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Chapter 989: No One is Perfect
Chapter 989: No One is Perfect
This kind of task naturally fell to Klah to handle—he only needed to give orders.
Otherwise, why did he bother having subordinates?
Subordinates existed to act as tools for their superiors, not the other way around.
Even Gramps had to handle matters he didn’t want to do, didn’t he?
After wandering around the South Sea for a few more days, Kuro returned directly to Headquarters.
He’d played enough. It was time to return to Headquarters and take a break to avoid giving the impression of slacking off.
Unlike Garp, who could loaf around carefree, Kuro needed to maintain appearances. Returning to Headquarters to rest would let him claim he’d grown tired searching for the Seven Warlords of the Sea. Then, after resting, he’d resume his “search” for the Seven Warlords of the Sea. Repeating this cycle allowed him to slack off effortlessly while maintaining decorum.
He stayed comfortable, Lida spent his days leisurely exploring and indulging in food, and the only one truly burdened was Klah.
Once back at Headquarters, Klah threw himself into the task Kuro had assigned.
Though Kuro had described the mission as simple, it proved far more complicated in practice.
Kuro’s requirements were complex. First, they needed to locate undercover agents. However, the “Sword” secret squad, despite being a squad, had very few members. After all, only exceptional pirate crews earned the honor of hosting undercover agents.
In the South Sea, only the Longsword Pirate Crew qualified—specialized crews with established influence in the Grand Line.
The Grand Line was a given, and the New World even more so. Even among the Four Seas, some crews preferred plundering within their regions rather than venturing into the Grand Line. These crews, though influential, dwarfed smaller threats like the former East Blue “supreme ruler” Krieg.
The Longsword Pirate Crew could rival the Vinsmoke Family of the North Blue in status.
Only such crews could host undercover agents.
But climbing the ranks within these crews was extremely difficult.
Not every undercover agent possessed Ethan Kadi’s talent, nor X Drake’s strength to become a “Six Crimson Stars” member of the Kaido Pirates.
X Drake had become a “Six Crimson Stars” member simply because he was a Zoan-type Devil Fruit user. Even then, he remained far from the “Senior Commander” rank.
Of course, other pirate crews lacked Kaido’s sheer scale.
But then again, other undercover agents weren’t of such high quality either.
Most were ordinary Navy members. Even with CP’s assassination capabilities, rising through the ranks was nearly impossible. Worse, CP agents might not even outmatch these crews’ captains—Klah himself couldn’t guarantee victory.
If assassination were that easy, the world wouldn’t have so many pirates.
Even if they somehow elevated these agents, they’d never gain the crew’s respect.
This mission was no ordinary challenge.
But as the saying went: when a superior speaks, a subordinate runs until their legs break. Even if destined to fail, they still had to try to complete the task.
While elevating agents to captain positions was temporarily unfeasible, conducting evaluations remained possible.
Under Lucci’s orders, Kaku and Klah formed a joint task force, scouring the world to assess undercover agents embedded in pirate crews.
Their goal: evaluate “Sword” members who’d been undercover for over five years. The “Sword” division’s Navy and CP members coordinated globally to manage these agents.
Klah and Kaku’s joint patrol aimed to prevent accidents while verifying intelligence.
Kuro, now in his private office at Headquarters, reviewed Klah’s report and nodded. “Good analysis. I was too hasty in my assumptions.”
Lida turned, biting a piece of bread. “What do you mean?”
“About handling the ‘Sword’ agents. My idea to elevate someone to captain was too simplistic.”
Kuro shrugged. “Let’s focus on evaluations first. We’ll address the rest later.”
He wasn’t ashamed. After all, who could claim to never make mistakes?
It was natural for decisions to have flaws others could exploit.
Perfection and invincibility were myths.
If anyone in the Grand Line claimed to be undefeated and flawless, there was only one explanation: they’d never faced the real world.
“Where next, Lida?” Kuro asked.
“Baratie.” Lida replied instantly.
“You’re obsessed with Baratie, aren’t you? Why keep going back?” Kuro rolled his eyes.
“The food’s amazing, and the boss is great. I love it there!” Lida grinned, eyes narrowing into crescents.
“Fine, fine. Have it your way.”
…
New World, near Dressrosa’s territorial waters.
The area was in chaos. Dressrosa had begun expanding aggressively, waging war across nearby seas. The nobility of every inhabited town and nation trembled in fear.
Their pirate protectors were no match for Dressrosa’s forces—or rather, for the combined might of Dressrosa’s Navy and the Kolf Kingdom’s Navy. Most pirate crews were either annihilated or fled in panic.
Without pirate protection, these regions could only await conquest and annexation by Dressrosa.
The war raged on, and with it, the turmoil.
Chaos bred opportunity. Some cowardly pirate crews sought to seize the territories abandoned by fleeing crews.
In the Grand Line, a fleet of over ten pirate ships sailed. On one massive warship, a pirate with fur-lined pauldrons approached a towering, one-horned pirate lounging on a large chair on the deck.
“Captain, are we really doing this? I heard Dressrosa’s power is immense. We’ll clash with them directly if we proceed!”
“Guh—guh—”
The horned pirate, drinking from a wooden barrel, glared and slammed it down, his voice thunderous.
“What’s there to fear? If Dressrosa resists, we’ll conquer them and their entire nation!!”
“But they’re a World Government member state!” The pirate hesitated.
The giant glared, his eyes bloodshot with rage. “Who AM I?!!”
The bloodshot gaze made the pirate recoil, trembling. “Y-you’re Captain ‘One-Horned’ Ophi of the One-Horned Pirate Crew.”
“Exactly!!” The horned giant roared. “What’s the World Government? What’s the Navy? I’m Ophi!!”
“Aye, Captain!” The pirate snapped to attention, saluting fiercely.
Meanwhile, far away, a warship sped toward the chaos in Dressrosa’s direction.
On its deck, Klah held a Wanted Poster, gazing at the Grand Line. “The pirate crew hosting our undercover agent this time is no easy target.”
The poster depicted a one-horned giant roaring in fury.
“One-Horned Ophi, bounty: 1.6 billion.”
Among the top non-Emperor pirates, Ophi had carved his name as a mighty Daimyo, a colossal force with unshakable influence in the New World.
(End of Chapter)
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