Chapter 34: Return

"Ah, finally back. Three months went by in the blink of an eye. I wonder if the Night Wolf Gang is still around."

Bardock stretched lazily as he disembarked from the ship.

"Snakes have their paths, rats have theirs. I'm sure they're fine. At worst, the gang may have been wiped out."

Robin followed closely, carrying a few books, and spoke casually.

Mansherry and Leo were unfamiliar with the Night Wolf Gang. One sat on Robin's shoulder, and the other on Perona's, both cheerfully looking around. This trip had been long, and while they had disembarked on other islands, those stops were short. It was almost as if they'd forgotten how to live on land.

"Is this Bardock's hometown?"

It was Perona's first time here, and she curiously surveyed the surroundings, noticing that it didn't seem much different from any ordinary island.

On the way, the group purchased various supplies. Once again, Leo and Mansherry attracted numerous glances and discussions. However, this time there were no ill-intentioned onlookers.

After a thorough cleaning of the house, Andrew had already received the news of their return and came by voluntarily.

For the past few months, Andrew had been living the high life. Initially, he'd relied on Bardock's reputation to intimidate the members of the Night Wolf Gang, successfully establishing himself as their leader. As long as he didn't overstep, he could practically get whatever he wanted.

Although the members of the gang weren't entirely convinced by him, Bardock's power loomed over them. Since even the formidable former leader, Oliver, had been defeated by Bardock, it was clear Bardock was the "boss of the boss," and his strength was indisputable.

Later, when Bardock had the Night Wolf Gang prepare supplies for a voyage, Andrew was ecstatic. He figured Bardock was as restless as he seemed, and sooner or later would sail off to the seas, leaving Andrew as the sole boss of the Night Wolf Gang.

However, as time passed, and Bardock's departure extended to three months, Andrew found it harder to control the gang's officers. Now, he hoped Bardock would remain grounded, even if it meant being a puppet leader, as long as Bardock stayed out of gang affairs.

As rumors spread about the leadership change within the Night Wolf Gang, trouble followed. Their rival gang, the Fang Gang, began encroaching on their territory, and Andrew knew he had no chance of defending against their attack on his own.

That's when a subordinate at the port reported Bardock's return, which was the best news Andrew had heard in a while. He immediately rushed over to greet him.

"Mr. Bardock, Miss Robin, it's been so long! I've missed you both dearly. How was the voyage?"

"Andrew, your information spreads fast. Has anything major happened recently?"

Bardock wasted no time with pleasantries and got straight to the point.

"Mr. Bardock, these are reports of everything that's happened in the city and the surrounding towns over the past three months, and this one is news from the surrounding islands gathered from port merchants. Please take a look."

Andrew handed over two documents. This was likely Robin's arrangement. Before, Andrew would only deliver oral reports to Bardock.

"Alright, you can go now. I'll call for you if anything comes up."

Bardock casually flipped through the reports and handed them to Robin. After all, she was more skilled in such matters, and he needed to focus on his training.

"Yes, Mr. Bardock, Miss Robin. I'll take my leave now."

As Andrew left, Bardock shifted his gaze back to Robin and said, "Look through those and see if there's anything important. I feel like I'm about to break through to the rank of Swordmaster, so I'll head off to practice my swordsmanship."

"Mm, leave it to me."

Bardock's instincts weren't wrong. He was indeed on the verge of breaking through to Swordmaster, or rather, he was just one step away. But that final step was one that many swordsmen couldn't take their entire lives.

"The development of Devil Fruit abilities must be done gradually. Awakening too quickly could turn one into an idiot."

"I've mastered all six forms of Rokushiki, though 'Life Return' still needs a bit more practice. Once I improve my proficiency with the six techniques, it should be fine."

"My Conqueror's Haki has improved further; I can now distinguish between allies and enemies. But why haven't I awakened Armament Haki or Observation Haki yet? Could it be that I need an evenly matched fight?"

"My swordsmanship has finally hit a bottleneck. Whether it's with my left hand or right hand, the next step is cutting steel."

Bardock counted off his achievements one by one, realizing that his current strength was already quite formidable. It was becoming hard to find an equal opponent in the West Blue—either he crushed them, or they were too strong for him.

"I wonder what level Moria is at now. The problem is, he's impossible to find. And how strong is Chinjao the Drill from the Flower Country? He was so weak ten years later; I should be able to handle him now once I master Haki."

Thinking of these random thoughts, Bardock cleared his mind the moment he drew his sword, focusing solely on his practice. He knew that the key to breaking through to Swordmaster lay in his willpower. He had witnessed the one-eyed Worley from the Sabaody Archipelago break through to Swordmaster right in front of him. Combining that with Koshiro's teachings to Zoro, Bardock had grasped the secret: Feel the breath of all things and transmit your will to the sword.

Bardock swung his sword with all his might, attempting to break through during his training. Unfortunately, even after exhausting himself, he still couldn't transmit his will to the sword. But Bardock had been mentally prepared. He had been on the brink for a while now, but becoming a Swordmaster wasn't easy. After eating a dandelion, Bardock immediately moved on to his next training session.

After dinner came Robin's world history lesson, where she introduced the cultures and customs of various islands. Bardock and the others usually treated it like a story session, though Perona showed little interest.

Bardock had figured it out by now—Perona was a homebody. She wasn't interested in much, except her beloved Kumashi doll. Beyond that, she had a slight interest in Gothic clothing and ghostly decorations.

After the lesson, everyone went their separate ways, but Robin called Bardock over.

"Bardock, I want to talk to you about the Night Wolf Gang."

"Sure, is it related to the reports you gave me earlier?"

"Yes. For the past three months, there haven't been any major events in the Kingdom of Ilusia on the surface, but beneath the calm, there's been significant turmoil. The underworld of the West Blue is dominated by five major Mafia families. In addition, smaller gangs occupy the buffer zones between the five families to prevent direct conflict between them."

"Is the Night Wolf Gang one of those smaller gangs?"

"Yes, both the Night Wolf Gang and the Fang Gang in the neighboring city are such gangs. But now, one of the five Mafia families, the Capone Family, has started making moves. It seems they intend to rule the entire West Blue underworld. Over the past few months, the Capone Family has gradually been swallowing up these smaller gangs in the buffer zones, testing the waters with the other four families."

"Have they made a move on the Night Wolf Gang yet?"

"Not yet, but they've already absorbed the Fang Gang and are trying to use it as a foothold to seize control of the entire underworld of the Ilusia Kingdom."

"I see. Robin, what do you think?"