Noah handled Cat Claw Brian the same way as the others, sealing him away without trouble.
Then, Ari opened a wormhole, and the group returned to the underground cavern on Rum Island.
Finally, everyone let out a sigh of relief.
If it hadn't been for the Noah family's numbers advantage and Noah's careful planning from the start, their victory might have been a lot harder—or even a narrow defeat.
Take Uncle Joseph and Vic, for example. They had obvious weaknesses—neither had control skills or large-scale attacks. While this was fine in the East Blue, once they reached the Grand Line, those weaknesses could be exploited by enemies.
Noah told part of the crew to take a break and rest.
Meanwhile, he, Mary, and Lilith released the dwarf that had been sealed inside one of the cards.
As soon as the dwarf was released, he looked around, startled by the sudden change in his surroundings.
"And how should I address you, Mr. Dwarf?" Noah asked with a smile, casually shuffling a tarot card in his hand.
Gulp! The dwarf swallowed nervously and quickly answered, "I'm Luden, the navigator of the Money Pirates."
"Did Barton change your appearances?" Noah asked, smiling warmly.
Luden nodded vigorously. "Yes! Yes, it was Barton who used his power to change how we looked."
"And what about the king of Rum?" Noah continued.
"The king of Rum is one of us. The real king is dead. Barton used his Devil Fruit ability to disguise himself as the current king," Luden explained, trembling.
"How much do you know about Barton's Exchange Fruit?"
Luden, eager to cooperate, immediately spilled everything he knew about how Barton used his power.
According to Luden's description and bits of information Noah had from the Devil Fruit encyclopedia, Noah quickly figured out how the Exchange Fruit worked.
At its core, the Exchange Fruit was all about "equivalent exchange."
However, this "equivalent exchange" was subjective. What was valuable to one person might not be valuable to another.
As the saying goes, one man's trash is another man's treasure.
Because of that, there were certain conditions that had to be met when using the Exchange Fruit's power:
1. Both parties had to agree to the trade out loud.
2. While the exchange was happening, the user couldn't attack the other party.
3. If one side couldn't deliver what they promised, the fruit would randomly take away part of their life force or a vital organ and give it to the other party.
4. If someone died before the deal was complete, the fruit user could choose to take some of their life force or organs.
The unfortunate king had fallen into Barton's trap. He thought Barton was helping him seize the throne, but Barton outsmarted him and swapped their places instead.
There were too many loopholes in the rules of the exchange.
For example, while Barton couldn't directly attack someone during the deal, his subordinates had no such restriction.
This was why Barton had tried so hard to get Noah to join the Money Pirates. Once Noah agreed, Barton could make sure Noah couldn't attack him, setting up traps through repeated exchanges to weaken him over time.
From Luden's explanation, Noah also learned more about Barton's strength.
After barely escaping from Vice Admiral Sakazuki, Barton fled to the East Blue and used his Devil Fruit ability to collect as much life force as possible. He used this life force to constantly train and strengthen his body.
The harsh taxes Barton imposed on the people of Rum Kingdom were meant to drive them into bankruptcy, forcing them to turn to underground loan sharks. Desperate, they'd agree to trade with Barton.
Through this method, Barton had amassed a huge amount of life force and money in Rum Kingdom, which only fed his ambition. He even dreamed of becoming the true king of the kingdom.
If Noah's group hadn't shown up, Barton might have succeeded.
Noah was grateful for his own cautiousness.
Barton's physical strength was incredible, and with the extra life force stored in his body, a head-on fight with him would've been difficult. Noah wasn't sure he could've won in a direct clash.
This only reinforced how dangerous seawater was for Devil Fruit users.
No matter how strong Barton was, even with his martial arts skills at the level of an elite vice admiral, once he touched seawater, he was as weak as a fish out of water.
"When Barton came here, did he say anything to the fake king?" Noah asked.
Luden shook his head. "No, as soon as he got your message, he rushed over with us. He didn't inform the fake king."
Noah fell silent, thinking.
Seeing Noah's hesitation, Luden quickly tried to show his loyalty. "Master, if you need, I can help control that fake king. Barton had a lot of dirt on him, and I also know where Barton hid his money."
"That would be helpful," Noah said with a smile.
Standing nearby, Lilith pulled out a syringe. Luden, visibly nervous, watched as she injected it into his arm.
Noah reassured him with a grin, "Don't worry. As long as you don't betray me, you'll get the antidote."
"Heh… I understand," Luden stammered, not daring to show any resistance.
Once Luden had been led away to rest by Lilith, the room was left with just Noah and Mary.
Mary spoke up, sharing her observations. "Brother, I think Luden only knows the fake king's weaknesses. From the way he acted, I don't think he really knows where Barton's money is."
"That's to be expected. He's just trying to make himself seem more valuable so we don't get rid of him," Noah replied.
________________________________________
Later that afternoon, in the northwest slums of Rum City, hidden deep in an underground loan shark den…
Several managers lay dead on the ground, while Lilith and Noah sifted through stacks of documents.
After a few minutes, Noah smiled and clapped the papers in his hands. "Luden, you've done a good job!"
"It's my honor to serve you," Luden said, bowing.
The next second, his eyes widened in shock. Lilith's poisoned dagger pierced his heart from behind.
"Why…?" Luden gasped, coughing up blood.
"Because I never trusted you," Lilith said coldly. "And dead men can't spill secrets."
As Luden stared in disbelief, Noah summoned a card called "Aqua Regia Pool" and casually tossed Luden's body into the bubbling, acidic liquid.
"Ahhhh…!" Luden screamed in agony as his body dissolved.
Noah watched with a smile. "Impressive life force recovery, but I don't like leaving bodies behind."
"You… will… regret this…!" Luden gasped before the acid consumed him entirely.
Soon, there was nothing left but a pool of blood.
"Lilith, Mary, handle things here. Make sure they cooperate with us for now," Noah instructed.
Lilith and Mary nodded.
The two quickly began "convincing" the remaining loan sharks to follow orders.
Meanwhile, the fake king was completely unaware that Barton and his crew had been defeated. He didn't even care about his chief minister, Powell, knowing full well he was just a puppet, content to live in luxury as long as he could enjoy his indulgent lifestyle.
Back in the underground cavern, Noah released Cat Claw Brian from the card he had been imprisoned in. As Brian lay unconscious before him, Noah's eyes showed a hint of deep thought.
Hey guys, My exam is in the 29th October. So wish me luck and also I will maintain the update consistent if I can.
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