"Ah? But Captain Tokugawa told me to take you back to your dormitory."
"Isn't that right?"
Higashinohara, who was in the back seat, raised his head and glanced at the sincere look on the young driver's face in the rearview mirror. He pondered for a moment, and then he understood Tokugawa Ritora's intention.
no way,
The week when Higashinohara disappeared was too sensitive.
Although Tokugawa Ritora "endorsed" Higashinohara, after arriving at Tagos Meji Mansion and learning about the White Swan Port Incident, he immediately asked for leave for Higashinohara, saying that Higashinohara had gone to him to help these days.
But as the saying goes, make a show and do the whole thing.
When I came back, there was a driver to see me off, which also showed that Tokugawa Ritora "valued" the young man Higashinohara, thus increasing his credibility.
Thinking about this,
Higashinohara couldn't help but feel a little emotional.
After all, he was the team leader engaged in investigation work. If he hadn't reminded him of these details, Higashinohara might not have paid attention to them.
It might not seem like a big deal.
But details like this add up to a lot, and it takes care to sail the boat for thousands of years. Higashinohara naturally followed the trend and said with a smile, "Then it will be hard work."
"It should."
After the car arrived at the school and stopped at the school gate, the young driver got out of the car and opened the door for Higashinohara.
Today is Saturday, a day off. In the evening, the gate of the branch is filled with many students coming and going.
When Higashinohara got off the bus, someone opened the door. The students passing by could only glance at it and then immediately looked away.
After all, a prestigious school for ability users such as Stafford's Private Great Sword Academy can be said to have "no white talent", and there is no telling how many wealthy daughters and young masters are hidden there.
In comparison, the ordinary black car that Tokugawa Ritora sent him back to was not as eye-catching as Higashinohara's face.
The driver who took him back tonight was a newcomer named Shindo Eiichi who had just joined the third investigation team.
This time I went abroad to perform a mission with the visiting team from Wano. At first, I felt that I was shouldering a heavy burden of tension and excitement about the survival of my country.
But after these days of sending Tokugawa Ritora back and forth to the residences of major legislators and politicians in the Umeji Prefecture city, I saw that these powerful figures in Wano Country gradually lost their spirits after being rejected so many times.
On the contrary, it is exactly like this,
He just began to observe Meiji Mansion, the capital of the world's superpower, the United Tagos Republic, and gradually discovered various differences from New Tokyo in the country of Wano, and he also felt something in his heart.
Once upon a time, the country of Wano was so prosperous, but now as the "Day of National Destruction" approaches, the bustling streets in the past are becoming increasingly desolate and deserted.
I don’t know what will happen in a month.
Higashinohara saw Shindou Eiichi's emotional look on the side. He knew what the other party was worried about without asking. He couldn't help but asked as he walked, "Shinfuji feels that the actions of Captain Tokugawa and the others have a chance to save the country of Wano."
?"
Hearing Higashinohara suddenly raise this question, Shinto Hide stumbled, hesitated, opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, and finally shook his head in confusion, "I don't know."
"Then do you support the actions of Chairman Tokugawa and the Prime Minister?" Higashinohara asked in a different way.
"support."
Shindo Eiichi nodded immediately.
"Why?"
Higashinohara said doubtfully.
Are you still so supportive even though the future is uncertain?
Shindo Eiichi finally showed some youthful vigor on his face, and said with a smile, "How will you know if you don't try."
How will you know if you don't try?
A very simple sentence, but Higashinohara was stunned for a moment, and then he showed a thoughtful expression.
While talking,
The two went upstairs to dormitory 426.
Shindo Eiichi was a little curious and wanted to see what kind of vigorous and upward spirit these exchange students sent out by Wano Country would become in the future, the sparks and mainstays of Wano Country.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he opened the door, he was almost knocked over by the smell of instant noodles that filled the room. The corner of his mouth twitched slightly as he looked at a few people in the dormitory wearing big underwear squatting on the chairs with their heads lowered and hissing.
A boy eating instant noodles.
"Teacher doing ward rounds?"
"Put away the induction cooker quickly."
"The induction cooker has been confiscated a long time ago. Didn't you use your ability to boil this water?"
