Flying Nimbus, huh...
Xiano pinched his chin, deep in thought.
I should still qualify as someone with a pure heart, right?
Alright.
No point lying to myself—chances are I probably still can't ride it.
But among my crewmates, there are plenty who could. No harm adding it to the cart anyway.
It's just a few Points, after all. Might as well treat it like buying a toy for the kids at home.
Purchased. Next!
...
[Tomie's Severed Arm]
[Type: Special Item]
[Price: 3500 Points]
[Description: A grotesque severed limb from the world of Tomie, seemingly still retaining its vitality. Warning: This item will infinitely regenerate and multiply Tomie clones—endlessly, without cease.]
[Seller's Note: None. Seller unreachable.]
Whoa, this is no joke.
Xiano's eye twitched.
I'm here to save the world, not end it. Best steer clear of this kind of horror-themed, rule-breaking anomaly.
Skipped. Next!
...
[Demon Tree Barrier]
[Type: Special Tool]
[Price: 15000 Points]
[Description: Upon activation, automatically covers all territories under the host's control, forming an invisible protective barrier against external invasions.]
[Barrier strength is determined by the number of sacrificed Devil Fruit Ability Users' souls. The more souls sacrificed, the stronger the barrier's defense. Maximum sacrifice limit: 30.]
[Seller's Note: None. System direct sale.]
Xiano's gaze sharpened.
Seems I've stumbled upon something extraordinary...
Is it practical?
Absolutely. As the territories under his command expand, ensuring the safety of all civilians becomes increasingly difficult.
Ordinary Pirates are manageable—the fluttering banner of the Curtain Closer serves as the best deterrent, and few dare to provoke them.
But the Marine Headquarters, CP agencies, and the elusive God Knights... they're ultimately harder to guard against.
This Demon Tree Barrier could perfectly address this vulnerability!
Though priced steeply at 15000 Points, it's undoubtedly worth it. The only catch is the exorbitant cost to activate it at full strength.
Thirty Devil Fruit Ability Users' souls at once!
Where would he even find that many in one go?
Xiano fell into contemplation.
If he were truly devoid of moral boundaries, this would be simple—he wouldn't even need to leave his territory. Just harvest them locally.
But such actions were clearly beneath him.
Even if the intent was to protect his people, the souls for the Sacrifice should come from irredeemable scum.
"Hmm?" Xiano suddenly realized something.
Irredeemable scum?
There's actually a place that's never short of such individuals...
For now, add to cart.
Next!
...
There was no next.
Scrolling further revealed either absurdly priced items or those too uninteresting to consider.
Xiano leaped out of the hot spring, dried himself, and began dressing while proceeding to checkout.
This time, he only purchased two items totaling 17000 Points, leaving him with 5900 Points remaining.
Fully dressed, Xiano strolled to the shoreline and stretched.
The morning breeze of June carried the unique fragrance of herbs and trees from Nut Island as it brushed against his face. He glanced at the rising sun on the distant horizon before shifting his gaze toward the Calm Belt.
Lately, with nothing pressing to attend to, he thought perhaps today was the day to set out and gather the souls he needed.
Whoosh!
At that very moment.
Kuina's figure suddenly appeared high above, descending gracefully through the air with Moon Walk, her black ponytail fluttering in the sea wind.
"Sir."
She landed behind Xiano and spoke solemnly, "The Garrison Corps' intelligence division has sent word. Beverny's whereabouts have been located."
"Oh?"
Xiano narrowed his eyes and turned to face her. "Where?"
An intelligence network.
This was an indispensable asset for any major faction, and the Curtain Closer was no exception.
When the Four Legions had just finished their reorganization, Xiano had already tasked Kuina, Robin, and others with selecting personnel to establish one.
By the time they took control of Totto Land, the network had largely taken shape and had even established connections with underground powerhouses like Dofeld and Morgans, whom they had previously met.
While their current intelligence capabilities still couldn't compare to the World Government's CP departments, they were now functional and reliable enough to be of use.
Recently, Xiano had issued orders to track down the bounty hunter Beverny, who had kidnapped Bonney.
The outbreak of the Totto Land war had originated from BIGMOM's greed, but this woman was also deeply involved.
Did she really think she could kidnap a child under his watch and just walk away without consequences?
Absolutely not!
