one piece: gene extraction and fusion system-Chapter 269: Old Friends and Cold Justice

The next day.

Mio had just woken up and stepped out of his room when he found a shadow soldier standing silently outside the door. Upon seeing Mio, the shadow soldier immediately knelt on one knee, presenting a folded note with both hands.

Taking the note, Mio waved his hand, prompting the soldier to vanish into the shadows.

Opening the note, Mio's eyes scanned the content—two locations were written down.

One of them detailed the whereabouts of Tiger.

"It seems Tiger really did escape from Mary Geoise," Mio muttered, touching his chin in surprise. Honestly, he hadn't placed much faith in Tiger pulling off such a feat. Originally, it had been a gamble—if it failed, he would've had Renee intervene, or even send a shadow soldier to extract Tiger directly. Of course, that would risk exposing the operations of the Linglong Newspaper.

Still, things had worked out.

Tiger hadn't let him down after all.

"Well then, let's go meet this 'old friend.'" Mio smirked faintly.

After washing up and having breakfast, he headed to the deck.

A seagull was perched at the bow of the ship, holding a newspaper in its beak. It tilted its head inquisitively, as if asking Mio if he wanted a copy.

"Give me one," Mio said, handing over a coin and taking the paper.

As expected, the headline was about the Marijoa riot from the day before. Despite the World Government's efforts to cover it up—for the sake of its image and that of the Celestial Dragons—the scale of the incident had been far too large. The fire engulfing Marijoa had been visible for miles; there was no hiding it.

Some newspapers had gotten their hands on the scoop and printed it without hesitation.

However, the one Mio held wasn't from the rebellious presses of the New World, but from the government-sanctioned papers.

Apparently realizing they couldn't bury the incident, the World Government had taken the initiative to report it. A large photo of Fisher Tiger graced the front page, labeling him as the leader behind the insurrection and promising swift justice.

The second location on the note was the base of a slave-hunting group.

Linglong Newspaper's intelligence network had proven its strength again. In just one night, they had pinpointed the whereabouts of the group that had captured the Hancock sisters. As luck would have it, that group was headed toward a sea zone near Marijoa—the same area where Tiger had escaped.

After skimming the article, Mio set the paper aside, turned to Bai Feng, and calmly relayed a set of coordinates. frёewebnoѵēl.com

Bai Feng gave a nod and immediately steered the Black Glory in that direction.

The ship began to move.

In the distance, a Marine warship was still observing them.

Mio narrowed his eyes and gave a quiet command. "Asuka, take care of it."

They couldn't afford to let the Marines keep watching. If they did, it wouldn't take long for the World Government to connect the riot at Marijoa with the Black Crow.

Hearing the order, Asuka licked his crimson lips. A gleam of bloodlust and anticipation flickered in his eyes. Without another word, he leapt from the deck and vanished.

Robin glanced toward the direction Asuka disappeared and sighed. "Those poor Marines..."

Lately, most of the killing was done by Asuka. Others on the Black Glory rarely needed to dirty their hands. Every kill strengthened Asuka, even if just slightly. It was a slow process, but still a path to power.

Robin's lament wasn't out of pity—it was due to the way Asuka killed. His methods were brutal and drawn out, unlike the clean, swift assassinations others preferred.

Not long after, the distant sound of Marine screams reached their ears.

Asuka soon returned, sleeves faintly stained with blood, the metallic scent still clinging to him.

Right now, Asuka's strength was terrifying. No one, aside from Mio, knew just how powerful he had become. He was not only innately strong but also progressed rapidly by absorbing combat experience and blood. He was, without a doubt, a master of battle.

Even Whitebeard might not compare to him.

"I'm going to take a shower, sir," Asuka said with a grin. Though he liked the smell of blood, he knew Mio did not.

"Go ahead," Mio replied with a nod.

The ship sailed on.

The newly modified Black Glory was much faster than its earlier version from two years ago. With the aid of Hanba's propulsion, they reached the target area within a day.

"Robin, you're up. The target is a slave-hunting group," Mio said, gazing toward the sea before turning to Robin.

"Got it." Robin closed her book, crossed her arms, and released a wave of Observation Haki.

After a moment, she opened her eyes and nodded. "One o'clock. They're over there."

Without delay, Bai Feng steered the ship toward that direction.

Over the past two years, Robin had chosen a supportive role on the Black Glory. With no shortage of combatants aboard, she'd used her Hana Hana no Mi and Observation Haki to become a first-rate scout and intelligence specialist.

As the Black Glory closed in, a ship came into view.

From the outside, it looked like any ordinary merchant vessel.

Most slave-hunting ships were like this—disguised to lure unsuspecting pirates or civilians. Sometimes, they even used this disguise to bait attacks and capture the attackers as new slaves.

Once the two ships were within range—

Mio vanished.

He reappeared on the slave ship's deck.

The men on board were eating, drinking, and laughing about the Marijoa riots.

But their merriment died instantly as they noticed Mio.

"Who the hell is this guy?!"

"When did he get here? I didn't even sense anything!"

Murmurs of alarm spread across the deck.

Mio remained calm. He slowly raised his right hand and said indifferently, "You can all go now."

Then, he lowered it.

Puff.

Puff.

Puff.

Blood sprayed across the deck.

Wind blades erupted silently, slicing through the throats of the slave hunters one after another. Heads tumbled to the floor as Mio walked forward with his hands in his pockets, his expression unchanged.

He stepped into the cabin, which had been converted into a prison block.

Iron cages lined the room, each one holding a few young men and women—pirates, mostly. No elderly. Just the kind of people slave traders targeted.

Mio strode forward calmly.

The captives shrank away in fear as he passed by, dread filling their eyes.

Finally, he stopped at a particular cage and looked down at its occupants—three young girls.

"Looks like we meet again, little ones," Mio said, his voice cool.