Avery's Ambition

Mary exhaled a ring of smoke, her delicate brows knitting 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 wouldn't even be enough to buy a decent batch of weapons."

She assumed her trusted subordinate wanted to use the bounty to bolster their strength.

"You're right, Godmother." Sophia nodded calmly. "The 79 million Beli itself is indeed insignificant. But what if, instead of claiming the bounty ourselves, we gave this information... to Avery of the Colombo Family?"

"Give it to Avery?" Mary sat up a little straighter, a flicker of confusion crossing her eyes.

"What would that do for us? Suck up to that crude bastard 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, especially supplying certain goods to nobles of the affiliated nations and World Nobles. This has allowed them to maintain secret and close ties with certain departments of the World Government.

"We can use Nico Robin's information as leverage and ask Avery to connect us with the World Government."

She paused, gauging Mary's reaction before continuing.

"The World Government would never refuse the chance to place more informants in the underworld. As long as we show enough sincerity, we could gain Cipher Pol's secret support, or even direct protection.

"By then, our Camorra Family would effectively have the World Government backing us. No matter how crazy that little brat is, would he dare openly oppose a towering power like the World Government?"

After speaking, Sophia quietly waited for Mary's decision.

Mary held her cigarette and remained silent for a full minute. Smoke curled before her eyes as her gaze flickered uncertainly.

At last, a breathtaking yet dangerous smile slowly curved across her lips, like a rose blooming in the darkness.

"Wonderful, Sophia."

Mary's voice regained its usual charm and authority.

"As expected of the person I rely on most. You always surprise me at the crucial moment. This plan is highly feasible."

She crooked a slender finger at Sophia, her eyes glimmering.

"I've always been fair with rewards and punishments. You've solved such a major 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 yet carrying a hint of anticipation.

"This subordinate... obeys, Godmother."

She obediently walked to the bedside. Mary reached out and gently caressed her cheek...

Moments later, sounds of pleasure between two women filled the dim bedroom, mingling with panting and soft laughter. They dispelled the earlier oppressive atmosphere, yet locked an even deeper conspiracy within that fragrant, intimate space.

Catania Island.

Adams did not know that because of his forceful rise, the Camorra Family, who might otherwise never have noticed a small fish like Robin, had now turned their greedy eyes toward the girl who could read 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 previously volunteered to join the operation, 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 reached everyone's ears behind him.

"According to our intelligence, this orphanage is a place the Colombo Family uses to house injured and disabled subordinates, as well as secretly store part of the funds earned from human trafficking."

He paused slightly, an icy gleam flashing through his pupils.

"Once we get inside, take every valuable treasure and all the food. Knock down anyone who tries to stop us. Don't hold back. Any questions?"

As his words fell, Lafitte maintained his smile, while Kaku furrowed his brow 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, almost solidifying into substance. For a filthy place like this, he desired only destruction.

Though their reactions differed, their answer came without the slightest hesitation. They spoke in unison, firm and resolute.

"No questions!"

"Good." Adams nodded. "The operation begins."

The instant the order was given, everyone except Lafitte blurred at once. Accompanied by faint sounds of air splitting, they used Soru and vanished from sight, rushing toward the orphanage from different directions.

Lafitte merely chuckled unhurriedly. A pair of white wings unfolded from his back, and he rose gracefully and swiftly into the air, swooping toward the courtyard from above.

Adams himself took half a step back, leaned his incredibly powerful back lightly against a thick tree trunk, folded his arms, and closed his eyes, seeming to doze off. Guards of this level were not worth his personal intervention.

Inside the orphanage, the intruders immediately encountered resistance. More than a dozen seemingly ordinary caretakers, actually fierce-eyed, able-bodied men, rushed out from every corner with sharp swords and flintlock guns in their hands.

A man who appeared to be the guard captain looked at the extremely strange group before him and shouted harshly, 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 is nothing here worth your attention! Leave immediately!"

Lafitte, soaring through the air, let out his distinctive laugh.

"Hohoho~ Let's not pretend otherwise. You can keep those ghost-fooling lines to yourselves. Why bring them out and embarrass yourselves?"

