Chapter 109: Donquixote DoflamingoAt some point, a group of people had appeared behind Marcus.When the group saw the scene, their Faces were filled with anger, yet the man at the very front of the crowd had a smile on his Face.But that smile caused a tremor from deep within, and a sense of fear rose in the hearts of most people.He was characterized by blond hair, sunglasses, a Pink feathered coat, cropped pants, and a habit of wearing pointed shoes.This was—Donquixote Doflamingo!Marcus recognized the man's identity in an instant, along with the identities of everyone behind Doflamingo!Trebol, Jora, Sugar, Pica, Gladius... plus Pink over there, all the officers of the Donquixote Family had arrived.Marcus had thought only a few of the Donquixote Family officers would come, but he hadn't expected them all to show up!As a Marine, capturing pirates was naturally Marcus's duty, but looking at such a luxurious pirate lineup, Marcus had to admit he was feeling a bit weak.Marcus didn't think he could handle the entire Donquixote Pirates alone; in that case, it was better to just stay quiet and behave.Seeing this scene, everyone present realized that this group was with that pervert; now that their companion had been bullied, they were here to settle the score.After a while, the pirate's companions also noticed something was wrong; when they stood up to look, they found a bloodstain had appeared on the pirate's neck."Devil Fruit Ability!""Cap... tain... Fack... save... save... me!"Although he couldn't see what was cutting his neck, the pirate could clearly feel that something was still there, deeply embedded in his flesh.Precisely because of this, the pirate didn't even dare to speak loudly, only uttering words slowly one by one, fearing that if he used any force, his neck might snap."Don't worry, I will definitely save you."With a wave of Captain Fack's hand, more than a dozen people nearby stood up, gathering around him to confront the Donquixote Family from a distance.Even without his subordinate's plea for help, Captain Fack would have acted; this concerned not only his Face but also his prestige before his men.If his subordinate was killed in front of so many people and he did nothing, he wouldn't be able to show his Face in the Underworld again."Cough...!"Just as the two sides were confronting each other, a cough rang out.A white-haired old man wearing a pure black suit walked out, standing between the two parties without a change in expression.He said to Doflamingo, "Joker, this base is, after all, my master's property. Please give us some Face.""If a fight breaks out here, I'm afraid the entire base will be destroyed. You also know that at such a critical juncture, such an occurrence would be no small trouble for our master."Regarding the master the old man mentioned, even Doflamingo had to be cautious; the man's power was extremely strong, and offending him over these pieces of trash was not a good move.However, Mingo didn't want to let what just happened go; in Mingo's eyes, the officers of the Donquixote Family were his family."..."Mingo suddenly said, "So, if I can deal with them without damaging too many things here, you won't care?"Hearing Mingo's words, the old man instantly felt this 'Joker' was being a bit arrogant. Although the gap between your Donquixote Pirates and this Pirate Crew is large...they aren't so trashy that they'd be dealt with by you in an instant without a shred of resistance.Despite his thoughts, the old man still nodded.As long as things weren't damaged, the old man didn't care about the lives of these pirates; they were brain-dead for offending someone they shouldn't have.Meanwhile, Captain Fack and his men...heard the conversation between Mingo and the old man, and their Faces showed a trace of anger.His Fack Pirates were somewhat famous throughout the Grand Line. Even though there were many Pirate Crews stronger than them on the Grand Line, no crew had ever shown them such contempt.Captain Fack said solemnly, "Friend, what happened just now was indeed my subordinate's fault, but your punishment now is a bit too much.""Oh!" Doflamingo was surprised that this pirate dared to speak to him like this, and asked with great interest, "Then how do you want to resolve this?"Captain Fack had already thought of a solution. "It was my subordinate's fault, but you have already punished him. In that case, let's both take a step back, act as if this never happened, and call it even."In Captain Fack's view, these people were not to be trifled with, and there was no need to antagonize them at a time like this over a piece of trash. Since he couldn't lose Face either, this should be the best solution.His purpose in coming to Korode was for the countless treasures within the 'tenryuubito tribute'; how could he let something go wrong at this critical moment?Furthermore, this method was beneficial to both sides; surely the opposition wouldn't antagonize his Fack Pirates over a pervert.Unfortunately, Captain Fack didn't see that as he spoke, the Faces of the Donquixote Family were all filled with intense disdain."Fuffuffuffuffu..." A flash of intense killing intent crossed Doflamingo's eyes as he said contemptuously, "The likes of you aren't worthy."Sensing the disdain in Doflamingo's tone, a flash of anger also crossed Captain Fack's Face. He just didn't want to cause trouble at this point, but that didn't mean he was afraid of them.Captain Fack threatened, "Friend, aren't you being a bit too arrogant? In this world, more friends mean more paths. Some people aren't meant to be offended casually."The old man on the side looked helpless; it seemed this group of pirates still hadn't recognized the situation.The old man was also clear about the information on this Pirate Crew. Although the Fack Pirates weren't weak in the Grand Line, with a total bounty of about 280 million Berries...they were facing the Donquixote Pirates from the New World, yet they dared to voice threats.Were the Fack Pirates arrogant, or just ignorant!It seemed he should first think about how to calculate the bill for the items later—should he increase it tenfold, or twentyfold?"You are not worthy," Mingo said, using only four words.Captain Fack was no fool; since the other party had put it that way, this matter could only be resolved through a fight.Captain Fack gave his First Mate a look, signaling him to get ready. Seeing this, the First Mate nodded slightly, his hands resting on the dual pistols at his waist as he shifted his feet forward.Besides himself, his First Mate was also a Devil Fruit User, so there were a total of two ability users in his Pirate Crew.This was the source of Captain Fack's confidence to stand firm, even though he knew these people were not easy to deal with.But Captain Fack didn't know that everyone on the opposite side, except for two, were Devil Fruit Users, while they only had two.At this moment, Pink, who had been silent, suddenly stood up. Without saying a word, he just walked slowly toward the pirate.Seeing the pervert walking toward him, the pirate's Face showed a look of terror, obviously thinking the pervert was coming to kill him.But the pirate had long been held by Mingo's Imprisonment and couldn't move; he could only watch Pink approach him step by step.However, Pink didn't even look at the pirate; he walked up to him and took back the photo from the pirate's hand.He glanced at it, a trace of happiness appearing on his Face, and carefully put the photo away. This photo could be said to be Pink's most precious treasure."Young Master, let me handle this person."Hearing Pink's words, the smile on Mingo's Faceslowly faded, and he nodded in silence.As soon as Mingo nodded, a powerful Aura erupted from Pink's body, and Pink suddenly turned around.His hand formed an eagle's claw, grabbing at the empty Void Realm, and his arm followed the swing of his body, throwing a powerful strike.Puchi!Without any warning, before anyone could react to what had happened, the pirate's head flew up under the impact of high blood pressure."Thud... thump... thump..."The pirate's head fell heavily to the ground, rolled several times, and finally stopped when it hit Captain Fack's foot.Whether by coincidence or not, the pirate's head was Face-up, still maintaining the terrified expression from the moment it was severed.And those eyes, filled with various emotions, happened to be staring right at Captain Fack.When Captain Fack looked down and met those eyes, he immediately felt a sense of unease in his heart.Unable to bear it, Captain Fack raised his foot and gave it a light kick, and the entire head rolled away like a ball."Friend, it seems you want to..."But before he could finish, Captain Fack suddenly stopped, an unusual muffled sound coming from his mouth.Urgh!
