Iron Club Alvida's beauty was simply too eye-catching, to the point that Ginro completely forgot why he'd come in the first place.
Only now did it finally come back to him—wasn't he here to look for allies to deal with the Boar Gang?
Right… allies.
He glanced at Alvida, who was still sprawled on the floor, then turned to look at the three Iron Club Gang members still standing inside the warehouse.
All three instantly shrank their necks and forced smiles that looked worse than crying.
Oh god… Boss Alvida actually got beaten…
What kind of monster is this guy?!
Save us!
Ginro thought for a moment, then said,
"I don't know what rules the Iron Club Gang follows, but since I beat Alvida, that makes me your new boss now. No objections, right?"
"Huh—?!"
The three looked at each other.
"No?" Ginro frowned.
"N-no! Of course not!"
"Boss Ian, welcome!"
"Boss Ian, may you live a hundred years!"
"Honestly, I've hated Alvida for a long time! That fat hag—always forcing us to praise her beauty!"
"Yeah! Disgusting!"
"If it weren't because working under her kept us safe from the Boar Gang, I'd never have joined the Iron Club Gang! Now that we've got Boss Ian, this is amazing!"
"Boss Ian is the real handsome one!"
"That's right! Boss Ian is the most handsome man on the entire sea!"
The three trembled as they pledged loyalty at top speed. To be fair, some of it might even have been genuine—they kept venting about Alvida while smoothly transferring the same flattery routine straight onto Ginro.
At the same time, the plan document in Ginro's mind suddenly flipped open to its first page.
[Fate Value +1]
Huh?
That was the energy needed to unlock Phases Two, Three, and Four of the Support Plan—something that only came from influencing the fate of a secret realm. Had his actions already begun altering the destiny of the One Piece world?
Was it her?
Ginro looked at Alvida and noticed her massive body twitching faintly.
Playing dead… and she heard everything, didn't she?
That actually made sense. Alvida was someone who could influence the world's fate. Who knew what she'd turn into after this shock?
"Enough," Ginro said, cutting off the endless praise. "I'm not Alvida. From now on, praising my looks once or twice a day is enough. Too much gets annoying."
The three nodded fervently.
"Yes! Boss Ian is the most handsome!"
"Alright, alright." Ginro almost understood Alvida a little now. Being praised did feel pretty good—at least he wasn't losing out.
"Let's talk business. How many people does the Iron Club Gang have total? How many can you gather right now?"
"Uh… probably thirty-seven in total…"
"If we call them now, we can get maybe seventeen or eighteen tonight!"
"Boss, you want everyone to come recognize you, right? I'll go notify them right away!"
"Good. Go. Tell everyone to come here as soon as possible," Ginro said.
He wasn't worried about them running off. Everyone here was from Xixikono Town—they had homes, land, and no reason to flee. Anyone with real ability would've already gone out to sea for work.
Once the three left, Ginro squatted beside Alvida.
"Stop pretending. I'm planning to wipe out the Boar Gang tonight. You coming or not?"
Alvida froze, then opened her eyes.
The Iron Club Gang and the Boar Gang had stood side by side for two years. She and Boar Holt had clashed several times, with no clear winner.
"I'll help you—but you have to hand those three bastards over to me!"
"Who said I need your help?" Ginro scoffed. "If I can beat you, I can beat Boar Holt. And you're still trying to set conditions? What—did their honesty sting?"
Alvida let out a hateful snort, fumbling for her spiked club.
"You blind men… none of you know how to appreciate my beauty…"
"Want to lose weight?" Ginro suddenly asked.
Alvida froze. After struggling for a long moment, she gritted her teeth and asked,
"You have a way?"
[Fate Value +3]
Ginro grinned. Wow—this really works. Fate Value could even be used to "peek" into intentions. The increase proved that after this shock, Alvida's future had already diverged from that of the fat pirate woman who'd later be punched flying by Luffy.
He still didn't know how much Fate Value Phases Two, Three, and Four required, but more was always better. He couldn't afford to panic later because he didn't have enough.
"Losing weight…" Ginro drawled deliberately. "I don't have a way."
It was a universal problem. Only willpower could solve it—what could he do?
The hope Alvida had barely dared to feel instantly exploded into rage. What made it worse was realizing she'd actually been tempted.
I'm not fat.
I'm the most beautiful woman alive!
I am…
Am I…?
"IAN! I'LL KILL YOU!"
…
East Xixikono Town — Abandoned Junkyard
Boar Holt sat crookedly atop an iron crate, his fingers tapping against the metal with sharp clangs, his expression dark.
"Boss! You have to avenge us!"
"That Ian didn't respect you at all! We invited him politely and he just ambushed us with two punches!"
The slanted-eyed youth had been beaten into squinting slits, while the black-fat youth now had a flattened nose. Both cried miserably as they complained.
"Enough!" Holt snorted impatiently. "Useless trash. Representing the Boar Gang and still getting beaten like this? I'll deal with Ian—after we find him!
"That bastard's only been in Xixikono a few days. No fixed residence. Where do we even look? Knock on every inn?!
"Wait. When morning comes, he'll have to go work at the docks. Unless he leaves town, I'll beat him into pulp!"
He stood up, his presence as heavy as a bear.
There were no wrong nicknames in this world. Boar Holt was even bigger than Alvida—over two meters tall and nearly three hundred pounds. If not for Alvida's skill with her spiked club, she wouldn't match him in raw strength.
"Now get the hell out and—"
"Boss! Bad news!"
A panicked shout cut him off as a Boar Gang member rushed in.
"Iron Club Alvida brought dozens of Iron Club Gang members—they've surrounded the place!"
"Huh?!" Holt's face darkened. "That disgusting woman again? What are you panicking for—come with me and see what she wants!"
Even with only eight subordinates and two disfigured idiots left, Holt felt no fear. He waved his hand and led them out.
At the entrance, he saw Iron Club Alvida blocking the way with twenty men behind her. He was about to curse—when he noticed something was wrong.
"Hahahaha! Iron Club, who messed your face up like that?! That fat face was already disgusting, and now—HAHA—huh?"
Mid-laugh, Holt felt something oddly familiar. He turned to his two beaten subordinates.
…Didn't they look kind of the same?
Alvida lifted her spiked club and coldly pointed at him.
"Boar! You're dead today!"
The slanted-eyed youth forced his swollen eyes open and suddenly pointed in rage.
"Boss! That's him—that's Ian!"
"…Huh?" Holt asked, frowning. "Iron Club, he's your man now?"
Something felt off.
Ginro thought about saying something dramatic—but then decided it wasn't necessary.
Tonight's cause was simple.
The process was absurd.
And the result…
He waved his hand.
"Just fight."
Alvida charged first, swinging her club.
Five minutes later, Ginro stood with one foot planted on the unconscious Boar Holt's back, surveying the cheering Iron Club Gang members and the devastated Boar Gang members sprawled or crouched on the ground. He tore off his filthy, torn shirt.
"From today on, Xixikono Town will no longer have the Iron Club Gang—and it will no longer have the Boar Gang!"
"You're all dock workers who live by your strength. Let's keep the name simple."
"From now on, you are the Dockhand Crew!"
"And your only boss is me—Ian!"
(Let me know what you think of this novel in the comments!)
Every 10 powerstones I'll post 1 extra chapter!