Mission

Under the blazing sun, Werther practiced swordsmanship bare-chested on the back mountain. His two swords sliced through the air, raising goosebumps on anyone who watched.

Thirteen-year-old Werther was not as tall as those famous figures in the pirate world. He was only around 1.4 meters tall, and he might never grow to two or three meters.

His bare upper body looked thin and frail, yet it was filled with smooth muscle lines. He did not look especially muscular, but he gave off a sense of strength.

As Werther trained with gusto, he heard someone calling him from afar. Looking up, he saw Senior Brother Roy at the Sword Hall's back gate. He sheathed his swords at his waist, grabbed his clothes, and headed toward Roy.

Roy did not say much. He only told Werther there was a mission and that they would discuss it in the secret chamber.

When they reached the secret chamber, their master and Senior Sister were already inside.

"This time, the target is a merchant from the East Blue named Steve Louis. On the surface, he is a clothing merchant, but his real business is human trafficking. He is mainly responsible for capturing slaves in the East Blue and ultimately supplying them to JkeR's auction house in the Sabaody Archipelago. Due to some business conflicts, the employer hired us to kill Steve Louis and his entire family. The price is twenty million Beli in total." After Longliang finished, he took a sip of tea and waited for questions.

"Master, if we kill someone belonging to that mad dog JkeR, won't he come to the East Blue to look for us? He has the title of Shichibukai, so he can legally cross the Red Line overhead," Werther asked first. He did not want to face Donquixote Doflamingo before he had even grown stronger. That would be suicide. He was not Luffy.

Hearing Werther's question, Longliang gave him a surprised look. This disciple was not simple; his intelligence was unexpectedly detailed. Longliang did not ask how Werther knew all this. He did not believe the story about Werther's mother being an intelligence merchant, but having a disciple with access to so much information was still a good thing.

"We do not need to worry about JkeR. The employer has already bribed JkeR. More specifically, Steve Louis's greed has dissatisfied JkeR for a long time. Now that they have found a suitable replacement, there is even less reason for Steve Louis to remain alive. Killing his entire family is merely punishment for his greed over the years. Oh, and when the time comes, do not only think about killing. See whether there is anything valuable. If they refuse to talk, hand them over to your Second Senior Sister. You leave tomorrow. The three of you will go together. This is Werther's first mission, so let him handle it. You two will observe. If anything unexpected happens, intervene immediately." With that, Longliang led the three out of the secret chamber.

Back in his room, Werther was still somewhat excited. After all, he had been an ordinary person in his previous life. Let alone becoming an assassin, he had never even seen one. Then he suddenly realized he did not know anything about infiltration. What would he do when the time came? He got up and went to Roy's room to ask about the details.

Not long afterward, Werther returned with a speechless expression. Roy told him there was no need to infiltrate at all. When they killed people, they usually charged right in. If there were bodyguards, they killed the target if they could; if not, they killed the bodyguards first and then the target. Infiltration was completely unnecessary. The five senses of the strong were extremely sharp, and there were all kinds of Devil Fruit users with unknown abilities. Rather than spending time practicing assassination, it was more reliable to improve one's strength.

After listening to his senior brother, Werther felt that it made sense. He lay on the bed, studying the Thunder Core to pass the time as he waited to board a ship for the island where the target was located tomorrow.

Three days later, at the docks of Mita Island in the East Blue, Werther finally arrived on the target's island. He had also come to understand how inconvenient it was to be an assassin in the pirate world. To kill one person, he had to take three ships first. That was for a nearby target; running into one that took more than ten days to reach in the future was entirely possible.

After landing on the island, the three found an inn and checked in. During the day, they would first inspect the target's estate. It would be more convenient to act at night.

After getting the address, Werther walked alone through the streets and wandered around the bustling city. He casually stopped a passerby and asked what local food was good and where to find it.

The passerby he stopped had initially been quite unhappy, but after Werther paid ten thousand Beli, he even received a map drawn on the spot. It marked the delicious food available in every district.

