Chapter Seventy-Eight: Armed Infiltration (Part Two)

With a disgruntled yet helpless air, the three Cat-Eyed brothers departed, knowing they could only resign themselves to fate and await the start of the auction. For items traded solely on the black market, their choices were limited; this place was already considered fair by comparison. Not to mention distant regions—just look at the North Sea. If this blade were brought to Don Quixote’s underground auction house, imagine what would happen.

Precisely due to such circumstances, neither side ever discussed matters like returns or refunds—it was simply unnecessary.

After leaving, Qiubai and his companions navigated a maze of twisting alleys, ensuring no one followed them, before returning to their original inn. Entering the room, closing the door, and listening for any unusual sounds outside, only then did their conversation begin.

“Entering the auction poses no issue now, but what comes next is more complicated,” Qiubai said, removing the cover from his head to reveal his face.

“We need to split up. In my judgment, the Childlike Fruit will almost certainly end up in Vladimir’s hands. With just the three of us, confronting him head-on is out of the question. If Don Quixote’s main force isn’t involved, I have no wish to risk losses.”

“So our strategy is simple: avoid direct conflict as much as possible, favor intelligence over brute force—in other words, ‘steal rather than snatch.’” Qiubai hoped their actions would remain cautious and safe.

“Therefore, acquiring the Childlike Fruit won’t happen at the auction itself, but afterward, once it’s been purchased. We need to infiltrate this ‘noble’s’ estate in advance, learn where the fruit will be kept, so later we can act swiftly.”

“Meanwhile, someone must remain at the auction to confirm Vladimir actually purchases the fruit.”

“So, both sides must stay in constant contact. We’ll prepare as thoroughly as possible, but if something unexpected occurs, we have to avoid panic.”

“If the fruit lands in someone else’s hands, we must be ready to act immediately.”

“Of course, my plan excludes the possibility that someone might devour the fruit right after acquiring it. If anyone is so eager to taste such a bizarre flavor, we’ll just have to apologize to Doflamingo.”

Acting before the auction was impossible—Qiubai had no way of knowing the fruit’s current location.

Or should they try to win the Devil Fruit at auction with money?

Qiubai had never considered such a plan. Aside from the immense funds required—how many swords would Qiubai have to sell to raise that much?—more importantly, such behavior would be highly unsafe, drawing far too much attention.

If he placed himself in direct competition, he would soon become a thorn in the side of every faction determined to claim the fruit. Even if he managed to buy it, keeping it would be difficult; in that scenario, secrecy was far safer.

Besides, many others probably had the same idea as Qiubai.

As he explained and refined his plan, Qiubai placed two Den Den Mushi on the table. This “biological technology” for long-distance instant communication left Qiubai unable to decide whether it was low-tech or high-tech.

“We might have to split up on auction day, so take one of these for easy contact.”

“Next... Ain, you’ll need to infiltrate Vladimir’s estate in advance, ideally locating their vault or safe.”

All depraved nobles share certain depraved traits. Regarding the Vladimir family, Qiubai, as an outsider, didn’t know the details, but they’d learned a few things over the past days.

This house was perpetually hiring maids, due to their shockingly high mortality rate—so it was a fairly straightforward infiltration route.

Here, being a maid was undoubtedly a blood-stained, high-risk job, but everywhere there were girls on the verge of starvation.

“Be alert, don’t draw attention... Do it quietly if you can,” Qiubai said, patting Ain’s shoulder.

Though slightly dangerous, by Qiubai’s usual reasoning, only Ain could perform this task; she was the only female among them, and even Bear was male.

Ain considered it, partially agreeing with Qiubai’s plan. “I support splitting up, but I disagree with the assignment. In a place like that, I couldn’t possibly locate the vault.”

“...”

The real issue: even if she found the vault once, expecting her to lead them there a second time was impossible.

It wasn’t quite a matter of being directionally challenged, nor a flaw—Ain simply lacked strong spatial awareness. Like many people, she’d lose track of direction inside complex buildings.

Well, a bit of a miscalculation. Now, the problem: how to infiltrate the target location?

Beppo... To be honest, with his build, at most he could disguise himself as a panda.

“So...” Qiubai contemplated an unavoidable possibility.

“Does this mean I have to do it myself?”

“Huh?”

“Eh?”

“Ah?”

This wasn’t infiltration—it was practically a military swim.

“What’s supposed to increase my combat power by what percentage?”

The answer: not a single percent.

And what if pure, innocent Qiubai encountered something ‘unsavory’ or ‘indecent’?

Wait, if that happened, wouldn’t it mean he alone could handle the situation?

“To gain, one must sacrifice.”

“To gain, one must be willing to sacrifice...”

No matter what, for once, Qiubai felt rather aggrieved...

Ahem, setting that aside, what remained was how to adapt on the fly. Even if the overall plan was set, too many variables remained; their improvisation would be crucial.

Afterward, they’d need to decide how to escape the island if successful—or how to protect themselves if they failed.

The trouble was, for Qiubai, this wasn’t something so easily brushed aside. Previously, he’d been unguarded and carefree, but now, suddenly, it was up to him to take action...