Aside from the two men Kuro had taken care of, no other peepers were found afterward.
But because of that discovery, Law felt it was time for Machi and the others to leave.
However, Machi's statement, "Where you are, I'll be," left Law speechless.
In the past, before his relationship with Machi was established, when he wanted to go to the Dark Continent, he just went. Later, sending a message to Machi was enough.
But now that their relationship was confirmed, Law no longer had the license to act recklessly.
Just thinking about how to make Machi stay obediently with Linne gave Law a headache.
Before even going to the Dark Continent, figuring out how to settle her was already a thorny problem. How had he ever thought about marriage and kids before?
Law couldn't help but think of Ging again, wondering how that guy managed to find a partner while gallivanting everywhere.
Finding a partner was one thing, but he also had a kid.
Having a kid was the limit, and afterward, he could still keep gallivanting.
At the same time, on the rooftop of the Association building.
Ging was drinking when suddenly his nose felt incredibly itchy. He sneezed several times in a row, spraying out all the alcohol he was halfway through drinking.
"At a time like this, normal people would be concerned and ask if you've caught a cold. Maybe I'm not normal, but I get the feeling you did something guilty and someone is cursing you."
Shiro blew out a puff of white smoke, instantly whisked away by the evening wind.
Ging wiped his mouth, retorting, "Usually when I sneeze like this, it means someone is jealous of me."
"You know that?" Shiro said.
"Get used to it," Ging said nonchalantly.
...
At the nightclub, no matter how loud the music was, Law sat motionless in the booth like a meditating old monk.
He kept thinking about settling Machi, then about whether to raise his numerical value to one hundred percent. He seemed to have a lot on his mind.
Machi's senses were always sharp, so she could probably guess the reason, but she chose to turn a blind eye.
She wouldn't take the initiative to yield or bring it up… she would wait for Law to lay his cards on the table.
The two sat in silence like this while the others partied wildly.
They kept partying until past three in the morning before finally leaving the nightclub.
Among everyone, only Nique seemed unsatisfied… they practically had to drag him away.
"Such a bright world."
Out on the street, Nique looked up at the night sky and whispered.
His face bore several lipstick marks, his clothes were disheveled and open. An uninformed person might think he had just been in a steamy scene.
"Are we coming back to play tomorrow?"
He looked at Law expectantly, seemingly having completely forgotten about his ears and tail.
To hell with ears and tail! It's better without them. Otherwise, how could he mingle with the hotties?
Law looked at Nique, who seemed to have entered a rutting season, his expression slightly strange. "As long as you finish your work every day, the company won't restrict your freedom. So you can come to play anytime you want."
As he spoke, Law summoned the book. "Your ears and tail are returned to you."
When Nique heard Law's first sentence, his eyes lit up. Upon hearing the latter part, he quickly waved his hands. "No, I don't want them!"
"Huh? Don't want them?" Law paused, hand still outstretched.
"No, I mean, keep the ears and tail with you for now," Nique hastily amended.
Seeing this, Law simply put the book away.
Watching Law put the book away, Nique said hopefully, "Law, I... I want to ask you for a favor."
"Speak."
"It's... it's..."
Nique became somewhat bashful. Only when Law showed signs of impatience did he hurriedly say, "Could you... fix the other parts for me too?"
"What?"
Law was stunned, having no idea what Nique had experienced tonight or what change he had undergone.
Nique pointed quite subtly to where his ears and tail used to be.
"..."
Law understood.
Not only he, but even the single-minded Uvogin understood.
Instantly, Uvogin burst into loud laughter, the sound cutting through the silent night sky, carrying far away.
Even Nobunaga was amused.
"Tomorrow, I'll take you to an even cooler place," Uvogin said, slapping Nique hard on the back, actually knocking him forward a few steps.
Nique winced in pain but brightened up at Uvogin's words.
Watching from the side, Nobunaga unconsciously thought of a phrase: 'partners in crime.'
He immediately shook his head, kicking that phrase out of his mind. Wouldn't that mean he was also insulting himself?
Law's group returned to the Lawlin Museum, while Uvogin and Nobunaga, as usual, checked into a hotel, completely unfazed by bounty hunters coming after them.
In past experiences, they had lost count of how many bounty hunters they had dealt with in hotel environments.
The night was deep.
Machi and the others soon fell asleep, but some people weren't sleeping so soundly.
Shiro, who had been swayed by Law's words.
The moderate faction's key members within the Association, now aware that Pariston held a super trump card, and Netero, who had begun to pay serious attention to the Association's internal affairs.
That, after all, was a major issue that needed proper resolution.
…
A few days later, a tall man arrived at the entrance of the Hunter Association's Headquarters. It was Beyond, who had come all the way from the Kakin Empire.
His stature made him stand out like a crane among chickens among the passing crowd. Coupled with his attire, which had a strong ancient style, passersby couldn't help but cast curious glances his way.
Beyond paid them no mind.
"How many years has it been?"
Beyond looked up at the Hunter Association's emblem on the building, wondering how many years it had been since he last came here.
However, he had forgotten completely and couldn't come up with a specific number.
"Forget it."
Beyond was straightforward, brushing aside any sentimental feelings of revisiting an old haunt. He strode confidently into the Association.
Although he'd forgotten how many years it had been since he last returned, he still remembered clearly how to find Netero. Entering the building, he skillfully headed for the elevators.
The voice from the reception desk was completely ignored by him.
This behavior was equivalent to barging in. The girl at the front desk, seeing this, panicked and picked up the phone, wanting to immediately alert security to stop this unidentified tall man.
But a phone call came even faster, ringing ding-a-ling.
The front desk girl picked up a handset with each hand, then heard Pariston's voice.
"He's a guest."
"Uh, Vice-Chairman, which one are you referring to?" the front desk girl asked hesitantly.
"The one you just saw," Pariston said gently.
"Okay, understood!" Hearing Pariston's gentle voice, the girl's heart fluttered.
Immediately after, the call was disconnected.
The girl stared blankly at the handset emitting a dial tone, then suddenly thought of something. She looked up toward the direction leading to the elevators, but Beyond was already gone.
Several minutes later, Beyond arrived outside the door of Netero's private meditation room.
Even without using En, he could sense that both Law and Netero were inside.
He grinned soundlessly, not bothering to knock, simply pulled the door open and strode in.
Just as he thought, both Netero and Law were there.
"Hey, old man."
Beyond looked at Netero, who was sitting quietly on the tatami.