One Piece: The True Codex

Despite William's efforts to clean up Kalmar City's slums, the area still couldn't be considered safe. Anna, with her tall frame, delicate features, and still wearing her maid's uniform, drew plenty of unwanted attention as she entered the slums. Fortunately, Anna was no stranger to the streets; she carried a gleaming dagger in her hand and glared back defiantly at any man who dared to cast a lecherous glance her way.

It wasn't until she reached a nearby relief center that she slipped inside unnoticed. The woman guarding the entrance knew Anna and didn't stop her.

"Is the deputy director here?" Anna asked softly, glancing around.

"Anna, what's wrong?" The woman, puzzled by Anna's anxious demeanor, asked but still led her toward the deputy director's office.

Anna didn't respond. While the lives of those in the noble district and the slums seemed worlds apart, with no apparent overlap, in reality, many of the servants who cooked, served tea, or guarded doors for the nobles often came from the slums.

Anna wasn't exactly a spy—William hadn't had enough time to cultivate professional intelligence agents from scratch within just a year. Instead, Anna, born and raised in the slums, functioned more as a scout or informant.

Having grown up in the slums, Anna's family still lived there. Since William arrived on this chaotic and crime-ridden land, though he hadn't fundamentally changed the area, his actions—eliminating local criminal gangs, establishing relief centers, recruiting female workers, building barracks, and enlisting young boys—had profoundly impacted the lives of countless people.

Without William's intervention, Anna's life would have followed the usual grim trajectory of slum girls—falling under the control of local criminal forces, losing all autonomy. Instead, thanks to William, Anna was first selected to work at the relief center and later sent to serve as a maid in Count Rielde's estate. Having grown up witnessing countless atrocities, Anna knew how fortunate she was and felt deeply grateful to William, who had changed her life.

Moreover, her younger brother was now part of the youth army. So, when Anna overheard the nobles discussing plans to poison William, she panicked, accidentally made a noise, and then hurried to deliver the warning to her family's benefactor, ensuring he wouldn't fall victim to their schemes.

There were many others like Anna—unassuming individuals whose actions could sometimes have a significant impact. Neither Count Rielde nor Arcadio, the Minister of Finance, would have suspected that these seemingly insignificant people could play such pivotal roles.

...

Half an hour later, inside the barracks office, William received the warning.

Shaking the letter, William addressed Dampier, Sherlock, and Edmond, who were seated across from him. "Looks like they're getting desperate."

William's barracks office was modestly furnished. Aside from the desk, chairs, bookshelves, and a wooden bed, there was little else. The only decorations were a few maps and enlarged statistical charts.

William handed the letter over for the three to read in turn.

After reading it, Edmond angrily exclaimed, "A bunch of delusional fools!"

Recently, Sherlock and the Four Seas Trading Company had been focusing their efforts in Kalmar City, and Edmond, tasked with protecting Sherlock, had followed along. William had arranged for Edmond to stay at the barracks and assist in training the youth army.

After venting his anger, Edmond noticed the faint smile on William's face and asked in confusion, "They're planning to poison you, and you're still smiling?"

"If I were afraid of dying, I wouldn't have made it this far," William replied nonchalantly. Seeing Edmond's continued indignation, he elaborated, "Of course, I'd love to rally my forces and storm the noble district and the palace, killing everyone inside. But doing that would render all my previous efforts meaningless. Since they've already fallen into my trap, they'll eventually end up in my grasp. Why rush it?"

Turning to Dampier and Sherlock, William asked, "What do you two think?"

"They're digging their own graves," Sherlock said, adjusting his glasses with disdain. "They can't even keep a secret and still think they can take us down? I don't know where they get the confidence to believe that if something happens to you, we wouldn't retaliate."

Dampier had been fiddling with the letter in his hands. He remained silent until Sherlock finished speaking, then looked up with a smile matching William's. "Arcadio's conflicts with the other nobles have reached a boiling point—they're about to erupt. Why should we step in? Let them tear each other apart. Staying out of it allows us to better negotiate from a position of strength."

"The real question is whether Kro is on our side," Dampier said, turning to William. "The Bureau of Alcohol Smuggling Investigation is Arcadio's weapon. If Kro is with us, then where this weapon strikes and how deep it cuts is entirely up to us. Arcadio's enemies would also be influenced by us."

"Kro is a smart man," William said meaningfully.

Dampier clapped his hands and laughed. "Then that makes things easier."

Edmond, still puzzled by their conversation, asked, "So what are we going to do? Just ignore the fact that they're planning to poison you?"

"Have you ever seen a dogfight?" Dampier explained to Edmond. "Sometimes, when two dogs in the ring lack the will to fight, someone outside the ring needs to stir things up."

"Arcadio and Rielde's factions are like those two dogs. Right now, they're still observing and testing each other—they haven't reached the point of mutual destruction yet," William said, leaning back in his chair and resting his hands behind his head. Continuing where Dampier left off, he added, "I want them to tear each other apart until there's no turning back."

Edmond asked, "How do you plan to provoke them?"

"They're only thinking about poisoning me right now—just thinking. But what if they actually go through with it? And what if I'm not the only target?" Sherlock's eyes lit up as he pieced it together, his face breaking into a smile like William and Dampier's. "What if Arcadio himself ends up being poisoned?"

Edmond turned to William. "You want to poison Arcadio? That would be letting him off too easily."

"No need to kill him—just scare him half to death," William chuckled. "Tell me, when our esteemed Count Arcadio realizes someone wants to poison him, will he retreat in fear, remain calm and collected, or fly into a rage and refuse to back down?"

Edmond scoffed, "He definitely won't stay calm and collected like you, smiling in the face of danger. These noble lords panic at the first sign of trouble—they'd be scared out of their wits."

"If Arcadio were the type to back down easily, he wouldn't have achieved his current status," Dampier said. "He'll be scared, sure, but he'll also be furious. Then he'll do everything in his power to find out who's behind it."

~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~

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