Mary exhaled a ring of smoke, her delicate brows knitting even tighter:
"Nico Robin? That little girl who survived Ohara, with a bounty of 79 million Beli? Sophia, at this point, that amount means nothing to our current predicament. It would not even be enough to buy a decent batch of weapons."
She thought her trusted subordinate wanted to use the bounty to increase their strength.
"You're right, Godmother." Sophia nodded calmly. "Seventy-nine million Beli itself is indeed insignificant. But what if we don't collect the bounty ourselves and instead... give this information to Avery of the Colombo Family?"
"Give it to Avery?" Mary sat up straighter, a flicker of confusion passing through her eyes.
"What would that do for us? Butter up that crude brute who reeks of fish?"
"Please hear me out, Godmother." Sophia leaned forward slightly and lowered her voice.
"The Colombo Family's main business is human trafficking, particularly their special supply for the nobles of the affiliated nations and the World Nobles. That has allowed them to maintain secret, close connections with certain departments of the World Government.
We can use Nico Robin's information as leverage and ask Avery to introduce us to the World Government."
She paused, gauged Mary's reaction, and continued:
"The World Government would never refuse the chance to place more informants in the Underworld. As long as we show enough sincerity, we may be able to obtain Cipher Pol's covert support, or even direct protection.
At that point, our Camorra Family would effectively have the World Government backing us. No matter how insane that little brat is, would he dare openly oppose a towering tree like the World Government?"
After saying that, Sophia quietly waited for Mary's decision.
Mary held her cigarette and remained silent for a full minute. Smoke drifted before her eyes as her gaze flickered uncertainly.
At last, a stunning yet dangerous smile slowly curved across her lips, like a rose blooming in the dead of night.
"Brilliant, Sophia."
Mary's voice regained its usual allure and authority.
"You truly are the person I rely on most. You always surprise me at the critical moment. This plan has great potential."
She crooked a slender finger at Sophia, her eyes glimmering.
"I have always been fair with rewards and punishments. You solved such a huge problem for me, so I must reward you properly. Come here."
Two blushes instantly rose on Sophia's fair cheeks. She lowered her head, her voice nearly inaudible but carrying a trace of anticipation.
"This subordinate... obeys, Godmother."
She obediently walked to the bedside. Mary reached out and gently caressed her cheek...
A moment later, the dim bedroom filled with blush-inducing sounds of pleasure between two women, mingled with panting and soft laughter. They dispelled the earlier tense atmosphere, while sealing an even deeper conspiracy within that fragrant, sensual space.
Catania Island.
Adams had no idea that because of his forceful rise, the Camorra Family—who might otherwise never have noticed a small fish like Robin—had now turned its greedy gaze toward the girl capable of reading the Poneglyphs.
At that moment, he stood before the gates of a rather plain-looking orphanage.
Behind him followed the two pink-haired girls who had volunteered to join the operation earlier, Kaku, whom he had brought along on a whim, the newly returned Daz Bones, and the recently recruited Lafitte.
Adams withdrew his gaze from the orphanage sign, his low, steady voice reaching everyone behind him.
"According to intelligence, this orphanage is a place where the Colombo Family houses injured and disabled subordinates, while secretly storing part of the money earned through human trafficking."
He paused slightly, and a cold gleam flashed through his pupils.
"Once we go in, take every valuable treasure and all the food inside. Anyone who tries to stop us, take them all down. Don't hold back. Any questions?"
As his words fell, Lafitte kept smiling, while Kaku frowned slightly but said nothing.
Perona and Hina's faces immediately filled with obvious disgust and anger. They deeply loathed the Colombo Family's dealings.
The killing intent in Daz Bones's eyes was even more overwhelming, nearly solidifying. For a filthy place like this, he felt only the urge to destroy it.
Though their reactions differed, their answers came without hesitation, unanimous and resolute.
"No questions!"
"Good." Adams nodded. "The operation begins."
The instant the order was given, everyone except Lafitte blurred simultaneously. Accompanied by faint whistles through the air, they used Soru and vanished from where they stood, charging toward the orphanage from different directions.
Lafitte merely let out an unhurried chuckle. A pair of white wings spread from his back, and he gracefully yet swiftly rose into the air, diving down upon the courtyard from above.
Adams himself stepped back half a pace and lightly leaned his incomparably muscular back against a thick tree. Folding his arms, he closed his eyes, seeming to doze off. Guards at this level were not worth his personal intervention.
Inside the orphanage, the intruders immediately met resistance, just as expected. More than a dozen seemingly ordinary caretakers—actually fierce-eyed, able-bodied men—rushed out from every corner, gripping sharp swords and Flintlocks.
A man who seemed to be the guard captain looked at this bizarrely assembled group and barked fiercely, forcing himself to remain calm.
"What are you trying to do? This is only a charitable welfare facility. We take in homeless, pitiful disabled people! There's nothing here worth coveting! Leave at once!"
Flying overhead, Lafitte let out his signature laugh.
"Hohoho~ Let's not beat around the bush. You can tell those lies meant to fool ghosts to yourselves. Why embarrass yourselves by bringing them out here?"
