In just a few breaths, under the practiced coordination of the men in black suits, the last traces of blood were washed into a nearby drain. The ground was soon spotless, as if nothing had happened.
Seeing this, Yahn instinctively expanded his Observation Haki even further.
This place… was too free. So free that Yahn feared he might get taken out by a stray bullet at any moment.
Especially with his physique — if a bullet struck a vital point, he might actually need to be dragged off for emergency treatment.
"Kuzan, this place seems dangerous. How about I just leave?" Yahn suggested.
"It's fine," Kuzan replied casually. "Isn't it kind of interesting here?"
"I wouldn't say that…"
Yahn continued scanning his surroundings while speaking.
"This really is the mafia's turf — the air reeks of violence, firearms, and restricted substances."
"Hm? Look at those groups coming and going... they're wary of each other, tense and guarded. Judging by their posture and movements, could they be from other underground factions in the West Blue? In that case, this must be some kind of black market hub."
Suddenly, Yahn paused in his tracks and glanced at a burly man nearby. "Wait a second... is that a Marine?"
Kuzan looked in the direction Yahn was staring and asked, "Hm? What makes you think that?"
"Calluses on his hands, his walking pace, and the way he holds his back straight…"
Yahn rattled off his observations. "I just can't tell if he's an undercover officer from another branch, or a deserter."
He paused and recalled the Marine warship anchored at Capone Island's port. The locals hadn't reacted at all — as if it was perfectly normal. Yahn made a guess.
"Probably the former. At the very least, it seems like the people of Capone Island are used to seeing Marines here."
"If you're curious, just ask," Kuzan said simply. Then he walked straight up to the man, placed a hand on his shoulder, and asked, "Hey, what branch are you from? What's your rank?"
The man turned to look at Kuzan's long face — dark-skinned, wearing sunglasses and a bandana. He seemed vaguely familiar, but his tone remained unfriendly.
"Don't you know the rules? Grabbing someone like that — aren't you afraid I'll pull a gun on you?"
"Just excited to see a fellow Marine," Kuzan replied nonchalantly.
"You snuck in, didn't you?" the man suddenly understood something.
Kuzan hesitated for a moment, then pointed at the fresh-faced Yahn and replied, "Brought a junior here to see the world. But we got lost as soon as we arrived."
"You're not a regular around here, huh?" the man asked knowingly.
"Nope," Kuzan nodded.
"Careless. At the very least, you should've asked your superior for some tips on what to watch out for... or where to go for fun."
The man gave him a knowing look, then said, "Since you're a colleague, I'll give you a tip: remember this phrase — East for pleasure, West for drugs, South for fighting, North for gambling. Got it?"
"Oh," Kuzan replied.
"One more thing…" the man glanced at Yahn and smirked. "I suggest taking the kid to the east side of town first. He might actually like it here."
"Thanks!"
Kuzan patted him on the shoulder again and said goodbye.
Once the man walked off, Kuzan turned to Yahn. "So, want to enjoy the east side a little?"
Yahn rolled his eyes and replied, "Let's just move on. No wonder the west side is crawling with restricted drugs — the shootout just now was probably some guy getting high and firing randomly."
"You don't like this kind of stuff?" Kuzan teased. "Didn't you say you wanted to experience the mafia firsthand?"
"And you like it?" Yahn shot back.
"What kind of proper Marine would like this stuff?" Kuzan laughed.
Yahn scoffed and muttered, "From the looks of it, the Marines in West Blue aren't very proper at all. Judging from that guy's attitude, this place has basically become their unofficial playground."
Kuzan's expression grew more serious at that. He lowered his voice. "Seems like there's a reason the underground networks here run so deep."
"Can't this be cleaned up?" Yahn asked.
"It's difficult…"
Kuzan shook his head. "Some of these organizations might be backed by World Government member nations. The Marines can't interfere in their internal affairs freely."
Yahn added grimly, "I'm talking about the Marines themselves. Sure, our main job is dealing with pirates and maintaining peace, but if the West Blue Marines keep getting this close to the criminal underworld… it's only a matter of time before they're rotten to the core. Corruption will become inevitable."
Kuzan seemed to grasp the gravity of the situation. He nodded seriously. "I'll report this to Admiral Sengoku."
"Good."
Yan nodded. "In that case, we shouldn't waste time. Let's head back now."
"No rush."
Kuzan placed a hand on Yahn's shoulder and grinned. "Since we've already made it to the Capone Mafia's base… why don't we take out this tumor while we're at it?"
…
When Yahn looked up, he realized they had unknowingly arrived at the very center of town — standing right in front of the tallest building.
Outside its entrance stood a whole row of men in suits, each holding weapons that resembled submachine guns.
Just as Yahn was thinking about tricking Kuzan into going in first while he 'went shopping,' Kuzan suddenly grabbed him by the collar — and flung him directly toward the row of armed guards.
"YAHN! I leave the destruction of the Capone Mafia to YOU!" Kuzan shouted.
Before Yahn could even land, the well-trained men in black had already reacted. They raised their weapons and fired in unison toward the airborne Yahn.
Ratatatatatatata!
In Yahn's Observation Haki, he could clearly sense the hail of bullets sweeping toward him like a wall of death.
"Scatter, Senbonzakura!"
In that instant of danger, Yahn released his Zanpakutō: Senbonzakura with unprecedented speed. A flurry of cherry blossoms exploded outward, forming a shield in front of him.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The deafening hail of impacts echoed all around him, and cold sweat broke out on Yahn's back.
That was close… I almost got turned into Swiss cheese!
Landing safely, and fully aware that his body wasn't built to tank bullets, Yahn gritted his teeth and cursed under his breath.
"Kuzan, you bastard… just wait until I get you back."
---
Currently at chapter 265 for advance chapters
https:// ko-fi.com/sami27