https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-488-White-Butterfly-and-Black-Wolf/13537891/
Chapter 489: Tie Him Up If Necessary!
Chapter 489: Tie Him Up If Necessary!
"Hey, you took a bit longer than usual this time. Did you go back to East Blue again?" Kuro asked.
Lida had been away for half a month.
"Mm-hmm", Lida replied with a satisfied smile. "I treated myself to a feast at Baratie, and I even had Ju Geng help me brush up on my craftsmanship."
She still had a soft spot for Baratie.
Ever since Kuro gave her autonomy, Lida would pop back to East Blue every few days just to indulge in its cuisine. Kuro himself had never enjoyed such luxury.
Thinking about his own schedule, he was always buried in work or interrupted by one nuisance after another. When did he ever have the freedom to come and go as he pleased?
"You and Klah sure have it easy, gallivanting off to East Blue whenever you feel like it. I haven’t even been back in ages", Kuro muttered, rolling his eyes with a hint of resentment.
As the Shabondy Base Commander, he couldn’t just up and leave.
As for Klah, he hadn’t returned in over half a month either. Kuro could already guess where he’d gone—Syrobu Village.
Ever since Klah became a Commander, his first move was to return to Syrobu Village to apologize to the wealthy merchant’s daughter he’d once designed for—Koza.
He’d even taken a blade to himself to earn her forgiveness.
Now he’d visit Syrobu Village every few days, treating it like his second home.
"Not sure", Lida shrugged. "We didn’t travel together. Come to think of it, things have been oddly quiet lately, but not the same peaceful quiet as before."
"Quiet? Don’t be silly", Kuro scoffed. "Whitebeard’s death sparked a new wave of pirates, but the Navy’s stepped up its global recruitment. The intensity’s higher, but the situation’s better than before."
The "Great Pirate Era" was far from over.
Whitebeard’s death hadn’t ended it—it had only made the world more chaotic.
But Sakazuki wasn’t one to sit idle. The Navy had ramped up recruitment, even reinforcing Shabondy with fresh troops. The Navy’s overall strength had grown significantly.
Kuro had also heard that a new "Admiral" had been appointed—Tatsumaki.
According to Gramps, he was a new monster stationed at Mariejois, though he was so lazy he’d holed up there like a hermit god. Kuro had no interest in seeking him out.
Another Admiral position was being filled at Headquarters. Kuro already knew who it would be—Yi Xiao.
Perfect. He’d dodged a bullet there. As Gramps’ subordinate, the World Government would be insane to promote him to Admiral.
Why would he want the job anyway? It was a death sentence.
Above him were the World Nobles, and below him, the Four Emperors.
Let someone else deal with those abominations—he was out.
"Boroboroboro!"
The Transponder Snail on his desk rang.
"Kuro, your call."
"Answer it for me."
"Okay."
Lida skipped over and picked up the receiver. The Transponder Snail’s voice crackled through.
"Oh~ Kuro."
"This is Lida!" she chirped into the receiver.
The snail’s image morphed into a lecherous grin.
"Ah, little Lida! Where’s Kuro?"
"He’s sunbathing. Lucius Kro, are you looking for him?" Lida asked.
"Put him on. Old man’s got something to discuss."
"No need. Just speak directly. I can hear you."
Kuro didn’t budge from his lounge chair.
"Right. Sakazuki’s pushing global recruitment, as you know."
"Mm, I’ve heard. Not going too smoothly, is it?"
"The recruitment’s wrapping up, but there’s still one Admiral spot open. Kuro, interested?"
"Absolutely not!"
Kuro shot up, snatching the receiver from Lida. "Gramps, are you trying to kill me? I’m just a Vice Admiral! Even with global recruitment, you can’t just leapfrog me like this! You’re not even dead yet!"
"Oh~ So you’re hoping something happens to me? How scary, Kuro."
The Transponder Snail pouted. "Not that. Old man’s asking if you’d like to meet the Navy’s chosen candidate. We’ve worked with him before, and we’d prefer someone familiar this time. Yi Xiao. You’ve met him. You should have no trouble."
"Oh, you want me to recruit him? Not negotiate, not surrender—just recruit Yi Xiao?" Kuro relaxed.
"Exactly. Yi Xiao’s currently in 'Spring Queen City,' not far from you."
"Fine, I’ll do it. No guarantees, though." Kuro agreed offhandedly.
He hadn’t left base in ages—this was a perfect excuse to get out.
"No problem if you fail."
Lucius Kro chuckled. "If you fail, Sakazuki will nominate someone to the World Government—either Tatsumaki, Momousagi, or you."
"Huh?"
Kuro nodded along at the mention of Tatsumaki and Momousagi.
As "Admiral candidates", they were viable replacements if Yi Xiao declined.
But the last part left him stunned.
"Me? What do I have to do with this?" Kuro blinked.
"Kuro, this is an opportunity. Yi Xiao hasn’t accepted yet. If you want to climb the ranks, this is your chance."
Click!
Kuro slammed the receiver down, cutting Lucius Kro off mid-sentence.
"Opportunity? You call this an opportunity?! I can’t believe you’d spring this on me when Yi Xiao hasn’t even agreed yet! This is a trap!"
He cursed under his breath.
"Am I the type to chase promotions?!"
"Kuro, are you becoming an Admiral?!" Lida gasped, eyes wide with excitement.
"Get lost!" He glared. "Me, an Admiral? Are you trying to curse me to death? Have you forgotten how recently I was injured?!"
"That was six months ago", Lida rolled her eyes. "And you’ve been recovering this whole time."
She studied him. Compared to six months ago, he’d grown even taller—now nearly eight and a half feet. In her diminutive form, she barely reached his knees.
"Call Klah back!"
"Eh? Why?"
"I’ve got a mission to execute. You think I’ll let him stay home and relax?!"
Kuro gritted his teeth. "If Yi Xiao refuses, I’ll drag him back here myself! Mobilize the entire fleet!!"
Though if Yi Xiao declined, the Navy would choose between Kuro, Zoro, or Kaku—three to one odds were already risky.
He wasn’t about to gamble.
No more slacking off. Yi Xiao had to agree!
(End of Chapter)
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