Capone: Fortress of Ambition

"Even if they are criminals, they're still human," Rear Admiral Fedeler said gravely.

"Human, huh? I didn't realize these utterly reprehensible criminals were still considered 'human' in your eyes." Bege gave a scornful sneer.

He stood up, staring directly at Rear Admiral Fedeler, his face expressionless. "Which one of these criminals isn't stained with the blood of innocents? You think they don't deserve to die, but what about the innocent people they slaughtered? Do they deserve to die? How will you answer to the innocent souls who perished at their hands?"

Fedeler's expression was grim. "Even if they are heinous criminals, they should be judged by the Marines, not executed by bounty hunters."

"Judged by you? Rear Admiral Fedeler, how long has the Scoundrel's Den on Grove 16 existed? I believe your Marine base is on Grove 60, isn't it? And Marine Headquarters isn't far from here either. With such close proximity, you still allowed this Scoundrel's Den to exist. You let the criminals of the Scoundrel's Den run rampant, and you even let this lawless area exist within the Sabaody Archipelago. What am I supposed to say about you Marines, Rear Admiral Fedeler?" Bege said disdainfully.

Fedeler's face grew even grimmer. The lawless area on the Sabaody Archipelago was an unspeakable disgrace for the Marines. Faced with Bege's mockery, Fedeler gritted his teeth, unable to offer a response.

Fedeler raised his head, his expression flat and cold. "Even though you are bounty hunters, you can't just kill people indiscriminately. You will be held accountable for your actions."

"Rear Admiral Fedeler, please watch your words. We, the Masked Bounty Hunter Group, were apprehending the criminals of the Scoundrel's Den. These criminals launched a mass attack against us. There were two or three hundred of them, and only a dozen or so of us. We had to be a little ruthless in self-defense. Rear Admiral Fedeler, since our debut, the Masked Bounty Hunter Group has taken down over twenty pirate crews, eliminating countless villains for you Marines, making a significant contribution to this world. Are you going to judge us for the sake of these scoundrel criminals?" Bege said coldly.

When you held the banner of justice, your backbone was straight.

Fedeler's expression turned even uglier. He took a deep breath and lowered his head. "I apologize. I was impulsive just now."

Bege gave a magnanimous smile. "I understand Rear Admiral Fedeler's feelings. My men have already tallied the bounties of the criminals. Please have your Marines verify them. If there are no errors, I'll send someone to the Marine base to collect the rewards."

Fedeler nodded silently, instructing the Marines to go in and check and clean up.

Bege sat back down on the large rock, casually puffing on his cigar as he rested.

Soon, the several men he had sent out to gather information returned.

"Godfather, we've gathered some information. There are six pirate crews on the island. Two of them have crews with bounties exceeding 100 million. They are the Toxic Spider Pirates and the Riki Pirates. Both of these pirate crews have Supernovas from this year's batch."

Bege was intrigued. He propped his head on his hand, indicating for the man to continue.

"The captain of the Tarantula Pirates is 'Toxic Spider' Mark Speider, a Zoan-type Devil Fruit user with the Spider-Spider Fruit, Tarantula Model. His bounty is 130 million Beli, and he's ranked seventh among the Supernovas. He has five subordinates with bounties over 50 million. The Riki Pirates are even more formidable. Their captain is this year's third-ranked Supernova, 'High-Pressure Cannon' Egerd Riki. He's a Paramecia-type High-Pressure Fruit user, with a bounty of 270 million Beli. He also has a subordinate with a bounty of exactly 100 million Beli, a martial arts expert. However, he's not a Supernova; he's an older pirate that Egerd Riki recruited. The Riki Pirates also have six members with bounties exceeding 50 million." The man took out bounty posters and explained each one.

"Not bad, two Supernova pirate crews. 'High-Pressure Cannon' Egerd Riki, a High-Pressure Fruit user, interesting." A curious smile appeared on Bege's face.

"Leave the Tarantula Pirates to me," Modi said solemnly.

Bege frowned. "You're injured. Taking on a Devil Fruit user with a bounty over 100 million might be a bit much."

"My injuries aren't that severe. Dealing with a pirate with a 130 million bounty won't be a problem," Modi stated firmly.

"Alright then. Sam, you and the others go with Modi," Bege said, assigning the relatively stronger Sam and others to accompany Modi. He figured there shouldn't be any problems with that.

"Then I'll go handle the Riki Pirates," Bege said, standing up. He patted off the weeds clinging to his clothes and fastened his sword to his waist.

"Hank, you're injured, so stay here and go with the Marines to collect the bounties," Bege ordered.

"Yes!" Hank was clearly displeased, but since he was injured, he wasn't fit for high-intensity combat.

"Wait, you're planning to go capture Supernova pirate crews?" Rear Admiral Fedeler, having overheard Bege's conversation, hurried over.

"That's right. Since we've run into them, we can't let them go."

"The Tarantula Pirates might be manageable, but the Riki Pirates' captain, Egerd Riki, has a bounty of 270 million Beli. It's said his strength exceeds even his bounty. He's far beyond what Roose Bolton and the others were capable of," Fedeler cautioned.

"Rear Admiral Fedeler, what you should be worried about is the safety of the civilians after we engage the pirates. You should prioritize evacuating the civilians," Bege said with a faint smile as he walked out of the Scoundrel's Den.

"Do these guys really think that after defeating two criminals with bounties over 100 million, they can challenge Egerd Riki?" Fedeler's expression was uncertain.

"Hurry up and finish the tally, don't dawdle! You'll have to clean up after those two Supernova pirate crews later," Hank barked irritably at the Marines.

"Rear Admiral, what should we do?" the Marine Captain asked.

"Regardless of whether they succeed or not, it will definitely cause a major disturbance. Quickly send men to follow them and evacuate the civilians. We can't let civilians get caught up in this. You guys stay here and finish the accounting. I'll go personally," Rear Admiral Fedeler said gravely.

"Yes, sir!" Fedeler immediately rushed out with a squad of men, chasing after Bege and his crew.

Half an hour later, Bege and his men entered a well-known restaurant on Grove 21.

Outside the restaurant, the Marine Rear Admiral's face was tense: "Call the base immediately and request reinforcements. You, quickly evacuate the residents from the nearby streets."

Bege, followed by four of his men, swaggered into the restaurant.

He stood at the entrance and surveyed the entire dining area. In a corner near the window, he spotted a group of people with diverse appearances. Weapons were placed beside the table, and the group was chatting and laughing quietly.

As Bege's gaze focused on them, a tall, stout man in the group seemed to sense something. He looked over and met Bege's eyes.

Besides this large man, a lean, older man also looked over with a frown.

"Riki, those guys have killing intent," the lean old man said with a chuckle.

"Yeah, I can feel it. I hope they don't come looking for trouble. I don't want to start a massacre here," the large man, Riki, replied with a mocking sneer.

Bege walked directly toward them. The expressions of everyone at the table instantly turned dark.

Bege pulled out a bounty poster, glanced at it, and then looked at the large man.

"No doubt about it, you're the captain of the Riki Pirates, Egerd Riki."

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