Chapter 1
East Blue, a cave on a remote island.
"Interesting. Someone actually dared to steal from me, Treasure Tree Adam's Treacher." A cold voice echoed through the cavern, accompanied by the sharp clinking of iron chains.
Treacher's hunter crew surrounded the area, weapons drawn. In the center, two girls were tightly bound by heavy chains.
"So, which one of you wants to die first?" Treacher grinned viciously. A chain materialized in his hand and lashed down mercilessly.
Screams and splattering blood instantly filled the cave.
At that moment, a completely out-of-place voice rang out from the entrance.
"Wow, there really is something going on here. Good job, you little thief cat." "Not bad at all—I'm impressed!"
The man's tone was relaxed and even carried a hint of praise, sounding absurdly casual given the scene inside.
Only when he finally stepped into the cave did he whistle lightly.
"Whoa, quite a crowd."
His flippant attitude showed he didn't take Treacher and his men seriously at all.
"Who the hell are you, kid?" Treacher's face darkened. Beneath his sunglasses, his eyes locked onto the newcomer.
Anyone who could stay this calm surrounded by his crew clearly had something to rely on. That alone made Treacher hold back from attacking immediately.
"Aike. Just a merchant."
A merchant?
Treacher was stunned—this answer was completely unexpected.
"And why are you here?"
"My cat told me there's treasure hidden on this island. I wanted to check it out. If it's real, I might as well make a little profit on the side."
Only then did Treacher notice the strange blue cat hiding behind the man—standing on two legs, one paw in its mouth, trembling like a frightened human.
A Devil Fruit user?
That was Treacher's first thought.
But hearing that the man had come for treasure, open greed and killing intent surged within him. His crew bared their fangs like starving wolves staring at prey.
Yet Aike, the target of their hostility, looked utterly unfazed—almost amused.
Thanks to the standoff, the two chained girls finally got a brief chance to breathe.
Just as tension reached its peak, the purple-haired girl suddenly shouted:
"Boss! You're finally here! Hurry and save us!"
The shout shattered the silence.
"So you're with them. No wonder you showed up so fast." Treacher clenched his fists; several iron chains instantly appeared around his arms.
Aike, on the other hand, was dumbfounded.
He was always the one framing others—never the one getting framed! His gaze shifted to the two girls.
The moment he looked, his expression grew even stranger.
That's… Nami?
Even though her figure was still a bit youthful, the orange-haired girl's face was almost identical to the one in his memory.
Which meant the purple-haired girl beside her was… Kalifa? No—Carina!
Suddenly everything clicked.
No wonder she tried to pin this on him the second she opened her mouth. If it's Carina, that makes perfect sense. After all, she'd scammed even her long-time partner Nami twice.
Let alone a total stranger in a life-or-death situation.
But that didn't mean Aike was going to happily accept the blame.
Seeing the cunning glint in both girls' eyes, he looked away with a smirk.
Let's see if you two can still smile in a minute.
By now, Treacher—completely ignored—could no longer contain his rage.
"Boss! I remember now!" "It's him—the Devil Merchant! One guy with a blue cat—there's no mistake!" "He's the infamous Devil Merchant who's been making waves across the East Blue this past year!!"
One of the crew members yelled in panic.
"Devil Merchant my ass! I'm Treacher!"
Furious, he threw a chain-wrapped punch at Aike. The fierce gust of wind showed just how powerful the blow was.
His crew cheered excitedly. Nami and Carina watched in horror.
Aike merely shook his head.
"As a merchant, I much prefer doing business peacefully."
BOOM!
An overwhelming pressure exploded from him like a tidal wave.
It bypassed the two girls on the floor and instantly flooded the entire cave.
Cracks spiderwebbed across the cave walls; the whole cavern began to shake and crumble.
This was pressure that crushed the very soul!
Treacher, being closest, bore the full brunt. He was slammed to the ground, unable to move, his face twisted in agony.
The bizarre scene made Nami and Carina swallow hard.
Their briefly relieved hearts shot back into their throats.
They exchanged bitter glances.
Out of the wolf's den… and straight into the tiger's mouth.
Especially since Carina had just tried to scam this monster.
We're done for. Completely done for.
They'd just heard him called the "Devil Merchant."
Anyone with "devil" in their nickname clearly wasn't a good person!
Aike paid no attention to the girls' inner despair. His eyes remained fixed on the pinned Treacher.
"So, can we talk properly now?"
He withdrew the pressure and smiled down at the man.
"Once you calm down, it's time for business."
"W-what kind of… business?" Treacher struggled to lift his head, face filled with the joy of having survived.
"A transaction for your life, of course."
"Normally, since you attacked me, I should just take your life…"
"But right now, you can buy it back with anything you can offer."
"I'll trade! Anything—as long as I can live!" Treacher answered without hesitation.
When the strong dictate terms, you pay any price to survive.
"Deal established!"
Aike's lips curled into a wicked grin. With a flip of his right hand, a golden scale of absolute fairness materialized in the air.
One side showed a small figure of Treacher; the other was empty.
Aike tapped the empty side, and the price appeared in glowing letters:
"100 years of lifespan, plus your Devil Fruit."
Treacher's face turned deathly pale.
100 years of lifespan? That's the same as killing me!
"Don't worry—I never said it had to be your own lifespan."
"You've got all these subordinates, don't you?"
Aike's smile turned demonic.
Treacher's expression eased a little.
Right—all his crew had fainted. If he took a little from each, no one would notice.
"Then… those two girls can count as payment too, right?" Treacher pointed at Nami and Carina on the floor.
The girls' faces drained of color as they looked pleadingly at Aike.
"Of course not."
The two almost sighed in relief—until Aike continued with an amused smirk:
"They're my next customers, after all."
Nami and Carina turned ashen.
Treacher, meanwhile, felt much better.
Misery loves company—if three people were screwed instead of just him, that was a win.
He also realized these two girls had zero connection to the monster in front of him.
They brought this on themselves.
"Since you have no objections, the deal is sealed!"
The golden scale flashed. Light enveloped Treacher and his unconscious crew.
Moments later, a green orb of lifespan and the Devil Fruit appeared on the empty side.
Balance achieved.
Right then, Treacher's crew began waking up.
"Can we… leave now?" Having lost his fruit power, Treacher was effectively crippled. All he wanted was to get as far away from this monster as possible.
"Of course."
Aike nodded graciously.
The entire crew scrambled out of the cave in a panic, terrified of being left behind.
A merchant's reputation matters. Letting a few ants live costs nothing—and who knows, they might be useful later.
Aike was actually looking forward to seeing Treacher again one day.
The guy might be weak now, but he was still a future movie boss. Pure gold is pretty valuable, after all.
"Now then…"
Aike slowly turned around, smile widening as he looked at the two girls still chained on the floor.
"It's your turn♡"