One Piece: Mandala Swordsman

Chapter 103 The Bait Takes the Stage

As the name suggests, the "black market" is almost entirely ruled by gangsters, rather than by the mainstream pirates of this world.

Even if Doflamingo becomes the king of the underworld in the future, he was still a pirate who transformed from a gangster. The Donquixote Family was originally a completely organized crime family.

Most pirates are not local tyrants or bullies entrenched in a particular country, but rather ambitious opportunists and speculators roaming the seas.

So while pirates may be more ferocious in terms of combat power, gangsters are more professional when it comes to managing their influence and conducting business.

"Hey, Roman, you made me go to collect the bounty dressed in that weird outfit, and now a bunch of people are looking for me. You'd better take responsibility for me," Bucky grumbled, still dissatisfied.

"Don't make it sound so strange. What do you mean by taking responsibility for you? But don't worry, Bucky, this is a great opportunity to make a lot of money. Why would I cheat you?" Roman smiled sweetly, but Robin immediately realized that Roman was about to trick Bucky.

"They don't know our identities, right? There will definitely be a bunch of people who want to contact you later, especially that Black Heart. Although he is arrogant about his strength, he will definitely feel more at ease with more and more henchmen, especially given the increasing number of pirates on this island."

“While it’s true that the more skilled the thugs, the better, it’s not easy for an organization with a fixed leader and territory to welcome someone with obvious strength and an unknown identity.” Robin immediately grasped the blind spot.

Having more capable subordinates is naturally better, but if someone is even more capable than the boss, then the boss should start worrying about his own safety.

Roman clapped his hands. "As expected of Robin, her concerns are spot on. So this is where Buggy comes in."

"Hey, I didn't say anything, why are you relying on me?" Buckyton sensed something was wrong. Although he had indeed made a lot of money and his life was safe thanks to Roman, he needed to be more vigilant at times like this. Who knew what kind of idea this little devil would come up with next?

Even though they hadn't spent much time together, Bucky had already figured out the true nature of the two girls in front of him.

Robin may look gloomy, but he is essentially a kind-hearted child who hates blood, detests corpses, loves books, and enjoys peace and quiet.

Roman appears lively and gentle, but her essence is like a blank sheet of paper stained with ink. While she generally strives for good results, she never hesitates to employ some shady tactics. As long as it achieves her goal, she is willing to try any strange or adventurous method.

"There's a reward."

"Then I'll reluctantly listen."

"I've fallen into another trap!" Robin thought helplessly.

……

"Boss, that Iron Man doesn't seem to want to stay long. He's already revealed his intentions: he just wants to make some money here and then leave to capture even more vicious pirates." The man in front of them seemed to be Black Heart's second-in-command. He was wearing a black, handcrafted high-end suit, smoking a premium Brazilian cigar, and had seven or eight rings on his ten fingers. Although he wasn't tall, he exuded an imposing aura.

"That's good. It seems we can reach an agreement." Knowing the answer, the leader of Black Heart seemed particularly satisfied.

He had been troubled by this matter for a long time.

Iron Man suddenly appeared in this country, attacking a group of pirates and severely impacting his customer base. However, this was clearly not the time to concern himself with business dealings; who knows, that strange guy might turn his blade on their Black Heart at any moment.

Fortunately, he seems to be only interested in pirates and not much in gangsters.

He had originally intended to observe the situation for a while, but the kingdom's regular army had already extended an olive branch to him, which was troublesome.

If pirates or the Navy want this Iron Man to join, then let him join; it won't affect their organization at all.

Pirates don't stay on an island for long, and the Navy's focus is on combating pirates. As for gangs, the Navy generally doesn't bother with them unless they go too far, since strictly speaking, it's an internal affair of the country, and the Navy rarely interferes.

But the kingdom's regular army is different.

The king here has long been dissatisfied with the fact that the gangs are entrenched in the country and has been looking for a time to get rid of them, but he has been hampered by a lack of sufficient troops. However, if Iron Man were to join the regular army, then the gangs would be no threat.

After all, he could almost single-handedly arrest an entire ship of pirates; being able to take on a thousand men single-handedly was no joke.

Upon hearing this news, the gang leader finally couldn't sit still any longer, and his determination to wait and see was finally shaken.

If we don't take action, then we're really just sitting here waiting to die.

So he sent his most trusted confidant, Capone Becky, to negotiate.

The result was quite encouraging; the other party had no intention of staying in the kingdom for long, but rather planned to make a fortune and then leave.

Since all they want is money, then it's very simple.

I happen to have something I want to accomplish, so I might as well borrow this guy's help.

In any case, hunters who prioritize bounty rewards have little sense of morality.

……

Upon opening the door, he was greeted by an environment filled with the aroma of cigarettes. Perhaps due to the high quality of the cigars, Roman found the smell not too pungent, but it did make him dizzy after a while. So he quickly opened the window to breathe in some fresh air. Fortunately, the subtle scent of vanilla in the surroundings salvaged the poor indoor air quality.

"So, is that Capone Becky up to no good?" After taking a sip of bitter coffee, Roman immediately felt much more refreshed. However, to make it more palatable, she opened the green strawberry cup and used a delicate silver spoon to scoop out a spoonful of crystal-clear white sugar. The brown liquid rippled as she stirred it.

“You guessed right,” Bucky said, removing his mask.

"But how did you figure it out? He has ulterior motives."

"He's not the kind of man who's willing to be subservient to anyone. In every organization he's been to, the leaders all died mysteriously. But he's certainly capable; not everyone has the ability to be accepted as a confidant once they join an organization. You should have done everything I said, right? That Becky is a smart man; he's planned at least dozens of meticulous assassination schemes. It wouldn't be good if he saw through our plans."

“Of course I know what to do.” Bucky protested, feeling slighted by Roman’s underestimation of him.

"That's good. You can take your high-purity crystal to the black market now."

"what are you up to?"

"Since we want to go fishing, we should have plenty of bait, right?"