Trader In The World Of Pirates!!!

"Damn it, you actually used Swellow's flight ability—you're cheating!"

Hayato grumbled internally as he watched Takeshi appear next to Tsuna.

He had planned to show off his hard-earned abilities from his hellish training in front of Tsuna. But now, seeing Takeshi, Hayato's dissatisfaction grew.

He knew all too well...

Whenever Takeshi was around, there was never a chance for him to have the spotlight.

This guy...

Always claiming it's a mafia game, yet he's constantly stealing the show with his cool, precise moves!

"Hey, where did you learn how to fly anyway?" Takeshi threw his arm around Hayato's shoulder, grinning like they were the best of friends.

"Idiot! Don't ruin the moment!" Hayato immediately shoved him away and snapped angrily, "And why are you here so fast!?"

"Huh?"

Takeshi just scratched his head innocently and continued smiling. "Well, I saw you and Tsuna flying, and I wanted to join in on the fun..."

"So I asked Swellow to fly me over."

"After all, it's not every day we're in Italy. Wouldn't want to miss anything," Takeshi added with a laugh, as he slowly pulled a bag from his back—containing an unremarkable baseball bat.

Despite his casual movements, a chilling killing intent filled the room.

Takeshi...

A baseball fanatic who had earned the title of [Natural Born Killer] from Riborn, the world's top assassin.

In a flash, white light gleamed.

The baseball bat in Takeshi's hand transformed into a long katana, radiating a sharp, cold light.

"It's you!"

Squalo, who had been kneeling moments earlier, immediately stood up. His newly installed prosthetic arm, courtesy of Varia's science division, raised a blade directly toward Takeshi.

"I didn't expect you to show up here!"

"Ahahaha," Takeshi laughed softly at first, then fixed his gaze sharply on Squalo and spoke clearly:

"There are many things you didn't expect..."

Takeshi's words seemed to be the signal.

It didn't take long for the other Varia Guardians to respond.

Suddenly, a massive piranha emerged from the window!

Its jaws closed with a snap as it extended its head into the conference room. The creature then opened its mouth to reveal a petite girl with a trident, dressed in a dark green uniform.

Chrome, who had just appeared, was clearly surprised to see so many people in the room.

She quickly scanned the Varia members, glanced at Tsuna's group, and nervously said, "Um… BOSS, I… I'm not late, am I?"

Tsuna, now back to his usual demeanor, smiled warmly at her. His once emotionless eyes softened with a gentle glow.

"Not at all."

"That's good!" Chrome's face flushed slightly, but she remained composed, standing shyly behind Tsuna like a timid hamster.

"Ahh! Extreme sprint!!!—Extreme leap!!!!"

Boom!!

Before Chrome's words had fully settled, a loud and energetic voice erupted outside the castle.

Ryohei, radiating a youthful, sunlit energy, came charging through the forest. His presence banished the cold surrounding Varia.

His speed was so intense that the air beside him turned into swirling gusts, making the trees shake violently.

Reaching the base of the castle, Ryohei didn't hesitate for a second. He simply ran up the smooth, vertical wall without pause...

Defying gravity in a way that would resurrect Newton from his grave, Ryohei sprinted up the wall effortlessly.

Clinging to his hair, Lambo laughed hysterically from atop Ryohei's head, shouting, "Faster! Faster!"

Their cheerful energy made the whole of Varia feel like a playground.

With a final leap, Ryohei landed inside the conference room, a wave of blue following in his wake.

"Ryohei, Guardian of the Sun for the Vongola Family, reporting in!!!"

Brimming with fighting spirit, Ryohei's arrival immediately raised the temperature of the room, brightening its once gloomy atmosphere.

Hearing Ryohei's introduction, Tsuna's allies began gathering rapidly.

However, before anyone could take action, the floor beneath Varia's feet shook violently.

"What's going on? An earthquake?" Varia's Mist Guardian, Mammon, asked, glancing down.

Suddenly, a massive crack formed in the ground behind Varia's members.

