Several days later.
As expected, when the people of the Underground World learned through various channels about the new mission posted by "Major Undertaker" and the events that had transpired in Hitman Town, the entire Underground World was thrown into near chaos.
Even the criminals themselves had never imagined such a thing could exist in the world.
Of the Twelve Zodiac, only three members had been revealed so far.
The first had robbed the Heavenly Tribute of the Nismail Kingdom. The second had assassinated Warlord Crocodile.
Now, this sudden appearance of a third member, "Zishu," who was willing to accept the mission to assassinate King and Noble and treat their heads as cargo, left many wondering:
"Who founded this organization? What are they really after?"
Some began searching for clues in the mission's details.
"These nineteen metal ores... they can't possibly be for one person's use. Is Zishu collecting them for his organization?"
This revelation sent shockwaves through many. Compared to the previously mysterious organization with no leads, one that clearly had a purpose and was actively engaged in activities was far more alarming.
"What's the Twelve Zodiac's goal in collecting these ores? Are they forging weapons?"
"So many minerals... are they going to be smelted into an alloy?"
"I asked the craftsmen under me. They said it's absolutely impossible to smelt these nineteen minerals with current technology."
Such voices echoed through the crowd.
But more factions were watching this event with keen interest.
Although the 'Major Undertaker' had indeed followed its rules, and no details could be gleaned even with intense investigation, they knew change was inevitable.
An open assassination contract on the King and Nobles, such a thing could never be kept secret.
So, only one question remained:
"Will he really come?"
The sea breeze stirred the sand on shore, which struck against the roughly constructed houses nearby, made of canvas and wood.
This was an unnamed, desolate island.
The village was small, with no more than fifty residents.
At this moment, the villagers had gathered at the village entrance.
They were all gaunt and pale, their ragged clothes barely covering their bodies. Coughing sounds echoed through the crowd.
The one who spoke up was a young villager.
"It's been seven years... and no one has ever... cough cough... been willing to help us."
He sounded skeptical.
"Don't worry, Turner."
Another voice cut in.
"Didn't the Den Den Mushi message say the news had already reached him? He'll come. The others refused our mission out of fear, but he's one of 'The Twelve Zodiac.' Cough... that's an organization that can easily kill even a Warlord."
The speaker wasn't very old, perhaps in his early thirties. He wore a simple, rusty, yellowed pendant around his wrist, suggesting he was the village leader.
Hearing this, the restless crowd calmed down slightly.
"But Brother Abel, even if they killed the Warlord, we... cough cough..."
The young man named Turner seemed agitated. After speaking only a few words, he coughed so violently it sounded as if his heart might burst.
Abel quickly stepped forward to soothe him. "Don't worry, they'll definitely come."
But if one looked closely, they would see Abel's eyes were filled with worry as well.
Though they had contacted the person through a Den Den Mushi, they knew nothing about this "Zishu."
Abel had no confidence that Zishu would actually come or accept their request.
But seven years of setbacks had taught him one thing clearly:
"He's our only hope."
As Abel murmured this, his peripheral vision caught sight of a figure standing on the Shore not far away.
Sunlight streamed down, making the rat-headed mask on the figure's head seem almost alive.
Abel hadn't seen how the figure had appeared, he was certain there had been no one nearby just moments ago.
But that clearly didn't matter.
"Are you the clients?" Zishu asked, eyeing the ragged villagers before him with a hint of doubt.
In fact, since he'd posted his mission, no one had contacted him for days. Zishu wasn't surprised by this, after all, assassinating a King or Noble was a serious matter, and it was natural for potential clients to wait and observe. He'd already prepared to wait several more days.
But just yesterday, he'd suddenly received his first 'order'. Following the cryptic instructions on the order, he'd arrived here to find these people.
He couldn't help but be reminded of a group he'd once encountered. It was on an unnamed, desolate island south of Master Port, the same island where Youji (Rooster) now resided in a small fishing village.
Yes, these people reminded him of the Slaves from the Nismail Kingdom (a nation affiliated with the World Government).
Zishu couldn't help but wonder if he'd come to the wrong place.
But,
"Yes!"
Hearing his words, Abel immediately nodded repeatedly. "Lord Zishu, we're the ones who placed the commission."
He continued respectfully, "Please, come into the village and speak with us."
Naturally, Zishu had no objections and followed Abel to a room in the village.
The room had clearly been cleaned beforehand. While the overall construction style still bore the marks of war damage, the interior was spotless.
Zishu declined their offer to make him tea and cut straight to the point. "Tell me, who are you? And who do you want me to kill?"
This blunt approach clearly startled Abel.
But he recovered quickly, immediately shifting his tone from polite to direct. "We are rebels from Candied Island, refugees who fled to this island."
"...Rebels?"
Zishu glanced at the crowd gathered outside, and at the almost constant coughing that echoed through the air.
Well, how to put it, this group couldn't exactly be called the elderly, the weak, and the infirm, but the word "sick" was unavoidable.
Could these commoners, who struggled to even climb onto a heated bed, truly be considered "rebels"?
"Yes," Abel replied, taking a deep breath.
Then, in a trembling voice, he began to explain their origins.
As they had said, they came from Candied Island in the North Blue.
On this island lay the kingdom of Kara Miro.
"Thanks to the island's fruit, sweet springs, and high-quality honey, everyone lived comfortably. The previous King, Kara Miro II, had even begun preparations to apply for affiliation with the World Government."
Zishu was surprised to hear this.
Becoming an affiliated nation of the World Government was no easy feat. Just the application fee alone was substantial.
The fact that Candied Island's previous King had even considered this demonstrated the small kingdom's genuine prosperity.
But...
