When gunfire rang out from the direction of Orange Town's docks, Barlow was standing before the floor-to-ceiling window on the third floor of the Uchiha Trading Company, reviewing a quarterly report from the West Blue.
He set down his pen and walked to the window.
The blinds were half-open. Firelight from the docks and purple mist blended together in the night.
Patrolmen lay sprawled across the pier, while two figures walked from the pier toward town. One moved lightly and steadily, a sword at his waist; the other was thin and pale, leaving behind a faint purple miasma in the air wherever he passed.
Roy hurried in, footsteps pounding up the stairs, his sword already hanging at his waist.
He was calm, but unlike Barlow's calm, it was the kind that came only after anger had gone too far and turned into utter silence.
"The dock patrol is completely down. There are at least three enemies. One of them is a shooter on the rooftops, and the second patrol unit from the town center is heading for the docks," Roy said.
"Tell the second unit not to go to the docks."
Barlow took his coat from the rack, then retrieved his sword from a drawer and hung it at his waist.
"Have them guard the Trading Company archives, the warehouses, and the town hall. Don't send anyone to the docks. Going now would be suicide."
Roy nodded and turned to leave, but Barlow called him back.
"You're coming to the docks with me. Let's meet these two."
Koldo came running up the corridor with an armful of documents, his leather shoes clattering against the stairs.
When he saw Barlow and Roy walking down side by side, he immediately stopped and pressed himself against the wall.
"Mr. Barlow, the second unit