Several days later, on an unnamed desolate island.
The Rebel Army of Candied Island was eating lunch.
Though called lunch, it was merely a stew made from the cheapest ingredients available on the nearby islands. The taste was far from delicious.
Especially recently, their anxiety and anticipation had made the food completely unappetizing.
"Big Brother Abel, do you think Lord Zishu can kill that asshole?" Turner asked in a low voice.
"..."
Abel swallowed the mush in his mouth, wanting to say something encouraging, but the words wouldn't come. It was only after Zishu left that he realized he'd overlooked a crucial detail: this period coincided with Candied Island's annual tribute to Big Mom.
"That terrifying 'Four Sweet Commanders' of Big Mom's subordinates are heading to Candied Island. If Lord Zishu happens to cross paths with them..." Abel's worry was palpable.
"If you're talking about Snack, I've already met him," A voice suddenly interjected.
Following the sound, everyone saw Zishu standing before the door, his figure having reappeared without anyone noticing.
"Lord Zishu!?" Even after witnessing Zishu's sudden appearances multiple times, Abel couldn't help but widen his eyes and leap to his feet.
But he quickly regained his composure, his gaze immediately locking onto Zishu. "Lord, you're back? No, what did you mean by that just now? Did you... did you encounter Snack?"
Realizing what Zishu had said, Abel's tone shifted instantly.
Abel's face drained of all color after Zishu nodded.
"So... you failed?"
Abel had clearly heard of the Four Sweet Commanders and knew how powerful Snack was. He naturally concluded that the assassination had failed. He also knew that after this failed attempt, the difficulty of assassinating Kara Miro III again would increase exponentially.
Just as despair threatened to consume Abel, Zishu chuckled. "Failed? No, the commission has been completed."
He reached out and grasped something in the air, then tossed a bundle onto the ground before them. The wrapping wasn't tight, so everyone present could clearly see the severed head inside, wearing a bloodstained crown.
"..."
The scene fell silent, like a dormant volcano.
When Abel, trembling, opened the package,
"It's him!"
The first scream shattered the silence, and a wave of wild joy swept through the entire village.
"That bastard! He's finally dead!"
"It's that beast's head!"
"We succeeded!?"
"Waaah! My daughter..."
The mingled roars and cries were no longer those of despair, but of joy.
Zishu stood silently, not interrupting the celebration.
After a long while,
"Lord Zishu, thank you. We've waited for this day for too long." Wiping tears with his left hand while clutching a pendant tightly in his right, Abel walked over to Zishu and spoke gratefully.
But at the same time, he was naturally curious.
"Didn't you say that Snack was also on Candied Island? How did you..." Abel asked.
But from his expression, it was clear he had already guessed the answer, he just couldn't believe it.
"He died naturally as well." Zishu calmly stated the inevitable outcome of the TremorSea.
The scene fell silent.
Every Rebel Army soldier stared at Zishu in disbelief.
'Dead?'
'The 'Four Sweet Commanders', Charlotte Snack!?'
"You..."
Especially seeing Zishu's seemingly unscathed condition, Abel finally grasped the true extent of Zishu's power.
To effortlessly kill an Sweet Commanders without even appearing to be injured… This 'Zishu' was undoubtedly one of the top-tier powerhouses standing above the Sea.
But as Abel stood speechless in awe, Zishu spoke again.
"Now that you've confirmed the target's identity, I'll collect my payment as per our agreement." Zishu's words snapped Abel out of his stupor.
"Right! The commission! You're right, Lord Zishu! Turner… hurry! Bring out the goods!" He immediately shouted to the crowd behind him.
Turner and several others rushed into the village, lifting the lid of a hidden underground storage pit.
A moment later, they emerged carrying several large chests.
The chests were covered in dust, but inside lay stacks of Beli. The bills were neatly arranged, in various denominations, some looking old and worn, others newer.
Clearly, as Abel had said earlier, nearly all the money the Rebel Army on the island had earned over the years had been saved.
They lived only for revenge.
"Lord Zishu, this is your reward… A total of 210.3 million Beli."
Abel gestured at the chests without hesitation. "Please take it all. Though it can't express even one ten-thousandth of our gratitude, it's the only thing we can offer."
"In a few days, we'll notify Major Undertaker that you've completed the commission."
"..."
Hearing Abel's words, Zishu didn't hesitate. He simply snapped his fingers, and the chests were lifted into the air by an unseen force.
Watching this, the Rebel Army showed no sign of reluctance.
Even though this money was all they had saved up over seven years of backbreaking work. But as Abel had said, without Zishu, they might never have had a chance for revenge.
Yet it was at this very moment...
"The reward is rightfully mine, and I have accepted it." They heard Zishu's voice again. "However, you are fortunate. Based on the information you provided, I found the metal I needed in the Treasure Vault on Kara Miro III. Not just two types, but three."
"According to my established rule, anyone who provides me with all nineteen types of metal can deduct some Beli from their reward."
"So..."
As Zishu's voice faded, Abel and the others saw jars of rainbow-colored candies appear before them.
They immediately recognized them...
"Rainbow Candies!?"