Chapter 110: Mutual SlaughterP.S. Here is today's update. I'd also like to ask for votes for the Qidian 515 Fan Festival. Everyone has 8 votes, and voting also gives out Qidian Coins. I beg everyone for your support and praise!"Ah...!"Watching this sudden turn of events, everyone except for the few who understood what was happening let out a gasp of surprise, their faces filled with shock.Captain Fack, who had been speaking moments before, suddenly let out an unusual muffled groan, and then bright red blood slowly flowed out from the corner of his mouth.It trickled slowly over his chin, gathered there, and then dropped one by one onto the wooden floor of the bar, making extremely faint sounds.But in such a silent environment, even the smallest sound was amplified.Feeling the pain emanating from his abdomen, Captain Fack lowered his head slowly, his face filled with shock and disbelief.The tip of a long sword, gleaming coldly and stained with bright blood, was protruding from his belly.Captain Fack turned his head and looked at his most trusted First Mate, who was holding the long sword, having stabbed it into his abdomen from behind, his face full of disbelief.This First Mate was the person he trusted most in the entire Pirate Crew; he had been his partner since the first day they embarked on the path of piracy.The profound friendship between the two was beyond words. If it had to be described, it was that they could completely entrust their backs to each other during a fight.Captain Fack had never imagined the word "betrayal" would appear between them, yet today, his First Mate had actually stabbed him in the back."Wh-wh-why?" Captain Fack asked in disbelief."I didn't do it, it wasn't me,"The First Mate, startled by Captain Fack's question, quickly let go of the long sword in his hand, equally shocked by the scene. The First Mate actually had no idea what had just happened.The First Mate only remembered that something had suddenly wrapped around every part of his body, and then his body was no longer under his control.Drawing the sword from his waist and stabbing the Captain—this was not what he intended to do; he was powerless to stop himself.The surrounding crowd was also curious about the First Mate's answer. They had expected a massive battle, but they hadn't anticipated the plot changing so quickly.An internal conflict had suddenly erupted here; the First Mate had stabbed the Captain in the back. Such a miraculous event had actually occurred.Marcus, who had been silent on the side, was not surprised by this scene at all. Marcus knew that Mingo possessed the String-String Fruit Ability, making it a very simple matter to control people to act according to his will.Marcus could also do this kind of thing. For example, earlier, Marcus could freely control countless crushed stones to deal with that Assassin.It was just that the focus of their abilities was different. It should be said that Marcus was slightly stronger than Mingo. Mingo's ability control was more detailed, so Mingo could control people to move freely.Marcus's control was not as detailed, but the quantity Marcus could control was incomparable to Mingo's. Similarly, Marcus could control people to move freely, but in terms of accuracy and error, he was slightly worse than Mingo.However, this type of attack was not very useful against true powerhouses, only being effective against those with weaker strength.Seeing his subordinate's ignorant expression, which didn't seem faked, and recalling how this man had helped him avert several life-or-death crises over the years,how could a companion who was once willing to die for him suddenly kill him from behind for a complete stranger he didn't even know?Captain Fack quickly turned his head and said, "It's you, isn't it? You did this.""Fufufufufu..." Mingo said nothing, only letting out an extremely uncomfortable laugh, while the other members of the Donquixote Family beside him,had faces full of mocking smiles, which looked incredibly harsh to Captain Fack.Seeing this situation, how could Captain Fack not know that these people were behind it? This must be a Devil Fruit Ability that allows control over people.Otherwise, how could his most trusted companion have ambushed him from behind? All of this was being manipulated by them from behind the scenes.At this point, anyone present who was even slightly clever could roughly guess what had happened.The First Mate, who also understood what had happened, glared angrily at Mingo and the others. He had almost killed the Captain who trusted him most—the person who relied on him the most—yet he had attacked him.Although it wasn't intentional, it had happened by his hand, and the culprits responsible for all of this were the people right in front of him.Roar!A tremendous roar burst from the First Mate's mouth, and his physique rapidly changed along with the sound.Crack... Crack... Snap!All the glass cups in the bar slowly developed cracks under the powerful sound waves, looking as if they might shatter at any moment.The onlookers, who had been enjoying the show, quickly left their seats, afraid that the glass cups might suddenly burst.The old man, however, showed a hint of a smile. The price of so many cups, multiplied tenfold, was a considerable amount of money. He would also be able to earn a sum from the famous 'Joker'.As for why he wouldn't charge the Fack Pirate Crew, based on the current situation, he knew this Pirate Crew was doomed. What money could he take from dead men?In the blink of an eye, the roar faded, and the original First Mate had long since vanished. What appeared before everyone was a Tiger Man, half-man, half-tiger."I say, so this is a Zoan-type Tiger Fruit, beh hehe, leave this person to me."A slovenly uncle standing next to Mingo stepped forward and spoke.He was wearing a cloak with circular patterns, resembling a cotton quilt. He held a staff marked with a plum blossom symbol, wore small sunglasses, had snot dangling from his nose, his hair was a straight fringe on top and glue-like strands hanging down below, he was barefoot, wore shackles on his feet, had a rough stubble on his upper lip, and sparse teeth.When Marcus saw this slovenly uncle, a hint of gravity appeared in his eyes. Marcus knew quite a bit of information about this person.Trebol is a member of the Donquixote Family, belonging to the Special Ability Squad—the Highest-Ranking Cadre of the Trebol Army.Although he didn't know exactly how strong Trebolwas, since he could become a Highest-Ranking Cadre within the Donquixote Family, his Combat Power must be immense.Even with Marcus's current strength, he might not be able to suppress him; a real fight would likely end in a draw.Mingo slowly extended his right hand, stopping Trebol's movement. Seeing Trebol's confused gaze, Mingo spoke."You don't need to intervene. Leave this person to me. They bullied my Family, and I will kill them personally."As soon as he finished speaking, Mingo's other hand twitched his five fingers slightly.Seeing that the opponent completely disregarded him, casually assigning him as if he were just an ant,The First Mate couldn't help but become furious. He stomped his foot, causing the entire bar to tremble slightly, showing how much force was in that stomp.He was constantly breathing heavily through his nose. Just as the First Mate was about to make a move, a sharp, long sword, taking advantage of his distraction, shot towards the First Mate's back with a whoosh."Dodge!"A panicked warning sounded from behind. Hearing this familiar voice, the First Mate immediately realized something, a hint of fear appearing in his eyes, and he quickly tried to dodge to the side.Unfortunately, Mingo was prepared. The First Matewas restrained by Mingo and couldn't dodge at all, only able to honestly endure the blow.Clang!The sound of steel breaking rang out. It turned out that the long sword in Captain Fack's hand had snapped under the powerful force.The First Mate, having activated his Devil Fruit Ability, had significantly increased not only his offense but also his defense.The long sword in Captain Fack's hand was just an ordinary long sword; how could it possibly break through the First Mate's defense?"Eh! It seems your group's strength isn't bad; you actually managed to block it!""Whew..." Seeing that the First Mate was unharmed, Captain Fack immediately breathed a sigh of relief, while simultaneously looking at Mingo with a face full of anger.In that instant just now, Captain Fack finally experienced the feeling of being controlled by someone else.But in the blink of an eye, Captain Fack forcefully suppressed this anger. Now that things had reached this point, how could Captain Fack not know that they had failed this time?Now was not the time to think about revenge, but rather to figure out how to make them spare his crew."This time, we admit defeat. Tell us, what price do we have to pay for you to let us go?"Captain Fack looked at Mingo and spoke with a distressed expression. The pirates on the side, who had already been scared stiff, finally felt their hearts drop after seeing their Captain beg for mercy.This group was too strong; they were simply no match for them. Even their two strongest Captains had no power to resist them."Fufufufufu...!"[515 is coming soon. I hope to continue striving for the 515 Red Envelope Ranking, so that on May 15th, the Red Envelope Rain can reward readers and promote the work. Even a small amount is love; I will definitely update diligently!]Welcome, dear readers, to UU Reading. The newest, fastest, and hottest serial works are all at UU Reading! 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Chapter 111 Marcus's SurprisePS. Here is today's update. By the way, please vote for the 'UU Reading' 515 Fan Festival. Everyone has 8 tickets. Voting also gives Qidian coins. I beg for everyone's support and appreciation!Seeing the previously very confident Captain Fack's Pirate Crew, after only a few minutes, they had to lower their heads and admit defeat.The onlookers who had been watching the development of events were truly filled with sighs. This is the importance of strength; if this group of pirates lacked strength, they could only honestly lower their heads.However, this was all the Pirate Crew's own fault for asking for trouble. Just because the other party dressed a bit strangely, they mocked them, and then actually dared to provoke them.Unexpectedly, the other party was extremely strong, and their companion was even stronger; without even moving, they made these two kill each other.Feeling the Aura radiating from Pink, everyone dared not underestimate this man who was standing silently on the side wearing a baby outfit.Mingo, who was laughing in a low voice, stopped laughing and said: 'Hehe, now you want to beg for mercy? It's too late. I said that anyone who hurts my family, I will definitely kill him with my own hands.''What!' Captain Fack exclaimed.Captain Fack thought these people would make some perverted demands, but he didn't expect that they never thought about that; they just wanted to kill them.Mingo slowly reached out his hand, aiming his palm at Captain Fack and the other person.But Captain Fack and the other were already trapped. Facing Mingo's Move, they couldn't dodge at all and could only stand there, motionless, becoming the other party's target.This was truly, 'We are the fish on the chopping block!''Overheat!'A thick, long, pale red string extended from Mingo's hand and pierced directly through the First Mate's forehead.'Hiss!' The crowd gasped, a hint of surprise appearing on their Faces.You have to know that the First Mate's body was extremely hard; just now he was stabbed by a sword and was completely fine, but