Chapter 142: Ralph is Very Good at Sucking!
Miss Wednesday felt a sudden numbness in her hand, and the knife slipped from her grasp, spinning through the air before embedding itself in the ground some distance away, its hilt still vibrating faintly.
She looked up.
Ralph remained seated on the stone steps, his right arm extended, holding a gold-inlaid Pistol.
A wisp of pale smoke drifted from the barrel.
"Don't make any more pointless moves."
Ralph's voice was cold:
"Under the aim of my gun, you have no chance of harming Lufia."
Moonlight fell across his face.
It was terrifyingly calm.
Miss Wednesday stared at the dark muzzle of the gun, her legs giving way as she collapsed to the ground.
She gave up.
And so, the battle between the Bounty Hunters and the Pirates came to an end in an almost absurd manner.
Two Pirates had defeated over a hundred Bounty Hunters.
The surviving Bounty Hunters began to flee in disarray.
They scattered in all directions, desperate to escape this terrifying town.
Ralph did not stop them.
There was no need.
What could be squeezed out of Bounty Hunters so poor they had to hunt whales for food?
In the square, Ralph and Zoro sat on the stone steps, drinking the last two bottles of unbroken liquor.
Not far away, Miss Wednesday was trying to revive her three colleagues—Igaram, Miss Monday, and Mr. 9.
She patted their cheeks and sprinkled water on their faces, her movements clumsy but earnest.
Zoro watched the scene and took a sip of his drink:
"Didn't expect this woman to be so loyal."
"Unfortunately," Ralph shook his head, "Loyalty isn't a necessity in Baroque Works."
Recalling the organization's structure, he continued:
"The reason Baroque Works enforces secrecy is because their boss needs a group of tools who keep each other's identities hidden and only focus on carrying out missions."
"A cold, structured system ensures strong execution! More importantly..."
"With just an empty promise like 'Utopia,' he managed to trick so many people into working for him..."
Ralph chuckled:
"I have to admit, I'm a bit impressed."
"Utopia?"
Zoro was taken aback.
He set down his bottle and looked at Ralph:
"I know about Baroque Works because they tried to recruit me. But how do you know about them? And how do you know their objective? What is 'Utopia'?"
Ralph's hand holding the bottle paused slightly.
Damn it.
He'd slipped up again.
His mind raced, and he naturally put on an "oh, oops" expression:
"Ah... I forgot."
He tapped his head, stuck out his tongue, and looked innocent:
"Maybe I was a government agent before I lost my memory, secretly investigating Baroque Works?"
Zoro stared at him for three seconds.
Then he grinned, showing a "you think I'm stupid" smile:
"You bastard, you're definitely still hiding something from us."
He took a big gulp of liquor:
"If I believed you, I might as well believe in ghosts."
Ralph forced a dry laugh, about to make up something else—
Footsteps.
Not the panicked footsteps of fleeing Bounty Hunters.
But steady, confident footsteps.
Step by step, they echoed from the entrance of the square.
Ralph and Zoro turned their heads simultaneously.
Under the moonlight, two figures walked side by side.
A man and a woman.
The man had dark skin and a cold expression, as if the whole world owed him money.
He had dreadlocks and wore a brown leather jacket—on the chest of the jacket, there was a glaring number: 5.
The woman was the complete opposite.
Her eyes were slightly narrowed, her lips curved upward in a standard smile, with yellow hair, a yellow dress, and a yellow hat.
Even though it wasn't raining, she held a green umbrella in her hand.
This combination, appearing in this town at this time…
It was hard not to think of their identities.
"Mr. 5… Miss…"
Miss Wednesday blurted out their names.
Ralph and Zoro exchanged a glance.
Before the two uninvited guests could speak, Zoro spoke up first:
"Really not surprising at all."
He turned to look at Ralph:
"Hey, Ralph. If you really know Baroque Works' intel—"
Zoro paused, a flicker of cunning light in his eyes:
"Do you know who their boss behind the scenes is? That's their biggest secret."
This was clearly deliberate.
Zoro wanted to see what absurd excuse Ralph could come up with.
But Ralph's reaction was beyond everyone's expectations.
His eyes lit up.
As if he had suddenly thought of a great idea.
Then, he spoke naturally, his tone as casual as if discussing what to have for dinner:
"Mr. 0? Yeah, I know."
Silence.
Dead silence.
Even the moonlight seemed to freeze.
Everyone in the square—
Zoro, Miss Wednesday, the just-awakened Mr. 8, and even the newly arrived Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine—all froze.
Their movements, expressions, and breathing all paused for a beat.
Then, everyone's gaze focused squarely on Ralph.
In those gazes were shock, suspicion, fear, and killing intent.
Ralph seemed oblivious to the change in atmosphere.
He continued speaking on his own:
"Isn't it just that…
"What nonsense are you spouting?"
Mr. 5's cold voice cut him off.
This agent, who had always been expressionless, finally showed a flicker of emotion on his face.
He stepped forward, his leather shoes making clear "tap, tap" sounds on the stone pavement:
"Our company's motto is 'Mystery.' The true identity of the president is the 'mystery within a mystery.' Even we senior agents don't know. How dare a mere pirate like you make such wild claims?"
Beside him, Miss Valentine still wore a smile, but it had turned icy:
"Some things shouldn't be said carelessly~"
She twirled the green umbrella in her hand:
"We're here to purge traitors within the organization who are probing into the boss's identity. If an outsider like you really knows the boss's information…"
Her smile deepened:
"I'm afraid we'll have to kill you along with them~"
Hearing this, Miss Wednesday and the just-awakened Mr. 8 both turned pale.
They glanced at each other, seeing despair in each other's eyes.
...
They were precisely the "traitors probing into Baroque Works' boss behind the scenes" that the other side spoke of.
Mr. 8, or rather, Igaram, captain of the Arabasta Kingdom's royal guard.
He struggled to his feet.
His fingers quietly touched his bow tie.
There was a mechanism there.
If triggered, the cannon hidden in his curly hair would fire.
It was his final secret weapon.
Meanwhile, Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine's attention had already shifted away from Ralph and his "nonsense."
Their gazes were now fixed on Igaram.
And on Miss Wednesday behind him—
No, it was Nefertari Vivi.
The princess of the Arabasta Kingdom.
The tension in the air tightened once again.
Killing intent permeated the atmosphere.
And just at that moment—
Ralph suddenly stood up.
He brushed the dust off his pants, then walked to the center of the square, standing in the spot where the moonlight shone brightest.
Then, he spoke.
His voice wasn't loud.
But in the silence of the night, it clearly reached everyone's ears:
"The mysterious Mr. 0, the mastermind behind Baroque Works—"
He paused.
Then, with a faint smile, he uttered the words that made everyone's minds freeze on the spot:
"It's actually me."
Silence.
An absolute silence that lasted five full seconds.
Everyone remained frozen in their previous positions, motionless.
Their necks turned like rusted machinery, inch by inch, as their eyes focused on the black-haired young man standing under the moonlight.
And that shocking declaration—
It could no longer be said to merely attract everyone's attention.
It was as if their eyeballs were about to be sucked right out of their sockets.