Chapter 69:

A Proper Hunt

One Piece: The Black Ledger

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In the West Blue, at Marine Branch 158.

Inside the dojo, Gion trained until sweat poured from her.

When she finished the last set, she was drenched, as if she had just come out of the water.

As one of the few truly powerful women in the Marines, this kind of daily high-intensity training was inevitable.

After training, Gion returned to her room, put away her sword, then rinsed off in the bathroom.

Once she finished her shower, she sat on the sofa and closed her eyes to rest.

Ever since she accepted the requests from her two elders, she had spent almost all her time in the West Blue outside of official duties that required her to return to the Grand Line, even during leave.

This life had continued for more than two years.

In her view, whether she was at Headquarters or at a branch, it did not affect how she tempered her own strength.

If there was any difference, it was Colonel Robbie, who had recently been transferred to Branch 158. His constant attempts to curry favor had become truly annoying.

Purupuru...

The sound of the Den Den Mushi made Gion open her eyes.

She stood, walked over with long strides to the table where the Den Den Mushi rested, and picked up the receiver.

After the call connected, Wolf Rat's voice came from the other side.

"He took the bait."

"Good."

Gion sat forward slightly at Wolf Rat's report. Then she said in a low voice, "This is the final test. Are you confident you can seize the right timing?"

Wolf Rat fell silent.

Gion waited patiently for his answer.

"Yes."

After a moment, Wolf Rat's firm voice came through the receiver.

"Then I'll leave the timing of the operation to you."

With that, Gion handed Wolf Rat full discretion.

Even through the Den Den Mushi, Wolf Rat could feel the weight of that trust pressing toward him.

"Understood."

Wolf Rat gave a clear answer.

The Den Den Mushi call ended.

Gion slowly put down the receiver, thought for a moment, then dialed Vice Admiral Tsuru.

This time, perhaps, they were closer to an opportunity than ever before.

In Mad Hatter Town.

Wolf Rat hid the Den Den Mushi properly.

Thinking back on Corvin's detached reaction when he had cast the bait earlier, Wolf Rat had almost believed that Corvin truly was only an outsider named Usopp.

If Corvin had not then commissioned Tatamu to investigate Bege's gang, Wolf Rat might have believed it.

That commission was what let Wolf Rat confirm the fish had bitten.

"Sorry."

Wolf Rat suddenly murmured.

Through the information Gion had provided, Wolf Rat knew Corvin's identity and understood what had happened to him.

That information made Wolf Rat understand why Corvin had been killing pirates in town without any apparent reason.

In Wolf Rat's eyes, Corvin, who was being used as leverage against Phantom Gun, was fundamentally an innocent victim.

But Gion had not expressed any stance.

So Wolf Rat could not run his mouth.

He was a Marine. Obeying orders and completing missions was his duty.

Because of that, the resentment he had felt after being badly tricked by Corvin had already disappeared.

A little while later, Wolf Rat left his room and went downstairs, returning to his usual seat at the counter.

"Tatamu, get another bottle of Ashford rum in here soon."

Wolf Rat had drunk most of a bottle just now and found that he liked the taste.

"You haven't paid."

Tatamu pointed at the empty glass.

"It's just money."

Wolf Rat clicked his tongue and reached into his pocket.

Then he paused.

With an awkward smile, he said, "Put it on my tab."

Tatamu shook his head helplessly. After a while, he looked at the empty bottle of Ashford rum and began thinking.

Wolf Rat noticed Tatamu's movement and went still for a beat.

After spending day and night together, he knew that beneath Tatamu's bear-like appearance was an extremely delicate mind.

His deliberate behavior just now had probably allowed Tatamu to guess something.

Even so, Wolf Rat would not reveal a single word to him.

After leaving Nightfall, Corvin did not linger outside. He went straight back to the weapons shop.

Under Sunny's eye roll, he began his daily training.

Sneaking out might be fine.

Skipping training, however, would definitely get him hung up and beaten by Sol.

Bailey sat upright on the counter, holding hot tea in both paws as he leisurely watched Corvin sweat through training.

After two months of being fed by the shop, Bailey had grown a full size fatter. If he curled up, he looked almost exactly like a ball of meat.

Sunny set down her teacup and said lightly, "Pour tea."

"Yes, Boss Lady!"

Bailey quickly set down his own hot tea, picked up the teapot, and filled Sunny's cup.

Under Sunny's threats, Bailey had long since stopped calling her Mama and changed to Boss Lady instead.

Sunny picked up the hot tea, took a sip, and continued reading the newspaper.

Bailey set down the teapot gently, afraid that even a sound might disturb Boss Lady's reading.

After putting it down, he picked up his own cup again and leisurely watched Corvin train.

This kind of life was not bad either.

Mainly because the food was wonderful.

At noon, Corvin finally finished the day's training, and Sunny had prepared lunch.

But mealtime arrived, and Sol still had not returned.

The two of them were used to this, so they had no intention of waiting for him.

After lunch, they continued watching the shop.

As for cleaning up and washing dishes, that was Bailey's job now.

In the afternoon, Corvin began the monotonous reload training.

The afternoon wore on. Night fell, and Sol still had not appeared.

"Why hasn't Sol come back yet?"

Corvin stood by the kitchen counter, helping Sunny prepare ingredients for dinner.

"Probably went to move liquor."

Sunny stirred the meat soup in the pot with a spoon.

"Move liquor? From where?"

"An uninhabited island called Little Cutie. That's where Sol stores his liquor. And yes, he named it Little Cutie himself."

Corvin was speechless for a long moment.

"When will he be back?"

"Five days at the shortest."

Sunny tasted the soup, then said, "He's always like this. When he wants to move liquor alone, he leaves without saying a word."

"All right."

Corvin nodded.

Privately, he thought, 'What perfect timing.'

Late at night.

Sol still had not returned.

Clearly, as Sunny had said, he had most likely gone to Little Cutie Island to move liquor.

The opportunity could not be missed. Corvin geared up and came to the shelves inside the shop.

He looked left and right, then took Dark Crow in hand.

After two months without holding the blade, it actually felt a little unfamiliar.

"Tonight, let's have a proper hunt."

Corvin tucked Dark Crow at his waist, left the weapons shop, and headed toward the district.

The stack of bounty posters he had received from Tatamu that morning had already become names recorded in Hunter's Ledger.

Those names were basically pirates with bounties between five million and fifteen million. They were not worth spending energy investigating in detail.

The overall returns would be lower, but numbers could make up for that.

Corvin passed through the winding alleys and reached the street.

"Battleaxe Tavern, then."

After walking several streets, Corvin arrived at the long-missed entrance of Battleaxe Tavern.

He pushed the door open. The tavern was packed with noise, the smell of liquor, and hot air.

Corvin stood at the entrance and swept his gaze around the thriving tavern.

To outsiders, it looked as if he were searching for a seat.

In reality, he was searching for familiar prey.

At a table near the door, one pirate recognized Corvin and immediately slapped the companion beside him.

"It's Usopp..."

The pirates at that table whispered in surprise.

As if triggering a chain reaction, more and more pirates inside the tavern recognized Corvin.