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Chapter 153: One Step Ahead, Always Ahead
"Thank you?"
Blake took a bite of the senbei in his hand, making a crisp crunching sound. The cracker really did taste good; no wonder that old man with the glasses always carried them around. He swallowed the food, casually brushed the crumbs from his fingertips, and let his gaze land calmly on Gion.
"Miss Gion, you seem to be mistaken about something."
Blake looked into Gion's eyes and smiled.
"I open my doors to do business. You pay, and I provide a service. This is a transaction where money and goods clear the debt. There is no owing of favors." He spoke lightly, as if what he had just handed over weren't two magical talismans capable of throwing the world into chaos, but rather two heads of cabbage commonly found at a vegetable market.
Gion opened her mouth but couldn't find the words.
Fair? She smiled bitterly in her heart. What kind of fairness is this?
One million Beri. To an ordinary person, this might be a huge sum, enough for a family to live comfortably for several years. But to Marine Headquarters, or to any pirate crew with a bit of fame on this sea, what was one million Beri? Even the lowest-ranking fodder pirates on a wanted poster were worth more than that.
And what had she received in exchange? Healing abilities akin to immortality, and theoretically infinite speed. If she were to take these two talismans to the underground black market for auction, never mind one hundred million—ambitious figures like Doflamingo would fight tooth and nail, bidding billions or even tens of billions, perhaps even starting a war for them.
I fear only Boss Blake would consider this fair. But then again, to a being like him, the Horse Talisman and Rabbit Talisman might be nothing more than two ordinary stone charms. It felt like the whimsical prank of a god—arming an ant to the teeth so it could be invincible among other ants, yet to the humans above, it was still just an ant that could be crushed at will.
"Boss..."
Gion took a deep breath, reaching into her uniform to press her hand tightly against the two warm runestones, feeling their tangible reality. "No matter what you say, I will remember this kindness."
She no longer dwelled on the price. She knew very well that some things could not be measured by money. In her eyes, Blake's almost "giveaway" behavior was more like the caprice of a powerhouse, or rather... a god's handout to a mortal.
"Stop, stop, stop."
Blake waved his hand, cutting her off. He rested his chin on one hand, his gaze sweeping unscrupulously over Gion's shirt, torn from battle, before finally stopping on her heroic and beautiful face.
"Your next line wouldn't happen to be, 'I have no way to repay you, so I plan to repay you with my body,' would it?"
The air went instantly silent.
Makino, who was wiping a glass, shook her hand, and the rag fell into the sink with a wet splat.
Gion froze. She had imagined Blake would say "You're welcome," or "Come again soon," or even impose harsher conditions. But she never expected this man, who possessed god-like power, to suddenly crack such a tacky joke.
A wave of heat rushed from her neck to her cheeks instantly. That pretty face, which usually remained unchanged even when facing vicious pirates, was now flushed with a touching shade of crimson.
"What... What are you talking about!"
Gion glared at Blake with annoyance. But this glare lacked her usual decisiveness and killing intent; instead, it carried the shy anger of a young maiden. She subconsciously wanted to refute him, to sternly reject such frivolous words. Yet, the words stuck in her throat.
Repay with my body?
Gion's heartbeat skipped a beat for no reason. She looked at the lazy silver-haired man before her. Mysterious, powerful, casual, holding the keys to other worlds, able to bestow power even from such terrifying demons at will. On this sea where strength was revered, such a man was a fatal poison in himself.
If it really... that wouldn't be so bad?
The moment this thought popped up, Gion startled herself. She lowered her head in panic, daring not to look into Blake's eyes that seemed capable of piercing through people's hearts. Her fingers subconsciously rubbed the hem of her clothes, her lips moved, but in the end, she said nothing.
This silence was, in itself, an extremely dangerous signal.
"Hmph!"
A slightly heavy thud came from inside the bar.
Makino, with a stern face, slammed a washed glass heavily onto the wooden tray. She shot a hostile glance at Gion standing in front of the bar. Although Gion looked wretched right now—clothes tattered, body wrapped in bandages—the charm unique to a mature woman and the temperament cultivated from years in a high position could not be hidden. Especially the astonishing curves looming under that torn shirt.
Makino pursed her lips and looked down at herself. Although she wasn't lacking, in front of the Marine Vice Admiral codenamed "Momousagi," she seemed to appear a bit... thin?
Unwilling to lose.
Makino took a deep breath and stubbornly puffed out her chest, making the curves under her apron appear more prominent. She picked up a dry cloth and vigorously wiped the bar counter that was already bright as new, her eyes drifting toward Gion like little knives from time to time.
"Hahaha!"
