Chapter 180

Ken was sitting on his bed reading a book when Perona suddenly entered his room through the wall.

"Don't you know how to knock?"

"Haha, sorry. Maybe next time. But I have something to report to you, which I thought was kinda weird."

"What happened?"

"I was doing some shopping when I sensed someone familiar close by. When I looked out of the shop's window, I saw two hooded people walk past, and I managed to get a glimpse of one of their faces. The one I saw was Deuce. I thought that it was kinda strange that he was hiding his identity, but I just assumed that he wanted to be left alone with the person he was with. However, my women's intuition told me that something was wrong, so I used one of my hollows to spy on them and saw them boarding a boat. So I came here to tell you that he just left the island."

"Hm? He didn't let me know that he was leaving or anything like that. Can you have one of your hollows follow them?"

"Already left one on their ship."

"You're reliable as always. Do you have a clue as to who the other person might be?"

"No, he didn't seem familiar at all, but I could tell that he was strong. However, not nearly as strong as Deuce."

"This really does sound suspicious. But we need more information before we do something. Go and inform Laffitte and Sabo about this, and work with Laffitte to find out what you can. Also, see if you can find out the identity of the guy with him."

"I'll get on it right away, Captain." Perona immediately left through the ceiling to find Laffitte and Sabo.

'Sigh, what is that idiot thinking. This isn't the time to run away with a forbidden lover.'

---

A couple of hours later, the disappearance of Deuce has been told to all the Azure Pirates. But Ken had them act like nothing has happened, as to not show any kind of weakness to their enemies. After all, losing your crew's doctor can be fatal. Ken, Sabo, and Ace have gathered in Ken's room to discuss this issue.

"I wonder what made him leave without letting anyone know. The Deuce I know would definitely never do that," said Ace.

"The weirdest thing is that he didn't leave at night. If he wanted to get out unnoticed, he would definitely be able to do it. But did he really think that a simple hood would fool us?" said Sabo.

"That probably means that the person he was with somehow persuaded him to leave with him immediately. And I have three guesses as to where that person might be from."

"Three? I only got two," said Sabo.

"You guys can think of two? I can only think of one," said Ace.

"That just shows who was blessed with the better brains," said Ken with a smirk. Sabo and Ace glared at him, but he ignored their glares and started listing his suspects. First, the World Government. Second, a pirate with dirt on him, most likely a Blackbeard. He is a smart guy, so I wouldn't be totally surprised if he was behind it. And Third, it's his family. He only told us that he is from a noble family, but he never told us which one or how powerful they are, so they might be quite capable."

"Hm… I doubt Deuce would listen to Blackbeard, no matter what dirt he has on him. That leaves his family and the World Government. But since his family is a noble one, they're probably working together with the World Government. My family could also ask favors from the World Government, as you could see with the 'only alive' wanted poster," said Sabo.

"And since having Deuce away from us also benefits the World Government, they'll definitely help out," said Ace.

"Sigh, this will be troublesome if that's true. But all we can do now is wait for Laffitte and Perona to give us some more information," said Ken.

"Knock, knock."

"Speak of the devils. Come in."

Laffitte opened the door and let Perona go first before following her in.

"So what did you guys find out?"

"Uhm, not much. Apparently, they are old friends, and his friend visited him after discovering that Deuce was living here. They're planning to go on a short vacation together for a week, and the way their ship is heading is definitely a touristy island. Deuce also said: 'Finally! This is the first time in years that I'm going on a proper vacation. That stupid captain of mine keeps putting me to work and never allows me to have breaks. I should have snuck away sooner.'" narrated Perona.

"Crack, crack, crack!"

Ken released his Haoshoku Haki, making everyone back of and the furniture in the room started cracking.

"Laffitte, once he comes back, send him to me," said Ken in a calm tone. But this calm tone made everyone's hair stand up straight.

"Y… yes, sir." Even Laffitte found it hard to respond while under the pressure of his angry Captain.

"Now, all of you, get out of my room!"

He didn't have to say it twice as everyone quickly ran out of his room, and Sabo made sure to close the door behind him. Even when the door closed they still kept running till they were at the other side of the island.

"Huff, huff, huff."

"Damn, I thought that I was about to die. Why did you have to add that last bit, Perona!" screamed Ace.

"I'm sorry! I didn't want to hide anything from Captain, and Laffitte agreed with me."

Ace glared at both of them and was about to start a fight with them when Sabo suddenly spoke up.

"What do you guys think?"

"I think that if he had let Captain know that he wanted a vacation, Captain would have definitely allowed him to go, and we wouldn't have to run for our lives," said Laffitte.

"That's not what I meant. Except for the required training we have to do, we are completely free to do whatever we want. And Deuce likes training, so he would do it even if no one told him. Doesn't that mean that he is practically always free? Why would someone like that say that the only thing he does is work and never gets any breaks?"

Ace, Perona, and Laffitte had a sudden moment of enlightenment.

"He was lying!" screamed Ace.

"I'll report this to the Captain immediately," said Laffitte, but Sabo stopped him before he could leave.

"No, don't tell anyone about this. Just tell them that he snuck off to have fun. We can't have everyone getting distracted right before we fight against the Beast Pirates. Laffitte, Perona, I want the two of you to keep an eye on him. If you find anything suspicious, report it to me immediately. If it's something the four of us can take care of, we will, but if that isn't the case, I'll let the Captain know."

"Understood. Perona and I will definitely find out what they're hiding, Vice-Captain."

"And I'll just mind my own business and wait till you find out what's going on," said Ace.

"Good, let's hope that it isn't anything big. Now, let's go back to the palace. It's almost time for diner."

The four of them disappeared. However, behind a tree they were standing close to, you could see an ear that suddenly turned into flower petals as it also disappeared.

"You have turned into a great Vice-Captain."

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One Piece Quotes:

"Only I Can Call My Dream Stupid!"

- Roronoa Zoro

"When You Aim High, You Sometimes Come Across Fights Not Worth Fighting"

- Marshall 'Blackbeard' D. Teach

"I Won't Die, Partner"

- Gol D. Roger