"Consider it your misfortune to die by this form. I'll tear you apart piece by piece," Oliver snarled viciously, his bloodthirsty demeanor somewhat intimidating.
Unfortunately, Badak was no stranger to the world. Did a mere Cat-Cat Fruit scare him? "A Devil Fruit user? With your strength, the Night Wolf Gang should have more territory. Why haven't you expanded?"
"Hmph, what do you know? No matter how large the territory, it's still just an underground force. And underground forces can't operate in the light. As long as I keep cooperating with Adrian, I'll become nobility within three to five years. By then, gangs and mafias will only be fit to shine my shoes!"
"Oh? Adrian is just a viscount. Does he really have that kind of influence?"
Badak grew curious and wasn't in a hurry to fight.
"Since it's either your death or mine, I might as well tell you. Viscount Adrian serves the royal family of the Ilusia Kingdom directly. He—"
Oliver's voice grew softer, and Badak couldn't catch the rest. Just as he was about to ask again—
In that instant, Oliver struck. He lunged at Badak, his clawed hands slashing rapidly.
He had used this move on the boss of the Fang Gang before—the man had been shredded to pieces in under five seconds.
"Kehahahaha!"
Feeling victory within grasp, Oliver let out a deranged laugh.
"What are you so proud of?"Badak's calm voice made Oliver's fur stand on end, and he quickly retreated a few steps back.
"Impossible! I couldn't have been wrong. I definitely hit every strike solidly. How could there be no injuries at all?"
"Wasn't my shirt torn to shreds?" Badak casually tossed away the tattered cloth in his hand, somewhat impressed. "Iron Body is still useful, though it's hard on clothes. Now it's my turn. Shave!"
Badak flashed in front of Oliver and threw a punch straight at his chest.
There was no way he could take this hit directly—the punch was so fast and fierce that it would be over if it landed. Oliver mustered every ounce of strength he had, stepping back while crossing his arms in front of his chest to block.
"Boom!"
Oliver was sent flying. His left arm, which had taken the brunt of the blow, hung limply—likely broken. Spitting out a mouthful of blood, his eyes bloodshot, he roared, "Turn off the lights! Turn them off now!"
This was his last resort. His Cat-Cat Devil Fruit ability granted him night vision, and no one had ever pushed him this far. He swore he would make sure the brat before him died without a proper burial.
With a click, the villa plunged into darkness—this floor had no windows.
"Whew, lucky I smashed the door when I came in. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to see a thing."
Badak's tone was dripping with sarcasm. He had intended to mimic Kizaru's style, but it didn't quite land—though the mockery still hit its mark.
"With the lights dimmed, how much of your strength can you still muster? Die!"
With that, Oliver nimbly circled behind Badak. This time, instead of slashing with his claws, he aimed a direct swipe at the back of Badak's head. He needed to end this quickly before Badak adapted to the darkness and complicated things.
But the fatal strike somehow missed. Overextending, Oliver stumbled forward a few steps.
Oh no!
The next moment, Badak's attack struck his neck. Oliver felt his cervical bones snap, blood gushing uncontrollably from his mouth. Struggling to look up, he saw Badak's eyes—now golden pupils glowing with a sinister red light.
"He can see!"
With a final surge of hatred, Oliver exhaled his last breath and went still, his body reverting to human form.
"Oops, might've gone a little too hard. For a Zoan-type Devil Fruit user, you weren't very tanky."
Glancing around, the only ones left in the Night Wolf Gang's hideout were the unconscious. The rest had fled. Badak summoned his floating Somersault Cloud, grabbed the gang's lieutenant, and slapped him awake. The swollen-faced lieutenant groggily came to.
"Talk. Where are the Night Wolf Gang's valuables?"
The lieutenant, barely conscious, took in the wreckage of their headquarters and the lifeless body of Oliver. Trembling in fear, he dropped to his knees and begged, "I know, I know! Don't kill me! I'll take you there!"
"Turn the lights back on first!"
"Y-yes! The main switch was flipped off. Just need to turn it back on."
The lieutenant scurried to a hidden panel near the villa's entrance, flipped the main switch, and the lights immediately flickered back to life.
"Sir, please follow me."
The lieutenant led Badak to a hidden vault in the basement. "Sir, this vault holds all the Night Wolf Gang's treasures. But... only Oliver knew how to open it."Badak stepped forward to examine the door for a moment. It was made of alloy, secured with a high-grade coded lock. Given his current abilities, he couldn't perform Iron Cutting, so there was truly no way to break through.
If only he had the Door-Door Fruit.
"Are the walls of this vault also made of alloy?"
"Not exactly, but they're reinforced concrete—very thick," the underboss answered truthfully, holding nothing back.
"Good. First, take me to search the villa. If I really can't find anything, I'll have no choice but to tear it down by force."
Badak combed through the entire villa but found no trace of what he was looking for. Instead, he stumbled upon some land deeds and mortgage documents, which annoyed him. "If I made you the leader of the Night Wolf Gang, could you command the respect of the others?"
The underboss was stunned. "M-My lord, I can! I definitely can! I, Andrew, will serve you with my life!"
"Remember—don't do anything that would displease me."
"Yes, yes, yes, my lord! I'll follow the rules, no oppression of the innocent. But about the viscount..."
"He won't be a problem. Now, come with me to crack open the vault."
Avoiding the alloy door, Badak used Tempest Kick combined with other abilities, exerting tremendous effort before finally breaching the vault.
"Your Night Wolf Gang is quite wealthy. What kind of business do you run?"
Badak surveyed the treasures inside—gold bars, Belly, antiques, and jewelry.
"Mainly casinos, port operations, protection fees, and loan services. Before, we also took on jobs arranged by the viscount—just scraps for us."
Andrew reported cautiously, afraid any of these ventures might anger his new master.
"My stance remains the same—don't go too far."
Badak collected all the gold bars, half the Belly, and picked out some attractive jewelry. "The rest is yours to use as funds. Every day, send someone to report to me about what's happening in this city."
"Yes, yes, yes! I'll report to you personally!"
"Suit yourself. I'm leaving."
"Wait, my lord! This is for you—your parents' trading company."
Andrew handed Badak a document. After a glance, Badak tucked it away. "I'll take this. Keep managing it as usual, but assign someone to keep an eye on it."
"As you command, my lord."
Badak still had work to do tonight. Mounting his Somersault Cloud, he flew toward Adrian's residence. How dare that man target Leo and Mansherry—he must have a death wish.