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Inside the luxurious mansion, the air was thick with the scent of expensive tobacco and the stench of arrogance. Satori stood small but resolute, his gaze fixed on the man he had once mistaken for a "good person."
"Are you that Boss Kado?" Satori asked, his voice steady.
Kado exhaled a leisurely puff of smoke, a mocking glint in his eyes. "I am Kado. Don't you know me, little fellow? After all, you were the one who helped me recover my 'hard-earned' money."
"No, I don't," Satori replied firmly. "If I had known you were such a bad guy, I would have knocked you down a long time ago! Why are you robbing these people of their money?"
Kado laughed, a cold, hollow sound. "Robbing? No, no. We are simply earning. They earn from others, and we earn from them. It's the natural order. How else could we live in such luxury?" Behind him, his subordinates roared with laughter, mocking the very people they oppressed.
Satori's grip tightened on his ruyi jingu bang. "You're just making excuses! You steal from them and even kill innocent people. You're a bunch of hateful villains!"
Kado's face finally turned cold. "Considering you helped me before, I'll give you one chance to walk away. But if you keep pestering me, don't blame me for being merciless. Break his limbs," he commanded his men, turning his back to walk into the house. "Hang him at the town entrance as a warning."
The sounds of a struggle erupted behind him—clangs of metal, heavy thuds, and sharp cries. Kado smiled to himself, confident in his numbers. But as he reached the threshold, a massive figure crashed through the wall beside him, landing in a heap of rubble. It was one of his strongest enforcers, his eyes rolled back in his head.
Kado froze. He reached into his pocket, drew his pistol, and spun around. His pupils constricted. Every single one of his subordinates—men who could fight ten soldiers at once—was down. They were piled in pyramids, slumped against walls, or sprawled across the ornate floor.
"How did you do that?!" Kado stammered, his bravado shattered.
Satori calmly slung his staff across his back. "They're too weak. They're no match for me at all. Now, return everyone's money and surrender."
"Surrender? Never!" Kado leveled his gun at the boy. "You're fast, but you're nothing against a bullet. Kneel and beg for your life!"
"You're wrong," Satori said fearlessly. "That thing can't hit me. Try it."
Bang!!
The shot rang out, but Satori didn't move. Kado fired again and again, his hands shaking, but every bullet miraculously struck the wall behind the child. Before he could pull the trigger a final time, Satori vanished and reappeared directly in front of him. In one swift motion, Satori snatched the gun and crushed it into a ball of scrap metal with his bare hands.
Kado's knees hit the dirt. "I surrender! I surrender!!"
Outside, Zhe Fu stood nervously at a distance. When Satori emerged from the gates, unharmed and smiling, the father felt a surge of impossible hope.
"Yo! Go call everyone over," Satori cheered, giving a thumbs-up. "I've knocked down Kado and his gang. There's too much money inside for me to carry, so you all should go get yours back!"
Zhe Fu's voice failed him for a moment before he tore his throat with a shout: "Everyone! Kado has been knocked down! We are free!"
Like a dam bursting, residents poured from every alleyway, cheering and weeping with joy. That night, Satori was treated to a feast that rivaled his legendary contest with Luffy. He slept soundly on the island one last time before bidding them farewell.
"Uncle, this is your money. Keep it safe," Satori said, handing Zhe Fu the single coin Kado had given him—the only "payment" he had kept. Then, with a wave, he plunged into the surf and began to swim toward the horizon.
Zhe Fu watched the small wake disappear into the blue. "Good boy... what a truly good boy."
Days later, the Marines finally arrived to collect Kado's gang for trial, but the real hero was already miles away. However, Satori's journey was about to take a dangerous turn. High waves began to swell, and the sky turned a bruised purple. He had swum straight into the heart of a severe sea storm!