Inside the noble carriage, the door to the driver's cabin was tightly shut.
The sounds of arguing and radio static outside were blocked by the heavy door. Only a faint humming noise came through.
Aiden pulled back his Observation Haki. The amused look he had while listening to the whole scene disappeared. Now he looked disgusted and speechless, as if he thought these kidnappers were too stupid to deal with.
"Do these kidnappers have mush for brains?"
Aiden shook his head and complained inwardly, "They're holding a train full of hostages that nobody cares about. Are they really trying to threaten a military empire that's expanding like crazy? There's no way this childish plan would make that ambitious king withdraw his troops."
Even though he could not think of a better answer right away, that did not stop him from judging how bad their plan was.
Rosinante had been staring at Aiden the whole time. Seeing Aiden suddenly show such an odd expression, he looked confused.
"Ai... Aiden..."
Rosinante carefully leaned closer and lowered his voice. "What is it? Did something happen? Your expression looks really strange."
Aiden glanced at him. He did not answer directly. Instead, he waved a hand and pointed at the heavy connecting door. He spoke casually, "Don't act so sneaky. The Black Steel Empire's industrial level is pretty good. The soundproofing on this door is excellent. You didn't hear what they were saying inside just now, right?"
Rosinante paused, then nodded instinctively and answered at a normal volume, "Ah, right. I could only hear some noise, but I couldn't make out what they were saying at all."
Hearing that, Aiden secretly nodded.
Good. Better that he did not hear it.
If this golden-haired idiot with too much justice in him had heard Friedrich's speech about how everyone should die for the glory of the Empire, he would definitely stir up even more trouble.
"That's good."
Aiden sat back on the sofa, crossed his legs, and looked at Rosinante. "Didn't you ask me what I was doing here? I'm here on a secret mission from Headquarters. The details are confidential."
Hearing that, Rosinante immediately shut his mouth. He had no intention of asking further.
He was still the same as before, trusting his best friend without question.
If Aiden said it was a secret mission, then he absolutely could not ask. This was a habit Rosinante had kept since their training camp days.
Aiden smiled when he saw that and changed the subject. "What about you? You're undercover. Why aren't you staying in the North Blue? Why did you come all the way here? Is this for work?"
Rosinante sighed. He also sat down and helplessly rubbed his hair. "The amount involved in this weapons deal is huge. Doflamingo... he wasn't comfortable sending only Diamante. That guy is too loud and too reckless. He ruins things easily, so I was told to come along and keep an eye on him."
After hearing that, Aiden turned his eyes toward the side.
There, the Donquixote Family officer Diamante was curled up under a sofa like a dead. Half of his red cape was sticking out. He looked miserable.
"Is that so? Then this is a little troublesome."
Aiden rubbed his chin, and his tone became subtle. "Speaking of which, when I fought him just now, he seemed to see my face."
"Even though I moved fast and knocked him out right away."
Aiden turned to look at Rosinante. His tone was as calm as if he were talking about the weather. "Just to be safe, would it affect you if I killed him?"
"Wha...?!"
Rosinante's whole body suddenly stiffened. His sunglasses nearly slipped off.
Kill... kill him?!
He instinctively looked at Diamante under the sofa.
For this cruel pirate and one of Doflamingo's pieces, Rosinante felt no sense of comradeship at all. During his undercover work, he had already seen too many crimes committed by these people.
The reason he hesitated was only because he was thinking about whether this sudden change would affect his position inside the family.
Rosinante's fingers gripped the sofa arm tightly. His mind moved fast, weighing the pros and cons.
Logic told him Aiden was right. Diamante had seen Aiden. Once he woke up, not only could Aiden's mission be ruined, but Rosinante himself might also come under suspicion.
Rosinante took a deep breath. The look behind his sunglasses quickly turned firm.
"It won't affect me."
"If he's in the way, then deal with him."
Before he even finished speaking.
Aiden lightly flicked the finger resting on his knee.
Bzzzt.
A tiny blue current instantly slipped under the sofa.
The next second.
The body under the sofa, which had still been breathing slightly, twitched once and then went completely still. No more sound came from it.
The current had destroyed his heart in an instant.
Judgment Success!
Sin Points +65,000
Diamante, an officer of the Donquixote Family, was quietly erased while still unconscious.
"He died pretty peacefully."
Aiden pulled back his hand and commented calmly, "By the way, those kidnappers in the front really aren't very smart. If we leave them alone, they'll only make things worse. They might even make the Black Steel Empire open fire on the whole train."
"I'll go deal with them first."
