West Blue, Nostra Island—the stronghold of the Capone Family, a mafia syndicate.
Capone Bege stood at a mere 166 cm, a height exceedingly rare among adults in the pirate world, usually seen only in children or the elderly.
Yet, when he sat in the sole chair of the conference room, his presence alone silenced the rest of the Capone Family.
Only when he spoke did others dare to respond swiftly.
"Vito, how's the plan progressing?"
"Don Capone, everything's on track. In just half a month, we'll have the travel routes of the other four family heads. "
"Good. Gotti, turn up the pressure—make sure they're fully mobilized. "
"Yes, Don Capone. "
"The rest of you, listen up—. . . "Capone Bege was about to issue further orders when the conference room door burst open from outside.
A family member rushed in frantically, "Boss! It's bad! We've got intruders—someone just landed directly at the estate's front gate!"
Capone Bege's face darkened as he drew his pistol and fired without hesitation.
With a loud "bang," the subordinate was struck by the bullet and sent flying backward.
"Stay calm! Everyone, follow the contingency plan. I want to see who's bold enough to barge into the Capone Family's stronghold," he commanded.
With that, Capone Bege activated his ability.
A large group of subordinates quickly gathered around him before shrinking rapidly, disappearing into the castle within his body in the blink of an eye.
As the Castle Man, Capone Bege's body housed a fully armed fortress.
The moment the Capone Family members entered, they sprang into action—moving firearms, ammunition, blades, and cannons to various outward-facing windows.
Even a cavalry unit stood ready, prepared to charge at any moment.
Capone Bege, accompanied by Vito and Gotti, strode toward the estate's entrance.
The intruders had landed at the gate but hadn't launched an immediate attack, remaining stationary instead. Their intentions were unclear.
At the gate, Badak and his group were completely surrounded by Capone Family reinforcements. The gunmen held the high ground, their weapons trained on the intruders. Neither side moved—Badak's group remained still, and the Capone members withheld fire without their boss's order.
"Impressive.
These are all elites. Capone Bege knows how to run things!" Badak remarked, admiring the Capone Family's discipline.
"Hey, Badak, isn't this a bit too reckless? There are so many guns pointed at us! Let's retreat first—I need to hide my body!" Perona, nervous for the first time under such heavy fire, regretted not clarifying the mission details.
If she'd known, she would've just flown in as a spirit.
Robin, Leo, and Mansherry, having witnessed Badak's Conqueror's Haki knock out an entire ship's crew before—with Robin having experienced it firsthand—remained composed.
Daz Bones, trusting his boss implicitly, stood firm, unafraid of ordinary firearms. He scanned the area for Capone Bege.
When Capone Bege arrived, the scene before him was baffling: six people? Daring to invade the Capone Family?
Seeing the man himself appear, Badak mimicked Trafalgar Law's distinctive address. "Capone-ya, let me introduce myself.
I'm Badak of the Dandelion Organization, and these are my comrades. We've come unannounced today to ask a favor of you. Hope you don't mind. "
Though the six intruders seemed unusual, Capone Bege, as the mafia don of the Capone Family, couldn't afford to lose face in his own stronghold before his men.
Moreover, he relished crushing overconfident opponents who thought they could challenge him on his turf.
"Do you have any idea where you are? Some 'Dandelion Organization'? Open fire!"The next moment, all the mafia members in the encirclement, those inside Capone Bege's body, along with Vito and Gotti, cocked their guns and lit their cannons.
"Hmph, can't let you get in the way. "
Badak snorted lightly, releasing his Conqueror's Haki, sending a crushing wave of spiritual pressure over all of the Capone Family.
Everyone who had been about to pull their triggers suddenly felt as if their souls were being hammered repeatedly, and one by one, they rolled their eyes and collapsed unconscious.
In the end, the only ones left standing from the entire Capone Family were the three facing Badak and his group—Capone Bege, Vito, and Gotti.
Even Vito and Gotti were somewhat affected, failing to successfully fire at Badak and the others.
"What kind of ability is this? To knock everyone out instantly…"
Capone Bege broke out in a cold sweat—this ability was a perfect counter to him.
"Alright, Bonis, do it. " Badak signaled to Daz Bones that he could begin.
"Yes, boss. "
Daz Bones strode straight toward Capone Bege.
"You think we'll just let you pass like that?"
Vito and Gotti were fiercely loyal. Having recovered somewhat, they now raised their guns to fire.
"Negative Hollows. "
Perona had also been startled—she hadn't known Badak had such a move. But for now, she needed to restrain the enemy.
"I talk so much because my tongue is too long… I just want to be a quiet, handsome man…"
"They must be saying I have a bad temper behind my back… and calling me bald… It's not like I chose to be bald…"
Vito and Gotti were pierced by the Negative Hollows and immediately collapsed into a fetal position, muttering self-deprecating nonsense.
"Stitch, stitch, stitch…"
Leo followed up, sewing the two men firmly against the wall behind them, leaving them unable to move even a finger.
"Vito! Gotti!"
Capone Bege hadn't expected his right-hand men to be taken down in the blink of an eye.
Just who were these people? So many Devil Fruit abilities, and all of them troublesome. Now, he was the only one left. But surrender was out of the question.
"You think you've got me cornered? Don't look down on me! Castle Tank!"
Capone Bege's legs transformed into tank treads, allowing him to move rapidly while firing at Daz Bones.
He had figured it out—the enemy intended for this thick-lipped man to fight him one-on-one.
Until the duel was decided, the others wouldn't interfere. He refused to believe his men would stay unconscious forever.
If he could just endure this toughest stretch, once they woke up, the advantage would swing back to him.
Bullets flew, but Daz Bones didn't even bother dodging. His body rang with metallic clangs as the bullets struck him.
"Damn it, another Devil Fruit user… This won't be easy. "
Capone Bege kept kiting Daz Bones, strategizing in his mind.
Unfortunately, after the earlier chase, Daz Bones had already grasped Capone Bege's movement patterns.
Dust-sized Swift Slash Blades.
In an instant, Daz Bones appeared beside Capone Bege, unleashing a relentless barrage of slashes.
The sound of blades striking solid rock echoed continuously.
It turned out that Capone Bege had activated his ability in time, transforming the surface of his body into the outer walls of a castle. These walls possessed defensive capabilities akin to steel.
"You forced my hand—Castle Full Body Big Father!"