At that moment, a sharp slash descended from Barofia's position, cutting straight toward Yuno.
Yuno raised his hand and pointed. A burst of white lightning shot out, colliding with the slash mid-air. Both attacks shattered in a brilliant flash.
Barofia leapt out from the crater, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth. A flicker of fear passed through his eyes.
"The man backing me… is the 'Shipping King,' Umit! Are you truly prepared to face the wrath of a king?"
From their earlier clash, he already knew he wasn't a match for Yuno. To survive, he had no choice but to invoke the name of his powerful patron, hoping to intimidate him.
"The Shipping King?" Yuno murmured.
He couldn't recall exactly what Umit looked like, but he definitely knew the name.
A major figure in the New World underworld, Umit controlled the vast sea transport network — supposedly limited to the New World. But for him to be operating even here, in Paradise...
So who's the other 'king' dealing with Umit?
"The North Blue… the Donquixote Family? Heh..."
Suddenly remembering something, Yuno grinned faintly.
"The 'Shipping King'? Never heard of him. Just another nobody. So what if I offend him?"
Yuno stopped wasting words. He had already decided to kill them all.
Activating Shunko, his strength surged. Coupled with Shunpo, his speed created the illusion of teleportation.
Shunko plus Shunpo—Instant Body Movement!
In a flash, he appeared right in front of Barofia. His cold eyes locked on the pirate captain, and with a resounding crack, he launched a devastating punch.
"W-What?!"
Barofia's eyes widened in horror. He hadn't expected Yuno to move so fast. He barely had time to raise his sword to defend.
But just as the punch was about to land—Yuno staggered. It was a feint.
The real strike came from his left hand!
"Thunder Roar Cannon." Yuno sneered. His voice was calm, but his palm crackled with lightning.
A concentrated bolt exploded from his hand, blasting Barofia backward!
The thunderous force sent Barofia flying, smashing through a building with a boom boom boom, and finally slamming into the ground with a deafening crash!
A massive explosion followed. Black smoke billowed into the sky, and a pit over ten meters wide opened on the ground, arcs of lightning dancing through the debris.
Yuno didn't even glance at the wreckage. He turned and charged toward the remaining enemies.
Seeing Yuno's overwhelming power, the rest were terrified.
They didn't even think of resisting — only of escaping.
But Yuno wouldn't let that happen.
"Go join him."
He raised his hand — this time unleashing the Sokatsui, a pale, fan-shaped flame attack that covered the entire area.
A wave of fire engulfed the fleeing pirates. The blast unleashed a shockwave, and the screams of the dying echoed through the flames.
Yuno appeared before one of the survivors in an instant, stomping down hard. Thunder crackled behind him and dispersed.
Looking down coldly, he asked calmly:
"Tell me your mission. And who the other 'king' is in this deal. If you don't, you die."
Though Yuno's tone was calm, to the survivor, it sounded like a devil's whisper—terrifying beyond belief.
"No! Don't kill me! I'll talk, I'll talk!"
The man trembled and obediently confessed their mission — and revealed the identity of the second king.
"Oh? It really is Doflamingo?" Yuno chuckled darkly.
After learning the basics, he intentionally let the man flee.
He did it deliberately—to draw the attention of Umit, the Shipping King. It was all part of his larger plan.
Yuno's eyes glinted sharply as he calculated his next moves.
The Shipping King's transport network
—an invaluable resource for building his own rising force.
"And Doflamingo... the underworld broker of the New World…"
Yuno's grin twisted, like a demon smiling in the shadows.
...
At an auction on the island—
Inside the hall, a man in a fur-brimmed hat and red cape, his face marked by two deep creases, suddenly slammed a table into splinters. His eyes burned with fury as he stared down at the trembling underling before him.
"You said our goods were stolen by a bounty hunter? Who dares lay hands on the Donquixote Family's cargo?"
The underling shook with fear. "It was a rising bounty hunter—he's already wiped out a pirate crew worth over ten million berries!"
"A bounty hunter?" Diamante's expression twisted with disbelief and anger. "And what about that Barofia guy? Isn't he supposed to keep the rats away? Why didn't he handle it?"
"Sir… Boss Barofia was killed by that same bounty hunter!"
This man was one of the top officers of the Donquixote Family—Diamante, codename: Cube!
Diamante's brow furrowed. A thought struck him. "Didn't we hire the Shipping King's fleet for this job? The deal isn't supposed to start for a few more days—how were our things even stolen?"
The underling answered quickly, "The fleet we commissioned—one of their subordinate pirate crews—was completely wiped out by the Quincy. Our cargo ended up in his hands!"
Diamante's gaze sharpened. Then he sneered coldly.
"The Young Master values that shipment. We cannot afford to lose it!"
After a moment's thought, he added, "Contact the Shipping King. Let them know the goods were stolen before they even reached us. Ask them how they plan to resolve this mess!"
"Yes, sir!"
The underling wiped cold sweat from his brow and bolted from the room.
Once alone, Diamante's voice dropped to a chilling murmur. "To offend two Kings of the Dark World at once—Donquixote and the Shipping King… Bounty hunter Quincy, you're either insane or unbelievably bold!"
Elsewhere—on a fog-drenched island in the North Blue.
This was a regional base of operations for the Shipping King's forces, responsible for overseeing all activity across the North Blue.
Inside a luxurious hall, a bald, bloated man with a potbelly suddenly slapped the woman lounging on his lap, sending her crashing into a wall. He glared at the messenger kneeling before him.
"You said our deal with the Donquixote Family fell through? Who the hell is this Quincy? And why the hell did he attack us?"
This man was Simon Sandi, a cadre under the Shipping King, with a bounty of 88 million berries on his head!
The underling started to explain, "This Quincy is—"
"—I don't care what he is!" Simon growled. "A no-name bounty hunter from the North Blue dares to lay hands on our fleet?"
"Mobilize the ships! I want him crushed!"
With that command, the entire island exploded into motion.
And not long after—
A warship set sail, heading directly for Swallow Island!