Young Man, You're Not Bad

"Brother Ron, where are we going now?"

Hibari hugged Ron's arm, practically hanging off it.

"To find your grandma."

"Then I'll lead the way!"

Ron glanced down at her. "I've lived at headquarters for ten years. Do I need you to lead the way?"

Hibari puffed out her chest. "You can live here ten years and I can still lead!"

"All right, lead the way."

The nine-year-old girl immediately hopped ahead, hands behind her back and chin raised, looking for all the world like she was inspecting her own territory.

But just as they reached the intelligence building, a burst of cheers erupted from the training ground beside it.

"Vergo! He won again!"

Ron stopped in his tracks.

Vergo? He turned toward the sound.

In the middle of the training ground, a mushroom-haired Marine was slowly withdrawing his fist.

"This guy's already twenty-six. How is he tougher than us?"

"Keep it down. You wouldn't last one punch against him."

As Ron listened to the chatter around him, his gaze settled on the mushroom-haired Marine.

The recruit facing him clutched his wrist and struggled for a long time, but couldn't get back up.

"That's the fourth!"

"How does this guy train? He only enlisted recently!"

"I heard even Fleet Admiral Sengoku made a point of looking at his training records!"

The instructor stepped forward and signaled for the next person to enter.

The fifth recruit had barely charged forward with his fists clenched when Vergo stamped down and shot toward him.

His Soru was far from perfect, but it was fast enough that his opponent's punch swept through empty air.

Bang!

He struck back with a punch to the other man's forearm, knocking him three or four steps back. A faint layer of black rose over his fist.

"Armament Haki?!"

"Seriously? We haven't even figured out how to sense Haki yet!"

The instructor's eyes lit up, but then he barked, "That's enough!"

Vergo immediately held back and bent down to pull his opponent up.

"Sorry, I couldn't hold back in time."

He casually brushed the dust off the other man's clothes.

He had enlisted at twenty-six.

The timing matched up.

Vergo.

The mole Doflamingo had planted in the Marines.

Ron watched him bend down to help his opponent up, and the corners of his mouth slowly rose.

He really does put on a convincing act.

"Brother Ron, do you know him?" Hibari tugged at his shirt.

"Not yet."

"What do you mean, not yet?"

"Kids shouldn't ask so many questions."

"Hmph!"

On the training ground, someone noticed the tall figure in white outside the railing.

"Major Ron?!"

The shout made even the instructor whip his head around.

Vergo looked over too.

He knew Ron, of course. Even Doflamingo had specifically warned him that this was someone he must never provoke lightly.

Why is he suddenly staring at me?

Thoughts raced through Vergo's mind, but he showed nothing on his face.

He took the initiative to walk over, stood at attention, and gave a textbook salute.

"Major Ron!"

"What's your name?"

"Vergo. I enlisted not long ago."

"You've heard of me?"

"I doubt there's a young Marine at headquarters who hasn't heard of you."

After hearing that, Ron's smile grew wider.

The mole has come right to me. Why rush to pull him out?

"How long have you been training in Armament Haki?"

"I learned a little before enlisting, but I only began formal, systematic training after coming to headquarters."

"What about the Six Powers?"

"I've just begun to get the hang of Soru, but my Tekkai is still shaky."

Ron smiled. "Young man, you're not bad."

The corner of Vergo's mouth twitched.

Being called "young man" by a fifteen-year-old boy sounded strange any way he heard it.

Still, it looked like he had passed.

"Thank you, Major."

"Pack your things."

"Huh?"

"You're coming with me on a mission."

The training ground fell silent for a second, then erupted.

"Going to sea with Major Ron?!"

"He only just got here, and already?!"

"I knew this guy was going places!"

A fellow recruit beside him slapped Vergo hard on the shoulder. "Brother, you've made it! Don't forget us when you get back!"

Vergo's heart leaped.

He had been worried about finding a chance to climb the ranks, and now this major had come to him of his own accord.

If I can earn some merit on this mission...

He quickly straightened his back.

"Yes, Major!"

Ron smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "Wait for me at the harbor."

