After what was probably the most restful night I'd had since the beginning of this adventure, I slowly opened my eyes, almost expecting to find Nami still curled up against me.
Instead, I found her side of the bed completely empty.
I remained still for a few seconds before frowning.
"She left without me even noticing..." I muttered, slightly offended by that realization.
Between my passive Observation Haki and my increasingly sensitive instincts, it had become difficult for anyone to approach me without waking me up.
And yet, Nami had managed to slip out of my arms, get dressed, and leave without causing the slightest reaction.
Either I had slept incredibly deeply, or she was getting far too good at sneaking around.
Probably a bit of both.
After quickly getting ready, I followed the smell of food outside, where practically everyone had gathered for breakfast.
Several large tables had been set up beneath the morning sun, and Sanji, assisted by a few Heartless, had prepared enough food to feed a small village.
I immediately spotted Nami calmly chatting with Nojiko as though she hadn't abandoned me a few hours earlier.
When our eyes met, she simply gave me a small, innocent smile.
"Sleep well?" she asked.
I sat down beside her.
"Apparently, a little too well."
Her smile widened, but she was kind enough not to say anything else.
In the middle of the meal, Luffy suddenly climbed onto his chair.
"Alright! I've decided who's coming with me for the month!"
That announcement was enough to draw everyone's attention, although Zoro continued eating without even looking up.
Luffy began counting on his fingers.
"Nami's coming because I want to keep learning how to navigate properly. Kaya and Usopp are coming too. Kazuki and Sanji too!"
Sanji immediately nodded, while Kazuki gave him a satisfied smile.
Kaya seemed delighted to be heading back out to sea, and Usopp nodded eagerly, happy to finally put the results of his training to use.
Several people then turned toward me.
My absence from the list was unusual enough to be noticed immediately.
Only Luffy and Nami obviously didn't seem surprised.
"What about Jordan?" Koby finally asked.
Luffy swallowed what was in his mouth before answering.
"He's staying here. He's got strategist stuff to work on."
Then he pointed at Koby.
"And you too! You still need more training."
Koby sighed but didn't protest.
His Armament Haki was close enough to awakening that another month with good instructors could make an enormous difference.
Luffy then pointed at Zoro and Kuina in turn.
"You two, work him hard!"
Zoro shrugged.
"As long as he can keep up."
Kuina smiled.
"Don't worry, Koby. I'll compensate whenever Zoro decides that 'training' means nothing but lifting ridiculous amounts of weight."
"It works perfectly well."
"For you."
Charles had been given a different mission as well.
Rather than simply increasing his physical strength, I wanted him to develop something our organization was beginning to desperately need:
A real communication network.
So I placed a crate in front of him containing the various Den Den Mushi Law had given me.
"I'm leaving these with you. Try to build something reliable with them."
Charles immediately studied the devices with interest.
"What kind of network?"
I pointed in turn toward the Merry, Heartless Island, and then myself.
"Three main branches to start with. The group at sea needs to be able to contact the island. The island needs to be able to warn us immediately if anything happens. And I want to keep a personal line so I can be reached no matter where I am."
I paused briefly before continuing.
"If you can eventually create several secondary lines or some kind of system that can quickly send out a general alert, even better."
Charles nodded seriously.
"I'll see what I can do."
With that, even if we were separated for several weeks, we would never truly be isolated from one another.
A week passed like that.
Unlike my usual training sessions, I spent practically no time improving my physical strength. Dextremih became my main instructor, and from the very first day, I realized just how rudimentary my understanding of espionage truly was.
My ability to perceive people's hearts was an enormous advantage when it came to identifying someone with malicious intentions, but it was no substitute for actual training.
Some agents could act without any personal hatred. Others might sincerely believe they were simply doing their duty. And above all, someone acting suspiciously wasn't necessarily a spy.
I needed to learn how to identify patterns of behavior instead of simply waiting for my powers to give me an answer.