this person relied on a cluster of white strings emerging from his hand.He actually pierced through the First Mate's hardest part of his body—his head—without any resistance.Immediately after, Mingo waved to the right, and the thick white string flew out from the First Mate's head, bringing up clumps of white matter that flew into the sky and sprinkled down onto the crowd below.Seeing these white things falling from the sky, the crowd below suddenly panicked, dodging in all directions, and it was crowded everywhere.Being able to fly out from a human head, and being white, any slightly normal person could understand that only brains would be like this.Compared to the panicked crowd, Mingo and his group had no extra expressions on their Faces, as if this was an extremely normal trivial matter, not even enough to make them interested.Watching the brain matter flying in the sky, Marcusdidn't feel any discomfort, but a trace of displeasure appeared on the corner of Marcus's mouth.The old man was also a bit displeased; you didn't damage anything, but letting brain matter scatter randomly, isn't that a bit too disrespectful?With Mingo's wave, that thick, long white string slashed towards Captain Fack.The imprisoned Captain Fack could only watch that incomparably sharp white string slashing towards him.Seeing that this Captain Fack of the Pirate Crew, who had a bit of fame in the Grand Line, was solved so simply by someone, the crowd sighed endlessly.'Sigh, this Captain Fack died a bit stiflingly this time,' a man shook his head and said in a low voice.'Yeah, if it wasn't for a stupid subordinate, how could they have provoked these people?' someone echoed.'Crack...'Unfortunately, the next scene disappointed everyone; Captain Fack used his Devil Fruit Abilityat a critical moment.Captain Fack turned into a stone man, and relying on this incomparably hard body, Captain Fackblocked Mingo's 'Overheat'.'Eh!' Seeing his Move blocked, a trace of surprise appeared on Mingo's Face, but it disappeared from his Face in an instant.And Marcus, looking at Fack's Devil Fruit Ability, had an expression as if he had seen a ghost.Captain Fack's ability was clearly the ability that the Stone-Stone Fruit should have; Marcus remembered this fruit ability very clearly.This ability was very impressive to Marcus because this was the first Devil Fruit User Marcusencountered on the Grand Line after leaving Marine Headquarters, and also the first pirate ship CaptainMarcus encountered.Fandi, that was the pirate Captain's name; on the Grand Line, I don't know how many pirate shipCaptains died at Marcus's hands.Marcus remembered this 'Fandi' pirate Captainvividly, not only because he was the first pirate Captain he saw, but also because of how he died.In two years on the Grand Line, Marcus had seen no less than eighty or a hundred Devil Fruit Users; of course, he had also seen many ways Devil FruitAbilities could die.But like 'Fandi', Marcus had never seen it; just transformed, without even a chance to use one Move, he was hit by a Sea Stone bullet.He even almost died in the aftermath of his battle with Deika, and in the end, it was he himself who took action to solve him.But what Marcus didn't expect was that this Captain Fack's ability was actually the same as Fandi's; obviously, Captain Fack had also eaten the Stone-Stone Fruit.The Devil Fruit is an incredible fruit; once eaten, it can grant a person powerful strength, but the Devil Fruit has existed in the world for so many years.No one knows how it is produced, or how it can give people abilities; the Devil Fruit is full of magic.But over so many years, some people have discovered quite a bit of information, like the situation Marcus is facing now.After a Devil Fruit User dies, this ability does not disappear from the world, but can Rebirth in the world, becoming a Devil Fruit again.Some people theorize that the types of Devil FruitAbilities are fixed, and each type of Devil Fruit Ability can only exist alone in the world and cannot exist simultaneously, just like a person cannot possess two Devil Fruits; this is the law of the world.But Marcus knew that this law was not entirely correct, just like Marcus, as a Rebirth person who knew the future, knew.Blackbeard 'Teach' could possess two Devil FruitAbilities; for this final boss in Pirate King, Marcushad always wanted to see him, but unfortunately, Blackbeard had always been in the New World, and Marcus's current strength could not enter the New World.Devil Fruit, this mysterious fruit; if people in this world could understand it, once the secret of the Devil Fruit Ability is unlocked, it can be said that you already possess the power to rule this world.In recent letters with that old man Vegapunk, according to Vegapunk, his research on Devil FruitAbilities now has a Breakthrough, but Marcus does not know the specific progress.But Marcus could roughly guess that it must be that old man Vegapunk who had already unlocked some secrets of Devil Fruit Abilities, like making inanimate objects also possess Devil Fruit Abilities!A bit off-topic, back to the main point!Now that this Captain Fack had actually eaten the Stone-Stone Fruit, Marcus was naturally surprised; this illustrated one problem: the death of a fruit user cannot make this Devil Fruit Ability disappear.Watching this scene, a thought buried in Marcus's heart emerged: if he could master the law of the appearance of Devil Fruit Abilities.Then he would have the confidence to obtain a Devil Fruit he had always looked forward to in his heart, because according to the time deduction in the manga, that fruit should have been eaten by someone now.As long as he knew that law, he could kill that person and obtain that kind of Devil Fruit Ability; such a powerful ability, left in the hands of such a person, could simply not be fully developed.'Forget it, it's too early to think about such things now; better to finish watching what's in front of me first,' Marcus thought to himself.Kicking the extra thoughts out of his mind, Marcuscontinued to lower his head slightly, watching the progression of events.'Phew!'Discovering that he was still alive, Captain Facksuddenly let out a sigh of relief; just a moment ago, he had truly felt the breath of death.Fortunately, he used his Devil Fruit Ability to block it; this Stone-Stone Fruit was found by Captain Fackon a small island.Obtaining this fruit ability was also a coincidence; at that time, Captain Fack arrived on a small island, and while slaughtering the residents of the town on that island, he happened to find this fruit among a pile of fruits.'Not bad, turning into stone has increased your defense quite a bit. I don't know if you can still block my next Move,' Mingo said, a trace of an evil smile revealing itself at the corner of his mouth.As he spoke, Mingo slowly stretched his hand backward, obviously preparing to unleash his next Move.After that momentary feeling of death just now, Captain Fack was truly afraid; Captain Fack didn't want to die, having finally managed to rob so much money.How could he die here inexplicably without using any of it? Captain Fack still wanted to use this blood-stained money to enjoy the world.He hurriedly said: 'Friend, this is all a misunderstanding; we actually don't have much hatred. This was all pointed out by this bastard.''Whatever you want, as long as I have it, I can give it to you.'Captain Fack pointed with his finger at the head that had fallen on the ground; in his heart, he had long hated this bastard to the bone.If it weren't for this bastard causing trouble, would his First Mate have been killed by someone today, and would he have lost all his Face now? If today's matter spreads, how will he be able to mix in the Grand Line in the future?A trace of extremely disdainful expression revealed itself at the corner of Mingo's mouth, and he continued: 'I think I have said it several times; for those who take action against my family, I will definitely let him die at my hands.''So, we only want one thing,' Mingo said expressionlessly.'What thing? As long as I have it, I will give it to you!'Hearing Mingo say this, a look of joy appeared on Captain Fack's Face, thinking that as long as he could pay a sufficient price, Mingo would let him go.And in this world, what is more important than money? He had hundreds of millions of Berries.'Your life!'
Chapter 112: Ability AwakeningPS: Here is today's update. By the way, I'm pulling some votes for the 'Qidian' 515 Fan Festival. Everyone has 8 votes, and voting also gives Qidian coins. I humbly beg everyone for your support and appreciation!Hearing Mingo's answer, Captain Fack's face was full of terror; the other party clearly had no intention of letting him go."Crack, crack...!"As Captain Fack struggled with all his might, those fine lines, invisible to the naked eye, made sharp, piercing cutting sounds against Captain Fack's stone body.When facing death, people sometimes burst forth with their potential, obtaining extremely powerful strength in an instant at the cost of their lives.This was exactly the situation Captain Fack was in now. Facing the threat of death, Captain Fackconstantly pushed and squeezed his body.Mingo and the others couldn't help but let out a cold sneer as they watched this scene. Although it was possible for a person to stimulate the potential in their body when facing death...that was only a possibility. If potential were really that easy to stimulate, then the world would be full of experts. How would people like them survive? What would it matter if one had a Devil Fruit or not?One must know that to become a powerhouse, it wasn't impossible without a Devil Fruit Ability; a Devil Fruit just made the starting point of one's path to becoming a powerhouse a bit higher.Just like Marine Hero Garp, Pluto Rayleigh, and the Four Emperors' Red-Haired Shanks... these people didn't have Devil Fruit abilities, yet they still relied on their own efforts to stimulate the potential in their bodies and stand at the top of this world.But the world is fair. Since you have gained something, you must pay a price. Therefore, Devil Fruit abilities are all loathed by the sea.There is also no distinction between strong and weak Devil Fruits; it all depends on how the person uses them. The same Devil Fruit may have different effects in the hands of different people.If you can use it well, even a trash Devil Fruit Abilitycan let you beat a powerful Devil Fruit User until they can't take it anymore.