With the map in hand, Werther first went to a food street and sampled a little from every stall. Then he visited a famous local restaurant specializing in nearby Sea Kings, where he ate to his heart's content.

As Werther grew stronger, perhaps because of Lightning Thorn, his appetite had started increasing as well. It had not been obvious at first, but now he could eat a great deal. In a single meal, he could finish enough food for ten ordinary people.

When he arrived at the local business district, he bought his master many varieties of the local specialty tea as gifts.

Carrying a large bag, he arrived at the target's front gate. More precisely, it was an estate.

The estate was luxurious and had guards at the gate. Other than forcing his way in, Werther had no way to enter. Seeing no opportunity, he turned and prepared to leave.

He had only taken a few steps when he saw a beautiful girl of seventeen or eighteen approaching him. She had long pink hair and wore a luxurious white dress, giving off a delicate impression. Several bodyguards accompanied her.

"Sir, have you come to my home to see my father? Or is there something else?" the beauty asked.

Because the target's home was located at the edge of the city, with no other buildings nearby, Werther's intentions were easy to see through.

"No, I am just a lost passerby. I happened to walk here.

"What, is this your home? You are really rich." Werther looked at the girl before him. Having seen a photo of the target, he knew Steve Louis was not ugly, but his appearance was very ordinary and he was somewhat overweight. Werther had not expected him to have such a beautiful daughter.

"Oh, so you got lost. Where are you going? I can have my bodyguards take you there. Getting lost in a big city is very troublesome." The girl seemed warm-hearted and innocent.

"Thank you for your kindness, beautiful, but I will just wander around on my own. What a pity." Without waiting for her reply, Werther headed back toward the inn.

"What a strange person. He is so young, yet he is wandering around the city alone. Forget it, I should go home. I bought Mother a gift when I went out this time. She will definitely like this necklace." With that, she walked toward the estate, humming one of her favorite songs like a carefree butterfly.

After circling the city several times and confirming no one was following him, Werther returned to the inn.

"How did it go, Junior Brother?" Roy asked as soon as Werther entered.

"Not bad. Quite good, actually," Werther answered naturally.

Roy was utterly confused, not knowing what his junior brother meant. Had he encountered a powerful opponent? Or would the mission go smoothly? So he asked what was good.

"Of course, the food on this island. What did you think I meant, the island's beauties? I never expected you to be into that, Senior Brother. Does Senior Sister not mind?" Werther had known from the beginning that Roy was asking about the estate, but with Senior Sister present, Roy, who was somewhat afraid of his wife, usually did not dare to be too glib.

Roy looked as if he had eaten shit. Even Senior Sister, who usually did not speak much, was left speechless.

"Hehehe, hehehe, I was just teasing you, Senior Brother. I went to take a look. The estate's security is very tight, and there was no way to get inside and investigate. Behind the estate is the sea, and I did not see any large ships. However, we cannot rule out the possibility that the target will risk putting to sea if his life is threatened, so someone needs to guard the rear of the estate." Once Werther began discussing the mission, he stopped joking with Roy.

"Then we will act tonight. The sooner we finish, the less chance there is of other changes. An, you will guard the back. I will stay at the front gate and support Junior Brother if necessary." After saying that, Roy began wiping his blade as he waited for nightfall.

Werther glanced at Roy's sword. It was a good blade, but probably not a named blade. Senior Sister's sword, however, might be a named blade.

Senior Sister also saw what Werther was thinking.

"One of the Fifty Ryo Wazamono, Blood Scorpion. I took it during a mission. Being cut by this blade causes unbearable pain, like being stung by a scorpion." After speaking, she tossed the sword to Werther.

Werther drew Blood Scorpion. Like most Ryo Wazamono, it was of standard size, but the blade was not smooth. Instead, raised vein-like lines ran across it, making it uneven. Only the cutting edge was smooth.

He returned the sword to An, then went back to his room to rest and wait for nightfall.