"Oh, it's okay then."
"Eh? This doesn't look like the student union outside the door."
Finally, someone discovered something was wrong.
The respectful guy in a black formal suit outside the door doesn't seem to be from the same dimension as the guys in the student union who have their nostrils turned upward when they come in to check the dormitory.
At this moment, a glass of red wine was placed next to Sibo Yu's seafood-flavored instant noodles and he was shaking it gently. The plastic fork in his hand was just short of a knife to cut the steak.
Hearing the sound, he was separated from the self-immersed atmosphere, turned his head and looked outside the door, and then said in a surprised tone, "Huh? Higashikata-kun is back?"
"Ah? It's Dongye."
"Didn't he go to help Team Leader Tokugawa?"
"I guess I'm done."
"."
Everyone else in the dormitory also saw Higashinohara in casual clothes standing next to Eiichi Shinfuji in black formalwear.
Shindo Eiichi had already recovered from the slight gap brought to him by these "pillars of the country", and secretly thought to himself that he was so rare, so what happened to the Flame of Hope eating instant noodles?
But he didn't know that the habit of eating instant noodles among the people in dormitory 426 was brought up by Higashinohara when he was here. These young people who had lived in fine clothes since childhood could never forget the taste of instant noodles.
.
I woke up late on the weekend and there was only leftovers before the restaurant closed. Do I have to have a drink in the dormitory?
As for Sibo Yu, the boss, the glass of red wine in his hand was the last sign of his stubbornness.
"Ahem, fortunately, Higashino-san has been delivered safely, so I won't bother you any more. Goodbye, everyone."
The corner of Shindo Hideichi's mouth twitched, he forced a smile, said goodbye to Higashinohara, turned around and went downstairs. He probably needed to get used to it because his dream was shattered too quickly.
Higashinohara doesn't think these people are the so-called "kinds of hope". In the final analysis, they are just young people of seventeen or eighteen years old who are in their prime.
A young man is a young man, he is not happy when he sees the spring breeze, he is not annoyed when he sees the summer cicadas, he is not sad when he sees the autumn wind, he does not sigh when he sees the winter snow, he is too lazy to notice when he is surrounded by wealth, he does not dare to face injustice when he sees it.
It would be too wishful thinking to place the future of Wano on these young people.
He came in and greeted everyone with a smile. Several people in the dormitory immediately came over with instant noodles and asked Higashinohara how the Wano delegation's visit to the United States of Tagos was going with their curious faces.
.
"Higashino, who did you and Captain Tokugawa visit?"
"Is there anyone in Tagos who would like to ally with us for this World Conference?"
"I heard that Captain Tokugawa has entered the eighth level, is it true?"
"."
Siba Yu, who was having instant noodles and red wine, was still focused on the goblet in his hand, but his body and ears were involuntarily tilted towards Higashinohara.
"Is there any progress? Sorry. It's hard to disclose this." Higashinohara looked embarrassed.
How did he know the progress of Tokugawa Ritora and his team?
Unexpectedly, the roommates nodded in understanding, saying that it was normal for such confidentiality to be inconvenient, but they were being a little rude and presumptuous.
Higashinohara didn't want to dampen the young man's interest, so he smiled and said, "There is something I can reveal. Captain Tokugawa is indeed an eighth-level demigod-level ability user."
hiss-!
The voice fell,
Everyone in the dormitory couldn't help but marvel!
For a group of fourth- and fifth-level superpowers, anything above level seven is too far away.
Let alone the eighth level?
For a moment, even Si Boyu's hand holding the red wine glass, which looked "careless" on the side, could not help but tremble, but his heart was filled with waves like the red wine in the glass in his hand.
legend!
A true legend!
The experience of Tokugawa Ritora, the founder of the Third Investigation Team, is so well-known to everyone. When he was murdered in Hokkaido by villains at the beginning of this year, it aroused spontaneous mourning across the country.
Now the king is back,
The strength has been improved to a higher level.
This is not a legend.
What else is legendary?
Suddenly, someone asked curiously, "How did Higashino-kun feel when he faced Team Leader Tokugawa?"
"Huh?" Higashinohara was stunned for a moment.
"Eighth level strong man!"
