Next, I headed to find Sigma, Kafu, and Gin, who had been training under "Old Man Zephyr." I explained the situation to Zephyr and pulled Sigma and Kafu away from their drills to serve as Robin's bodyguards while she scoured the archives.
"Do you need my help too?" Gin asked. He was ten now, having hit a growth spurt that made him look quite sturdy.
"It's okay, Gin," I said, ruffling his hair. "Focus on clearing Zephyr-sensei's special training." I turned to the other two. "Sigma, Kafu—take care of Sister Robin for me."
I asked Zephyr about their progress.
"For the past three years, I've hammered in the basics and academic theory, along with physical conditioning," the old man grunted. "In the next two years, I'll teach them combat techniques. I'll ask the boy himself later, but as his benefactor, how do you want him trained?"
"I'll leave that to you, or let Gin decide for himself," I replied. "You're the pro, Old Man. It's better for a layman like me to keep his mouth shut."
"It's not 'Old Man,' it's Zephyr-sensei!" he barked, giving me a knuckle sandwich with an arm turned obsidian-black by Armament Haki.
Seriously? Did you really need to harden your fist just to punch me? I thought, but I wisely kept that to myself.
After parting ways with Zephyr, I settled Robin, Sigma, and Kafu into the Navy archives with the manager's permission. I then boarded a ship bound for the Sabaody Archipelago, arriving in about half a day.
By the time I stepped onto the soil of Sabaody, the sun was already setting. The crew asked if I wanted to stay the night, but I declined. "I have some business to finish first." I took off my Marine coat and stepped into the Lawless Area, heading straight for Grove 12.
As I opened the door to the hideout, a pungent, chemical odor hit my nose.
"Doctor! Dr. Indigo!!"
"Quiet, you! I can hear you perfectly without the shouting!!"
Out from the back of the room walked a man dressed like a clown, his shoes making a distinct clack-clack sound.
"Wait... I thought I told you to stop wearing that makeup? It stands out too much."
"Pi-ro-pi-ro-pi-ro! This is my identity! I won't stop now!"
I ignored his antics and explained the situation in Flevance.
"...I see. Amber Lead," Indigo mused. "I've heard of Flevance. Even regular lead is toxic to the human body; it's no wonder they've succumbed to mass poisoning."
"Can you treat it?" I asked.
"Hmm. I can't say for sure without seeing the patients. And why bring this to me? I'm a genius, yes, but I'm a scientist, specifically a botanist."
"Hey, I need every hand I can get," I countered. "No one has found a cure for Amber Lead Syndrome yet, and only a handful of doctors are even looking. It makes sense to have a different perspective, doesn't it?"
"Hmph. Logical enough. But you'll likely need a mineralogist to truly understand the properties of Amber Lead. Regardless, I can't do anything until I see the lead and the patients for myself."
A mineralogist, huh? I didn't have any leads on that. I'd have to ask Admiral Sengoku if he knew anyone later.
"I'm planning to leave tomorrow, so get your gear ready. I'm going to check in on Tesoro."
"Understood. Since I, the genius scientist, am helping, you can rest easy."
Leaving the confident Indigo behind, I headed toward Tesoro's location. It wasn't a hideout in the Lawless Area this time, but a small-scale port he'd been developing, featuring a two-story building.
It was dark by the time I reached the sign that read "Stella Production." I knocked on the door.
"Oh, Krieg-san! Welcome. Tesoro is in the upstairs room," said a kind-faced woman with flowing blonde hair.
This was Stella. Since the port was completed and Tesoro moved out of the Lawless Area, she had been splitting her time between Marineford and Sabaody. In Marineford, she worked as a housekeeper for Sakazuki and his wife; in Sabaody, she handled Tesoro's paperwork.
I greeted her and headed upstairs. I gave a quick knock and opened the door. "It's me. I'm coming in."
I was met with a literal mountain of paperwork.
"Ah, Krieg. It's a bit of a mess, but what kind of trouble did you bring me this time?"
The "voice" came from behind the stacks of paper—Tesoro was buried alive in work.
"It's not trouble," I said, before explaining the Flevance situation and telling him I'd be taking Dr. Indigo away for a while.
"I see. Understood. By the way, it's going to take a while before this place is fully operational. We need ships, and I still haven't found a 'star' for the production. Know any good talent?"
I started running through characters from the original story in my head... when suddenly, the Den Den Mushi in my bag started ringing.
"This is Krieg... Wait, WHAT?! Mary Geoise has been attacked!!??"
Shocking news had just crashed into the room.
A few moments earlier...
"Admiral Sengoku! An emergency reinforcement request from Mary Geoise!! The Holy Land is under attack by an unknown force!!!"
Sengoku had just finished his paperwork for the day. The sky outside was dark, and he was thinking about heading to dinner when the report burst into his office.
"An attack on Mary Geoise?! What happened?!" Sengoku's voice cracked with uncharacteristic roughness. An assault on the Holy Land was an unthinkable catastrophe.
"The situation is unclear, sir! Someone is liberating the slaves one after another, and their forces are growing! Numerous fires have broken out, and the garrison is completely overwhelmed!"
"What were the men at the Red Port doing?! You're telling me they just let an intruder walk right in?!"
Mary Geoise sits atop the Red Line. Access is strictly controlled through the Red Ports on either side via bubble-elevators called "Bondolas."
"That's the thing, sir... no one used the Bondolas during that timeframe. It's believed the intruder climbed the Red Line itself!!"
"What... Don't be ridiculous!! The Red Line is over 6,000 meters high! You're telling me they scaled that cliffside with their bare hands?!"
"There is no other explanation, sir! Orders?!"
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