Inside the massive fortress on the hillside, Gadi pushed open the door and entered a pitch-black place, a place where sunlight seemed to never reach, and everything appeared very gloomy.
The only indication of the size of the place was the echoing sound of footsteps.
After taking a few steps, he knelt down on one knee, placed his left hand on his chest, and said, "Master, I have found an excellent knife."
In front of him, there seemed to be a staircase, and above the staircase was the outline of a throne.
After Gadi's voice echoed, a brief question arose from that silhouette.
"knife?"
"Yes, my master."
Gadi lowered his head and said, "That's a black sword, one of the twenty-one Great Grade Swords, the sword once used by Ryuma, the great swordsman of Wano Country. If Master has that sword, he can create an even stronger person."
"Then why did you come to see me empty-handed?" The voice from above sounded deep.
“Master, the current owner of that sword is a naval officer, so it is inconvenient for me to take action. However, I have already sent the Straight Swordsmen there, and I believe that the sword will soon appear in your hands.”
Clang!
As soon as he finished speaking, something was thrown down from above, landing on the ground with a crisp sound.
It was a straight knife, but the blade was full of cracks.
This caused Gadi's expression to change slightly. He stared at the knife for a moment, then lowered his head even further. "Master, I will go and bring back their heads right away."
The person above fell silent, and footsteps echoed in the empty space.
Step, step, step...
The footsteps seemed to pierce Gadi's heart, causing sweat to bead on his forehead and his face to turn increasingly pale. As he looked down, he saw a pair of feet appear before his eyes.
"Stand up."
The sound entered his ears.
Gadi stood up as instructed, still keeping his head down, and remained silent.
“Look at me.”
Gadi took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and suddenly looked up, as if he had made a decision, and opened his eyes to take a look.
"Master, Master! I really can't see you!" Gadi said in a panic.
The darkness suddenly seemed to have some light. Before Gadi was a large hall with golden carpets covering the steps, and at the top of the steps was a throne. However, there was no one there.
Gadi was trembling all over; his usually calm and refined face was now filled with extreme fear.
There was no one in front of him, as if the feet he had seen earlier were fake.
"Look down, you bastard!"
*Smack*
Suddenly, a foot kicked his shin. Gadi looked down and saw a short, fat man staring at him with gritted teeth.
Compared to Gadi's height of three meters, this short and stout man barely reached his calves, so short that he was negligible unless he lowered his head.
"So short!"
Gadi covered his cheeks with both hands, his mouth forming an 'O' shape, making a contorted expression. "Is my master really that short?"
"That's enough, Gadi!"
The short, stout man kicked again before stepping back and pacing back and forth with his hands behind his back.
"Huh? An egg?"
Suddenly, Gadi said something.
The short, stout man was taken aback, then suddenly realized the man was talking about him. Veins bulged on his forehead. "Gadi! Do you want to die?!"
"I'm sorry, my great master."
Gadi wiped away her tears, "I can't help but feel sad when I think that my master is such a short person. Ah! He is just too short. Although my master is wise and powerful and very intelligent, bringing peace and prosperity to Meng Island, he is really too short."
The short, stout man roared, "Stop saying I'm short!"
"Yes, Master."
Gadi's expression turned serious as he looked at the short, stout man, then he suddenly chuckled: "An egg."
The short, stout man rolled his eyes listlessly and didn't take Gadi's words to heart anymore.
"Just bring the knife back. I don't want to get into a fight with the navy. Although I'm not afraid, it's better to keep a low profile."
"Yes, Master. Your expectations are my motivation."
Gadi bowed and was about to leave when he suddenly looked surprised.
The short, stout man stared at him and said, "Gadi, if you say I'm short again, I'll throw you into the lab and experiment on you all over again!"
"No, Master..."
Gadi turned around, his face solemn as he looked outside. "That group of marines is heading in this direction."
"oh?"
The short, stout man paused for a moment, then chuckled, "Is it because they discovered the strangeness of the Straight Sword Clan? Well, those defective products are only good for maintaining order; they're not flexible at all, so it's normal for them to arouse curiosity."
"Then let them in... I happen to be short on material, let the Navy take a look. The ultimate peace weapon isn't some 'Pacifista,' and Vegapunk isn't the smartest person. I am!"
"He simply doesn't understand that humans are the most abundant species in the world, and the combined power of humans and weapons is the strongest!"
"Hmph, hahahaha!"
The short, stout man grinned, revealing a set of white teeth, and reached out to grasp the sword at Gadi's waist. His movement caused the sword at Gadi's waist to tremble slightly.
Gadi knelt down again, and said solemnly, "Yes, Master, what you created is the strongest!"
...
Down the hillside, a group of people slowly advanced. One of the marines took out a Den Den Mushi, listened to something while nodding, and then hung up the Den Den Mushi. He then put the Den Den Mushi into his pocket, ran a few steps forward, and followed Kuro, who was at the front.
"Did you find out?" Kuro glanced up and asked casually.
"Yes, Lieutenant Colonel."
The lieutenant said, "According to the nearby base's understanding of this island, the ruler of this island, also known as Lord Moe Island, is named Bonaparte Bolopa, and he ruled here twenty years ago."
"Before this, the knight here was a very cruel ruler. At that time, the situation on Moe Island was very bad. Pirates were rampant, the residents were violent, and it was even more chaotic than 'Mogu Town'."
"After Bolopa arrived here, he rescued the residents, defeated the former Lord of Moe Island, and somehow became the new Lord of Moe Island, ruling ever since."
Hearing the lieutenant's words, Kuro's eyes widened. "Oh? So he's a guy who knows how to manage things. I'd definitely like to meet him. What about the others?"
"Several years ago, Moe Island was divided into upper and lower districts. We are in the lower district, which is used for repairs and trade by people coming and going, while the upper district is closed off and no one is allowed to enter. Intelligence says that Sir Bonaparte Boropa has a good relationship with the World Government. Lieutenant Colonel, if we enter rashly, won't it be..." The lieutenant hesitated.
Kuro glanced at him sideways. "Is he a member state?"
"no..."
"That settles it then. If it's not a member state, it's not under the jurisdiction of the World Government. Besides, I just wanted to go in for a visit and learn about the local residents' lifestyles. It's so well-governed, they shouldn't refuse to let me in, right?"
They have good relations with the World Government, yet they're not a member state, and on top of that, they have those strange weapons and slaves...
Even if he doesn't want to get involved, he has to find out the truth once he sees it, otherwise, his last bit of conscience will keep him up at night.
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