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The unexpected turn of events left the marines present stunned. They couldn't fathom why the seemingly amiable owner of the Sea Restaurant would suddenly attack, killing Colonel Morse in the process.
The sound of firearms being readied filled the air. Trained marines quickly reacted, loading their guns and aiming collectively at Zyhark, who stood at the center.
Facing the myriad of ominous gun barrels, Zyhark remained internally undisturbed, his heart without ripples of panic.
Previously, when only his defensive capabilities were notably strong, he might have been wary of such powerful firearms. However, now that his speed had been significantly enhanced, ordinary people wielding such weapons posed no significant threat to him.
"Your Colonel Morse colluded with the pirate Kuro, allowing the Black Cat Pirate Crew to attack towns to gain fame and accomplishments for himself. I found him disagreeable and dealt with him. Any problems with that?"
Zyhark's gaze was calm as he observed the marines, shocked and wavering, "Or are you all in on it?"
Hearing this, the already tense marines panicked.
"How could that be! Colonel Morse led us in repelling the Black Cat Pirate Crew multiple times. He's a hero who protected the civilians!"
"That's right! Colonel Morse even said that no matter how many times it takes, we must capture Captain Kuro!"
"Yes, yes, don't be deceived by this troublemaker. Colonel Morse clearly shot Kuro dead!"
Recalling Colonel Morse's decisive action in shooting Kuro, the marines, kept in the dark, mustered their courage and vociferously objected.
Such simple-minded fellows...
Zyhark inwardly sighed, his gaze meaningfully set on the excited marines as he asked, "So, why do you think Morse was in such a hurry to kill Kuro?"
Hearing this, the marines froze in place.
Though their minds were somewhat simple, they hadn't reached the pinnacle of stupidity like the Goddess of Ignorance.
Upon calming down and thinking it over, it didn't take long for them to notice the oddity in Colonel Morse's actions.
Seeing the group's puzzled and uncertain expressions, Zyhark couldn't help but shake his head in sigh, pointing towards the highest building on the island, "That's the Black Cat Pirate Crew's stronghold. We found quite damning evidence inside."
While speaking, his gaze fixed pointedly on the adjutant who had been following Colonel Morse closely.
Judging from the information extracted from Kuro, there definitely was a Black Cat Pirate Crew informant within the navy.
Since the confrontation began, he had been covertly observing these marines, and the adjutant's evasive eyes were glaringly obvious.
As expected, feeling Zyhark's intense scrutiny, the adjutant's psychological defenses crumbled rapidly, and he hastily stepped forward.
"So it is! I always wondered why Morse was always making secretive phone calls. He was in cahoots with the Black Cat Pirate Crew!"
"Despicable! This is utterly vile, such a scoundrel!"
As the highest-ranking officer present, his statement instantly solidified the marines' suspicions.
They began to vocally condemn Morse, a supposed paragon of justice turned traitor.
"Mr. Zyhark, thank you for ridding the world of such scum. On behalf of the entire..."
The adjutant habitually began to express gratitude on behalf of the navy but, recalling the fate of Morse who had said the same, hastily amended his statement, "Thank you, it was hard work!"
"It was nothing, just a spur of the moment action," Zyhark waved it off.
Just then, Aqua, munching on snacks and humming a tune, strolled over leisurely.
Noticing the empty shoreline, the clever girl paused in bewilderment, scratching her head in confusion, "Strange, I didn't cast any magic. Why did the sea level rise so much?"
She believed the flood she could summon should rightfully have such an effect.
"We're going to tally our spoils. The remaining members of the Black Cat Pirate Crew on this island are your responsibility, righteous marines."
Zyhark withdrew his gaze and walked towards Aqua.
Passing by the adjutant, he raised his hand to gently pat the officer's uniform, "This uniform is a bit dirty. I hope you'll have it cleaned properly when you return, Mr. Officer."
Compared to the Shichibukai or the Yonkou, his current crew was still too weak, with various flaws and shortcomings. It wasn't suitable to be targeted with bounties, living a life of hiding and evasion.
There was no need to sacrifice the precious space for underhanded growth for the sake of such insignificant underlings.
