Chapter 58

Couple Months Back…In the Re-Estize Kingdom

POV Henry, Guard for the 8 Fingers organization

Guard 2 : Dressrosa!! Dressrosa is here!! Arrgghhh!

Strange ghost like entities cut him down like nothing before the brothel was overrun by them. One after another, they were all killed in a gruesome manner.

Dressrosa? What was Dressrosa doing here? I might be nothing but a guard but I heard enough about them to know what they were…the biggest power in the Underworld, easily taking over the already existing and established 8 Fingers in a matter of weeks.

The 8 Fingers had to completely withdraw their arms deal in order to just survive an encounter with Dressrosa. Once, they tried to steal some of their weapons to see how they manufactured them. The result was…

Every member who was sent there was brutally murdered. If that was it, then we would have understood it but they created an art out of it. The bodies were crunched up and mushed together in such a way it spelled…’Missing 8 Fingers?’ That was when we withdrew from that area entirely.

But what were they doing here? Despite their brutality, Dressrosa, for all we knew didn’t engage in Drugs or slave trafficking. Did they perhaps change their minds? To defend against them…we would need all 6 Arms at the very least!

Then, a man spotted me. No…it was a lich, and elder one at that one too.

Lich: There’s a survivor. Good…bring him here.

Ghost soldiers grabbed me by my collar as I was dragged over in front of the lich. He had a rotting face, a cloak to cover that up and a magnificently crafted staff. A thin golden rod with many jewelry with exquisite craftsmanship decorated the top. It seemed unfitting that something like a lich should have it…but who was I to judge.

Lich: Now…we can make this quite simple. We are looking for someone called Hilma. Where is she?

Hilma-sama? Were they interested in the drug market now? or perhaps the connections she has with the nobles of the Kingdom?

Lich: It’s a very simple question young man…

He reached out his bony hands and touched me, with a black misty substance making contact with my skin…

Me: AARGHHHH!!!

It burned. Not like fire or ice but it burned. It burned who I was, my identity and mind.

Lich: You see? A powerful undead like myself can cause passive pain and damage by my negative aura. You, on the other hand, are too weak to damage me. Now, let us continue.

Will they let me live either way?

POV Lich

He lasted 30 seconds. An impressive feat for someone who has nothing to win if he doesn’t tell us. I wonder why, but now we had the locations of everyone we needed.

As a will of good faith, we didn’t kill him. We just wiped his entire memory of who he is and everything. In a way, this was worse but he begged me not to kill him so this was the way he left me to do it.

Me: Doflamingo-sama?

Doflamingo: Give me the coordinates.

Me: Of course…

I passed on the numbers and I could tell he opened a gate directly to the 6 Arms. It was our role to extract Hilma during that time.

Me: Come on men, we still have work to do.

POV Zero, leader of the 6 Arms

Men: Dressrosa! Dressrosa have invaded us! They are headed to our location now!

Me: Gather the 6 Arms. We are going to face them now.

?: No need~kekeke

As a voice sounded, a dark oval portal opened up in the middle of the room. But how Was this some unknown magic? It must be. But this must be powerful to have it open here, in the basement of the headquarters of the 8 Fingers.

Me: You must be very dumb to come here. What are you, are you from Dressrosa?

I could beat whoever will come from the other side of the portal but information was key. I needed him to spit out the next guy’s information so we can track down Dressrosa and burn it down.

?: kekeke~ You should introduce yourself first little boy

Me? Little? How are he!

As soon as I thought that, the largest man I had ever seen stepped through the portal. Having to duck down a little bit in order to do so. He was wearing a large Pink feathered overcoat and tight chameleon pants that looked very uncomfortable. His eyes were covered by whatever that was as well.

Joker: kekeke~ Since I did intrude on your grounds, I guess I should tell you who I am. Call me Joker.

His aura felt very dangerous…could I really take him on? The confidence I had just moments ago dissipated in front of this man.

Joker: Let me weed out the weak ones. Now DIE

An unbelievable amount of pressure assaulted my mind as I felt myself crack. I saw others around me collapse but I held me.

Me: Lion’s Heart!!

As I activated a martial art, my mind calmed down somewhat as the pain continued to assault my mind…but it eventually ended. As I looked around me, everyone except me was dead. I never truly thought of them as family but looking at them dead on the floor was…

Me: NOOO~

Joker: Oh, I’m sorry you had to see that. Close friends I assume?

Me: I’ll kill you!!!

I fully activated my martial arts as the tattoos in my body activated and shined. I was definitely going to kill this bastard.

Me: Pather! Falcon! Rhino! Buffalo! Lion!

As I got ready to charge him, he didn’t even budge. He just looked at me with that sly smirking expression. As if he was looking at a baby trying to fight.

Me: SINGLE STRIKE KILL!!!

My strongest attack connected directly at his torso. Usually, at this point I would feel a ‘splat’ with the feeling or organs crushed under my fist…but I heard nothing. No, I heard my own bones crack.

Joker: Not going as planned? kekekeke, let me help.

I felt strands connect to every limb of my body as my movements were taken away from me.

Joker: That was a cool attack you’ve got there. Let’ see if you can defend against it yourself.

As something that I can’t explain was forced into me, my tattoos activated again as the preparations were made.

My fist glowed with the heat as it got in position…to strike my own head.

Me: Don’t do this! Please!

Joker: You see, if you hit a person right there…I’m sure your attack will deserve the name ‘Single Strike Kill’

As I felt a crack at my jaw, the smirking face of that bastard was the last thing I saw.

POV Doflamingo

Me: Convey to the elders that the 8 Fingers are dealt with. We just need to extract blackmail information from Hilma. Get it done.

Lich: Of course Joker-sama

Me: Also, track down these individuals. We don’t want them starting a new underground organization somewhere else. Everything that belonged to the 8 Fingers must be kept in control. Cut off parts that are not worth keeping but keep the Drugs. They’ll find their uses someday.

For example, slipping them into noble households’ food to get the nobles addicted. They’ll come find us if they are desperate. Judging from my view on these nobles, then they will.

Lich: Doflamingo-sama, what should we do with the brothels?

Me: Hand it over to someone for some cheap price then kill them. We’ll free the people in there afterwards. We can’t have them know that we’re behind this.

Lich: Of course.

What did Kara-sama say again? There might be someone with the name of ‘Tsuare’ that we must not harm. She informed me she would play a core role when Nazarick arrives.

Me: Actually, bring me the names of the whores first. We need to guarantee the lives of a couple of them.