Dextremih therefore began by teaching me the methods commonly used by the World Government's regular intelligence branches to infiltrate a group: creating a believable cover identity, memorizing a false personal history, gradually adopting local habits and, above all...
Patience.
"Your mistake would be looking for someone who acts strangely," she explained to me one morning.
"A good infiltrator does exactly the opposite. They become so ordinary that no one even thinks to remember them. That's how I lasted three years among the Rum Runners."
Those words stayed with me.
She then taught me how to notice small inconsistencies: someone claiming to have a certain profession while lacking knowledge of its most basic practices, a sailor using military terminology they shouldn't know, someone whose habits were far too disciplined for their supposed identity, or a person who regularly disappeared and always gave a different explanation for their absence.
The second category of techniques involved surveillance and counter-surveillance.
Dextremih quickly forbade me from using my invisibility during our exercises, arguing that it would be cheating and that I needed to learn how to manage without relying on my powers.
She taught me how to follow a target without constantly staying directly behind them, how to use reflections in windows or metallic surfaces to observe someone without turning my head, how to regularly change the distance between myself and the target, and, most importantly, how to determine whether someone was following me.
Sometimes, she organized actual little games on islands throughout East Blue.
I had to cross several villages, complete various tasks, and identify which of the Heartless or local residents she had recruited for the exercise were secretly watching me.
At first, I unconsciously compensated with my Haki.
Whenever I did, she smacked me on the back of the head.
"Your powers are an extra layer of security, not an excuse to ignore your own eyes. If you can do it without them, you'll be even better when you use them."
After a week, I was still nowhere near her level, but I was at least beginning to understand how to disappear into a crowd without literally becoming invisible.
Finally, she taught me what she considered the most important skill for a strategist:
Gathering and cross-checking intelligence.
A single piece of information was never a certainty.
A drunk in a tavern might claim that a Marine ship had left an island.
A merchant might confirm that he had sold supplies to a group of soldiers.
A fisherman might have seen the same vessel sailing in a particular direction.
Three imperfect testimonies could therefore combine into a much more reliable piece of intelligence.
She taught me to separate what I knew from what I merely assumed, to mentally assign different levels of reliability to my sources, and never to build an entire plan around information that couldn't be independently confirmed.
To train me, she deliberately mixed truths, half-truths, and outright lies into several reports, then asked me to reconstruct what had actually happened.
By the end of that first week, I obviously hadn't become a master spy.
In fact, Dextremih had burst out laughing when I asked her to evaluate my level.
"You'd still be spotted pretty quickly by an experienced agent."
I grimaced.
"Encouraging."
She calmly shrugged.
"But a week ago, you probably would've shaken the agent's hand before realizing they were spying on you. Now, at least, you'd start asking the right questions."
I smiled faintly.
That was exactly what I was looking for.
I didn't need to become a better spy than Cipher Pol in a month.
I simply needed to learn enough methods for my powers, my Haki, and my intelligence to handle the rest.
The second week was devoted to continuing my training under Dextremih, but this time, I refused to be the only student.
Now that she was working with us and possessed a Devil Fruit particularly useful for infiltration, there was no way I was going to let her rely solely on her old skills as a spy.
So I regularly sent her to Charyzax so he could begin teaching her the basics of Haki.
"Just so we're clear, I'm not asking you to master Armament and Observation in a week," I explained. "I simply want you to learn how to sense them and let your body start getting used to them."
Dextremih had greeted the decision with a mixture of resignation and curiosity.
"I'm starting to understand why all your companions improve so quickly. You simply refuse to leave anyone alone."
I gave her my brightest smile.
"Exactly. Now go suffer with Charyzax."
She rolled her eyes before joining her new instructor.
However, I had to briefly interrupt my own training halfway through the second week.
The first monthly appointment I had promised Kaido was approaching, and I needed to establish the system that would allow his men, as well as Big Mom's, to access the colosseum without having to wait for the next public tournament to open.
Kaido had decided to take advantage of his former crewmate's reputation to completely secure the tournament island, adding it to Sora's own reputation, even if it meant sacrificing five spots per month to do so.
