One Piece: Nobody knows Devil Fruits better than me.

Chapter 68 BIGMOM? I'll take this mission! (510, please subscribe!)

a few days later.

Naturally, after the people of the underground world learned through various channels about the new missions issued by the 'Big Hand Funeral Parlor' and what happened in Killer Town,

The entire underground dark world was almost shaken.

Even criminals never imagined that such a thing could exist in this world.

Of the twelve constellations, only three have appeared so far.

The first person robbed the Celestial Gold of the Kingdom of Nismael, and the second person killed Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.

Now, this suddenly appearing third member, 'Rat,' is even more willing to take on the task of assassinating kings and nobles, treating their heads as merchandise.

"Who exactly founded this organization? What are they trying to do?"

I wonder how many people have had such thoughts.

Some people also began to search for clues in the details of the mission.

"These nineteen kinds of metallic minerals couldn't possibly have been used by one person, but rather collected by 'Zi Shu' for his organization?"

This clue undoubtedly shocked many people.

Compared to the mysterious organization that had previously left no trace, this is a significant development.

An organization that truly has a purpose and is carrying out certain activities is obviously more worthy of attention.

"What is the purpose of collecting the twelve constellations? To forge weapons?"

"Are all these different minerals melted down into an alloy?"

"I've asked the artisans under my command, and they say it's absolutely impossible to melt these nineteen minerals with current technology."

Such sounds are heard everywhere.

But many other forces are now observing the situation very closely.

Although the 'Otsu Funeral Parlor' did indeed abide by its own rules, no matter how hard people tried to find out, they were completely unable to uncover any details about the matter.

But they knew that change was inevitable.

If the assassination of kings and nobles were to occur openly and for a price, it would be impossible to keep it a secret.

So now, there's only one problem left.

Will he really come?

The sea breeze blew the sand and gravel from the shore, hitting the houses that were roughly built of canvas and wood not far away.

This is a nameless, deserted island.

The village is small, and it looks like no more than fifty people live there.

At this moment, the villagers were all gathered at the village entrance.

They were all pale and thin, dressed in tattered clothes, and coughing sounds constantly emanated from the crowd.

The one who asked the question at that moment was one of the young villagers.

"It's been seven years, and no one has ever... cough cough... helped us."

He was clearly somewhat skeptical.

"Don't worry, Turner."

But at that moment, someone else spoke.

"Didn't they say the message from the Den Den Mushi had already reached him? He'll come—the others are unwilling to accept our mission because they're afraid, but he's one of the 'Twelve Constellations'... cough... that's an organization that can easily kill even the Seven Warlords of the Sea."

He wasn't very old, probably in his thirties, and wore a simple, rusty, yellowed bracelet on his wrist, suggesting he was the leader of the villagers.

Upon hearing this, the previously restless crowd calmed down somewhat.

"But Brother Abel, even if they killed the Seven Warlords of the Sea, we... cough cough"

The young man named Turner seemed a bit anxious; after saying a few words, he coughed so hard it looked like his heart was about to come out.

Abel quickly stepped forward to comfort him, saying, "Don't worry, they'll definitely come."

But if you look closely at this moment, you will find that Abel's eyes are also full of worry.

Although they managed to contact the other party through a Den Den Mushi (snail phone).

But in the end, they knew absolutely nothing about that 'Rat'.

He had no confidence that the other party would actually come or accept their request.

However, the setbacks he's faced over the past seven years have made it clear to him.
"He is our only hope."

As Abel was murmuring, he saw it out of the corner of his eye.

Not far away on the beach, a figure was standing on the shore.

The sunlight made the rat-head mask on his head look alive.

Abel didn't see how the other person appeared—he was certain that there hadn't been a single person in that area just a short while ago.

But that's obviously not important.

"You are the clients?"

Zishu looked at the group of villagers dressed in tattered clothes in front of him and felt a little puzzled.

In fact, after his mission was issued.

In the past few days, no one has actually contacted him.

