Raffa looks at the back of Pate and connects all the dots of what he said earlier that they fall into the trap and stop Jic who wanted to confront Pate, uttering in a low voice "Shh, Pate has a reason to act like this. Bear a little while."

Jic nodded reluctantly.

Pate didn't care what the two think of him and said "Answer it, you will know eventually."

"If something happens to my little sister, I'll kill you slowly!" Belle begrudgingly answers the ringing Den Den Mushi as it naturally awakens and it expresses a cry of panic "BIG BOSS! WE ARE SNEAK ATTACKED BY A BUNCH OF BANDITS AND MANY OF THE GUARDS ATTACK US A-AND AND…"

The guards express their worry as they listen intently and glared at the trio, holding their swords tightly and some of the gunmen firmly put their fingers at the trigger.

"WHAT ABOUT ELLE, HUH!? ANSWER ME!" Belle shouted back, all that matters to her is the well-being of her little sister!

"SHE'S NOWHERE TO BE FOUND, SHE WAS KIDNAPPED AMIDST THE ATTACK! BOOOM!" the call was ended by a blast sound of an explosion at the other side of the call.

Belle let the sleeping Den Den Mushi fall to the ground and slowly unsheath her greatsword at her back, looking at Pate with murder in her eyes "If my Lil sis has lost even a strand of hair, I'll kill all of you!" a surging intent to kill ooze out of the gracious body of Belle as some of the guards lose their consciousness.

"T-this pressure!" Pate was alarmed as a stampede of pressure tried to press him in the ground, Raffa and Jic almost kneeled because of the focused pressure on them.

Raffa looked at the manifesting large silhouette of the girl looking down at him and couldn't help but be shaken inside "S-so powerful!"

"A qualification to be a king!" Pate said while he collided with the pressure with his divine will that coated him, he didn't let the two be covered as he wanted them to feel what it means to be powerful.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

The surging intent of pressure stops almost in an instant but to the guards, Raffa and Jic - It feels they submerge in the pressure for almost an hour or two.

"What is your demand!" Belle said trying to calm her nerves but the twisting grip of her in the handle of her greatsword expressed her worry.

The other guards help the others who fainted because of the shocking events and they silently put them in the back as some of them still pointed their rifles at the trio.

"It's simple, all of the amassed money of your organizations must be handed. Ow right, the confiscated weapon of my friend and the devil fruit especially!" Pate forward all of the things that entered his mind.

"Please, a decent ship will do too and a lot of food for storage!" Jic added unconsciously in which Pate gave him a hidden thumbs-up signal.

"Prepare all of this immediately and we will meet at the back of the hill tonight. you still have three hours to prepare!" Pate said and walked calmly wanting to get out of this place but a dozen guards blocked his way but he still kept on walking.

Raffa and Jic were forced to follow Pate and trust him but still vigilant if the guards suddenly attack.

Belle glared intently at Pate and calmly ordered "Let them go!"

The big man on her side looked at her with reluctance to let the three go "B-but big boss!"

"Let them go!" Belle firmly repeats her order and the guards follow it but they still glare at them.

With one last look at the fading back of the trio, Belle sighs as she closes her eyes and says while thinking "Are you sure that they arrived using a raft and they are only four including the cat?"

The big man answered with certainty "Yes, big boss. I checked it multiple times. I'm sure of it!"

Belle scans the guards that are with her at the moment and even the fainted one 'We expand so much that many spies got within the organizations, hhmmm then if my conclusion is right. They will come later!' a gleamed of wisdom shone in her eyes as she looked at the rising black smokes.

"Help those in need, douse the fire, and restore the order of the island. I want it to be done in an hour!"

"Yes, Big Boss!"

"Big Goof I need you to pack all the saved berries we got, the confiscated weapon of the two, and the devil fruit!"

"Yes!"

"Big boss!" a guard emerges in the woods as it pants in exhaustion "There is a marine ship in the east dock, they said that they see that there is black smoke along with their sailing and decided to come here and help to control the bandits!"

Belle frowns in thinking 'Just like what I think then they are the one who schemes this attack just to infiltrate this island!'

"How many?" she asks.

"Four battleships, big boss!"

'Are they here to help or to raze the island to the ground!?' Belle gnashed her teeth in anger.

***

Lieutenant Curio stared at the few black smoke in the skies with hidden satisfaction in his eyes 'After a year of planning, I can now harvest this place. And lady luck is smiling at me right now as Raffa Slasher is here ready to be claimed hahaha, I just need to lead that mysterious man to his target and he will help me smooth the path to be a Marine Captain!'

"Let's go, deploy everyone out, and capture the bandits. I want the peace of this place to be restored as soon as possible, for we are the justice of this world!" Giving his order, Lieutenant Curio eyed all of these men who were temporarily under his command 'This feeling of power!'

A marine comes to his side and whispers something that makes him bloom with a smile "The White Subjugator Belle, the guardian of Opti Island is here!"