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*****
In a large, illuminated chamber, Vane and his guards slipped away from the castle stationed in the upper yard—a restricted zone where no islander was permitted to enter.
The upper yard was a paradise compared to the squalid conditions endured by the islanders on the lower ground. It was inundated with rich foods, extravagant buildings, and countless other luxuries.
Few marines wandered through the upper yard, despite their commodore being a corrupt man who had been bribed by Vane to help his business flourish in secret.
The higher-ups at Marineford remained unaware that several of their officers were covertly working under a formal pirate with a bounty of 482 million berries on his head.
Vane was a pirate who had sailed through the Grand Line several years earlier and carved out a notorious name for himself. He was a ruthless pirate who killed and sank both marines and pirates alike who dared to pursue him—until he was miserably defeated in the New World.
He lost his crewmates when he engaged Jack, a subordinate of Kaidō, one of the Yonko of the sea. Vane survived only by faking his own death, then sailed back toward the Grand Line.
After that incident transpired, Vane hijacked a vessel and, with his two remaining crewmates, they sailed back to an island in the Grand Line.
Entering the island with bruises and severe wounds covering their bodies, they terrified the inhabitants into fleeing—and that was when realization dawned on Vane.
"I'm going to make this island my territory."
He whispered to himself with a wide grin, swaying into the depths of the city alongside his crewmates to find lodging until they had recovered from the terror and grief Jack had inflicted upon them.
"I'll never forgive him. I'll get him back for sure." Vane clenched his fist so hard, extracting a few drops of blood as he gritted his teeth, ignoring the pain from his wounds.
Time elapsed swiftly as news broadcasts announced the downfall of the Blackpool Pirates at Jack's hands. Consequently, the navy stopped chasing Vane, not realizing he was barely alive in the Grand Line.
One day, at midnight, Vane and his two companions stormed into the city and unleashed devastating chaos. Using his Devil Fruit prowess, he wounded civilians, stole vast quantities of food, and murdered anyone who refused to obey his commands.
Day after day, Vane descended into the city to rob and pillage the islanders, declaring himself the god of the land. He instilled fear into everyone's hearts, warning them against defying him or summoning the marines.
With that, Vane kidnapped only the strongest men and forced them to build a castle and houses in an abandoned area, which he named the Upper Yard.
He declared that whoever dared to set foot in the Upper Yard would meet their fate, and anyone who divulged information would also be sent to hell.
A few years passed, and he succeeded in constructing a stronger, more befitting castle for himself and his friends, who became his bodyguards.
Later, Vane sensed someone with his Observation Haki at the island's port and discovered it was a navy fleet. The marines anchored their vessel and marched onto the island, where the inhabitants could only smile in relief, believing the marines had come to rid them of Vane and his two bodyguards.
Unfortunately for them, the marines now visible on the island showed no concern for the missing people Vane had kidnapped over the years to work for him.
The marine officer marched alongside his companions and wandered into the Upper Yard district to converse with Vane. One of Vane's guards approached the marine officer and led him inside the threshold of Vane's castle.
"Whoa, I wasn't expecting something like this." Foolio, the marine officer, swallowed nervously as he took a glimpse of the castle.
"Welcome to the Upper Yard, scum of the navy." Vane applauded as he strode forward, the light illuminating his face.
"Don't you think that's a rude way to introduce yourself, captain of the Blackpool Pirates, Vane?" Foolio smirked.
Foolio and his officers suddenly felt an intense weight pressing down on their shoulders, making them unable to stand on their feet any longer.
"I could kill you guys right here," Vane hissed. "Why don't we stop fooling around and get to the point?"
Sweat slid down their brows as they witnessed the power of a former pirate captain who had once sailed into the New World. "Y-Yes, let's get down to business."
The conversation continued for hours, and when it concluded, they shook hands and sealed a deal between themselves while the marines were now working under Vane, paying them a substantial ransom every week.
…
In a massive structure stationed in the Upper Yard, Foolio stood on a stage auctioning off the people they had kidnapped from the island, as well as captives from faraway cities.
The auction thrived as they sold various types of pirates to government agents—and also to pirates who were seen purchasing young girls to serve them in bed every night.
Vane watched from afar, his smile never fading from his lips. He observed pirates with high bounties surging into the Upper Yard to purchase slaves, yet he paid them no attention. The only thing that concerned him was the enormous sum of money he was making every week with the help of the corrupt marine soldiers.
"Let's check how the others are doing." Vane and his bodyguards descended into a secret underground chamber, where Foolio's underlings were beating the slaves forced to labor.
The slaves worked to their absolute limits each day, with some collapsing from starvation and severe dehydration—since Vane had already ordered the marine soldiers to provide the slaves with nothing but leftover food merely once a day.
The food given to the slaves was all rotten; the water was contaminated. As a result, half of the slaves became unable to work any longer.
Bang! Bang!
The marines reloaded their rifles and shot the slaves who could no longer move a muscle. Blood splattered across the walls and floor, and the sudden trauma drove the remaining slaves to work beyond their limits—or face despair.
"Bravo!"
Vane and his guards applauded the marines for their relentless hard work as they emerged from the depths of the underground shadows.
"Vane-sama, nice to meet you today," one of the marines said, expressing his appreciation.
"I see you've been doing a great job. Keep it up," Vane smiled as he observed the slaves' bodies, now drenched in sweat, while they relentlessly continued smashing the unyielding rock with their hoes.
Their hands and bodies were covered in bruises, their breath stank like rotten eggs, and their ribs were visible due to the lack of proper food.
"P-Please, Vane-sama, I-I can't move any longer. I want to return back and see my family." One of the slaves could only utter these words in a low tone, finding it hard to speak after working an entire day without food or drink, only to be disciplined by the marines who continued to drill them in their pitiful mental state.
"Who gave you permission to speak, you lowlife?" Vane was disgusted by the words the slave had uttered as he strode forward deliberately. "Fine, I'll let you see your family. You're free now."
A wide smile crept across the slave's face as he thought he had been forgiven and given a second chance to live with his family once more. "T-Thank you."
Splash!!
A loud thud resonated throughout the underground compelling the ground to shatter from the immense pressure. The man's body flared up into particles of flesh and shattered bones, causing the other slaves to jolt in shock and fear, unable to comprehend what had just transpired in a brief second.
The slaves could understand only one thing: he had just demonstrated the power of his Devil Fruit. Seeing one of their colleagues die a miserable death, they did not shift their gaze toward Vane but immediately resumed working.
"Who else wants to see their family? Kindly raise your hand, and I'll let you go—I promise," Vane muttered, receiving no response but pure silence as the slaves worked on, not daring to glance at the man who claimed himself a god.
"Nobody wants to see their family? How sad and cruel of you guys." Vane pouted, releasing a loud sigh as he realized he had been utterly drained after using his Devil Fruit powers to its peak.
"Get the slaves to clean up the mess before we return," Hiro, one of Vane's bodyguards, ordered the marine soldiers, knowing full well that Vane had reached his limit and it was time for him to take a nap at the castle.
"Yes sir!"
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