Barn could no longer sense Crocodile, Mr. 2, or Miss All Sunday nearby, and he smiled. In truth, he could have caught up with them if he had wanted to, but he had decided against it. He was indeed very interested in Pluton...
Putting Crocodile out of his mind, Barn slowly turned to face the people Crocodile had left behind and spoke calmly.
"Your choice?"
It was the same question. He had asked it back in the room, but no one had answered then. Now, surely he would get an answer.
"Boss!"
Mr. 1 did not hesitate. From the start, he had said he would follow the strong, and now the outcome was clear. The moment Barn asked, he dropped to one knee and addressed him respectfully.
Miss Doublefinger, Miss Merry Christmas, and her partner, Mr. 4, glanced at Mr. 1's back, then exchanged looks before dropping to one knee as well and saying respectfully,
"Boss!"
Barn nodded, then said,
"One day, you'll realize just how wise a choice you made today."
Just then, a patch of sand behind them suddenly burst upward, and someone appeared there.
"W-wait..."
"Mr. 3?"
Everyone turned toward the voice.
"How did you get here? Why did you suddenly pop out of nowhere?"
Miss Doublefinger looked at the newly arrived Mr. 3 in puzzlement.
Mr. 1 seemed utterly uninterested. Perhaps he did not consider Mr. 3 worth his attention...
"Pop out of nowhere?"
"That's rather rude, isn't it? I've been following you since the Spider Tavern. I even hitched a ride on Banchi afterward."
Mr. 3 adjusted his glasses and spoke calmly.
"What are you doing here?"
Perhaps tired of listening to Mr. 3 ramble, Mr. 1 turned and asked coldly.
"What am I doing? Trying to stay alive, of course."
Mr. 3 walked up