It was maybe a dumb move!

"LAND HO!"

- Here we are, cap. From now on, everything rests on your plan.

- Yeah! Once we dock, there will be no turning back. It's all or nothing.

- Indeed.

- You can go take your position, do as we planned for the plan.

- Okay!

She then left, under the questioning gazes of the crew, she left the ship in a small boat that was supposed to serve as an emergency exit in case the ship sank.

She headed towards an area of the island a bit further from the port. That's where her so-called position was.

About thirty minutes later, Lynx's boat arrived at Loguetown port.

He hadn't even left the boat yet when he could already see the navy in the distance on the island.

On the port, he was greeted by a Marine vice-admiral followed by about fifteen soldiers. And as planned, he had come down with two of the crew members to accompany him.

-I see that the Marine has sent the grand cavalry.

- You're not the captain of this ship, pirate.

- Indeed. The captain prefers not to take risks and stayed on the ship, I'll be his intermediary during the trade.

- Very well. In that case, we will proceed with the trade. We have reserved a safe location to ensure the smooth running of the process.

- A location? That doesn't really inspire confidence, um...

- Vice-admiral Tsuru.

- Nice to me...

- You don't have any demands to make, pirate. Just follow the instructions. Let's go!

- No!

As the vice-admiral was already turning around, Lynx stayed in place and categorically refused to move forward. Vice-admiral Tsuru looked at him with a frustrated expression and was about to approach him. But finally, he reacted:

"I'm kidding! Haha, let's go to that safe location."

The vice-admiral didn't say anything and simply resumed her path towards that place, followed by Lynx, the two other pirates, and half of the Marine soldiers who were at the port. The rest stayed to guard the pirate ship.

While they were advancing, many thoughts crossed Lynx's mind.

'Tss... Unexpected factor number one.

By the way, I just realized, there's no admiral in sight, it's very likely that they're waiting for me in this private location.

Am I walking straight into a trap? All things considered, I've gotten myself into a real mess. Ahahaha... it's exciting!'

...

- Here we are, the vice-admiral said, stopping in front of a bar.

- You've reserved a bar, must be cool to be powerful and rich.

- Be careful what you say, pirate.

They then entered the bar. Five soldiers followed Lynx and vice-admiral Tsuru inside, while the others stood guard around the bar.

As soon as Lynx set foot inside the bar, he saw the one who would represent a real problem for the progress of his plan.

Sitting on the bar counter, with an almost annoying laziness, was a man in a yellow suit with sunglasses, twisting his mouth in a unique way. On the back of his white jacket was written "Admiral". Admiral Borsalino.

'Damn, I didn't imagine him to be this tall. He's sitting and yet I can clearly see he's easily over 2.50 meters,' Lynx thought when he saw him.

But it wasn't just the impressive height of the admiral. From where he was, and even though he was still weak compared to the pillars of the pirate world, Lynx could feel the incredible strength of this man.

"Sit here," the vice-admiral ordered him, pointing with her hand to a chair that had been arranged in front of a table for two for the event.

For once, he didn't reply and simply obeyed. The two guys who accompanied him stood behind him. Poor guys were trembling so much they could barely stand, and the sweat from their bodies could fill the East Blue Sea. Too bad that a tyrant had forced them into this situation.

- Let's get started without further ado.

- Bless you! Lynx replied with a smile.

Something was greatly annoying the vice-admiral about this Lynx. He was far too calm.

Seriously, what pirate would be facing a vice-admiral and a marine admiral at the same time, and could laugh like it was nothing?

For the vice-admiral, either he was simply unaware, or he was hiding his true intentions incredibly well.

Kizaru, on the other hand, didn't bother with such questions. He had a mission to fulfill, ensuring the smooth progress of the transaction. No matter the pirate in front of him, no matter his tricks, he would kill him without hesitation if he tried anything foolish.

"Bring the money," the vice-admiral said, gesturing to two soldiers nearby.

They went to the counter near Kizaru and took a chest that was placed there.

Seeing the effort the soldiers made to lift the chest, Lynx smiled and felt a bit of comfort in the despair that was about to follow.