(Luffy is a clear example, relying on his rubber ability to beat many Devil Fruit Users until they can't take it anymore.)In short, everyone has the potential to become a powerhouse in their heart, but this kind of potential is not so easily stimulated.Otherwise, Mingo and the others wouldn't be watching Captain Fack's struggle so casually. To stimulate potential and achieve a Breakthrough in battle, even the Young Master wouldn't dare say for certain that he could do it.Let alone this Captain Fack, who was like an ant in everyone's eyes.But sometimes, even an ant can produce a miracle and do something that shocks the world.Marcus, who had been paying attention to Captain Fack's movements, felt incomparable sympathy in his eyes as he saw Captain Fack's struggling behavior.This Mingo was an extremely eccentric pirate, incredibly cruel, using any means necessary to achieve his goals. Even Fleet Admiral Sengokudescribed him as the scum of the sea.But then, Marcus discovered something unusual. Looking closely, Marcus's sympathetic gaze suddenly turned to shock, and his face was also filled with an expression of utter disbelief.Mingo is a String-String Fruit User. His ability reminded Marcus of Spider-Man from the superheroes of his previous life, though Mingo was much stronger than Spider-Man.Mingo could produce nearly transparent fine threads from his palms. These threads were difficult to detect with the naked eye and could only be found by someone with strong observation skills.What shocked Marcus now was that these threads had actually changed. These threads changed color, turning grey—a stone-like grey.Near Captain Fack's body, those Parasite Strings had all turned stone-grey. Although it wasn't very clear yet, now even an ordinary person could notice if they were a bit careful.Not only Marcus, but Mingo, who had been controlling Captain Fack's body, also felt it. His control over Captain Fack seemed to be disappearing.A glint of light flashed in his eyes. Looking closely, he immediately discovered the change in Captain Fack, and a look of shock instantly appeared on his face.Regarding the change in the Parasite Strings on Captain Fack's body...Even Mingo, whose psychological quality was extremely strong, was startled.As time passed, more and more areas were covered by the stone-grey, and many Parasite Strings had already turned stone-grey.Seen from a distance, Captain Fack had many half-meter long fine needles, like cow hair, stuck in him. Now, Captain Fack looked like a hedgehog covered in spines.No one was blind. How could such a big change go unnoticed? Some people were full of curiosity, very curious about Fack's change.But for people like Marcus, Mingo, and the old man... they all understood what this was, so what appeared on their faces was shock."This... this is actually... Devil Fruit... Ability... Awakening."It was unclear who said this sentence, but everyone present could hear it very clearly."Devil Fruit Awakening! What is this? I've never heard of it.""Yeah, I've never heard of it either. What kind of Awakening would a Devil Fruit have?""Hey, brother, seeing your surprised expression, do you know? Can you tell me in detail?"The man explained: "Devil Fruit Ability Awakeningis a higher level of Devil Fruit Ability. 'Awakening' is the ability to influence things other than the user themselves."But the general meaning is that the development of the Devil Fruit Ability has reached an extreme. The Devil Fruit Ability is no longer limited to oneself; it can also act on other objects.For example, in the situation Captain Fack is facing now, Captain Fack can not only turn himself into stone but also turn the things around him into stone.The reason Mingo's Parasite Strings turned stone-grey is that these Parasite Strings are no longer strings, but stone.Even Marcus, being in the Marine, knew very little about Devil Fruit Ability Awakening. After all, only a tiny handful of people in the Marine could achieve this 'Awakening'.Marcus only knew that Devil Fruits had this thing called 'Awakening'. In fact, Marcus himself didn't have a clue about 'Awakening'.Because there were so few people who had 'awakened', and Marcus had asked several people in the Marine who had awakened, and they were also completely ignorant about how they had awakened.Therefore, seeing that Captain Fack had actually awakened his Devil Fruit Ability, Marcus was so shocked, and even Mingo was the same.Let alone Awakening, Marcus had only barely touched upon a tiny bit of it. He was probably a hundred and eight thousand miles away from Awakening.But that didn't mean Marcus didn't have thoughts of Awakening. If he awakened his Devil Fruit, his combat power could soar. Moreover, Marcus had always been looking forward to what his fruit ability would be like if it awakened.Mingo's subordinates were even more shocked in their hearts than Marcus, because Mingo had also awakened his Devil Fruit Ability. Therefore, they knew much more than others about the hardships involved in Devil Fruit Ability Awakening."How could this trash Captain awaken a Devil Fruit? Even the Young Master..."Realizing her words were a bit inappropriate, the girl in the maid outfit quickly covered her mouth and glanced slightly. Seeing that the Young Master was not angry, she immediately breathed a sigh of relief.Crack, bang... As the Parasite Strings turned into stone, Mingo's control over Captain Fack naturally disappeared, and Captain Fack also regained his freedom.These Parasite Strings turned into stone, and thus they also possessed the characteristics of stone. With just a gentle shake, these Parasite Strings that had turned into stone immediately snapped and broke into small pieces of stone.In mid-air, these stone pieces returned to being segments of fine threads invisible to the naked eye. Without Captain Fack's constant maintenance, these Parasite Strings naturally returned to their original form.Having regained his freedom, Captain Fack couldn't help but close his eyes, stretch out his hands, and breathe the air of freedom."For the first time, I've discovered that freedom is so wonderful. It makes one unable to extricate themselves, just like a drug."Hearing this description, everyone couldn't help but have black lines on their heads. If you don't know how to speak, don't try to act cool. Comparing it to a drug... this description is truly intoxicating.Feeling the power constantly surging from deep within his body, Captain Fack couldn't help but show a look of joy. This power was several times stronger than before.Clenching his fists, Captain Fack thought excitedly in his heart, "What a powerful strength. Is this the power I have been bitterly seeking? This feeling is truly wonderful."Opening his eyes, a sharp glint shot out from his gaze as he stared intently at Mingo and the others opposite him. A surge of killing intent emanated from his body without the slightest concealment.The powerful strength not only restored Captain Fack's freedom but also brought him confidence—the confidence to defeat these bastards opposite him.Just now, this bastard had made him lose face completely and even almost killed him. Captain Fackhad wanted to kill this bastard long ago, but unfortunately, the difference in strength was too great.Although he didn't know where this power came from, Captain Fack knew he could control it. He wanted to reclaim the humiliation he had just suffered from them."Hey, you bastards, we should settle the score for what happened just now."
Chapter 113: Failed AwakeningP.S. Here is today's update. I'd like to ask for votes for the Qidian 515 Fan Festival. Everyone has 8 votes, and voting also gives you Qidian Coins. Please support and appreciate!"Hahahaha...!"A burst of laughter came from Mingo's side, accompanied by deep disdain and indifference."Settle? What do you want to settle?" Pink, who had been silent on the side, spoke up."Settle what? You tell me," Captain Fack's voice was much more arrogant now that he had this powerful strength backing him."You just killed my most powerful subordinate and nearly killed me just now. What do you think I should settle?""Fufufufufu..."That extremely irritating laughter came out of Mingo's mouth again."In that case, shouldn't we first settle the matter of you bullying my family just now?"Fack pointed at the head on the ground and said, "That was just something this bastard did himself. It has nothing to do with me. If you want to find someone, find him."The woman wearing the maid outfit jumped out, looking displeased."This is the first time I've seen someone as shameless as you. You were acting like a dog before, so why are you suddenly getting tough? Where did that dog-like demeanor go?"Hearing the maid woman's words, the surrounding onlookers recalled Captain Fack's pleading appearance just moments ago and couldn't help but chuckle behind their hands.Although everyone covered their mouths to laugh softly, when so many people laughed at the same time, the sounds merged together.The countless sounds of ridicule were like an invisible blade, piercing Captain Fack's heart wound repeatedly through his ears.Fack was instantly enraged, staring intently at the woman in the maid outfit, a hint of killing intent flashing in his eyes."Young Master, why waste so much breath on him? This kind of person is disgusting to look at. Let's just deal with him quickly. If you don't want to make a move, then I will."At this moment, another woman spoke up. This woman wore triangular-framed glasses, had prominent sharp features, and was a thin, middle-aged woman with curly hair and lipstick."Ugh... Ugh..."Captain Fack's cheeks puffed up as if something was about to be vomited out, but Captain Fackdesperately held it back."Oh ho ho ho ho... It seems another person has been captivated by my beautiful face," the middle-aged woman said with extreme narcissism.The maid-outfit woman waved her hand and said, "Aunt Jora, can you stop being so narcissistic? He's scared of you."Exposed, Jora was instantly furious. She stared directly at the woman and said, "Baby 5, what did you say? How dare you call me an old woman! Say that again, I dare you.""Auntie, you are just an old woman, and you still have the nerve to call yourself beautiful...""Enough!" Mingo glanced at the two and said in a deep voice, "Can the two of you please be quiet? Look how quiet Sugar is, unlike you two."Seeing the Young Master mention her, a little girl next to him, wearing a polka-dot dress, a bear-shaped shawl with a crown, and a monocle over her left eye, nodded and smiled at Mingo.Hmph!Jora and Baby 5 snorted coldly at each other, turning their heads away, refusing to look at the other's face.Mingo felt extremely troubled by these two. They inevitably started arguing the moment they met, and countless warnings did nothing."That's enough!"Captain Fack, who had been completely ignored on the side, couldn't take it anymore, and a furious roar rang out."Enough! I'm not here to watch you argue! I'm telling you, I am in a very bad mood right now. If you don't give me an explanation for what just happened, we definitely won't let you off. Bear the consequences yourselves.""There's no response? What are those bastards doing behind me?" Fack wondered, confused.He looked back, but where were his subordinates? They had already secretly run away earlier.As for why Mingo didn't stop them, it was because these people were already doomed. Running anywhere was useless.Outside the bar, in a dark, rarely noticed alleyway, Captain Fack's subordinates were gathered, cautiously peeking at the bar."What should we do? Go or stay?""Go! If the Captain hasn't come out by now, he must have met with disaster. Those people are extremely strong."The thought that their strongest Captain and First Mate were completely powerless against them, especially how the First Mate was instantly dealt with, filled everyone with terror."But what if the Captain isn't dead? Then we...""No 'buts.' Against such powerful experts, the Captain is certainly dead. I'm going to run first!""Right, right...""You no longer have a chance!"