"Six days ago, that woman appeared on Sabaody Archipelago."
Kuina handed him an intelligence report. "BIGMOM paid her a considerable sum—likely no less than a billion Berry. She used the money to book a high-end hotel in Grove 1 and has been frequenting auctions and casinos, spending lavishly. She's already bought dozens of slaves."
"How audacious."
Xiano took the file and sneered. "Does she really think she's safe just because she left the New World and hid in a place like Sabaody?"
As long as her location was confirmed, not even the Door-Door Fruit could save her!
Bruno was proof of that!
"Speaking of which, after the last major incident in Sabaody, the Navy upgraded the defense by replacing the local branch commander from a rear admiral to a vice admiral from headquarters."
Kuina said softly, "And last year, that woman accepted a contract to assassinate the family of a Navy vice admiral—over a dozen people—brutally slaughtering them all."
Xiano looked up at Kuina. "You mean…"
"It seems her luck has finally run out."
Kuina nodded. "Yes, you guessed right, sir. The vice admiral who lost his entire family was recently reassigned to the Sabaody branch as its new commander."
"Three days ago, Beverny was gambling at a casino, drunk out of her mind, when that very vice admiral arrested her on the spot and sent her to Impel Down."
"Impel Down?"
Xiano raised an eyebrow, surprised.
"Yes, sir."
Kuina sighed. "Impel Down is one of the World Government's three major institutions. With Beverny imprisoned there, if we want to settle the score with her, I'm afraid it'll be—"
"Perfect."
Xiano grinned, cutting her off.
Such a stroke of luck?
He had originally planned to make a trip to Sabaody before heading to Impel Down. Now, it seemed he only needed to visit one place, making things much more convenient.
"For the next while, you'll need to take care of affairs in the territory. I'm heading out," Xiano said, tossing the documents back to her.
"?"
Kuina was startled. "Sir, where are you going…?"
"The people who dared to lay hands on my crew—naturally, I'll be the one to deal with them. Do they think throwing them into Impel Down is the end of it? Since when does the Navy get to call the shots?"
Xiano cracked his neck and stretched his limbs, warming up.
"I'm off. If all goes well, I'll be back within a week at most."
With that, he stomped the ground and shot into the sky like a streak of light.
Whoosh!
A gust of wind swept past Kuina. By the time she looked up again, the coastline was empty, save for the sound of crashing waves.
To go to such lengths to protect his own…
She stared in the direction Xiano had vanished, shaking her head helplessly, though the corners of her lips curled up despite herself.
"Sir really is… just as he's always been."
For a subordinate, there was probably nothing more reassuring than having a Captain like him.
——————
Calm Belt. The underwater prison known as Impel Down.
Level 4, entrance to Scorching Heat Hell.
Clank—!
The heavy Sea Stone Shackles scraped noisily against the ground as Beverny was dragged by two jailers through the boiling blood pool.
This was the mandatory high-temperature disinfection procedure for new prisoners—a blatant intimidation tactic.
Some weaker-willed prisoners would already be sobbing in fear by this point, even wetting themselves.
Beverny wasn't that pathetic.
In the sweltering heat, her golden hair was drenched in sweat. Her expensive silk dress had been stripped away, leaving only a thin prison uniform, making her look utterly disheveled.
Yet her eyes remained defiant. When she glanced back at the figure cloaked in the white mantle of justice, there was even a hint of mockery in her gaze.
"Still acting tough even in a place like this, you beast!"
Vulture, the bald Vice Admiral, scowled and kicked her hard in the back of the knee, sending her stumbling forward, nearly falling.
"Vice Admiral Vulture, that's enough."
Warden Magellan, who had been silently observing, finally sighed and spoke up.
"The handover is complete. While I sympathize with what happened to your family, this is still Impel Down."
"Beverny, the 'Vicious Huntress,' with a bounty of 230 million Berries—now that she's in my custody, she'll be dealt with according to protocol. I can't stand by and let you take matters into your own hands. But rest assured, this woman's crimes are numerous enough to keep her here until the day she dies."
"Dies of old age?"
Beverny let out a derisive laugh. Struggling to straighten her back, her sweat-soaked golden hair clung to her pale face. "Hey, hey, hey—Mr. Warden with the weird smell. What, you really think I'll be stuck here forever?"
Weird smell?
