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Chapter 86: Klah's Thoughts
Chapter 86: Klah's Thoughts
Before long, the sergeant returned and visibly relaxed upon seeing Kuro and the others.
He had already prepared to report Kuro’s disappearance to Headquarters, but fortunately, they had reappeared.
“Ensign, where did you run off to? You vanished for five whole days,” the sergeant asked.
“An old man with a ship’s rudder on his head was too hospitable. I played with him for five days. Anyway, let’s set sail now—five days should’ve given you enough time to rest and resupply,” Kuro replied vaguely, brushing off the inquiry. The sergeant saluted and left to gather the Navy personnel for loading supplies onto the ship.
Meanwhile, Klah, now full and content, rested his elbows on the table and propped his chin on his hand, adopting the posture of a “thinker.”
“What’s on your mind?” Lida asked, having finished the mayor’s food and begun rummaging through her small backpack, pulling out apples while glancing at Klah.
Klah glanced at Kuro, who was sprawled like a lazy fish smoking a cigar. “I think this won’t work.”
“What won’t?”
“Kuro’s position is too low. Even though he’s the direct subordinate of Lucius Kroadmiral, if a superior officer issues an order, he can’t resist. That’s too restrictive.”
“For the Navy, rank is essential. At minimum, he needs to be a Commander to have real autonomy.”
Over these days, Klah hadn’t only focused on cultivation—he’d studied the Navy’s hierarchy. He recalled Kuro’s words when inviting him aboard: to contribute his “intelligence.” Now that he understood the system, he realized that while a Lieutenant could command a cruiser to patrol, such roles were heavily constrained. Kuro’s current freedom was because he operated under Lucius Kro’s direct authority. However, if ordered by a superior, Kuro couldn’t always refuse—contrary to his goal of a safe, comfortable Navy life.
As his strategist, Klah needed a win-win solution. The best path was promotion. At least reaching Commander would let Kuro defy orders without punishment, as long as he stayed within regulations. The recent battle with Shanks had made him realize this: staying in East Blue wasn’t without risks. A higher rank could mobilize more warships, easing their operations.
“Kuro hates seeking glory, you know,” Lida said, though she was intrigued. Higher rank meant more delicacies for her to enjoy.
“We’ll just promote him without telling Kuro. He’s in Lucius Kroadmiral’s camp—promotion is inevitable. We just need to give it a push,” Klah replied.
“How?” Lida whispered, glancing at Kuro.
“There’s only one answer,” Klah said, adjusting his glasses, which glinted with a wisp of light. “Catch pirates.”
“Find an opportunity to secretly capture a high-bounty pirate and submit it to Headquarters.”
“That sounds good,” Lida nodded. “But East Blue doesn’t have many high-bounty pirates. The only one worth mentioning sank to the ocean floor.”
“Then we’ll go to Grand Line. Time is on our side—we don’t need to rush,” Klah said. “If you agree, we’ve got a plan.”
“Fine. You handle it, and let me know when the time comes,” Lida agreed.
As she spoke, a buzzing sound emerged from her bag.
“Brrrrrrrrrr!”
She pulled out a watch-shaped Transponder Snail—the one Kuro had given her to keep safe during battles.
“Kuro, it’s your call.”
Kuro snatched it, but his face darkened instantly. The Transponder Snail’s expression had turned lecherous, its creepy grin irking him.
“Hey! What’s up, Kuro? Need something?”
“You didn’t reply for five days! I called you five days ago! Never mind, just tell me—did you finish trimming your nails?!”
Snap!
Kuro slammed the watch, disconnecting the call, then strapped it to his wrist. That old man sure had timing. What use was he now?
“Lida, why are you still eating? Pack up and go.”
Kuro stared as Lida continued pulling fruits from her bag. “How much food did you stash in there?”
He remembered that pack was already full five days ago—how had she not finished it yet?
“A lot!” she boasted. “I stockpiled reserves in case of hunger. I still have half left!”
She listed her treasures: “Apples, bananas, pineapples, honeydews, watermelons…”
Kuro watched her extract a mountain of fruits from a bag barely half her height. His lips twitched.
This was no ordinary bag—it was a Hyperspace Pocket! How could it hold so many fruits, even a watermelon?
“And this—peach!” Lida pulled out a fruit the size of her head, its surface swirling with mystical patterns, glowing sky-blue.
“Huh? This isn’t a peach… Did I pack this?” she wondered aloud.
Kuro’s eyes widened. “Lida! Where did you get this Devil Fruit?”
Only one fruit in the world bore such patterns—Devil Fruit.
“Devil Fruit?” Lida recoiled, hurling it away. “Ew, that stuff tastes horrible! The worst thing I’ve ever eaten. And because of it, I get hungry all the time!”
Kuro caught it, studying the sky-blue orb with spiraling grooves. Its shape resembled a Paramecia type, its color echoing the heavens.
“No way…” He raised an eyebrow, suspecting its power.
“This is my first time seeing a Devil Fruit,” Klah said, standing. “I’ve heard one’s worth at least a billion Beri.”
“If it’s what I think it is, it’s worth more than a billion,” Kuro muttered. “Devil Fruits can regenerate near where a user dies, but that’s rare. Random appearances are far more common.”
Still, the island had countless fruits—why did this one appear in Lida’s bag of all places?
“You’re sure you didn’t pack any Devil Fruits?” Kuro asked.
“Impossible!” Lida snapped. “I remember every food I packed!”
Kuro sighed. “If only I had a Devil Fruit Guidebook…”
If this was the Float-Float Fruit, he’d definitely eat it.
“I’ve got one!” The Mendeltown mayor suddenly interjected. “We have a Devil Fruit Guidebook at home.”
(End of Chapter)
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