In the West Blue, on an island home to more than a hundred thousand people, a man and woman walked down the street.
The woman wore a headscarf and black trousers. Her upper chest was left exposed, and she walked with a swaying, coquettish gait.
Passersby kept glancing back at the woman's sexy black outfit. Several thin lines stretched across her smooth lower abdomen and connected to her bikini-like top, forming a spiderweb pattern.
The woman paid no attention to the gazes of the people around her. Walking beside the man, she asked, "As long as we pass this test, we'll receive codenames, right?"
The man beside her was tall and muscular, with a monk-like hairstyle.
A scar ran down the right side of his face from below his hairline to his cheekbone. His eyebrows were very thin and connected in the middle, and his lips were thick.
He wore a martial monk-style outfit, with snake patterns on both sides of the chest and the character "One" tattooed on his chest.
The man shook his head.
"I don't know. As an assassin, I only need to complete the mission."
The woman shook her head.
"I really don't know whether the boss thinks too highly of us or just wants to test our strength. Our target this time won't be simple."
Hearing that, the man took out a file, disdain appearing in his eyes.
"He's just a swordsman. What trouble could he cause? What use is that broken sword of his?"
The woman wrapped her long, slender hands around the man's arm.
"A strong man really is charming."
The man remained expressionless and kept walking.
A woman was only a woman.
He did not need one.
Strength was the only true principle.
Before long, the two reached a warehouse. People were moving in and out constantly. If one looked carefully, these people all carried the scent of blood.
"Should we go straight in, or sneak in tonight?" Sara asked, looking at the busy warehouse.
Daz Bonez glanced at it.
"No need to waste too much time. The boss didn't give us a long deadline."
After saying that, Daz Bonez walked straight toward the warehouse.
"Such a reliable man."
Sara licked her lips as she watched Daz Bonez stride forward.
The guards at the gate stopped the tall man, looking at him arrogantly.
"Stop. What are you here for? Do you know what this place is?"
Sara threw a flirtatious wink at the two guards.
"Gentlemen, we're looking for Quick Blade Laden. We have a little matter to discuss."
Seeing such a sexy beauty, the two gatekeepers immediately revealed lecherous expressions.
"Beauty, what business do you have with our boss? You know, our boss is very busy. He isn't someone you can meet just because you want to.
"If it's urgent, you'll still have to wait. But if you keep us company for a while, hehe…"
The expressions on the two guards' faces grew more and more exaggerated, drool even leaking from the corners of their mouths.
Daz Bonez frowned.
His right hand swept forward in a flash.
The two men only felt a chill across their throats. They reached up and touched it.
Red.
Thud, thud.
Both collapsed with eyes wide open, unwilling to die.
Their bodies twitched on the ground.
Even at death, they did not understand how that man had simply waved his hand and ended them.
The commotion instantly attracted many people.
More precisely, many men with fierce expressions.
A small leader waved his hand, and dozens of men immediately surrounded Daz Bonez and Sara.
The small leader looked at the two with a savage grin.
"You two must be tired of living. Did you even bother asking what kind of place this is?"
He curled his mouth and waved.
"Cripple the man. Take the woman alive and send her to Boss Laden to enjoy."
"Hehehe!"
A group of vicious-looking men laughed strangely and raised their weapons, rushing toward Daz Bonez.
"This is getting a little troublesome."
Though Sara said that, there was not a trace of panic on her face.
Calmly, she undid the headscarf wrapped around her head.
In an instant, a mass of blue hair spilled over Sara's shoulders.
No wonder she had kept it wrapped up. There was so much of it.
Clang, clang, clang!
Weapons struck Daz Bonez's body, producing the sound of metal colliding with metal.
"What?!"
The group was shocked.
Daz Bonez lifted his eyelids slightly.
"Boring tricks."
As he spoke, his right leg instantly turned into a blade and swept outward.
Whoosh!
The leg blade cut through everyone around Daz Bonez.
"Ahhh!"
Some people screamed as they were sliced in half. Others died on the spot without even making a sound.
"Urgh!"
Some faces turned pale, unable to endure the bloody scene before them, and they vomited immediately.
"How brutal."
Sara smiled as she watched, showing no discomfort at all.
"Capture that woman first!"
The people nearby surged toward her.
Watching the burly men rush over, Sara smiled and said, "You should be gentler when dealing with a lady, gentlemen."
After speaking, thorns grew all over her body, turning her into a spiked ball that rolled into the crowd.
"Ahhh!"
Another wave of screams rang out.
The small leader from earlier paled.
He had some knowledge.
"Devil Fruit users? Damn it, why is this so troublesome? Use guns!"
Bang, bang, bang!
Hearing the order, the subordinates began attacking with muskets, pistols, and other firearms.
Sara hid behind Daz Bonez.
"You need to protect a lady, partner."
Daz Bonez crossed his arms before his chest, then slashed downward and forward in an X-shape.
"Sparkling Daisy."
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Tiny sword auras sliced toward the incoming bullets.
Clatter, clatter.
Bullet after bullet fell to the ground, each cut cleanly through the middle.
The soles of Daz Bonez's feet turned into blades like skates as he slid forward, his palms and fingers becoming blades as he charged into the crowd.
"Sparkling Daisy Speed Blade!"
Daz Bonez used both hands and feet, harvesting life after life from the crowd.
As an assassin, one had to be ruthless.
So he fully embodied that ruthlessness.
"Ahhh!"
Screams continued ringing out from the crowd.
Blood sprayed everywhere, and severed limbs piled up around Daz Bonez.
"He truly is the coldest-blooded assassin in the West Blue."
Sara looked at the man slaughtering his way through the crowd, her tongue sweeping over her lips.
"Then I can't fall too far behind."
Spikes grew from the heels of her high-heeled shoes, increasing her movement speed as she rushed into the crowd.
In an instant, the screams grew even louder.
The small leader watched the two massacre everyone around them, his face pale.
"Who the hell are these two? How are they this strong?"
"What's all this noise?"
From inside emerged a tall, thin man with a large beard, a rough face, and two swords strapped to his back.
"Hm?"
Laden looked at the man and woman slaughtering people in the crowd and frowned.
"Boss!"
The small leader hurried over and reported everything he knew.
It wasn't much.
To summarize:
A man and a woman had arrived here. The woman had said one sentence, the man had not said a single word, and then they started killing.
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