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  The West Blue, the home of the Seabury family. The isnd's name was a bit long: The God-Given Isnd of Sunlight and Hope.

  This isnd wasn't very rge. When the Seabury family was still around, it had been quite lively. But after the family left for the Grand Lio engage in trade, all tact was lost. The family's servants gradually left, and now it was deserted.

  After traveling for days, flying halfway across the world, and following his hazy memories, Arthur finally returo his "home."

  Stepping onto the ground, rown with weeds and moss, he gazed into the dista the dipidated castle.

  The iron gates were rusted beynition. The once-clear windows were shattered. The flowers in the courtyard were all dead, rown with weeds. It was clear that no one had taken care of the pce for a long time.

  "Ruined or not, it doesn't matter. In this vast world, anywhere be home." Memories stirred within Arthur, and he couldn't help but sigh.

  "Creak..."

  The iron gate groaned, a long, drawn-out sound that was grating on the ears.

  Arthur ehe castle and took out the blue sapphire neckce he had carried with him for many years.

  His parents had given it to him, saying it was the key to the underground vault.

  He had no i in the vault's tents. He only wao see if there were any belongings of theirs that he could use to create a tomb.

  He ehe vault and spent two hours searg. Finally, Arthur erected a tomb for his parents in the castle's backyard.

  He made an of dirt in pce of inse. After paying his respects, he stood up, ready to leave the isnd and embark on his jouro the Grand Line.

  Suddenly—

  "Hmm? Someone's on the isnd?" Arthur's brow furrowed. His Observation Haki detected a rge group of people nding on the isnd.

  Mountains, rivers, pnts, dewdrops, ants and is beh the earth, the sound of the wind - all were reflected in his mind.

  "What are these people doing on the isnd...?"

  Arthur's form flickered, and he flew towards the dipidated dock, his speed so fast that he ractically telep. In just a sed, he had closed the distance.

  ...

  "Little Miss, Even the ship was destroyed by on fire. Where do you think yoing to run?"

  The group sisted of two fas. In front was a young woman in a sorry state. Her fair face was smudged with soot, but her beauty was still apparent.

  Behind the young woman were men dressed in bck suits, bck leather shoes, bck hats, and bck sungsses, all carrying firearms - clearly members of the Mafia.

  The Mafia members seemed to be pying a game of cat and mouse, casually tailing the young woman, hurling insults at her.

  "Hey! Brothers—look at the way her hips sway. Once we catch her, we'll have some fun first, eh?"

  "Don't screw up the boss's business!"

  "Stop running. Just hand over what our boss wants."

  This group looked like the elite of some underworld anization, but their words were no different from street thugs.

  "Little Miss, just obediently hand over the whereabouts of the Castle-Castle Fruit, and we promise not to harm a hair on your head."

  The leader of the Mafia members sped up, ering the young woman. They surrounded her, grinning menagly.

  The young woman was fierce, showing no fear in the face of death. She shouted, "In your dreams! e Bege, that treacherous backstabber! My father promoted him, and this is how he repays us - by killing my father!"

  Tears welled up in her eyes, streaking down her soot-covered face, leaving two lines.

  "Wiakes all—Even if Boss Bege hadn't rebelled, someone else would have! The boss just expedited the process!" The leader khey were in the wrong, so he didn't want tue about this issue.

  "The Castle-Castle Fruit is something Boss Bege has his eyes on. Just hand it over, or tell us its location, and we promise we won't make things difficult for you. We'll even give you a boat a you leave. How about it?" He tried to coax her.

  "Stop dreaming. Just kill me!" The young woman was resolute. She closed her eyes, ready to face whatever came .

  "Big brother, should we hand her over to the brothers? They have plenty of ways to make her talk..." Several of the men looked at the young woman's alluring figure, swallowing hard, their eyes filled with lust.

  "Be careful. Don't kill her!" The leader adjusted his sungsses and stepped aside, giving his men space.

  The underlings, seeing this, eagerly pounced.

  "Get away from me! Get away... I will kill you all!" The young woman, Aurora, was terrified. She screamed and backed up against a stone wall. Tears streamed down her face, washing away the soot and revealirue appearance.

  "Hehehe! Little Miss, just tell us, and you won't have to suffer. Otherwise, if the brothers actally scratch that pretty face of yours, it would be such a shame, wouldn't it?"

  The underlings were eager to taste the beauty of the young woman, but they didn't fet their mission.

  "The Street of Pleasure is still missing a beauty like our dear little dy. If we sell you there, business will surely boom, hahaha!"

  They tio intimidate her, describing ses that made Aurora's face turn pale. She gritted her teeth, clearly terrified.

  Just then, an out-of-pce voice came from behind the stone wall.

  "Um... Could you all wait a moment?" Arthur couldn't stand it any longer.

  He had just heard something iing. The Castle-Castle Fruit? Arthur's i iqued.

  "Who is it? Get the hell out here!" The underlings' as were interrupted. They were momentarily stunned.

  The leader, who had turned away, was startled by the voice. He instantly pulled out a flintlock pistol and poi in the dire of the sound.

  "I..." Arthur ily squatted on the rock, scratg his head, like a pure, naive young man who had never seen the world. "I was sleeping here. You seem to be disturbing me. Could you—wait until I move to a different spot before you tinue?"

  He bli the group, looking utterly i!

  "Hmph! Kill this nosy brat!" The leader's face darkened. He gave the order, and two of his underlings immediately charged at Arthur.

  The two burly underlings, with fierce expressions, rushed forward with powerful strides. Their thick fingers, like carrots, formed cws, reag for him from both sides.

  They seemed to be experts in street brawls, blog all of Arthur's escape routes, trapping him in a er.

  Aurora's face turned ashen. Seeing Arthur frozen, she thought he was scared witless. She felt a pang of guilt. "Why did he have to get involved in this mess?"

  But in the instant, the two underlings who had rushed Arthur screamed and were sent flying back like onballs.

  They had been struck by some unknown force, dragging through the dirt for dozens of yards, plowing two long furrows. Their chests were caved in, their eyes wide, and they were spitting up dark red ks of internal ans and blood.

  They were clearly dead...

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