Chapter 114: Begging for Mercy, Barkins
Ian made his move, which meant the negotiations had broken down.
In truth, Ian had never thought there was anything to discuss with these people. He was well aware of Bolder and the others' intentions—they simply wanted to extort money from him.
Trying to take money from a miser like Ian? What a joke? So from the moment he walked in, the word "negotiation" never crossed his mind.
"Fire! Fire!!" Bolder shouted in terror. "Kill him!"
They were frightened by Ian's earlier slash. Just how fast was that sword technique? It had cut through a person without the victim even noticing...
Bolder and the other three bosses had brought many men inside. Over twenty guns opened fire on Ian, but after making his move, Ian had already activated his Psychic Field. With everyone confined to the narrow space of the room, he only needed to expend a little extra Psychic Power to expand his perception to cover the entire area. Every move they made was within his anticipation.
Ian could accurately sense their actions as they raised their pistols, the direction their gun barrels aimed, and even the moment they pulled the triggers and the bullets left the chambers. With this awareness, Ian could easily dodge the densest volleys of bullets!
Ian moved, taking a sudden step forward and to the left. As he turned sideways, he swung his blade forward, using the flat of the sword to deflect a bullet while simultaneously executing a Flash Slash against the gunman in front of him!
Without needing to expend much Psychic Power, Ian's figure darted through the group of gunmen at incredible speed. Whenever he closed in on someone, a flash of sword light would follow, and the gunmen would collapse one after another, bleeding profusely.
The gunmen desperately tried to aim at Ian, but his movements were beyond their ability to track. Their shots not only failed to hit him but also caused friendly fire among themselves.
Screams rang out one after another, turning the room into a scene of hell. By the time Ian stopped, not a single gunman brought in by Bolder and the others was left standing. Ian stood amidst the groaning gunmen, holding the Enma sword, which bore not a trace of blood.
It was too fast. In less than five seconds, over twenty gunmen had been cut down. The ferocity on Bolder and the others' faces had vanished, replaced by expressions of utter shock. Bane even had snot running down his face in fear. Of the four, three were still standing, while Doji knelt on the ground, clutching his wrist and screaming in pain.
Seeing Ian walking toward them step by step, Bolder panicked. He drew his pistol and fired at Ian while shouting in terror, "D-Don't come any closer!"
Ian tilted his head slightly, dodging Bolder's shot, but didn't stop his advance.
Bullets might be somewhat useful against ordinary people, but against someone of Ian's level, they were child's play. Bolder and Bane fired repeatedly, but Ian's Psychic Field allowed him to evade every single shot.
"Click! Click!" Their guns ran out of ammo. Hearing the empty clicks, they finally broke down, dropping to their knees and begging Ian, "D-Don't kill us! We know we were wrong!"
But it was useless. As Ian approached, a flash of sword light, and Bolder and Bane's heads hit the floor.
As they were killed, disbelief lingered in Bolder and Bane's eyes. They seemed never to have imagined things would turn out this way. They had thought that uniting the strength of four families could force the Ian Family to submit, but instead, they ended up losing their heads. The Ian Family's stronghold had become their burial ground.
Ian didn't want to be a bloodthirsty killer, so he showed mercy to the gunmen, only severely wounding them instead of killing them.
But for Bolder and the other three, Ian had no intention of letting them off. As family bosses, they were the primary perpetrators of countless evils. Doji, in particular, engaged in human trafficking, which Ian despised most deeply. On top of that, he had dared to injure Ian's men. For all these reasons, Doji and the others had to die.
Moreover, if they didn't die, it would hinder Ian's subsequent plans. Just like with Sicilian, only by eliminating the bosses could Ian gain control over their subordinates.
Bolder and Bane, who had dared to fire their guns, were the first to be killed by Ian. Next came Doji, still kneeling. Ian expressionlessly drove his sword down through the top of his head, cutting his screams short.
At the same time, gunfire erupted outside. It seemed that after Ian made his move, Lame and the other Ian Family members had launched a counterattack against Bolder's men.
It appeared they were now fully committed to following Ian. Otherwise, given the enemy's numerical advantage, they wouldn't have dared to fire first.
Worried that prolonged fighting would lead to heavy casualties among his men, Ian decided to finish things quickly and go help Lame and the others. He turned his attention to the last remaining boss, Barkins.
But at that moment, Barkins suddenly dropped to his knees and said to Ian, "Don't kill me. I'm willing to cut off one arm and leave Sabaody Archipelago, never to return!"
Hearing this, Ian stopped and began to think.
Seeing Ian's contemplative expression, Barkins gritted his teeth and added, "If one arm isn't enough, how about an eye as well?"
