As scholars who constantly skirt the law, how could they not know how to pick locks?
While Valthior and the others were busy slaughtering the samurai of Hakumai, Professor Clover and his group decided they couldn't just sit around and wait for their fate. Moving stealthily, they pried open the prison doors and escaped from their cells.
Originally, they expected to run into plenty of trouble—guards, patrols, resistance.
But once they stepped out onto the streets, they realized something strange.
All the samurai of Hakumai were… gone?
The civilians had no idea who they were and naturally didn't interfere, allowing the scholars to walk openly through the streets without encountering any obstacles.
"What's going on? When we were brought in, weren't there plenty of samurai patrolling the streets? Where did they all go?" one scholar asked, puzzled.
"No idea," Professor Clover smacked his lips thoughtfully. "But this works in our favor. Let's leave first, find a place to regroup, change our appearance, and then sneak back in to search for the Poneglyph."
But just as they reached the city gates, they saw a clash erupting in the distance—guards stationed at the gate were fighting someone.
Before they could even get closer, the battle was already over.
Professor Clover froze where he stood, staring at that figure in the distance—both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time—his expression stiffening.
Although he had been active across the seas, Professor Clover rarely paid attention to pirate news. After all, the world didn't revolve solely around Marines, the World Government, or pirates. Every day, people from all walks of life made headlines.
His focus had always been on academic and cultural developments. He hadn't kept up with Valthior in years.
In his memory, that old acquaintance should still be up in Mary Geoise, living the life of a Celestial Dragon.
And yet now—
He was standing here, in Wano Country, a land outside the World Government's jurisdiction.
For a moment, Professor Clover even suspected Valthior had simply come down from above out of boredom… and might be here to arrest him again.
"That's the Roger Pirates!" Olvia was the first to recognize them and quickly warned, "Be careful. Don't provoke them. I've heard they're extremely dangerous!"
"Huh? Pirates? Not the World Government?" Professor Clover blinked in surprise. "How did you recognize them?"
"A few months ago, the World Government issued a notice saying the Roger Pirates were trying to revive an Ancient Weapon and were searching for the Poneglyphs. They were labeled extremely dangerous," Olvia explained, then paused before adding, "I also heard they have a scholar on board who can read the Poneglyphs—someone named Spencer."
"Ah? Spencer?" Professor Clover froze, then pointed at Valthior in the distance. "You mean that tall guy with the noble aura?"
"Hm? No," Olvia shook her head. "That's Jaygar Valthior—the so-called strongest rookie in the pirate world. He's a combatant, not a scholar."
Professor Clover: ???
What the hell? Is my memory wrong, or are you people mistaken?
Valthior can absolutely read Poneglyphs, alright!? I taught him myself! He's the scholar here!
At that moment, Valthior happened to glance toward the city—and spotted Professor Clover.
A bright smile instantly spread across his face. From afar, he waved enthusiastically and shouted:
"Hey, Professor! Long time no see! Seeing you still kicking, I'm relieved! Hahahahaha!"
"So that's the Professor Clover you mentioned?" Roger chuckled. "That hairstyle really does look like a clover."
Since they had already run into each other—and given their past relationship—Professor Clover quickly steadied himself. After all, he'd been arrested and released multiple times before. He wasn't particularly afraid of the World Government anymore.
Smiling, he called back, "Saint Valthior… what are you doing here?"
"Saint Valthior?" Olvia's eyes flashed with shock.
On these seas, not just anyone could bear the title "Saint." Only the Celestial Dragons—the descendants of the Twenty Kings who resided in the Holy Land of Mary Geoise—were entitled to that honorific.
Professor Clover definitely knew that.
Which meant—
This so-called strongest rookie among pirates… was actually a Celestial Dragon!?
And judging by how casually he greeted Professor Clover like an old friend, things became even more bizarre.
Wait… wasn't it rumored that Professor Clover had deep backing within the World Government?
Could it be because he knew a Celestial Dragon?
Did that mean… their leader was protected by one?
What the hell was going on!?
Aren't Celestial Dragons supposed to be our enemies? Is our boss a traitor?
"No need to be so formal," Valthior waved it off casually. "We're old friends. Just call me Valthior. Looks like you haven't been keeping up with my news—I left Mary Geoise years ago. I'm with the Roger Pirates now… acting as their 'executive vice captain,' more or less."
"You really are… just like back then," Professor Clover said with a sigh.
When he first met Valthior, he already felt this guy didn't fit the stereotype of a Celestial Dragon.
And the more they got to know each other, the more certain he became.
Still, he never imagined Valthior would end up becoming a pirate.
Was that even remotely reasonable!?
"Anyway," Valthior shifted the topic, "we came to Wano looking for you."
He gestured as he introduced, "Like you, the Roger Pirates are searching for the Poneglyphs and uncovering the truth of the Void Century. We've made quite a bit of progress. I heard you came to Wano, so we rushed over to catch up—and exchange what we've learned."
Roger grinned and added, "We've heard of you, Professor Clover. Didn't expect there were others out there chasing the truth of the Void Century like us."
The sudden turn of events left Professor Clover a bit stunned, but he quickly regained his composure.
"Exchanging information sounds good," he nodded. "But this isn't the place. We were captured by Wano's samurai earlier and just escaped. They'll probably come after us soon. And you… well, you've killed their guards. Let's find somewhere to hide first, then talk."
"I told you these samurai have no manners," Roger grumbled. "Attacking pirates is one thing—our reputation's bad—but they didn't even spare scholars?"
Valthior laughed and waved his hand dismissively. "No need to worry. The Roger Pirates are strong enough to protect you. As for the samurai of Hakumai… we've already killed them all. Let's just find a place to eat and talk while we're at it."
…Killed them all!?
Even though Professor Clover's group often skirted the law and had clashed with the Marines before, hearing Roger's crew say so casually that they'd wiped out all the samurai still sent a chill down their spines.
Pirates really are ruthless…
Though, to be fair, those samurai weren't exactly saints either.
Brutal. Absolutely brutal.
Still, at this point, Valthior had essentially helped them out of a bind. And since both sides were researching the Poneglyphs, exchanging knowledge was worthwhile.
Very quickly, the scholar group and the Roger Pirates merged together, strolling openly through the streets in search of a restaurant—as if they were out on a casual outing.
Meanwhile, Wano's intelligence network had already reacted.
A group of ninja scouts arrived at Habu Port.
Looking at the devastated ruins and the blood-soaked massacre scene, their expressions changed drastically—especially after discovering the corpse of Daimyo Shimotsuki Yasuie, cut into three pieces.
This meant that Hakumai's ruling class and military force had been completely wiped out.
"Quick! Report everything here to the Shogun!" one ninja barked. "Judging by these footprints, those killers have already headed toward Hakumai City!"
...
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