Barrett's lips curled into a sinister grin:
"Where should we begin."
Carole smiled:
"Let's start with him..."
A bounty poster appeared on the screen.
A fierce and indifferent face, seemingly bloodthirsty.
The chief steward of the Steam Pirates, their third-in-command.
Ben Black, a user of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit with a bounty of 1,450,000,000.
---------
New World, Vosk Island.
The largest arsenal under Hale Nock.
Inside his office on the island, Ben Black was reviewing the accounts. His subordinates stood below, not daring to breathe.
Ben Black was displeased:
"Why is this month's output so low."
"Are you trying to drive down prices?"
As the largest arsenal under the Steam Pirates, it was constantly expanding and upgrading.
The weapons produced here were all top-tier, in high demand, which was why they kept expanding.
Yet, this month, three-quarters of the produced weapons were still in the warehouse, which was unbelievable.
The subordinates exchanged glances, hesitant.
Ben Black snorted. Finally, an older subordinate, gritting his teeth, stepped forward:
"Sir, it's not that we want to lower prices and not sell."
"It's that the Beast Pirates have somehow acquired a large batch of new weapons."
"They're selling them for half the production cost."
"They've stolen many of our clients."
"We're helpless..."
"We can't just give up profits and sell at half price too..."
Ben Black frowned deeply:
"How is that possible."
"Half the production cost."
"How much wealth does that idiot Kaido have to squander like this."
"Are those weapons even reliable?"
The older subordinate replied with a bitter smile:
"We've investigated. We even bought several batches of arms from different places."
"There were no issues at all. Furthermore, the islands under the Beast Pirates are constantly building arsenals."
"Almost every island with ore has erected factory chimneys..."
"They're truly selling without regard for cost..."
Upon hearing this, Ben Black found it incredible. He pondered for a while, unable to figure out Kaido's plan.
"First, find our old buyers and try to sell this batch at a reduced price."
"As for Kaido, I'll report this to Brother Nock."
His subordinates looked troubled, not daring to speak.
Ben Black suppressed his anger:
"Speak."
The older subordinate said:
"But... they're selling at half their production cost."
"Even if our weapons are of better quality, they're still several times more expensive..."
"Who would buy them..."
Ben Black took a few deep breaths:
"Come here."
Hearing this, the older subordinate immediately collapsed to the ground, scrambling backward...
Ben Black casually grabbed a pistol from his desk.
Bang bang bang bang—...
He repeatedly pulled the trigger. The older subordinate died with over a dozen bullet holes in his body.
He clenched the hand holding the pistol, crushing it into iron dust, and smashed it against the corpse.
Boom!
The corpse, covered in Haki-infused iron dust, exploded.
Blood splattered all over the room.
Everyone had white and red matter splattered on them, even bone fragments embedded in their bodies, yet none dared to utter a sound.
Ben Black's face was also stained with blood as he roared:
"Enjoying the protection of our Steam Pirates, you've all grown fat and rich."
"And you still won't buy our weapons?"
"I'd like to see who has the guts!"
"You are pirates! Pirates!"
"If you don't buy, I'll kill your entire family and destroy everything you own!!!"
"Do I need to teach you this?!"
"Fools!"
The subordinates trembled like sieves and stammered in reply:
"Yes!!!"
Seeing these simpletons, Ben Black suppressed his rage:
"What are you waiting for!"
"Get out there and get to work!"
The subordinates dared not linger and quickly fled, fearing they would be next to face misfortune...
Ben Black took a deep breath to calm his anger.
Whoosh—
Carole and Barrett instantly appeared in the office.
Ben Black's eyes snapped open, his powerful Armament Haki erupting, swatting away Carole's hand as it reached for his shoulder.
"Who are you!!!"
He stood up, activating the power of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit and his Haki.
Barrett looked at Ben Black, whose body had transformed into diamond, and said to Carole:
"I told you it wouldn't work."
Then, he entered his blue phantom energy mode.
Carole shrugged, indicating his helplessness.
Ben Black, opposite them, snorted, recognizing Barrett.
He stomped his foot, causing the building to shake violently.
He, like a ferocious beast, turned into a stream of light and charged at Barrett.
The Rumble-Rumble Fruit inherently turned the user into extremely hard diamond, and anything softer than diamond would be crushed and destroyed by the fruit's ability.
Physical attacks were basically ineffective, and it also possessed speed, strength, and hardness.
It was considered the bane of martial arts and sword masters.
Even weaknesses like ice and fire could be resisted by strong Haki.
Barrett was well aware of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit's abilities but still wanted to test it.
*Snap*—
Barrett met the charge with a shoulder bash of his own.
The resulting shockwave destroyed the entire building.
A blast of air, carrying smoke, swept outwards.
Carole had already disappeared. The Instant-Instant Fruit's ability was not to be easily revealed.
The two clashing figures retreated slightly.
Barrett rubbed his shoulder and stretched his neck.
He grinned sinisterly at Ben Black, who was shorter but stockier than him:
"Interesting."
"It really... hurts quite a bit..."
A person's flesh was, of course, not as hard as diamond. It wasn't just about applying Haki, but density...
The destructive force of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, when it entered the body and exploded, would turn an ordinary person's flesh into a mist of blood upon contact.
For a strong individual, applying Haki would reduce its destructive power, but the intense pain would still affect their actions.
As for Barrett... it was merely a long-forgotten sensation of pain, which did not affect his movements.
Moreover... it was truly exhilarating...
A hint of bloodlust flashed in his eyes as he looked at Ben Black.
Ben Black's gaze sharpened. It was the first time he had encountered someone who could take his charge head-on.
It made sense...
If he didn't have something special, how could he have clashed with that old man Garp.
A name precedes the person...
He was confident, but not arrogant. Although his fruit ability was nearly invincible for physical combat, he didn't believe he could win against that old man Garp.
Barrett's Observation Haki sensed the pirates gathering towards them. He pulled out a mini-missile and tossed it upwards.
Vroom vroom vroom—
It instantly transformed into a house-sized object and descended.
Barrett and Ben Black locked eyes. Suddenly, Barrett grinned menacingly and leaned forward slightly:
"100x speed..."
*Slap*!
With a deafening sound, Barrett's hand was already gripping Ben Black's face.
Ben Black's mind couldn't even process:
"Wh-..."
The two of them vanished from the island...
Meanwhile, the custom missile in the sky, under the gaze of the pirates on the island...
Exploded with a roar!
Half the island was scoured away by the mushroom cloud and turned to dust...