...Looking at the empty space behind him, Captain Fack cursed endlessly in his heart."Those pieces of trash actually dared to run away! Once I deal with these people, I must kill them all, or I won't be able to quell the hatred in my heart.""Right, Sugar, what time is it now?" Mingo asked.Gently pulling up her sleeve and glancing at the delicate small watch on her arm, she replied, "It is now 8:30.""8:30. There isn't much time left until the meeting. Without those cannon fodder, this 'tenryuubito tribute' won't be fun."Seeing that the people in front of him still didn't take him seriously, Captain Fack was furious. "It seems if I don't give these people a taste of my power, they won't listen to me obediently."Captain Fack gently stomped one foot, and the entire ground instantly turned to stone. This wasn't the end; countless stone spikes, controlled by Captain Fack, began to rise.They rose from the ground like long dragons, slashing towards Mingo and the others.Seeing this scene, Mingo and the others showed no change in expression. Mingo's right index finger twitched slightly.Captain Fack's body was once again controlled, suspended in mid-air. The ground spikes, losing Captain Fack's control, fell to the ground and melted into it, and the entire ground returned to its original state.Captain Fack's expression changed drastically. He tried to use the old method of turning the threads into stone to break free.Unfortunately, Mingo was using the same method. How could Mingo not be prepared for Captain Fack's move? Captain Fack used every method he could, but still couldn't break free.At this moment, Captain Fack finally panicked. He realized that even though he had become so much stronger, he still had no power to fight back against this man."Mercy, mercy, mercy! Don't kill me! I have money, hundreds of millions of Berries! I'll give it all to you. Just treat me like a fart and let me go."Marcus looked at this scene with confusion. Logically, the battle power of a Devil Fruit AbilityAwakening should increase significantly. Although it was certain that he couldn't beat Mingo, the difference in strength between the two sides was too vast to be easily bridged.But it shouldn't be to the extent that he still had no power to fight back against Mingo. This Devil Fruit Ability Awakening seemed a bit too weak.Only Mingo, who had experienced Devil Fruit AbilityAwakening, would understand the underlying reason.While Captain Fack could influence surrounding objects, which is indeed a characteristic of Devil Fruit Ability Awakening, Captain Fack's state was actually just a false appearance of Awakening.Captain Fack's pseudo-Awakening was worlds apart from a true Awakening; they were completely incomparable.Although Captain Fack could influence surrounding objects, his actual combat power hadn't increased much—only by one or two times. This small increase did little to narrow the gap between Captain Fackand Mingo.Captain Fack's feeling that his strength had increased tenfold was merely an illusion, a massive potential burst achieved by overdrawing his life force, which made his brain mistakenly believe he had become much stronger.One must know that Devil Fruit Ability Awakeningis extremely rare. Even within the entire Marine, with so many ability users, only a handful have achieved Awakening.How could achieving an ability 'Awakening' be so simple? Everyone who sails the Grand Line has experienced life-and-death crises and endured countless hardships.If being pushed into a desperate situation and unleashing potential was enough for Awakening, then the world would be flooded with 'Awakened' ability users.Captain Fack's "Awakening" was merely a state achieved under a life-or-death crisis by overdrawing his life force and forcibly squeezing out his internal potential, making him enter a seemingly 'Awakened' state.It's like a machine: you disregard the damage and input maximum energy to make the entire machine run on high load, but no matter how much energy you input, the efficiency produced by this machine will only be so much; it won't increase with the increased energy output.Because the machine's capacity is fixed. No matter what you do, it can only reach this maximum output.Now, Captain Fack's body is like this machine. No matter how much Captain Fack overdraws his life force, he can only achieve this much.If he continues to forcibly overdraw, Captain Fackwill only face death.But there was no need to wait until then. Mingodidn't want to waste any more time here; he had important plans to execute."Super Whip!"Mingo's palm suddenly shot out dozens of nearly transparent threads. These threads quickly wrapped together, forming a thick column of string, like a strand of hair magnified.Stretching forward, this column of string accurately pierced Captain Fack's abdomen. Its momentum undiminished, it passed through the bar wall and shot outwards.At this moment, outside, a group of people with unique attire, all wearing black cloaks and black hats, were walking toward the bar.Mingo's string column, carrying immense attack power, shot like an arrow toward the leader walking in the front row."Whoosh~ Whoosh~ Hula~"
Chapter 114: Identity ExposedDrip... drip... drip...The massive pillar of strings pierced through Captain Fack's abdomen, leaving behind a hole the size of a bowl. Streams of blood flowed from his stomach like running water, running down his legs and dripping onto the floor.The pillar of strings had already passed through the bar's wall and vanished before everyone's eyes; no one dared to imagine the destructive force of a pillar strong enough to slice a building in half.Entering the prosperous commercial street outside, what kind of devastation would it cause? Everyone present was already stunned by the scene before them.In the instant the string pillar passed through him, Captain Fack's entire body underwent a world-shaking transformation.At this moment, Captain Fack had turned into a white-haired old man, with countless wrinkles surfacing on his face and changes appearing all over his body.Everything indicated that in a single flash, Captain Fack's life had fast-forwarded through decades, completing the journey from a middle-aged man to an old man.Gulp!It was unclear who made the first sound of swallowing, but it seemed to be a signal, as more and more sounds of gulping came from the crowd.Terror appeared on everyone's faces. This scene was something that no one, Marcus and his group included, had ever seen or even heard of before."The strings he shoots out not only have powerful destructive force but can also make a person age instantly. What kind of Devil Fruit Ability is this? How can such a perverted ability exist in this world?"Eyes couldn't help but glance toward Mingo, the terror on their faces intensifying by several degrees.At this moment, in everyone's eyes, Mingo was not just a truly powerful individual, but also a devil—a terrifying devil.Marcus looked at Mingo with eyes full of confusion. Although Mingo was far stronger than him, Marcus, who possessed the heart of a powerhouse, would not be intimidated by this."How is this possible? What's going on? In the Marine records, Mingo's fruit ability is only the String-String Fruit. How can he suddenly make people age?""It was never written like this in the manga either. Could it be that the Mingo I'm seeing now is different from the one in the manga?"Mingo's subordinates also looked at him with expressions of confusion and surprise; they were perhaps the most shocked of all.One must know that these subordinates stayed by Mingo's side constantly and had experienced countless battles with him, yet they had never seen the Young Master make someone age."When did the Young Master gain this ability? How is it we didn't know at all? Could it be that the Young Master is..." Wild thoughts began to race through their minds.Ahem!Seeing that the situation with the group wasn't right, Trebol gave a light cough, snapping everyone out of their stray thoughts."Young Master, what is the situation here?" Trebolasked in a low voice."In order to stimulate his potential, he overstretched his life force. He looked fine, but in reality, his life had already reached its end. Now that he's dead and lacks sufficient life force to maintain himself, he naturally reverted to his original state."Hearing the Young Master's explanation, Trebolnodded and then glared at the others. The group lowered their heads in embarrassment.Mingo turned back and said, "Gladius, give that briefcase to our bar manager.""Yes!"A man responded, walked over with a black briefcase, placed it gently in front of the old man, and then retreated back to his position.This man wore a top hat and a mask with circular lenses. There were stitched scars on both sides of his eyes. He wore a deep blue long trench coat adorned with metal decorations like gears."This is ten million Berries. I assume it should be enough to compensate for the shop's losses," Mingosaid, pointing at the black briefcase on the ground.The old man smiled slightly and said, "Joker is indeed Joker, truly straightforward. I'll accept this money then."As soon as he finished speaking, a waiter proactively walked out with a bow, picked up the black briefcase, and returned to stand behind the old man."Fuffuffuffuffu..." It was that unpleasant laughter again."I imagine this small amount of money is just a drop in the bucket for your master.""Using ten million to buy your master's goodwill is, in my opinion, quite a bargain. If our two sides can cooperate, I believe the profits gained would far exceed this ten million."The old man thought for a moment. This Joker was indeed very powerful in the Underworld with significant influence; cooperating with him could indeed bring substantial returns."I cannot make the decision on this, but rest assured, I will relay these words to our master exactly as they were said."Spending ten million to get these words had already achieved Mingo's expected psychological goal. Now that his purpose for coming here was fulfilled, it was time for Mingo to leave."Sir, I finally found you! I've already found our manager, I'll take you to him right away."A waiter suddenly darted out from somewhere and appeared in front of Marcus. Without even having time to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead, he spoke urgently.The waiter's voice wasn't quiet to begin with, and since everyone had just witnessed the previous events and were intimidated by Mingo's terror, no one was speaking. Everyone was just staying silent.Everyone heard him clearly, and they all simultaneously turned their gaze toward the corner where Marcus was located."Sorry, you must have the wrong person. I'm not the one you're looking for," Marcus said with his head lowered, acting as if he didn't know the man.In his heart, Marcus had already cursed this waiter to death.To avoid being noticed by Mingo, Marcus had proactively moved to this inconspicuous corner. He didn't even dare to look up slightly, keeping his head down the whole time. Had it been easy for him all this time?And then you, you bastard, run out and find me without even looking at the surrounding environment. Doesn't that make my long period of keeping a low profile all for nothing?The waiter smiled and said, "How could that be? I saw you clearly before coming over. There's no way I'd get it wrong.""Holy crap! Damn it! With so many people around and me hiding in such a remote corner, you could still find me? Didn't you see the atmosphere around here?"The waiter seemed not to notice Marcus's increasingly ugly expression and continued without stopping."Sir, I've already found the manager. Should I take you..."Marcus directly interrupted the waiter's words and said irritably, "No need for you to lead the way. I've already seen him; he's right behind you."Encountering such a moron, what could Marcus do besides feel helpless?The waiter looked back and indeed saw everyone staring at him, and the manager was right behind him with a gloomy face.Seeing the manager's dark expression, the waiter's head spun, and he fainted directly onto the ground."This time I'm really dead!"As the waiter's body fell, Marcus, who had been blocked, appeared before everyone's eyes. There was no helping it; Marcus was only thirteen, and his height was a major disadvantage.Seeing that the person appearing behind was actually that brat who had entered earlier, the crowd pursed their lips, faces flashing with expressions of helplessness."Why is this brat still here? Does he think this is a playground? This is a stronghold of the Underworld."Mingo and