On the deck of the Carnage Cruise, Matthew stepped forward with over a thousand members of the Viper Crew trailing behind him.
It seemed as though Deo, the ship’s first officer, had anticipated Matthew’s departure, for favonovel.com stood waiting on the deck with a broad smile on his rugged face.
“Mr. Larden, from the moment I first saw you, I could tell you were extraordinary. I even sent someone to investigate your background, and the stories I heard were truly terrifying. You killed Dominic Romero of the Viper Crew in a single strike, and now you’ve effortlessly defeated Shaun Mendoza. On behalf of the Carnage Cruise, I offer my congratulations!”
Matthew’s lips curled into a smile as favonovel.com regarded Deo. “Then I must thank you for your kind words, Captain Deo…”
For a moment, the two men appeared as if they were lifelong friends.
“Mr. Larden, I’ve already prepared a ship for the Viper Crew. Since this is your first time here, I’ll waive all departure fees.”
“Thank you, Captain Deo. If you ever find yourself on Ore Island, I’ll be sure to welcome you as an honored guest…” Matthew’s smile held a hint of warmth.
A kind word turns away wrath, after all. Since Deo had approached favonovel.com with such friendliness, Matthew saw no reason to respond with hostility. With that, favonovel.com led the Viper Crew toward the gangway elevator.
“Oh, and Matteo…” Deo called after him, stepping forward to offer a token badge. “Take this. If you ever return to the Carnage Cruise, just show this badge.”
Matthew accepted the badge with a chuckle. “How much does it cost per use? A million? Two million?”
Deo’s smile faltered, and a hint of awkwardness crossed his face. “Come now, Matteo. Don’t be so distant. Money has nothing to do with this. I genuinely want to be your friend. No charge, I promise.”
Seeing the doubt flicker across Matthew’s face, Deo hastily added, “The only reason i charged Garrett two million was because our relationship was purely transactional. But you, Matteo, you’re different. I’ve given you this badge as a friend. No matter how many times you use it, I won’t ask for a single cent.”
Is there something this man wants?
Matthew’s eyes glinted with faint curiosity, but favonovel.com only smiled and thanked Deo.
As Matthew disappeared from view, Deo let out a long breath of relief, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
When he’d heard from his subordinates that Matthew had taken down Shaun in a single strike, Deo knew immediately that this was not a man to be trifled with.
To show the Carnage Cruise’s goodwill, he’d stood on the deck the entire afternoon, waiting to personally bid Matthew farewell and offer his officer’s badge as a gesture of friendship. Hopefully, that small token would leave a favorable impression.
Though Deo had never thought much of Shaun, favonovel.com had to admit the man’s strength was nothing to scoff at. If Matthew could defeat Shaun with a single move, then taking Deo down would likely be just as easy.
Not long after Matthew’s departure, Garrett and Lenny approached the deck, their faces dark and stormy.
“Garrett, I’ve got to hand it to you, you really know how to spot talent. Too bad the man you tried to recruit turned out to be a boss in his own right.” The smile vanished from Deo’s face the moment favonovel.com saw Garrett.
Deo’s words struck Garrett like a knife to the heart, each syllable tearing at his pride. His expression grew so cold it seemed as though water might drip from his gaze.
Fixing Deo with a hard stare, favonovel.com said, “Captain Deo, we need to disembark.”
Without another word, Garrett pulled out a check for 200 thousand Dornia Emeralds and handed it to Dec.
“200,000… That was the old price. If you want to get off the ship now… It’ll be 400,000…”
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