The top-floor office gradually fell silent.
Nezumi's corpse, like a ragdoll, was casually tossed aside by Xiano, sprawled across the desk, staring lifelessly at the ceiling.
Perhaps he had never imagined.
That safe, which he treasured and couldn't resist caressing and polishing every day, would ultimately become the weapon that killed him.
"..."
The Den Den Mushi remained silent, merely puffing on a cigar.
"Good, good, good."
After a long while, a deep, magnetic voice finally spoke, "It seems Nezumi's worries weren't unfounded. There really are hidden Pirates in the East Blue, bold enough to break into a Marine base and murder the base commander!"
Was this an admission that he was being treated as a Pirate?
Or was it a ploy to extract information?
Xiano glanced over, too lazy to engage.
He quickly gathered the money from the safe and prepared to leave, casually remarking:
"Can't be helped. This guy had money. Let's see, there must be at least four or five hundred million Berries in this safe. Tsk tsk tsk, what a windfall."
In reality, there wasn't nearly that much—just over a hundred million, purely to mess with the fool.
"Four or five hundred million Berries?!!"
The Den Den Mushi's eyes widened in fury, leaping up, "Damn it, I knew that Nezumi was unreliable, daring to embezzle my money!"
Then, through gritted teeth, it added:
"Hey! Kid, if you've got the guts, tell me your real identity! You wouldn't dare come here to kill and provoke the Marines without the courage to reveal your name, would you?"
"Easy, easy."
Xiano mimicked the tone of a storyteller, grinning as he said, "Your grandpa here goes by the name Buggy the Clown, unchanged and unaltered. I served as a crew member on Roger's Pirate ship for a few years, and I've traveled the New World. I wonder if you've got the guts to come after me yourself!"
A crew member of Roger's Pirate crew?!
The person on the other end of the line gasped. No wonder Nezumi had been so timid and so certain that the other party was a hidden powerhouse...
Such a terrifying identity?
There was actually such a figure in the East Blue, and not a whisper of it had leaked out all these years. How deeply hidden could one be?
Just as he was about to speak, Xiano had already slammed the phone down.
Having packed all the money into his bag, Xiano then offered up the safe as a sacrifice.
200 Points credited.
Considering Nezumi's role and strength, this was more than expected.
It seemed Nezumi really loved his safe.
Before leaving, Xiano remembered something. He pulled a few red bean buns from his bag, devoured the outer bread, and scooped out the red bean filling.
Then, he rolled it into a small red ball and stuck it on Nezumi's nose.
"Done. Gotta go all out with the act."
Satisfied, he nodded, climbed out through the window, stepped onto the roof, and disappeared into the night with a few leaps.
Meanwhile, at the building's entrance, two Marine guards remained oblivious, yawning out of boredom...
...
—Whoosh!
In the light of dawn, Xiano used Moon Walk to step onto the deck.
Man-Scar and the others, who had been waiting for a long time, quickly opened the bottom hatch of the Orange Garden and retrieved the speedboat into the ship's hold.
"Everything taken care of at the 77th Branch?" Xiano tossed his backpack onto the ground.
"Yes, boss, the bounty has been fully delivered to us."
Man-Scar nodded eagerly, "82 million Berries, not a single coin missing. That Colonel Nezumi (Rat) really has no shame lying, saying that most of the bounty would be taken away. By the way, where is that guy now..."
Xiano glanced at his two sisters who had come closer, raised an eyebrow, and remained silent.
Man-Scar immediately understood and didn't press further, inwardly marveling at how efficient the boss was, having completed the task in less than two days...
"What's this? Money again?"
A dissatisfied voice came from behind. Xiano turned to look.
It was Nami, who had somehow sneakily opened his backpack. Her face fell as she grabbed a handful of bills and tossed them back in.
"How boring. I thought you specially brought back some delicious food. Money, money, money, I'm so tired of seeing these bills."
The one thing our home doesn't lack is money!
Xiano couldn't help but chuckle. This wasn't something the Little Cat Burglar should be saying. He reached out and playfully pinched her nose.
"Don't be impatient. We're heading to Shimotsuki Village now. Remember that amazing chef I mentioned last time? He's in that village. You can order whatever you want, and I'll have him make it for you, okay?"
"Really!"
Nami's eyes lit up as she started counting on her fingers, "Then I want seven dishes! Four... no, five desserts, and for the main course, orange sauce omelet rice..."
"I want squid tempura and the super deluxe version of tamagoyaki!" Nojiko excitedly raised her hand.
"You'll have it all, you'll have it all."
Xiano laughed heartily, ruffling his sisters' hair, and with a spirited wave, he gave the order, "Let's go! Full speed ahead, next stop, Shimotsuki Village!"
...
During the days the Orange Garden was sailing towards Shimotsuki Village.
Two pieces of news broke out one after another, shaking the entire East Blue.
First, the Arlong Pirates, who had recently entered the East Blue from the Grand Line and caused widespread panic, were completely annihilated by a single swordsman.
Reporters had already confirmed at the Navy's 77th Branch that this swordsman was none other than Xiano, who had once won the Swordsmanship Tournament on Asakura Island.
This instantly revived many East Blue residents' memories. They had a strong impression of the clean-cut black-haired boy from the photos back then.
Who would have thought that just a year later, his swordsmanship had reached such a level? Even pirates from the Grand Line were no match for him!
In no time, Xiano's deeds became a hot topic in the East Blue once again.
As the public opinion gradually fermented.
Unconsciously, his title shifted from being recognized by some as the "Strongest Swordsman of the Younger Generation" to the universally acknowledged "Strongest Swordsman of the East Blue."
The other piece of news was equally shocking.
The base commander of the 16th Branch, Colonel Nezumi (Rat), was found dead in his office in broad daylight, with his nose twisted into the shape of a circus clown as a sign of provocation.
The one who killed him was Buggy the Clown, with a bounty of 15 million Berries.
This wouldn't have been a big deal, but Buggy the Clown himself revealed that he had once been a crew member under the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger!
As the news spread, the public opinion in the East Blue was in an uproar. If Xiano brought a sense of security and pride to the people, then Buggy brought the exact opposite—extreme panic.
"What on earth is the Marine doing! How can they allow such a notorious Pirate to remain active in the East Blue!"
The royal families of several countries, including the Goa Kingdom, jointly pressured the Marine Headquarters. The Marine Headquarters was caught off guard, completely unaware that such a big shark was lurking in the small pond of the East Blue.
Thus, they immediately issued an emergency response, raising Buggy the Clown's bounty to a staggering 80 million Berries!
They also officially announced that they would dispatch a fleet led by a Vice Admiral from the Headquarters to carry out a specialized operation to eradicate the Buggy Pirates, who were entrenched in the East Blue.
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