Rotten to the Core

"You shouldn't have come in person, Swain." Shack Yak's valiant brows knit high as she crushed out the cigarette butt in her hand. At last, she deigned to respond to Swain, who had been talking to himself all this time. "Mobile phones, telephones, even old-fashioned Den Den Mushi, telegrams, letters—you had plenty of ways to contact me, yet you chose the most troublesome one. S~ Now everyone's in trouble."

"Trouble?" Swain stared in disbelief. "The secret of the Poneglyphs has been discovered, and only the three of us know about it so far!"

Shack Yak shook her head repeatedly. "What matters is that the World Government has long known that you were researching the Poneglyphs and uncovering the 'Void Century.' Though the situation across the seas is too complicated for them to devote extensive resources to investigating and suppressing you for now, they have still paid sufficient attention! Unfortunately, agents dispatched by the World Government are currently hidden within the West Blue branch. They will not overlook any suspicious detail concerning every history hunter or ancient ruins hunter."

Bred and the others' identities could not be concealed from Netero, and naturally not from Shack Yak, an intelligence hunter specializing in intelligence gathering and character analysis. That was why Netero had boldly thrown all the spies into the West Blue branch of the Hunter Association under Shack Yak's management, hoping she would arrange things properly—neither exposing them nor allowing the threat they posed to exceed an acceptable level—so that the Hunter Association and the World Government, both fully aware of the matter, could coexist harmoniously.

Shack Yak had not disappointed Netero's trust. Over the past half year, she had done an excellent job restraining the four-person team's activities and keeping them under her watchful eye. Nico and his wife's rash visit—especially their chance contact with Bred before meeting her—had broken that entire pattern.

Shack Yak knew that, with Bred's intelligence so far beyond his age, he was bound to have suspicions. He would probe and probe again, searching for even the slightest flaw in Swain. Once he obtained solid evidence and submitted it to the World Government... the consequences would be impossible to predict.

"I..." Swain's lips trembled. After a long while, he said, "I'm sorry. I'll leave immediately and won't drag the Association down with me!"

"Leave? Idiot!" Shack Yak sneered. "Running away won't solve anything, Swain. And as for 'not dragging the Association down,' do you think the World Government will believe that? As long as you're alive, your Hunter License remains valid, and you are a member of the Hunter Association! That is beyond dispute, and the World Government will absolutely seize on that point to attack the Association fiercely."

Swain ruffled his hair in frustration, headache written all over his face. "What am I supposed to do? Give up pursuing history? No! Absolutely not! History is my hunting target, and the 'Void Century' is my lifelong dream!"

"Stubborn idealists really are annoying!" Shack Yak lit another cigarette and turned her gaze toward Olvia. "Won't you try to persuade him? You two already have a child."

Olvia stroked her belly and replied gently, "We share the same dream."

Shack Yak was speechless.

After a long while.

"Could you help me take care of Olvia, Shack Yak? Please!" Swain rose and bowed deeply.

Shack Yak rolled her eyes at Swain. "Idiot!"

Swain raised his head, his face full of pleading, yet also brimming with unwavering resolve.

"Go post a mission. Hire private hunters for Olvia, specifically Bred, Esdeath, Melard, and Kurando Akabane. If they refuse, post another mission—come up with the details yourself. In any case, take them on some inconsequential hunt and keep them occupied," Shack Yak said. "Then I'll contact the other history hunters and ancient ruins hunters on your behalf and secure that Poneglyph."

Olvia said in disbelief, "They're World Government agents? But Bred is only six? Seven? He looks so cute, he..."

"You can't judge a book by its cover," Shack Yak said.

"I understand," Swain said solemnly.

"Be careful. Never, ever reveal a flaw. According to my assessment, every one of them is stronger than you in combat," Shack Yak reminded Swain.

Unfortunately, Shack Yak's scheme was destined to fail. Through the mosquitoes controlled by Mosquito Girl, Bred had overheard every word of her conversation with Swain.

On the pedestrian street before the bustling West Blue branch building of the Hunter Association, Bred sat lazily on a bench and made a call. "This is Bred. I have important information to report."

"Oh? What important information? I'm listening." Minister Honest chewed on his beloved meat, his words muffled.

Bred said quietly, "Nico and his wife, the targets of my personal mission, have appeared. Along with them came the whereabouts of a Poneglyph."

"Hahahaha~~~ That truly is important information! Fantastic!" Minister Honest's tone was cheerful. "So, what are you planning to do, Bred?"

Bred pondered for a moment. "That is why I'm reporting this now. I suggest revising the hasty original plan. Cast a long line to catch a big fish."

"How long a line? How big a fish?" Minister Honest readily followed his lead, showing not the slightest anger at Bred's implication that his plan had been hasty.

Bred said, "Allow them to take the Poneglyph for research. I believe this Poneglyph will act like a magnet, drawing in an endless stream of 'iron filings' seeking to research the Poneglyphs and uncover the 'Void Century.' Then we can wipe them all out in one sweep! Ideally, we should make a spectacle of it—kill the chicken to scare the monkeys—and completely deter anyone else from daring to violate government law by researching the Poneglyphs or uncovering the 'Void Century.'"

"Wow~ You're rotten to the core, kid!" Minister Honest teased, then abruptly changed the subject. "Are you confident? If you screw it up... people will die, Bred."

Bred passed the buck. "You're the superior."

"That's right, I'm the superior! But superiors have superiors too. Wait there." Minister Honest was clearly seeking instructions from higher-ranking members of the World Government; he did not wish to bear the responsibility either.

Not long afterward.

"P9 will take over the plan. You've missed your chance to earn great merit, Bred." Minister Honest seemed to be in a good mood as he joked, "Do you regret it?"

Bred replied evenly, "It doesn't matter. Superior, does our four-person team's mission continue? It feels rather pointless now."

"True enough. The gain from a single Poneglyph far exceeds expectations." Minister Honest weighed the matter. "Three of you may return, but one must remain to closely monitor the Poneglyph's movements and assist P9 in carrying out the plan."

"Who stays?" Bred asked.

"You," Minister Honest said.

Bred: "..."

PS: Thanks to readers [Qianyu Yaoyan], [Romantic Monk], [Mirror Flower Water Moon], and [ZHANGKLE] for their 100-point donations each. Thank you.