One Piece: Reborn in God's Valley

West Blue, Gangster Island

Under Lafitte's skilled steering, the Blackthorn arrived at Gangster Island's port by the afternoon of the fourth day, faster than the expected five-day voyage.

Once docked, Ashen and his two companions disembarked onto the infamous island.

"Gangster Island has a population of over a million. Half of them are transients, black market traders, wanted criminals, pirates looking to indulge themselves. 

It's a lawless land in every sense. Which is exactly why black market dealings and the entertainment business are booming here."

Salles, once the young heir of the island's largest crime family, spoke with familiarity and authority as he introduced the place to Ashen.

"The profits must be massive. There's no way the World Government would just turn a blind eye to that, right?" Ashen asked, eyebrows raised.

"Heh. That's where you're mistaken, Captain," Salles chuckled. 

"These black market traders? They're propped up by the Celestial Dragons themselves. With their backing, the Government pretends not to see. The Marines? They don't touch this place."

Ashen looked at the rows of shops, bustling casinos, and glaring red-light districts along the street, and it was easy to feel the island's thriving lawlessness.

"Say, Captain, shouldn't we disguise ourselves at least a little? This place is crawling with Capone family informants," Lafitte said, visibly tense.

"No need. The moment we set foot on this island, we were already being watched. I'd wager the Capone family has already started mobilizing." 

Ashen's Observation Haki had long since picked up on the mafia eyes tailing them from the shadows.

…..

Meanwhile, at the Capone Club on Gangster Island...

Located in the center of the island's most prosperous zone, the Capone Club was the largest entertainment complex on Gangster Island. 

The massive building stayed lit even in the day. 

The first floor was a sprawling restaurant, with hundreds of tables encircling a central round stage where scantily clad dancers twisted their bodies in rhythmic, sultry movements.

The second floor housed the island's most exclusive casino, entry granted only to top-tier high rollers and infamous pirates.

At this moment, it had been cleared out completely by the Capone family. The third floor? That was the family's stronghold. All major decisions were made there.

"Lord Cowen, we've identified the thief who stole the Devil Fruit, it's one of Fernando's stragglers. 

They're headed here now, likely to seek revenge. Ha. Just three of them. What fools."

Capone family head, Capone Dubi, sneered arrogantly at the suited man wearing glasses in front of him.

"Hmph. They'd better be fools," Cowen replied coldly. 

"That fruit was meant to be delivered to him, a gift for a god. If anything goes wrong again, the Capone family won't be necessary anymore. That man doesn't invest in incompetence."

"Don't worry. I won't let him down."

, 

Thirty minutes later, Ashen and his crew arrived at the entrance of the Capone Club.

"Welcome, gentlemen. Lord Dubi has been expecting you," a black-suited attendant said, leading them upstairs.

"Heh, seems the Capone family thinks they've already got us cornered," Ashen said coolly. 

Without a shred of fear, he followed the man upstairs, Salles and Lafitte close behind.

…

Third floor, Capone Council Chamber

Capone Dubi and Cowen lounged in their chairs, surrounded by over fifty fully armed elite Capone family soldiers.

"Heh heh... Salles, you little rats. Instead of crawling into a hole like rodents, you actually have the nerve to show your faces and ruin my plans. 

Where's the Devil Fruit? Hand it over and I might let you die with some dignity," Dubi sneered at Salles.

"Shut up, you traitorous scum. If it wasn't for the Fernando family's nurturing, you'd be nothing." Lafitte snapped before Salles could speak.

"You can forget about the fruit, I already ate it. You'll never get it, not even in your dreams."

"Calm down, Lafitte," Salles said, activating his Devil Fruit ability. A soothing wave washed over Lafitte, bringing his rage to a standstill. 

"Anger will only cloud your judgment. Captain will help us reclaim everything we've lost. You just have to trust him."

"…I'm sorry, Captain. That was reckless of me," Lafitte said quietly, looking apologetic.

"Remember, Lafitte," Ashen said, eyes steely. 

"The anger of the weak is nothing but a joke to the strong. This world shows no mercy to the powerless. So keep your eyes open, and I'll show you what true fury looks like."

With that, he unsheathed his greatsword, gripping it in a reverse hold. His gaze swept across the room with disdain.

"Shoot them. Kill them now." Dubi, infuriated by Ashen's look, lost all composure.

Bang bang bang…

Hundreds of bullets flew through the air, a metallic hailstorm summoned by Dubi's command.

"Wave Slash."

Clang.

A single sound split the world.

In Lafitte's widened eyes, a wave of grey-black sword energy exploded forth. For a moment, everything in view looked like a photograph, then was sliced clean in two.

The entire third floor, except the area directly behind the trio, was severed in a sweeping arc. The upper structure collapsed violently onto the first floor's restaurant.

Boom.

The blast shook the building. Screams erupted as terrified patrons scattered in every direction.

Compared to the chaos downstairs, the third floor had fallen into an eerie silence.

As the dust settled, the grisly scene came into focus, all fifty-plus Capone family elites, including Dubi, had been bisected by the sword wave. 

Blood hadn't even begun to pour, the freezing aura of the slash had already frozen the wounds solid.

"W–Wiped out in one move?"

Lafitte finally found his voice, still trembling from the shock.

"No… someone's missing. That guy with the glasses is gone," Salles corrected after scanning the room.

"Don't worry. He's up in the sky," Ashen said calmly, flinging another wave of sword energy upward without even looking.

Ugh.

A grunt rang out as a figure dropped from the ceiling. Cowen, who had tried to flee using Geppo, hit the ground hard.

"Who are you? There's no way someone like you exists in West Blue." Cowen knelt on the floor, clutching a deep slash wound across his abdomen, his body trembling.

"That's not for you to know. I'm sure your superiors will figure it out, won't they, CP9 agent Cowen?"

Ashen had recognized him the moment he saw him. Years later, during the Ohara Incident, Cowen and another CP9 agent would go on to severely injure Nico Olvia.

"Captain, aren't you going to kill him?" Salles asked as Ashen slid his sword back into its sheath.

"He's yours. He's lost the ability to fight, try using your Devil Fruit on him. Let's see if we can extract the Rokushiki training methods. You and Lafitte could both benefit from those."

"Oh, and don't forget to take his Den Den Mushi."

"Lafitte, take the lead. We're paying the other four families a visit next."

"Yes, Captain."