the marines at this base are far more formidable than those guys at Base 16?"

"Really?"

Nojiko tilted her head and shook it. "As for combat strength, that's not necessarily true, but their military bearing is indeed much better; they look very imposing. It seems this Colonel Sophia is far more competent than that Rat."

"Thank you, thank you very much,"

Scar had never received such treatment; his mouth split open in a huge grin.

Although he knew this was only out of respect for their boss, he still felt honored for a moment. Beaming with pride, he hurriedly said, "However, we hardly deserve the title of 'heroes'; the entire Arlong Pirates were taken down single-handedly by Boss Siano alone."

"Ah, I know; you told me over the Den Den Mushi."

Sophia nodded with a smile, glanced around, and couldn't help but ask curiously, "Eh? Where is Lord Siano? Did he not come?"

"He did come, but having just fought a great battle, his injuries have not yet healed, and he caught a chill while at sea, so his body is inevitably somewhat weak and unfit to meet people; therefore, he did not disembark. Please offer your understanding."

Scar apologized, pointing toward a certain spot on the ship.

Sophia followed his gaze.

Sure enough, she saw a sturdy figure draped in a black robe, leaning against the railing with a long, slender blade on his back, who smiled and waved a greeting in their direction.

But immediately afterward came a fit of violent coughing; clutching his chest, he turned and limped into the cabin, supported by two crew members beside him.

"I heard that Lord Siano is still very young; last year, he won the championship of the Asagi Island Kendo Tournament, and now he has defeated powerful enemies like the Arlong Pirates. His swordsmanship must have improved greatly. Now, not just among the younger generation, but calling him the strongest swordsman in our entire East Blue would not be an exaggeration."

Sophia withdrew her gaze, her face filled with regret.

"What a pity; I am also a swordsman. It's a rare opportunity, and I originally thought that if there was a chance this time, I could have a good spar with Lord Siano and ask him to guide my swordsmanship."

R-really?

Scar forced a dry laugh as he recalled the scenes he had witnessed with his own eyes on the mountain: mountains hollowed out, giant trees flying through the air, skin that bullets could not penetrate...

Boss Siano, he, uh, should still count as a swordsman, right?

At the same time, on the top floor of the Base 16 fortress.

With a gloomy face, Rat kicked open the office door, strode to the spacious desk behind it, and sat down in the familiar leather armchair.

"That brat..." He clenched his fists, grinding his teeth until they clicked.

Where exactly did he come from? When did the East Blue produce such a ruthless character? He is simply a thoroughgoing monster!

With such strength, instead of going to the Grand Line to make a name for himself, he holes up in a tiny village playing farmer?

"Just you wait..."

The hatred in Rat's heart was hard to extinguish. 'I may not be able to provoke you for now, but you will surely leave your hometown one day. When that time comes, your family, and those foolish villagers who dared to laugh at me...'

Buru Buru Buru Buru~!

The Den Den Mushi on the desk suddenly rang.

Rat snapped out of his reverie and hastily picked up the receiver. "Hello... Eh? It's you? Mr. Rear Admiral, didn't we agree to contact each other next week? Why are you calling now..."

"A few days early makes no difference. I say, my share of the money should be ready, correct?"

A low, magnetic voice came from the receiver; simultaneously, the Den Den Mushi somehow produced a pair of sunglasses, put them on, and leisurely began smoking a cigar held in its mouth.

"Ready, it's ready!"

Rat answered hastily, casually pressing a red button below the desk; the bookshelf behind him suddenly flipped over, revealing a huge metal safe.

Opening the door, inside were conspicuously stacks of crisp ten-thousand-berry bills; roughly counting them, the amount totaled at least one hundred million berries.

"Ten million berries in total. Rest assured, tomorrow I will go to the bank and deposit them into your account." Rat pulled out a stack from inside, closed the safe, and said with a grin while counting the money.

"Ten million berries?"

The other party paused slightly, then his tone turned cold.

"Rat, are you joking? Wasn't our original agreement thirty percent of the first year's earnings? You are about to complete your first full year in office; don't tell me you only earned a total of thirty million berries."

"Money is hard to earn, just as shit is hard to eat, Sir."

Rat hurriedly complained, "This place is remote and far away; many villages are barren lands where even birds don't drop their droppings. In reality, I haven't even earned thirty million yet. Managing to scrape together ten million was already very difficult; I also rounded it up to a whole number and wanted to express my gratitude for your guidance to that Arlong gang some time ago."

"... That is barely acceptable. Fine, let it be this way for this year."

The magnetic voice said coldly, "Next year, do not let this figure fall below thirty million. Remember, it was the military merits I allocated to you that allowed you to sit in the position of Branch Base Commander; they are worth far more than this small amount of money."

"Yes, yes, I understand, Mr. Rear Admiral."

Rat nodded repeatedly, then hesitated a moment before adding:

"Speaking of which, Sir, I recently offended someone. That person hides his true abilities; I am somewhat afraid he might come seeking revenge, so I was thinking whether I should strike first and eliminate him..."

"Hides his true abilities?" The magnetic voice sneered. "In a place like the East Blue, what kind of person could hide their true abilities? What is his name?"

"His name is..."

Boom!

In that instant, the windowpane outside suddenly shattered.

A dark figure, who had been hiding outside listening for quite some time, suddenly stepped into this top-floor office.

Hearing the sound, Rat instinctively turned his head; before he could react, an iron-clamp-like powerful hand had already tightly gripped his throat, lifting him high off the ground like an eagle seizing a chick.

It's you!

You actually dare to come to my door?!

The black-haired youth before him wore an indifferent expression. Rat's eyes bulged in disbelief; he struggled desperately, trying to speak, but in the end, could only squeeze out low, pained "Ugh... ugh..." sounds.

"Rat? Rat!"

An anxious voice came through the microphone, "Hey! What's happening! What exactly is going on over there?!"

No one could answer.

In Rat's terrified pupils, the black-haired youth was slowly splitting his face into a ferocious grin, before suddenly grabbing his entire head and slamming it forcefully against the iron door of the safe!

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Once, twice, three times... Siano's movements were swift and clean, one strike following immediately after another, giving Rat absolutely no room to struggle.

"Ugh, ugh..." At first, the latter emitted some faint moans, but soon fell completely still, while the iron door of the metal safe gradually became covered in blood and brain matter, collapsing and denting bit by bit...

The previous chapter written last night hit a word count snag right in the middle of the dialogue; making everyone wait a few hours didn't seem right, so I simply woke up early today to finish the second chapter and will post both updates together~

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(End of Chapter)