As he said that, Aiden stood up, straightened his collar, and said to Rosinante, "Listen. After I finish dealing with the trouble up front, go to the front of the train and use the military snail there to contact the Black Steel Empire's Capital Defense Department. Oh, right, I almost forgot. You're supposed to be mute right now. Fine, then find some way to get this information across."
"Tell them the hijackers were wiped out by your Donquixote Family and the train is safe."
"However, the family officer Diamante unfortunately died heroically during the fierce battle with the bandits."
"As for why the hijackers are gone, that's simple. They were all turned to dust by Diamante's ultimate move. There is no evidence left."
Rosinante instantly understood what Aiden meant. This really was the cleanest explanation possible right now.
"Okay, I understand." He nodded, his eyes serious.
Aiden patted him on the shoulder in satisfaction. Then he turned and walked toward the driver's cabin door. "Alright. Stay here and get your sad face ready. I'm going up front to deal with the kidnappers."
Actually, there was another part of the plan that Aiden did not say out loud.
His target this time was King Friedrich of the Black Steel Empire.
But this was the capital of a country, crowded and huge. Finding one specific person in a place that large would not be easy. Observation Haki could spread his senses, but it was not something that could scan an entire city all at once.
But if Rosinante became the hero who saved the train and protected the country's reputation...
Then, to show off the greatness of his Empire, Friedrich would very likely appear in person to reward him, or even hold a banquet.
If that happened, the target would come right to him. That would save Aiden the trouble of searching the whole city.
Driver's Cabin
At that moment, a somewhat lazy voice came through the thick iron door. "Excuse me, is there a waiter? All the waiters in my carriage seem to have fallen asleep."
The voice sounded normal, like that of an ordinary passenger. But that was exactly what made it abnormal. Everyone in the back carriages should have already been unconscious.
Inside the driver's cabin, everyone was shocked.
"Who?!"
The captain shouted, and more than a dozen gun barrels instantly aimed at the iron door.
Everyone in the train cars behind them had already been knocked out by the sleeping gas. So how could someone still be awake?
Click.
Aiden did not wait for them to answer. He broke the lock with Haki and pushed the door open.
With his hands in his pockets, he slowly walked in.
"Don't be nervous. I'm just a passenger on this train."
Aiden ignored the dark gun barrels. His eyes swept across the kidnappers, who all looked as if they were facing a great enemy.
"You... you are..."
A young hijacker standing in front had his pupils shrink the moment he saw Aiden.
It was the same man who had stolen Aiden's lighter.
That face. Those clothes.
Back in the middle carriage, this person had clearly been lying unconscious on the sofa. A few minutes later, in the noble carriage, he had also been lying there unconscious.
And now this same person was standing at the very front of the train, completely fine.
He had been in every carriage. So that meant...
"Ghost... a ghost!!!"
The terrible pressure from the scene, together with the despair caused by the king's cold-blooded speech, shattered his mind on the spot.
"Don't come any closer! Die!!"
Ignoring the captain's shout to stop, he screamed and pulled the trigger.
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!!
The submachine gun spat out fire. At such a close range, there should have been no way to dodge.
"Stop!!" the captain shouted.
However.
The expected blood spray never came.
Aiden still stood there in the exact same position. He had not even changed his posture.
Half a meter in front of him, more than a dozen yellow bullets floated silently in the air as if time had stopped. The bullet heads were still spinning slightly and even gave off the heat from being freshly fired, yet none of them could move forward even an inch.
Clink, clatter...
A moment later, as if they had lost all support, the bullets dropped straight onto the metal floor like rain and made a series of crisp sounds.
The room fell into dead silence.
Only the steam boiler still gave off an uneasy hum.
All the hijackers froze on the spot. For a moment, they forgot how to breathe.
Aiden did not speak right away.
He looked at the young man who had collapsed to the floor in fear, lightly shook his head, then stepped over the bullets and walked up to the captain, who was still barely standing.
"Who... who exactly are you?"
The captain's voice trembled. He could no longer even hold his gun, and it fell from his hand with a thud.
As he looked into Aiden's deep black eyes, he felt a despair even greater than when he had faced the Black Steel Empire's army. "Why did you... spare us? With your strength, you could have killed us all instantly, right?"
"Why?"
Aiden's eyes were calm. "Maybe because I hate that king too. Or maybe because I think it would be a waste for you to die here."
"But honestly, your plan is terrible. Completely rotten."
Aiden turned around, and his eyes swept over every hijacker in the room like a blade. "Did you really think that just because you were ready to die, that tyrant would fear you? That he would compromise? Don't be naive."
"..."
"In his eyes, this suicidal stunt of yours is nothing more than the cry of weak and useless people. Other than moving yourselves, it achieves nothing."
