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Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
Atlas put down the receiver, which was already emitting a busy tone, and pondered for a moment.
He decided to make a personal trip to North Blue.
The Capone family, Capone Bege...
If Atlas remembered correctly, this man was one of the Supernovas from the Worst Generation, just like Luffy, and the user of the Castle-Castle Fruit.
He hadn't expected this guy to have already begun his conquest of the North Blue's underworld.
He actually dared to go after his piece of the pie first. A murderous glint flashed in Atlas's eyes.
With his mobility, travelling back and forth between the North Blue and the Grand Line was almost too easy.
As for being discovered by the World Government's intelligence agencies?
This was where the Snake Talisman's power came into play. As long as he wasn't too unlucky, there was basically no chance of being discovered.
Besides, Observation Haki could, at most, sense life signatures. A slightly more special case might detect emotions.
As for innate Observation Haki users like Queen Otohime and "Red Count" Redfield, they weren't even a consideration. They were far too rare.
In truth, there was another option. Rosinante.
Ever since Doflamingo was captured and imprisoned, Rosinante had been working with Vice Admiral Tsuru to trim the wings of the Donquixote Family.
Oh, right. During this process, Sugar was captured by Vice Admiral Tsuru without any issue.
With Atlas's prior warning and Tsuru's own strategic mind, she naturally wasn't fooled by Sugar's appearance.
Given how dangerous her Devil Fruit ability was, Sengoku personally approved a private cell for her.
Her ultimate fate was life imprisonment in Impel Down. Unfortunately, she couldn't be housed in the cell next to Doflamingo.
With Rosinante's merits, combined with Sengoku pulling some strings, it wouldn't have been impossible for him to return to Headquarters and be promoted to Captain, or even Commodore.
But that fool refused to return to Headquarters, using the excuse that he had a "comprehensive understanding of the various factions in the North Blue."
He ended up stationed as a base Captain at the last stop in the North Blue before the Grand Line, a position similar to Randall's in the East Blue.
However, the matter of dispatching Tesoro was, after all, something that couldn't be widely known.
Besides, with Rosinante's personal strength, asking him to eliminate the Capone family quietly was too much to ask.
Thinking of this, Atlas stood up immediately. Without notifying Sengoku or anyone else, he turned invisible and flew straight toward the North Blue.
In his status, he no longer needed to report his every move to Sengoku. Otherwise, how would Aokiji ever get the chance to ride his bicycle everywhere?
This was the only benefit of the balance of power the Five Elders worked so hard to maintain. There were rarely any large-scale wars.
North Blue, Reverse Mountain.
Atlas flicked a finger, and a white Vivre Card floated at his fingertip. It spun slowly before stopping, pointing in a specific direction.
This was Tesoro's Vivre Card.
Pieces of the same Vivre Card are drawn to each other. With this piece, Atlas could quickly find Tesoro's current location.
After all, he still needed Tesoro to provide the intel on the Capone family. After confirming the direction, Atlas's figure vanished, stirring up a gust of wind.
If you were to ask who else on the seas could compete with Kizaru in speed, Atlas was providing the answer today.
What was the effect of the Rooster Talisman plus the Rabbit Talisman? Extreme-speed flight! It even surpassed Kizaru's mobility.
Although Kizaru's Glint-Glint Fruit allowed him to fight in the air for short periods, making it one of the rare Devil Fruits that granted flight, he couldn't maintain high-speed flight for long durations.
At the very least, he couldn't fly nonstop from Headquarters to one of the Four Blues. Otherwise, he would easily fall into the sea due to exhaustion or losing his bearings.
But Atlas was different. A major effect of having digested the talismans was that his stamina consumption was reduced to an infinitesimal level.
Already possessing immense stamina, he did not need to worry about accidents caused by running out of energy mid-flight.
Soon, guided by the Vivre Card, the invisible Atlas arrived over Peaco Tursaint Island.
Staring quietly at the large island below, Atlas slowly closed his eyes. An invisible wave of perception spread out from him, rapidly enveloping the entire island.
In an instant, every trace of life on the island was revealed in perfect detail, displayed completely within his mind.
Soviet Chamber of Commerce Building
Tesoro was still dressed like a nouveau riche, his fingers covered in large gold rings. Having escaped from Mary Geoise, he had an extraordinary desire for money.
