Finish Him While He's Weak

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Something big?

Wolf Rat jolted, instantly guessing what Corvin meant.

"Something big? What does that mean?"

Pretending not to understand, Wolf Rat raised his glass and took a large drink.

Corvin narrowed his eyes slightly and said seriously, "There is a saying: when an enemy is weak, finish him."

Wolf Rat wanted to end the topic immediately.

"I've never heard that saying."

Corvin did not care at all.

"That's fine. Now you have."

"Wolf Rat, we don't have much time left. Sitting around and waiting to die isn't our style, so we need to strike first. While Kazt and Aibe are injured, we take them out."

Corvin's expression was solemn. His hand chopped down through the air, and his voice carried a hard edge.

"Otherwise, once they recover, they'll definitely come after us first."

Wolf Rat lowered his head and fought the urge to smash his glass over Corvin's skull.

'If not for you, you rotten bastard, would I even need to worry about this right now?'

'And I gave you information on Aibe and Kazt out of goodwill so I could get closer to you, not so I could risk my life beside you!'

Seeing Wolf Rat lower his head and say nothing, Corvin pressed the advantage. He reached out and placed a hand on Wolf Rat's shoulder.

Wolf Rat's body shook slightly. He looked up at Corvin and saw a face full of noble purpose.

Meeting Wolf Rat's conflicted look, Corvin said with complete seriousness, "Wolf Rat, I don't actually fear Kazt or Aibe coming after me. But I am worried about your safety. We're friends, and I can't just sit by and ignore it."

"I know this will be difficult. I know it will be dangerous. But for a friend, what does danger matter?"

"So don't worry, Wolf Rat. I swear on the name Usopp that no matter how dangerous it is, I, Usopp, will help you settle this."

Wolf Rat stared blankly at Corvin's emotional performance, as if he had been shaken to the core.

No. He really had been shaken.

How could someone twist the truth that shamelessly?

In the middle of that shock, Wolf Rat suddenly realized something crucial.

'That's right. With Phantom Gun backing him, Usopp doesn't need to worry about Aibe and Kazt retaliating. I'm different.'

'No. I can't let Usopp drag me in. Aibe and Kazt want him, not me. What am I afraid of?'

But...

Wolf Rat remembered what had happened inside Battleaxe Tavern.

The thought that he had taken the initiative to block Kazt made him want to slap himself.

Regret came far too late.

Once he realized that Corvin truly did not need to fear Aibe's or Kazt's revenge, Wolf Rat finally woke up to the fact that the person in danger had been himself all along.

Wolf Rat cried.

Real tears came out.

"You're right! If they're weak, we finish them. Instead of waiting for them to come for revenge, we take them out first and end it once and for all! Usopp, I never thought you would care this much about me. I..."

Once he understood the situation, Wolf Rat jumped into the act. His expression hardened with resolve, then shifted into tearful gratitude.

Corvin slapped Wolf Rat's shoulder heavily, then raised his glass to him.

"Say no more. It's all in the drink."

"Cheers!"

Full of bitterness, Wolf Rat clinked his glass against Corvin's.

Behind the counter, Tatamu lowered his eyes, hiding the smile that had risen on its own.

Strictly speaking, he was a complete outsider.

Because of that, he could see clearly that Wolf Rat had dug a pit and waited for Corvin to fall into it, only for Corvin to guide Wolf Rat into the pit step by step before ever jumping in himself.

Corvin and Wolf Rat each drained their glass.

Tatamu took out a bottle of white rum and poured them another round.

"On me."

"Thanks."

Corvin did not want to drink more, but he still thanked Tatamu for the drink.

He slowly turned the glass in his hand, looked at Wolf Rat, and said seriously, "Wolf Rat, the longer this drags on, the worse it is for you. We should move tonight. What do you think?"

Wolf Rat silently cursed him for being shameless. After a long pause, he agreed.

"I think so too."

At this point, he figured that since they were dealing with pirates anyway, he might as well accept it.

Besides, Aibe and Kazt were both major pirates with bounties over thirty million. If they could kill them here, that would not be a bad thing.

As a former Marine, once Wolf Rat weighed the advantages and disadvantages, he found the plan workable.

He was alone here. That meant Corvin was essentially free help.

Corvin did not know what Wolf Rat was thinking. He understood that a risk based only on possible future retaliation was not enough to make Wolf Rat give his full effort. Besides, Aibe and Kazt had to die by Corvin's own hand.

"Wolf Rat, I've thought it through. I'll handle the most dangerous assassination work. You only need to find a way to draw away Aibe's and Kazt's subordinates."

"This..."

Wolf Rat looked at Corvin in surprise.

Corvin continued, "Of course, saying that now is empty talk. The urgent matter is gathering as much information as possible. Even if it doesn't raise our chance of success, at least it can lower the risk."

At this point, Corvin let a troubled look surface. He picked up Dark Crow beside him and sighed.

"The problem is that I just bought this blade from Tatamu. I only have a few tens of thousands of Berries left. I doubt I can buy much information now. Wolf Rat, do you..."

"I don't have money."

Wolf Rat told the truth.

With his identity as an undercover Marine, whatever money he earned in daily life had to be spent quickly.

Otherwise, if he died one day by accident, all the money he had earned would have been wasted.

"You don't have money either? Then there's nothing we can do."

Corvin sighed. He had been hoping to pry some money out of Wolf Rat.

Wolf Rat grimaced slightly.

"I don't have money, but I do know some information about them."

"Oh?"

Corvin perked up.

A path opened after all.

He wanted to buy information partly to lower the risk and partly to increase the returns from Hunter's Ledger.

When the topic turned to intelligence, Wolf Rat acted as if he had taken command and said carefully, "Listen. Among the pirate crews currently stationed in Mad Hatter Town, there are seven crews with captains whose bounties exceed fifty million Berries. Aibe's crew and the Sharp-Horn Pirates are two of them."

"Aibe and Kazt themselves are pirates with bounties over thirty million. Under each of them are several cadres with bounties over ten million. If we want to assassinate Aibe and Kazt, those factors have to be included."

"Among those cadres, the one most worth watching is Ragren, with a bounty of nineteen million. He was one of Kazt's cadres and a skilled swordsman."

As he spoke, Wolf Rat watched Corvin's expression without making it obvious.

Mentioning Ragren on purpose was one small test.

Corvin's face shifted, and he said seriously, "A nineteen-million-Berry swordsman? We really do need to watch him."

This was exactly the kind of prey he wanted. Even if he could not kill Kazt, killing Ragren would still be a huge gain.

Wolf Rat took in Corvin's reaction and said calmly, "Fortunately, Ragren was killed some time ago."

Corvin stared at him.

'If he's already dead, why bring him up?'

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