The three branch leaders under Rodger, including Rodger himself, of the Black Tiger Pirates were dead. The remaining gang members either met the same fate or were captured by Hank and the others, subsequently thrown into the family's dungeons. With that taken care of, Bege swiftly moved to purge the remaining three branches of the Capone Family.
A merciless cleansing swept across Sassi Island. Gunfire echoed incessantly, terrorizing the residents into staying locked inside their homes. The vast majority of the three branches were slaughtered, any dissenting factions completely uprooted. Sassi Island was silenced, all opposition crushed. From this day forward, Rod's branch would be the sole voice of the Capone Family, and of Sassi Island itself.
After a single night of bloody carnage, hundreds lay dead. Their lifeless bodies, cold and stiff, were loaded onto a large ship and hauled out to sea. Bound with stones, they were dumped like garbage into the vast ocean, destined to become food for the ferocious sea creatures. Within days, nothing would remain but bare bones.
With the internal dissent on Sassi Island quelled, the next target was the Black Tiger Pirates. Bege had already used Rodger's Den Den Mushi to provoke Lilos, the captain of the Black Tiger Pirates. Now, the pirate crew was sailing towards Sassi Island, and Bege's only task was to wait for their arrival and annihilate them.
Two days later, the Black Tiger Pirates' ships appeared on the horizon. There were two vessels in total. The leading ship, adorned with a massive black tiger head ram at its prow, was the Black Tiger Pirates' flagship. Trailing behind was a smaller ship, belonging to a minor pirate crew that had submitted to the Black Tiger Pirates.
The two pirate ships sped towards Sassi Island, rapidly approaching the harbor.
Bege, having received the news, had already arrived at the port. He stood there, a smile playing on his lips, as he watched the two ships dock and waited for the hundred-odd pirates to disembark.
A burly man led the charge. He was powerfully built, his face a mask of brutality. His eyes gleamed with malice. He wore chainmail armor, a broadsword strapped to his waist, and he strode forward with the confidence of a predator.
This menacing figure was none other than Lilos, captain of the Black Tiger Pirates.
"So, you're the Capone Bege who dared to provoke me?!" Lilos roared, his eyes, wide and fierce like a bull's, fixed on Bege. Malice flashed within them.
"That's right. Lilos, captain of the Black Tiger Pirates, today is the day you die," Bege replied, a cheerful smile still plastered on his face.
The malice in Lilos's eyes intensified, his face contorting with rage. "Big words for a little puppy! You actually think you can kill me?"
" Ajehan was only the fifth-ranked fighter under my command. You think that just because you killed him, you have the right to challenge me? How laughable. Today, I'll paint Sassi Island red with blood! I'll use the heads of every member of your Capone Family to honor Ajehan's memory!" Lilos abruptly drew the broadsword at his waist. With a flash of light, he charged forward. His speed, combined with his imposing size, created an overwhelming sense of pressure.
Bege's eyes, however, suddenly lit up with excitement. He dashed forward, vanishing in an instant.
Three paces later, the two collided. Both of their bodies momentarily froze, their feet planted firmly on the ground.
Bege easily caught Lilos's ferocious slash.
Lilos was a hulking giant, standing over two meters tall. Bege, on the other hand, was barely 1.7 meters. The visual impact of their clash, with Lilos towering over Bege, was intensely intimidating.
However, that intimidation was completely lost on Bege. A disdainful smirk curled his lips. "Is that all the strength you've got? A pirate with a 50 million berry bounty can only muster this much?"
"You're asking for it!" Lilos roared, his eyes burning even brighter with rage. He swung his broadsword at Bege.
The two blades clashed, each impact sending sparks flying.
Bege's eyes were sharp and focused, his swordsmanship fluid and effortless, creating flashes of cold light in the air. He blocked every one of Lilos's heavy strikes.
However, Lilos's experience was evident. He wasn't just mindlessly swinging; he incorporated various sword techniques into his attacks. Some of these moves were quite cunning, catching his opponent off guard and proving extremely difficult to deal with.
Unfortunately for him, his opponent was Bege, a master of Observation Haki, honed by countless life-or-death battles on Monster Island. Every single one of Lilos's attacks, every sword technique, was blocked by Bege.
Two minutes later, Bege brought his sword down in a powerful slash. Lilos's expression changed, and he swiftly moved to the left.
Whoosh!
A burst of sword energy erupted from the blade, slicing through the ground and leaving a gaping fissure.
"Is that all a 50 million berry pirate has to offer? I know you're a Devil Fruit user. Hurry up and use your Devil Fruit powers," Bege said, shaking his head in disappointment.
Lilos's expression turned serious. Bege's displayed strength had made him wary. His body rapidly transformed. In an instant, he became a humanoid black tiger, his height swelling to three meters. Raw, untamed power radiated from him.
He was a user of the Tora Tora no Mi, Black Tiger Model.
His fierce tiger eyes locked onto Bege, brimming with savage bloodlust. He lunged forward, his speed more than doubling. Bege only saw a massive black shadow bearing down on him, followed by the piercing sound of a sonic boom as the broadsword came crashing down with overwhelming force.
Bege's gaze hardened, his entire body tensing. A prickling sensation ran across his scalp. He raised his sword to block the attack.
BANG!
The immense force slammed into his sword, sending Bege flying backward, skidding across the ground for over ten meters. His entire arm throbbed with a dull ache.
"See that? That's my power! Kid, don't get cocky just because you have a little skill. On the Grand Line, you're still wet behind the ears," Lilos sneered.
Bege spat out his cigar, a wide grin splitting his face, his eyes burning with the thrill of battle.
"Now that's more like it. If you didn't even have the strength to put up a fight, killing you would be too boring."
"You arrogant fool," Lilos growled, enraged by Bege's words. He charged at Bege again, his ferocity unleashed.
"Tiger Hunt!"
Lilos swung his broadsword forward in a savage slash. A massive black tiger materialized and charged. This "Tiger Hunt" sword technique was the only one he knew, and he'd only learned it because of his Tora Tora no Mi abilities.
The Tiger Hunt was incredibly ferocious and aggressive.
Bege's eyes lit up. He thrust his sword forward in a lightning-fast lunge. A gigantic rhinoceros appeared, charging forward.
"One Sword Style – Rhinoceros Charge!"
The massive rhinoceros, with its horn lowered, slammed into the black tiger, causing it to explode. The rhinoceros continued its charge towards Lilos.
Lilos's expression shifted again. He gripped his sword tightly and slashed at the charging rhinoceros, splitting it apart.
Suddenly, his face contorted in shock. He shifted his body to the left, just as a sword sliced past his waist. It had missed him by a hair's breadth.
Lilos's tiger tail lashed out at Bege, who dodged the attack. The tail slammed into the ground, shattering the stone. The sheer power of the blow was evident.
Bege flicked his sword, holding it momentarily above his head before bringing it down in another devastating slash.
"Great Buddha Slash!"