Chapter 142: Gathering
After leaving the Marine base on San Faldo, Axel arrived at his destination.
St. Poplar.
Known as the Queen City, the island was famous for its lively streets, castle-like buildings, and warm, welcoming residents. Even before Axel stepped properly into the main district, the atmosphere hit him like a wave.
Music drifted through the streets.
People laughed, danced, and sang beneath colorful banners. Bright masks appeared everywhere, covering faces of every age and status. The whole city seemed to have been swept into a festival.
To avoid unnecessary attention, Axel put on the simple hat he had bought earlier and lowered the brim over his face before entering the crowd.
This was not his first time here.
Before reporting to the San Faldo Marine base, he had already visited St. Poplar, Pucci, and Water 7 once, gathering a basic understanding of the region before finally taking up his post.
But today, St. Poplar was far livelier than it had been before.
Everywhere he looked, people were smiling. Dancers spun through the streets. Musicians played on corners. Masked figures passed by in groups, laughing and waving as if the whole island had forgotten its troubles for a day.
Just as Axel was about to enter the street, a stall owner called out to him.
"Hey, bro!"
Axel paused.
Calling a child "bro"?
That was new.
Mildly interested, he turned and walked over.
The stall owner grinned at him from behind a booth overflowing with masks.
"Young man, you're from out of town, aren't you?"
"How did you know?"
"Today is the island's masquerade carnival," the owner said, pointing around with a laugh. "People here either wear masks or show their faces. Nobody wears a hat during carnival."
"Ah."
So that was it.
The shopkeeper leaned forward with a practiced smile.
"How about buying a mask and joining the fun?"
Axel thought for a moment.
According to the information gathered by the Marines, many merchants would gather on St. Poplar today. Wearing a mask might make moving around easier.
He did not refuse.
From the rows of masks hanging on the stall, Axel selected one shaped like a tanuki. After paying for it, he put it on and tossed his hat toward the stall owner.
The hat drifted through the air and landed neatly in the man's hands.
The owner stared at it, blinking in confusion.
By the time he looked up again, Axel had already disappeared into the festival crowd.
…
St. Poplar Castle stood at the heart of the city's central district.
Its reception hall was famous throughout the island, spacious enough to hold over a thousand people. The decorations were lavish, almost theatrical. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling, polished floors reflected the light, and long rectangular tables covered in white cloth were arranged beneath the stage.
Fine wine and delicacies filled the tables.
Waiters stood nearby, ready to serve at any moment.
This was not an ordinary celebration hall today.
It had become a gathering place for merchants.
As the appointed time drew near, businessmen entered one after another. Their voices quickly filled the reception hall, turning the elegant space into a low sea of greetings, laughter, and careful conversation.
Outside the main entrance, personnel were stationed to verify identities.
This gathering was important.
Not everyone was allowed in.
Invitations were checked one by one. Some were confirmed through coded business information, details that circulated only among merchants and could not be publicly disclosed.
Only after verification were guests permitted inside.
Then a child wearing a tanuki mask walked in openly.
The guard at the door did not stop him.
More accurately, he did not see him.
Axel had used his ability to bend the direction of light around himself, making his presence slip past the eyes of those nearby. He walked through the entrance as naturally as if he belonged there.
Once he reached a secluded corner of the reception hall, the refraction around him dispersed.
He became visible again.
There was still time before the gathering began, and Axel had no intention of wasting it.
The food laid out on the tables was not decoration.
He was a food lover.
A rare opportunity to taste this much expensive food for free was not something he would ignore.
A waiter noticed the masked child lingering in front of the dishes. He hesitated for only a moment before walking over with a polite smile and introducing the food.
Anyone who could enter this venue was not an ordinary merchant. Even if the guest was a child, the staff could not afford to offend him.
In the waiter's eyes, Axel was probably just a greedy young master wearing a carnival mask.
Axel's arrival did not disturb the others.
The merchants continued their conversations with practiced ease. Every face wore a familiar smile. Every smile revealed nothing.
Soon, the gathering officially began.
A stout man walked out from the crowd and stepped onto the stage.
He was Franklin, the wealthy landowner of St. Poplar and the central figure of today's meeting.
The moment he appeared, enthusiastic applause filled the hall.
"Welcome, everyone, to this gathering," Franklin said, spreading his arms with a confident smile. "It is my honor to stand here today as your representative and speak on behalf of all of us."
More applause followed.
But not everyone was applauding from the heart.
Hands moved.
Smiles bloomed.
Yet beneath the surface, many hearts beat faster with envy and jealousy.
Franklin had not been the only person competing for the position of representative. Several merchants below the stage looked at him with polite expressions while their eyes burned with resentment.
Franklin clearly enjoyed the attention.
He allowed the applause to continue for a moment before raising a hand and speaking again.
"This gathering is held to celebrate the success of our previous cooperation. Thanks to everyone's hard work, that cooperation achieved a true win-win result."
Axel sat below, listening with interest while continuing to eat.
Franklin's speech sounded grand, but the meaning was not difficult to understand.
He did not explicitly mention the price manipulation troubling Water 7's trade network, but Axel could hear it clearly between the lines.
This was about the collusion among merchants.
The inflated prices.
The problem Axel had been investigating.
And after today, that problem would have an answer.
"To preserve this momentum and deepen our future cooperation," Franklin continued passionately, "this gathering is necessary. We must strengthen our ties, clarify our mutual interests, and ensure that all parties benefit from the coming changes."
Axel picked up another piece of food and tasted it.
Too sweet.
He moved on to the next plate.
Franklin's speech lasted for a while.
Finally, he reached the end.
"That concludes my remarks. Those interested in participating in the next stage of cooperation may proceed there for further discussion."
He pointed toward a table near the side of the hall.
It was no different from the other tables in shape, but unlike the others, it held no wine or food. Empty and plain, it stood out precisely because of its lack of decoration.
The speech ended amid another round of applause.
Then the crowd began moving toward the table Franklin had indicated.
Some went because they were truly interested.
Some went because everyone else was going.
In business, following the current was often safer than standing still.
As the merchants gathered on that side, the once-crowded area around the banquet tables quickly emptied.
Only Axel remained.
He stood there beneath his tanuki mask, calmly selecting food and giving quiet evaluations.
"This one is too sweet."
"This one's not bad."
"That one looks better than it tastes."
Even with half his face covered by a mask, a lone child eating in the middle of such an occasion was far too conspicuous.
Someone soon noticed him.
"Whose child is that?"
The question spread through the nearby merchants.
People looked at each other.
No one answered.
Most of those present were sharp, experienced businessmen. It did not take long for them to realize something was wrong.
If no one claimed the child, then he most likely was not the son of one of their colleagues.
So who was he?
Franklin was among the keenest of them.
His gaze settled on Axel's white hair, then on the wooden sword he carried.
In an instant, he connected those traits with the topic that had recently dominated their private drinking parties.
The Kid Captain.
The child who had become a Marine Captain at around ten years old.
The newspapers had claimed that he achieved the rank through his own strength and merit. They had also mentioned that he was the grandson of the Hero of the Marines, Vice Admiral Garp.
To businessmen like them, the conclusion was obvious.
Connections.
Back channels.
Influence.
They were experts at such things, so none of them found it strange that a child could appear in the Navy through those means.
Regardless of his actual ability, however, a Captain was still a Captain.
Since he had come here, he had to be "entertained" properly.
Franklin adjusted his breathing, smoothed the surprise from his face, and stepped forward with a warm smile.
"Captain Axel…?"
.....
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