As for this matter, Zishu was not surprised - after all, it was an assassination of a king or nobleman, so it was normal for employers to want to wait and see.

He had already prepared to wait a few more days.

But just yesterday, he suddenly received his first 'order'.

After following the coded text on the order to get here, he saw the group of people in front of him.

It has to be said that they reminded Zishu of a group of people he had met before.

That was on an unnamed, deserted island south of Master Harbour, now home to the small fishing village of Youji.

Yes—these people reminded him of the slaves of the Kingdom of Nismael.

This made Zishu wonder if he had gone to the wrong place.

But
"Yes!"

Upon hearing his words, Abel immediately nodded repeatedly: "Lord Rat—it is we who entrusted you with this task."

He said respectfully, "Please come into the village to talk."

The rat had no objections and followed the other person into a house in the village.

The house had clearly been cleaned beforehand—although the overall style of the building still had a war-damaged feel, it was very clean.

Zishu politely declined their offer to make him tea and went straight to the point: "Tell me, who are you? Who do you want to kill?"

This overly direct expression clearly took Abel somewhat by surprise.

But he reacted quickly, immediately changing his tone and getting straight to the point instead of being polite: "We are the rebels from 'Candied Fruit Island,' and we have fled to this island."

"Rebels?"

Zishu glanced at the people outside the house and the almost constant coughing sound.

Well, how should I put it—this group of people can't be described as old, weak, or disabled, but the word 'illness' is something they can't escape.

How can ordinary people who struggle even to get onto a heated brick bed be considered 'rebels'?
"Um"

Abel took a deep breath at that moment.

Then, in a trembling voice, he began to recount their origins.

Just as they said, they came from an island in the North Sea called 'Candied Fruit Island'. And on this island, there was an island nation called 'Kingdom of Kalamiro'.

"Thanks to the island's fruits, sweet spring water, and high-quality honey, everyone is doing very well. The former king, Calamiro II, has even begun preparations to apply for membership in the World Government."

Upon hearing this, Zishu was somewhat surprised.

Becoming a member state of the World Government is no easy task—the application process alone requires paying a substantial fee.

The fact that the previous king of Candied Fruit Island was able to consider this matter is enough to show that this small island nation is indeed very wealthy.

But
"His Majesty Caramilo II's plan failed before he suddenly passed away eight years ago, and his son Caramilo III succeeded to the throne."

At this point, Abel clenched his fist.

That was the beginning of a nightmare.

Unlike his father, Calamiro III was not ambitious and talented. Instead, he considered it a loss to spend a huge amount of Bairi to become a member of the World Government.

Of course, if it were just that, his idea wouldn't be wrong.

But the key is
"In order to gain protection and status, he secretly ingratiated himself with one of the Four Emperors, 'BIGMOM'."

When he finished speaking, Zishu was almost completely bewildered.

"BIGMOM!?"

He seemed to frown slightly: "Isn't your island in the North Sea?"

As is widely known, the main sphere of influence of the Four Emperors who rule the seas is the New World.

The initial four seas and the first half of the Grand Line, known as "Paradise," were mostly under the control of the Navy.

Of course, the power and resources possessed by the Four Emperors do allow them relatively free access to the New World.

For example, the 'Red-Haired Pirates' once returned to the East Blue from the New World.

For example, the Whitebeard Pirates once returned to Paradise from the New World.

However, it is clear that both crossing the doldrums and confronting the navy directly involve considerable risks.

It seems rather unusual that a typical northern island nation like Cantaloupe could associate itself with Big Mom.

What is the significance of this enclave for Bigom?
But the next moment, Abel told the mouse the answer.

"Rainbow Candied Fruit" is a unique specialty of our Candied Fruit Island.

He was clearly in great pain when he talked about it.

"That's a delicacy invented by the first king of our Candied Fruit Island. It's made with syrup boiled from the island's unique sweet spring water and special minerals. It's a candied fruit with an unparalleled flavor—His Majesty Karamiro II also intended to use it to join the World Government."

"But that bastard Calamiro III, he presented Bigom with the recipe for 'rainbow candied fruit' and won her favor."

