https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-747-Kuro-Use-Your-Unbeatable-Ability-to-Think-of-a-Solution/13539118/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-749-Shocking-A-Certain-Navy-Vice-Admiral-is-Actually-a-Billionaire-/13539120/
Chapter 748: Careful, I'll Sue You for Slander
Chapter 748: Careful, I'll Sue You for Slander
Tezoro was precisely the type of person whose despicable nature always had a pitiable side.
But honestly, whether it was "pitiable people inevitably have detestable aspects" or "despicable people inevitably have pitiable aspects", they deserved sympathy but not mercy.
Sympathy was a matter of conscience, proof of being a normal human. But refusing mercy was a matter of standpoint and values.
In Kuro's worldview, he never believed someone who'd spent their life doing evil suddenly became a good person simply because they'd once done something like giving a stray cat an umbrella or feeding it. Conversely, if someone who'd spent years doing good deeds was caught ignoring a stray cat, some would instantly declare them callous and claim all their previous good deeds were fake.
Even in his past life, Kuro always kept his distance from people with such black-and-white thinking.
These types were best avoided—it made you look unintelligent. They only saw the world in binaries.
Humans were inherently complex. There were no purely evil people, nor purely good ones.
Kuro was human, a normal person with a heart and his own biases. But beyond that bias, when viewing matters neutrally, he only paid attention to actions, never intentions.
Even if someone claimed to suffer endlessly, if their deeds were despicable, encountering them was either fate or a test of conscience.
Kuro understood Tezoro's story well. Childhood family trauma had planted his obsession with wealth. Then, the person he cherished most was taken by the root of all evil, triggering his transformation into the pseudo-World Noble he'd become.
Kuro had no right to judge—that was each person's journey. Who wanted to be criticized anyway? Unlike others who gossiped, he preferred taking action.
If someone died, their past sins vanished. Their debts were erased.
"Whoosh!" A flash of white light blazed, accompanied by a swirling golden glow.
Moer appeared, surrounded by towering heaps of gold ingots. "Found it", he said.
Even this usually apathetic man seemed excited. "So much Beri and gold!"
"Is this all the gold?" Kuro stared at the pile radiating golden light. With a flick of his finger, a layer of earth rose from the ground, swiftly encircling the treasure and concealing its glow.
This was too conspicuous—better to hide it first.
Of course, he didn't take it all, only two-thirds. The remaining gold stayed in place.
As the treasure vanished under the earthen veil, Kuro raised his palm. The gold shot skyward, disappearing in an instant.
Soon, Moer vanished again, then reappeared with a mountain of paper money.
"All here. I found only one hidden stash of money."
Moer exaggeratedly surveyed the Beri pile. "Seriously, so much!"
"Mm."
Kuro nodded. "This amount could blind anyone."
With another flick of his finger, the neatly stacked Beri mountain split. The edges and top layer separated, vanishing under another earth veil to join the gold above.
At least a tenth of the pile had disappeared.
At the same time, Kuro waved his palm. The floating debris in the air fell, covering the missing sections of the pile, restoring it to its original state.
"Alright, put the rest back where you found it." Kuro instructed.
"Aren't we taking it all?" Moer asked, puzzled.
"I thought you were smart. At a time like this, do you honestly believe I'd take everything? Are you calling the higher-ups or me foolish?" Kuro rolled his eyes.
What use was money if you thought it was truly yours?
Once you believed this wealth was truly yours, you were finished.
He could take it all, but the World Government's shadowy forces could reclaim it effortlessly.
Five hundred billion Beri.
One hundred times Roger's bounty.
With such a sum, the World Government could rotate its highest headquarters leadership endlessly.
Better to take less—enough for practical use.
"Fine, return it and take a break. Lida, we're going to visit Lucci. Let's see what that little brat is plotting." Kuro said with an air of experience.
Truthfully, Rob Lucci was thirty, while Kuro was only twenty-six. He wasn't even older than Lucci, yet he called him "little brat" without hesitation.
"Understood."
Moer nodded, vanishing with the remaining gold and Beri.
...
Near Gran Tesoro's landing point.
The moment ten warships landed, Kaku and Zoro were already waiting.
Though the Navy had temporarily assigned command to Lucci, the presence of two Vice Admirals meant the lower-ranking officers knew precisely who to obey.
In the end, only Lucci himself faced the two Admiral-candidates.
"Tatsumaki, Momousagi, what do you mean by blocking me?" Lucci narrowed his eyes at the two figures standing like tigers in the road.
Or rather, it wasn't a block.
The moment he disembarked, Kaku approached, methodically explaining their actions. But his speech was slow, often pausing to recall details or compose his thoughts, wasting precious time. Then Zoro would interject, filling gaps in Kaku's account.
But Lucci knew—something was definitely off.
The higher-ups had informed him: their current priority was locating the World Nobles' corpses and recovering Gran Tesoro's Beri and gold.
Lucci wasn't stupid. Seeing two Admiral-candidates blocking him, while Lucius Kro was mysteriously absent, he quickly deduced the truth.
That man had always been audacious, openly scorning the World Government.
As a CP Intelligence officer, Lucci naturally possessed intelligence on Kuro. From years ago, Kuro had displayed arrogance toward government officials, ignoring orders from the World Government thanks to his status as Admiral Lucius Kro's direct subordinate.
Such a Navy officer should be under scrutiny. But recently, his influence had grown, earning him a place within the Navy. The higher-ups feared another Zeff incident, so while tightening control over the Navy, they'd relaxed oversight of high-ranking officers.
Moreover, the Five Elders and World Nobles held a favorable impression of him, believing his arrogance was mere pride, not disloyalty.
Thus, the evidence Lucci held regarding Kuro's disdain for government officials and the Cipher Pol was practically useless.
After all, Kuro was an Admiral-candidate. Of course, he'd ignore commands from subordinate organizations like CP—it was entirely normal.
"So you don't need to block me like this."
Lucci said coolly, "The higher-ups have allowed you to seize part of the spoils. My current mission is ensuring Tezoro's death, recovering the remaining Beri and gold, and locating the World Nobles' corpses. How much you take is your own discretion."
"Eh, that's not right", a voice suddenly called from nearby.
Lucci looked up. Kuro descended slowly from the sky, while the white-haired girl stepped onto a floating stone platform.
"What do you mean by 'we take what we want'?" Kuro's face darkened. "We're Navy, the World Government's direct subordinate organization. Have we taken anything? You're slandering me—I could sue you! But since you mentioned seizing spoils, we'll accept your generosity. You there—"
He pointed at a Commander. "Take a squad and search. Find the money and gold. Then we'll decide how to divide it."
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
