Werther turned, climbed onto the windowsill, and leaped down.
He did not use Geppo. The sound of his feet striking the air would give him away at once.
Werther was still wearing the black leather outfit from yesterday. He pulled a tab beneath his ribs, unfurling a pair of leather wings, and began to glide.
The wind whistled past his ears at that height. This way down would draw little attention: unless someone looked closely, they would mistake Werther for a bird. Besides, he soon glided over the town and out above the wasteland beyond it.
On a street below, a little girl spotted him.
Her mouth fell open in adorable astonishment. The lollipop slipped from her hand and landed on the ground.
"Mom, there's a strange bird flying up there. It has legs."
The young woman holding her hand had a gentle manner. She laughed at her daughter's words.
"Silly girl, of course birds fly. Have you ever seen one without legs?"
She gave the girl's cheek a light pinch, then led her on toward the center of town.
"But Mom, that bird looked so strange."
In the wasteland, Werther straightened his hair and shook the dirt out of it.
His leap from the building and flight across town had both been flawless. He had even startled a little girl into dropping her lollipop. The whole thing had looked magnificent.
The landing was another matter. Werther had hit the ground face-first.
If he had not reacted in time and coated his face with Armament Haki, he might have been disfigured.
Werther took off the black leather outfit and changed into his usual clothes. Then he slammed the leather onto the ground and stomped on it several times.
If not for that face-first landing, his assassination would have been