"No, we must retrieve the previous intelligence, or we're doomed!"
Simon Sandi suddenly bolted in one direction, hoping to shake off the man in front of him and buy enough time to deliver the intel he had gathered. That would prevent a far more dangerous situation from unfolding.
But Yuno wasn't about to let him succeed. With a sneer, he gave chase.
Yuno had invested too much effort in setting up the current situation—there was no way he would allow Simon Sandi to ruin it.
"White Thunder!"
Yuno pointed a finger, forcing Simon Sandi to halt, and in the next instant, he appeared directly in front of him.
"Give it up," Yuno said calmly. "I've put too much thought into this to let you ruin it."
"Who are you, and why are you trying to spark a war between two factions?" Simon Sandi demanded through clenched teeth, his face dark and sullen.
"Me? Don't you know? I'm a bounty hunter," Yuno replied, unleashing another burst of white lightning. "Does a bounty hunter need a reason to attack a wanted criminal with a bounty?"
Simon Sandi crossed his arms, blocking the attack with his steel-like skin.
With a deafening bang, the lightning exploded, but failed to cause any harm.
As a Zoan-type Devil Fruit user—specifically a porcupine with thick hide and sturdy flesh—his natural defenses could withstand even iron body techniques to a certain degree.
"You think I'll believe that? A bounty hunter daring to attack the forces of a Warlord of the Sea, the king of the New World's underworld?"
Simon Sandi swung his arm, launching a steel needle at Yuno.
Yuno dodged effortlessly, replying coldly, "Because they're not me."
"Hmph, you truly don't know your place! Do you have any idea who the king of the underworld is? Even the World Government fears him! How could a small-time bounty hunter like you hope to stand against him?"
Simon Sandi flexed his arm. The wound from earlier had stopped bleeding. While not fully healed, it no longer hindered his movements. This was thanks to his Zoan resilience—and the fact that no bones had been injured when he pierced Hawkins's arm earlier.
"They're just two men minding their own business in secret," Yuno said, exasperated. "Why act like they're pirates standing at the peak? Even the World Government doesn't fear you—they simply don't bother with you. A man who can only rule in the shadows will never make them afraid… not unless he unites the entire underworld. Then, maybe, they'd look at him differently."
"You…"
Simon Sandi's expression darkened. This man knew far too much about the New World. Could he really not be from the North Blue?
Reading his thoughts, Yuno stepped forward. "You're wondering why I know so much? What I really am? Go on—guess."
Simon Sandi's face changed drastically. He instinctively stepped back, feeling crushed beneath Yuno's overwhelming aura.
Each step Yuno took pressed harder against his heart, making him tremble.
Even his own boss had never given him this kind of pressure.
"Forget it," Yuno said with a mocking smile. "I won't waste any more time talking. I'll send you to hell now."
With a sharp crack, white lightning surged behind him. The sword at his waist—unused until now—slid free of its sheath.
"You said my attacks can't pierce your hide without Armament Haki? I don't believe it." Yuno's voice, filtered through his mask, carried a chilling, demonic edge.
"GETSUGA… TENSHO!"
The sword light soared upward, taking the shape of a massive crescent blade tens of meters long. Lightning coiled around it, magnifying its destructive power. The air roared with thunder, as if the strike could shred everything before it.
The slash tore forward in a straight line, carving a deep furrow in the ground as it raced toward Simon Sandi.
"What?! A slash like that? How is this even possible? Who are you?!"
Simon Sandi's face went pale. The power before him was the kind he had only ever seen from certain great pirates of the New World.
He refused to accept this. How could he die here?
Letting out a desperate roar, he tensed every muscle, his skin hardening further until it gleamed like polished steel.
He clenched his fists, potential surging in the face of danger. Above his knuckles, a faint current shimmered—the glow of Armament Haki.
Drawing power from his waist and core, his muscles tensed like coiled steel. The ground beneath his feet cracked under the sudden pressure. With a roar, he thrust his fists forward.
"Break it!"
Boom!
Simon Sandi's fists met an overwhelming force head-on. For a fleeting moment, the burst of Armament Haki allowed him to withstand the impact…
But only for a moment.
Yuno's slashing strike tore through his guard, the mighty sword energy shattering his fists and driving straight toward his exposed body.
Simon Sandi's vaunted "steel skin" crumbled instantly under the blow.
Swish!
The slash cut cleanly through his waist, the arc of sword energy continuing on, ripping apart trees and buildings in its path before disappearing into the sea.
"Ahem…"
Split in half, Simon Sandi did not die immediately. The monstrous vitality of his Zoan-type Devil Fruit kept him alive for a few precious moments. Blood poured from his lips as his dimming eyes fixed on Yuno, who strode toward him without haste.
"Tell… tell me… your identity…" he rasped, unwilling to die in ignorance.
Yuno's eyes glinted. He smirked.
"Since you're about to die, I'll tell you. You've heard of the CP organizations under the World Government, haven't you? I'm a member of the most secretive one—CP0."
His voice dropped into a low, almost mocking tone.
"So now… after hearing that, can you guess the meaning behind my actions?"
"Heh… World Government… CP0… You're targeting the Dark World…" Simon Sandi coughed violently, blood spraying. His life was slipping away, but his mind still churned.
"Let me tell you… one last thing… The Queen of Pleasure Street… is one of ours… The World Government… has been planning this… for a long time…" Yuno lied without a twitch of his expression, his mask hiding the deception.
"I see… No wonder… you're provoking conflict between factions… The World Government… truly cunning…"
Simon Sandi's voice faded to nothing. His body stilled. He was gone.
Yuno remained standing over the corpse, unmoving. Minutes passed.
"Huh? No reaction? Wasn't he… tipping someone off?" Yuno muttered.
"Just curiosity…? Tch… You played it straight, huh? Wasted all that mental effort… for nothing."
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