Out in the seas of the Grand Line
"Alright Gravy Viola, I want you to pay close attention to me because I won't repeat what I am about to share with you right now. The island that we are heading towards is known as Norfolk Island. It is an island that is widely recognized as one of the most dangerous islands of the South Blue due to the presence of the fauna on the island. The World Government, who have complete control over the entire island, are confident that the animals residing on the island are capable enough to act as natural bodyguards for the prisoners that they send there. So much so that they have even decided to forgo the measure of stationing human guards deep within the island's territory. That means the only guards stationed on the island are located in the barracks surrounding the island's shores." Peng informed his masked colleague about the island that they were heading towards.
"But I find it hard to believe that the World Government would just allow one of their territories to be under the protection of a few bodyguards when they have to guard some of the worst criminals in the South Blue." Gravy Viola pointed out to the snow leopard mink while tilting her head ever so slightly.
"I understand where you're coming from, but like I told you earlier, the wild animals on the island are capable of deterring the convicts that are sent to the island. Based on the information that I managed to obtain about the island's prisoners, only a third of the prisoners that are sent to the island manage to survive their first two months after they have arrived. And out of the roughly two thousand prisoners that manage to survive the first two months on the island, only five hundred of the prisoners manage to survive for a year or longer."
"Ok, that is good to know. But then that would mean that the guy that we are about to aid in his escape really isn't worth the trouble of helping out now is he?"
"Obviously he is worth saving, Gravy Viola! He is ten times, no, a hundred times more capable than you will ever be! After all, he has survived the seas of the Grand Line all by himself before he was sentenced to the prison where he is at."
"Then how come he was sent to a local island in the South Blue as a prisoner instead of being sent to Impel Down? Based on the way that some of you were talking about him, you made it sound as though he was a big deal in the Grand Line."
"Typical Grand Line folk thinking that the only dangerous people in the world are all located in your part of the seas. The only reasons that he was imprisoned on Norfolk Island was because he was in the seas of the South Blue when he fell at the hands of the one who we wish to eliminate."
"Huh, so that's why he's imprisoned all the way out here in the boonies?"
"Precisely."
"Cool, cool. Let's leave this particular topic for another time. We should focus on what we have to do once we make it to Reverse Mountain. My sources have told me that the one who resides within the lighthouse located at the foot of the mountain is not there at the moment, which is good for us. But I doubt that the place will be empty just because the one living there is currently not there. So we might have to deal with some unexpected guests."
"Huh, I had no idea that the old man living in the lighthouse isn't there at the moment. And while I would doubt what you have said about the absence of that old man, I will refrain from doing so. But seeing as most of the information that you have presented to us with the help of your sources have not led us astray so far, I will just have to accept this particular piece of information that you have shared with me. Now then, we should discuss the next course of action that we must take once we reach Reverse Mountain."
'But I doubt that the old man would have actually posed a threat to us if he was the only one there. I still do not understand why Mistress Feng would worry about such an old man.' Peng wondered for a moment before he gave his full attention to the topic at hand.
Meanwhile, in the Utshani Kingdom
Inside the interior of a large treehouse that was built on top of a large tree with thick and sturdy branches, a young leopard mink of average size was lounging on one of the branches of the tree with a wide grin on his face.
'Hehehe~ Do those fools think that I'm going to just accept that damned human into our borders? Never! I'll just have to send a few of my henchmen in order to sabotage her attempts of mediation before having her kicked out of our glorious land!' Spots plotted in his head as he looked at the stack of papers in front of his desk.
But before he could pick up a transponder snail to make a call, a knock came from the other side of the door.
"You may enter." the leopard mink said with a bland tone.
And once the door to the room opened, a young female hyena mink with shoulder length black hair entered the room with a stack of documents under her arms. She was wearing a loose fitting dress with a gray sash tied around her waist as well as a black and white headband.
"Minister Spots, your presence has been requested by His Majesty in the royal garden."
"Thank you for letting me know, Sarai. Tell His Majesty that I shall be there shortly."
"Yes sir." Sarai replied before she exited the minister's office.
And not long after his personal secretary left his office, he took a few of the papers from the stacks of paper before he continued to make the call that he meant to make before his personal secretary came into his office.
"What may I do for you Uncle Spots?" a youthful yet stern feminine voice responded to the minister's call.
"Well my adorable little niece, I was looking to ask you for a favour."
"Will this favour be like the other favours that you have asked of me, uncle?"
"Yes, actually. I will be needing your particular set of skills in order to deal with a few threats."
"Alright. Who am I dealing with?"
"The first princess of our kingdom, and a notorious human who once went by the name of Tirujaga."
"Those are some serious targets to go after. Why would have me target my cousin and a famed member of the Marines?"
"You do want me to help your mother take the throne yes? Then I will require your skills in order to accomplish my goals."
"Fair enough. But I won't be providing my services at the usual rate, due to the fact that the targets that you want me to eliminate are not the types of targets that you would usually want taken care of."
"That's outrageous! It's hard enough for me to have to pay for the services that you provided, but now you're charging me to pay you more for the same services that you provide?"
"Uncle Spots, you can't expect me to have the same rate for the services that I provide for all my targets? That would not be a reasonable way for me to operate in such a deadly business. I won't budge on this matter."
"Very well, I will double your pay for this particular job."
"Consider it done uncle. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll have to make a few preparations in order to deal with my targets." the younger woman on the other side of the line agreed before she ended the call.
'I don't understand why she would want to interact with me in only a professional manner. I really miss the way she used to talk with me in a cheerful manner when she was young.' Spots reminisced for a brief moment before he took out some of stack of papers from under the drawers of his desk before he exited his office.
Within a dimly lit room, somewhere within the Utshani Kingdom
Inside a room with the walls covered with many photos of roughish looking figures, a young female mink with the features of a lioness was looking at the two photos of her targets in her hand with a grin on her face from the comfort of the chair behind a small wooden desk that was placed at the center of the small room. She had dark brown curly hair that reached her chin, yellow eyes that were as bright as a gold coin and a vertical scar that went through her left eye.
'Oh dear cousin, unfortunately for you, I'll have to end your life during this mission, but that's just the fate that awaits you. But at least I'll be able to face off against a world renowned figure during this unexpected mission. I'm really excited to see whether she'll be able to leave before I kill her or if she'll fall prey against the attacks that I'll sent her way.' the young woman wondered in her head as she focused on Valerie's picture with her manic grin.