They instantly recognized the specialty of Candied Island, the very source of their nightmares.
Zishu said calmly, "These Candied are stored in the Treasure Vault of Kara Miro III. Getting rid of them would be troublesome. But I assume you have the necessary connections?"
As he spoke, Abel was trembling so violently he could barely stand.
"We do know some Black Market merchants, sir. You mean..."
In his heart, Abel already understood Zishu's meaning, but he couldn't believe it.
Rainbow Candies were a specialty of the Kara Miro Kingdom and a favorite of Big Mom's, making them highly valuable goods in the Underground World.
This mountain of Rainbow Candies was worth at least tens of millions of Beli, enough to give them and the remaining people of Candied Island a fresh start.
"They're yours, as payment for the metal," Zishu said generously. "But I must warn you, be careful when you sell these Rainbow Candies. Don't sell too many at once, or you'll attract unwanted attention."
Hearing this, Abel naturally understood Zishu's meaning.
So now, he looked at Zishu with some concern. "Lord Zishu, is Big Mom angry with you...?"
Yes… Zishu had killed Charlotte Snack, and Big Mom was bound to be furious.
The wrath of a Yonko was, for anyone was a catastrophe. But what Abel hadn't expected was Zishu's calm reply. "Yes, I imagine Big Mom is quite angry. This will likely cause quite a stir."
"But..." His voice turned serene. "I am one of the Twelve Zodiac."
Snack's last-minute connection to the Den Den Mushi had indeed surprised him, but in the end... Zishu was just a clone. What did he have to fear?
But it was clear that Abel had taken his words in a completely different way.
"The Twelve Zodiac." At that moment, Abel was struck with a sudden realization… Yes, The Twelve Zodiac.
'That was an organization that dared to directly confront the World Government. How could one of the highest-ranking officers of such an organization fear a mere Yonko?'
But before Abel could continue his overthinking, he saw Zishu raise his hand again.
"In addition to that, I found this in the Treasure Vault."
Something was thrown toward Abel. He hastily caught it, raised his hand to examine it, and froze in place.
It was a sapphire pendant. It wasn't particularly exquisite, and the sapphire itself was only of average quality.
But Abel would never forget it.
"Mother..." His voice was nearly hoarse.
This was a memento of his mother. He remembered it vividly: she had died by the Sweet Spring outside the furnace, and this pendant had been taken by the Homies nearby.
That was the primary reason he had sworn to avenge KaraMiro III at any cost.
And now...
His hatred had ended today, and she had returned to his side.
Abel looked up in disbelief.
But he saw the figure who had changed everything slowly turning away.
"You overpaid me by over a million Beli. Consider this pendant as compensation."
With those words, he vanished without a trace.
"...!"
Abel clutched the sapphire pendant in his hand, his knuckles turning white.
'Compensation?'
No, this debt... couldn't be settled with a single sentence.
"The Twelve Zodiac, Lord Zishu," He murmured, as if engraving the names into his very soul.
…
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
Grand Line, on an unknown Island…
On the highest peak at the center of the Island, a Robust Man lay on a sun lounger, listening to a report from his subordinate.
He wore a bizarre clown mask covering the upper half of his face and had an outlandish hairstyle, his voluminous hair nearly encircled his face, resembling a lion's mane or the flames of the sun. Beside him lay a long scythe and numerous jars and bottles containing human organs, each labeled with a number.
Sunlight bathed his entire body, yet seemed to vanish the moment it touched him, as if devoured by an invisible force. This made the sun-drenched peak feel not warm, but strangely cold and sinister.
This was the 'Major Undertaker,' Drug Peclo.
"To think they killed Charlotte Snack... Are those Twelve Zodiac lunatics truly insane?"
His teeth ground together, as if he were about to devour someone.
Ironically, despite his rage reaching the point of cannibalism, his body remained relaxed on the sun lounger, even subtly shifting with the sun's movement.
But his body remained sprawled on the sun lounger, even slightly rotating with the sun's movement.
"Lord Drug Peclo, what should we do now? Big Mom has ordered us to obtain any clues regarding the Twelve Zodiac." Standing before him, delivering the Information report, was none other than 'Miss Spider' from Coffin island.
Her voice now carried a hint of urgency: "Rumor has it that Charlotte Katakuri has left Totto Land and is heading to Coffin island to demand Information."
Hearing this, Lord Drug Peclo's anger flared even hotter.
"Bring it to me!" He suddenly sat upright, roaring in a voice that seemed to barely contain a violent impulse.
Seeing his reaction, Miss Spider's expression changed dramatically. She quickly selected a jar containing a heart from a nearby container and handed it to Lord Drug Peclo.
Then...
Crack!
The jar shattered instantly, shards of glass piercing Drug Peclo's gloves, leaving his hands drenched in blood. Yet Drug Peclo seemed oblivious to the pain, savoring the sensation of crushing the heart in his grasp.
Then…
Crack!
The heart exploded, and the fury etched on his face seemed to melt away into a relaxed expression.
He leaned back into his sun lounger, resuming his sunbathing.
"The news cannot reach Big Mom. The rules of the Hitman world must never be broken." His voice was calm, but it carried a chilling finality.