"Hehe, I like what I see," he said, his eyes shining as he reached out his hands to take it.

- Calm down, pirate. The Devil Fruit. The vice-admiral interrupted.

- Oh! What was I thinking?

It was one of the men with him who was holding the small wooden chest supposed to contain the Devil Fruit, so he signaled to him and took the chest in his hands.

- And here you go, vice-admiral. Chest for chest.

- ...

She didn't say anything and quickly proceeded with the exchange. The 500,000,000 Berries chest was in Lynx's hands, while she now held the small wooden chest.

At that moment, Admiral Borsalino's attention focused even more on every move and action of the people present in the room, pirates and marines alike.

In a sort of earpiece-like Den Den Mushi he had in his ear, someone was giving him real-time instructions.

On the other end, it was the Marine Headquarters' Fleet Admiral, Sakazuki.

- Don't let your guard down, Borsalino. We can't take any risks. He said, taking his cigarette out of his mouth for once.

- Of course not. The transaction has been completed. Now we just have to verify it. Kizaru replied in his usual slow manner.

- Very well. Once the Devil Fruit is secured, you know what to do with these pirates.

- Of course!

With all his attention focused on the scene in front of him, Kizaru closely watched every move of Lynx, especially after the vice-admiral's request.

"The key to the chest, give it to me," she said.

But to that, Lynx replied:

- There is no key.

- ...

- For precautionary measures, the captain threw the key into the sea after locking the fruit inside. So the chest will have to be broken.

Without wasting any time, the vice-admiral grabbed the chest from top to bottom, and with the strength of her hands, she broke it.

The lock of the chest shattered, and nothing could prevent its contents from being revealed.

At that precise moment, Lynx already saw his life flash before his eyes.

'Oh shit! What kind of stupidity did I do again? What can stop me from dying when a vice-admiral and an admiral unite to kill me? Can my plan really work? I hope all this was worth it. Shit! Shit! Shit!!!' he thought, a huge drop of sweat running down his face.

Then, the fateful moment arrived. The vice-admiral fully opened the chest and saw what awaited her inside.

She saw a gray-painted apple. It took her some time to realize the trick. But finally came the click.

- What the...

- OH FUCK!!! Lynx suddenly interrupted, his arm pointing towards the ceiling above her.

She looked up. It was such an obvious ruse that it fooled everyone in the room. The vice-admiral, the soldiers present in the room, and even the pirates who were with him.

Kizaru didn't escape either. But he remained an admiral. Less than a fraction of a second was enough for him to look up, realize the trick, and shift his full attention back to Lynx.

But, despite that, the fact remains that he looked up. And Lynx had taken advantage of that tiny moment of inattention to throw the chest full of money into the arms of the pirate to his right before grabbing him by the collar and throwing him out the bar window.

Five soldiers were near that window at that moment. They were immediately alerted.

They ran towards the poor pirate, lying on the ground trying to lift a chest too heavy for him, and pointed their weapons at him.

"You're done for, you filthy pirate!" one of them said.

But...

[Bang]

[Bang]

[Bang]

[Bang]...

[Bang]

In less time than it takes to say it, a bullet had pierced through their skulls with astonishing precision.

Several hundred meters away from the bar, Nym, lying on the roof of a house, was reloading her long-range rifle.

"You better not fail, captain," she said, aiming her scope at the bar.

Too bad for Lynx, he wouldn't have the assistance of his second where he was. But of course, he had thought of this possibility.

After hearing the gunshots outside, Admiral Borsalino stood up and asked the soldier in the room to go out and check.

Once those soldiers had left, the only ones left in the bar were him, Vice-Admiral Tsuru, and two pirates, one of whom had already collapsed in fear.

- Where is the Devil Fruit, pirate? The admiral asked, conjuring a beam of light in his hand.

- Um... top... secret?!

- ... You certainly don't realize the value of this Devil Fruit, and yet you stand before an admiral. Your bravery is commendable. Too bad it leads you to your death, pirate!"

****