Cooperation

"Paddy, have you really thought this through? This guy is Navy. Will he really thank you for protecting him?"

"Yeah! Paddy, if you team up with us, kill him, and take the key, we'll have a chance to survive with that house!"

"Paddy, that woman Mia is out of her mind. Don't be swayed by her."

Mosen listened to the eager prisoners trying to recruit the prisoner who was as round as a ball and felt a bit surprised.

Originally, Mosen thought that the female prisoner named Paddy should be among the top fighters in Extreme Cold Hell, but now it seemed he had underestimated her.

These prisoners were all pirates with bounties over 100 million. If Paddy wasn't strong enough to crush them, they would never have acted so "obediently."

Facing the prisoners' recruitment attempts, Paddy's attitude remained unchanged. She would do as Mia said.

Helpless, the prisoners could only turn their attention to Mia.

However, before they could say much, Military Wolf arrived.

Seeing the Military Wolf outside with fierce eyes and drooling, the prisoners who had just been clamoring to kill Mosen immediately cowered. Before Mosen could speak, they scattered and fled, leaving only Mia, the other two, and Mosen at the scene.

"Why did you help me?" Mosen asked expressionlessly.

"Because we want to live," Mia replied without hesitation.

"So that was your plan from the beginning? Did you approach me for this reason?"

"That's right. I saw through your intentions right away. You wanted to establish your authority by picking a prisoner, to better control Extreme Cold Hell. Warden, I think we can help you. Can you give us a chance?

Paddy is incredibly strong; no one in Extreme Cold Hell can beat her in a one-on-one fight. I'm proficient in Observation Haki and medicine. These two cripples also have their own strengths. We are all very useful tools."

"What if I refuse?" Mosen asked after a moment of silence.

"Then there's nothing we can do. We can only say we bet wrong."

"Bet?"

"Sigh! Warden, you might not know this, but the four of us are a bit different from the other prisoners. In short, because of what happened before we were captured, the four of us are ostracized by the other prisoners.

If it weren't for Paddy's immense strength, they might have killed us long ago.

Furthermore, with the harsh environment of Extreme Cold Hell, if we can't band together with the other prisoners, we'll have to change to survive.

Warden, you are our only option," Mia said with a serious tone.

"What did you guys do before you were captured? Why do these prisoners ostracize you?"

Mia gave a wry smile and began to recount the four of them's experiences.

Mosen's expression turned peculiar after listening. One of them followed a Mink captain around, robbing the rich to help the poor; another beat up a Celestial Dragon and left the Navy, yet still protected civilians; one used Golden Lion's reputation to protect his country; and the last one specialized in double-crossing, acting like a bounty hunter.

Calling them pirates would be an insult to the profession.

After hearing their stories, Mosen recalled how the four of them seemed to be on the outside when he used food to incite conflict among the pirates these past few days.

Of course, Mosen wouldn't believe them so easily. This pirate named Mia was very intelligent, deducing his intentions from just a few of his actions, knowing he wanted to kill the chicken to scare the monkeys. What he saw might have been a play staged by the four of them.

But regardless, these four had the potential to be won over.

And as Mia said, all four of them were useful.

Not to mention anything else, Paddy was powerful. Even with Seastone handcuffs, she could make prisoners fear her, indicating her Haki mastery was definitely not low. Mosen urgently needed someone to guide him in learning Haki.

In the world of One Piece, relying solely on Lineage Factors or Devil Fruit abilities wouldn't get you far. Haki was the most crucial foundation for becoming a strong individual.

With that thought, Mosen decided to take a gamble. He glanced at the four of them and said, "I can't trust you right now, but it's a fact that you stepped forward today.

How about this! From today on, we can cooperate. I'll provide you with some food, and you'll teach me some things."

Mia was stunned. She had thought Mosen would have them monitor other prisoners! If that were the case, they would be completely on the opposite side of the prisoners, cutting off all their escape routes, with no choice but to depend on Mosen.

"Is this young warden testing us?" Thinking this, Mia quickly said, "Warden, we can help you monitor the other prisoners."

"No need. We don't have much trust between us yet. Compared to you, I trust my own eyes more. When we understand each other better someday, I might let you help monitor other prisoners.

For now, you don't need to rush to pledge your loyalty to me, nor do you need to push yourselves to the opposite side of the other prisoners. Just teach me what I want to learn in peace."

"Then what do you want to learn?" Mia asked quickly.

"What are you all good at?" Mosen countered.

"My combat ability is average. I'm proficient in medicine and Observation Haki," Mia said.

"I'm an Animal-Human Fruit user, the Ancient Zoan type, Bowfin Pig form. I'm skilled in Armament Haki," Paddy added.

"I have some experience with firearms. You could say I'm a sniper!" said the one-armed pirate Ian.

"As for me, I was formerly with the Navy. I know a variety of things. I've mastered Soru, Shigan, and Rankyaku from the Six Powers, and I know some Armament and Observation Haki. I also know some swordsmanship, so I can barely be considered a swordsman," said the one-eyed pirate Michael.

Mosen's eyes lit up after hearing their words. What they knew were precisely the things Mosen lacked. In his years with the Navy, Mosen had only learned the Six Powers and Life Return. He was completely clueless about Haki and swordsmanship.

Paddy was skilled in Armament Haki, Mia in Observation Haki, Ian was a sniper, and Michael knew some swordsmanship.

With these four teaching him, Mosen felt his strength should see a leap in a short period.

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