Back on Greed Island Lila, Te, and Koby were walking back to Lila's Home to make sure she got home safe.
" So are you going to enlighten me on who Qasarhog Yanbaal is?" Kobby inquired giving Te a questioning look.
"Right now is not the time," Te said, " Let's drop off Lila first then we can discuss how to move forward."
"Ooo ooo ooo ooo I know that guy," Lila jumping and down. " My father owns the newspaper stand on the island so I read the paper every day!"
As they walked through the forested path, heading towards Lila's home, Koby and Te exchanged a glance at Lila's enthusiasm.
"Oh, you know about him too?" Koby asked, half-curious, half-amused by Lila's sudden excitement.
Lila nodded eagerly, her eyes bright with curiosity and pride. "Yep! My father always gets the papers from the mainland, and I read them every day. I remember reading about Qasarhog Yanbaal. He's this big shot warlord, but not the flashy kind like some of the others. People say he's more of a ghost, working behind the scenes, controlling things without making a big show of it."
Te sighed, rubbing his temples. "Yeah, that's him. White Crow. But there's more to it than the papers tell."
Lila's eyes widened. "Like what? What's the real story?"
"As I said," Te replied, keeping his voice low but firm, "we'll talk about it after we get you home. It's… complicated."
Koby shot a sideways glance at Te, sensing his friend's unease. He didn't fully understand the connection Te had made with the White Crow, but he could tell it was more personal than just knowing the guy from a newspaper. Still, now wasn't the time to press the issue.
As they neared Lila's house, nestled between tall trees and glowing with soft, warm light from the windows, the tension among them eased slightly. Lila's bouncing steps slowed as they approached her front door.
"You really don't have to worry about me," she said with a grin. "But thanks for walking me home. Can we play tomorrow?"
"Umm Yeah just swing by our house in the morning. It's the house on top of the hill."
"Stay safe," Koby said, giving Lila a reassuring smile. "And don't tell anyone about what happened tonight. okay?."
Lila laughed lightly. "No promises."
As she slipped inside, the door closing behind her, Te let out a breath he'd been holding in. He turned to Koby, his expression hardening.
" So now can you explain"
" Yeah on the way, but first we should pick the syndicate member and take him back to Lab and keep him there"
Te nodded towards the path, signaling for Koby to follow him. "Yeah, let's get that guy and head back to the lab. I'll explain everything on the way."
As they retraced their steps to where the captured Syndicate member was tied up, Te's mind was already racing with thoughts of how this unexpected twist could impact their plans.
They found the Syndicate member slumped against a tree, still unconscious from their earlier encounter. Te knelt down and lifted the man over his shoulder with ease, turning back to Koby. "Let's move. The longer we wait, the more dangerous this becomes."
As they began walking back towards their lab, Koby broke the silence. "So, who exactly is this White Crow?"
"It's tough to explain who exactly he is and what he can do, but what I remember is seeing his name on a Wiki one-piece fan verse.
And if it's the same guy, it means Oda since us to an AU universe."
Koby stared at Te, then simply shrugged his shoulders. "Man you had me worried for a second, I thought it was some end game character from the manga or something.
If it's just a created person we can easily handle him"
"You're not worried."
"Of course, I'm not I already knew the world was different we are supposedly Kizaru kids, BIscuit is now in one piece, and oh WE EXIST!"
"Te chuckled at Koby's response, shaking his head. "Yeah, I guess when you put it like that, we've been living in an alternate reality all along." He adjusted the unconscious Syndicate member on his shoulder. "Still, it's unsettling. We've been preparing for things we thought we knew were coming, and now this wildcard shows up."
Koby smirked. "We'll adapt. It's what we do." He kicked a stone along the path as they continued walking. "Besides, we're already ahead of the game. Between our Nen training and tech, we've got more firepower than most people in this world."
" So how do you wanna handle this."
Koby flashed Te a grin. "We take him down. Simple as that."
They reached the lab, a small clearing nestled deep in the woods, concealed by layers of advanced tech. Te dropped the Syndicate member onto a chair and strapped him in. "Let's interrogate this guy and find out exactly what the Syndicate was doing here."
Koby leaned back against the wall, arms crossed. "And then we'll start preparing for White Crow. If he's already here, we'll need to be ready for anything."
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A few hours later, the lab was steeped in an uncomfortable silence. The air felt heavy as the dim glow of overhead lights cast shadows across the room. In the center, slumped in a chair, was the lifeless body of the Syndicate member. His arms hung limp, still tied to the chair, his head drooping forward, and his face a mask of vacant dread. His skin had turned pale, and sweat clung to his clothes, giving him a ghostly appearance.
Te stood a few feet away, glaring at the corpse with frustration etched on his face. The interrogation had been brutal, but ultimately useless. The man had known nothing—no crucial details, no valuable intel about White Crow, or the Syndicate's next move. His fear had been real, but his knowledge had been worthless.
Koby stood nearby, leaning against a table with his arms crossed. He looked at the body, his face expressionless. "We wasted our time," he muttered.
Te let out a sharp breath, running a hand through his hair. "He was just a grunt. He didn't know anything that could help us. White Crow's too smart to let his pawns know the bigger picture."
Koby pushed off the table and moved closer to the body. "We're missing something," he said. "But we've got to assume White Crow was monitoring the operation somehow. These types don't just go in blind. Maybe they were using a long-range transponder snail to stay in touch during the kidnapping."
Te's eyes narrowed as he considered the possibility. "If they were using one, we should be able to trace it. Greed Island's pretty isolated, and any communication from off-island would leave a signal."
"Exactly," Koby replied. "We can run a scan for any unusual transponder snail frequencies from the time of the attempted kidnapping."
Te stepped away from the body, his frustration replaced by a new determination. "Let's get to the control room. If White Crow or anyone from the Syndicate was communicating, we'll find them."
Koby nodded, and together they left the lifeless Syndicate member behind, moving swiftly toward the lab's control center. They hadn't gotten what they wanted from the interrogation, but the trail wasn't cold yet.
Te and Koby entered the control room, the heart of their hidden lab
Koby walked over to one of the main consoles and began typing furiously, pulling up a series of screens displaying different frequency bands. "The transponder snails leave an energy trace in the airwaves," Koby explained, focused. "All we need to do is isolate the timeframe and scan for signals that don't match any of the island's usual communication patterns."
Te stood behind him, arms crossed, watching the screens light up. "You think we'll be able to hear it? Even after hours have passed?"
Koby smirked. "You know I built this thing with some of the best tech out there. It records everything. If they used a long-range transponder, we'll get it."
He punched in a few more commands, narrowing down the time window to when they were chasing down the Syndicate members earlier that evening. A series of blips appeared on the screen, representing various signals bouncing across the island. Most were local communications—people talking to family members, businesses running their operations—but one in particular stood out. It was faint, nearly masked by the others, but it was there.
"Got something," Koby said, leaning in closer. "It's weak, but definitely not local. Too long-range to be anyone on the island."
Te stepped forward. "Can you play it?"
Koby tapped a few buttons, and the speakers crackled to life, emitting the telltale purururu of a transponder snail call. Then came a voice, cold and steady.
"…Everything in place?"
"Yes, sir. The team is on the island now. We've almost secured the targets."
Te and Koby exchanged a glance. That had to be White Crow's voice.
Koby's fingers moved across the keys again. "We need to trace that signal. If they're still out there, we might be able to pinpoint their exact location. They're not far from the island."
Te nodded, his eyes narrowing. "Good. Let's make sure they don't get a chance to disappear."