"Understood!"

Vergo turned and hurried away.

Hibari tilted her little face up at Ron. "You really like him?"

"Quite a bit."

"Why?"

"He's especially sensible."

The two reached the intelligence department, where Tsuru was bent over her desk, looking through documents.

Hearing them, she looked up, first at Ron, then at Hibari, before finally settling her gaze on Ron's face again.

"Ron? Why did you bring her here?"

"I picked her up on the way."

"You did not pick me up!"

Hibari ran over to Tsuru in a huff, tugged at her grandmother's sleeve, and complained.

Tsuru couldn't help laughing. She reached out and straightened her granddaughter's crooked little hat.

"Go on, what do you need from this old woman?"

"How did you know I needed something?"

"Whenever you smile like that, you're not here for a casual chat."

Hibari blinked. "But Brother Ron is always smiling."

"That makes it even more troublesome."

Ron: "..."

He put the orders on the desk.

"I've taken the North Blue arms case."

After reading the orders, Tsuru's expression grew more serious.

"Sengoku told you everything?"

"Mm."

Tsuru nodded and spread out a large map.

Several kingdoms, arms ports, merchant shipping routes, and underground exchanges were crisscrossed by a dense web of red lines. Many of those lines ended at the mark of the Donquixote Family.

"Why do you think this old woman has chased him for so long without ever catching him?"

Ron thought seriously for two seconds. "Because he's afraid you'll catch him and wash his heart clean, so he runs every time he sees you?"

"Quit being cheeky."

Tsuru tapped a port on the map.

"The moment a warship moves, the underground merchants get word. By the time we arrive, the goods have long since changed hands, and the ships have switched flags."

"And his String-String Fruit lets him escape using strings in the air. Sometimes, after we've spent months following a lead, he just abandons it. He can even discard his own men without a second thought."

"Not to mention that he used to be one of the Celestial Dragons."

Ron nodded after hearing her out.

"So he's really good at running away?"

Tsuru was at a loss for words for a moment.

"That's not wrong, if you put it that way."

"What a coincidence."

Ron grinned. "Catching people is what I'm best at."

"Don't underestimate him. He has Conqueror's Haki, and a group of utterly devoted officers under him."

"I know."

"And he's extremely quick-witted."

"I know that even better."

Ron's gaze fell on the thin line extending toward the New World on the map. "Has he already started getting involved with the New World's arms channels?"

Tsuru's hand paused.

"How did you know?"

"I guessed."

Tsuru pulled out a document suspiciously.

"There have indeed been preliminary dealings. One lead points to the Beasts Pirates, but they're still only at the stage of making contact."

Beside them, Hibari had long since grown bored and was sprawled across the desk, yawning. Ron rubbed her head.

"I have to go."

"To the North Blue?"

"Mm."

"Then you have to bring me candy when you come back too!"

"Why 'too'?"

"Brother Rosinante still owes me a bag!"

"Then go ask him for it."

"Help me remind him!"

Ron paused, then smiled and nodded.

"All right, I'll ask for it with interest."

The naval harbor.

The aide had finally managed to deliver the report back to headquarters, only to hear as soon as he disembarked that Ron was going to the North Blue again. He was beside himself.

Vergo, his mushroom hair in place and a pack on his back, was already standing ramrod straight beside the gangway.

"Major Ron! Ready!"

"Good."

Ron casually tossed him a mission summary.

"First, take a look at the destination."

"Yes, sir!"

Vergo turned to the first page.

[North Blue Underground Arms Investigation]

[Key lead: Donquixote Family]

Vergo's hand paused as he turned the page.

A moment later, he was back to normal.

Ron noticed and smiled.

"What's the matter? Nervous about your first mission out of headquarters?"

Vergo immediately looked up and gave a slightly stiff smile.

"A little, Major."

Ron patted him on the shoulder and headed straight aboard the warship.

"Don't be afraid."

"I'm here."

Vergo watched his upright figure from behind, his chest tightening for some reason.

"It's because you're here that I'm nervous..."

He suddenly had a feeling that this mission might not be as simple as he had imagined.