"Ah, we're finally back. Three months passed in the blink of an eye. Wonder if the Night Wolf Gang is still around."
Badak stretched as he stepped off the ship.
"Snakes have their paths, rats have theirs. I'm sure they're fine. Worst case, the gang got wiped out," Robin said casually, following behind with a stack of books in her arms.
Mansherry and Leo, unfamiliar with the Night Wolf Gang, perched on Robin and Perona's shoulders respectively, happily taking in their surroundings. This voyage had been long—though they'd docked at other islands, the stops were too brief. They'd almost forgotten what life on land was like.
"So, this is Badak's hometown?"
Perona, visiting for the first time, looked around curiously. It didn't seem much different from any other island.
As they restocked supplies along the way, Leo and Mansherry once again drew countless stares and murmurs—though this time, no one dared to eye them with ill intent.
By the time they finished deep-cleaning the house, Andrew had already gotten word and come to them.
The past few months had been bliss for Andrew—at first. Riding on Badak's coattails, he'd intimidated the Night Wolf Gang into submission and claimed the boss's seat. As long as he didn't push his luck, he could get whatever he wanted.
Though the gang members didn't fully respect him, they knew he had connections. Who they followed didn't matter much—especially since even Oliver, their former boss, had lost to Badak. Now, with Badak as the boss above their boss, their faction was stronger than ever.
Later, when Badak ordered the Night Wolf Gang to prepare supplies for a voyage, Andrew was ecstatic. This guy was restless—he'd set sail sooner or later. And when he did, Andrew would be the gang's one and only leader.However, things gradually began to change. Badak had been away at sea for quite some time—three months without returning—and Andrew found himself struggling to keep the lower-ranking officers in line. At this point, he actually wished Badak would stay put and never set sail again. Even if Badak was just a figurehead leader, he was still the leader. After all, Badak never interfered with the affairs of the Night Wolf Gang.
After news spread that the leader of the Night Wolf Gang had changed, the situation became even more troublesome. Their long-time rival gang, the Fang Gang, had already begun infiltrating their territory. With his own strength, Andrew had no hope of resisting their attacks.
It was at this moment that a subordinate from the port came to report: Badak had returned. This was the best news Andrew had heard in a long time. He immediately rushed over to pay his respects.
"Mr. Badak, Miss Robin, it's been a while. I've missed you both. Was the voyage smooth?"
"Andrew, you're quite quick with the news. Anything major happen recently?"
Badak didn't bother with pleasantries and got straight to the point.
"Mr. Badak, here's a report on everything that's happened in the city and surrounding towns over the past three months. And this is information gathered from merchants and sailors at the port about nearby islands. Please take a look."
Andrew handed over two documents. This was likely arranged by Robin, as he had always reported verbally to Badak in the past.
"Alright, you can go back now. I'll call for you if anything comes up."
Badak casually flipped through the reports before handing them to Robin. She was the expert in this area, and besides, it was time for his training.
"Understood, Mr. Badak, Miss Robin. I'll take my leave now."
As Andrew walked away, Badak turned to Robin and said, "See if there's anything urgent. I feel like I'm about to break through to Swordmaster level, so I'll go practice my swordsmanship first!"
"Mm, leave it to me."
Badak's intuition wasn't wrong—he was indeed on the verge of breaking through to Swordmaster. But that final step was one many swordsmen never managed to take in their entire lives.
"Devil Fruit abilities need to be developed gradually. Awakening too quickly might turn you into a fool."
"I've mastered all Six Styles, but Life Return still needs some work. Once I polish my Six Styles further, it should come naturally."
"My Conqueror's Haki has improved—I can now distinguish friend from foe. But why haven't Armament Haki and Observation Haki awakened yet? Maybe I need an evenly matched battle?"
"My swordsmanship has finally hit a bottleneck. Whether it's left-handed or right-handed, the next step is Iron Cutting."
Badak went through his progress one by one, realizing his current strength was already considerable. In the West Blue, finding an opponent on his level was quite difficult. Either he crushed them, or they were too strong for him.
"No idea how strong Moria is now. The problem is, even if I wanted to find him, I can't. What about Chin Jao from the Flower Kingdom? His performance a decade later was pretty lackluster, so I probably can't beat him yet. I'll wait until I've mastered Haki."Thinking about these random thoughts, Badak immediately focused his mind and began swinging his sword with full concentration the moment he drew it. He knew the key to breaking through as a swordsman lay in willpower. Back on Sabaody Archipelago, One-Eyed Worley had achieved the breakthrough right before his eyes. Combining this with Koshiro's teachings to Zoro, he had glimpsed the secret: sensing the breath of all things and channeling one's will into the blade.
Sword strike after sword strike, Badak poured his full strength into each swing, attempting to achieve a breakthrough in swordsmanship through this process. Unfortunately, even after exhausting his stamina, he still couldn't manage to channel his will into the blade. Fortunately, Badak had mentally prepared himself—he'd been just a hair's breadth away this entire time, always that tiny bit short. Becoming a master swordsman wasn't something easily achieved. After eating a dandelion, Badak immediately moved on to his next training session.
After dinner came Robin's world knowledge class, where she introduced the customs, characteristics, and cultural histories of various islands. Badak and the others usually treated it as story time, while Perona wasn't interested in the slightest.
Badak had come to realize that Perona was a homebody. She showed little interest in most things, with the sole exception being her beloved stuffed bear Kumashi. Beyond that, she only had some interest in gothic-style clothing and ghost-story-themed outfits.
After class, everyone went their separate ways, but Robin called out to Badak.
"Badak, about the Night Wolf Gang—I'd like to talk with you."
"Sure, is this about the intel we received during the day?"
"Yes. On the surface, nothing major has happened in the Ilusia Kingdom these past three months, but beneath it all, significant undercurrents are swirling. In the underworld of the West Blue, there are five colossal entities—the five mafia families that dominate the region. Beyond them, smaller gangs occupy the buffer zones between these five families, preventing open conflict among the major mafia organizations."
"So the Night Wolf Gang is one of these smaller gangs?"
"Correct. Both the Night Wolf Gang and the neighboring city's Fang Gang serve this purpose. But now, the Capone Family—one of the five major mafia families—has begun making moves. They seem intent on dominating the entire West Blue underworld. Over recent months, the Capone Family has been gradually absorbing these smaller gangs in the cracks, testing the waters with the other four mafia families beyond the buffer zones."
"Have they targeted the Night Wolf Gang yet?"
"Not yet, but they've already subjugated the Fang Gang and are attempting to use it as leverage to pry open the entire underworld of the Ilusia Kingdom."
"I see! Robin, what's your take on this?"