"It doesn't matter. I took the mission, and when I did, the client said the target wasn't simple and told me to think it over carefully."
Death Gun gave a wry smile. "But I had just lost all my money gambling and was in a hurry to earn some back, so I didn't think too much and took the job. I guess it was just bad luck."
"So you were broke! Hahahaha!" Abel burst out laughing. It was hilarious that a top-tier assassin from the underworld would ever be short on cash.
"I'm telling you, you should join the Chris Pirates. The captain has always wanted you to join," Abel said, slapping his thigh. "If you join us, money is nothing, it's just paper. Besides, what casino in the world is better than our Palace Entertainment City?"
Abel wasn't exaggerating. The daily cash flow in Clifford Kingdom's Palace Entertainment City was immense, not to mention the profits from selling things like the SS drugs, firearms, and ammunition. The kingdom's various mineral resources were also incredibly rich.
As the owners of the kingdom, everyone from the captain, Aeridar, down to the executives like Abel, received at least a billion in profits annually. If they ever ran out, they could always request more from Aeridar.
For them, being short on money was almost unimaginable.
Boom!
Rumble!
Just as Death Gun was about to speak, a sudden, violent explosion echoed from outside.
"Nani?! What's going on?!"
Abel and Death Gun were startled and immediately got to their feet.
Bang!
"Abel-sama! A group of men in black have broken into the compound! The guys are trying to hold them back!" The door was violently pushed open, and a pirate from the compound rushed in, out of breath.
"Who are they?" Abel asked, his face cold. The Chris Pirates' flag was flying here, meaning this was their territory. Breaking in and causing trouble was a direct challenge to the crew.
"Abel-sama, those men in black are too strong! We've taken heavy casualties, and we can't hold them back for much longer!" Before the first pirate could answer, another rushed in, covered in blood and looking panicked.
"What?! That fast?!"
Abel's eyes widened. There were two hundred outer members of the Chris Pirates here, fully armed. Even if the Marines from the Sabaody Archipelago raided them, they wouldn't take casualties this quickly.
Whoosh!
Bang!
Suddenly, a sharp gust of wind sliced through the air. Abel and the others saw a clean cut in the corner of the room, and through it, they could see the estate's courtyard outside.
"A slash?"
Abel frowned.
"No, that's Rankyaku, one of the Rokushiki techniques. It's those rabid dogs," Death Gun said, shaking his head. He recognized the attack.
"Bastards!"
Abel's eye twitched. "They're looking for a fight!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Abel charged forward, smashing through three walls and bursting into the estate's courtyard.
"Heh." Death Gun's mouth twitched. That was way too aggressive.
When he reached the courtyard, Abel saw that it was littered with bodies and soaked in blood.
"You're asking to die!"
Abel's murderous intent flared when he saw a man in a black suit plunging his index finger into the heart of one of his pirate subordinates. He exploded into action. In a flash, Abel appeared in front of the black-suited man.
"Who are you?!" The man in the black suit was startled and instinctively thrust his finger forward in a Shigan attack.
Clang!
It was as if he had hit a steel plate. The man's finger instantly broke.
"Agh!!" The black-suited man clutched his broken finger and cried out. "W-who are you?"
"Do you know what that flag is?" Abel didn't answer and pointed to the Chris Pirates' flag hanging from the rooftop.
"You're from the Chris Pirates?" The black-suited man's eyes narrowed.
"Since you know, then die!" Abel's fist turned red, and steam rose from it as he rapidly charged toward the man.
"Tekkai!" Unable to dodge, the man in the black suit tensed his muscles to take the hit.
Thud!
Abel's powerful punch landed on the man's chest. The terrifying force sent the man flying.
Boom!
The black-suited man flew dozens of meters, crashing into a flower bed. His chest was caved in and his bones shattered, while his skin was scorched black as if it had been roasted by intense heat. He was unconscious.
"H-he killed him in one hit!"
The nearby agents who were further away were stunned. The ones here today were the elite of the elite, and the man who was just defeated was a provisional member of CP9.
"Wait, that's…"
"Chris Pirates' Sixth Commander, Steel Demon Angus Abel!"
"Damn it! Isn't he always at Micity Port? How did he end up here?!"
"Damn it, things aren't going as planned!"
Some of the agents recognized Abel, which made the situation even more troublesome. They were supposed to raid this place quickly and eliminate everyone to prevent any leaks. If the news got out, their superiors wouldn't be able to handle the fallout with a behemoth like the Chris Pirates.
Swoosh!
A black figure suddenly appeared in front of Abel with a flash of incredible speed. He swept his foot at Abel's neck.
Thump!
With a dull thud, Abel's neck snapped to the side, and the air around it rippled.
"Huh. The speed is good, and the power is decent too!" Abel's head was completely black from the impact. He straightened his neck, his expression indifferent. "You must be one of their leaders."
"H-how is that possible?!" The black-suited middle-aged man who kicked Abel was in disbelief. His kick had the full force of a Rankyaku behind it, powerful enough to kill a hundred-meter-long Sea King. A normal pirate with a bounty over 100 million Berries would have been seriously injured by that kick.
When the agents saw their leader, Instructor Riley, land a kick on Abel's neck, they were about to cheer but froze when they saw that Abel was completely unharmed. The agents suddenly fell silent like ducks with their necks squeezed.
"N-no way!"
"How is that possible?! He's an instructor-level big shot!"
"H-hey, Riley-sama, stop playing around!"
"Is that guy a monster?!"
After a few seconds of silence, the agents' faces were filled with terror, shock, and disbelief.
"This is impossible!!"
Coming to his senses, Instructor Riley roared. He pushed off the ground with one foot, launching himself into the air. He then twisted his waist, putting all his power into his other leg and sweeping it out with a force that tore through the air.
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