Sabaody No. 5, deep within a maze of streets and alleys.
Drake led six subordinates swiftly through a narrow alley.
"Captain, looks like the Mad Monk didn't follow us."
One of his subordinates, a man with a short beard, glanced back to check behind them.
"Under the circumstances, he probably ran away."
Drake spoke without slowing his pace, his subordinates following close behind.
"Anyone who survives a fight with Shining is already lucky."
After seeing Shining snatch the Mythical Zoan Harpy fruit, Drake couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.
Could Bondrewd be trying to screw Shining over?
Drake wondered to himself.
He stopped at the mouth of an alley, quickly scanned the street outside, then turned sideways into another passage.
"We need to pick up the pace too."
All six were members of the Blade Unit. Although their low clearance kept them from knowing the specifics of certain matters, Drake still shared basic information with them.
"But Captain-is it really okay that Shining took the fruit?"
After they ventured deeper into the alley, one of his subordinates asked in a low voice.
"It's fine... After what happened in Gold City, I learned something."
Drake's tone was calm, but carried a weary resignation.
"The 'gifts' Bondrewd gives are never just gifts. Having it stolen actually puts me at ease."
The six exchanged glances. They could understand that; after all, Bondrewd had offered it himself.
As ordinary members of the Blade Unit, they provided the elite members with various forms of assistance and support.
There were times when even an Encrypted Den Den Mushi couldn't be used. In those cases, they would fake their deaths to carry information out.
When necessary... they might even die for real.
Drake would replenish their numbers under the guise of recruiting new members for