Chapter 106: The Sicilian Family
These sneaky individuals seemed to be trying their best to conceal their figures, but unfortunately, the surroundings were quite open, so Ian spotted them at a glance.
Clearly, these people were observing Ian, seemingly trying to confirm whether he had any companions or not.
Ian understood their intentions and couldn't help but smile, shouting loudly, "Stop hiding, come out. I'm alone!"
Perhaps Ian's words gave them confidence, and they stopped trying to hide, walking over one by one, forming a semicircle in front of Ian.
After coming out, they were quite surprised to find that Ian was indeed alone.
These people were mostly burly, tough-looking men, many with tattoos or scars on their faces, holding pistols in their hands and cold weapons at their waists. Just by their appearance, they could intimidate many.
The leader was a guy with an afro and a small beard on his chin. He said to Ian in surprise, "Kid, daring to show up alone in the lawless zone, you've got some nerve!"
"Oh? This is the lawless zone area? No wonder!" Ian nodded and asked him with interest, "Who are you people? Pirates?"
This question made the group burst into laughter. "In this lawless zone, does identity even matter!?"
Ian immediately understood what they meant. Indeed, although this place was close to Marine Headquarters, it wasn't Marine Headquarters itself. Sabaody Archipelago was huge, and the Marines only stationed troops in certain areas of the island. With such a small number of troops, they couldn't manage too large a range.
The lawless zone was an area the Marines couldn't handle, or rather, a zone they tacitly allowed to run wild. In this area, pirates could instantly become human traffickers, and bounty hunters could instantly become robbers. Identity meant nothing here.
"Kid, running into us, the Sicilian Family, is your bad luck!" the afro leader sneered. "This is the Sicilian Family's turf. Since you want to pass through here, leave behind everything valuable you have!"
"Oh, a family, huh?" Ian was taken aback. It sounded like the Mafia.
What Ian didn't know was that criminal groups in the lawless zone of this island basically formed families as units. Whether pirate crews, bounty hunter groups, or human trafficker groups, it was all the same. The local residents of Sabaody knew about the lawless zone and generally avoided these areas. The criminal groups here could only target out-of-town tourists or pirates who stumbled in unknowingly. With too many people chasing too little profit, competition naturally existed between them, and fights would break out from time to time. Someone weak couldn't survive here.
Moreover, most members of these criminal groups weren't particularly strong. They often relied on sheer numbers to boost their courage.
Typically, a criminal group would establish a family named after their boss, using his name to announce themselves to the outside world. The family Ian had encountered now was a bounty hunter group, and their boss was naturally called Sicilian.
Ian was new here and knew nothing about the local situation, but that didn't matter. Wasn't there a ready-made "guide" right in front of him?
Smirking, Ian suddenly said seriously, "You've got it wrong! I should be the one saying that!"
"Wh... what?" The afro guy and his men didn't understand.
Ian pointed his sheathed sword at them and said, "Listen up! You're surrounded by me! If you know what's good for you, hand over everything valuable you have!"
As soon as he said this, the afro guy and his group erupted. "Th... this guy's crazy!"
"One person surrounding us? What a joke!"
"This kid is messing with us!"
When they finally realized Ian was mocking them, they became furious. The afro leader stomped his feet in anger and shouted, "Fire! Fire! Kill this kid!"
So the group immediately raised their guns and opened fire at Ian!
However, the moment their guns went up, Ian had already moved. There were many bullets flying, and even with his Psychic Field activated, it was hard to dodge, so he simply left his original spot.
The afro guy and his men didn't understand what had just happened. They only saw a blur, and the figure was gone. Bullets flew wildly, hitting the spot where Ian had been standing, but Ian had already flashed to the side, shouting mockingly, "Are you blind!? I'm over here!"
So they quickly turned their guns and fired at Ian's new position.
Guns were indeed a good thing, giving ordinary people some combat ability. But when facing an opponent as fast as Ian, firearms became useless. This time, Ian didn't play around. As they were about to fire, he burst into speed, flashing to the nearest bounty hunter.
