"Yo, so you're the bastards who injured my subordinate, huh?"
Roshio stepped forward with an arrogant stride and a mocking expression.
Behind him followed a group of heavily tattooed subordinates, each wearing a haughty scowl. Among them was a man with a ponytail, completely wrapped in bandages, glaring at Allen with a smug look.
"You really know how to pick a good spot. Booking this entire place with just a few people... looks like you've got quite a bit of cash."
*Bang.*
Arriving in front of Allen's group, Roshio slammed a hand onto the table. He leaned in, staring at Allen with a playful smirk.
"Hey, kid. You have to give me an explanation for injuring my man. How do you plan on settling this?"
"An explanation? Did a pirate hitting someone break a law? I don't have much experience in that area."
Allen sat up slightly, looking at Roshio with an amused gaze. He stretched his arms out toward the man and said,
"Why don't you call the Marines to come arrest me?"
"Pfft—!"
Buchi almost couldn't hold back his laughter, tightly covering his mouth with both hands.
Hearing this, veins popped on Roshio's forehead. A dark gleam flashed in his eyes as he said in a low voice,
"Don't get too arrogant, kid. I know you're a wanted criminal, but my bounty of 42 million Berries isn't much lower than yours. If we really go to war, you won't gain any advantage."
"The Log Pose here takes four days to set. If you want to stay on this island in peace, I suggest you settle this matter with me."
With that, Roshio straightened up, his expression returning to its previous contempt, and he said in a teasing tone,
"It just so happens I won some money today and I'm in a good mood. Don't say I don't give young people a chance. Twenty million Berries to cover my subordinate's medical bills, and I'll let this slide."
"Medical bills? You brought all these people here just to demand medical bills from me?"
Allen scoffed disdainfully.
He thought they were here to pick a fight, but it turned out to be a simple extortion attempt. It genuinely amused him.
Twenty million Berries? He had never seen such a pathetic pirate.
"Miss, maybe you should just pay him."
Off to the side, the panicked hotel owner leaned in close to Nami and whispered, "Roshio is notoriously money-crazy. Someone once won a bet against him and got hacked to pieces. He's a man who loves money more than his own life."
"No way."
Nami refused decisively.
She might have considered two million, but demanding twenty million Berries for such minor injuries? What a joke.
Nami put her hands on her hips and shouted at Roshio, "This is blatant extortion! Do you think our money just falls from the sky? I won't give you a single Berry!"
Hearing this, Roshio's face darkened, and he glared at her fiercely.
"Stupid bitch, who gave you the right to speak—!"
*Bang!!*
Before he could finish, a long black leg whipped out in a flash, viciously striking Roshio in the face and sending him flying. His body smashed through a pile of tables and chairs before slamming heavily into the wall.
"Boss!"
"Boss!!"
The sudden turn of events startled all of Roshio's subordinates, who hastily turned to look at the attacker.
Sanji slowly lowered his leg. Biting down on his cigarette, he looked at them with indifference and said coldly, "Scum who curse at a lady don't deserve to live in this world."
"You bastard!"
"Kill him!!"
Roshio's subordinates roared in anger, drawing their swords and raising their guns to attack.
But at that exact moment, arms suddenly sprouted from all over their bodies—some grabbing their joints, others gripping the barrels of their guns.
Faced with this bizarre sight, the pirates panicked.
"What is this?!"
"Hands?!"
"Sixty-Four Fleur: Clutch!!"
Robin closed her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. As she activated her ability, the arms on the pirates instantly exerted force and twisted!
*Crack! Crack! Crack!*
"Blergh—!"
"Aaaagh—!"
A dense chorus of snapping bones was accompanied by waves of agonizing wails as all the pirates were violently bent backward in pain.
"Hiss—what a ruthless move!"
"So brutal—!"
Buchi and Sham gasped in shock, feeling a sharp pain in their own spines just watching.
Nami also looked on in astonishment.
She hadn't expected Robin to be this strong. So many fully armed pirates defeated in an instant.
From beginning to end, Allen couldn't even be bothered to spare a glance at the trash. He lit a cigar, clamped it between his teeth, and waved at the owner.
"Come clean up the floor, boss. Seeing so many flies ruins my appetite."
"Yes, yes, yes! Please wait a moment, I'll have someone clean it up right away," the owner replied frantically, nodding repeatedly.
Soon, he gathered the hotel staff to tidy up the restaurant, dragging Roshio and his subordinates out one by one and tossing them onto the street.
Seeing dozens of half-dead pirates piled up like a small mountain, passing pedestrians were completely shocked and gathered around to gossip.
In no time, the news of the Roshio Pirates' brutal defeat spread rapidly across the island. By evening, almost every tavern was buzzing with talk about Allen's crew.