his group, who were about to leave, saw the brat who had protected that girl earlier. Surprise and confusion flashed across their faces."Shouldn't this brat be on the upper floors of the Peak? Why did he suddenly appear here? From the looks of it, he seems to have been here for quite a while."Trebol moved forward half a step and whispered, "Young Master, this brat is... should we...""No!" Mingo raised his hand to stop Trebol. "Now is not a good time."Since the Young Master said so, Trebol couldn't say much more, though he was very confused as to why the Young Master would pass up such a good opportunity."I didn't expect the Marine to show up in the Underworld!"As soon as Mingo spoke, he revealed Marcus's identity, causing a massive uproar among everyone present and putting Marcus in opposition to everyone.This was the Underworld. Who among those present wasn't a heinous criminal? They were all engaged in illegal transactions that violated the laws of the World Government."Marine? This brat is actually a Marine!""Hmph! Why would a Marine be here? This is no place for a Marine to come.""Since this brat is a Marine, we can't let him go!""Right..."They all stood in opposition to the World Government, violating its laws; they were people who should be arrested by the World Government.Since this brat was a Marine, he was the enemy of everyone. For their own safety, this Marine had to die.In an instant, Marcus could feel over a hundred murderous intents. Some people had already placed their hands on their weapons. It was likely that at his slightest movement, dozens of attacks would strike him.However, Marcus didn't show a hint of panic. A trace of a smile remained on his face. In this situation, one must not panic; if he panicked, he would truly be finished."I also didn't expect that all the cadres of the famous Donquixote Family from the New World would actually come to the first half of the Grand Line
Chapter 115: Marcus and MingoHiss...Upon hearing the identity of this group, everyone present couldn't help but gasp.The Donquixote Family is not only famous in the New World but also well-known throughout the entire Grand Line; the Donquixote Family cadres are basically all Devil Fruit Users with immense combat power.Especially Donquixote Doflamingo, a Great Piratewith a bounty of 340 million Berries, who ranks among the top pirates in the New World.Moreover, everyone present operates in the Underworld; there isn't a single person who hasn't heard this name.Because the Donquixote Family is not only a Pirate Crew but also a major force in the Underworld, and Mingo's codename in the Underworld is "Joker."Only then did everyone understand why this group was so powerful, capable of taking down the high-bounty Captain Fack in one move; it turned out this person was Mingo.Seeing everyone stunned by Mingo, the old man calmly called over a subordinate and whispered."Quickly gather all security personnel in the hall. If the situation takes a turn for the worse, immediately protect this young man with everything you have, and then send someone to notify the Master as fast as possible, telling him that the young man is in danger here."Upon hearing the supervisor's order, the subordinate was instantly confused; weren't they supposed to kill this Marine? How did it turn into protecting him?"What are you standing there for? Go!" Seeing the subordinate still standing there motionless, the anxious old man couldn't help but whisper a rebuke."Yes... yes!" The subordinate hurriedly nodded and quickly ran softly toward the back of the bar.Upon first seeing Marcus, the old man felt shocked. As one of Gudrit's confidants, the old man not only knew Marcus's identity, but he had also personally investigated Marcus's identity and handed it over to Gudrit.The old man was also fully aware of Marcus saving the Young Miss, because at that time, the old man was also hidden in the crowd, secretly protecting the Young Miss and dealing with those assassins.Upon hearing Joker state Marcus's identity as a Marine, the old man immediately sensed something was wrong.This is the Underworld; with Marcus's identity exposed here, these people would certainly not let him go for the sake of their own safety. And as the old man expected, these people made no attempt to hide their murderous intent toward Marcus.Marcus is the Young Miss's savior; the old man must save him, otherwise, how could he answer to the Master and the Young Miss?But with so many people here bent on killing Marcus, even if he wanted to stop it, the bar's strength alone couldn't prevent it. Now, he could only hope that the people from Peak would arrive quickly.In fact, what the old man worried about most were the cadres of the Donquixote Family. From Joker revealing Marcus's identity, he could guess that Joker wanted to kill Marcus; otherwise, he wouldn't have revealed Marcus's identity.If not for the threat of the Donquixote Family, the old man wouldn't be afraid of these people. Without needing people from Peak, the old man could handle them himself.This was not arrogance, but confidence in his own strength.Noticing the old man's movements, a cold sneer appeared on Mingo's lips, but it quickly vanished."As a pirate, coming to an Underworld stronghold is a perfectly normal thing, isn't it? On the contrary, what are you, a Marine, doing here?"Mingo smiled slightly, once again drawing everyone's attention to Marcus, his eyes fixed on him. Clearly, he assumed Marcus was a Marine spy sent to investigate this matter.This Mingo is truly not simple; with just a few words, he framed himself as a threat to the safety of everyone present.Marcus remained calm and smiled slightly, "Is there a rule that Marines cannot come to the Underworld? Marines are people too. I heard the Underworld has such good things, so I wanted to come and buy some.""Is that so?" Mingo asked back in an extremely skeptical tone, "A Marine coming to the Underworldto buy things? That must be the funniest joke I've ever heard."Snap...!Marcus lifted the case he had placed behind him, held it in front of his chest, and patted it a few times forcefully."I brought so much money here, of course, it's to buy things. Otherwise, why would I be here?" After saying this, Marcus gave Mingo a look that said, "Are you an idiot?"After a pause, Marcus said in an exaggerated tone: "Could it be, Mingo, that you aren't here to buy things? Are you here for sightseeing and tourism?"Hearing Marcus's words, everyone present wanted to laugh, but upon remembering that these people were the famous Donquixote Family, they immediately stifled their laughter.Seeing Marcus's performance, the old man felt very surprised; to be able to maintain inner composure and remain calm in such an environment.With a few words, he defused the crisis in Joker's words and instead made Joker lose Face; this young man named Marcus is truly not simple.Not only is his strength not weak, far surpassing his peers and even powerhouses on the Grand Line, but his intellect is also extremely excellent. No wonder the Master said his evaluation of him was a bit low."Stinky Kid, do you want to die? How dare you talk about Doffy like that."A man who appeared to be wearing a fur-trimmed hat, with two facial markings, wearing a red cape, and dressed like a tribal native walked out, speaking with an angry Face.Before the man had walked a few steps, he was blocked by Mingo's hand. With a light glance, he spoke two words."Step down.""Yes!"Although the man was unwilling, this was the Young Master's order, so the man had to honestly retreat to the back.Before retreating, he glared fiercely, as if saying, "Kid, don't let me see you, or I will definitely not spare you."As for the man's threatening gaze, Marcus seemed not to see it, but instead focused all his attention on Mingo.Don't look at it as if he and Mingo are just having a normal conversation; in the shadows, an invisible, deadly confrontation is taking place.Now, Marcus must stall for time; only then will he have time to think of a way to escape from here."It seems our Brigadier General Lin Tian is not only hailed as the most potential-filled Marine Soldier in Marine history, but is also quite sharp-tongued."Oh no!Oh no!"Brigadier General, Marcus, the most potential-filled Marine Soldier."These words instantly filled everyone's minds, echoing endlessly.Marcus and the old man did not expect Mingo to reveal Marcus's identity. One must know that ever since Marcus was called the most potential-filled Marine Soldier,countless pirates have been extremely interested in Marcus. If they could capture this Marcus, not only would it make the Marines lose Face, but it would also instantly boost their own reputation.Moreover, one could get a huge bounty for Marcus's head. One must know that Marcus has a bounty of 400 million Berries in the Underworld, dead or alive; this is a number that could make anyone go crazy.This is a "killing two birds with one stone" kind of good deal, so many people investigated Marcus's identity. Unfortunately, the Marines kept Marcus's identity very confidential, so how could these people find out?Even if some had Divine Ability and found out Marcus's identity, they dared not make a move because Marcus had always been by Garp's side.Who is Garp? A marine hero. Back in the day, even Pirate King Roger was chased around by Garp. One can imagine Garp's combat power.With him by Marcus's side, who would dare to act? Even if they sent assassins, they would probably be taken out by Garp before they even touched Marcus.Moreover, the danger is too great. If Garp found out about an assassination attempt on his only student, how many people in this world could withstand Garp's fury?So even though killing Marcus could bring such great benefits, no one has made a move, and Marcushas been living well.But now, this Marcus is out alone, and Mingocertainly won't let this good opportunity slip by.At the entrance of Peak, Mingo saw everything clearly; even Mingo felt shocked by Marcus's achievements.At the very least, Mingo knew that at this age, there was a huge gap between him and Marcus.(How high Mingo's Aptitude is, is not officially addressed, but Mingo could awaken Conqueror's Haki at the age of ten, so one can imagine what Mingo's Aptitude is like.)Therefore, Marcus cannot be left alive; otherwise, in a few years, a top expert will emerge in the Marines, and this is not what Mingo wants.However, Mingo wouldn't dare to kill Marcushimself.With so many people here, if he acted, he would definitely be found out by Garp. With his current strength, facing a furious Garp would certainly mean his end. Even if he used that identity, it probably wouldn't be useful against a furious Garp.Therefore, Mingo exposed Marcus's identity to let these **** make a move; this way, it has nothing to do with him.Sure enough, after these people learned of Marcus's identity and thought of the benefits of killing Marcus, how could they still hold back?A ferocious look appeared on their Faces, and powerful murderous intent radiated from their eyes, staring tightly at Marcus.Step... step...Everyone slowly approached Marcus, step by step, getting closer and closer to him.Seeing this situation, Marcus had no energy to deal with Mingo; he had to deal with these people first. Although their strength wasn't strong, Marcus could take one out in a few moves.But he was facing over a hundred people now. With so many people attacking together, Marcus couldn't hold them off!Space Armor!Watching this scene, the smile on Mingo's lips grew wider; this was exactly what he had expected."Kill! Kill! The chaos in Korode is not enough yet. Marcus's death will just add fuel to the fire, making this storm in Korode even more violent."
