Sea Era 1503.
Sabaody Archipelago, Island 79.
At night, a bright moon hung in the sky, and soft moonlight sprinkled over the ground.
After nightfall, the hotel street lit up with colorful neon lights, and resin bubbles, glowing with colorful light, rose from the ground. They refracted the light, illuminating the place like a dream.
At the entrance of a private room in a luxurious hotel.
Du Feld, carrying a large black suitcase in his right hand, wore a purple suit. He had a potbelly and slicked-back hair. He adjusted his collar with his left hand before gently turning the doorknob and opening the door to the private room.
Inside, three people were already seated around a round dining table.
Dorag Piekro — The Big Hand Undertaker!
Kiberson — The Infiltrator!
Umit — The Deep Sea Current!
Adding him, Du Feld, nicknamed the King of Loan Sharks, this small private room gathered four kings of the underground world. They were all big shots who could make the underground world tremble with a stomp of their feet.
Thirty-three years ago, the four of them rose like comets, making a great name for themselves in their respective fields.
However...
Few people knew they all once came from an organization called the Company. It was this bond that, although they controlled their respective industries, they also maintained many contacts in their daily lives, thereby expanding many businesses with each other.
Today, the reason they gathered here was simple...
Mr. K contacted them through a specific method!
That extremely mysterious black emperor who once controlled the underground world of the Sabaody Archipelago with an iron fist had actually returned after disappearing for many years!
After many years, not all of the four were still loyal to that man.
But...
What was very helpless was that man possessed their life cards!
As long as they didn't die, that man could track them through the life card's location!
Unless that man died, they absolutely did not have the guts to betray him!
The four of them were very clear that the reason they were where they were today was simply because that man had given them an opportunity and platform for success, clearing most of the obstacles on their path.
They still vividly remembered the incident when that man killed so many people that corpses lay everywhere on the Sabaody Archipelago...
Among them were several bounty criminals with bounties over 100 million, but in front of that man, they had no power to resist at all and were directly killed!
The four of them sat by the round table in this somewhat eerie quiet atmosphere, waiting for a while, when a silver-haired young man in a white suit, wearing a white half-mask, opened the door to the private room with a 'click'.
"Long time no see! Everyone..."
Sephiroth waved his hand with a smile and greeted the four of them.
"Boss!" x4
Hearing this, the four men quickly stood up and bowed slightly to the silver-haired young man.
"Everyone has changed quite a bit over these years!"
Sephiroth casually found a chair, sat down, and removed the mask from his face, revealing his true appearance.
Seeing this, expressions of shock and bewilderment flashed across the four men's faces. They could hardly believe their eyes.
Thirty-three years!
This man showed no signs of aging!?
He still looked the same as he did back then, still so young and handsome.
Immediately, the four thought that this might be a special ability of some Devil Fruit, allowing the user to maintain a youthful state, and only then did they gradually suppress the chaotic emotions in their hearts.
"Boss, after so many years, you're still so young and handsome!" Du Feld said with a chuckle.
"That's right! Boss, you look exactly the same as you did thirty-three years ago, not changed at all..." Dorag Piekro agreed deeply.
"If only I could be as young as the boss forever!" Kiberson, with a white beard and hair, said enviously.
Among the four, he was the oldest. Thirty-three years had passed, and he had gone from a young man to a middle-aged and elderly person with graying temples.
"Boss, is there something you need us to gather for this time?" Umit asked tentatively.
Hearing this, Sephiroth turned his head and glanced at Umit, who had a large black beard. He sensed a hint of annoyance and impatience in the other man's emotions.
"Hehe! So many years have passed.
I wonder if you still consider me your boss...?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the four men's expressions changed. Du Feld and Dorag Piekro immediately stood up, patted their chests forcefully, and expressed great loyalty.
"Boss, back then I was just a useless person. If it weren't for you thinking highly of me and taking me in as a subordinate.
Maybe I'd still be bullied by thugs on the street now..."
"Back then, I was just a small, unknown killer, without power or influence. If it weren't for the boss's support, I wouldn't be where I am today..."
Seeing the two act like this, Kiberson and Umit, who originally had other intentions, also quickly stood up and expressed their loyalty.
Thirty-three years ago, both of them had their own industries, warehousing and shipping. At that time, they were just about to make a big splash, display their talents and abilities, and create a career.
However...
Sephiroth suddenly appeared, demanding their oaths of loyalty and submission.
No one would be willing, but given his fearsome reputation at the time, they ultimately didn't dare refuse and chose to submit.
After joining the Company, both gained many benefits, and their careers flourished. If Sephiroth had always been over them, although they would have been somewhat unwilling, they wouldn't have had any other ideas.
But...
Sephiroth had been gone for thirty-three years, and now he was suddenly back, wanting to be their boss. How could they possibly agree to that?
"If any of you don't recognize me as your boss, I won't force you. Just say the word, and I won't insist on anything..."
Sephiroth clasped his hands on the round table, his indifferent gaze sweeping over the four people present. His tone was calm, betraying no emotion.
But...
The temperature in the private room seemed to drop several degrees, becoming instantly cold.
Hearing this, Dorag Piekro immediately patted his chest, making a 'bang bang!' sound, and said in a muffled voice:
"Boss, I, Dorag Piekro, am the knife in your hand. You tell me who to kill, and I'll kill them! I will always be your subordinate!"
"Boss, what are you saying!? I, Du Feld, will also always be your subordinate, look..."
"Here are all the technical documents I obtained from sponsoring Vegapunk's research, as you instructed before you left... Please take a look..."
"I have always been diligently carrying out the tasks you assigned me."
Saying this, Du Feld placed a large black suitcase on the round table, opened it, and displayed stacks of bound documents and several glass containers filled with unknown liquid to Sephiroth.
Seeing this, Kiberson and Umit also quickly stated that they would always be his subordinates. Whatever the boss needed, they just had to say it, and they guaranteed they would do their best.
"Mm! Very good... I am very satisfied with your answers!"
Sephiroth smiled and nodded, picked up the documents from the black suitcase, quickly flipped through them a couple of times, confirmed that these documents were not meant to deceive him, and then closed the suitcase, placing it by his feet, ready to take it with him later.
"Oh, right! You remember this logo, right!?"
Sephiroth took out a piece of paper from his pocket, on which was clearly drawn the logo of the Umbrella Corporation, an umbrella composed of silver-gray and red.
"Although I've said it once before! But I need to emphasize it again now, the Company using this logo will be established after a while! I hope you will not hinder its development and let it grow. If I find out who dares to pull any tricks behind its back, I will be very angry, and the consequences will be severe... Understood?"
The four first exchanged glances before saying in unison:
"Understood!" x4
As if thinking of something, Sephiroth continued to instruct:
"From now on, don't actively come looking for me. If there's anything, I will come find you..."
Although the four were somewhat puzzled, they still nodded and agreed...