Blake couldn't help but laugh out loud watching the subtle atmosphere between the two women. He was, of course, joking. Although Gion was indeed a great beauty, he had no interest in romance right now. Compared to that, he found the chaotic absurdity of the world much more interesting.
"Alright, enough joking."
Blake retracted his smile and pointed to several light gates that suddenly appeared in the open space of the tavern. "Your colleagues should be coming out too. Better check if they're missing any arms or legs."
As soon as his voice fell.
Hum—
Several blue vortexes appeared out of thin air. Immediately after, several figures were spat out like date pits, falling wretchedly onto the tavern floor.
"Cough... Cough cough..."
Vice Admiral Doberman was the first to crawl up. His Justice coat had been torn into strips, and there were several claw marks on his face deep enough to see bone, but he seemed unaware of it. He just looked down at his fingertips. There, a wisp of extremely weak, black-red energy filled with negative emotions was lingering.
He grinned, revealing a ferocious smile. "Cursed Energy... So this is the power born from despair. Interesting, too interesting!"
"One million Beri for a tour of hell, and it comes with this kind of little toy."
On the other side, Vice Admiral Onigumo also stood up. He tightly gripped a broken blade with strange water-blue ripples in his hand, his voice cold. "This deal, it's really hard to say if we made a profit or a loss."
His chest heaved violently. With every breath, a stream of white air sprayed from his mouth and nose, making a roaring sound like a steam engine.
"Total Concentration... Breathing?"
Onigumo felt the potential squeezed out of his body, his eyes flashing with fanaticism and greed. They were all battle-hardened Marine generals, the mainstays of the Marines, but that so-called "Beginner Dungeon" had given them a long-lost sense of adventure and excitement.
But what came with it was a brand-new power system.
"It seems everyone has gained quite a harvest," Gion's voice rang out, waking everyone from their obsession with their new powers.
She looked around at her colleagues. Although they were all of equal rank, she was the lead for this mission. "Now is not the time to study the spoils. Doberman, Onigumo, exchange intelligence. We need to have a unified understanding of this 'miracle' before reporting to Fleet Admiral Sengoku."
Her tone was flat, not an order, but more like a proposal. However, everyone present was smart and understood the weight of it.
"Cursed Energy. Energy born from negative emotions. It can attack the soul directly. Very domineering," Doberman said concisely.
"Breathing Styles. Techniques to squeeze out the body's potential. Can instantly increase physical fitness and explosive power, but the load on the body is immense," Onigumo added. He paused, glancing at Blake. "In that world, there is an organization dedicated to hunting evil demons. Their swordsmanship is worth studying."
Several other Rear Admirals and Captains also exchanged their findings in the dungeons.
"Nen," "Talismans," "Alchemy"...
Terms never heard before came out of the mouths of these high-ranking Marines, making the atmosphere in the tavern increasingly strange. Gion listened to everyone's reports, the shock in her heart adding up. She originally thought the Talismans she obtained were already a heavenly encounter, but unexpectedly, every dungeon world represented a brand new path to becoming stronger with infinite potential!
"Enough."
Gion took a deep breath, interrupting the discussion. Her eyes swept over everyone present, her tone becoming more serious than ever before. "From now on, everything about this place, about the dungeons, is classified as Top Secret by the Marines."
She took a step forward, looking directly at Onigumo and Doberman. "Before we reach a consensus with the Fleet Admiral, I don't want to hear a whisper of this leaking out. You should understand what kind of consequences it would bring to the world if this power went out of control."
"If anyone can't keep their mouth shut," Gion's hand pressed on the hilt of Konpira, a flash of killing intent passing through her eyes, "I will personally make them shut up forever. No matter who they are."
This was not an order, but a warning.
Onigumo snorted coldly but didn't speak, tacitly agreeing. Doberman licked the blood from the corner of his mouth and chuckled, "I have no objection. But, don't forget us next time there's such a good thing."
Seeing that everyone had reached an agreement, Gion released the hilt of her sword and turned to face Blake behind the bar. She exchanged glances with the other Vice Admirals, and invariably, they all bowed deeply to the lazy man.
This bow had nothing to do with military rank or stance. It was simply the purest awe of a mortal toward an existence that had bestowed a "miracle" upon them.
"Alright, officers."
Blake knocked on the table and pointed to the door. "This shop is a small business; no credit allowed. Since the transaction is over, shall we meet again next Thursday?"
Secrecy?
In this world where News Coos flew all over the sky, secrecy was the most unreliable thing. Besides, he didn't intend to let the Marines enjoy this "cake" alone.
Leeks... naturally, the more the better. Pirates, the Revolutionary Army, even Cipher Pol agents—as long as they paid money, he wouldn't refuse anyone.
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