Everyone's jaws dropped as they stared at their eldest brother in disbelief. Their gazes shifted suspiciously to the thin man in front of them—at best, he looked like a pampered pretty boy. Yet Brother Sloe was being polite to this guy? Normally, Sloe would've killed someone who caused this much trouble without a second thought. But now… he was being respectful?
A burly, muscle-bound man stepped forward with frustration etched across his face. "But, big bro, he cut off my arm! You've got to stand up for me!"
Sloe, the bald-headed boss, didn't say a word. Instead, he slapped the man across the face—hard. The muscular thug reeled, holding his bruised cheek with a look of shock and hurt.
Sloe shouted, "Kuroda Hayate is my honored guest. You dared to mess with someone I invited? Losing an arm is the least of your worries! Now get lost! Keep your mouth shut, or I swear I'll put a bullet in you myself!"
With that, Sloe turned toward Hayate and forced a smile. Hayate immediately sensed something off—it was the kind of fake grin that changed faster than flipping a page. Without hesitation, Sloe grabbed two glasses of high-end liquor from the bar and motioned for Hayate to follow him into a small room behind it.
Hayate said nothing and entered the dimly lit room. Sloe followed closely and, before shutting the door, snapped at the confused onlookers. "What the hell are you idiots staring at? Get back to work! And listen up—if any of you so much as mentions this to Boss Kidd, I'll personally destroy you!"
With the threat hanging in the air, Sloe slammed the door shut. He turned to face the calm figure inside and offered a sheepish smile. "Sorry about that—my little brother was out of line. Let me apologize first with a drink."
He downed his own glass in one gulp and passed the other to Hayate. But Hayate didn't take a sip. He set the wooden mug down on the table without even acknowledging Sloe's gesture and said coldly, "Let's skip the games. I completed your task—I killed the commander of the naval branch base, Karoya. Now pay me the three million Berries."
Sloe blinked in disbelief, examining the man sitting across from him. Hayate was wrapped in a plain black coat, his lean face devoid of any sign of strength or muscle. If anything, he looked… ordinary.
Sloe's mind flashed back to just a few days earlier. That morning, he had been grumbling at the bar about Karoya, a newly appointed naval base commander who had stormed in on his first day to demand protection fees—worse than a pirate. Sloe and his crew fought back but were swiftly beaten. Humiliated, Sloe dared not report this failure to Boss Kidd, knowing it would cost him dearly.
That's when this man—this average-looking stranger—had walked up and declared he could kill Karoya in exchange for a generous commission. Sloe had laughed it off and jokingly said, "Sure, if you kill Karoya, I'll call you big bro and pay you three million Berries."
Now, just three days later, the man had returned… task completed.
Sloe, still skeptical, asked hesitantly, "You… really killed Karoya? He's not just some pushover, you know. He was assigned to the South Sea Naval Base by a Rear Admiral from Navy HQ. He's not as strong as Boss Kidd, sure, but he's way stronger than me—there's no way you…"
"Are you saying I'm weaker than you?"
Hayate's eyes narrowed, his calm demeanor vanishing into a cold, violent glint that made Sloe tremble. Sweat formed on his bald forehead as he quickly backtracked, "No, no, big bro! I'm just asking. Don't be angry! But three million Berries isn't a small sum—you can't just walk in and take it. I believe you, really! I just need time to get the money together. How about tomorrow? Besides, if it's true, it'll be in the papers soon. Once I see confirmation of Karoya's death, I'll pay you on the spot!"
Hayate didn't reply. Instead, he grabbed Sloe by the collar and effortlessly lifted his bulky frame into the air. His eyes were like ice. "Or maybe I should take you to the naval base? I wonder how much you are worth."
Sloe panicked. "No, no, big bro, please!"
Just then, the door to the small room burst open. The muscular thug from earlier rushed in with a shocked expression—only to see Hayate holding his boss in the air. His shock turned to fury.
"You bastard! You're attacking my big bro?! I swear, even if I can't kill you, Boss Kidd definitely will!"
Hearing this, Sloe freaked out. If Boss Kidd found out what happened, he'd also learn that Sloe lost a fight to Karoya—and that kind of disgrace could ruin him. Sloe barked, "Shut up! From now on, Kuroda Hayate is my big bro. He's teaching me a lesson. Got a problem with that?"
The muscular man froze, dumbfounded by the sudden turn of events. But seeing the seriousness in Sloe's eyes, he quickly bowed his head toward Hayate and muttered respectfully, "Big bro…"
Hayate gave a cold snort and dropped Sloe. Sloe quickly straightened his collar and barked at the musclehead, "That's more like it! Now, what the hell got you so worked up just now?"
The big man leaned in and whispered in his ear, face flushed with excitement. "Hot news! Karoya was really assassinated! Nobody knows who did it, but the bastard is dead! That means no more protection fees for us!"
Sloe didn't share his excitement—only stunned disbelief. He turned to stare at Hayate's calm expression, waved his underling away, and signaled him to shut the door behind him.
Once they were alone, Hayate extended his hand and said with a smirk, "You heard that? So there's no need to wait until tomorrow. Pay up—three million Berries."
Sloe laughed nervously. "Right, right, big bro, you really did it… amazing. Let me go get the money."
But as he turned, the smile on his lips twisted into something sinister. In a flash, he pulled out a pistol, spun around, and aimed it directly at Hayate's chest.
His voice dropped to a cold snarl. "Now that Karoya's dead, you're no longer useful to me. I don't care how strong you are—nobody makes me lose face in front of my crew. Time to die."