The next moment, a giant rock-like creature emerged, rising from the earth.

Perched atop the creature's head was a man in a white shirt and black suit, with a red sash draped over his shoulder, bearing the words "Discipline."

"Perfect timing. I'm not too late," said Hibari with a faint smile, his eyes gleaming with a dangerous light as he eyed Varia's Guardians like prey.

Within minutes, all six of Tsuna's Guardians had gathered in front of Varia.

The Rain Guardian—Takeshi Yamamoto;

The Storm Guardian—Hayato Gokudera;

The Sun Guardian—Ryohei Sasagawa;

The Lightning Guardian—Lambo;

The Mist Guardian—Chrome Dokuro;

The Cloud Guardian—Hibari Kyoya;

And finally, the boundless sky that dyes all, swallows all, tolerates all, and rules all—Sawada Tsunayoshi!!!

At this moment, two elegant black-clad women suddenly pushed open the doors to the conference room, capturing everyone's attention.

One of the women reached into her robe and pulled out a piece of parchment. As she slowly unfurled it, flames of Dying Will flickered at the top of the page.

Without any unnecessary words, the woman declared:

"Now that all the candidates and their Guardians have gathered..."

"Leave everything to us!"

"Huh? Who are you!?" Levi, standing closest to the door, reacted immediately. He drew two long spears from behind, ready for a fight.

But before anyone could act, Tsuna suddenly spoke up:

"They're from Cervello, a secret organization within the Vongola family that answers directly to the Vongola boss."

Tsuna then turned his attention back to XANXUS and continued:

"You should be very familiar with them, XANXUS, right?"

Tsuna knew this from information his father, Iemitsu, had relayed after receiving intel from an outside consulting organization during their voyage to Italy. According to the latest investigation, Varia had seized control of the Vongola headquarters by relying on Cervello's power.

What Tsuna didn't know was that Cervello had already informed XANXUS that the next Vongola boss candidate would be Sawada Tsunayoshi. They orchestrated this to create a fair battle between Varia and Tsuna's group—a contest that would be settled through the battle for the rings.

In essence, Varia, led by XANXUS, was to serve as a trial for Tsuna and his Guardians.

However, Cervello had underestimated Tsuna's determination. They didn't expect him to take the initiative and come to Italy, directly confronting Varia. Forced into action, Cervello had no choice but to reveal themselves.

As soon as Tsuna's group arrived in Italy, Cervello used a Dying Will flame message, imbued with the Ninth Vongola's authority, to contact them and ensure that the planned battle for the rings would take place according to the original rules. This was to prevent Tsuna and his Guardians from taking any further reckless actions.

Having received the blessings of Vongola Nono, Iemitsu, and Reborn, Tsuna had agreed to the terms set by Cervello. As a result, Cervello had dispatched their members ahead of time to monitor Varia's activities.

When they heard the commotion in the conference room, the Cervello members quickly rushed over.

...

On the other side of the room, XANXUS glanced at Tsuna and couldn't help but recall Cervello's warnings. Anger surged through him, transforming into seething fury that he channeled into his palm and then into his special pistol, increasing its firepower.

He cast a venomous glare at the two black-clad women standing in the doorway, as though he might shoot them at any moment. However, realizing that their assistance was still needed to claim the Vongola throne, he restrained his rage.

With his anger barely contained, XANXUS allowed Cervello's agents to step forward, positioning themselves between him and Tsuna.

The two women from Cervello, holding the Ninth Vongola's decree, began by explaining the significance of the Vongola rings to everyone present. They then formally read out the rules for the battle.

The overall rules were essentially the same as in the original plan: each side would have their Guardians face off in 1-on-1 duels, with their lives on the line. The winner would claim half of the opponent's ring, and the side with the most complete Vongola rings would become the rightful successor to the Vongola leadership.

However, due to the rushed nature of the situation and the fact that they were in Varia's territory, Cervello wasn't able to prepare any elaborate fighting arenas this time.