The man exaggeratedly raised his hand to indicate the height of an eight-story building, "Is there a sense of oppression from Yuan Ting Yue Zhi? It becomes difficult to breathe! Just looking at it makes me dazzle and make me cry."
Team leader Tokugawa is not the sun.
Higashinohara was speechless for a moment, and replied sincerely, "I don't feel anything."
"No way?"
"How can this be?"
"."
Everyone shook their heads in disbelief.
I feel that Higashinohara is "showing off his strength"
Higashinohara was speechless when he heard the words. It has become difficult to tell the truth these days. When I stand in front of you, I don't see any of you having trouble breathing, right?
Unexpectedly, at this time,
Sibo You on the side put down his red wine glass, coughed lightly to attract everyone's attention, and said softly:
"What determines deterrence and terror is human perception. We cannot recognize the strength of Captain Tokugawa, and of course we cannot feel the terror unless"
"Unless what?" someone asked.
Sibo You raised his index and middle fingers, pushed up his glasses with a faint flash of light on the bridge of his nose, and said unhurriedly, "Unless you have a pair of discerning eyes."
"Could it be said?" Someone's eyes widened.
"Obviously, I have such a keen eye." King Sibo said in a reserved voice, "If I stood in front of an eighth-level strong man, I would definitely be unable to breathe."
He just finished speaking,
He noticed that Higashinohara on the side looked at him in surprise, and couldn't help but raise his eyebrows slightly, "What? Higashino-san doesn't believe it?"
"I believe."
Higashinohara nodded immediately.
I secretly thought,
I believe you don't have a pair of "intelligent eyes".
It is said that "a long separation is better than a newlywed".
When Higashinohara first met the top students from Takehara Minami Private Academy, their relationship was not so harmonious. He, a top student with a talent rank of 98 who relied on "diligence to make up for his shortcomings", was considered an anomaly among their kind.
But now that he is in a foreign country, and he has not seen her for a week, even Shiba Yu, who originally regarded Higashinohara as his lifelong enemy, no longer feels that tit-for-tat feeling.
Think about it too,
There is still one month left,
After this world conference, Wano may become a historical noun like that destroyed country among the more than 300 Allied Powers on the Cross Continent.
By then they will all be rootless duckweeds.
It's heartbreaking to think about.
Where can I think of engaging in internal strife?
Returning to the dormitory in the evening, Higashinohara did not go to the restaurant. He had a cup of tempura udon instant noodles, which his roommates reciprocated, and it was regarded as dinner.
At this time, the dormitory also became quiet, and everyone started working on their own.
Analyze and summarize the gains from this day on the road to ability improvement, and think about plans for tomorrow.
As exchange students from Wano to the United States of Tagos during this critical period, they wanted to live a life without any pressure at all.
That's obviously impossible.
Higashinohara also took advantage of this opportunity to walk to the balcony of his dormitory, looked up at the bright moon reflecting the dark sky, and wondered what the situation was like under the moonlight of the Western Sea.
Today, when I was driving back to the academy, I heard the announcement about the sky-high price of a wanted bounty for Dorothy Alita. Although Higashinohara didn't show anything on the surface all the way back, there was some faint worry in his heart.
Money moves people's hearts.
What's more, it's such an unprecedented sum of money.
The only thing that Higashinohara can comfort himself now is that the Queen Antigone Pirates and her crew are dominating the Western Sea with a bounty, and I am afraid they have never encountered anyone who covets the bounty.
It's just that when you reach the sea, the sea is vast and the fish can jump. Even if someone is tempted by the bounty, they don't have the ability to catch them.
Hmm. From this point of view, letting Dorothy Alita join the Queen Pirates is indeed a wise choice.
Otherwise, if you want to find a place to live in any country on the monolithic land under the rule of the World Government, it may not be an easy task with Dorothy Alita's outstanding grace and temperament.
But this time we say goodbye...
I don’t know what year or month it was when we met again.
Higashinohara sighed secretly in his heart, raised his head and glanced at the bright moon in the night sky, which was shining with brilliance, and turned around to return to the dormitory.
When he opened the door, news from Beijing TV was playing on the TV above the door facing the balcony. He subconsciously looked up.