Chapter 116: Confrontation"Stop!"The old man, who had been silent all this time, had no choice but to speak up and intervene when he saw the situation.Naturally, everyone was extremely curious about who dared to intervene in front of so many people, and they couldn't help but turn their heads to see which death-wishing person dared to speak up.But when they turned around, they saw it was the manager of this Underworld base, and everyone immediately fell silent, stopping their advance toward Marcus.Tap, tap, tap...A series of rhythmic footsteps echoed through the empty bar before anyone could react.A group of people wearing the same uniform ran out from the back door of the bar, quickly positioning themselves around the bar and surrounding everyone.Thud! Click!Facing dozens of gun barrels, many people felt their scalps tingle, their minds going blank with confusion.These people were the guards of this Underworldbase; why were they pointing their guns at them instead of this Marine brat?The old man walked with steady steps through the crowd, strolling up to Marcus. He smiled at Marcus, who was equally confused, and then turned around.A man stepped forward, voicing the confusion in everyone's hearts, and asked very politely."Mr. Ye, could you please tell us what is going on? This Marine appeared here; he might be a Marinespy. If he leaves, he might bring the Marines here."The old man did not answer the man's question but instead scanned the surroundings, taking in the confused expressions of everyone present."We are protecting this young man."Hearing the old man's arrogant words, the crowd didn't show any anger but instead fell into deep thought, because he had the confidence to say such things and the strength that forced everyone to think twice.If it were just these base security guards, these people certainly wouldn't be afraid. Although their strength didn't amount to much in Marcus's eyes, dealing with these security personnel would still be no problem for the crowd.Many knew that the old man was a powerhouse; years ago, he had taken down a pirate with a bounty of over 100 million with a single move, and since then, no one had underestimated him.But that wasn't what worried them; what really worried them was the master behind the old man, a man with immense influence.The world's richest man - Gudrit!Although this man was low-key, everyone knew he stood at the Peak of the world, looking down upon everyone else.If they attacked and offended him, there would be nowhere in this vast world for them to survive. This was the reason they stopped and didn't dare to continue; after all, no matter how good the prize was, what was the point if they lost their lives?Seeing this situation, everyone subconsciously looked at Mingo, obviously wanting to see what he would do next.These people hadn't reached their current status by being fools; they all knew Mingo was using them.However, the potential profit before them was simply too great, so they had overlooked it. But now that the situation had changed, they had to consider whether they should proceed.This situation was clearly within Mingo's expectations. Mingo had certainly noticed the old man's actions earlier, but it wasn't that simple to make Mingo back down with just a few words."Mr. Ye, isn't this going a bit too far? This Marineinvolves the safety of everyone present. If this brat reports everything to the Marines, wouldn't we be finished?"Mingo smiled slightly and spoke again, his words filled with killing intent.Hearing Mingo's words, the crowd's killing intent toward Marcus rose again. If they let this Marinebrat go, their lives would be in danger.Moreover, with someone of Gudrit's high status, even if they killed this Marine, he wouldn't stoop to their level over a dead person."Everyone, this young man has done a great favor for our master. You all know that our master has a precious treasure, which is our Young Miss. I presume you all know about the assassination attempt today, right?"Everyone nodded. When they had learned of this news, they had all been shocked. Gudrit only had one daughter, and he doted on her immensely.The Peak outside was built specifically so that his daughter wouldn't be lonely; from this, one could see the status this daughter held in Gudrit's heart.Those involved in that matter were all big shots, having nothing to do with small fries like them. Could it be that this Marine brat was involved in that incident?"This young man is a good friend of our Young Miss, and in today's assassination attempt, this young man saved our Young Miss."Speaking of this, the old man suddenly stopped. He narrowed his eyes and scanned the crowd, then said in a threatening tone."Therefore, this young man has done a great favor for our master. If anything happens to this young man, it means going against our master, and our master will not let it slide."At this moment, Marcus also spoke up at the right time: "Today, I am not a Marine; I am just someone here to buy things. So, I saw nothing just now."Hearing the reason behind this, and facing the old man's eyes filled with killing intent, the crowd couldn't help but retreat a few steps.This Marine was a great benefactor of Gudrit; who would dare to attack? Offending the Marines would at most lead to being wanted, but one could still run; offending Gudrit meant they were truly finished.Hearing the old man's explanation, a look of sudden realization appeared on Marcus's previously confused face.He had been wondering earlier why this manager was helping him and saying he was... the benefactor of his master.So this master was actually Ashley's father, Gudrit. At this moment, Marcus breathed a sigh of relief. With Gudrit's influence, these people definitely wouldn't dare to strike.At the same time, Marcus couldn't help but feel incredibly fortunate. If it hadn't been for the Opportunity of bumping into Ashley and then saving her, he would have been truly finished today."A bunch of trash!"Seeing these people get scared the moment they heard Gudrit's name, Mingo couldn't help but curse inwardly."Young Master, what should we do?" Trebol asked in a low voice, seeing the sudden, drastic turn of events.Mingo did not answer but instead looked at the old man. Both Mingo and the old man were rare powerhouses; just by looking at each other normally, they could make everyone else feel immense pressure.Noticing the clash of gazes between the two, everyone involuntarily focused their attention on them. Whether the matter could be resolved easily now depended on whether Mingo was willing.After a long silence!A smile appeared on Mingo's face, and he said awkwardly."Since Mr. Ye is here to guarantee it, what can we do? We can only hope Mr. Ye's guarantee is useful."Mingo had never intended to attack; otherwise, he wouldn't have incited the others to do so. Now that these people weren't attacking, Mingo would certainly not do so either.If he really killed this Marine brat, he would offend both Gudrit and Garp to the death. Mingo didn't want to face that situation.The old man also smiled: "Everyone can rest assured. Nothing happened today. Also, today is free; everything is free.""Then thank you, Mr. Ye!"Everyone hurriedly cupped their hands in thanks, faces full of smiles. The tense, sword-drawing atmosphere from a moment ago was gone; their face-changing speed could completely surpass Kizaru's Light Speed Kick.Seeing this life-and-death crisis resolved, Marcusfinally let go of his suspended heart and only then felt the cool sensation on his back.He reached out and wiped it; his back was already soaked with sweat. It was just that because he had been in a state of high mental tension earlier, he hadn't even realized his back was wet.Suddenly, Marcus's eyes narrowed. He even stopped the hand reaching to his back, tilted his head slightly, and looked at Mingo, not far ahead, with deep meaning in his eyes.Discovering Marcus looking at him, Mingo also fixed his gaze on Marcus, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly, revealing an inexplicable smile.His right-hand fingers, however, were curled and, for some reason, twitching non-stop!The sharp old man instantly noticed that something was wrong between the two, but he took one look at Marcus and found that Marcus didn't seem to have any abnormalities.On the surface, Marcus seemed fine, but secretly, he was gritting his teeth. His right hand behind his back was trying its best to press down, but the right hand was still rising at an extremely slow speed.Space Blade!A black circular blade instantly formed above Marcus's head. Taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, it rotated around Marcus's entire body at high speed and then disappeared into the air.Feeling the threads on his hand being cut, a smile appeared on Marcus's face. He slowly extended his right hand and deliberately waved it a few times in front of Mingo.Mingo's smile had long since vanished. He didn't say much, just looked at Marcus with a gloomy face.Seeing the change in expressions on both their faces, the old man, although not knowing exactly what had happened, could roughly guess."Let's go!"Mingo said in a low voice and led the crowd, preparing to walk backward.Click