With little time to waste, Tsuna agreed to Cervello's request to proceed with the battle immediately—but with one condition: all battles must be completed within a single day! 

Tsuna insisted on this condition to prevent Varia from deploying assassins who could target his friends and family back in Japan.

Seeing that Tsuna wouldn't back down, Cervello reluctantly agreed to his demand.

They then announced that the battles would take place on the flat open field outside Varia's base, with the elite members of Varia serving as witnesses to the outcome.

This setup was highly unfavorable to Tsuna and his Guardians.

If XANXUS were to lose control or become dissatisfied with the results, Tsuna's group could be swarmed by Varia's army of elite killers.

But what no one realized was...

This was exactly what Tsuna wanted!!!

After all, this was the reason they had come to Italy in the first place!!!

Tsuna believed that with their strength, along with their Pokémon companions, they could at the very least put enough fear into Varia to prevent any future retaliation.

In doing so, they hoped to eliminate any threat of revenge from Varia once and for all.

If the Cervello organization hadn't suddenly intervened with the Ninth Vongola's decree, Tsuna and the others would have already fought their way from the first floor to the top of Varia's base.

...

...

Under the guidance of the two members from Cervello, Tsuna and his group made their way to the open area.

"Thank you for your cooperation in this matter!"

Due to the string of unexpected events, Cervello's attitude was much more respectful now compared to the original timeline. They bowed to both the candidates and their Guardians on either side before speaking:

"After discussion and deliberation within the Cervello organization…"

"The match order for today's ring battle has been finalized."

"The first battle..."

"It will be a showdown between the Guardians of the Sun!"

"The Guardian of the Sun?" Tsuna turned to look at Ryohei, who was by his side, already brimming with impatience. 

Though he knew Ryohei had become much stronger after enduring their grueling training, Tsuna still said seriously:

"Brother Ryohei, if you find the enemy is too strong, don't push yourself too hard—have your Pokémon assist you!"

As Ace had explained, Pokémon are also part of a trainer's strength, so using them was not cheating. It was precisely because of their Pokémon companions that Tsuna felt so confident.

"Don't worry! Leave everything to me!" Ryohei flashed a wide grin. He immediately took off his shirt, flexed his muscles like he was about to enter a boxing match, and strode boldly to the center of the battlefield.

Meanwhile, on the Varia side, their Guardian of the Sun, Lussuria, stepped forward. But this time, Lussuria's usual arrogance was nowhere to be found, and he didn't utter a single taunt toward Ryohei.

After all...

The way Tsuna and his group had appeared moments ago was so overwhelming, so inhuman, that many of the Varia members had been scared out of their wits. Even Levi, one of the most loyal followers of XANXUS and a firm believer in his future as the next Vongola leader, was filled with anxiety at this moment. His eyes darted among Tsuna's group, scanning for his potential opponent.

But no matter how hard he looked, he couldn't spot the Guardian of Thunder on the other side.

Suddenly, Levi's gaze locked onto Lambo.

After all, there were seven of them, and seven on Tsuna's side too.

Since none of the other six seemed to be wearing the Ring of Thunder...

No matter how unlikely it seemed, the last one—no matter how absurd—must be the answer!

Moreover, Levi recalled they also had a member of the Arcobaleno, a baby with tremendous power—Mammon. Remembering Mammon's fearsome strength, a chill ran through Levi's spine.

Could it be... that this kid was also a baby with some special powers?!

These thoughts flashed through Levi's mind, and in that instant, he convinced himself he was right.

However, even if his opponent was strong, Levi wasn't about to back down! He wanted to prove to the world that the man he followed—XANXUS—was the one truly fit to become the next Vongola leader!

Recalling XANXUS's face over and over again in his mind, Levi felt a surge of strength.

But...

In his deep focus, Levi didn't notice that the very child he feared was already standing at his feet.

"Hey! Hey!" Little Lambo poked Levi's calf with a twig, oblivious to the tension. Pointing to the multiple spears Levi carried on his back, Lambo asked innocently:

"Why do you need so many weapons? Do you have eight hands?"