"Come out, everyone, and meet your new master!"
As Arias's command echoed, trembling maids emerged from every corner. They were merely workers and had not resisted him, so there was no need for violence against them.
"Island owner!"
The maids knelt before Arias, acknowledging his authority.
Where the Darnell family had used generations of power to enforce obedience, Arias's overwhelming strength made resistance unthinkable.
"Not me."
He pointed at the bewildered Yuli on the ground. "She will be your new island owner from now on!"
"Yes, yes, Lord Island Master!"
The maids bowed deeply to Yuli.
"Get up. You are the new island owner of Birka now," Arias said, pulling the still-confused Yuli to her feet. The girl remained in shock, unable to fully grasp the situation.
"I, this is me?"
She pointed at her own face in disbelief.
Arias spread his hands. "I said you are. You are!"
"Anyone who disagrees will be killed!"
"Oh, oh!"
Yuli felt as though she was in a dream. She had met a Qinghai man who then killed the entire Darnell family and took over as the island owner himself.
"Clean the mansion," Arias ordered. The maids immediately set to work, removing the corpses and blood from the floors.
"Go fetch your mother. You'll be living in this luxurious villa from now on!"
Outside the mansion, the guards remained kneeling.
Many residents of Sky Island had gathered around.
"Get up!"
Arias commanded. "From now on, Yuli will be your new island owner!"
The guards quickly saluted Yuli, and the residents who witnessed Arias's decisive action against the Darnell clan also knelt in respect.
At the beach hut in Birka, when Yuli arrived with a team of guards to fetch her mother, Delia's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Island owner? Yuli, how did you become the island owner?"
She was still busy with cooking and hadn't anticipated such a dramatic change in her absence.
After Yuli's repeated explanations and the guards' affirmations, Delia was somewhat convinced.
"Mom, the woman who claimed to be the island owner's sister said that my father was the old island owner. Is that true?"
Yuli asked her mother quietly after dismissing the guards.
Delia fell silent, reluctant to revisit the painful past.
"Are all the Darnells dead?"
She finally asked, evading the question.
"Yes, Brother Arias killed them all, including a few three- and four-year-old children," Yuli replied.
Delia murmured softly, "Good riddance."
Understanding her mother's reaction, Yuli accepted the grim reality. She hugged her mother from behind and said, "Mom, we'll have a better life from now on."
Delia reflected on Arias's appearance and strength. Could he really be a god?
Yuli and Arias intended to take Delia to the island owner's mansion, but Delia requested to stay and finish preparing a cloud octopus dish before moving. She also needed to pack some things.
Arias stayed for dinner and instructed the captain of the guards to search for the strange-looking fruit.
"Each one you find will earn you 100 million X coins!"
Sky Island's currency, Extor, exchanges at a rate of ten thousand to one with Pele, making 100 million X coins equivalent to 10,000 Baileys—a considerable sum.
The search would be quicker if the entire island participated.
In a private house in Birka, a young man spotted a notice about the strange fruit reward.
"Strange fruit reward 100 million?"
He retrieved a golden fruit from his bedroom. Could this fruit be worth 100 million?
He wondered if it was the type of fruit Niijima was seeking. If Qinghai people were interested in it, it must be very valuable.
What would happen if he ate it?
The young man contemplated as he held the golden fruit.
Back at Yuli's home, Arias was treated with reverence by the mother and daughter. They no longer saw him as an ordinary Qinghai person.
He naturally took the main seat at the dinner table. Delia personally prepared and served a dish of cloud octopus with a carefully crafted sauce.
As Arias enjoyed the meal, he relished the delicious flavors, whether from the sea of clouds or Delia's exceptional cooking.
Delia and Yuli watched him, admiring his appearance as he ate with a large appetite. He devoured two-thirds of the enormous octopus, leaving only a few bites for them.
After the meal, Arias invited them to the island owner's mansion once more.
Delia said, "I'll pack my belongings; you go ahead."
Several guards stayed behind to help Delia, while Arias and Yuli returned to the mansion.
The mansion, once filled with corpses and blood, had been thoroughly cleaned by the maids. They worked with renewed diligence after witnessing Arias's decisive actions.
In the former island owner's room, everything had been replaced, and the space was now ready.
"I'll rest and get accustomed to the role of island owner," Arias said, smiling as he invited Yuli to go about her tasks.
He took out his electric worm and reported to Hancock, assuring her of his safety and promising to return soon.
After ending the call, he received another from Long.
"Your Excellency Arias, Big Bear has arrived at the foot of Mariejois Mountain and is ready to pick you up at any time. Our forces will be in place tomorrow to attack Marine branches worldwide."
"I'm also near Enies Lobby. When can we proceed?"
Arias responded, "Ginny is secure and hiding near the prison. But I heard Marine Admiral Sengoku is leading an elite navy to support Mariejois. CP agents and Marine reinforcements are also en route."
"You need to attack quickly to hold them back!" Long agreed. "Also, release the slaves imprisoned in the prison!"
After hanging up, Arias lay back on the bed, exhausted as night fell.
Just as he was about to rest, the door creaked open. Yuli, with her hair slightly damp and wearing a beautiful pair of pajamas, stood at the entrance, looking bashful.
"Brother Arias…"
Her face turned red as she hesitated to speak.
Arias considered for a moment and then waved her in. "Come in."