Chapter 117 Dragon"Click...!"The sound of the door opening caused the previously relaxed atmosphere to instantly become oppressive. Everyone's gaze turned towards the entrance in unison.The door slowly opened, and a man whose entire body, including his head, was hidden under a deep green cloak walked out. As he entered, several others followed.These people were all wearing deep green cloaks, making it impossible to see their true Faces, but their physiques were surprising.One of them stood nearly six meters tall; if the bar door hadn't been large enough, he truly wouldn't have been able to enter.However, even after entering, it was extremely difficult for him. His head was about to touch the ceiling, so he could only stand to the side, unable to Move forward.Because the ceiling was covered with chandeliers, if he took a few steps, he would surely hit them.There was another person who was also much taller than the average person, but his head was slightly large; the height above his head was almost equal to the height below his head.What a strange group of people!The man who opened the door took two steps forward and slowly pulled back the hood over his head.Looking at the somewhat messy bar, a look of confusion flashed across the man's Face, and he asked uncertainly."Excuse me, is this an Underworld stronghold?""Whew..."Hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. It turned out they were just a group of people from the Underworld; they had scared everyone half to death.The old man and Mingo looked at this man with heavy expressions. Although they didn't know who he was, both could feel that he was no simple character and possessed great strength.It wasn't just this man; the two behind him were also quite strong, likely powerful experts themselves.At the very least, Mingo acknowledged that his subordinates couldn't handle these two people, and even Mingo himself didn't have full confidence that he could deal with them.But when Marcus saw the man's Face, he looked as if he had seen a ghost, because Marcus knew the man's identity.Monkey D. Dragon!The son of the Stinky Old Man, Luffy's father, a legendary man.A man with a calm personality and ambitions even greater than his own. He only wanted to stand at the Peak of the world, understand the world's secrets, and be a completely free person.Yet he was thinking of overthrowing the World Government, changing the world, and erasing the rules that didn't need to exist. He wanted to build a world of harmony, freedom, equality, and dreams.The path this man was walking reminded Marcus of someone—the great man who founded China in his previous life. How similar the path this man walked was to that great man.Although the current Monkey D. Dragon was not yet famous enough to be labeled the "World's Most Wanted Criminal" by the World Government as he would be in ten years, he was already their number one criminal.Even the Four Emperors of the Grand Line combined did not pose as much of a threat in the eyes of the World Government as Monkey D. Dragon.The World Government was not worried about Monkey D. Dragon's strength; they had plenty of experts. Needless to say, with the Gorosei of the World Government and the Celestial Dragons who ruled the world, dealing with a Monkey D. Dragon should be simple.What the Gorosei feared was the ideology of freedom, harmony, and equality that Monkey D. Dragon spread. The Gorosei were extremely worried about this man."However, why would Monkey D. Dragon suddenly appear here? Could it be that they were also attracted by the tenryuubito tribute?"Marcus looked at Dragon and couldn't help but fall into deep thought. This man was simply too legendary, forcing Marcus to treat him with extreme caution.Dragon scanned the room, and upon seeing Marcus, a trace of surprise appeared in his eyes, but it quickly vanished. Marcus, lost in thought, did not notice this subtle change."Hee-haw! Who threw that ball of string just now? Stand out! It almost scratched my beautiful Face."The person beside Dragon said in a tone full of anger.He had been walking outside perfectly fine when he was scared half to death. If Dragon hadn't acted in time, he didn't know what the consequences would have been.As he spoke, he removed the hat from his head, revealing a huge Face to everyone. He had an exceptionally large, deep purple afro (large enough to hide a person inside), long, thick eyelashes, light blue eyeshadow, and purple lipstick.The Okama King—Ivankov!Seeing this Face, many people almost threw up their dinner from last night."I threw it," Mingo said with an indifferent smile on his lips.Seeing this indifferent expression, Ivankov felt extremely annoyed. If they hadn't happened to be outside, how much damage would such a powerful Move have caused? How many people would have died? Yet this person wore such an indifferent expression."So it was you, you bastard! Speak! That ball of string caused me so much harm just now; you should compensate me."Before Mingo could speak, Diamante angrily interjected. Diamante would become very angry at anything detrimental to Mingo."Stinky Kid, how dare you talk about our Doffy! Everything our Young Master does is right. A bastard like you has no right to talk about Doffy."With the intention of testing these people, Mingodid not speak up to stop them, instead watching how things developed from the side.Dragon also did not speak to stop them, clearly harboring the same intentions as Mingo."Hee-haw! Is that so? A person like him isn't even worth me talking about." The furious Ivankov did not show weakness and retorted with harsh words."You're courting death!" Diamante roared in anger.Half-Moon Funeral!With a swish, Diamante drew the long sword in his hand, raised it, and swung it directly at Ivankov.A powerful wave of Sword Qi was generated. The nearby seats were immediately blown away. The onlookers hurriedly dodged to the side. The attack, carrying immense destructive power, carved a deep trench directly into the ground as it slashed towards Ivankov.This was still Diamante holding back out of consideration for the old man; otherwise, this Movecould have split the earth in two. Even at this level, it possessed powerful destructive force."DEATH WINK"Ivankov hurriedly countered. Without any visible movement, an explosive wind appeared out of thin air, meeting the wave of Sword Qi.Boom!A cloud of smoke rose in the center of the bar. Countless pieces of gravel, tables, chairs, and broken wood shattered by the explosion flew towards the people on the sidelines.Fortunately, everyone was quite skilled, and with a slight effort, they neutralized these flying objects.At the center of the collision, the elegant decorations had long been destroyed, leaving only large craters and piles of rubble.Seeing that their first Move hadn't succeeded, both were unconvinced and wanted to continue the fight."Enough!"A roar rang out, and the old man's figure instantly appeared in the center of the crater, hovering in mid-air, a look of anger on his Face.Ivankov and Diamante had only exchanged one Move, but the bar was clearly ruined; how could the old man's expression be good?Sensing the old man's anger and his immense power, Dragon reached out to stop Ivankov, and Mingo on the opposite side did the same."I welcome you to come here, but to start fighting without a word and ruin the bar like this—do you have any regard for me?" the old man said in a deep voice.Dragon clasped his hands together and said with a tone full of apology, "It was my partner's fault, so we will compensate for the damages to this bar in full."Mingo also chimed in: "Of course. Mr. Ye, we are sorry for causing you so much trouble. I am prepared to pay 100 million Berries to compensate for the bar's losses.""Hiss..." Hearing the number Mingo stated, everyone gasped and looked shocked. It was 100 million Berries, and he had said it without even blinking.Mingo's subordinates were equally shocked, clearly stunned by the figure. This was not a small amount even for the Donquixote Family.However, everyone knew the Young Master was not someone who did stupid things; there must be a purpose behind it, so they buried their confusion in their hearts.Dragon and his group's expressions darkened upon hearing the number.The other side had offered 100 million; they clearly couldn't offer less. Not to mention whether Dragon and his group even had that kind of money, even if they did, they wouldn't pay it. 100 million Berries for just a few things?How much equipment could 100 million Berriesbuy? It could greatly increase the Revolutionary Army's combat power. Besides, Dragon and his group didn't have that much money, otherwise, they wouldn't have come here.But this scene was exactly what Mingo intended.Just as Dragon and his group were in a difficult position, Marcus spoke up."Old Ye, could you waive this payment for them on my account? If that's not possible, I can cover it," Marcus said, pointing to Dragon and his group.Hearing Marcus's words, everyone looked confused, even Ivankov and Mingo were puzzled and surprised.Only Dragon seemed to understand something and was not overly surprised, while Mingo had a gloomy Face and said nothing.With Joker's 100 million Berries, it was enough. Besides, this young man Marcus was a good friend and savior of the Young Miss, and he had also done a great favor for the Old Master. It was a favor worth granting.Just as the old man was about to speak, a voice suddenly came from somewhere, speaking for him."Of course, I must give Little Tian Face. I will make the decision to waive this money for them."Hearing this familiar voice, a smile appeared on Marcus's Face as he looked at the man who had appeared at the door at some unknown time