"Otherwise… in a world without order, there can be no 'King.'"
Clearly, Zishu's judgment had been correct.
To protect his position as the Underground World Emperor, Drug Peclo had no choice but to conceal the information, even under pressure from Big Mom. He knew her wrath would bring immense pressure and devastating losses, but he had no other option.
But just then…
"But, Lord..." Miss Spider hesitated.
"Spit it out!" Drug Peclo said coldly… he had no patience for indecisiveness.
"About Zishu... there's something else... he..."
"Hmm?" Drug Peclo felt a bad premonition.
"What about him? That guy should be in hiding, right?" He asked anxiously, his body shimmering as if struck by sunlight.
According to his calculations, after pulling off such a massive stunt, Zishu should have gone into hiding for a while.
But...
"No, he didn't hide... he... he took another mission." Miss Spider was on the verge of tears. "It's another assassination mission against King, this time in a country protected by the 'Deep Sea Current'."
Bang!
Miss Spider's words were cut short.
With a sharp crack, nearly every jar in the vicinity shattered.
Along with the sound came Drug Peclo's low growl, his teeth clenched tight.
"You... what did you say!?"
It was obvious.
It wasn't just Dracula Drug Peclo who had heard the news.
In the Underground World, a truly shocking piece of information spread almost instantly.
Soon, the entire Underground World was buzzing with the news.
Whether it was one of the Six Great Emperors, the Marine, the World Government, or any of the smaller and mid-sized factions, anyone with even a modicum of intelligence had already heard the information about Big Mom and Zishu:
'The Third-Ranked Supreme Officer of the Twelve Zodiac, Zishu, accepted an assassination contract and successfully killed Kara Miro III and Charlotte Snack, one of the Four Sweet Commanders.'
'Big Mom has issued orders to search the Underground World and the Sea for any clues related to the Twelve Zodiacs, vowing to send them a special invitation to her Tea Party.'
'Rumor has it that Charlotte Katakuri went to Coffin island to demand information about Zishu. After being personally refused by the "Major Undertaker," a battle broke out between them, the outcome of which remains unknown.'
'According to reports, someone later went to Candiedisland to confirm the battle's aftermath, only to find the entire KaraMiro Royal Palace reduced to rubble. Analysis of the battle scars suggests that one of the combatants was likely a Giant Race member of colossal size, possibly even an "Ancient Giant Race" member… a legendary race.'
Such explosive news emerged almost daily.
Rumors and information about Zishu began to spread throughout the Underground World.
Some believed he might be a member of the Giant Race, not just any Giant, but an 'Ancient Giant Race' member who had concealed his true identity through some means.
Others speculated he was human, having achieved Giant-like effects through the power of a Devil Fruit.
But one thing was certain: almost everyone was marveling at the abnormality of the Twelve Zodiac members.
"First, he stole the Heavenly Tribute. Then, he assassinated a Warlord. Now this one is no less shocking, we thought openly pricing the heads of Kings and Nobles was insane enough, but to dare and succeed in killing the 'Four Sweet Commanders' directly!"
Even more astonishing was...
Even under Big Mom's relentless search and pursuit, Zishu showed no signs of slowing down.
Just a week later, he resurfaced in another Kingdom on the Grand Line, assassinating its King, notorious for his brutal slaughter of civilians.
Less than three days later, he appeared in the West Blue, killing a Duke of the Elysia Kingdom, a far more significant target, as Elysia was an Allied Kingdom Member of the World Government.
As a result, not only Big Mom but countless Kings and Nobles began placing bounties on Zishu's head.
The bounties started at 500 million Beli, with some reaching as high as a billion.
Yet, astonishingly, no one could capture him.
Or, to be more precise, even when someone caught a glimpse of his trail and managed to seal off an entire Sea, he always slipped away.
He was like a ghost, appearing and disappearing without a trace, as if hiding in another world.
Especially after a King, guarded by over a thousand bodyguards, was publicly slain by Zishu.
Zishu's reputation briefly surpassed even Youji (Rooster) and Shinryu, truly echoing across the Sea.
After all, compared to those two Zodiac members who had been inactive for some time, a terrifying hitman with a 100% mission completion rate, specializing in assassinating only Kings and Nobles, naturally struck more fear into the hearts of rulers.
Rumor had it that even Kings from World Government-affiliated nations had begun calling for an additional agenda item on the Twelve Zodiac to be added to the next Levely conference the following year.
Soon, someone else realized a crucial detail: Zishu's mission frequency seemed to be increasing.
This was, of course, hardly surprising.
After the first person to try crab had emerged and proven Zishu's genuine ability to kill the Four Sweet Commanders, as well as his determination to kill King, those who had been lurking in the shadows, watching from the sidelines, naturally joined the fray.
But the question remained:
"After completing so many missions, how many of the nineteen metals does he still need?"
Many still remembered that Zishu seemed to be collecting those nineteen metals.
Clearly, no one knew the answer to this question.
Just as no one knew the answer to the question that followed:
"What will The Twelve Zodiac do after collecting all the metals?"
(End of Chapter)
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