Title
Lotm Roque-like across the worlds.
Table of contents
Volume 1 Chapter 20
Volume 1 Chapter 20
The barely perceptible breath of the waves penetrated into the hall. They crashed against the shore behind the thick stone facade of Lamafia's mansion, like people vainly trying to resist the inevitable. There was deathly silence inside until the head of the family, Capodel Lamafia, rose from his seat, gesturing for attention.
— Kari amigi, we are being pressed. I have received information that our house will be stormed tomorrow. As the head of the family, I made a difficult decision. I'm disbanding the mafia. I order you all to leave the island!
His voice was steady, but there was a subtle chill in it. The hall immediately filled with a roar. Indignant shouts mingled with a low murmur of displeasure. The displeasure was directed not so much at Capodela as at external circumstances—government pressure, which they had considered something abstract for so long.
These events were not accidental. Everything was going according to plan. Two months of efforts have borne fruit: the Lamafia family was on the verge of collapse. I spent weeks inciting suspicion in the eyes of the World government, pretending to be their agent and pushing them to believe that the alliance with Kapodel was nothing more than a hoax. At the same time, I was pushing people around the family to anger and distrust, creating the ground for a split. But the main goal wasn't family at all.
She was sitting cross-legged nearby, looking completely calm. Figlia Lamafia.
She was young and beautiful, but her beauty caused a strange tension. She had flawless facial features: thin, graceful eyebrows, soft waves of dark brown hair that fell to her shoulders, and cold gray eyes, as if frozen in their indifference to the world. Dressed in a black dress that hugged her figure perfectly, she looked like the epitome of elegance.
However, as soon as she spoke, the illusion was dispelled. Her voice was full of cynicism, her intonation betraying a hidden mockery. She despised weakness, openly humiliated those she considered beneath her, and reveled in her power.
Despite her rotten nature, Figlia possessed an exceptional gift. Her devil fruit, Meiro-Meiro no Mi, allowed her to turn space into a maze. She could connect the passages so that, trying to go forward, you suddenly found yourself at the beginning of the path. This gift made her a suitable candidate for the final role of the second puppet.
I was watching Figlia from a hidden space created by Bruno's abilities. The crowd in the hall was noisy, Capodel was trying to calm his people, but the tension was only growing. Figlia, always confident, looked slightly nervous, as if something was bothering her. It was the perfect moment.
I focused on her spiritual threads, extending my power to them. As soon as the first contact was made, Figlia flinched slightly. Her breathing changed—it became a little deeper, as if she had to consciously control it. She frowned, trying to figure out what was happening to her.
"I need to get out," she said abruptly, getting up from her seat.
Without waiting for Capodel's reaction, Figlia headed for the exit, trying to keep her posture steady, but her steps betrayed tension. I followed her through the hidden doors, leaving the others in the hall.
As soon as we were away from the crowd, I started to increase the pressure. Figlia's movements became slower, and she seemed to notice it. She stopped in the middle of the hallway, quickly looking around.
— Who's here? She growled, straining her voice.
Her hands clenched into fists, but a small tremor betrayed her inner panic. She started walking again, faster this time, as if she was trying to escape from something invisible.
I deepened the control. Her movements became more and more sluggish. She tried to reach into her pocket, where she kept a small pistol, but her fingers failed her, as if her own body had stopped obeying her.
—No...— she whispered, her face pale, and her eyes darted around the empty hallway.
She tried to concentrate, her lips moving, either cursing or pleading, but the words sounded slow and uncertain. Her legs wobbled, and she leaned against the wall to steady herself.
Every second seemed like an eternity. I could feel her will cracking, her thoughts slowing down, her resistance fading. She could barely make out where she was and what was happening to her.
Three minutes later, her eyes went out. Her body straightened, and her face went blank, like a mask. Figlia Lamafia has become my puppet.
Now it was necessary to take the last step. I made her go back to the gym. Capodel turned around when he saw his daughter, but there was no longer the same cold confidence in her gaze. She pointed the gun at him, pulled the trigger without a single word, and then, without wasting any time, ran towards the exit.
Her pursuers rushed after her in a panic, but thanks to her abilities, the maze twisted the space so that instead of a corridor, they ended up in another bedroom.
I smiled as I watched the chaos. The final breakup of the Lamafia family turned out exactly as I had planned it. The remains of my potion were completely digested.
The storm on the border of the Florian Triangle raged with such force that the ship shook like a toy. The water roared against the sides of the ship, and waves rushed across the decks, ready to swallow everything in their path. I stood in the captain's cabin, leaning against the table, and watched what was happening.
I was holding two dowsing rods in my hands. The metal trembled slightly in his fingers, feeling the tension around him. They drove us into the depths of the storm. Before that, I thought that the accompanying element in the work was just an accident, so to speak, a whim of the Grand Line. And now if you think about it, a storm is formed from a drop in atmospheric pressure outside and inside the triangle.
While I was thinking about the nature of the elements, the captain of the pirate ship was at the helm. His face remained motionless like a stone statue as he steered the ship with absolute precision. I gave a mental command, and the captain turned the ship in the right direction without slowing down. His movements, as well as his silent orders, forced the team to act harmoniously. The pirate ship continued to move through the storm, and it seemed that the storm itself knew not to interfere with it.
The elements continued to grow, but I did not pay attention to it. The storm caused a lot of trouble, but knowing that it was a sign of the entrance to the Florian Triangle made me happy.
The dowsers have again shown the right course. I felt the point of focus needed to get to the center itself getting closer. As time passed, the storm finally began to subside. The sky is now covered with eternal dense clouds. The waters around us grew darker, as if the abyss itself were swallowing us up. Until we leave the triangle, this hovering weather condition will accompany us all the time.
"Thank God." I muttered in an irritated voice under my breath.
The sounds of the team faded away, everyone focused on their work. The captain, as if out of habit, gave the order, and the ship, guided by my hand, continued to move. The pirate crew, no matter how strange it was to them, did not understand what was going on. They followed orders, and despite their obvious unfortunate outcome, they did not realize that the captain was no longer himself. Once they needed a captain to keep the ship in order. They were now subordinate to me.
The captain filled the last, third, available slot for the puppet. Of course, I was going to replace him on the island with some more capable person, but he suits me for managing his team.
We didn't have long to sail. Soon, as if in mockery, a barrel floated in front of the ship, which seemed out of place among all this raging elements. They opened it and gave the signal. It's strange that we came across her already in these waters. This made the task easier, although the barrel itself made you think about the pattern of its destruction. However, thanks to this barrel, Thriller Park will come for us.
I decided not to take any chances and disappeared with Figlia and Bruno into his dimension. I wasn't quite sure of my victory, and that's why I decided to act stealthily.
I didn't have to wait long. About an hour later, a scream from the supervisor made me leave the captain's cabin.
—Earth!
I left the captain's cabin and went to the side. Peering into the distant outlines, I recognized them. Before us was the Thriller Bark.