This mansion in the night belonged to Moreen. As a senior cabinet official, the estate was guarded by a considerable number of elite soldiers, its tight security offering a glimpse of Moreen's lofty status.
A convoy of twenty cars drove into the mansion, as if Moreen had brought guests with him.
Law silently observed this scene, pinching his chin and murmuring to himself, "Should I make my move tonight?"
Having come to Berg City specifically for this purpose and having made thorough preparations, he wanted to deal with Moreen, this potential threat, as quickly as possible.
Raising a hand to touch the rough skin on his face, Law ultimately decided to act tonight, though not immediately. He would wait until midnight.
Time passed slowly, and the dark clouds in the night sky thickened, the wind carrying a hint of chill.
The moonlight gradually vanished, leaving the brightly lit mansion starkly visible in the darkness.
At 11:45 p.m., the mansion gates opened, and several armed soldiers watched as five cars departed.
Perched in a tree, Law quietly observed the cars leaving before turning his gaze back to the distant mansion without a sound.
At 2 a.m., Law began his operation.
The mansion grounds formed a square, with soldiers patrolling and standing guard on all sides in rotating shifts, maintaining a 24-hour watch.
The security was heavily manned, so surveillance cameras weren't as numerous as those in the Ohara Museum.
On the western side, after the soldiers on the watchtower looked away, Law scaled the wall and slipped into the shadows. After maneuvering through several obstacles, he reached the back of what appeared to be a warehouse.
Tap, tap.
Squads of ten soldiers crisscrossed the vast courtyard, leaving no gaps.
Crack.
The sudden sound of a twig snapping echoed in the air.
The nearby patrol squads reacted instantly. Some soldiers relayed the anomaly, while the rest quickly fanned out, forming a semicircular formation as they advanced toward the source of the sound.
"Meow."
An ordinary white house cat glanced at the soldiers, then, as if startled, it dashed toward the high wall, leaping over it in a single bound and disappearing into the night.
Seeing this, the squad leader lowered his ear mic and muttered, "False alarm. It was just a white cat."
Unnoticed by the soldiers drawn to the noise, a shadowy figure flitted through the darkness, heading toward the largest building on the estate.
Outside the wall, the white cat sauntered away, found a tree, and leaped onto it. Then, its body twisted and transformed… revealing himself to be Kuro.
Perched on the branch, he lazily scratched his ear, thinking to himself that Law should hurry up and finish the job.
Inside the mansion, Law continued to evade patrols and cameras, using his unique methods to advance step by step toward Moreen's bedroom.
By 3 a.m., the soldiers in the mansion remained unaware of the intruder, oblivious to the fact that the person they were protecting was inching closer to death.
In a room decorated in an old European style, a woman lay on her back in bed, breathing evenly as she slept.
This woman was none other than the one who had once made contact with Dove on Demon Island.
Silently, a figure emerged from the shadows in the quiet room, stepping up to the bedside.
After thorough preparation and investigation, Law had confirmed this woman's potential threat… a blade hanging over him in the darkness.
From every angle, she gave him ample motivation to act.
Standing by the bed, Law gazed at the sleeping Moreen for a moment before flicking a fingernail-sized pellet of poison toward her.
The toxin soundlessly entered Moreen's body, and her sleeping form twitched slightly, as if reacting immediately to the poison.
Once the toxin was administered, Law quietly left the room, slipping past layers of guards and leaving the mansion. He reunited with Kuro under a tree.
"Done?"
Kuro leaped down and asked.
Law nodded, allowing Kuro to return to the back of his hand before heading back toward the hotel where he was staying.
Along the way, he removed the human-face mask he had been wearing, destroying it completely, then replaced it with the one he had used upon arriving in Berg City.
At 9 a.m. the next morning, in the Ohara Museum's dining hall.
Clover sat at the head of a long dining table, a lavish Western-style breakfast laid out before him. In front of him was a large LCD TV.
At that moment, the female news anchor was broadcasting a breaking story.
Clover stared intently at the screen, his fork, piercing a fried egg, frozen mid-air.
"Moreen Edie, a cabinet official of the Begerossé Union, was found dead in her mansion at 7:25 this morning. The cause of death remains unclear, but it is highly suspected to be poisoning."
"At present, authorities have preliminarily determined this to be a homicide."
"Strangely, Moreen Idee's mansion was heavily guarded. It was once joked that not even a fly could enter the estate of the famous hawkish official. Yet after the incident, none of the guards stationed there noticed anything amiss..."
Clatter.
Clover turned off the LCD TV, then slowly set down his knife and fork.
"It was him. No doubt about it. Absolutely him."
"He actually went through with it..."
Clover's breathing grew increasingly ragged, his face twitching slightly as his appetite vanished completely.
With Moreen's death, the upper echelons of the Begerossé Union were thrown into turmoil.
As a staunch member of the hawkish faction, her sudden poisoning inevitably sparked speculation, with many actively piecing together possible motives and connections.
None of those embroiled in the whirlpool of power could have guessed that Moreen's death had nothing to do with political strife.
Three days later, Clover received a call from Law.
"Mr. Clover, please come to the 16th floor of the Hunter Association's Headquarters as soon as possible. We need to discuss our collaboration in person."
Clover swallowed hard and asked, "About the Moreen incident..."
Law immediately cut him off, "I don't know what you're talking about. I hope to see you at the Hunter Association Building in five days."
With that, Law hung up the phone directly.
Clover stared blankly at the receiver in his hand.
The 16th floor of the Hunter Association's Headquarters was the location of the Lawlin Museum's Company.
The office space was large, but only six desks were set up. The extra space was mostly occupied by bookshelves filled with books collected by Salin, with many more stacked in piles on the floor.
Buhara moved back and forth, carrying stacks of books. Under Salin's direction, he was sorting through the recovered books.
Salin sat reading a book, making no effort to help..
Meanwhile, Law and Sabro huddled around a desk, discussing how to handle the three items laid out on it… also showing no intention of assisting.
"These three items are yours to deal with. You can sell them directly on the black market… they should fetch a good price."
Law stared at the three objects, the same treasures that had been meant for display at the Ohara Museum's Appreciation Conference that night.
Sabro carefully picked up the Aqua Crystal and asked, "Trying to skip out on work again?"
"Uh..."
Law rubbed the back of his head and said seriously, "I've got a lot on my plate. Look, I hired a big shot to handle website maintenance and security, but the cost was agreeing to play games with them. I can't just break that promise, right?"
Sabro narrowed his eyes and said, "That sounds reasonable, but I still think you're just looking for an excuse to slack off."
"Am I that kind of person?" Law said with a straight face.
"Yes." Sabro replied without hesitation.
"Cough, I can't keep them waiting. I should head over now." Law coughed awkwardly and pointed at the computer monitor with his thumb.
With that, he walked toward the monitor.
"How long will this take?" Shalnark asked, watching Law's retreating back… a question that hit the mark.
Truthfully, the gaming sessions wouldn't take much time, but Law needed the excuse to slip away.
He wanted to visit Whale Island without being tied down by work.
"I don't know either."
He turned back and tossed out that answer. Then, without caring about Sabro's reaction, he dissolved into a beam of light and vanished into the computer screen under Ickshonpe's control.
Four days later, Clover arrived.
However, the person he most wanted to see, Law, was nowhere to be found. Instead, he was greeted by Salin.