Chapter 167: Plan

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Byakuya set aside the bounty posters related to the Night Organization, noting that even the World Government must have been alarmed by the organization's strength, hence the enormous bounty of 3.7 billion berries on his head alone. 

Altogether, the bounties on the entire Night Organization reached nearly 6 billion berries, rivaling those of the Four Emperors' crews. 

In Byakuya's opinion, the total should have exceeded 6 billion; Lucci's bounty, in particular, was set too low, as his strength was surely worth more than 500 million berries.

In reality, there was little difference in strength between Lucci and Enel. 

Enel's bounty was as high as 700 million berries, partly due to his top-tier Logia-type Devil Fruit, the Rumble-Rumble Fruit. 

However, his actual power should be valued around 500 or 600 million berries. Lucci, by contrast, was certainly worth at least 500 million. 

Although Blueno didn't display his power during the recent fight, his Devil Fruit's unique abilities alone made him highly valuable, yet he received only a 120 million berry bounty. 

Byakuya couldn't help but suspect that, because Lucci and Blueno were former members of CP9, the World Government set their bounties significantly below their actual worth.

Yet this latest conflict had solidified the Night Organization's infamy. 

Unlike the earlier feat of taking down a Warlord like Crocodile, this time they'd directly engaged Big Mom and escaped unscathed, proving their strength rivaled that of Yonko's crew. 

Rumors even began circulating across the seas that the Night Organization might be the New World's "Fifth Emperor," with many agreeing that they deserved this title.

When Byakuya heard these rumors, he could barely keep from laughing. He wasn't fit to be the Fifth Emperor—only Pirate King Luffy would eventually claim that title. 

Byakuya calculated that Luffy's journey would begin in only a month or two. 

He wondered how his actions might affect Luffy's journey compared to the original course of events.

Unbeknownst to Byakuya, while he was mulling over Luffy's fate, two prominent figures were deep in thought about him. 

In Marine Headquarters, Fleet Admiral Sengoku sat in his office, arms folded and staring intently at the open report on his desk, his gaze heavy with complex emotions. 

Beside the report lay the latest bounty notices, topped by the one for the Night Organization's leader, Night. 

The photo showed a mysterious figure cloaked in a black crescent-moon robe, wearing a pitch-black mask, and surrounded by hundreds of floating black spheres.

Normally, Byakuya was known for his swordsmanship, whereas Night's combat style involved these enigmatic black spheres—a method entirely different from Byakuya's, making it impossible to link the two. 

While the idea of Byakuya wielding two Admiral-level combat abilities momentarily crossed Sengoku's mind, he dismissed it almost immediately. 

The notion was almost absurd; after all, a nineteen-year-old with Admiral-level swordsmanship was already rare enough. 

It was unreasonable to expect him to reach the same level in two different areas.

For example, Admiral Kizaru excelled in using the Glint-Glint Fruit, which placed him among the top Admirals, but he also possessed decent swordsmanship. 

However, without his Devil Fruit powers, he would stand no chance against fellow Admirals Akainu or Aokiji in a sword-only fight. 

Similarly, if Byakuya were Night, it would imply he had mastered both swordsmanship and this mysterious energy to an Admiral-level degree. 

Could a nineteen-year-old boy truly accomplish that? It seemed inconceivable to Sengoku.

There were also rumors that Night wielded a form of mental assault akin to Conqueror's Haki, causing a loud heartbeat sound when activated. 

Sengoku had never heard of Byakuya displaying such a technique. These two solid points were enough to dismiss the possibility that Byakuya was Night. 

Yet the coincidences were hard to ignore. Last time, the Night Organization had eliminated Crocodiles in the Kingdom of Alabasta while Byakuya was reported to be in training. 

The entirety of CP8 and Agent Yonryu of CP0 were found dead on an island not far from Water 7, just as Byakuya had recently left the city. 

After his previous conversation with Byakuya, Sengoku had almost dismissed his suspicions.

However, news of the Night Organization's clash with the Big Mom Pirates spread like wildfire, with reports of Night injuring Big Mom herself. 

Even Sengoku was shocked by their overwhelming power. To his surprise, Sengoku felt the urge to confirm if Byakuya was stationed at Marine G5 during the incident. 

