“Sister Delia, is it really necessary to make things so complicated?”
Isuka watched as Delia used a “friendly” tone to handle their opponents for the next two days, but she didn’t quite understand. The Beasts Pirates were a complex group of pirates, and even though Arceus had set some rules, they only regulated everyday life.
When it came to the plates, the Beasts Pirates were capable of committing massive acts, like wiping out entire countries. Yet Delia’s approach this time was very different from usual.
“What exactly has Amalee been teaching you?”
Delia didn’t answer directly but instead asked what Amalee had been teaching her. Ordinary orphans were learning at the monastery, but those with special circumstances were usually looked after by some officers.
Isuka had been brought back by Shayna and Amalee, but Shayna was often busy, so Amalee acted as her temporary guardian.
“Just regular stuff…”
“Figures. Amalee is always so by the book. Some things are straightforward. If it were anything else, we could just take it by force after the tournament.”
“After the tournament?”
“This is the New World, after all. The tournament is called the New World Central Fighting Tournament, and it’s been going on for some time now. The person who organizes it has some significant connections in the New World.
We have a lot of business here, so we need to show some respect.”
New World is a complicated sea region. The most powerful people on the seas have all gathered here, and even the Marines don’t take action in the New World without sufficient preparations.
Currently, the territories of the three great Emperors of the Sea overlap, and with Shanks rising rapidly, the Four Emperors’ positions were gradually taking shape. Due to how divided the many forces are, intermediaries in the Underworld of the New World have room to operate.
In times of peace, everyone generally gives a little respect to each other.
“Sister Delia, are you sure…threatening a contestant in the middle of the night is showing them respect?”
“That’s why I threatened him in secret. The situation is different. That guy seems to really treasure that plate, and you heard his boasting at the arena. He’s just a ‘fool’ who wants to challenge the Emperors of the Sea.”
“Even if we threatened his life, he might not hand it over. Resorting to violence here would break the rules.”
She adjusted to a more comfortable position, continuing to monitor the other party’s movements.
“Plus, there’s too little information about this guy. We don’t know if he’s made contact with any other forces since entering the New World. Since that thing is suspected to be the plate, the safest approach is to call in someone more powerful to handle it.
If I were 100% sure, I’d contact Lord Arceus directly. By the way, Isuka, remember this: unless you have concrete information, it’s best not to directly bypass the chain of command and report to the higher-ups.”
This is where Delia differs from Amalee. Amalee joined the Beasts Pirates as an ordinary member early on, whereas Delia joined later as the captain of another pirate crew.
Unlike the corporate drone Mandrell, she’s a seasoned veteran, content with her current position, and has no big dreams for the future—she just wants to continue living this carefree life.
If the plate is real, contacting Arceus wouldn’t be a problem, but she doesn’t have the means to be 100% sure of its authenticity.
Reporting something fake to higher-ups by directly bypassing the chain of command would also reflect poorly on her boss. Since the achievement is concrete and cannot be snatched by anyone, she chose to notify King.
Until King arrives, she only needs to keep an eye on the other party. She came here to participate in the tournament and didn’t bring many people. If she took action on her own and something went wrong, and the target escapes amid the confusion and hides, it would be a huge trouble.
“Some things can be solved with a heavy hand, but in this case, it’s better to be cautious.”
…….
Delia wouldn’t have expected that her cautious approach was not only effective but also indirectly saved her wallet.
For some reason, Gaponov won. Since he advanced to the next round, he still remained on the island where the tournament was being held until King arrived.
“Where’s it?”
“It’s still with that person.”
“Well done. The credibility of the New World Central Fighting Tournament must be maintained.”
King, in his transformed state, landed on the rooftop. Completely cloaked in black, he blended into the night, so most people didn’t even notice that there was an additional person on the island.
“Boss, you seem pretty interested in this tournament.”
“You don’t know?”
“Huh? Know what?”
Delia was baffled by the question, completely unaware of what King was talking about.
“Looks like I overestimated you. Can’t you learn from Mandrell and gain a bit more understanding about these things?”
“That wouldn’t be me then, Boss. What exactly is going on?”
“Nothing much. Tesoro just got involved with this tournament last month, so we’re now one of the organizers. If you really messed things up here and tarnished the tournament’s reputation, you might have to kiss your year-end bonus goodbye.”
King originally thought Delia knew about this. Among the Beasts Pirates, she was the one most obsessed with these high-reward tournaments, so he hadn’t found it strange when he heard she was monitoring the target’s movements and didn’t specifically warn her.
At the time, he thought it was odd as his Vice-Captain’s sudden change in behavior seemed out of character, but now it seemed he had simply been overthinking it.
…
The New World Central Fighting Tournament didn’t last very long. The final was the next day, and Delia smoothly secured her fourth consecutive championship. Then, after the tournament ended, the participants on the island began to quickly leave.
During the tournament, an unknown force had been maintaining order on the island, but this order was shattered as soon as the final ended. Now, any grudges could be settled personally, and no one would intervene.
Now that the Beasts Pirates had a stake in the tournament, King certainly wasn’t going to tarnish the reputation of their own business. So, he waited until the tournament was over—once lost, credibility is hard to regain.
Compared to taking action early and having to clean up the mess, waiting proved to be the safest approach.
Gaponov’s performance wasn’t particularly impressive, but making it to the final earned him a prize. However, as he was leaving, King appeared before him.
“I’ll give you a chance: leave the plate here, and you can walk away unharmed.”
“In your dreams! This is mine—don’t even think about taking it!”
When he first arrived in the New World, Gaponov had already encountered people trying to steal the plate. That was the toughest battle he’d faced since setting sail, but thanks to the plate’s indestructible properties, he defeated his enemy. From that moment, he was completely captivated by the plate’s defensive power and determined to collect more plates, with the goal of becoming the new Emperor….
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