Magellan's face flushed. He instinctively turned his head to sniff himself—was there really a problem?
At this moment, Beverny turned toward Vice Admiral Vulture, her eyes gleaming with malice:
"Hey, Vulture, don't get too cocky. You'd better kill me right now. Otherwise, once I get out of here, hehe..."
She licked her cracked lips and burst into laughter, "You still have one daughter alive, don't you? I'll find her and carve her up piece by piece, just like how I handled the rest of your children last year..."
"Shut your mouth!"
Vice Admiral Vulture, enraged, was about to draw his sword and strike when Magellan swiftly intervened.
"Calm down, Vulture!"
Magellan said sternly while casting a puzzled glance at Beverny. "What makes you so confident you can escape this place? In the 800 years since Impel Down was built, no prisoner has ever managed to break out..."
Well, almost none.
There had been one exception.
But back then, he wasn't yet the warden of this prison. Since he officially took charge of Impel Down, such an incident was destined never to happen again!
Before Magellan could finish, Beverny sneered:
"Oh really? But who said I need to escape? You took my clothes—why don't you check the inner pocket right now and see what's inside?"
Magellan frowned but turned and called out, "Hannyabal."
"Yes, Warden!"
The gaunt Hannyabal hurriedly fetched the clothes, rummaged through the inner pocket, and pulled out an exquisitely crafted golden badge.
The badge gleamed under the fiery glow of Scorching Heat Hell, unmistakably engraved with the Family Crest of the World Nobles!
"This... this is..." Hannyabal's eyes widened, his hands trembling slightly.
"A Celestial Dragon's token?!" Magellan's expression also darkened abruptly.
"Bingo! You jailers are surprisingly well-informed, aren't you?"
Beverny raised her thumb and gestured toward the badge with her chin. "As for the Marines, did you really think I was just drowning in pleasure on Sabaody? Come on, I pissed off a Sea Emperor of the New World—of course I needed to find myself a powerful patron for protection!"
"See, this was given to me by Charloss Saint's steward. He took a liking to my abilities and personally promised that as long as I use my Door-Door Fruit well to help him collect twenty slaves of special races from around the world, he'd officially grant me the status of a direct high-ranking subordinate, with permanent residency in the Holy Land Mariejois."
She smugly lifted her chin:
"By now, he's probably already heard about my capture and imprisonment in Impel Down. I'd say within two or three days at most, the World Government's pardon order will arrive here. So, not only are you failing to treat me like royalty, but you still dare to lay a finger on me?"
She deliberately drew out her words, her gaze flickering between Vice Admiral Vulture and Magellan, her provocation unmistakable.
Damn it!
Vice Admiral Vulture's eyes burned red, the veins on his sword hand bulging. He struggled for a long moment but ultimately didn't dare to draw his blade.
He knew better than anyone—once someone was marked by a Celestial Dragon, they became their property.
And deliberately destroying a Celestial Dragon's property... as a seasoned Marine, he knew exactly what consequences that would bring.
"Tch. Backed down, huh? How boring."
Beverny curled her lips and turned to Magellan, "Hey, big guy, hurry up and arrange a private cell for me. Prepare hot water and clean clothes too. When the World Government comes to pick me up tomorrow, I might consider putting in a good word for you—"
"Shut up!"
Magellan's sudden roar made the entire Scorching Heat Hell tremble.
He snatched the golden badge from her and, under Beverny's stunned gaze, hurled it violently into the boiling blood pool.
"You—! How dare you!" Beverny shrieked in disbelief.
"Enough of your nonsense. Impel Down has always followed its own rules," Magellan said coldly, his expression unreadable. "I don't care who you are outside—here, you're just a prisoner. Even if a Celestial Dragon comes personally to demand your release, procedures must be followed. Hannyabal!"
"Here, Warden!"
Hannyabal stood at attention and saluted.
"Take her through the full prison disinfection process—not a single step skipped—then lock her up in Level 6 underground! No visitors without my direct order!"
"Yes, sir!"
Hannyabal answered without hesitation.
He shared Magellan's view—a vicious criminal like this deserved no special treatment, only the harshest measures.
Beverny's face finally paled in panic. "Wait! Do you have any idea what you're doing? I'm a Celestial Dragon's—"
"Take her away!"
Magellan didn't even glance back, striding off with a cold expression.
(End of Chapter)