So I left Heartless Island under Sora's appearance, taking just enough time to pick up Galdino and Marianne before bringing them through a portal to Kyuka Island.
Galdino, unsurprisingly, greeted the premature end of part of his three-month vacation with his usual enthusiasm.
"I would simply like to point out that my contract mentioned a relatively safe life."
I patted him on the shoulder.
"You're going to welcome ten people and explain the rules to them."
"Ten people belonging to two Emperors."
"Exactly. You understand perfectly."
Marianne quietly giggled beside him while he let out a long, resigned sigh.
Kyuka had changed considerably since our last visit.
The consequences of my agreement with Kaido were already visible before we even reached the beach.
Two enormous flags now dominated several strategic points across the island: one belonging to the Beasts Pirates and the other to the Big Mom Pirates.
The two Emperors had placed Kyuka under their joint protection in order to secure this new access point to the colosseum.
The results had been almost immediate.
The few Marine vessels that had ventured into the surrounding waters had turned around as soon as they confirmed the presence of the flags, and naval patrols now kept an even more respectful distance from the island.
Apparently, no one was eager to provoke Kaido and Big Mom simultaneously over a beach whose true importance remained a mystery.
When we arrived at the meeting point, the ten promised participants were already waiting for us.
Kaido had clearly followed my advice to the letter.
Rather than sending established officers, the Beasts Pirates had selected five ordinary members of their crew, accompanied by a lower-ranking officer whose name I didn't even know.
None of them seemed particularly impressive by New World standards, but they all already possessed that sturdy build typical of men who had survived for some time under Kaido's command.
Their escort stepped forward as I approached.
"Five fighters, as agreed. Governor Kaido wants to know which ones are worth keeping in mind for future selections."
I nodded.
"Perfect. That's exactly what this first tournament category is supposed to be used for."
Big Mom had adopted a similar approach.
Five recruits who had recently joined her enormous crew had been sent to Kyuka with instructions to participate and return with results impressive enough to justify their selection.
The cooperation between the two Emperors was still strange to witness, but neither group seemed stupid enough to provoke the other here.
They all knew that losing their privileged access to the colosseum over a ridiculous brawl would probably cause them far more trouble with their own captains than with me.
The only real problem came from the other ships gathered around Kyuka.
The broadcast of the first tournament had clearly produced exactly the effect I had hoped for.
Several pirate crews had already made the journey, some even coming from quite far away, convinced that the beach had become a permanent gateway to the colosseum.
When I arrived, several dozen fighters were waiting around the wax sign Galdino and Marianne had made.
So I quickly had to set the record straight.
"Can you people read?"
Several pirates stared at me in confusion.
I pointed very obviously at the sign.
"It says three months."
One particularly massive captain frowned.
"But they're participating!" he protested, pointing toward Kaido and Big Mom's men.
"Because they have a special agreement."
Disgruntled murmurs immediately spread across the beach.
I raised one hand before someone decided to turn their frustration into a very bad idea.
"The public tournament is still scheduled for three months from now. Nothing has changed. The two intermediate competitions are private sessions reserved for fighters sent by Kaido and Big Mom. You'll be able to participate once the time indicated on the sign has passed."
"We crossed half of North Blue to get here!" someone shouted.
I shrugged.
"Then enjoy Kyuka for a few days. But I'm not changing the rules because some of you decided the sign was just decoration."
A few laughs broke out among the more reasonable pirates, quickly taking the wind out of the protesters' sails.
I still offered them one consolation: they were free to observe how the gathering was organized and return in two months, when public access would actually open.
Most of them eventually accepted, especially with the flags of two Emperors flying above their heads.
The most dissatisfied returned to their ships while grumbling under their breath, but no one attempted to start a fight.
Once the unauthorized participants had cleared the beach, I turned toward the two remaining groups.
My expression immediately became more serious.
"Now, a few rules. First: this island is neutral ground. You represent Kaido and Big Mom, but your rivalries stay outside Kyuka. No fighting between you before entering the colosseum. No intimidating the locals. No looting. And absolutely no attempts to force your way into anything."
