-Heart Headquarters, Arrow City, Southern Territories, Mainland 01-
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In a vast and grand room, several men stood motionless. Some wore suits and others loose shirts. They formed straight lines along the path, creating a wide space between them.
~Bam!
A bloodied figure plunged into the room, falling on his nose in anguish.
Following him were 2 other men; one wearing a suit with an emotionless face, and another wearing a red open-buttoned flowery shirt, having a playful and silly expression on his face.
But don't let his friendly smile fool you. This man was colder than the freezing seas of Gantia.
"Owww~... A buddy, I think we broke your nose." The playful man commented, putting his hands in his pockets and kicking the bloodied man in the butt.
"Claus… That's enough." A deep voice from ahead echoed, and the playful man restrained himself.
He was loyal and completely obedient to his leader!
'I don't want to die. I don't want to die.'
The bloodied man didn't care about his injuries, groveling on the red carpet before the man seated at the far end of the room.
"Believe me… It was an accident. How can a worm like myself dare to touch anything that belongs to you?"
Word after word, the man spoke of what he would consider 'wisdom' to the unseen figure in the shadows.
'Damn it! How could I have been caught so easily?'
Inwardly, the man wasn't as regretful as he showed.
What a joke! They were all criminals here, with the ability to spew lies at the drop of a hat.
A while back, he and his boys attacked and robbed a shipment as they usually do. And when they opened the truck, they found the motherload! Sure, he saw the painted marks on the shipment, knowing it belonged to this mysterious boss.
But at that time, he and his boys felt invincible. They took it all, enjoyed what they could, and even grew their strength.
Do they regret it? No way! His only regret was being caught.
'F***ing bastards! Even if you're powerful, how dare you attack me, the new boss of Don Perro Mafia?'
He swore that when he got out of this mess, he would grow his gang and one day stand on the heads of these c***suckers.
Hmph!
A discerning trace of malice flashed through his eyes.
He thought he was quick to dispel his expressed malice, unbeknownst to him that many had already seen through his thoughts.
But the clueless man continued his routine of groveling and begging these sons of a b**ch for his life.
His face was desperate, his eyes anxious, and his mouth wide open with saliva spewing from its bloodied, purplish corners.
Though he didn't want to admit a gang leader like himself was petrified, his body had long proven this fact, constantly quivering before the unseen man in the shadows.
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"Wait! Wait! You think about it! Wouldn't it be foolish for me to know it's your shipment and touch it all? I swear on my mother's grave! It was all an accident!"
Claus' laughter erupted, causing the bloodied man's heart to constrict.
"You, James Tumbler, a person who killed his mother in the outside world, also dares to swear on her grave too?"
What? How did they know?
James remained in the shape of an '0', too shocked for words. He couldn't understand it.
How did they get his information?
James' eyes became unfocused, darting about the same space in a daze.
Once a person enters the Mainland, it's almost the same as being reborn.
Why? Because no one knows what crimes one truly committed. Everyone's sh** was kept a secret.
Occasionally, people might speculate. But unless confirmed from the source, everything would only be a rumor.
It was also common for many to lie about the crimes they committed, making up exaggerated incidents for prestige.
Here, the fiercer one was, the more likely they were to survive. That was a fact.
Of course, if one had a trial alongside another in the Absolute Court, it's most likely they would know the true crime some criminals committed.
Again, some people were already too famous before entering here, like those of noble homes or those already famous for unrelated crime matters like being a celebrity.
But even though many might know one's true crime during the hearing, over the many years, they forget this information easily, especially with the many other criminals on the Mainland they had to keep vigilance.
How to say it? No one thought it worth remembering someone who hasn't even lived for decades in the Mainland. For all they knew, the people they recalled could die in another month, week, or year.
The Mainland had millions of people residing in various territories.
Many only focused on knowing about those famous powers here.
If they did take note of any newbie or any young one, it meant the person was super talented and a great force to be reckoned with.
In short, not all gangs were worth remembering. The law of the jungle applied in this hellish place.
But what shocked James was that during his sentencing alongside many in the Absolute Court, he was the last person to be judged, meaning no one else could have known about his crimes.
Even if he wasn't the last on the line, he had been in the Mainland for 60 years. And it was only 5 years ago that he became somewhat noteworthy.
Those in the same trial room should no longer recall anything about him. Maybe they could recall some matters fleetingly, but many facts would still be inaccurate.
Bottom line, it's hard to know one's true crime unless some people have kept an eye on them since day one.
Only when one becomes famous would many try finding information on them.
In his case, 60 years in the Mainland, only becoming somewhat famous 5 years ago in one territory out of the hundreds.
Even he felt it ridiculous for any facts to exist. Not to talk of the fact that he also added to his rumors, saying he killed xxx amount of people and whatnot.
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James' face was frozen in shock, forgetting how to beg for his lowly life anymore.
Instead, he felt his body jolt in electrocuted dread, realizing the power the figure before him held.
Till now, he hadn't seen what the figure looked like.
The space between himself and the man was incredulously far apart.
In the room, the red carpet led to the beautifully carved wooden desk ahead.
A very dark blanket of shadow made from the special unique covered the man's face and sturdy chest, and gloved hands.
The man wore a well-fitted black inner vest, black tie, white shirt, black gloves, and a long black trench coat.
Yes…
He hadn't seen the man's face yet, but this much petrified him, especially when those beastly eyes turned his way, shining dangerously in the dark.
The thick air of smoke from the figure's massive cigar also shrouded his figure in more mystery. And for the first time, James felt a deep pang of regret in his gut. He felt like an ant before a giant.
Elric Fullbuster…
This man was the current Emperor of Hearts!
…