"The higher-ups have ordered to evacuate all of us from the city—not just us two."
"All the Underworld Mafia families as well."
"The top levels of Heaven's Arena have taken action."
"They are extremely dissatisfied with our recent actions."
"If we continue, they'll retaliate against the entire Underworld Mafia."
Greed's expression stiffened.
Greed held little regard for the new competitors in Heaven's Arena.
However, Heaven's Arena itself was not to be underestimated.
Especially those Floor Masters and Arena Leaders.
Even the Shadow Beasts might not be able to handle them.
Greed glared at Knock.
"Didn't you say the Divine Heart Dojo had no strong ties to the higher-ups in Heaven's Arena?"
By now, Greed was no longer suspecting bounty hunters or people like Ron and Nina. He was certain that the ones who killed Gluttony and Sloth were the top officials of Heaven's Arena.
Likewise, those who killed Rage and Envy were also from the higher-ups at Heaven's Arena.
Knock felt helpless, and wronged, but with the situation as it was, he had no way to explain it.
No one would believe him.
"Evacuate. Evacuate immediately!"
Ron's eyebrows rose slightly; he hadn't expected things to turn out this way. Rage and Envy had, of course, been killed by Baki Hanma and Chii on Ron's orders.
But he hadn't anticipated that Heaven's Arena officials would get involved.
With this, Greed and Lust decided to retreat.
Ron didn't need to take any further action.
Knock returned to the Ding William family to give notice.
The other families affiliated with the Underworld Mafia, upon hearing the news, felt infuriated. They had done nothing and were conducting their business peacefully, only to be struck by this unwarranted disaster.
Their hatred toward Knock intensified.
In the dead of night, a convoy of vehicles began to depart one after another.
Ron glanced at the crystal ball before him.
Due to these events, the progress displayed on the crystal ball had increased slightly.
It was now at three per cent.
Greed approached him.
"Interested in following me?"
"Greed-senpai, what do you mean?"
"Your talent is impressive. There's now a vacancy in the Seven Deadly Sins. Your character is a lot like mine. In you, I see a reflection of my former self."
"To have caught Greed-senpai's attention, I'm quite flattered."
"But, Greed-senpai, I'm not ready to give up on Heaven's Arena."
Greed smiled, seemingly more satisfied.
"You don't need to give it up; you can balance both."
"If you'd given up Heaven's Arena because of my invitation, I'd be disappointed instead."
"The rules at Heaven's Arena, if I remember correctly, require you to fight at least once every three months, right? How long has it been since your last match?"
"Nearly three months."
"But I have to leave tonight."
"Greed-senpai, then could you give me an address? I'll register for a match tomorrow, and I'll come over as soon as it's finished."
"Alright, that's acceptable."
Greed and the other Underworld Mafia members left.
Thus, the matter stemming from Kyler came to an official end.
Ron returned to Heaven's Arena, standing by the window overlooking the city below.
Ron handled everything seamlessly.
Due to his social connections, Greed and Lust held a slight suspicion towards him.
But this was unavoidable.
Nina and Kyler's blood relation couldn't be severed.
Even if someone else handled it, they wouldn't necessarily do as well as Ron.
"In this operation, Chii's ability played a critical role."
"Killer Queen and Baki also contributed, though to a lesser extent."
"But they were still essential."
Ron registered for a battle the following night.
His opponent was a new competitor with an overconfident attitude.
In just a few moves, Ron defeated him on the stage.
"Nina, while I'm away, just focus on training, competing, and growing."
"Understood, big brother."
Nina seemed to have recovered from Kyler's death.
Ron turned to Shizuku.
"Shizuku, stay in the room and don't go out. If you need food, just call the restaurant. If you get bored, you can read some books or watch TV."
As for Shizuku learning Nen, Ron thought it best to teach her personally.
Nina's understanding of Nen wasn't very profound.
Even Ron himself wasn't much of an expert in Nen.
He only knew the basic and one advanced technique.
Gyo, Ten, Ren, Zetsu, Hatsu.
For higher-level Nen techniques, he'd have to wait until the one-year agreement with Maha Zoldyck concluded, then return to the Zoldyck Estate, where Maha would train him.
"Goodbye, big brother."
He then boarded an airship headed to the city Greed had mentioned.
It was a heavily industrial city.
Factories were everywhere.
Thick smoke billowed out.
The entire sky was stained a dark grey.
Even on clear days, the sun was barely visible.
The air was thick with smog.
Ron disembarked from the airship. Where he saw Greed was already waiting outside.
Greed personally drove, with Ron seated in the front passenger seat.
They sped down the road. Greed remained quiet through the entire drive
Before long, they stopped at the entrance to a large estate.
A butler opened the gate, and Greed drove in.
"Go to the second floor. Pick any room that's empty, and once you've put down your luggage, I'll take you to the training grounds."
"Understood, Greed-senpai."
He glanced at the crystal ball in his hand, and as he entered the city, he could feel it.
The crystal ball was continuously absorbing the surrounding energy.
It was happening much faster than when he was with the Ding William family.
And it showed no signs of stopping at a certain point.
A thought flashed in Ron's mind.
It seemed that this entire city might be under the control of the Underworld Mafia.
This city was likely built by the Underworld Mafia.
After all, Greed was a member of the Seven Deadly Sins.
And this place appeared to be where he often stayed.
The entire city was permeated with a Mafia-like atmosphere.
Greed led the way to the backyard and into the training grounds.
The training grounds were vast and well-equipped, even better than what Heaven's Arena provided for its fighters.
Greed sat cross-legged on the ground.
Ron sat across from him.
"In you, I see a younger version of myself."
"Like me, you are driven by greed."
"Others may see this as a flaw, but I see no problem with it."
"Greed is merely a type of desire."
"The stronger a person's desire, the further they can go on the path of Nen."
"The reason I brought you here is simple: I want to help you grow and bring you into the Seven Deadly Sins."
"I see great potential in you."