Pirates: I Rely Only on Myself

Location: Sicily Island.

St. Raphael's Cathedral.

Noah sat atop the cathedral's massive clock, accompanied by Tommy, who had arrived through an Ari Wormhole to lend support. With his camouflage abilities, Tommy disguised their group as a row of statues along the rooftop.

Daz, meanwhile, maintained his bladed arms, attempting to awaken his Armament Haki. He had recently taken the Blood Elixir, and his physical abilities were rapidly improving. Already, he could faintly sense the stirring of Armament Haki within his body.

Kuro, acting like a consummate butler, poured a cup of tea for Noah and then stood respectfully by his side.

The morning breeze swept across the rooftop as the large minute hand behind them slowly ticked toward nine o'clock.

About a kilometer away, in a large building, the Sicily Auction was in full swing.

Soon, however, the sounds of gunfire and explosions erupted from within the auction hall.

Moments later, a wormhole opened beside Noah, and Ari, clad in a white suit and wearing a mask, stepped out holding a small box.

"You succeeded?"

"With no problems. The Castle-Castle Fruit is here," Ari said, opening the box to reveal the fruit inside.

Meanwhile, Capone Bege, having fought his way through the Gambino family guards, barged into the auction storage room, taking down over a dozen men in his path. With an eager grin, he swung the doors open and spotted a box labeled for the Castle-Castle Fruit. Without hesitation, he grabbed the fruit from the box and took a big bite.

"Delicious… huh?" Bege paused, puzzled by the creamy, cheese-like texture. "Wasn't this supposed to taste horrible?"

He took a few more bites, finding it unexpectedly pleasant.

However, moments later, his expression darkened as he failed to feel any powers awakening within him. "Maybe I didn't eat enough?"

He finished the rest of the fruit, but still, there was no change.

"What… Could it be a fake? Damn you, Gambino Auf! You'll pay for this!" Bege's fist clenched in fury.

"Boss! Gambino reinforcements are closing in…" shouted one of his men.

Bege's face twisted in frustration. "Retreat immediately!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Rocket launchers pounded their surroundings, and the explosions decimated Bege's forces, killing and injuring many.

Shielding himself behind one of his men, Bege felt the situation taking a dire turn.

As the gunfire and explosions intensified, the Capone family's numbers dwindled rapidly, until only Bege and a handful of followers remained.

At that moment, the Gambino family leader, Gambino Auf, emerged from cover with three hundred elite soldiers.

"Bege! Hand over the Devil Fruit and a hundred billion Beli, and I'll let you go. Refuse, and…"

"Hah… Auf, I underestimated you. I never expected you to orchestrate all this!" Though Bege understood he was in trouble, he feigned calmness.

"I already ate the fruit."

"What?" Auf's eyes narrowed.

"But I'm willing to make a deal—how about two hundred billion Beli instead?"

Auf hesitated, conflicted.

Meanwhile, a flood of thoughts raced through Bege's mind: Strange. Doesn't Auf know the Castle-Castle Fruit is a fake? Or was it switched out without his knowledge?

Seeing Auf's reaction, Bege felt even more confident he could escape. "Auf, I've eaten the fruit. If you really want to push this, I'll use its power and go down fighting. Even if I can't kill you, I'll cripple your family, and the other families will jump at the chance to move in."

Auf's expression grew increasingly conflicted.

From atop the cathedral, Noah and his group watched the scene via a holographic feed transmitted through electromagnetic waves.

Kuro sneered, "Pathetic. Even after all our warnings, they still allowed Capone's men to infiltrate."

"Capone Bege is capable, but his ambition clouds his potential. Such a mindset is beyond redemption."

"Big Brother, their negotiations are ending."

Watching as Capone Bege walked away, Noah's face remained expressionless. "Proceed as planned."

"Yes, sir!"

Having escaped Sicily, Bege and his followers sailed at top speed toward their family's main base. Though he hadn't obtained the Castle-Castle Fruit, Bege had finally seen Gambino Auf's incompetence clearly. There was no way he intended to honor his offer of two hundred billion Beli; instead, he was planning to use this as an opportunity to eliminate the Gambino family altogether.

Just then—

A shadow fell from the sky.

Bege instinctively looked up, his pupils shrinking. "Golden Lion?"

Noah wasted no words. His Conqueror's Haki surged forth, and Bege, despite his strength, was instantly knocked unconscious.

With a flick of his Float-Float Fruit power, Noah lifted both the ship and its crew high into the air.

Noah then carried the unconscious Bege to the waiting ship cabin, where Law stood by. Spotting Bege, Law asked, "Is this the surgery candidate?"

"Begin."

With practiced efficiency, Law activated his ROOM and cleanly removed Bege's prefrontal cortex.

Noah produced the real Castle-Castle Fruit and pushed it into Bege's mouth, then drew the World tarot card.

A golden cocoon enveloped Bege.

Before long, the newly transformed Apostle Bege knelt on one knee, his gaze filled with reverence. "My lord, your servant Bege pays you homage."

"Bege, your mission is simple: unify the West Blue mafia. I appoint you as the interim governor of the West Blue."

"As you command."

That same night, Ari led Noah in a raid on the Gambino family's main headquarters. In the dead of night, they turned Gambino Auf into a low-level apostle, granting him the abilities of the previously acquired Devil Fruit, the Tyrant Mastiff Fruit.

Controlling Auf thus allowed Noah to swiftly take control of the Gambino family.

With these two mafia families now under Noah's influence, he could proceed to dismantle the remaining three.

The plan was simple: orchestrate infighting among them and eliminate the most ruthless and irredeemable members, who would be purged through internal conflict.

Such minor details didn't require Noah's personal attention.

Under Mary's direction, the Inspection Division quietly integrated itself into the Capone family, preparing for a comprehensive cleanup operation.

Meanwhile, Bege and Auf discreetly ordered their subordinates to investigate the whereabouts of Nico Robin.