Temporary Freedom

In the hall reeking of blood and steeped in deathly silence, Reg's words were impassioned, impossible to refuse.

"I want to avenge my father and mother."

"I don't want to see Teacher Colin spend his whole life living under Charlotte Linlin's shadow."

"Jabra... the world is so big. I want to go see it!"

"Jabra..."

Jabra listened carefully to every word Reg said... Today, Reg seemed almost dazzling, impossible to look away from.

Few of the companions on Tower Forest Island ever spoke of their pasts... Jabra had never understood what drove Reg to train so madly, but now he did.

"Only happiness or hatred can make someone throw everything away."

Joey's words echoed in Jabra's mind... He agreed with them deeply.

Reg was clearly the latter... Hatred had carried him this far, and Jabra had no way to argue against it.

Once he joined P9, it would mean losing his freedom... No name, no past—only missions from his superiors.

Revenge and such would never be permitted... If he insisted on it, he would be deemed a traitor.

Rather than being constrained when that time came, faking his death and getting away now... really was the best choice.

Fortunately... the Sabaody Archipelago seemed to have awakened another dream within Reg.

Thinking of his excitement upon first seeing the Sabaody Archipelago, and Reg's astonished expression... Jabra scratched his head and grinned foolishly. "Big Brother, you'll survive, right?"

"Yeah!"

"Sorry..."

Reg's tone was resolute as he once again used so-called "revenge" to deceive everyone, yet he could not help feeling guilty inside... But it would not affect his decision.

"Then it's a promise... The next time we meet, please let me follow you, Big Brother!"

Jabra looked exceptionally serious... In truth, he wanted to leave with Reg right then.

But someone had to carry out Reg's plan, so he could not leave... Instead, he had to finish handling everything that came next.

"Have you made up your mind? What about your father...?"

"My father doesn't care whether I live or die... All he sees is power and status. This scar was what I got when I acted spoiled as a child."

Jabra pointed at the long scar over his left eye, his tone faintly mocking.

"Then it's a promise... Next time we meet, tell me some stories from your childhood." Reg held out his hand.

"Of course."

Smack... Jabra extended his hand, and he and Reg high-fived.

"Big Brother, go... We've delayed too long." After passing Reg, Jabra headed toward the dining hall.

"Yeah."

With reddened eyes, Reg entered the emergency passage Marcus had left beneath the floor... Jabra was risking his own life to help conceal the truth.

If it was discovered, Reg, who was outside, would not be in immediate danger... But Jabra would undoubtedly suffer brutal interrogation. Even if he endured it, the best possible outcome would still be death.

A deliberate act of his back then had earned him such a loyal little brother... Reg felt proud.

"Jabra... I'm definitely keeping you as a friend."

Reg clenched his fists and descended the underground stairs, then closed the entrance behind him... Marcus's Bear-Bear Fruit had instead made his plan even more perfect.

Especially since the four women had seen Marcus transform, and had also seen him get beaten until he coughed blood before fleeing in a bedraggled state.

Dying at the hands of a leader who had eaten a Devil Fruit... was not something too implausible.

Besides... the current commander of P9 was Spandam's father: Spandine.

The father and son were cut from the same cloth... Despicable, cowardly, and ruthless in their methods. As long as the mission was completed, he would not care whether anyone died.

The frozen children's bodies could also perfectly serve as a substitute for the body he would leave behind after his death... All it would take was one fire to burn this place down.

Reg had made arrangements for the slave women... Since he had chosen to save the four of them just now, he would not abandon them halfway through. If they were citizens of World Government member nations, they would simply be sent home.

If they were from non-member nations, Jabra would pay to buy them and send them to Tower Forest Island to work as maids... Without status or strength, they would not be able to survive in the outside world.

Working as maids was still better than being reclaimed by the World Government, sold off again, or sent to Tequila Wolf in the East Blue as laborers.

If they sought death, Jabra would grant it as well... Living was sometimes truly a form of suffering for them.

At the very least, Reg had not seen much desire to live in the eyes of that brown-haired, gray-eyed woman.

Splash, splash... As the seawater surged, a small boat that could fit only one person rowed out from a gap between enormous tree roots.

The exit of the passage in Marcus's room was actually connected to the seabed... The necessity of infiltrating and searching had been demonstrated perfectly at that moment.

Had they carried out the mission by any other means, the enemy would likely have escaped the moment his subordinates were killed...

Reg stared for a long time at the flames rising in the distance before turning away... At last, he was temporarily free.

If he chose to live quietly and made use of the knowledge he had learned on Tower Forest Island... then with a bit of luck, he could still live a stable life.

But Reg would not simply fade into obscurity like that... He wanted to leave his own mark on this world.

Especially since in a few years... the magnificent era known as the "Great Pirate Era" would begin!

Grrr... Reg had been brimming with lofty ambition just a moment ago, but the next moment, his stomach uncooperatively growled.

Scratching his head, Reg docked the boat by the shore, then pushed it away with the waves. He even used several Tempest Kicks to slice it apart and scatter the pieces... Next, he needed to choose one place to go among Areas 6, 1, 0, and 7.

Among these areas beyond Marine jurisdiction, filled with bounty hunters, pirates, and slave-trading organizations... only those few places had information houses. He needed to leave the Sabaody Archipelago without anyone noticing.

This knowledge was not recorded in books. Joey had mentioned it instead... As an agent, one could not rely solely on organizations or books for sources of intelligence.

This was also part of the island's history... Information houses generally disguised themselves as hotels, restaurants, and the like.

As long as one paid attention, they were not difficult to find... Reg slung his money bag over his shoulder and rubbed his chin. "Area 1, then."

Time was short... He needed to find somewhere to stay before dawn.

If he waited until daylight... a child wandering around an illegal area would practically be announcing that there was something suspicious about him.

He chose Area 1 because there was a bar there called "Shakky's Rip-off Bar"... And Area 16 was the closest to Area 1. He had no grudge against Shakky, and he was only a child. Surely he would not be harmed just for carrying 000 million Beri.

As he remembered, Shakky had said that she had washed her hands of that life over forty years ago—at the very least, in the year 1480. It was now 149... She had personally said that Garp had pursued her when she was young.

Garp had been at least 0 years old back then. Even if he had not yet reached the peak of his life, he must have already been very powerful.

The fact that she had escaped from Garp's hands... proved many things: that woman had strength, and she did not lack luck either.