But this statement only made Ian's expression turn colder. This Barkins was ruthless enough with himself. Could someone like that really be let go?
"Please, Boss Ian! I don't know what your relationship is with the Seven Warlord Bartholomew Kuma, but I really haven't committed any major crimes!" Barkins kowtowed on the ground. "Back then, Lord Bartholomew also spared my life and didn't kill me. Please, for his sake, let me off this once!"
Ian was startled. This Barkins had actually encountered Uncle Kuma?
"What happened?" Ian asked calmly.
"Boss Ian, I used to be a pirate!" Barkins looked up and explained to Ian. "But I only became a pirate out of necessity to survive. Once, our pirate crew encountered Lord Bartholomew of the Seven Warlords. He destroyed our ship and killed our captain, but he spared a few of us pirates. That hat of yours—I found it familiar the moment I walked in. But please rest assured, I won't say a word. If you let me go, I'll leave Sabaody Archipelago starting today, hide out in the countryside, and never come out again!"
Ian hadn't expected to hear news of Kuma from Barkins's mouth. He sighed and said, "Cut off one arm, and I'll let you go. But you don't need to hide in the countryside. The crimes you've committed aren't for me to judge. You'll have to turn yourself in to the Marines and confess everything. Do you understand what I mean?"
"Yes, yes, I understand!" Barkins was overjoyed and immediately nodded in agreement.
In this lawless zone, not a single family boss was a good person. Ian knew this well. He had no idea how many misdeeds Barkins had committed, but he doubted that one arm and one eye would be enough to atone for them. That's why Ian suggested he go to prison to repent.
"Alright, fulfill your promise!" Ian said.
Barkins pulled out a dagger, gritted his teeth, hesitated for a moment, but finally cut down.
Though drenched in sweat from the pain, Barkins still raised his head and said to Ian, "Boss Ian, I'll go turn myself in now. Farewell!"
Ian nodded and said, "Also, tell your people outside to cease fire. Otherwise, don't blame me for taking matters into my own hands."
"Understood!" Barkins turned, pushed open the door, and walked out. Clutching his severed arm, he shouted loudly to the warring factions outside, "Everyone, stop! Stop!"
Ian's move had worked well. With Barkins's appearance, the members of the various families outside learned what had happened inside. When they heard that three of their bosses had been killed by Ian, they were at a loss and could only cease fire.
As for Barkins's own family, he ordered them to disband, since he was about to turn himself in and could no longer manage them.
With Ian's intervention, the four families were quickly suppressed. The lawless zone was inevitably headed for a reshuffle.
The Ian Family members were now ecstatic beyond control. These were the four biggest powers in the area, and Boss Ian had dismantled them just like that!
They seized the opportunity to tie up the men Bolder and the others had brought. Some of them thought about resisting, but the moment they showed signs of defiance, Ian came out and cut them down with a single slash.
With Ian overseeing things, these gunmen couldn't stir up any trouble and had no choice but to surrender.
Barkins was helped away by two of his family members. He said he would turn himself in, and he wouldn't dare deceive Ian about that, since it could easily be verified. He didn't want to be hunted down by Ian again.
After the bodies inside were carried out, the members of the four families were all piled up in the open space outside the building, awaiting Ian's judgment.
Meanwhile, the Ian Family members emerged with their heads held high. Guns in hand, they surrounded the perimeter, glaring at the gunmen with a sense of triumph, as if they had finally turned the tables.
Lorraine and Elena helped Hogkin out as well. The two girls looked at Ian with admiration. When they learned that Doji had been killed, they knew Ian had avenged them, and their joy was indescribable.
Hogkin felt the same. Doji had shot him twice in the leg, so he naturally harbored hatred for him. But even he hadn't expected Ian to overthrow all four families.
After coming out, he heard from Lame and the others that Ian had actually captured Lucius, with his bounty of 86 million Berries. He was momentarily stunned.
Bolder and the others were truly unlucky. If they had come a little later, the news would have spread throughout the lawless zone, and they would have thought twice about challenging Ian's strength as the new boss. But as it was, they rushed in hastily and ended up losing their lives.
At that moment, Hogkin felt a weight lift off his shoulders. The pent-up frustration in his heart finally eased. Supported by the others, he walked over to Ian and willingly called him, "Boss!"
Ian had also learned about Hogkin's situation from Lorraine. His impression of Hogkin had improved slightly. Though the man seemed like a sly old fox, the fact that he had dared to step up and protect Lorraine and Elena was commendable.
So Ian nodded at him. Though he said nothing, it still stirred excitement in Hogkin's heart.
Turning around, Ian looked at the bound gunmen from the four families and began to feel a headache coming on...