Little Scamp

"A piece of low-grade cocoa butter chocolate weighing less than five ounces, and you dared ask for a thousand Berries?! Bred, are you some heartless capitalist? This stuff only costs a few dozen Berries outside the academy!"

The lively, freckled girl was furious. Relying on her developmental advantage, she slammed the table viciously and glared down at Bred, trying to pressure the man everyone had recently agreed was a "skinner" into taking back what he had said.

Bred's smuggling operation had officially begun and business was booming. Supplies were scarce, after all, and teenagers had far less self-control than adults.

"Tia?" Bred said calmly. "That's outside the academy! There's no chocolate inside the academy. Only we can fly back and forth to the outskirts of Mary Geoise while management isn't paying attention. We have stable channels and startup capital, so we can get everyone what they want. S~ You have to understand that prices rise appropriately according to demand and scarcity."

The girl nearly lost her mind. "..." Appropriately? What the hell did he mean, appropriately? And he had the nerve to say that?!

"Crunch, crunch~"

As the girl gritted her teeth in hatred, her sharp ears caught an odd sound. She caught sight of Tornado, sitting on the windowsill and casually swinging her short legs, chocolate wrappers in her hands and her cheeks stuffed full like a greedy hamster. Especially when she caught the faint, cloying sweetness drifting through the air, she couldn't help swallowing. The two sides battling in her mind were instantly decided as her "foodie spirit" defeated the "rational faction."

"Five bars of chocolate! Put it on my tab. I'll pay after vacation, when I have money," the girl huffed, cursing as she raised a middle finger. "Sooner or later, the Price Bureau will arrest you, hang you from the execution platform, and chop off your head, you 'skinner'! Criminal!"

Bred shrugged and waved the law book in his hand. "Malicious price gouging only carries a fine at most. It doesn't count as a crime. Besides, the government already abolished the death penalty for most crimes, and the Price Bureau has no authority to interfere in any Cipher Pol affairs. I read a lot. You can't fool me."

"Thank you for your patronage." Mosquito Girl smiled as she handed over the chocolate, bowed, and held out her hand. "Please come again."

The girl: "..."

After seeing the customer off, Bred went back to reading and said absentmindedly, "Don't get too obsessed with snacks. They're bad for your teeth."

"￥%...≈ap;ap;ap;ap;ap;ap;ap;ap;ap;*(#)~~~" Tornado swallowed her chocolate and, true to her usual tsundere nature, said, "Snacks... Who's obsessed with snacks? I'm not obsessed! How can a child's business count as obsession... Waaaah~~~"

Bred shook his head helplessly.

Unsurprisingly, Tornado was also part of Bred's smuggling ring. Even the academy didn't dare search her room or Mosquito Girl's room lightly, making them perfect storage warehouses. Her reputation and strength were enough to keep certain ill-intentioned brats obediently paying through the nose, without the nerve to play tricks. The price was that she could eat and take whatever she wanted for free.

Boss, investor—Bred.

Procurement employee, shop girl, enforcer—Mosquito Girl.

Shop landlord, major force of social darkness—Tornado.

The smuggling team's detailed division of labor.

"Knock, knock."

Someone knocked on the door.

A dark-skinned, green-eyed boy with an old-looking face poked his head in, seeming somewhat shy and awkward.

"Oh? Tubal Cain, your playing cards and cigarettes." Bred waved his hand, and Mosquito Girl cheerfully brought over the playing cards and cigarettes.

The boy, whose full name was Tubal Cain Alhambra, rubbed the side of his nose and said stiffly, "I'll pay you back later."

"It's fine! Just ask if there's anything you want. Whether you pay me back in the future doesn't really matter..." Bred said without looking up from his book. "What matters is remembering this friendship between companions. Though it's very, very meager, I did my utmost to help you through the poorest and hardest period of your life, enriching it! Anyway, have fun, and hide those cigarettes well."

Tubal Cain nodded repeatedly. Maybe he felt guilty about accepting something from someone else? Bred made him feel an immense amount of pressure.

Tia was the descendant of a Cipher Pol agent, while Tubal Cain was a war orphan. That was why Bred's attitudes toward them were so completely different—he wanted to make money off Tia and win Tubal Cain's goodwill.

"Hey! Bred, what are you up to? The difference in treatment is way too obvious!" Tornado said indistinctly. "Why do you charge some people but give things to others for free?"

Bred did not explain, nor could he explain. He couldn't possibly tell Tornado that he was a manipulative schemer. Absolutely not!

So Bred changed the subject. "It's almost ten. I'm heading back to rest. Training continues tomorrow morning."

And that night...

On the eve of the World Conference, an earth-shaking piece of news swiftly swept across the world. Even the semi-closed Cipher Pol Agent Academy was no exception.

The highly decorated Marine Admiral, "Black Arm" Zephyr, resigned and retired after his wife and child were assassinated, leaving him utterly disheartened.

In an instant, the world was thrown into turmoil, and even the World Government's credibility was heavily questioned.

The World Government's troubles were anything but minor. The balance of power had collapsed.

First, the Marines, the World Government's strongest military force, had been missing one of their three admirals for years. The three Marine Admirals represented the Marines' highest combat power and were also the World Government's greatest symbol of strength, yet they had remained one man short, unable to fill the vacancy. Zephyr's resignation and retirement meant another blow to the Marines, making it even harder for them to suppress the rampaging great pirates they had already been struggling to restrain.

Therefore, the World Government would have to adjust its strategy, drawing reserve troops previously stationed against hostile forces such as the Hunter Association and Wano Country to support the Marines, proving to the world their determination to preserve their rule. But whether the Hunter Association and Wano Country would seize the chance to stir up trouble remained a huge question mark.

Moreover, Zephyr had not become disheartened without reason. As the World Government's eyes and ears, its black gloves, Cipher Pol protected—and effectively monitored—the families of officials both outside and within the organization. Yet his wife and child had been killed by enemies seeking revenge against him right under Cipher Pol's nose. His resignation and retirement were a silent anger, accusation, and condemnation directed at the World Government!

Zephyr's fate would undoubtedly cause panic among the World Government's upper officials. They feared ending up like Zephyr—working themselves to the bone for the World Government, only to see their families destroyed.

The Marines would also stand up for their meritorious admiral, Zephyr, inevitably causing conflict with the World Government.

The Zephyr incident was neither close to nor far from Bred, but it made him keenly realize that even the World Government, that thick golden thigh, did not seem particularly reliable. He became even more desperate to grow stronger.

Morning training passed in silence.

Tornado slacked off again and familiarly climbed onto Bred's back to catch up on sleep.

As he ran, Bred glanced sideways and saw a striking figure catching up to him.

"Bred, wait." Esdeath approached and said openly, "I heard you can buy things from outside the academy. Help me get a few packs of sanitary pads. I got my first period yesterday. Also bring two pairs of pure cotton panties, preferably blue-and-white striped. The ones the academy gives us are uncomfortable to wear. The size is..."

Bred: "..." Was she really going to be this direct?

PS: Tubal Cain Alhambra is from Hellsing.