"What did you say? The King of Drum Kingdom was scratched by a group of cats near the auction house?" In Marineford, Fleet Admiral Kong asked with a peculiar tone after listening to his subordinate's report.
"Y-yes, Fleet Admiral. When we received the intelligence and rushed over, we happened to see hundreds of cats besieging the King of Drum Kingdom and his guard detail," the Marine on the other end of the line replied.
Kong felt a bit of a headache coming on. Rubbing his temples, he asked, "Was there a Devil Fruit User controlling those cats?"
"Th-there shouldn't be. We've already tested it with Sea Stone weapons."
"Is the King of Drum Kingdom injured?"
"By the time we got there, they had all fainted. They were covered in scratch marks, and the injuries seemed somewhat serious."
Hearing the Marine's words, Kong frowned. "Fainted? Are you sure?"
"I'm sure. Fleet Admiral, those cats were too fierce. The King of Drum Kingdom and most of his guards are ordinary people, so it's probably not strange that they fainted."
"Fine, I understand. Drive the cats away first and send the people to the hospital."
"Yes, Fleet Admiral!"
After putting down the transponder snail, Kong looked Up at Sengoku, who was sitting on the opposite sofa, and asked, "Sengoku, what do you think of this?"
"The cat attack on the King of Drum Kingdom and his guards is likely real, but there's a high probability that someone was fishing in troubled waters."
"They already said the cats weren't controlled by a Devil Fruit Ability."
"Fleet Admiral, I'm not saying the cats were controlled. I mean someone took advantage of the chaos while the cats were attacking the King of Drum Kingdom."
"Taking advantage of the chaos?"
"Yes. Think about it, Fleet Admiral. The King of Drum Kingdom was attacked by cats near the auction house, and based on the timing, it should have been just as the auction ended.
As a king, since the King of Drum Kingdom attended the auction, it's unlikely he would have left empty-handed. He most likely bought something.
That item must have been targeted by someone. As it turned out, before the person targeting the item could even make a move, the King of Drum Kingdom and his guards were besieged by cats.
So, this person simply released Conqueror's Haki to knock everyone from the Drum Kingdom unconscious and took the item the King had bought."
After listening to Sengoku's analysis, Kong nodded and said, "Sengoku, your guess is very reasonable. Once the King of Drum Kingdom wakes Up, have them ask His Majesty the King what he bought. Use that item as a clue to launch an investigation."
Sengoku frowned upon hearing this. "Fleet Admiral, do you mean to leave this matter to the subordinates?"
"Yes! For now, the priority is still tracking the expedition team that the woman from Ohara is involved with. Other matters are not important.
Sengoku, you should also be clear that the Poneglyphs being sought by that woman from Ohara and the expedition team are the World Government's most taboo secrets.
If these secrets are exposed, this sea will undergo a massive upheaval, perhaps even greater than the commotion Roger caused.
Therefore, our most important task right now is to find them at all costs and destroy them all."
"What if the Scholars of Ohara are already aware?" Sengoku asked after a moment of silence.
"Regardless of whether they are aware or not, as long as they attempt to touch that period of history, initiate a Buster Call to wipe them all out." Having said that, Kong ignored Sengoku and stood Up to leave the office.
After Kong left, Sengoku's expression shifted several times before he finally let out a long sigh.
Meanwhile, Luo Fan, having obtained the Baku Baku no Mi, had already left the 'crime scene'.
Looking at the Baku Baku no Mi in his storage, the corners of Luo Fan's mouth curled Up slightly. With this fruit, once he reclaimed Wano Country and took control of the weapon factories, he would have another card to play in entering the Underworld.
As for who should consume the Baku Baku no Mi, Luo Fan hadn't decided yet. However, it was still early, and he had plenty of time to consider.
While thinking, Luo Fan returned to Shakky's Tavern.
During this time, whenever she wasn't training, Noy would help out at Shakky's Tavern. Noy's pure and cute appearance and her sweet smile brought many repeat customers to Shakky's Tavern.
Shakky liked the hardworking Noy very much, but she didn't have a good look for Rayleigh, who idled around all day doing nothing.
As soon as Luo Fan returned, he heard Shakky scolding Rayleigh, while Rayleigh listened with an embarrassed face.
Luo Fan was already used to this kind of drama that happened every day. He had no intention of getting involved in their quarrel and walked toward the back of the Tavern with an expressionless face.
But to Rayleigh at this moment, Luo Fan was nothing less than a life-saving straw. How could he let Luo Fan leave like that?
Rayleigh hurriedly stood Up and picked Up Luo Fan with lightning speed, then said to Shakky, "Well, Shakky, I think Luo Fan has been a bit slack lately. I'll take him out for some exercise." After saying that, he fled the Tavern in a flash.
Luo Fan lay in Rayleigh's arms, looking helpless.
The man and the cat arrived at the training forest. Rayleigh put Luo Fan down and sighed, "Escaped again. Thanks to you, Luo Fan."
Luo Fan rolled his eyes and didn't speak. The great first mate of the Pirate King, Pluton Rayleigh, had become a decadent middle-aged man. What else was there to say?
Rayleigh seemed to see through Luo Fan's thoughts and suddenly laughed loudly. "Hahaha~ Luo Fan, once you've witnessed the most exciting things in this world, you'll find that a peaceful life isn't so bad.
But you're still young. Don't be like me. You should go see more of this world and experience the romance of the sea.
With your talent, one day you should be able to rise above the clouds like Roger and Newgate, looking down upon this sea. By then, all the wind, frost, rain, and snow will be beneath your feet."
Luo Fan thought about it. Rising above the clouds—wouldn't that be reaching the stratosphere? The wind, flowers, snow, and moon are all below the stratosphere; there really isn't much weather change Up there. Rayleigh's words actually made sense.
Since they were already out, Rayleigh decided to spar with Luo Fan for a bit.
Luo Fan's swordsmanship had been at LV2 for a long time and had already reached the threshold of LV3. Luo Fan originally intended to consult Rayleigh more about swordsmanship during this time to break through to LV3 as soon as possible, and then use an upgrade scroll to leap to intermediate swordsmanship.
According to the swordsmanship levels, LV4 should be the realm of a Swordsman, capable of launching a Flying Slash. This would be a qualitative change for any Swordsman, and Luo Fan was no exception.
Luo Fan's current swordsmanship already incorporated lightning, with every slash carrying a million-volt current. Once he broke through to become a Swordsman, his Flying Slash would inevitably be mixed with lightning as well.
The fusion of a Flying Slash and lightning was not as simple as 1+1=2. The combined effect of the slash's sharpness and the lightning's destructive power was exciting just to think about.