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“Godfather.”
Capone Bege thought about the codename for a moment before breaking into a smile.
‘He liked it very much.’
As for the other members of the organization and its internal matters, he didn’t ask any more questions. Having worked in the mafia for many years, he clearly knew what he needed to know and what he needed to forget.
“Was the underground fighting arena in Troia opened by you?” Kojin suddenly asked.
“No.” Capone Bege froze briefly, then shook his head.
“Take me there,” Kojin said.
Earlier, under the influence of his domain perception, he had seemed to notice a special young boy in the arena. The flame burning on the boy’s body led Kojin to suspect the presence of a powerful bloodline race.
“Yes!” Capone Bege immediately agreed.
Although he didn’t understand why his leader had suddenly become interested in underground fights, he quickly complied.
Moments later, under Capone Bege’s guidance, Kojin took an empty seat in the arena with an excellent front-row view.
Inside the octagonal cage, two dark-skinned, powerfully built men attacked each other fiercely.
Kojin paid little attention to them. In his eyes, the techniques of these underground fighters were no different from children fighting.
Any elite military officer could easily surpass them.
The underground arena existed more as a gambling spectacle to stir the audience into an emotional frenzy. His gaze shifted and settled on a silent, muscular boy sitting in a corner with a towel wrapped around his head.
Behind him, a wisp of flame constantly burned, flickering unsteadily.
“Demon Aroshu!”
“I heard he’s only fourteen.”
“You’ve got to be kidding. How could a fourteen-year-old have a body like that? He’s nearly three meters tall! And that flame that never goes out…”
“I heard that people with some special bloodlines mature early.”
“Aroshu said he’s a Devil Fruit Ability User, just not very good at controlling it yet.”
The quiet conversation drew Kojin’s full attention toward the boy.
At nearly three meters tall, he didn’t look like a fourteen-year-old, especially with the gloomy aura of killing intent surrounding him.
After a while, the announcer outside the cage shouted, “Now entering the arena, the Demon Aroshu, holder of fifty-eight consecutive victories! He is a caged beast! A pawn abandoned by the gods! A monster that devours those it chooses!”
“And the undefeated Demon of the cage!”
The roaring announcement instantly ignited the crowd. Spectators shouted and chanted Aroshu’s name wildly.
Kojin watched silently while Capone Bege whispered instructions to his subordinates, who moved in and out. As Aroshu entered the arena, everyone quickly noticed that his hands and feet were bound with heavy chains.
“Seastone?” Capone Bege said in surprise.
“I’ve heard of this person. He’s a war slave belonging to one of the other four families. He’s become quite famous recently in the underground fighting market, but…”
At this point, Capone Bege sighed.
“As a war slave, his ending will be miserable.”
Hearing this, Kojin narrowed his eyes.
The fight in the cage began almost instantly. Every duel here was a gamble for the audience. Aroshu’s opponent was a similarly sized man with massive arms and strong combat skills who launched fierce attacks.
After about a dozen breaths, Kojin noticed the flame behind Aroshu suddenly extinguish.
Immediately afterward, Aroshu’s speed surged dramatically.
At that instant, Kojin’s pupils contracted, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.
“Capone Bege.”
“Yes, sir!” Capone Bege stood ready.
“No matter the cost, I want this man standing before me today.” Kojin slowly rose and walked away after speaking.
“Huh?”
Capone Bege froze. After glancing at the fighters still battling inside the cage, however, he gritted his teeth.
His gaze turned cold as he waved to his subordinates.
—
Near dusk.
A group of figures dressed in black cautiously surveyed their surroundings before quickly escorting a hooded man into a secluded courtyard.
“Leader, your order has been completed!” Capone Bege said with a bow.
They set Aroshu down and yanked off the black hood covering his head.
His aura was icy cold. Even after being moved to a different place, he showed no reaction, remaining completely calm.
“Your name is Aroshu?” Kojin asked, staring at him.
“Yes,” Ashura nodded.
“It must be uncomfortable being bound by those shackles.” Kojin stood and walked toward him, gripping the cuffs on his wrists.
“These are Seastone shackles, they are extremely hard. The key has already been thrown away.”
“No one in this world can remove them. Just like my fate… it is impossible to escape.”
Ashura spoke calmly.
“Is that so?” Kojin fell silent for a moment, then chuckled softly.
Suddenly, his right hand exerted force, and Haki burst outward from his body.
“Fate is the least reliable thing in this world.”
The next second, under Ashura’s shocked gaze, the shackles shattered piece by piece and fell to the ground. Then, Kojin lowered his head and smashed the restraints on his ankles apart as well.
“Now, you’re free, and your fate is too.”
Ashura stared blankly at the man before him. After testing the range of motion in his hands and feet, a childlike smile slowly appeared on his face.
“The reason they locked me up…”
“There was another reason!”