As for whether there was indeed any so-called evidence at the Black Cat Pirate Crew's stronghold, and the subsequent reports about Colonel Morse, he trusted this clever enough to be an undercover operative would know how to handle it.
"Ah? Understood..."
The adjutant, startled by Zyhark's action, hastily stepped back and then nodded firmly.
Thus, this unexpected and continuously unfolding operation against the Black Cat Pirate Crew finally came to a satisfactory conclusion.
And now, it was time for the harvest!
After a brief rest to recover some strength, Zyhark, along with Aqua and King, who had come down from the ship, headed towards the headquarters of the Black Cat Pirate Crew.
The adjutant, wisely not disturbing them, turned to lead the marines around the island to capture the remaining pirates.
"Carrying a uniquely shaped cross greatsword? I see, you really did encounter quite the remarkable individual," Zyhark commented en route, after hearing about King's recent encounter, his handsome face filled with amusement.
Truly befitting of a king with luck maxed out in the "summoner" category, summoning none other than the pinnacle of swordsmen in the pirate world, Hawk-Eye Mihawk!
Observing King's imposing side profile, even Zyhark had to admit, such luck was invincible.
"Mr. Zyhark, do you know that man?" King asked, puzzled.
"That's the world's greatest swordsman, known as the Marine Hunter, Dracule Mihawk."
"Marine Hunter? The world's greatest swordsman?!" King's pupils dilated, startled by the grand titles.
Surviving an encounter with such an individual was indeed a divine favor, a blessing from Saitama himself!
"It sounds very impressive. That guy must be a pirate, right? His bounty must be super high!"
Aqua blinked her wise eyes, hands clasped behind her back, questioning, "King, you shouldn't have let him go!"
Even now, this idiot, who had been thrashed thoroughly by two fingers, still thought King was a formidable monster.
"Ah..." King was at a loss for words.
Even if I've dominated you in games, does that mean I should go and get myself killed?
"Let's focus on our gains rather than such irrelevant matters," Zyhark suggested, eyeing the Black Cat Pirate Crew's headquarters nearby, subtly changing the subject.
Letting this easily overconfident goddess know King was actually weak might lead to unnecessary chaos.
Treating King with caution, in a way, was beneficial.
"The bounty! Zyhark, at least I should get ten million this time, right?"
Hearing about tallying their gains, Aqua immediately dropped all extraneous concerns, her mind filled with thoughts of fine wine and food.
Having promised this earlier, Zyhark didn't renege: "Let's see how much bounty your pirates are worth altogether. Rest assured, you won't be shortchanged."
Hearing this, Aqua nearly leaped for joy, her steps lightening as she immersed herself in the prospect of a lavish life of financial freedom.
And so, led by Zyhark, the trio made their way into the structure built by the Black Cat Pirate Crew.
The spacious hall was in disarray, pirates sprawled across the floor, all unconscious.
These were the underlings taken down by Aqua. Zyhark briefly compared them to the Black Cat bounty list in hand, identifying three wanted criminals.
Two unknown Black Cat Pirate Crew officers had bounties of 900,000 and 1.2 million Berries, respectively.
The bounty for the vice-captain, Jango, was significantly higher, at 6.9 million Berries.
At that moment, this self-hypnotized fool was sprawled on the floor, his head adorned with several bumps—clearly Aqua's handiwork.
The three together amounted to nine million. Rounding up to ten million for Aqua wasn't out of the question.
Just as Zyhark was contemplating this, his attention was drawn to a peculiar fruit lying in a corner of the hall.
Approaching for a closer look, the fruit, resembling a peach, was pale pink overall with curly patterns on its surface.
Judging from the nearby box marked with the Fuschia Village emblem, it was presumably the "Sacred Fruit," considered a symbol of peace by the villagers.
"Based on the villagers' descriptions, it sounded a lot like a Devil Fruit. I didn't expect this so-called Sacred Fruit to actually be a Devil Fruit worth over a billion!"
Zyhark's face lit up with joy.
This was the biggest gain from the expedition against the Black Cat Pirate Crew!
He had been worrying about how to obtain a Devil Fruit for his third wish, and now, it seemed to have presented itself to him on a silver platter!
What? This is Fuschia Village's treasure?
