74
What man did not want to surround himself with beauties? The only difference was whether he had the strength to support that ambition.
"As for Smoothie..."
Perospero looked in the direction his younger sister had left, but ultimately only shook his head, swallowing the rest of his words.
Mont-d'Or raised a hand and pressed his throbbing temple.
As members of the Charlotte Family, they had enjoyed resources and protection beyond most people's reach since childhood, but those gifts had always come with a price.
He gazed into the distance, hoping only that Smoothie would understand that sooner.
Off to one side, two gazes remained on them, their attention faint but persistent.
"They're still watching,"
Gion said softly, her fingertips unconsciously brushing the hard, cold object in her arms. "It seems the old grudge from Hachinosu hasn't been laid to rest."
Rossi shook his head, his lips pulling into a helpless smile. "I think they're after something else."
He paused, lowering his voice further. "This stone draws too much attention.
I need to contact Vice Admiral Tsuru."
Gion turned to glance at him. "It's second only to Seastone in hardness. It would certainly make excellent armor or weapons, but the cost is too high. Few people in the world could afford it."
She hugged the object a little tighter, as though it were a fragile treasure. "Besides, while powerful fighters can imbue ordinary iron with Haki, making bamboo canes and wooden clogs indestructible, the inherent quality of the material is still a hurdle that can't be avoided.
It would be like asking the World's Greatest Swordsman to put down Yoru and pick up some ordinary steel blade instead-within ten exchanges, the blade would break and he'd die."
Rossi understood that, of course.
Unless a weapon had been carried for years,