The ten recruits nodded with varying degrees of enthusiasm.
I then pointed toward Galdino, who immediately straightened up and tried to look far more confident than he actually felt.
"Second: when I'm not here, he's in charge of the gatherings."
Galdino's head snapped toward me.
"Excuse me?"
I magnificently ignored him.
"If Galdino tells you to wait, you wait. If he tells you a participant has been rejected, they're rejected. If he tells you to leave the island, you leave. Consider his instructions the same as mine."
The Beasts Pirates' lower-ranking officer looked at Galdino with some surprise.
"Even for us?"
"Especially for you."
I crossed my arms.
"Your captain was granted a privilege because he respects our agreement. If any of you decide that belonging to an Emperor's crew puts you above the rules, you won't participate in anything anymore, and I'll personally explain to Kaido why his monthly quota has dropped from five participants to four."
The threat had exactly the desired effect.
The five members of the Beasts Pirates immediately straightened up.
Big Mom's recruits reacted almost identically. None of them seemed particularly eager to go back and explain that they had cost their crew one of its monthly slots simply because they had refused to listen to Galdino.
I lightly clapped my hands.
"Perfect. Now that everyone understands each other..."
I turned toward Galdino.
"They're all yours."
He stared at me in horror.
"You're not seriously leaving already, are you?"
Marianne gently placed a hand on his arm, wearing her usual serene smile.
"Don't worry. I'm here."
Galdino looked from Marianne, to Big Mom's five recruits, to the five Beasts Pirates, and finally back to me.
"I'm starting to regret those three months of vacation..." Galdino muttered as he stared at the ten pirates I had just officially placed under his responsibility.
I simply smiled at his miserable expression.
"Consider this your first real day on the job."
He gave me an unconvinced look, but despite his usual complaints, I could already see that he was taking his new role seriously.
That was exactly what I wanted.
The system was beginning to function without constantly depending on my presence.
If Galdino learned to manage the participants on his own, I could gradually limit myself to supervising the network instead of having to personally attend every gathering.
Galdino took a deep breath, adjusted his glasses, and turned toward the ten participants with surprisingly natural confidence.
"All right, listen carefully, because I have absolutely no intention of repeating the rules ten times."
He raised three fingers.
"You have three options: Solo, Duo, or Trio. You decide for yourselves which formation you want to enter the colosseum with. No one is going to force you to fight alone just to prove how brave you are, and no one will stop you from forming a group if you think your abilities complement each other."
He paused briefly before his expression became far more serious.
"But choose carefully. This isn't a training exercise organized by your captains. You all watched the first broadcast, so you already know what happens to the losers."
His gaze swept across the ten pirates.
"If your team fails in there... you die."
The reminder immediately wiped away the few smiles that still remained.
Even among pirates accustomed to the New World, the prospect felt different when stated so plainly.
They had all seen Cerberus.
They had all witnessed the battles and the sheer brutality of the first tournament.
The rewards were extraordinary, but they weren't handed out for a simple display of strength.
Galdino crossed his arms.
"And before any of you get a brilliant idea: no, having a high bounty doesn't make you invincible. I survived the first tournament precisely because I know how to recognize when something is more dangerous than I am."
He adjusted his glasses once again.
"I suggest you learn to do the same."
I held back a smile.
That was probably the most Galdino-like philosophy imaginable...
But it was far from stupid.
A few steps behind him stood Captain Gun.
The Heartless had barely moved since our arrival. His new Hermes sandals fit him perfectly, and he silently watched the surroundings with his arms crossed. His mere presence was enough to remind everyone that Galdino and Marianne were far from unprotected.
Whenever one of the participants raised their voice a little too much, Gun's gaze would settle on them, and the conversation would strangely return to a much more reasonable volume.
Marianne, meanwhile, remained beside Galdino with her usual peaceful smile, ready to help him organize everything without trying to take over his role.
(Author's Note: That's all for today ^^)