Thus, the rat understood.

The Four Emperors each have something they care about and are obsessed with—Kaido is obsessed with war, Whitebeard values ​​family, and Shanks cares about... well, face.

BIGMOM, on the other hand, is madly obsessed with food, especially sweets!
If what Abel said is true, and Candied Fruit Island can produce unparalleled candied fruit—then let alone the North Sea, even the territories under the other four emperors, Big Mom would probably forcibly invade and occupy.

Therefore, it's not surprising that she would be willing to spend some resources to establish connections with an island nation in the North Sea.

"BIGMOM blessed Candied Island, bestowed upon Calamiro III a great deal of wealth, and even dispatched a 'Homiz Legion' to garrison the island."

Clearly, Calamiro III, under the protection of Bigom, achieved his goal.

The Homie Soldier Legion—these are special life forms created by Big Mom using her 'Soul-Soul Fruit' power.

With their protection, Candied Fruit Island is naturally in almost no danger in Beihai.

But for the people of the Kingdom of Karamiro, it was a different story.

because
"The production of rainbow candied fruit requires extremely high-temperature furnaces to burn minerals and fuels, and also requires many people to continuously boil and stir it."

“In the past, the kingdom only produced a few bottles each year, which was not a problem. But Bigom demands that Kalamiro III present a whole shipload of rainbow preserves every year!”

This is the origin of Abel and his fellow refugees.

BIGMOM clearly didn't consider environmental issues—so she had Calamiro III lead the Homies to build numerous syrup furnaces on Candied Island.

The common people, on the other hand, became slaves to boiling candied fruit syrup.

However, furnaces of this scale naturally produce large amounts of harmful gases.

"Many of the people who went there to work died, and most of the weaker people didn't even last six months."

"And... cough cough, those of us who didn't die have also developed health problems."

Abel clenched his fists, his teeth almost chattering.

“We rallied a group of people and launched a rebellion, but it was easily suppressed.”

In the end, only about thirty of us managed to escape and make it here.

Upon hearing this, the rat whispered, "You want to save your homeland?"

But at that moment, Abel shook his head.

"The island of candied fruit has been destroyed."

His eyes were already red as he spoke.

"We just want someone to kill that tyrant—anything but him!"

After hearing his words, Zishu remained silent for a moment before saying, "You should know my requirements, right? Two hundred million Berries, or those nineteen kinds of metallic minerals. Can you provide them?"

"Yes! Of course I can!"

Upon hearing this, Abel replied without hesitation, "We've saved almost all the money we could over the past seven years. Everyone has worked hard to find jobs on nearby islands, and our total savings amount to over 200 million Berries. We'll give it all to you!"

His voice was loud, like that of a drowning person grasping at a last straw.

"And those metallic minerals on your list, although we don't have them, we know where to find them!"

He said in a deep voice, "The materials that BIGMOM gave to Calamiro III to build the syrup furnace include the charcoal steel and Farada crystals you need. I was previously conscripted to participate in the construction of furnaces, so I can confirm it!"

After saying that, he held his breath and looked at the rat.

He felt like his heart was about to stop beating.

For the past seven years, no one has dared to accept their commission.

Of course he knows why.

Back in Beihai, on Candied Fruit Island, they still didn't know for sure what kind of existence BIGMOM was.

After seven years of wasted time, they finally understood what the 'Four Emperors' really were.

That was a monster, the emperor of the sea, an unprovoked calamity.

Killing a king protected by Bigom is far too risky for anyone.

At the same time, the rat also looked at Abel.

He could see the simple pendant in Abel's hand—on which was a faded old photograph.

The photo shows a young him, standing next to a middle-aged woman wearing a blue gemstone pendant.

The two bear a striking resemblance and are clearly mother and son.

But Zishu was certain that he hadn't seen the woman in the group he'd just seen.

The answer speaks for itself.

"Since you have enough commission."

So he gave an answer.

"Then as you wish—I'll accept this mission."

(End of this chapter)