Leverage

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Settle in, take your time, and let's see what waits in the dark 🖤

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Only a handful of people in all of Marine Headquarters could walk into Garp's room without knocking.

Tsuru, with gray-white hair and a face full of wrinkles, was one of them.

She entered the room and shut the door behind her.

Garp flipped the newspaper over and pressed it flat on the desk. His attempt to hide it was so obvious that he might as well have written nothing happened on his face.

Although Garp moved quickly, Tsuru had still seen the photo and name listed as the headline at the top of the newspaper.

"Portgas D. Ace. A rookie pirate who's recently made a name for himself, and one carrying the name D. What is his relationship to you?"

Tsuru walked to the desk and looked at Garp with an assessing gaze.

"Tsuru..."

Garp laughed awkwardly. In that brief moment, he had no idea how to respond.

He did not even dare let Sengoku know the secret of Ace's birth, yet Tsuru had accidentally noticed.

Under that assessing gaze, it felt as though nothing could be hidden.

"Do you want a donut?"

Garp picked up a donut from the plate and tried to change the subject with terrible skill.

Tsuru did not even glance at the donut.

"If you don't want to say it, I won't dig."

"Hahaha!"

Garp let out a breath and tossed the donut into his mouth.

Looking at carefree Garp, Tsuru shook her head helplessly and went straight to why she had come.

"Gion sent word."

"Hm?"

Garp's face turned serious. He swallowed the donut in a few bites, sat straighter without thinking, and asked, "About Phantom Gun?"

"Yes."

Tsuru nodded.

"According to the report, the timing still isn't right, but there is a very clear opportunity."

"Go on."

Garp's expression grew solemn as he waited.

"There is another piece of leverage that can pressure Phantom Gun. This new one carries real weight. At the very least, it is worth Phantom Gun stepping in to protect."

"Hm..."

Garp rubbed his chin and considered it.

Tsuru's tone remained calm.

"However, we still need to see whether the timing is right. You've waited this many years. A little longer won't hurt. Don't rush."

"I understand."

Garp frowned as he answered.

Tsuru looked at the rarely serious Garp.

"You could tell Sengoku about this. Even putting his office aside, he could still give you considerable help."

"Forget it. This is my personal wish, after all. And it's only for dealing with an old pirate who retired years ago. Even if Phantom Gun is..."

Garp shook his head and said heavily, "From the Marines' position, it wouldn't be reasonable to waste resources on him. Among those remnants, Phantom Gun is the only one whose name never became widely known."

Tsuru nodded gently.

"From a personal position, I also hope Phantom Gun can be dealt with, even if he has already left the sea behind. Besides, we cannot rule out the possibility that this new leverage will become his direct disciple."

Garp took a bite from a fresh donut and said seriously, "If that's the case, stopping it early wouldn't be a bad thing."

Tsuru said lightly, "If he can be eliminated in time, then under the current circumstances, it naturally wouldn't be a bad thing. But if a second Phantom Gun appears, you and I won't be the only ones with a headache."

"Of course."

Garp's face tightened under the pressure.

Tsuru said, "There is one thing that concerns me."

"What?"

"This new piece of leverage seems unusually fond of killing pirates."

"Hm?"

Garp looked at Tsuru without understanding.

"Don't look at me like that. The information is limited. Even I can't analyze the motive or reason."

"All right."

"Also, the Revolutionary Army has had some contact with that island. It should be for the purpose of freeing the slaves there."

"Oh."

At the mention of the Revolutionary Army, Garp's rigid body slowly relaxed. His reaction was cold enough to be obvious.

Tsuru understood the hidden relationship between Garp and the Revolutionary Army, so she was not surprised by his response.

"When the time comes, something unexpected may happen."

Garp fell silent.

At Sol's weapon shop.

Corvin gripped Dark Crow and moved through thrusts and cuts inside the shop. The forms looked convincing enough at a glance.

After warming up, he looked toward Sunny behind the counter and asked, "Well?"

Sunny silently looked away. She did not want to comment on that clumsy sword work.

Corvin turned instead toward Bailey beside the counter.

Driven by his will to live, Bailey praised him against his conscience.

"Sharp and imposing. Fine swordsmanship!"

Corvin smiled faintly.

Still, he knew his own level. If tonight's hunt went smoothly, his sword proficiency would definitely rise sharply.

Sheathing Dark Crow, Corvin walked to the counter.

"Sunny, help me estimate how much Dark Crow is worth."

Sunny silently took Dark Crow and studied it for a while.

"Average quality. Its price should be around six hundred to eight hundred thousand Berries. If we sold it in the shop, we could mark it at one million two hundred thousand."

"Not bad. At least I didn't lose money."

Corvin accepted Dark Crow with satisfaction. Of course, he was not going to put it in the shop to sell.

For a beginner with a sword, having a blade like this early on was good enough.

Once he became stronger, he could look for a fine blade.

If he ever obtained the Arms-Arms Fruit, he could even use a more unusual living blade.

"Right. Don't tell Sol about this."

Sunny stayed silent.

Corvin took her silence as agreement and went upstairs, preparing to hide Dark Crow properly.

Sunny watched his back for a moment, then muttered, "I didn't agree."

In his room, Corvin looked around the rather empty space and could not find a good place to hide a sword on short notice.

After looking around, the only option seemed to be under the blanket.

After hiding Dark Crow, Corvin did not hurry downstairs. Instead, he summoned the black ledger and wrote down the information on Kazt and the others' abilities.

[Sini Kazt]

[User of the Zoan-type Ox-Ox Fruit, Model: Yak.]

[Technique 1: Black Hoof. Gathers force in the arm for a short burst, then strikes the target with a hardened hoof-hand.]

[Technique 2: Savage Charge. Uses the hard horns on his head to stab the target between attacks.]

[Technique 3: Double Strike. Strikes with both hooves at once, targeting the throat and abdomen.]

[Taylor Gabton]

[Skilled with a blade.]

[Technique 1: Shatter Slash. Five high-speed cuts focused on a single point.]

[Technique 2: Ground Sweep. Catches the target off guard by cutting at the knee joint, setting up victory.]

[Andy Wells]

[Skilled with firearms.]

After writing concise but detailed intelligence, Corvin dismissed the black ledger.

When recording information, he did not need long essays. He only had to pick out the important points and describe them clearly, without wasting pages.

"Bounty posters really are convenient. They even list surnames. Without surnames, I'd lose part of the key return."

"Next, I just need to wait patiently until midnight."

This was the most detailed target intelligence he had gathered so far.

Thinking of the returns waiting in the future, Corvin found himself looking forward to tonight's hunt.

He could hardly wait for the feeling of fulfillment that came from gripping a sword hilt to become clearer.

He now had a basic plan for the road ahead.

Unless necessary, he would use guns at range first. Once an enemy closed in, he would draw a blade.

The day passed without incident, and night fell.

After patiently waiting until after eleven, Corvin put on his equipment. After a moment of thought, he brought Dark Crow too.

He quietly left the weapon shop and slipped alone into the night.

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