But because of Atlas, he had joined the Marines, and this desire had been temporarily suppressed. This undercover mission had perfectly unleashed his true nature.
Moreover, he had not yet reached the point of awakening his Devil Fruit, so the gold on his body was his most useful weapon.
However, there was always a lock deep in his heart, one that kept him from becoming nearly as crazed as his original counterpart. And the name of that lock was Kanos Atlas.
"You all should know who we're facing this time, right?" Tesoro was exceptionally calm, his sharp gaze sweeping over the faces of everyone in the office.
Trafalgar Law, user of the Op-Op Fruit.
Bolster, user of the Compress-Compress Fruit.
Yank Shaw, user of the Soundwave-Soundwave Fruit.
Including himself, these were all the Devil Fruit users in the Soviet Chamber of Commerce.
Law, naturally, hadn't been cured of his Amber Lead Sickness for long. His combat strength was extremely limited, almost negligible.
Bolster and Shaw were a fat, short man and a tall, thin man. They were originally bounty hunters who had met Tesoro by chance.
After testing their character, Tesoro hired them as retainers for the Chamber, paying them with two Devil Fruits.
Therefore, their mastery of their fruits was only average, still at a very superficial level. Otherwise, he wouldn't have needed to call Atlas for help.
However, calling for help was one thing; preparing for battle was another. They couldn't just sit and wait for Atlas to save them.
Tesoro had no intention of revealing Atlas's identity as a Marine to Jin and Shaw. A crisis like this was the best time to test their loyalty. It killed two birds with one stone.
"Isn't it just—"
"The Capone family!"
Before the chubby Bolster could finish, the tall and skinny Yank Shaw immediately cut him off.
"Hey! You stole my line!" Jin flared up, his fleshy face showing a trace of dissatisfaction.
"That's 'cause you're too slow!" Shaw retorted, not backing down.
"You two..." Law, holding his sword Kikoku, looked on speechlessly. They bickered often, but was it really okay to be fooling around at a critical time like this?
"Alright, let's discuss how to deal with the Capone family!" Tesoro cut in, interrupting their antics. But internally, he was very satisfied with Bolster and Shaw's behaviour.
They had eaten the Devil Fruits; whether they stayed or left now was a true test of their character. Fortunately, they had not disappointed him.
"There's no need. Just give me their intel. I'll take care of the Capone family."
Suddenly, an unfamiliar voice interrupted their discussion.
The faces of Tesoro and Law lit up. A single thought flashed through their minds: The Vice Admiral is here!
"Who?!"
Bolster and Shaw, however, didn't notice Tesoro's expression.
Their eyes sharpened instantly, and they scanned their surroundings warily, trying to find the source of the voice.
"Shaw, Bolster, don't worry. The Boss is here," Tesoro quickly explained.
"The Boss?" they both exclaimed in unison.
Tesoro had told them he had a mysterious boss above him. Even the Devil Fruits they ate were a gift from that boss.
But they had never seen a trace of this legendary figure. They had almost forgotten about it.
But... why isn't he appearing?
The two looked around, confused, but could not see the boss anywhere.
"Alright, stop looking. Tesoro, give me the intel, including the location of their family headquarters."
Atlas had no intention of explaining, remaining in his invisible state.
This image undoubtedly added to his mystery... and power... in the eyes of Bolster and Shaw. They still couldn't detect his presence.
Every word came from every corner of the room at once, without a single flaw. At least, they couldn't find any flaw.
This was terrifying. In a battle, an invisible enemy... Hisss! The two sucked in a cold breath, shivering.
"Boss, my name is—"
"Bolster!"
"...Hey! You stole my line again!"
"That's 'cause you're too slow! Boss, my name is Yank—"
"Shaw!" Jin raised his head smugly, seemingly proud of himself for getting one back.
"Damn it!"
"Vice—... Boss, the intelligence on the Capone family is ready."
Ignoring the two jesters, Tesoro spoke to the empty air in front of him. Since he had already called Atlas for help, he had naturally prepared for both outcomes.
He had spent all his time doing one thing: gathering intel. He now knew the Capone family inside and out.
It was no exaggeration to say he even knew what kind of underwear Capone Bege was wearing today. No other reason than this: he had much money.