Forward Slash! Ian casually swung his sword, cutting the man's gun in half, then flipped his wrist and slashed at the hand holding the gun.
Blood sprayed as the blade flashed, and the bounty hunter screamed in pain, dropping his gun and clutching his wound.
Ian didn't cut off his wrist entirely; he still needed these people for something, so he only injured them to disable them.
Taking down one, Ian's figure flickered again. Each time he approached someone, he swung his sword twice—once to cut the gun, once to slash the wrist. His speed was so fast that these bounty hunters couldn't react. Soon, seven or eight of them were kneeling on the ground, wailing and clutching their wrists.
Only then did they realize they had bitten off more than they could chew. Although he was alone, this guy was incredibly powerful.
Ian stepped on the afro guy, pressing the tip of his Enma sword against his neck, and asked with a smile, "What's your name?"
"I... I'm Hogkin!" the afro guy stammered.
Ian's eyes nearly popped out. Damn! What a ridiculously awesome name!? You, an afro guy, calling yourself that—are you sure that's okay!?
"Alright, Hog... Hogkin!" Ian coughed and asked, "What kind of family is the Sicilian Family?"
Hogkin didn't dare hide anything and explained the Sicilian Family's situation.
The Sicilian Family had about forty to fifty members. Calling them a bounty hunter group wasn't quite accurate, because they did everything—robbery, capturing pirates, kidnapping, espionage, intelligence gathering. In short, whatever made money, they did.
The members of this family were mostly ordinary people, just stronger and more vicious than civilians. But even so, they had taken down quite a few pirates because they were unscrupulous. If they couldn't win in a fight, they'd gang up; if ganging up didn't work, they'd poison or drug their opponents.
According to Hogkin, their family's territory was near the 16th Yarukiman Mangrove. Their boss, Sicilian, was originally a pirate with monstrous strength, using it to beat others into submission and take the boss's seat.
Hogkin was one of his executives. Today was his turn to lead the patrol. When Ian's ship docked, Hogkin and his men had spotted him. Such a fat sheep delivering itself to their doorstep was not something they'd let go. But the fat sheep had turned into a big bad wolf—something Hogkin and his men hadn't expected.
Feeling the icy cold blade against his neck, Hogkin didn't dare lie and confessed everything. Members of these criminal groups were all like this; you couldn't expect loyalty from them. In this regard, they weren't even as good as real pirates.
Ian questioned the others and confirmed Hogkin wasn't lying. Then he released his foot and said, "Good. Now stand up and take me to your base."
With the sword at his neck, Hogkin didn't dare disobey Ian's orders. Holding his wounded wrist, he stood up timidly. Ian also told the other group members to get up. Though they were sweating from pain, they didn't dare make a sound and obediently led the way.
The area covered by a single Yarukiman Mangrove was actually quite large. Ian followed them for over twenty minutes before finally seeing the Sicilian Family's base.
It was a house that looked... how to put it... like crap. It was big, sure, but crooked and covered in patches. It looked like a condemned building.
"Your base is here?" Ian felt sorry for them. A house that could collapse at any moment, and they dared use it as a base!?
How poor were they!?
"Can't help it," Hogkin said bitterly. "Most of the money we earn is taken by the boss. We underlings only get a small share, and it's quickly spent on food, drink, and fun. The boss won't spend money to fix the house, so we just make do."
"Oh!?" Ian's eyes lit up. "So your boss has a lot of money?"
"That's hard to say," Hogkin shook his head. "The boss also has to pay tribute to other forces... There are several stronger forces around us. To stay safe, we have to pay them protection money every month."
Hearing this, Ian couldn't help but feel even more contempt for the Sicilian Family. When he first heard that the 16th Mangrove was their territory and the boss had such a badass name, Ian thought they were a decent force. But now it turned out they were just a low-tier organization...