"What!?"

Daifuku stared at the slowly burning vivre card, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"This guy... Can anyone kill him in Paradise? Or has he provoked those lackeys of the World Government?"

Daifuku, who puts his mission first, could not tolerate his own failure. He raised his chest and shouted, "Go ahead at full speed, Mom's mission cannot fail!"

"Yes!!"

Dylan stepped on the unconscious "Bloody Hook" Rhodes and dialed the phone bug.

A pair of eye patches appeared out of thin air on the phone bug's tentacles, and its originally round eyes turned into dead fish eyes.

"Ah, is it done so quickly?"

"It's very hard, okay? By the way, I don't need to send this guy back personally, right? I have to go back to East Blue."

Marineford, Aokiji scratched his head: "You can send it to the nearest Marine Base, but the origin of this guy is not simple. I heard that Big Mom is looking for him. You know, Big Mom's intelligence network is very powerful. How about... ··"

"Is there anyone who will take over? If not, I will chop off his head. This guy is not a person with abilities anyway."

Rhodes, who was lying on the ground pretending to be dead, swallowed, but his body remained motionless.

Is this guy really Marine?

Are you going to chop off people's heads casually?

"Wait a moment... if you sever his head, what if the time comes..."

"So that's what's bothering you?" Dylan paused for a moment, considering Aokiji's concern. "But..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Kitetsu's blade gleamed crimson, swiftly cleaving Rhodes' body from his head, before his expression of shock could even dissipate.

"Asshole!? How dare you!"

A furious roar echoed from the distance as Charlotte Daifuku's lower body emitted steaming heat, propelling him swiftly closer.

The vivre card in his hand had completely disappeared, and he happened to witness the young man severing "Blood Hook" Rhodes' head with a knife.

As Charlotte Daifuku drew nearer, a djinn resembling Aladdin's genie emerged from his belt.

"Just use your head to atone for your sins! - Demon Slayer!"

The giant demon swung his sword and struck Dylan with a huge slash.

"Hey...didn't I tell you to calm down? Do you need me to come over?"

"No, remember to include this guy's achievements. He should be Big Mom's third son, Charlotte Daifuku."

Dylan held the phone bug in one hand and raised Kitetsu in the other.

"The 'Minister Bean' of Poripori Island ? Ah la la, he is really capable of causing trouble. Are you sure you don't need me to go there?"

Are you asking me to cause trouble? You didn't ask me to kill someone! ?

"After I chop him off, I'm going to take a month off!"

"Ah..." Dylan hung up the phone before Aokiji could say anything.

"It's rude to disturb others by talking on the phone. Didn't Linlin teach you?"

"You ..." Charlotte Daifuku felt shocked when she saw the young man in front of her resisting the demon's attack in an understatement, and did not rush to attack again.

Dylan looked at Charlotte Daifuku gloomy look and smiled.

"Charlotte's family? What? Linlin asked you to take him and go back to give birth to the baby? Did I kill your stepfather!"

"Asshole!!"

Charlotte Daifuku, who was originally very fearful, became furious when he heard Dylan's words: "How dare you disrespect my mother!"

"Demon - Fine Break!"

Countless small slashes flew out and surrounded Dylan from all directions.

"Ridiculous!"

As Charlotte Daifuku witnessed Dylan's seemingly fearless demeanor, a mix of joy and anger flashed in his eyes.

"How dare this guy underestimate me so much!"

"You really don't have a long memory!" A black arm emerged from the smoke, seizing Charlotte Daifuku's fist.

"Thunder!"

With a deafening roar, a lightning beam several meters in diameter descended from the sky, engulfing both combatants.

Crocodile observed from a distant sand dune, a cigar clenched between his teeth.

Are there others like this in Marine?

After the lightning dissipated, Charlotte Daifuku emerged from the smoke, panting heavily as he supported himself with one hand. The demon had vanished without a trace.

"Not only does he possess formidable swordsmanship and Haki, but also a Logia Devil Fruit power?"

"No... it's more than that. This guy's Devil Fruit ability can easily bypass Daifuku's Armament Haki, and his mastery of the fruit ability is remarkably potent!"

"Bulu Bulu~ Bulu Bulu~"

Charlotte Daifuku, trapped by Dylan's grasp, realized he couldn't break free, so he reached into his robes and retrieved the phone bug.

"Dafu, what's happening? Why did that Rhodes's vivre card burn? Have you killed him?"

As the call connected, Daifuku's visage on the bug's screen plumped up, with two dense eyelash clusters framing his eyes.

"Sorry, Mom, the mission failed. Rhodes was killed by the Marines!"

"Marines? In Paradise?"

"Yes..." Charlotte Daifuku glanced at Dylan: "It's a Marine I've never seen before. I heard him talking to Aokiji."

"Haha, Marines are still as strong as ever. Hey, Marine guy, want to make a deal?"

Daifuku turned the phone bug towards Dylan.

"Oh? It's Linlin. What will you offer in exchange for your son's life?"

The matriarch didn't seem to mind being called Linlin, but chuckled: "Well, well, well, funny boy, what do you want? Treasure? A renowned blade? Or a Devil Fruit? Or perhaps marriage to my favorite daughter? If you wish."

"A Devil Fruit. I'll pick it up from the Sabaody Archipelago in two months. If its value doesn't match..."

Dylan's gaze shifted around Charlotte Daifuku's body: "I'll reclaim the price difference."

Charlotte Daifuku shivered at the implications.

This guy...

If he's not satisfied with the fruit, he'll surely exact a steep price, without a doubt!

"Well, well, well, you're quite the greedy brat. But the Charlotte family's intelligence network spans the world, and Devil Fruits are among our most prized possessions. Don't worry, the one I provide will be of equal value to my son."

"I hope so." Dylan released Charlotte Daifuku.

The phone bug also disconnected.

As Charlotte Daifuku staggered away with his bulky shoulder armor, Dylan turned to the sand dunes to the side.

"What about you? Want me to extend an invitation?"

Phew~~~~

A gust of wind and sand swept by, gradually coalescing into a figure before Dylan. The figure wore a black cloak, slicked-back hair, and a prominent scar across the face.

"Huh, Crocodile, you're as weak and laughable as ever."

"You... Dylan..." Crocodile's eyes narrowed. "You want to pick a fight?"

Dylan stared at him with icy eyes. "You're nothing like the man who faced Bullet or the one who lost to Whitebeard."

Cold sweat beaded on Crocodile's brow. Dylan was deadly serious; even the slightest movement might mean death.

An overwhelming sense of oppression engulfed him. Though no Haki was visible, it made his heart race even faster.

This pressure... it's stronger than when I faced Bullet.

"What do you want me to do?" Crocodile asked, his voice tight with tension.

Dylan sheathed Kitetsu and gazed into the distance, toward East Blue.

"I want you to remember one thing. If you're ever defeated by some random nobody as a Shichibukai, I'll personally end you. So... you better watch yourself, you arrogant piece of shit."

"······"

Crocodile's expression darkened.

Defeated in Paradise? By someone insignificant?

But he didn't dare to voice any objections.

The man before him regarded him as insignificant, and Crocodile could sense that if he dared to engage, he'd likely meet a swift end.

As Dylan vanished in a flash of lightning after tossing Rhodes' head, Crocodile's fists tightened.

"Asshole... If I could just master Pluton, you'd be dead."