"Where's the money?" Clover asked, his tone unwavering.
"…This way," Okita finally gave up, leading Clover toward a warehouse behind the villa. The building was fortified with steel plates, and even the door was solid metal.
Okita stepped forward to unlock the door, but Clover impatiently kicked the thick steel plate down, leaving Okita staring in disbelief.
Swallowing nervously, Okita led Clover inside, where they faced an enormous safe. "This is everything I have. I suppose you don't need me to open it for you…"
"Thanks." Clover nodded, and in one swift move, he reached from behind and took Okita's heart.
Okita gasped, looking down to see his own heart in Clover's hand before collapsing to the floor.
"What a big safe," Clover commented, swinging the door open. Inside, stacks of cash awaited him, all of which he swiftly transferred into his storage space.
Afterward, Clover made his way upstairs to the master bedroom, where he found Ryoko hiding in the closet. He killed her without hesitation and exited the villa.
"Let's go," he said to Yoru, who was waiting outside.
"I'll have Ryan and the others clean up here. Do you want to keep this manor?" Yoru asked nonchalantly, unbothered by the Kuritani family's grisly fate.
"…Sure," Clover shrugged. "It's not like I have a house anyway, and a place of my own might be nice. Just don't let anyone know I'm living here."
"Of course!" Yoru agreed with a grin.
After coming up with an excuse to send Yoru away, Clover returned to the hotel, showered, changed, and sat down to calculate his newfound fortune. When he accessed his account, he was greeted by a number: 5,490,000,000.
With over 5 billion Beli in his pocket, Clover had officially become a tycoon. His bounty seemed paltry compared to his wealth; he could afford his own fleet, maybe even rival the wealthiest in the world.
That night, Clover moved into the manor. The entire place had been cleaned and furnished to perfection, and even the iron-walled warehouse in the back was refurbished, thanks to Yoru's efficiency.
However…
"Why are you here?" Clover asked, raising an eyebrow at Yoru, who was sitting across from him with a grin.
"Of course, I'm here to keep things in order! You wouldn't have it so clean without me around," she replied cheerfully.
"Good point. Now that it's clean, you can leave." Clover pointed to the door.
"No way!" Yoru ran upstairs, slamming the door to make her point. Clearly, she was here to stay.
Normally, Clover would be thrilled to have a beautiful princess around, but he had a feeling she would only bring trouble. He might be tempted to throw her out eventually, but with her royal connections, that could make things worse than they were worth.
As much as he wanted to keep his distance, he resigned himself to wait a few days, planning to grab what he needed and disappear.
The following night, Clover infiltrated the backstage area of an auction house to inspect his "merchandise." Most of the items were in place, except for one last item—a Devil Fruit. After a few inquiries, he learned it would only arrive once the auction began, so he'd have to wait another day.
On the third day, Ryan came to pick up Yoru from the manor, giving Clover a rare moment of quiet. With Yoru gone, Clover snuck into the auction house's back entrance, waiting for the event to start.
Wealthy patrons began filling the seats, each looking either rich or noble. This reminded Clover that Okita, the man he'd robbed, had been only tenth in wealth on the island. With over 5 billion in hand, Clover mused at the prospects if he targeted someone wealthier in the future.
As the auction was about to commence, a large group appeared. At the head was a figure in a hooded, white robe, riding on the back of a human slave crawling on all fours. A Celestial Dragon.
The Celestial Dragon's entourage included two others, along with a guard detail made up of men in suits and royal bodyguards. The "mount" was tied up outside as the Celestial Dragons took a private elevator to the second floor.
"They even built an elevator just for the Celestial Dragons," Clover muttered in disdain.
Cheers erupted from the auction house as the auction officially began. Clover kicked open the back door, entering the storage area. The ten slaves set to be auctioned stared at him in shock, but none made a sound.
Ignoring them, Clover continued down the aisles, taking all valuables he encountered. Suddenly, a group of guards appeared, firearms at the ready.
"Who's there?"
Clover drew his sword without hesitation, cutting them down and seizing more treasures along the way, fighting his way through until he reached the Devil Fruit display.
The Devil Fruit was encased in a glass cover, with four guards stationed nearby. Clover dispatched them quickly, retrieved the Devil Fruit, and secured it in his storage.
Just then, the auctioneer arrived to retrieve something and spotted Clover. Grabbing a microphone, he yelled, "Someone's stealing from us!"
Clover cut him down instantly, then stormed into the main hall. Without delay, he aimed at the second-floor crystal window, sending a powerful air slash directly at the Celestial Dragon in the middle.
The blade sliced cleanly through, and in an instant, the Dragon's head rolled to the ground.
"Saint Lormas!"
"Father!"
Chaos erupted as the Celestial Dragon's lifeless body slumped forward, his head falling before he even had a chance to react.