The captain's body shook violently. He wanted to argue, but he found he had nothing to say. The phone call just now had already proven every one of Aiden's words.
"Then what else can we do?!"
The captain finally broke. He dropped to his knees and pounded the floor with both hands. Tears mixed with sweat ran down his face. "Our regular army has already been crushed! Even Duke Viktor couldn't stop the Black Steel Empire! Now the Kingdom of Roka only has losers like us left!"
"We have no army! No powerful fighters! Our country is almost gone! Other than throwing away our useless lives, what else can we even do to take revenge?!"
The other members all lowered their heads.
"You want revenge? You want to take back your country? And you think this childish suicide stunt will do it?"
Aiden's voice carried clear mockery.
He felt no cheap sympathy just because the other man had broken down. "Dying here is too easy. Any piece of trash can do that."
"If you really want to help your country, then change your method."
"Change our method?" The captain blankly looked up.
Aiden casually pointed toward the back of the train. "Go to the last carriage. Look for a big guy holding a book."
"That man is with the Revolutionary Army. They're dedicated to freeing oppressed countries and overthrowing rotten regimes. If you want to rebuild your country, finding them is ten thousand times more useful than dying here like a firework that goes off once and disappears."
"Go beg him to take you in. As long as you still have the courage to hold a gun, there will be a place for you there."
Aiden paused, and his tone turned cold. "Leave, or stay here and wait to die. Your choice."
The hijackers looked at each other, all at a loss.
A big guy holding a book? Earlier, the rear carriages had been full of chaos and smoke. They truly had not noticed anyone like that.
But that did not matter.
What mattered was that the powerful man in front of them had shown them a path to live.
"Thank you!"
The captain stood up at once. He did not know who that "big guy" was, but he believed this man's judgment.
He led all the surviving members and gave Aiden a deep bow. It was respect for the strong, and gratitude toward the man who had saved them. "My name is Grey Wolf. I am the captain of this team."
"If we really survive and rebuild our country one day, we will never forget this kindness!"
"Alright, that's enough. Get lost."
Aiden waved his hand impatiently. Then his eyes sharpened, and he added one more thing.
"But remember this."
"You are not allowed to mention me. You are not allowed to say I sent you there. Just say you were moved by that big guy's sense of justice, or that you suddenly changed your minds. Make up any excuse you want."
"If I find out any of you talked too much..." Blue sparks began to flicker across Aiden's body. "You know the result."
"Yes!!"
The terrified hijackers did not dare stay any longer. Led by Grey Wolf, they quickly rushed out of the driver's cabin and ran toward the rear of the train.
Carriage 12 (Commoner Carriage)
In the corner, Kuma and Ginny, who were supposed to still be unconscious, were sitting upright.
"There were gunshots from the front just now," Kuma said softly as he closed his BIBLE. "But they stopped quickly."
"I guess it's over?" Ginny rubbed her arm, which had gone numb from pretending to sleep. She was just about to stand up and stretch. "Then can we..."
Bang!!
The connecting door was suddenly pushed open in a panic.
Ginny jumped, and her body froze in an awkward half-standing position.
The group of hijackers rushed in.
The two sides met again in the narrow carriage.
The air instantly froze.
The hijackers widened their eyes as they looked at these two passengers, who were supposedly unconscious a moment ago but were now sitting up and staring right back at them.
Especially the big guy. He was holding a book and looked completely calm.
Ginny blinked. She looked at the people who had suddenly run back and forced an awkward smile. "Uh... about that."
She gave a dry laugh, pointed at herself and Kuma, and said stiffly, "If I told you we just woke up because we got hungry, would you believe that?"
At any other time, the hijackers would probably have already fired or started cursing.
But right now, Captain Grey Wolf had no time to care about Ginny's terrible excuse. His eyes were fixed on the giant figure behind her.
Huge body, holding a book, and not affected by the gas.
Everything matched.
That terrifying man had not lied to them. Normal people would still be out cold. Only a real powerhouse could sit here calmly like nothing had happened.
"It's... it's him! It really is him!"
The captain trembled with excitement. Then, right in front of the stunned Ginny and Kuma...
Thump!
He threw down his gun, dropped to his knees, and bowed deeply toward Kuma.
"We believe you! We believe you!!"
Ginny: "Huh?"
The captain looked up, his eyes bloodshot. "Please save us!! Mr. Big Guy. No, great sir of the Revolutionary Army!!"
"Huh?!" Ginny nearly bit her own tongue. "Re... Revolutionary Army? Who told you that?"
Kuma was also stunned. A faint look of confusion appeared on his calm face. The Revolutionary Army had only been founded not long ago. How could hijackers from such a remote place know about them?
"It was a... a..."