Upon reviewing the report, it was clear that when the news broke, Byakuya was indeed at Marine G5 Headquarters.

Yet, just as Sengoku sighed in relief, he noticed that Byakuya had left for a two-week training session three days before the incident.

This situation instantly sparked Sengoku's suspicions. How could it always be so coincidental? 

Every time the Night Organization took action, Byakuya would conveniently be "training," with his whereabouts unknown. 

Even though Byakuya was stationed at G5 Headquarters when this news broke, Sengoku still harbored deep doubts about him, since the timing of the information release could be controlled. 

This time, the initial report came from the World News Agency. 

If Sengoku remembered correctly, the same thing happened with the incident involving Crocodile, leading to suspicions of a possible connection between the Night Organization and the World News Agency. 

Moreover, many believed that Morgans, the agency's president, had close ties with the Night Organization.

All these factors combined only added to the suspicions surrounding Byakuya. However, with Byakuya's current strength and Zephyr's high standing within the Marines, Sengoku couldn't investigate without risking upheaval. 

If Byakuya truly wasn't Night, his personality suggested he might very well leave the Marines, becoming a pirate or even genuinely joining the Night Organization. 

Therefore, Sengoku had to devise a strategy to investigate Byakuya without alerting him.

Meanwhile, in Dressrosa, Doflamingo, who had just finished a call with Vergo, was also contemplating Byakuya. 

But unlike Sengoku, Doflamingo was intent on eliminating Byakuya quickly. 

Delaying this any longer could risk exposing Vergo's true identity, which would ultimately endanger Doflamingo himself. 

He dialed Kaido, putting on a tone of feigned urgency once the call connected. "Lord Kaido, something terrible has happened!"

Kaido frowned in displeasure and replied, "What is it now?"

According to my contact at G5 Headquarters, Byakuya has discovered Caesar's identity and plans to escort him to Impel Down in the coming days."

Lowering his voice, Doflamingo added, "To prevent another prison break, the escort will be led by a Marine Admiral." 

He was referring to the incident when Kaido's forces rescued Jack. 

Kaido, now suspicious, asked, "You're saying Caesar will be escorted to Impel Down by a Marine Admiral in the next few days?"

"That's right!" Doflamingo lied with such conviction that even he nearly believed Caesar was truly headed for Impel Down. Kaido pondered his options. 

If this were true, his only choice would be to lead an assault on G5 Headquarters, but a direct attack on a Marine base would be too conspicuous, risking a powerful counterattack. 

He still remembered the last Marine reprisal vividly, and the bodies of his two fallen top officers hadn't even cooled yet. 

Attacking a Marine base again would certainly drive them to extreme measures. Kaido wasn't a complete brute; he wasn't entirely reckless.

Doflamingo sensed Kaido's hesitation and suggested, "Lord Kaido, I can arrange to lure Byakuya out of the Marine base." 

"Then, you can lead your forces to kill Byakuya, while I'll take care of extracting Caesar from G5 Headquarters." 

No sooner had he finished speaking than Kaido's angry voice roared through the receiver. "Doflamingo, do you take me for a fool?"

The outburst startled Doflamingo. Had Kaido discovered he was being deceived? Cold sweat began to bead on Doflamingo's forehead, but Kaido continued, 

"You think I don't know your little scheme? You want me to deal with Byakuya while you take Caesar, threatening me with your artificial Devil Fruit technology to force our continued trade." 

"I'm telling you now, that won't happen! My men will retrieve Caesar from G5!"

Doflamingo, realizing it was only this minor misunderstanding, wiped the sweat from his brow. 

He'd thought for a moment that Kaido had seen through his deception, but apparently, Kaido was still utterly fooled. 

Only a fool would declare that they weren't a fool. Smiling, he appeased, "You're overthinking it, Lord Kaido. I had no such intention!"

"Whether you meant it or not, you're coming with me to kill Byakuya. If you don't, I promise the Donquixote Family will be erased from the New World!" 

Since Byakuya was already being drawn out of the Marine base, Kaido saw no harm in avenging his fallen officers by killing a Marine Vice Admiral.

"Understood, Lord Kaido. I'll start preparations immediately. Once we have a clear signal, we'll strike together!" 

After hanging up, Doflamingo exhaled in relief, chuckling to himself. "Kaido is an easy mark."

<End Chapter>

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