Chapter 156: Water 7 – This Shadow Clone Has Got Some Attitude

Kamehameha? Really?

Takumi wasn't sure if he should laugh or be frustrated.

His shadow clone didn't seem to care, though. It just shrugged casually. "Sure, Kamehameha's only at level two, so it's not that powerful. But hey, don't forget, I'm your clone. I've got your brains. If brute force isn't an option, we can always outsmart them."

Takumi raised an eyebrow.

Aokiji might be laid-back, but he didn't get to be a Navy admiral by slacking off.

Just Kamehameha alone wouldn't cut it, especially not against someone like Aokiji.

But at the moment, Takumi didn't have much of a choice.

"Relax, I've got this," the clone said, slapping Takumi's shoulder with a grin.

Takumi blinked. Uh, what?

This clone was definitely way more lively than he was.

Even though it was technically part of him, Takumi brushed the clone's hand off his shoulder. "Fine, you're up. Just don't mess this up."

The clone's grin widened. Then, it suddenly held out its hand, palm up.

Takumi tilted his head. "What?"

"Money," the clone said bluntly. "I can't exactly stroll in looking like this. I need a disguise, right?"

Takumi sighed. Fair enough. He tossed two pouches of Berries to the clone, who caught them with ease.

"Sweet! Don't worry, I'll get into that auction and secure the Silent Fruit. You can count on me!" The clone waved as it darted off.

Takumi just stood there, watching the clone disappear.

Why did he have a bad feeling about this?

"Hey!" he called after the clone. "What exactly are you planning to dress up as?"

The shadow clone just smirked, holding a finger to its lips. "You'll see."

Takumi sighed again.

This guy…

He shook his head and decided to let it go. It was still his clone, after all. Sure, it acted differently, but at least it wouldn't stab him in the back. Probably.

With that, Takumi headed towards the auction house.

He'd heard enough talk in taverns over the past few days to know where it was being held.

The auction for the Silent Fruit was set for 1:00 PM.

It was only a little after noon, so people were just starting to enter.

Since he didn't have an entry ticket, Takumi took his time, waiting until he could conveniently "run into" Iceberg.

"Takumi? What are you doing here?" Iceberg asked, looking surprised when they crossed paths.

Takumi kept his tone neutral. "Just walking around."

Iceberg blinked, then chuckled. "Haha, what a coincidence! The auction's starting soon. Since you're here, want to join me inside?"

"Sure," Takumi replied without hesitation.

Iceberg blinked again. "Uh, okay…? That was easy. Didn't you turn me down before?"

Takumi just nodded and followed alongside him.

Kalifa adjusted her glasses, casting a suspicious glance at Takumi.

Takumi caught her stare and looked back, causing her to quickly shift her gaze away. She then turned to Iceberg and said, "Iceberg, right after the auction, you need to handle the paperwork you've been avoiding for two days. You also have a dinner meeting tonight."

"No," Iceberg said, looking away. "This afternoon, I'll be having tea with Takumi. Strengthening my friendship with him is way more important than some dinner meeting."

Takumi sighed.

Since when had he agreed to afternoon tea?

Kalifa pushed her glasses up again, crossing off the dinner meeting from her notebook. "Understood. The dinner is canceled. However, the paperwork still needs to be completed. You'll have to handle that tonight."

"We'll worry about tonight later," Iceberg said, turning to Takumi with a grin. "This auction might not go as planned. I'm not sure who the Navy is after, but it seems their target hasn't shown up yet."

Takumi frowned. "Hasn't shown up? So, what about the Silent Fruit?"

Noticing his confusion, Iceberg explained, "If the auction ends and their target still hasn't appeared, they might cancel the Silent Fruit's sale."

The target? Who could it be?

The first name that came to Takumi's mind was Trafalgar Law, the guy saved by the original Silent Fruit user, Corazon.

But as far as Takumi knew, Law never had the Silent Fruit. Plus, he didn't remember Law getting caught by the Navy when he was younger…

If Aokiji was here to catch Law, then Law was in serious trouble if he showed up.

"Who's Aokiji after?" Takumi asked, wanting confirmation.

"The Heart Pirates. You heard of them?" Iceberg replied.

Takumi gave a small nod.

So, it really was Law.

Sending an admiral after him? Was it because of the Op-Op Fruit?

"Haha, no surprise you've heard of them, traveler," Iceberg chuckled. "The Heart Pirates are originally from the North Blue, but they've recently made their way into the Grand Line. What I find odd is why the Navy would send an admiral after them. Do you know why?"

Takumi shrugged. "No idea."

Iceberg laughed awkwardly. "Guess the Navy's keeping things under wraps. Anyway, let's head inside."

Leading the way, Iceberg, Takumi, and Kalifa entered the open-air auction hall.

The seats around the auction platform were already filling up fast.

It didn't take long for Takumi to realize there were plenty of undercover Navy agents in the crowd.

Seriously, this much for Law?

Aokiji alone should've been enough.

"Well, look who's here! Takumi!" a lazy voice called from one of the corners.

Takumi ignored Aokiji and found an open seat, sitting down without a word.

Iceberg just chuckled and sat next to him, with Kalifa sitting beside Iceberg.

Aokiji scratched his head from his corner, confused. "What's with him?"

Now all Takumi had to do was wait for the auction to start.

He had a hunch Law wouldn't be showing up today.

Still, if the Silent Fruit's auction was canceled, he'd need to come up with a backup plan to get his hands on it.

Just then, someone walked past him in the aisle.

It was a girl in a black-and-red puffed dress, wearing a black hat and a fox mask. She had shoulder-length black hair.

Takumi didn't recognize her, but for some reason, she gave off a weirdly familiar—and incredibly annoying—vibe.

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