Chapter 1
In a cave on a solitary island in the East Blue.
"Interesting. Someone actually dared to steal from me, Treje."
A cold voice echoed through the cave, accompanied by the sharp whistle of swinging iron chains.
Treje's Hunter Group surrounded the area.
In their midst, two young girls were tightly bound by iron chains.
"So… who wants to die first?"
Treje grinned wickedly. An iron chain materialized in his hand and lashed down viciously toward the two girls.
Instantly, screams of agony and fresh blood filled the cave.
At that moment, an out-of-place voice suddenly rang out from outside the cave.
"This island really does have something going on. You damn cat actually have this kind of ability?"
"Not bad, not bad at all! I'm impressed!"
The man's tone carried obvious surprise, mixed with casual praise.
But compared to the grim scene inside the cave, it felt jarringly out of place.
Until he stepped into the cave...
"Whoa, quite a crowd here."
His flippant words clearly showed he didn't take Treje and his men seriously at all.
"Kid, who the hell are you?"
Treje's expression darkened. Beneath his sunglasses, his gaze locked onto the man like a predator.
To remain so calm and composed in front of so many people—he obviously had some kind of backing.
That made Treje hold back from attacking immediately.
"Aike. A merchant."
A merchant?
Treje was momentarily stunned.
That answer was completely unexpected.
"So what are you doing here?"
"My cat said there's treasure hidden on this island, so I came to check it out. If it's real, I might as well make some quick cash on the side."
Only then did Treje notice the strange cat cowering behind the man.
It stood on two legs, one paw clenched in its mouth, trembling like a frightened human.
A Devil Fruit user?
That was Treje's first thought.
But hearing that Aike was only here for treasure, the malice in his eyes became undisguised.
His subordinates' expressions turned ferocious as well.
They stared at Aike like hungry wolves eyeing prey.
Yet Aike himself looked intrigued, completely unfazed.
This gave the two overlooked girls a brief moment to catch their breath.
Just as the tension reached a boiling point, the purple-haired girl suddenly shouted:
"Boss! You finally came! Hurry up and save us!"
Her words shattered the silence.
"So you're all in cahoots. No wonder you got here so fast."
Treje clenched his fists, and several iron chains materialized around him.
Aike, however, looked utterly confused.
He was used to framing others, not the other way around. Today, someone had pinned a black pot on his head.
His attention shifted to the two girls.
One glance—and he froze even more.
That's Nami?
Aike instantly recognized the orange-haired girl in chains.
Though her figure was still a bit youthful, her appearance matched his memories perfectly.
If that's the case, then the purple-haired girl next to her must be... Kalina?!
It all clicked for Aike.
No wonder she immediately dumped the blame on him. If it's Kalina, that's not surprising at all.
After all, she'd even tricked her long-time partner Nami twice.
Let alone a total stranger like him, especially in a life-or-death crisis.
But that didn't mean Aike was going to happily accept the blame.
Seeing the sly glint in the girls' eyes, Aike withdrew his gaze.
He hoped they'd still be smiling later.
By now, Treje—ignored the whole time—could no longer contain his rage.
"Boss! I remember now!"
"He's the Devil Merchant! One man and a blue cat—it can't be anyone else!"
"He's the infamous Devil Merchant who's been making waves across the East Blue this past year!!"
One of the Hunter Group's crew members suddenly shouted.
"What bullshit Devil Merchant! I'm Treje!"
With that, his chain-wrapped fist swung fiercely toward Aike.
The sharp gust of wind signaled the terrifying power behind the punch.
Treje's men watched with wild excitement, while Nami and Kalina looked on in worry.
Aike simply shook his head.
"As a merchant, I still prefer peaceful, profitable dealings."
In an instant, an overwhelming pressure erupted.
It bypassed Nami and Kalina on the ground and instantly flooded the entire cave.
Countless cracks spiderwebbed across the walls, making the cave tremble on the verge of collapse.
This was Conqueror's Haki—an oppressive force straight from the soul!
Treje, closest to the source, felt it the most intensely.
He was slammed to the ground, unable to move, his face contorted in extreme pain.
The bizarre scene left Nami and Kalina gulping hard.
Their pounding hearts jumped to their throats.
They exchanged glances, sharing the same bitter realization.
Out of the wolf's mouth... straight into the tiger's.
Especially Kalina, who had just schemed against him.
Done for.
Completely done for!
They'd heard him called the "Devil Merchant"!
Anyone called a devil definitely wasn't a good person!
Aike paid no attention to the girls' inner turmoil. His eyes remained fixed on Treje on the ground.
"So… can we talk properly now?"
He withdrew the Haoshoku Haki and smiled down at him.
"Once you've calmed down, it's time for trading!"
"W-What trade?"
Treje struggled to lift his head, his face filled with the relief of surviving disaster.
"Of course, a life-buying transaction!"
"By rights, since you attacked me, I should take your life...
"But right now! You can use anything you can think of to buy your life back."
"I'm willing to trade—as long as I can live!"
Treje spoke without hesitation.
When your back is against the wall, any price is worth paying to survive.
"Contract established!"
Aike's lips curved into a grin. With a flick of his right hand, a golden scale symbolizing fairness appeared.
One side showed Treje's figure; the other was empty.
Aike tapped the empty side, and the conditions for buying his life materialized.
"100 years of lifespan, plus your Devil Fruit!"
Hearing the price, Treje's face twisted horribly.
100 years of life—what difference was that from taking his life outright?
"Relax. I never said it has to be your own."
"You still have all these subordinates, don't you?"
Aike flashed a demonic smile.
Treje's expression eased.
That was indeed a solution. His men were all passed out anyway.
Split it among them a little—no one would notice.
"Then those two can serve as payment chips too, right?"
Treje pointed at Nami and Kalina on the ground.
Both girls paled instantly, looking at Aike with pleading eyes.
"Of course not!"
Before they could breathe a sigh of relief, Aike gave an amused chuckle.
"They're my next customers."
Nami and Kalina's faces turned ashen.
Treje's mood improved noticeably.
Better three people suffer than just him.
He could tell now—these two women had zero connection to the monster in front of him.
They'd brought this on themselves.
"Since you have no objections, the transaction is complete!"
Immediately, the golden scale glowed, enveloping Treje and his crew.
Soon after—
A green glow and the Devil Fruit appeared on the other side of the scale.
Balance achieved!
At that moment, Treje's subordinates woke up.
"Can we leave now?"
Having lost his Devil Fruit ability, Treje was as good as crippled.
His combat power had plummeted—he needed to get far away from this monster as soon as possible.
"Of course."
Aike nodded.
The group immediately scrambled out of the cave, terrified of falling behind.
As a merchant, credibility mattered.
Letting small fry go was no big deal—he understood the value of long-term growth.
As for Treje, Aike actually had some expectations.
Though weak now, the guy was a boss in a later special arc. Who knows? He might bring a nice surprise in the future.
Pure Gold would make for valuable merchandise!
"Now then… it's your turn, you two..."