Well, we're all friends here, and I've helped them deal with Kuro and Morse, two potential threats. I'm sure we can work something out~
Thinking this, Zyhark eagerly bent down to pick up the Devil Fruit for a closer inspection, curious if it was a power he recognized.
Even if he couldn't identify it, he wasn't planning to use it for wishing for a companion.
He wasn't foolish; if it was a Logia-class fruit, comparable to the power of lightning or even rarer, a Mythical Zoan, he'd definitely keep it for himself to show off!
What Zyhark failed to notice was Aqua's shocked reaction upon hearing the fruit was worth over a billion. Her face contorted strangely.
After a brief pause, the foolish goddess discreetly turned away, earnestly and actively scouring the Pirate Crew's stronghold for treasure, pretending to be very busy.
"Damn it, Aqua!"
Almost simultaneously, Zyhark cursed as he noticed a shallow bite mark on the back of the Devil Fruit, quite conspicuous.
It was clearly a bite mark!
The power contained within a Devil Fruit would only be bestowed upon the first person to eat it, meaning this fruit was now useless!
"Who did this? Who the hell ate this Devil Fruit?!"
The loss of a guaranteed billion, potentially even more, made Zyhark's composure crack, his mouth twitching uncontrollably.
"Aqua, King, wake up all those unconscious pirates. We can't just let this go!"
Seeing his furious demeanor, King, even without knowing the exact value of a Devil Fruit, realized the gravity of the situation and nodded, approaching the pirates tied at the hall's entrance.
Aqua, shocked by Zyhark's words, trembled slightly, frantically searching for treasure in an odd display of diligence.
This peculiar behavior quickly led Zyhark to suspect a blindly optimistic possibility.
"Aqua," he called softly.
"Here!" Aqua quickly raised her hand in response.
"Did you bite this Devil Fruit?"
Zyhark's face bore a gentle smile as he shook the Devil Fruit in his hand.
If he remembered correctly, Aqua, who had taken down Jango and the other officers, returned with a handful of peanuts.
The possibility of her impulsively biting into the fruit was alarmingly high.
"How could that be!"
Aqua's fingers rapidly poked each other, her eyes darting in all directions as she vehemently denied, "Something as disgusting as that, I—I wouldn't even touch it!"
"How do you know it's disgusting? Should we compare the bite mark to your mouth?"
Zyhark's smile froze as he posed the soul-searching question.
"Just a small bite, really just a tiny bit..."
Aqua, unable to withstand his kind gaze, quickly knelt and begged for forgiveness, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Mr. Zyhark, can I apologize to you?"
"Dammit, Aqua! It was you! That's worth a billion!!"
Unable to contain his frustration any longer, Zyhark erupted, unleashing a series of punishing blows on Aqua.
Minutes later.
Aqua, with several bumps on her head, sat in a corner of the hall, silently crying.
It wasn't the beating from Zyhark that caused her tears—though painful, as the Goddess of Water, she had decent physical resilience.
Her tears were due to not only losing the anticipated ten million Berries and the dream of a lavish feast but also owing Zyhark more than nine hundred million in return.
Even though the Devil Fruit technically belonged to Fuschia Village.
But who else to blame?
No matter how it's sliced, her adventure in the world of pirates was utterly ruined, beyond redemption.
"Aqua, if you answer my questions truthfully, there might still be a chance to rectify this situation," Zyhark said seriously, dusting off his hands.
These words brought a glimmer of hope to the despairing Aqua.
Forgetting she had just been beaten, she clung to Zyhark desperately, "Mr. Zyhark, please save me, you must save me!"
"Before you touched this fruit, did you notice anyone else had eaten it?"
"No, I wouldn't eat something others have touched!"
"After biting the fruit, did your body undergo any changes? Like suddenly being able to fly or control fire?"
"I can do that, I can control fire!"
Aqua, eager to prove herself, stood up and demonstrated her signature move, the Fist of the Goddess.
Zyhark: "..."
No matter how you looked at it, she didn't seem like someone who had gained the powers of a Devil Fruit.
So, where did the eaten fruit's power go?
Or was the Sacred Fruit of Fuschia Village not a Devil Fruit after all, just a lookalike?
(End of Chapter)