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"How… how could this happen? Why did Clarke throw himself onto his blade like that?"
Not far away, "Twin Guns" Harrett stared in disbelief as Aaron's katana pierced through Clarke's chest, screaming in shock.
But a second later, instinct kicked in — Harrett turned and bolted without hesitation.
Even though their gunfight had lasted only a brief moment, Harrett had already realized that this absurdly young man's gunmanship far outclassed his own. At the very least, he could never match Aaron's lightning-fast reloads and firing rhythm.
What's more, Aaron had effortlessly dodged every single bullet Harret fired during the fight with Clarke. Now that Clarke was dead and there was no one left to distract him, staying here meant certain death.
"Run? You think you can outrun a bullet?"
Aaron pulled his katana free from Clarke's lifeless body and turned a cold gaze toward the fleeing Harrett, mocking him with a sneer.
At this moment, Aaron's Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki) had broken through from basic to novice level. Within a forty-meter radius, he could sense every living being — and if he focused, he could just barely predict their next movement.
Bang!
A red glint flashed in Aaron's eyes. In one fluid motion, he sheathed his blade, drew his pistol, and fired at the swiftly moving Harrett.
A heartbeat later, a spray of blood blossomed from the back of Harrett's skull.
First Clarke the Swift Blade, now Twin Guns Harrett — another of the Dars Family's dock lieutenants had fallen to Aaron's hands.
From the distance, the bystanders watching in secret immediately understood: the docks of Villia Port — where the smell of gunpowder lingered daily — were about to change hands.
Scouts from all major powers in the city hurriedly pulled out tiny Den Den Mushi to report the situation to their superiors.
It wasn't long before news of Clarke and Harrett's failed assassination attempt — and their deaths at Aaron's hands — spread like wildfire through every corner of the city.
This time, Aaron showed no mercy. Once his hands were free, he plunged straight into the fray among the lower-ranked members. Like a tiger unleashed among sheep, he effortlessly slaughtered every last Dars Family thug on the battlefield.
In moments, the ground was awash in blood.
Click!
A newspaper reporter, trembling with fear, secretly snapped a photo of the scene.
In the photo, Aaron stood drenched in blood, katana in his right hand and pistol in his left. His eyes were sharp and cold as an eagle's, and the corpses of countless Dars Family members lay scattered in pools of blood around him.
Standing atop the bodies of Clarke, Harrett, and countless other enemies, Aaron made a name for himself that day.
Boom!
At the Dars Family's largest dock stronghold, a loud crash echoed through the room. A table smashed against a wall, splintering into useless scraps of wood. Cracks spiderwebbed across the wall, and the windows shattered from the impact.
"Trash! Useless trash! How could two of them get killed by one damn brat?! It's infuriating! Aaaargh!"
Willard, one of the Dars Family's senior officers, roared in fury, smashing everything in sight.
The gathered members around him backed away in fear, heads lowered, trembling — none dared to meet his eyes. They knew better than to risk provoking a man consumed by rage.
The report of Clarke, Harrett, and their patrol unit being completely wiped out had reached him swiftly.
At first, Willard thought he'd misheard. But when their bodies were brought back, he was forced to accept the cold, brutal truth.
And that truth felt like a giant hand slapping him across the face, swelling his old features with humiliation. His pride had been shattered.
Two men had gone together against Aaron. They had the advantage of age and numbers — and yet, they'd both been killed by that upstart. It was beyond humiliating.
Willard could already imagine the disgusting expression his old rival, Reggie, would make upon hearing this. That bastard would surely mock him mercilessly. The mere thought of Reggie's hateful face made an old scar on Willard's body throb, and his anger surged again, veins bulging on his face.
"Graaah!"
Unable to contain it, Willard resumed smashing everything in reach to vent his fury.
And as his rage burned, so too did his hatred deepen — not just for Reggie, but for Aaron, that insolent disciple who had dared to disgrace him. He wanted nothing more than to rush out and kill Aaron himself.
But Willard wasn't so blinded by rage that he lost all reason. He knew that after Clarke and Harrett's failed assassination attempt, Aaron would now be under heavy protection from the Akio Family.
Worse, Akio's people were surely watching him now as the true mastermind behind the attack. If he stepped out, he might face an ambush from their strongest fighters — after all, he had been the one to break the unspoken rules first.
For the time being, he couldn't afford to move freely.
Elsewhere, at the Akio Family headquarters — in the top-floor room of the luxurious mansion Aaron had once been fortunate enough to visit — the Akio Family's boss sat gathered with the five highest-ranking officers.
"Reggie, Aaron is your disciple. What do you make of all this?"
Akio, impeccably dressed as always, took a long drag from his cigar and exhaled a thick cloud of smoke, hiding his expression as he addressed Reggie from behind the haze.
Today's events had genuinely shaken Akio and the others. They hadn't expected Willard to stoop so low — sending two seasoned lieutenants to assassinate a mere junior like Aaron. The result, however, had shocked them even more: Aaron had managed to kill them both.
Regardless of the outcome, today's incident had rung alarm bells deep within their hearts.
It sent a clear and dangerous message — the Dars Family was growing bold. They were growing restless. They were preparing for full-scale war. Otherwise, they wouldn't have broken the code and bullied someone so far beneath their rank.
That meant they needed to respond. They needed to take a stand for Aaron.
Otherwise, not only would the city's other powers begin to look down on the Akio Family and push their limits further, but even their own members would begin to lose faith.
"The mastermind behind this is definitely Willard," Reggie said, stepping forward. His usually impassive face now bore a rare flicker of anger. "It's time I settled things with that bastard once and for all. Give me two days — I'll handle it. Clearly, the Dars Family has forgotten how we dragged them down from their throne as Villia Port's top crew in the first place."
Reggie had witnessed Aaron's rapid growth firsthand. He knew exactly how fast the boy — once a mere "whetstone" meant to sharpen his prized student Els — had advanced. In just over three months of training at the sword dojo, Aaron had already reached the level of a novice swordsman.
A whetstone for Els? At this point, it might well be the other way around.
Especially after Aaron challenged him to a spar, Reggie realized just how gifted this disciple was — mastering Kenbunshoku Haki at such a young age and even discovering his own method of improving it.
Originally, Reggie had planned to let Aaron temper himself at the docks for a while longer, to test his resolve before deciding whether to fully invest in his future.
But he hadn't accounted for that mad dog Willard. If Aaron hadn't survived on his own strength, Reggie would have lost a genius disciple — and the Akio Family a rising star.
This time, he would personally deliver the Dars Family a painful lesson.
"I trust you'll handle it well," Akio nodded in satisfaction. "Now, let's discuss how to place Aaron. It's obviously no longer appropriate for him to remain at the docks, and leaving him as a mere patrol captain would be a waste of his talent. In our Akio Family, merit is always rewarded. He's slain Swift Blade Clarke and Twin Guns Harrett — proof he's ready to stand on his own. Where do you all think he should go next?"
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