Ten minutes later, Asa had successfully extorted nearly 100,000 beli from Bard and his gang, leaving the area feeling refreshed.
Before departing, he couldn't help but complain, "Seriously? After wasting so much of my time, all you had was 100,000 beli? What a disappointment."
Bard and his crew remained where they were, disheveled and trembling. A deep shadow had been etched into their hearts. They swore never to rob anyone again.
Unbeknownst to Asa, his actions had inadvertently reformed a group of criminals, setting them on a different path.
The City of Wine, Elgo was located on the first route of the Grand Line, near the Calm Belt to the west.
Asa, after robbing Bard and his gang, had also extracted valuable information from them.
What interested him the most was the existence of the city's hidden ruler—Buster Choate, also known as "Big Barrel."
A notorious figure, Choate was obsessed with drinking and controlled all the gangs in Elgo.
Rumors claimed that "Big Barrel" Buster Choate was so powerful that he once sank three Marine warships that had been sent to capture him. The event was witnessed by the entire port and became widely known.
At the moment, however, Choate was living a carefree life, preparing for his own journey to sea. With his absence, Elgo had gradually fallen into chaos, as no one was there to control the local thugs.
"Buster Choate?" Asa frowned. The name sounded familiar. After a moment of thought, he finally remembered.
This man was destined to become a member of the Blackbeard Pirates and a notorious felon imprisoned in Level 6 of Impel Down.
Being locked up in Level 6: Eternal Hell of the deep-sea prison was proof enough of his monstrous strength. His future bounty would likely be in the hundreds of millions.
Buster Choate was different from typical pirates—different from most people, in fact.
Unlike others who sought gold, jewelry, or beli, Choate demanded only one thing from his subordinates—fine wine. He even slept submerged in barrels of liquor just so he could have a drink the moment he woke up.
His obsession dictated his entire life.
Even his upcoming voyage wasn't for plundering, but for tasting the best wines from across the world. He had already sampled every bottle in the City of Wine.
Every pirate had a reason for going to sea.
Whitebeard longed for family. Golden Lion sought to rule the world. The Marines pursued justice and order. Asa chased freedom and passion. Buster Choate sailed for wine. Countless others hunted for treasure.
Each had their own purpose.
Though Asa didn't necessarily see these individuals as friends—many might become enemies—he still admired them for their convictions.
Meanwhile, far out at sea...
A Marine warship, flying the emblem of the Navy, was swiftly approaching Elgo.
A Marine officer stood at attention, reporting urgently, "Vice Admiral Kizaru, Vice Admiral Tsuru, Commander of CP0! We've spotted the abandoned ship of Hippoly D. Asa roughly three hours from Elgo. The supplies onboard were depleted—he must have landed on this island to restock!"
Standing at the helm of the warship were Admiral Kizaru, Vice Admiral Tsuru, and a high-ranking CP0 agent.
After Asa's bounty had been issued, they had chased him all the way from the West Blue, only to fail in capturing him. Now, with fresh intel from bounty hunters, they were in pursuit once again.
Vice Admiral Tsuru had been sent for a specific reason—her "Wash-Wash Fruit" had the power to cleanse the "evil" from a person's heart. The Marines hoped she could purge Asa's violent nature and recruit him into the Navy.
Standing beside Tsuru was a young girl around Asa's age—Aurora.
But she was no longer the same girl from before.
Now donning a Navy coat, she had officially joined the Marines.
"Hmph, this kid really knows how to run away," Kizaru said lazily, his usual half-smile in place. "So much work... Let's hope he doesn't escape this time, yeah?"
The World Government had issued a direct order—Asa must be stopped before he reached the New World.
If he made it that far, capturing him would become nearly impossible. It would be like trying to catch a dragon in the ocean or a falcon in the sky.
Worse, if Asa successfully escaped, it would set a dangerous precedent. More pirates would be emboldened to imitate him, leading to widespread attacks on the Heavenly Tribute ships that carried wealth to the Celestial Dragons.
The Government could not allow this to happen.
Vice Admiral Tsuru stood calmly, arms crossed, gazing at the horizon.
"Asa abandoned his ship," she observed. "That means he might have flown directly to Elgo. The speed of lightning is too fast... We must prepare for the possibility of failure."
CP0 remained silent.
The masked agent standing beside Tsuru was a towering figure, nearly three and a half meters tall. He wore a gentleman's hat, a red shirt, and a white robe. His mask was engraved with an expression of eternal sorrow.
Only one CP0 agent had been sent this time—which meant his strength far exceeded the four weaker agents from before.
The World Government had ruled for 800 years, cultivating unfathomable power. No one truly knew the full extent of their forces.
Meanwhile, Aurora stood quietly, her expression troubled. She lowered her head, unsure of how to feel about Asa.
At first, she had never understood the importance of power.
But then Asa had appeared. He had avenged her, proving how little authority the weak had.
Then, the Navy had come.
They suspected her of being an accomplice to Asa. If Vice Admiral Tsuru hadn't shown her mercy, she would have been arrested or worse—executed.
Now, she was part of the very force hunting Asa.
"I heard there's a lunatic in Elgo who once sank three warships," Kizaru muttered, lighting a cigarette. "If we don't catch Asa... we might as well bring him back instead."
Unaware of all this, Asa was leisurely strolling through the port, attracting the attention of local gangsters.
Whenever one took the bait, he would drag them into an alley and rob them blind.
By the time he was satisfied, he had amassed over a million beli in stolen funds.
Grinning, he finally decided to stop and enjoy a proper feast.
But just as he was about to enter a restaurant...
"Hey, you! Do you even know where you are? How dare you steal money on Boss Choate's turf? You must have a death wish!"
Asa's blatant robbery had finally drawn the attention of Buster Choate's men.
Choate was about to set sail, but he wouldn't tolerate someone meddling in his former domain.
Asa raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? Someone actually dares to challenge me? And when I'm starving, no less?"
He smirked.
"This is my first time robbing money... So I'll let you live since I'm in a good mood." Without even looking at them, he turned to head toward the restaurant.
"Arrogant little bastard!"
The two underlings lunged at him, reaching out to grab him.
But before they could even touch him—
"Zzzzzzzzzzt!"
A powerful current burst forth, leaving behind nothing but two charred corpses.
Asa sighed, shaking his head.
"There are always fools who don't know their own limits..."
He hadn't even lifted a finger. He had simply transformed into lightning, and the idiots had sealed their own fate.
(End of Chapter)
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