"His Majesty Kara Miro II's plan hadn't even succeeded when he suddenly fell ill and died eight years ago. His son, Kara Miro III, inherited the throne."
Abel clenched his fists as he spoke.
That was the beginning of the nightmare.
Unlike his father, Kara Miro III lacked vision and considered the vast sums of Beli spent on becoming a World Government Affiliated Nation a waste.
Naturally, if that were all, his view wouldn't be entirely wrong.
But the crucial point was...
"To gain protection and status, he secretly allied himself with the Yonko 'Big Mom'."
Zishu was almost stunned by this revelation.
"Big Mom!?"
He frowned slightly. "Isn't your island in the North Blue?"
It was common knowledge that the Yonko who ruled the sea primarily held sway over the New World.
The Four Seas and the first half of the Grand Line, known as Paradise, were largely under the control of the Marine.
Naturally, the Yonko's immense power and resources allowed them to restrict free passage into the New World.
For instance, the Red Hair Pirates had once returned from the New World to the East Blue.
Similarly, the Whitebeard Pirates had once returned from the New World to Paradise.
However, both crossing the Calm Belt and directly confronting the Marine carried significant risks.
It seemed highly unusual for Candied Island, an ordinary North Blue island nation, to have allied itself with Big Mom.
What purpose could such an enclave serve for Big Mom?
But in the next moment, Abel revealed the answer to Zishu.
"It's our Candied Island's unique specialty: Rainbow Candies."
As he spoke, his expression clearly showed his pain.
"This delicacy was invented by the First King of Candied Island. It's made using a syrup boiled with our island's unique sweet spring water and special minerals, resulting in a flavor unmatched anywhere in the world. In fact, His Majesty Kara Miro II once planned to use it to join the World Government."
"But that asshole Kara Miro III betrayed us. He offered the recipe for Rainbow Candies to Big Mom, hoping to win her favor."
Zishu immediately understood.
Each of the Yonko had their own obsessions. Kaido was obsessed with war, Whitebeard valued family, and Red Hair... well, he cared about face.
Big Mom, however, was utterly obsessed with food, especially sweets!
If Abel's claim was true, that Candied Island produced unparalleled candies, Big Mom wouldn't hesitate to seize it, even if it meant invading territories under the other Yonko's subordinates, let alone North Blue.
In that light, it wasn't surprising that she was willing to invest resources in establishing ties with a North Blue island nation.
"Big Mom has granted Candied Island her protection, lavished Kara Miro III with wealth, and even stationed a 'Homies Soldier Legion' on the island."
Clearly, Kara Miro III had achieved his goals under Big Mom's patronage.
The Homies Soldier Legion, these were special lifeforms created by Big Mom using her Soul-Soul Fruit ability.
With their protection, Candied Island was virtually invulnerable to threats in North Blue.
But for the people of the Kara Miro Kingdom, it was a different story.
Because...
"Making Rainbow Candies requires extremely high-temperature furnaces to burn minerals and fuel, and it demands many people to constantly stir the mixture."
"In the past, the Kingdom only produced a few bottles each year, which wasn't a problem. But Big Mom demanded that Kara Miro III offer her an entire ship full of Rainbow Candies every year!"
This is how Abel and the other refugees came to be.
Big Mom clearly didn't care about environmental concerns, so she ordered Kara Miro III to lead the Homies in constructing numerous Syrup Furnaces on Candied Island.
The people were forced into slavery, tasked with boiling the candy syrup.
However, furnaces of this scale naturally released massive amounts of harmful gases.
"Many who went to work there died. Most of the weaker clones couldn't even last six months."
"And... cough cough... those of us who survived have all suffered health problems."
Abel clenched his fists, his teeth grinding together audibly.
"We gathered a group and launched a rebellion, but it was easily crushed."
"In the end, only the thirty or so of us managed to escape and reach this place."
Hearing this, Zishu murmured softly, "You want to save your homeland?"
But Abel shook his head.
"Candied Island is already destroyed."
His eyes reddened as he spoke.
"We just want someone to kill that Tyrant, that's all we want!"
After a moment of silence, Zishu finally replied, "You know my terms, right? 200 million Beli, or those nineteen types of metal ore. Can you provide them?"
"Yes! Of course we can!"
Upon hearing this, Abel replied without hesitation, "We've saved up almost every Beli we could over the past seven years. Everyone worked hard at nearby islands. Together, we've managed to save just over 200 million Beli. We'll give it all to you!"
His voice was loud, like a drowning man grasping at the last straw.
"And about those metal minerals on your list... we don't have them, but we know where to find them!"
He lowered his voice. "Big Mom provided Kara Miro III with the materials to build the Syrup Furnace, including the Fire Charcoal Steel and Farada Crystal Stone you need. I was conscripted to work on the furnace construction before. I can confirm it!"
After speaking, he held his breath and looked at Zishu.
He felt his heart pounding in his chest.
In the past seven years, no one had dared to accept their commission.
He naturally knew why.
If, back in the North Blue, on Candied Island, they hadn't fully grasped the true nature of Big Mom's power,
After seven years of wandering, they finally understood what the Yonko truly were.
Monsters. Emperors of the Sea. Calamities best left undisturbed.
Killing a King under Big Mom's protection was a risk too great for anyone to take.
At the same time, Zishu turned to Abel.
He could see the simple pendant Abel wore, a faded, yellowed photograph hanging from it.
The photo showed a young Abel standing beside a middle-aged woman wearing a blue gemstone pendant.
Their features bore a striking resemblance, clearly mother and son.
Yet Zishu was certain he hadn't seen the woman among the group just now.
The answer was obvious.
"Since you have sufficient funds," he replied. "Then, as you wish, I accept this mission."
(End of Chapter)
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