Before the gang member could answer, Rockefeller Charlotte already knew the truth.
In front of him, Charlotte swiftly executed the three remaining subordinates who were still hesitating.
"W-what?!" Blood sprayed onto the surviving man's face. He turned pale with terror.
"Don't kill me! Please don't kill me!"
Charlotte calmly looked down at the man, who was now on his knees, kowtowing desperately. "Get up. Take me to your boss's house," he ordered.
"Y-yes! Right away!" The man exhaled in relief. He had value. That meant he still had a chance to live. Steeling himself, he stood and led Charlotte through the dark streets, not daring to play any tricks.
Soon, the two of them arrived at the headquarters of the Wild Wolf Gang, also known as Bess's manor.
Ignoring the wary stares of the gang members loitering outside, Charlotte walked in as though he owned the place.
"Hey, you—!"
Someone tried to speak up, but a companion quickly stopped him, nodding in the direction of the blood-covered subordinate trailing behind Charlotte.
Seeing the terrified expression and tattered appearance of someone who was always at Bess's side, the gang members instantly realized their leader must be dead. They exchanged glances, slowly backing off.
"Is this the place?" Charlotte asked, gesturing to a heavy iron safe in the corner.
"Y-yes! That's it!" the trembling man confirmed.
"Do you have the key?"
"N-no. Only Bess had it. We never knew the combination."
Charlotte frowned and approached the safe, touching its exterior and gauging its material.
"Cut it open," he ordered the man.
He had already made up his mind—he would subdue the rest of the gang and make them serve him. This way, he wouldn't have to live in hardship anymore.
"Right away!" the man responded quickly.
"What's your name? If you serve me well, I'll let you take charge of the Wild Wolf Gang on my behalf. Think you can handle it?"
The man blinked in surprise, but his fear quickly shifted into excitement.
"Don't worry, boss! My name's Ivan. I'll take care of everything. I'll make sure the whole gang's resources serve you and you alone!"
"Good. Go do it. Report back to me when you're finished," Charlotte said with a dismissive wave.
Then he sank into a nearby sofa. Exhausted mentally and physically, he fell asleep almost instantly.
The next morning, Charlotte opened his eyes sleepily to see several maids in uniform entering his room with toiletries.
After finishing his wash and sending them off, he collapsed back onto the sofa with a sigh.
"Luxury... decadence..."
The soft sofa and beautiful maids were slowly eroding his iron will.
"No," he muttered, standing abruptly. "I have to stay strong. Fierce!"
Stepping into the courtyard, he was met by over a dozen thugs in black suits bowing at sixty degrees.
"Greetings, boss!"
Charlotte casually waved a hand. He didn't care much about the formality—he had placed Ivan in charge of the Wild Wolf Gang to create a comfortable environment for himself, one where he could focus fully on training.
At seventeen or eighteen, he would go out to sea and begin his true journey. Whether he would become a pirate or a Marine was still undecided.
For now, he had to sharpen his edge.
"Boss, the Wild Wolf Gang is fully under your control now. Everyone submits," Ivan reported, smiling broadly.
"Good. They're yours to manage. I'll call on you if I need anything," Charlotte said.
He wasn't worried about betrayal. With his strength, any rebellion would be crushed like paper under his fists.
Besides, yesterday, something extraordinary had happened.
He'd awakened Conqueror's Haki.
Even more astonishing—his Observation Haki had evolved beyond the norm. He could sense danger like a precognitive sixth sense. When touching someone, he could even read their thoughts.
Mind reading. Danger foresight. It was like divine intervention.
His abilities were far beyond what he had imagined. The fusion of his two souls had seemingly unlocked his latent potential.
"This body of mine… isn't normal."
He recalled his training in the mountains the year before. No matter how badly he was injured, a hearty meal and a good nap would heal him fully by the next day. It was miraculous.
"I can't waste these talents."
He resumed his intense training.
Because his custom equipment hadn't been completed yet, he stuck to basic strength conditioning. A week passed in the blink of an eye.
Charlotte returned to the mountains.
His savage life resumed.
Ivan managed the gang. Charlotte focused on self-improvement.
He didn't start swordsmanship training right away. Instead, he focused on physical conditioning.
Starting with one-ton boulders, he gradually increased the weight, running up and down the mountain non-stop, all day long.
He remembered an episode of the anime where Garp trained by punching down eight mountains. Charlotte set a similar goal.
Every day he trained: weighted running, weighted jumping, one-arm dumbbell swings the size of tree trunks.
Leg strength, arm strength, endurance—all trained to the extreme.
Anyone who witnessed his regimen was horrified.
Watching Charlotte lift stones ten times his size, most people simply couldn't believe it.
Soon, the whole town knew.
They whispered:
"Did you hear? Charlotte's a demigod! My cousin saw him carrying a stone bigger than a carriage!"
"You're wrong. It was twenty times his size, and he was jumping!"
"Please! Charlotte's obviously a divine child. No mortal can do that!"
The stories grew increasingly wild.
Traveling merchants who heard the tales treated them like fables. Yet the rumors spread far and wide.
Charlotte, meanwhile, had no idea that his name was becoming legend.
"Haah!"
"Faster! Serve it up!"
Charlotte barked as he returned from training.
The servants rushed in, setting down steaming plates of food.
Charlotte devoured it all, bones and all. Barbecue, rice, meat, vegetables—he left nothing.
Even the bones were swallowed.
He needed every calorie.
He had a long way to go before he could step into the world stage as the man named Rockefeller Charlotte.