As he spoke, he beat his wings and dove toward the guards like an arrow loosed from its bow.
"Damn it! Fire! Kill these intruders!"
The guard captain roared.
Bang! Bang! Bang! The Flintlocks spat fire, and a barrage of lead bullets swept toward Lafitte.
However, just as the bullets were about to strike him, a figure flashed before Lafitte like a ghost.
Daz Bones crossed his arms over his chest. The dense barrage struck his steel-like body, bursting into a shower of sparks, yet failed to harm him in the slightest.
"What?!"
The guards were left dumbfounded by that inconceivable sight.
In the instant they froze, Lafitte had already landed among them like an elegant Grim Reaper.
His cane became a venomous serpent's tongue. Every precise tap and sweep was accompanied by a guard's scream as he fell. Most of the wounds landed on joints or wrists, instantly robbing them of their ability to fight.
At the same time, the transparent miniature ghosts released by Perona silently drifted into the crowd.
Boom! Boom! Explosions rang out one after another among the guards, blasting them off their feet and making them cry out miserably.
Kaku and Hina moved through the crowd like agile leopards, using Soru's high-speed movement to weave among them. From time to time, they unleashed fierce Rankyaku strikes that sliced through weapons and knocked enemies down.
The battle was almost completely one-sided. The so-called guards were utterly helpless before these beings, who were monsters to ordinary people. Before long, the ground was covered in groaning, writhing guards.
Yet an even more chilling scene followed. Some genuine residents with missing limbs and numb expressions, perhaps out of fear or perhaps because they had been brainwashed for so long, struggled to pick up nearby clubs, crutches, and even stones. With hoarse cries, they staggered forward.
Their resistance was tragic and futile.
Soon, all resistance vanished. The courtyard contained nothing but fallen bodies and deathly silence.
Without pausing for even a moment, the group swiftly followed the instructions and found the hidden chamber containing treasure—large amounts of cash, gold and silver jewelry, and a warehouse piled full of food.
They found several large sacks and swept away all the treasure and easily portable valuable food. Each of them emerged carrying a bulging bag.
Leaning against the tree, Adams opened his eyes and swept his gaze over his subordinates returning fully laden. In particular, when he saw that Perona and Hina had their little faces tightly drawn and lingering anger in their eyes at what they had just seen, yet showed little discomfort or fear, he nodded almost imperceptibly.
After confirming that the two were fine, Adams said no more. He led everyone, along with the huge haul of supplies, slowly into the air before suddenly accelerating into several black dots on the horizon.
Almost immediately after Adams and the others left, furious roars shook the windowpanes at the Colombo Family's headquarters.
"Bastard! Adams!!!"
Avery's enraged roar nearly tore the roof off. He had just received an emergency report: all the Vivre Cards of the guards and personnel stationed at that crucial orphanage on Catania Island had burned away completely in a short time.
When the speedboat he dispatched arrived, it found only devastation and corpses scattered across the ground. The secret vault had been completely emptied.
There was no need to think about it. In West Blue, there was only one person who would dare strike the Colombo Family with such ruthless efficiency—the lawless silver-haired brat!
In a fit of rage, he became a master of clearing tables, sweeping everything from the expensive redwood desk before him and smashing it against the walls and floor, sending fragments flying everywhere.
Several underlings in Clown outfits who had been nervously attending him were scared out of their wits. With a thud, they dropped to their knees and bowed their heads deeply, barely daring to breathe for fear of becoming sacrifices to their leader's wrath.
Amid that deathly, furious atmosphere, a special Den Den Mushi in Avery's arms began to ring.
Avery panted heavily, his chest heaving violently. He snatched up the receiver and roared impatiently.
"Who?! Spit it out! I'm in a foul mood right now, so I don't want to hear any nonsense!"
There was a second of silence from the other end of the Den Den Mushi, followed by a deliberately lowered voice belonging to Sophia, Mary's trusted subordinate.
Without exchanging any pleasantries, she went straight to the point and laid everything out.
As the account continued through the receiver, the rage on Avery's face was gradually replaced by shock, then uncontrollable ecstasy.
Several minutes later, he hung up the Den Den Mushi. The anger had long vanished from his face, leaving only an excited, nearly twisted smile. He paced around the room, rubbing his webbed palms as he muttered to himself.
"Nico Robin... the wanted criminal the World Government has been dreaming of... Hahahaha! Heaven is helping me! Heaven is truly helping me! As long as I catch this little bitch and offer her to those above..."
The more he spoke, the more excited he became, his eyes shining.
"As long as I gain the World Government's direct favor, I can completely crush the other families and even... become the king of the Underworld in West Blue! Then let's see how that damned brat can keep acting so arrogant!"
He was completely immersed in this sudden "dawn" and the swelling of his ambition, too excited to contain himself.
Just as Avery began imagining his bright future, one small underling inched backward bit by bit. In the end, like a lizard melting into the shadows, he silently slipped out of the room overflowing with ambition and wild delight.
TO BE CONTINUED