Meanwhile.
A large notice was posted at the entrance of the Tropical Hotel.
"Registration is from tomorrow morning until noon. There are one hundred spots for combatants. No limits on lifestyle professions or those with special skills."
"Combatants will be fully equipped with weapons and armor for free. Hey, if I remember correctly, they use high-grade gear."
"One million Berries paid upfront on the day you board? Those with bounties get paid according to their bounty amount? Is this for real? Are there any requirements to sign up?"
"Let me see... Combatants need to pass a combat or shooting test. Bounties over five million Berries are recruited unconditionally. Bounties over ten million Berries are immediately appointed as squad captains."
"Isn't that a bit strict? You need a ten million Berry bounty just to be a squad captain. But if they're handing out money just for joining..."
Many pirates gathered on the street. Seeing the commotion, passersby came over out of curiosity to take a look, and the crowd grew larger as time passed.
It wasn't until the Nyaban Brothers walked out from inside that everyone's attention was drawn to them.
Among the crowd, a tall, scruffy pirate carrying a two-handed broadsword on his back stepped forward and asked the Nyaban Brothers,
"Hey, is what your recruitment notice says true? I have a bounty of six million Berries. Will you really give me six million Berries the day I board?"
Hearing his voice, the Nyaban Brothers turned to size the man up, then laughed.
"Of course. Ordinary combatants get one million Berries upon boarding. Anyone with a bounty over one million gets paid an amount equal to their bounty."
"Don't doubt whether we have the means. The one thing our Demon Lion Pirates lack the least is money!"
With that, Buchi and Sham each brought out a black briefcase. They opened them to reveal neatly stacked wads of Berries and smiled.
"As long as you have the strength to join, whether your bounty is six million or sixty million, you won't be shorted a single Berry."
"That's so much money...!"
"As expected of the pirate crew that easily wiped out Roshio's gang. How generous."
Seeing the Nyaban Brothers casually display their wealth, the onlookers dispelled some of their doubts.
At this time, another person stepped forward and asked,
"Hey, I know how to repair ships. Can I join unconditionally, and will I also get one million Berries?"
"That's right. Anyone with lifestyle, navigation, or entertainment skills is exempt from the combat test. Even if you just juggle or do magic tricks, you'll still get paid when you board," Sham nodded in reply.
Hearing this, the onlookers grew eager to try. Being able to join a powerful pirate crew and immediately receive a large sum of money upon entry was a rare opportunity.
Next, the Nyaban Brothers answered a barrage of random questions from the crowd, only finishing when it was time for dinner.
Riding the heat of the Roshio incident from earlier that day, the news of the Demon Lion Pirates handing out money to recruit crew members spread throughout the entire town overnight.
...
The next morning, a massive number of pirates gathered in Mock Town flocked to the entrance of the villa hotel. Some came to sign up, some came to watch the spectacle, and naturally, there was no shortage of those looking to cause trouble.
Allen left the entire crew recruitment process to Sanji and the Nyaban Brothers.
He himself stayed inside the villa, trading Devil Fruits with Bellamy's crew, who had just returned that morning.
"The Paramecia-type Lazy-Lazy Fruit. The user can fire a lazy beam from their hands to make the target lethargic. Those with weak wills will even lose their ability to fight completely. Price: 300 million Berries."
"The Turtle-Turtle Fruit, Model: Sea Turtle. Its shell is as hard as steel, granting the user immense defensive capabilities. After transforming, they can also stay underwater for long periods. Price: 300 million Berries."
"The Bug-Bug Fruit, Model: Army Ant. It grants the user tremendous strength and stamina, and its mandibles can secrete a dissolving acid. This fruit is a bit more expensive. Price: 400 million Berries."
Three open wooden boxes sat on the table, each containing a fruit covered in spiral patterns.
Bellamy introduced them one by one, then leaned back on the sofa and grinned.
"I've collected the three fruits you wanted from the sellers. With a 5% commission fee for each, the total comes to 1.05 billion Berries."
"Your efficiency is truly likable. Count the money."
The corners of Allen's mouth curled up as he waved for a crew member to bring the money over.
A few days ago, Bellamy had contacted him, saying there were sellers looking to offload four Devil Fruits. After learning the details, Allen decided to purchase three of them.
He planned to use these fruits later as rewards for well-performing squad captains.
Among them, Gin had a subordinate named Iron Wall Pearl, who carried heavy shields on his body and had decent strength. The Turtle-Turtle Fruit would be perfect for him to eat.
The Bug-Bug Fruit, Model: Army Ant was also quite good. It could massively boost the consumer's strength and stamina, and even significantly increase their defense. He planned to reserve it as a backup option for Gin.
If they didn't come across a better option later, this fruit would serve as a solid fallback for Gin.
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