"Leave everything to me, Captain Kyle!"
A hooded child suddenly appeared behind Kyle.
Although he too yearned for the world beyond the ship, as a ship spirit, he was destined to remain within the vessel.
Sensing Diga's longing, Kyle reached out and gently ruffled the boy's hair with an illusionary hand, smiling reassuringly:
"Don't worry. Sooner or later, you'll be able to walk the streets just like me, bold and carefree."
"If worst comes to worst, I'll just create a country where ships are allowed to pass through freely just for you!!!"
"What?! You can really do that?!"
Little Diga looked up, asking excitedly.
Though his eyes were hidden, the D-shaped grin on his face perfectly expressed his delight.
"Of course!"Kyle nodded firmly."That's our promise!"
As soon as he finished speaking, his eyes turned toward the bustling town of Loguetown.
A lively town filled with chatter, endless tourists, and thriving commercial streets...
If his plan could succeed today, then fulfilling that promise wouldn't be far off!
"Let's hope everything goes smoothly."
A cunning glint flashed in Kyle's dark eyes.
He grinned mischievously.
"Now then..."
"The first emergency mission of the Dusk Pirates, codename: 'Deceive the Naïve Girl'…"
"Begin operation!"
Before the last word left his mouth, Kyle suddenly leapt off the bow and landed directly on the dock.
Behind him, Diga faded back into nothingness, following Kyle's prior instructions to turn the ship around and prepare for a swift departure.
Long before approaching Loguetown's shores, Kyle had already lowered the pirate flag.
Now, apart from himself and the informed Sengoku and Kizaru, no one knew he was a pirate.
Blending in like an ordinary traveler, he strode confidently into Loguetown's bustling district.
This visit wasn't going to last long.
He had only one goal—
To kidnap that girl, Tashigi, who seemed to perfectly match the character card for Rukia, and bring her onto his ship!
This wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision. It was a carefully thought-out plan.
First of all, Tashigi was the most compatible candidate he could think of for the Rukia character.
If he could successfully load the Rukia panel onto her, she'd become a huge asset!
And even if the compatibility failed, Tashigi was at least a competent fighter, and far more familiar with the East Blue than he was...
She could help him gather funds faster and invest them into the system.
Second, as Smoker's adjutant, Tashigi had the ability to manage a naval base—her administrative talent and experience far exceeded that of a regular person.
To Kyle, money equals power!
Eventually, he would have to engage in business ventures, so he needed talents like Tashigi on his team.
Those were the main reasons for his plan to kidnap Tashigi.
As a bonus, he also couldn't help but recall the rather "impressive figure" Tashigi would develop in three years...
A small motivation, he told himself.
Very small~
His real goal was to quickly build a sizeable pirate crew, and contribute his part to justice!
Besides…
Even if the kidnapping failed and Smoker caught him, it was no big deal—just a matter of calling his second uncle.
And with that thought, he came to Loguetown with no hesitation!
Using his fists and the "assistance" of a few street punks, Kyle soon found an underground shop selling illegal weapons and ammunition.
A few years ago, Loguetown was one of the most pirate-friendly towns in East Blue.
There were once plenty of stores specifically catering to pirates.
The shop Kyle entered was one of those.
But after Smoker's sudden arrival, fewer and fewer pirates dared come to Loguetown.
Business in the black market plummeted as a result.
Once the store owner—who had now switched to selling toys—heard Kyle's real intentions, he lit up with excitement!
He nodded and bowed repeatedly, eager to please Kyle in every possible way.
The deal went smoothly.
In the end, Kyle bought three doses of tranquilizers said to be strong enough to knock out an elephant—for a price of 1 million Berries.
He even tested one dose directly on the shop owner.
Hmm…
It worked very well.
"Hmph~!"
"Daring to sell illegal goods to pirates! It's exactly people like you that embolden pirates to run rampant!"
"Consider this a lesson!"
Snatching back the bag of money he had just handed over, Kyle righteously marched out of the toy shop...
Leaving behind the shopkeeper snoring among a pile of plush toys.
"The light of justice... shines on the buttocks~"
Humming a folk tune from his hometown, Kyle swaggered back into the streets of Loguetown.
Meanwhile, his eyes—filled with ill intentions—began scanning the crowd.
Soon, he spotted his next target and smiled warmly before walking over.
"Excuse me, Navy brothers!"
Kyle raised his hand and stopped two marines ahead.
Though pirate activity in Loguetown had decreased, the world was vast, and there were always fools looking for trouble.
To protect the townspeople, it was still common to see marines patrolling the streets.
"Hmm?"
The two patrolling marines stopped and looked back at Kyle, curiosity in their eyes.
"Here's the thing..."
Kyle put on a sly grin and unwrapped the long stick bound with cloth from his back.
"I'm a rookie bounty hunter. Not long ago, I seized a famous blade from a pirate..."
"According to that now-dead pirate, it's one of the Wazamono-grade swords—specifically, the Frostblade."
"So I wanted to find someone knowledgeable to appraise it and maybe make a little money~"
"Since I'm new here, I was wondering if you two could tell me where the most trustworthy blade shop is in Loguetown?"
With that, Kyle drew the blade from its wrappings.
A flash of cold light reflected into the marines' eyes.
A chill ran through them—validating Kyle's claim.
"A bounty hunter?!"
"A Wazamono-grade blade?!"
The two marines exchanged glances, seemingly communicating telepathically.
It was common knowledge that Captain Smoker's adjutant, Petty Officer Tashigi, was a die-hard sword fanatic.
Everyone in the Navy knew it.
If she found out a rare sword had passed through Loguetown and they let it get away...
She'd definitely make them suffer for it!
Gulp—
After a brief exchange of glances, the two marines reached a decision.
Swallowing nervously, one of them said to Kyle:
"Sir, the blade shop is not far—just a block over."
"But…"
The marine stretched out the last word, eyes shifting hesitantly.
"But what?"
Kyle played along, feigning curiosity.
The marine paused before continuing:
"But if I were you, I wouldn't sell that blade to those greedy merchants."
"If you don't understand the sword's real value, it's easy to get cheated by people who only care about money."
"So how about this..."
"Why don't you come with us to the Navy base?"
"We happen to have an expert there—someone who knows a lot about swords. She can appraise it for you first."
"Huh?"
Kyle looked at the sword in his hand and frowned, grumbling as if annoyed:
"Feels kinda sketchy going into a Navy base out of nowhere..."
After a brief pause, as if suddenly remembering something, Kyle looked up apologetically.
"How about this—you two go and invite that expert over here."
"I'll wait right here."
As he spoke, Kyle casually pulled out two wads of Berries from his pocket.
Not much—just about a hundred thousand.
He smiled, stepped forward, and discreetly stuffed the cash into the marines' pockets, using his body to block the view.
Before they could say anything, he quickly added:
"A small token of appreciation."
"I hope you understand—people in my line of work can't be seen getting too cozy with the Navy."
"But don't worry, I'll pay the expert's appraisal fee in full."