Immediately,
The whole person was nailed to the spot.
"This station reported that the third judge of the Judgment Department who was wanted for several crimes in White Swan Port this afternoon joined the Queen Antigone Pirates in the West Sea to escape. At 7 o'clock in the evening, a ship of the Queen Pirates
The ship sailed back to White Swan Harbor again and dropped anchor.
According to people familiar with the situation, the third adjudicator is on this ship. The motive and specific circumstances of the other party's reappearance are currently unknown. Our press conference will follow up and report as soon as possible."
Higashinohara narrowed his eyes slightly and stared at the black pirate ship on the live TV with the iconic "Black Crown" of the Queen Antigone Pirates.
He recognized it at a glance as the pirate ship belonging to the deputy captain among the many ships of the Queen's Pirates.
At noon, Harley Antigone publicly announced in front of the Nine Families, the Judgment Division and the World Government at White Swan Port that the third Judgment Queen, Dorothy Alita, had joined the Queen's Pirates as "Vice Captain"
, Dorothy Alita left on this ship.
But Higashinohara doesn’t think that,
Dorothy Alita will be so impulsive that she regrets the decision she has made after discussing it with herself.
Now he has fallen into a trap again.
What's going on?
correct
Before noon today, this ship did not belong to Dorothy Alita, but to the "former" vice-captain of the Queen Pirates - the sword demon Peros.
Could it be this sudden change?
Is it related to that man?
Thinking of this, Higashinohara tightened his palms slightly, and his eyes staring at the TV couldn't help but squint deeper.
Upper Kyoto Metropolitan Area, Barton County.
White Swan Harbor.
When the lights on the ghostly black warship docked in White Swan Harbor were completely extinguished, the people in the Adjudication Department who came after hearing the news could only hear the sound of waves crashing on the shore, and the sound of the iron chains after the ship anchored.
The shaking sound.
Dorothy Alita, who was as graceful as a black night lily, stood on the swaying deck, with a hint of red at the corner of her mouth.
Through the veil, she stared at the sword demon Pelos standing across the deck, shook her head and said, "Believing in the promise of the World Government is a wrong choice."
"At least they gave me money."
The former vice-captain Sword Demon Pelos held the big sword Jizo Xinghei in his arms, shrugged slightly, and said somewhat self-deprecatingly,
"But what about that woman? As soon as you come here, my more than ten years of hard work in the pirate group will be wasted?
How can there be such truth in the world?"
Dorothy Alita lowered her eyebrows slightly and said softly, "I thought your pirate world was as strong as ever."
Hearing Dorothy Alita's words, Sword Demon Pelos's face suddenly darkened.
He stared at Dorothy Alita and said, "I admit that my strength is not as good as yours, but so what?"
When saying this,
His eyes drifted to the cabin where the door was pushed open, and he saw a man with well-proportioned and slender limbs, two red fox stripes on his left and right cheeks, and a pure white snow fox shawl hanging on his shoulders, walking out of the cabin and onto the deck.
As soon as this man, who was full of nobility but was unusually taciturn, appeared.
In an instant, even the sneering Sword Demon Pelos lowered his gaze slightly.
A certain strength brings a certain respect, and absolute strength brings absolute respect. What the man in front of me, who has just stepped into the "Nine-Five Supreme" realm, gets is absolute respect.
Because he is one of the "Nine Blades of Heavenly Guides" from Bart's family.
The next head of the Tianhu clan.
Yavuz Bart.
The man didn't even look at the sword demon Peros who provided him with information and location for his betrayal of the pirates. His eyes fell on Dorothy Alita, and his tone was calm as if he was giving the final judgment.
"The wrong life."
"I said a long time ago that your birth was a mistake from the beginning. If it had been solved at that time, these unnecessary 'trouble' would not have arisen."
This was not the first time that a man who was actually her mother's brother, her uncle, made such comments about her life without expression.
Dorothy Alita couldn't help but bite her lips tightly. Through the black gauze, her pair of light blue eyes stared at the other party, full of unspeakable stubbornness.
"You don't seem desperate."
The man lowered his eyebrows slightly and whispered to himself, "Are you still waiting for the human being who was with you during the day?"