Kojin revealed a curious expression. “Oh?”
“Fear! They were afraid of my power!”
As Ashura spoke, the flame behind him burst outward with a sharp whoosh and swelled violently. Capone Bege’s expression changed instantly, and his subordinates drew their pistols.
“Is that so?” Kojin said with a light chuckle.
“Tell me your age.”
Ashura hesitated slightly. “Fourteen.”
Then, in a low voice, he added, “Do you know?”
“Those people planned to kill me once they had earned enough money from me.”
“You saved my life.”
Kojin smiled faintly at the fourteen-year-old boy in front of him.
Although Ashura didn’t look like a typical teenager, unusual bloodlines were common in this world. Rapid physical growth was nothing unusual.
“What kind of dreams do you have?” Kojin asked.
The fourteen-year-old Ashura looked unusually mature as he asked,
“What is yours?”
“To change this world,” Kojin replied calmly. “To stand at the summit and observe all living beings.”
Ashura’s body trembled. After a moment of silence, he bent forward and knelt on both knees.
“I will devote my entire life to helping you achieve your dream!”
Kojin smiled lightly.
“Then I’ll be counting on you.”
“…You Lunarian brat.”
Ashura’s pupils contracted as he suddenly raised his head. Beside them, Capone Bege seemed to recall something. His expression changed, and shock appeared in his eyes.
“A Lunarian?!”
But after Kojin glanced at him, Bege immediately shut his mouth.
—
Three days later, Kojin returned to the G-18 Fortress with Eveya and Ashura.
An hour later, Crocodile, Bullet, and Vegapunk had gathered in a modest room.
“As I mentioned before, I intend to establish an organization,” Kojin began slowly after a moment of thought. “Now that we have enough people, we can finalize its framework.”
Crocodile listened quietly. Bullet looked confused, while Vegapunk appeared eager to speak but held back.
“The organization will be called Pantheon.”
“Crocodile… codename: Sandstorm.”
“Bullet – codename: Commander.”
“Vegapunk – codename: Scientist.”
After assigning their codenames and seeing no objections, Kojin continued. “Crocodile, I want you to establish an intelligence organization in the future.
“It will be called Baroque Works. You may operate freely afterward and recruit talent across the network.”
“Bullet, your mission is to manage all Marines within the West Blue region.”
“As for Vegapunk, devote all efforts to researching scientific projects, such as the Lineage Factor and Devil Fruits.”
Crocodile and Bullet nodded, but Vegapunk immediately spoke up.
“Kojin, what about the laboratory and equipment you promised me?”
Kojin instantly felt a headache coming on.
“Soon… soon. I’ll get it arranged.”
Vegapunk continued, “I also need a group of professional assistants.”
“Where am I supposed to find those for you?” Kojin asked, holding his head.
“That’s not my problem. You promised,” Vegapunk replied.
“… Fine. I’ll handle it,” Kojin sighed.
He then asked Vegapunk to list everything required to build the laboratory.
“Oh, and here are the blueprints for your Ark ship. It runs on electricity. As long as you recharge it regularly, it can travel between Skypiea and the West Blue.”
Kojin accepted the blueprints, impressed by Vegapunk’s efficiency. After establishing the organization’s structure, he felt immense pressure.
“This is Vegapunk’s laboratory.
“Selection of Marine personnel.”
“Development of subordinate forces.”
All of it was complicated, and required time.
—
In the blink of an eye, another month passed, and new information reached his ears: “Golden Lion Shiki has escaped from prison?”
Kojin’s eyes flickered slightly, though he didn’t appear overly concerned.
What interested him more was the power of the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi, which the Golden Lion possessed.
If he could obtain that Devil Fruit, or recruit the Golden Lion himself, then constructing a new Ohara or establishing Vegapunk’s hidden base would no longer be a problem.
“Perhaps I should set my sights on him,” Kojin murmured thoughtfully, a glint appearing in his eyes.
What he didn’t know was that the escaped Golden Lion Shiki was equally determined to seek revenge.
In that sense, the two had arrived at the same idea.
—
Two more months passed in the blink of an eye.
With covert support from Crocodile, Bullet, and Marines from different regions, Capone Bege unified the entire West Blue Mafia.
On the seventh day, the new Godfather of the West Blue arrived in person, bearing more lavish gifts and announcing that he would cover the region’s military expenses.
This allowed Kojin to finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Recently, the Marines of West Blue had been living through difficult times.
As long as funding remained sufficient, the forces under his command would continue to grow stronger. At the same time, Kojin turned his attention toward Kano Country, located not far from the G-18 Fortress.
“The Eight Treasures Navy is a powerful force as well.”
“And besides… How can one allow others to sleep peacefully beside one’s own bed?”
He wanted a completely unified, ironclad West Blue.
(End of Chapter)
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