The captain was about to say it was the man in the black shirt. But in that instant, the blue sparks on Aiden's body and that cold warning flashed through his mind.
He shivered all over, forced the words back down, and hurriedly changed them. "No... no one told us! We guessed it!!"
"Yes! We just guessed!" The members behind him also nodded wildly. All of them kept their heads down, afraid their guilt would show.
Ginny's eyelids twitched. She looked at them with a face that clearly said, Do you think I'm stupid? "That excuse is awful. Even a three-year-old wouldn't believe it."
Even so, her eyes sparkled as she carefully scanned the whole group.
Someone was deliberately hiding the existence of a middleman.
However...
She glanced at the still calm Kuma.
No matter who that hidden person was, judging by what had happened, that person was likely an ally, not an enemy.
"Whatever. Since you don't want to say it, I won't force you."
Ginny stood up and clapped her hands. A professional smile appeared on her face. "Whether you were moved by justice or suddenly came to your senses, welcome to the Revolutionary Army."
"Listen. If you want to rebuild your country, crying is useless. Since you want to do something big, then follow us!"
The hijackers burst into tears of joy. "Yes!! Thank you!!"
"But..." The captain looked at the scenery rushing past outside the window, his face troubled. "We're about to reach the station. The Black Steel Empire's army will definitely be waiting there. How are we supposed to get off the train?"
Kuma, who had stayed silent until now, slowly stood up.
His huge body cast a giant shadow over the carriage.
"It's alright."
Kuma's voice was deep and gentle. He did not seem to care at all about being attacked earlier. "I can give you a ride."
He slowly removed his black glove, revealing the pink paw pad in the center of his palm.
"If you were to go on a trip, where would you like to go?"
"A trip?" The hijackers all looked confused.
Kuma did not explain. He simply looked calmly at the captain. "Tell me a place where you'll be safe."
"A safe place?" The captain paused, then instinctively said, "The Ash Canyons to the northwest! That's one of our bases. The terrain is complicated, and the Black Steel Empire's armored vehicles can't get in."
"Ash Canyons..."
Kuma frowned slightly. Since he had only recently arrived, he did not know the exact location of that place. With only a vague direction, it would be hard to send them accurately. It would be a problem if they landed on a cliff.
"Idiot! What's the point of giving only a name? Kuma has never been there!"
At that moment, Ginny rolled her eyes and pulled out a crumpled military map from inside her clothes. She had taken it from an unconscious guard earlier.
"Here. The coordinates are right here."
Ginny's finger accurately landed on a red circle in the northwest corner of the map. She was excellent at reading maps. "It's about thirty kilometers from here. Fifteen degrees north-northwest. Altitude eight hundred meters."
Kuma looked at the map, and understanding flashed in his eyes.
"Understood."
The next second, he moved.
Paw!
The captain only saw a blur. A gentle yet unstoppable force struck his chest.
There was no pain at all.
But his whole body was instantly wrapped in a transparent bubble shaped like a bear's paw. Before he could react, he was launched like a cannonball.
Whoosh!
He flew straight out through the broken train window, turned into a shooting star, and followed the route Ginny had calculated toward the northwestern horizon at terrifying speed.
"Captain?!"
The remaining members were terrified.
"Don't panic. It's space transfer," Ginny explained with her arms crossed, looking proud. "It looks scary, but it's premium service. The landing is guaranteed."
Paw! Paw! Paw!
Kuma's hands blurred as he moved through the crowd. Every light tap wrapped another person in a bubble and sent them flying away.
Along with a series of fading screams, within a few seconds, all the hijackers vanished from the carriage and turned into tiny lights in the distance.
The carriage suddenly became empty.
Kuma put his glove back on and looked at Ginny.
"Ginny, you should go too," Kuma said gently. "I'll send you there so you can organize them and start building the team."
"No!"
Ginny sat down on a chair, crossed her legs, and made it clear she was not moving. "Since that mysterious person went through all that effort to point those 'seeds' toward us, that means he doesn't have any ill intent. He might even be helping us. So there is no need to rush off."
She looked out at the scenery beyond the window. Her eyes sparkled with sly intelligence. "Besides, we haven't finished our real job in Stahlburg yet!"
"Since the Donquixote Family wants to buy weapons, then we..." Ginny made a grabbing motion and smirked. "We'll just take everything while they're making the deal! Taking weapons away from the mafia is justice!"
Kuma looked at Ginny's greedy but self-righteous face, sighed helplessly, and then smiled gently.
"Alright."
He picked up his book again and sat beside Ginny.
To Be Continued
---------------------------------
https://www.patreon.com/c/LIZBETH1242
40 chapters available in advance!