How could Cheadle understand?
This was something only Law, Ging, and Netero could tacitly understand.
To put it bluntly, Cheadle, hoping for Law's help, was an outsider.
She only knew that Law and Ging played irreplaceable roles in the operation Netero was organizing.
And Netero certainly understood this point very well.
However, when Law proposed withdrawing from this operation, Netero didn't try to keep him, not even questioning it, which indicated something.
But Cheadle couldn't figure out the reason since she had never entered Law's circle.
Silently watching Law's figure disappear around the corner, Cheadle let out a deep sigh.
"Nine people..."
She murmured to herself.
This number was the count of Zodiac members participating in Netero's plan. In her view, it was clearly insufficient.
So, they still needed to select members from the Association with suitable and high abilities.
When she was thinking about how to minimize losses during the meeting, one key point she considered was Law and Ging.
With those two assisting, they'd be worth a hundred elite members.
Thinking this, Cheadle raised her hands and patted her cheeks.
'Since matters were already decided, I shouldn't dwell on those things anymore. Instead, I should think about how to assist effectively in this operation.'
...
Law returned to the Lawlin Museum and unexpectedly saw Buhara, whom he hadn't seen in a long time.
"Boss!"
Buhara, seemingly having gained another layer of fat, looked very excited. He directly pounced, giving Law a bear hug.
Law wasn't ordinary, so he steadily held up Buhara's bear hug. If it were an ordinary person, they'd either be crushed to death or severely injured.
"Where have you been this time?"
Law first glanced at the others, then raised his right hand to push away Buhara's nuzzling face.
Buhara grinned. "I joined a team. We went to the magical area, Betlder's Death Lake, Deepleaf Marsh, and Hidden Forest. Registered five undiscovered B-grade ingredients and one A-grade ingredient."
"Quite the results!" Law said in surprise.
Buhara nodded with slight excitement. These results were enough to max out his Single-Star experience. Later, as long as he nurtured a Single-Star junior, he could steadily advance to Double-Star.
"By the way, I saw the Kakin Empire's declaration," Buhara said, a hesitant look appearing on his face.
Seeing Buhara's expression, how could Law not know what Buhara was thinking? He asked, "You want to go?"
Buhara nodded silently but quickly shook his head. "I want to go with you."
Hearing this, Law couldn't help but fall silent.
Long ago, Buhara had brought this up.
But Law believed Buhara's current abilities weren't suitable for the Dark Continent, so he didn't plan to take Buhara.
This view hadn't changed.
Seeing Law's silence, Buhara got a bit anxious. He said seriously, "I'm very strong now. See for yourself if you don't believe me."
Saying that, he rolled up his sleeves, revealing layers of solid muscle on his arm.
No one would expect that a man who appeared full of fat would have rock-like muscles when he rolled up his sleeves.
Showing off muscles among Nen Users didn't signify much, but for Buhara, it was different.
His ability type was storing daily strength in fat, then releasing it all at once when needed, somewhat similar to Kuro's ability to store Nen.
That Buhara could now freely convert fat into muscle showed his mastery of Nen had reached another level.
Law squeezed Buhara's muscles and smiled. "Not bad, solid and strong."
Praised by Law, Buhara reached up with his other hand to scratch his head, grinning foolishly.
"Let me think about it," Law said after a pause.
"Huh?"
Buhara was stunned, then showed a disappointed expression.
"Alright."
He understood Law, so he didn't pester.
Overall, making Law consider it was a good sign.
Law and Buhara's conversation was heard by everyone at the Lawlin Museum.
Biscuit had always been a member of Law's team, so she didn't feel much. But a few people's minds were stirred by that declaration.
'That was where Law was going.'
Salin, by nature, loved exploring the unknown. But after leaving the desert, she was captivated by the historical depth of the Six Continents over the years, staying in the museum reading ancient books from various countries.
In terms of ancient text ability, she probably wasn't inferior to Pyon.
This time, she, who is always interested in ruins, also wanted to see that unknown continent.
'The so-called human homeland...'
'There should be many ruins there, sedimented by time.'
'That is... traces left by time.'
Aside from Salin, Machi also wanted to go to the Dark Continent.
She had told Law: Where you are, I'll be.
That wasn't a joke. Moreover, she vaguely felt Law was about to leave her behind again.
Although Law knew Machi's sixth sense was somewhat terrifying, he didn't know Machi had sensed it even before he formally planned to act.
There were those who wanted to go and those who didn't, like Nique.
That evening, everyone gathered together after a long time, sitting around a table.
Ging and Shiro also came.
Shortly after they arrived, Knov and Palm followed.
This was a banquet to nurture relationships. The main course was the hind leg of the Winged Frog Buhara brought back from Deepleaf Marsh.
The Winged Frog was a frog-like creature with wings. It couldn't fly, and the wings weren't decorations, as they helped the frog move freely on marshes. Of course, the key was the hind legs could tread on the marsh surface like an electric motor.
As an A-grade ingredient, the hind leg was the Winged Frog's most precious part.
That Buhara could bring back the hind leg showed he contributed significantly to the team.
The person responsible for cooking wasn't Law but Buhara, who brought the ingredient.
As a Gourmet Hunter, cooking the ingredients he obtained was normal and also an honor.
Although the Winged Frog hind leg was large, there were many people.
So, Buhara's cooking method was a mixed pot. He cut the Winged Frog hind leg meat into appropriately thick chunks, marinated them for flavor, then combined them with many vegetables in one pot.
Various vegetables, processed with superb knife skills, were coated in an enticing sauce color. Perhaps due to Buhara's quirky sense of humor, he deliberately made the Winged Frog hind leg meat and vegetables look very similar, making the entire pot's arrangement monotonous.
Without careful observation, it was hard to spot the Winged Frog hind leg meat. And the hind leg meat was precisely the ingredient with the least quantity.
That meant, to pick out the most valuable Winged Frog meat from the pot, one either needed sharp eyes or relied on luck.
The aroma wafting from the pot easily whetted everyone's appetite. Without any special rules, pairs of chopsticks reached into the pot from all directions.
"Delicious!"
Shiro, unfamiliar with many present, wasn't reserved at all. His chopsticks moved rapidly.
"Big companies are big companies. The food conditions are so good. Unlike someone, when starting the company, it was instant noodles every meal. That's fine, but even after the company was on track, it was still instant noodles," Shiro casually mentioned a black history while eating.
This 'someone' obviously referred to Ging.
However, Ging's skin was exceptionally thick. He directly pretended not to understand.
"That bad?" Sabro looked at Shiro. "My company is good in every way, except someone got addicted to being a hands-off manager."
For a moment, Sabro and Shiro exchanged glances, sharing a sense of camaraderie.
Law calmly kept picking out Winged Frog meat from the pot, then clamped some for Machi and Bruna.
A-grade ingredient Winged Frog meat, as expected, only increased his numerical value by less than 0.1%.
'After dinner, I'll clarify things with Ging.'
Law thought silently.
Today, Buhara again expressed wanting to follow him to the Dark Continent, making him feel it was necessary to raise his numerical value to one hundred percent.
Only with peak strength could he better protect those around him.