As he spoke, he beat his wings and dived toward the guards like an arrow loosed from a bow.

"Damn it! Fire! Kill these intruders!"

The guard captain roared.

Bang! Bang! Bang! The flintlock guns spat flames, and a barrage of lead bullets swept toward Lafitte.

Yet just as the bullets were about to strike him, a figure flashed before him like a ghost.

Daz Bones crossed his arms before his chest. The dense hail of bullets struck his steel body, bursting into a series of sparks, but failed to harm him in the slightest.

"What?!"

The guards were left dumbfounded by the unbelievable sight.

In the instant they froze, Lafitte had already descended among them like an elegant grim reaper.

His cane became a venomous serpent's tongue. Every precise jab and swing was accompanied by a guard's scream as he fell. Most 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 in agony.

Kaku and Hina moved through the crowd like agile cheetahs, using Soru's speed to dart about. From time to time, they unleashed fierce Rankyaku slashes that severed weapons and knocked down enemies.

The battle was almost entirely one-sided. The so-called guards were utterly helpless before beings who were monsters in the eyes of ordinary people. Before long, the ground was covered with groaning, writhing guards.

However, an even more chilling sight emerged. Some of the true residents, people with missing limbs and numb expressions, perhaps out of fear or perhaps due to long-term brainwashing, 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. Only fallen figures and a deathly silence remained in the courtyard.

Without lingering, the group swiftly followed the instructions and found the treasure hidden in a secret chamber—large amounts of cash, gold and silver jewelry, and food piled throughout the warehouse.

They found several large sacks and swept away all the treasure and portable valuable food. Each of them emerged carrying a bulging bag.

Adams, leaning against the tree, opened his eyes. His gaze swept over his subordinates returning fully laden. When he saw that Perona and Hina, though their little faces were tense and their eyes still held anger over what they had witnessed, showed little discomfort or fear, he nodded almost imperceptibly.

After confirming that the two girls were fine, Adams said no more. He led everyone, along with the massive amount of looted 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 blew off the roof. He had just received an urgent report: at the crucial orphanage he maintained on Catania Island, the Vivre Cards of every guard and staff member had all burned away in a short time.

When the speedboat he dispatched arrived, it found only devastation and corpses strewn everywhere. The secret vault had been completely emptied.

There was no need to think. In the West Blue, there was no one besides that lawless silver-haired brat who would dare strike the Colombo Family so ruthlessly and efficiently!

In a violent frenzy, he swept everything off the expensive mahogany table before him, sending it crashing into the walls and floor as fragments scattered everywhere.

Several underlings in clown outfits who had been nervously serving nearby were terrified out of their wits. They dropped to their knees with a thud, bowing their heads deeply and barely daring to breathe, afraid of becoming sacrifices to their leader's fury.

Amid that deathly, rage-filled atmosphere, a special Den Den Mushi in Avery's arms began to ring.

Avery panted heavily, his chest rising and falling violently. He snatched up the receiver and roared impatiently.

"Who?! Speak if you've got something to say, and get to the damn point! I'm in a bad mood right now and don't want to hear any nonsense!"

There was a second of silence from the other end of the Den Den Mushi. Then came a deliberately lowered voice belonging to Sophia, Mary's trusted subordinate.

Without any small talk, she went straight to the point and laid everything out in full.

As the account from the receiver continued, the rage on Avery's face was gradually replaced by astonishment, then uncontrollable ecstasy.

A few minutes later, he hung up the Den Den Mushi. The anger had vanished from his face, leaving only an excited, nearly twisted grin. He paced around the room, rubbing his webbed palms together as he muttered.

"Nico Robin... the wanted criminal the World Government has been dreaming of capturing... Hahahaha! Heaven is helping me! Heaven really is helping me! As long as I capture this little bitch and offer her up to them..."

The more he spoke, the more excited he became, his eyes shining.

"As long as I gain the World Government's direct favor, I'll be able to completely surpass the other families and even... become the king of the West Blue's underworld. Then let's see how that damned brat keeps 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 slowly edged backward. In the end, like a gecko melting into the shadows, he silently slipped out of that room overflowing with ambition and ecstasy.

TO BE CONTINUED