Of course, this was as far as he could go. He couldn't hope to pull off an assassination.
A large sum of money might convince a few members of the Capone family to betray their family's interests, but assassinating the head of the family wasn't something mere money could accomplish.
It was just like with the great pirates of the New World. The bounties on the Emperors were absurdly high.
But no one was stupid enough to think they could actually collect that astronomical reward.
Rustle—!!
On the gold-trimmed desk, a thick stack of intelligence files suddenly began to rustle, as if an invisible hand was flipping through them.
"The Castle-Castle Fruit? Interesting. He ate it this early?" Atlas was a bit surprised as he read the intel on Capone Bege.
Among the Supernovas of the Worst Generation, Capone Bege was undoubtedly a late bloomer. After conquering the land, he began his adventure on the sea, becoming a Supernova at the age of 40.
The Castle-Castle Fruit had a spatial storage effect. Like the Door-Door Fruit, it involved the mysteries of space.
According to the theories from the fantasy novels of Atlas's previous life, Space is King, Time is Supreme; if Destiny is absent, Causality reigns.
This saying also applies to the world of One Piece. Any Devil Fruit ability related to these concepts was, without exception, absurdly powerful.
"I've read the intel. The Capone family will disappear from the North Blue today. You just be ready to carve up their territory."
Atlas left the office as silently as he had arrived.
After a long moment, sensing Atlas was gone, Jin and Shaw looked at each other.
"The... Old Boss... he's gone?"
"Old Boss? What kind of weird title is that?" Law, hearing their strange name for him, couldn't help but roll his eyes.
"Isn't the boss's boss the Old Boss?"
"Yeah, yeah!"
The two went back and forth, leaving Law speechless.
It... almost makes sense?
Ziges Island, at the port.
A ship bearing the Capone family crest was docked quietly, its black hull seeming to merge with the night.
There weren't many people moving about on deck, and most looked like subordinates handling menial tasks. There weren't many armed combatants standing guard.
Capone Bege, dressed in a pinstripe suit and a black fedora, chewed on a thick cigar. He stood motionless at the foot of the gangplank, facing the gentle sea breeze. Like... a lone warrior, filled with courage.
"Godfather, the ship is ready. We can set sail at any time!" Suddenly, a head wearing a black hat poked out from over the high railing of the ship, reporting loudly to Bege.
FWOOSH!
Hearing this, Bege took a deep drag. The thick cigar burned down rapidly, turning to ash.
Shuu! He exhaled a large cloud of smoke, which shot out like a white dagger straight at the man's face.
Gah! The black-hatted man instinctively flinched, cold sweat beading on his forehead as he watched the smoke dissipate in front of him.
"I heard you took money from the Soviet Chamber of Commerce," Bege said coldly, looking up at the man.
He wasn't one of Bege's own men, but rather a subordinate placed at his side by another branch of the family.
Many such men surrounded Bege. Bege had always been perfectly aware of this.
He was biding his time to appease the other branch. Once he had consolidated all the power, that would be the moment he bared his fangs.
But he never expected this guy to dare to take money from the Soviet Chamber of Commerce. In Bege's mind, the black-hatted man was already dead.
Snap!
A sharp snap of the fingers.
A large opening suddenly appeared in Bege's chest. Inside, a miniature version of Bege, dressed in the same style, appeared, holding a long rifle and aiming upward.
BANG!
He pulled the trigger. A bullet the size of an ant shot out, rapidly expanding as it tore through the night and lodged in the black-hatted man's skull.
Thud! The man collapsed, disappearing from Bege's line of sight.
"Heh—"
"That's what you get for betraying me..."
SWOOOSH!!!
Before Bege could finish his sentence, an invisible slash suddenly tore through his body.
Like a knife through tofu, Bege was instantly cut in half at the waist. Blood sizzled from the clean-cut surfaces, his expression still frozen in the triumphant look from a second before.
Pop! Pop! Pop—!
As Bege died, a large crowd of mafia members in black suits abruptly appeared next to his corpse.
Of course, most of them were already corpses, cut into several pieces along with him.
Yoho! So this Bege fellow was playing a zerg-rush style? Not far away, the invisible Atlas watched with an intrigued expression.
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