Gaya Island.
Inside a tavern, Bahr sat at a corner table wearing a mask, leisurely sipping beer while listening to the chatter around him.
After docking their ship at the port, the usually clingy Miss. Valentine hadn't followed him, having gone with Paula to buy ingredients for drinks instead. Nico Robin said she needed to investigate something, while Mr. 1 and Mr. 5 were responsible for procuring supplies and fresh water. So he wandered the island alone.
As for leaving someone to guard the ship? That was a joke. The ship had been stolen anyway, and there was nothing valuable on board. The harbor was full of pirate ships—if they lost this one, they could just steal another.
As for the mask... Well, his face was too easily recognizable, and he wanted to avoid trouble.
Listening to the surrounding conversations about topics like "the 100 million bounty Straw Hat Boy beating up Bellamy" and "the appearance of a Knock-Up Stream," Bahr guessed the Straw Hat crew might have gone to Sky Island.
But it was hard to say. Without Robin to gather information, they might not even know about Sky Island.
None of that concerned him, though. Aside from regretting not running into the Little Cat Burglar to "collect a debt," he couldn't be bothered with the Straw Hat crew's nonsense.
After leisurely finishing his beer, Bahr paid and left the tavern, aimlessly strolling down the street while his eyes kept wandering to the women passing by.
Even though he had Nico Robin and the others around, since he was plotting to become the "Sea Clam King," he couldn't just sit idle. Whenever he encountered a suitable target, he had to show his true colors as a man!
Unfortunately, the "merchandise" along the way wasn't up to par, failing to spark even the slightest interest.
His standards had probably been raised too high.
Just as he was feeling bored, a sudden "BOOM" echoed from the distance. Bahr's eyes lit up—wasn't this a perfect opportunity for some excitement? He immediately headed toward the source of the sound.
Before he could take more than a few steps, a figure suddenly flew sideways toward him. Bahr's sharp eyes immediately recognized it as Paula. With a flick of his finger, she tumbled right into his arms.
"What happened?" Bahr frowned, steadying Paula as he noticed her twisted expression.
"WEHAH!"
Before Paula could answer, a bizarre shout erupted. Bahr looked up to see a hulking man wearing a wrestling mask standing opposite him, his massive frame resembling an iron tower. Bahr's eyelids twitched.
Wasn't that Burgess from the Blackbeard Pirates?!
"A comrade, huh? WEHAHAHA!" Burgess sized up Bahr excitedly, raising a fist the size of a sandbag—clearly targeting him now!
Paula rubbed her wrist, urgency in her voice. "Boss, Miss. Valentine and I were shopping when some weirdo handed her an apple. She took a bite, and it exploded! I was about to retaliate when this guy charged at me..."
An apple? Explosion?
Bahr swept his gaze around and spotted a hunched man in a tattered long coat crouching nearby, looking utterly lifeless—wasn't that Doc Q, the Blackbeard Pirates' ship doctor?!
Suddenly, he remembered that the Straw Hat crew had indeed run into Blackbeard when they came to Gaya Island.
Wait... where was his "lemon girl"?
Bahr scanned the area and saw Miss. Valentine lying motionless on the ground, her entire body covered in black smoke, her hair charred like a bird's nest...
Doc Q let out a weak belch, his cloudy eyes slowly rolling beneath his hat brim as he muttered in a voice as raspy as a broken bellows, "Such is fate..."
"Fate my ass."
The moment the words left his mouth, the air rippled with a fine, almost imperceptible vibration, as if an invisible blade had sliced through space.
"SHIIINK!"
A thin red line of blood seeped from Doc Q's bony chest. His eyes widened, his throat gurgling twice before his body swayed and collapsed face-first onto the ground.
Beside him, Burgess was still grinning stupidly—until his wrestling singlet suddenly split open with a "RIP," revealing a wound deep enough to expose bone. He stared down at the torn flesh and gushing blood, his smile slowly freezing as his triumphant "WEHAH!" choked into a muffled "Ugh!" His massive body toppled like a felled tower, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Bahr's expression darkened as he glanced at the two figures lying in pools of blood. "Dare to touch my women? You've got a death wish. Today, your fate is death."
Though his bond with Paula wasn't deep, they had still shared intimacy. Seeing her get beaten up, how could he just stand by?
Especially Miss. Valentine... She might not have been strong, and her personality was flashy and shallow, but she knew best how to please him.
Now, seeing her lips charred and smoking, Bahr felt his lungs about to explode from rage. She was his exclusive property—how dare these bastards ruin her like this?
This was beyond intolerable. It didn't matter if they were the Blackbeard Pirates, the Four Emperors, or even the Navy—if they dared lay a finger on his people, Bahr would raze their entire base to the ground!
"Hmm? Not dead yet?" Bahr raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised that the two he had struck with his Dimensional Slash were still twitching. They had some skill, huh?
Haki protection?
"Dark Water!"
Just as Bahr raised his hand to finish them off, his entire body suddenly stiffened, as if something had violently yanked him forward. He flew uncontrollably through the air like a leaf.
The moment he looked up, his pupils shrank to pinpricks. Standing ahead was Blackbeard, his yellowed fangs bared in a grin, his eyes full of malice.
"This is the power of the Dark-Dark Fruit..."
Bahr instantly realized what was happening. Gritting his teeth, he swung his arm mid-flight, unleashing a Dimensional Slash that sliced through the air like lightning, carving a bloody gash across Blackbeard's chest. A fountain of blood sprayed out, stretching over a foot long.
Blackbeard, who had been gloating, suddenly grimaced and staggered back with a grunt. But despite the pain, he maintained his gravitational pull, keeping Bahr locked in place. As Bahr was dragged within reach, Blackbeard clenched his fist and smashed it into Bahr's abdomen.
The force behind the punch was terrifying, making Bahr feel as if his organs had been jolted out of place. He was sent flying backward into the nearby tavern, crashing through a wooden beam with a deafening "BOOM!" The pain made his vision go black.
"ARGH!" Blackbeard clutched his chest, rolling on the ground in agony. His pain sensitivity, far beyond that of a normal person, made him bare his teeth and curse, "Fuck, that hurts! You damn monster, absolute monster!"
Van Auger, the sniper, rushed out from a street corner, frantically trying to help Blackbeard up, only to be shoved away in irritation. Blackbeard struggled to his feet on his own.
From within the dust cloud came the sound of Bahr coughing. He propped himself up against a broken wall, a trail of blood dripping from his lips. Every breath sent sharp pain radiating from his ribs.
"Boss, are you okay?!" Paula rushed over in a panic, hastily supporting Bahr. Seeing his battered state, cold sweat instantly beaded on her forehead.
This was a man who could stand toe-to-toe with a Navy Admiral—how had he been injured by this random newcomer?
Clutching his chest, Bahr could clearly feel his broken ribs. His icy glare locked onto Blackbeard as he spat through gritted teeth, "You filthy bastard, I'll kill you today!"
His eyes bulged like copper bells as he roared, "You monster, I swear I'll end you!"
The two men stood facing each other through the settling dust, their heavy breathing rising and falling like two enraged beasts ready to tear out each other's throats at any moment.
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