Chapter 426: Chapter 69: Seeing Off the Guest
"Y-you! Stay back! Don’t come any closer!"
"I’m the Vice-Captain of the Black Snake Pirates! I’ve got a bounty of forty-seven million berries!"
"If you lay a finger on me, our captain will hunt you down!"
"P-please... have mercy—"
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!"
The blood-curdling scream echoed through the penthouse suite, seeping faintly into the hallway despite its reinforced soundproofing. Outside, two black-suited security guards stood frozen, their expressions pale, backs ramrod straight. Not a single breath escaped them.
They worked at the most luxurious hotel in the Pleasure District—an establishment under the direct ownership of Her Majesty Stussy herself. Only the wealthiest and most dangerous figures from the New World could afford to stay here. Even the cheapest rooms cost over a million berries a night.
But the penthouse suite?
Five million berries per night. Private chefs, in-room massage, unrestricted loans, and a 24-hour armed security detail.
More importantly: absolute privacy.
Last month, a Celestial Dragon had stayed here. Ten men and women had entered the suite with him. None came back out. The guards had heard nothing.
And yet now—
Now, the agonized wails erupting from within sent icy tendrils crawling down their spines.
The two guards exchanged a glance.
Just who in the world was inside?
A moment later, the door opened with a soft click. Two pale-faced staff members wheeled out a stretcher, hurried but silent.
What lay atop it was no longer a man.
A shredded husk of meat and blood, features warped by terror, skin split and steaming, eyes frozen in a wide-eyed scream. The steady drip of blood onto the pristine marble floor was the only sound for several long seconds.
The Vice-Captain of the Black Snake Pirates, wanted for 47 million berries... had been reduced to pulp.
The guards swallowed hard.
The door swung shut behind the stretcher with a gentle click.
Inside, Darren waved his hand dismissively. "Take him. Next."
Dragon and Kuma stood nearby, their faces blank, expressions somewhere between numbness and disbelief.
A moment later, another pirate was dragged in—bearded, broad-chested, chained in Sea Stone.
"Damn you all! What the hell is this?!"
He thrashed and spat, but his restraints held.
"I’m Captain Black Snake! Sixty million berries! You touch me, and I swear—"
"How convenient," Darren said dryly, lifting his whiskey glass. "Families should stick together."
With a lazy flick of his wrist, metal tendrils shot out and bound the captain, dragging him toward the still-hovering, slightly shrunken crimson mass that pulsed in the air.
The moment his body touched the edge of the sphere—
SCREEEEEEECH!
A scream like a beast being flayed alive tore through the room. The pirate spasmed, veins bulging, chunks of skin bursting into vaporized mist. Five seconds later, he collapsed, lifeless.
"Take him too," Darren muttered. "Sixty million? Couldn’t even last ten seconds. Headquarters is handing out bounties like party favors these days."
Dragon: ...
Kuma: ...
It’s not their strength, they both thought grimly. It’s that thing. That devilish mass of suffering you’re hurling people into.
"How many is that now?" Kuma asked quietly.
"Lost track," Dragon answered. "Thirty-seven, maybe thirty-eight."
"Should hit a hundred soon," Darren said casually, puffing his cigar.
The two men glanced up at the hovering crimson sphere. After over thirty human sacrifices, it had finally shrunk to about half its original size.
Dragon pressed his lips into a tight line, remembering with shame how confidently he’d volunteered earlier.
"If we’d had time to find a Sea King," Darren said with a sigh, "this would’ve been easier. But we’re on a clock. This is the only way."
He turned to the staff. "Bring in the rest."
The attendant bowed stiffly and left.
Moments later, the suite resembled a dark auction house. Dozens of chained pirates—screaming, cursing, or dead-eyed—were dragged in and lined up.
Dragon and Kuma averted their gazes.
These were criminals. Killers, thieves, traffickers. Each deserved far worse.
But the process... still left a bitter taste in the mouth.
One by one, they were thrown into the mass. One by one, they screamed, convulsed, died.
And finally, after what felt like hours, the glowing sphere pulsed once—then shattered like glass.
Gone.
The air fell still.
The cleaning staff entered silently with machines and cloths. Within minutes, blood and viscera had been wiped away. Incense burned. Windows were opened. Air freshener misted the room in faint floral notes.
By the time they finished, the suite looked untouched—immaculate, refined. As if none of it had ever happened.
Darren reclined on the leather sofa, exhaling smoke through his nose.
"So, Dragon," he said at last, "to what do I owe the pleasure this time?"
He pulled out a gold-trimmed cigar and handed it to him.
"You’ve done me a solid today. If it doesn’t cross any of my lines, I’ll do what I can for you."
His tone was casual, but his eyes glinted with amusement as they flicked down toward Dragon’s worn boots and frayed coat.
Dragon cleared his throat, face flushing slightly. He instinctively looked to Kuma, who now stood like a silent statue, eyes closed, unmoving.
Dragon: ...
He gritted his teeth, straightened, and said firmly, "Darren. I need your help."
Darren smiled. "Ask."
Dragon hesitated only a moment.
"I’d like to borrow funds," he said, his voice steady. "Enough to cover the foundational operations of the Self-Reliance Army. It’ll be the start of a resistance movement... for those who have no voice."
Darren took a drag from his cigar. "I see."
Then he turned, picked up the Den Den Mushi, and calmly said into it, "Someone."
Dragon’s eyes sparkled.
He didn’t even hesitate. As expected of my closest friend. Loyal. Decisive. He’s probably calling for the money now—
He glanced smugly at Kuma.
See that? That’s trust.
Kuma, too, opened his eyes, filled with cautious hope. With proper funding, they could rescue thousands.
Then the door opened.
A tall man in a tailcoat entered, bowing respectfully. Darren recognized him as one of Stussy’s most trusted agents—the same one who’d delivered his Pleasure District VIP card.
"Mr. Darren," he said. "What are your orders?"
Darren gestured with his glass.
"See our guests out."
Dragon: ???
Kuma: ???
To be continued...