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"Don't worry, Belo Betty, this won't be difficult for you," Ikki said, smiling, then continued. "If your Revolutionary Army can get in touch with the Whitebeard Pirates right now, please help me reach them. Tell them I can make a deal. The terms are simple enough. As long as Whitebeard is willing to hand over his great sword Murakumogiri, and Vista hands over his own famous blade, I can guarantee Ace's survival."
Belo Betty's expression immediately turned knowing.
"I see. So it's about famous swords," she murmured.
Once famous swords were involved, everything made sense. Ikki had come to take part in the war between the Marine Headquarters and the Whitebeard Pirates most likely for Whitebeard's and Vista's blades.
Under normal circumstances, prying those swords away from the Whitebeard Pirates would be no easy task, but with the strength of the Marine Headquarters behind him in an actual war, it would be considerably easier to come away with them.
Taking the swords didn't necessarily require fighting for them, either. Cooperating with the Whitebeard Pirates to rescue Ace, and trading that rescue for the blades of Whitebeard and Vista, was a perfectly workable plan. With the World Government now scheming against him, Ikki could just as easily choose that gentler path to get what he wanted.
A weapon meant as much to a warrior as his own body, but Belo Betty suspected that for a crew as loyal and sentimental as Whitebeard's, if giving up part of themselves could save Ace, they would agree to Ikki's terms without much hesitation.
"We can manage that. The situation between the Marine Headquarters and the Whitebeard Pirates has drawn a lot of attention already, and that includes our Revolutionary Army. Finding them won't be difficult for us." Belo Betty paused.
"But will they actually believe you? As far as I know, you don't have any prior connection to them, do you? And if word ever got out that you'd been in contact with them, it would make things even more awkward between you and the Marine Headquarters and the World Government."
"Our Revolutionary Army certainly won't let word of this get out. But the Whitebeard Pirates might be a different matter. In the end, they're still pirates."
The Whitebeard Pirates weren't considered especially vicious or brutal compared to other crews, but a pirate was still a pirate, and Belo Betty didn't put much trust in them. If they announced during the war that Ikki had been in contact with them, it could easily draw the surrounding Marines, or even the other Warlords of the Sea, straight into attacking him. That was the last thing Belo Betty wanted to see happen.
"Hehe, don't worry, Belo Betty. The Whitebeard Pirates aren't the type to give up secrets so easily. Besides, even if it did slip out, someone would still have to believe it," Ikki said, laughing.
"That's true," Belo Betty said, nodding slightly. "In that case, I'll do as you say, Ikki. I'll try to reach my colleagues in the Revolutionary Army after this."
"Then I'll leave it to you," Ikki said with a laugh. "Use your encrypted den den mushi and don't let the Marines or the World Government intercept the message."
"Don't worry, Ikki, we're professionals at this," Belo Betty said, flashing him a wide smile.
Ikki believed her. The Revolutionary Army had managed to grow for so many years right under the watch of the Marines and the World Government, which said plenty about how much effort they put into intelligence work. He trusted their abilities completely.
After saying his goodbyes to Belo Betty, Ikki passed through the main gate and returned to the room set aside for him at Marine Headquarters.
"You're finally back, Ikki!"
The moment Astolfo saw him, he threw his arms open and launched himself forward. Ikki quickly caught him by the shoulders to keep him at arm's length.
There wasn't much he could do about it. Astolfo was simply too adorable for his own good, despite being a boy, and Ikki worried that if the two of them ever got too close, he might somehow end up charmed right off his feet by him.
That would be a fine way to let his friends and companions down, considering how many of them hoped to have children with him someday. If Astolfo managed to sweep him off his feet, wouldn't that make fatherhood a bit of a problem?
Astolfo, easygoing as always, didn't seem to register anything strange in Ikki's reaction. Once he'd been lifted up and held at a safe distance, he simply beamed with delight.
"Astolfo, has anyone come looking for us while we were gone?" Ikki asked.
He was a pirate, after all, and there was no realistic chance he'd go unwatched here at Marine Headquarters. Even his relationship with Gion wasn't enough to earn the Marines' full trust, and now that the World Government was planning to discard him once he'd outlived his usefulness, it was entirely possible someone from the World Government was keeping an eye on him as well. If his quarters turned up empty at the wrong moment, it could easily cause trouble.
"Don't worry, Ikki. No one's come looking for you this whole time. More importantly, what should we do next?" Astolfo asked, brimming with curiosity, once Ikki had set him back down.
Astolfo had only just arrived in this world and was curious about everything in it. Given the chance, he would have loved to explore all the goings on outside, and not just at Marine Headquarters. He wanted to see this whole ocean.
But he also knew Ikki was in the middle of a war and had far too much to deal with already, so as much as there was to see, he was content to follow Ikki's lead. If Ikki wasn't willing to take him outside for now, Astolfo wouldn't complain about it.
Ikki saw right through his thoughts and smiled.
"I know you're curious about everything in this world, but it isn't convenient to leave Marine Headquarters right now. Still, there are a few things worth seeing even within the grounds. We've got some time before we need to rest. If you don't mind, let's go for a walk outside."