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Chapter 110: Meeting
Chapter 110: Meeting
“She can’t take it anymore.”
“Just hold on a little longer.”
“But Tina’s so tired, she wants to rest.”
“I want more though—can you push just a bit longer?”
“Fine…”
In one of the warehouse districts at Marineford Harbor, a woman’s voice echoed. Inside the warehouse, Tina was drenched in sweat, surrounded by mounds of Black Guns.
Beside her, Kuro, Lida, and Klah watched silently.
“That’s enough. I’m too exhausted—I need to go home and rest.” Tina wiped her brow after filling the warehouse, lit a cigarette, and muttered.
“Alright, thanks for the hard work, Tina,” Kuro nodded quickly.
Two days’ worth of production was indeed sufficient. But Kuro could sense Tina’s growing impatience. He had no intention of irritating this key producer—he was already plotting ways to get her to keep manufacturing Black Guns later.
Once Tina left, Kuro’s eyes gleamed as he reached out to caress the weapons lovingly. “My little treasures…”
Ever since that night when he’d returned drunk, Kuro had summoned Tina early the next morning to start creating Black Guns. Now, the warehouse was nearly full, and Kuro couldn’t hide his grin.
This pace had continued for two days straight.
Of course, just this one warehouse wasn’t enough—surrounding storage units were also crammed with Black Guns, all personally “inspected” by Kuro. They were already his.
Nothing gave him a greater sense of security than these Black Guns.
“Maintaining this ability must drain a lot of physical strength, right? Is Kuro’s stamina sufficient? He’s already sent quite a few things to Headquarters.”
Klah raised an eyebrow, curious. After all, Kuro had already dispatched several large islands, a massive water orb, and now nearly half the warehouse district was packed with Black Guns. How much physical strength could he possibly have left?
Lida scoffed. “Don’t compare ordinary people to this freak. Have you forgotten how he defeated Shanks?”
Klah adjusted his glasses. “Forget I asked…”
Shanks had been worn down purely through brute physical strength in a five-day battle. If Kuro could maintain his Armament Haki the entire time without showing fatigue, the term “insufficient stamina” probably didn’t even exist in his case.
Paired with his Float-Float Fruit ability, which allowed him to remain active around the clock without tiring, the two made a terrifying combination.
“If you have time calculating my stamina, think about how to get me out of Headquarters. I need an excuse to leave.”
After finishing his inventory, Kuro turned to Klah.
Recently, Navy numbers at Marineford had surged. Many ships had been dispatched for patrols, indicating that Grand Line forces were pulling inward. Kuro had even spotted elite Navies from the Four Seas—most were at least Branchmajor rank.
Headquarters Commanders like Tina rarely returned to Headquarters, but she was staying unusually long this time.
Though newspapers hadn’t reported anything yet, the storm of war was clearly brewing.
Kuro was anxious.
While preparing, he stubbornly kept searching for a way out.
But so far, nothing.
Lucius Kro’s path was blocked. Gramps wouldn’t let him out—not because of the Top War, but because Lucius had been trying to prevent him from causing trouble. The Morgant incident had been buried, with Morgant Prince’s death labeled a routine accident. The World Government had even covered up the unrest among the populace.
Morgant hadn’t caused any scandals—world media only saw one prince’s tragic death.
With both issues neutralized, Kuro was off the hook. But in exchange, he couldn’t move freely.
Now, he pondered who might become his breakthrough.
Smoker?
Every time Kuro saw him, he wanted to punch him. Lost trust completely.
Tina?
She couldn’t move freely either.
Koby?
Too low-ranked to matter.
Sengoku?
Potentially useful. But Sengoku was here to test the Pacifista—would be busy for a while.
After much consideration, Kuro sighed and waved them off as he walked out.
“I’m going home to lie down. You two can do whatever.”
Promoted to major, Kuro naturally had his own house in Marineford. Thanks to Lucius Kro’s favors, it was a spacious standalone villa.
In today’s world, housing wasn’t an issue—you could build a house anywhere. Claim an unoccupied island, build whatever size you wanted. Even in sovereign nations, occupying a wasteland for housing was tolerated.
Kuro had no housing concerns.
He planned to stay home quietly for a few days, waiting for an opportunity to request an external assignment.
---
Two days passed.
Seated cross-legged on a tatami mat, Kuro held a teacup steaming with fragrant tea. Sipping it slowly, he gazed out the window at drifting clouds.
If not for the Top War, staying at Headquarters would be quite pleasant.
“Hmm, after the war, Marineford won’t be Headquarters anymore. Maybe I’ll petition to stay and just retire here.”
He mused as he drank.
“Or maybe hire a maid? Too lonely in that big house alone.”
Lida and Klah had bought nearby houses. Though only lieutenants, they’d received housing assignments. But since the conditions were poor, these two had bought two new properties near Kuro’s place.
The money? “Borrowed” from Sengoku.
That guy had plenty and rarely spent any.
“Bro, bro, bro!”
His Transponder Snail blared.
Kuro glanced at it and flipped open the lid. The snail’s face morphed into a lecherous expression.
“Kuro-o-o-y!”
“What do you want, Gramps?”
“You’ve rested enough these days. Time to get moving. Come with old man to Mary Geoise. Oh, and since you’re a major now, time to get your dress uniform. Pick one up—old man’s waiting in the office.”
Click.
He hung up before Kuro could protest.
“Wait, I didn’t even say I’d go!”
Kuro shouted at the snail, but it was too late.
“What the hell!”
Kuro scowled, closed the Transponder Snail, and raised an eyebrow. “Mary Geoise? What does he want there with World Nobles?”
Thinking further, his eyes narrowed. “Come to think of it, the execution time must be near.”
Newspapers hadn’t mentioned anything, but with the Navy’s mobilization frequency, it was approaching.
This trip to Mary Geoise was probably for that event.
“Big shots gathering. What does he want me for? A receptionist?”
Kuro muttered irritably as he grabbed his Navy cloak and marched out.
Soon, Kuro stood in Lucius Kro’s office.
He’d changed into a golden dress uniform—no tie, collar open, cigar tucked under his lip, hooded cloak trailing behind.
“Oh~ Quicker than I expected. The uniform suits you well—color matches your style.”
Lucius Kro scrutinized Kuro, eyes narrowing into a warm smile.
“Now that you’re here, let’s go. You should attend the meeting at Mary Geoise. Might benefit your future.”
Lucius Kro stood, gesturing for Kuro to follow.
(End of Chapter)
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