“You were the one who started the war in the red light district?”

Miko asked Edward.

“That’s right. I supplied the weapons, gathered the people, and just let everything else fall into place.”

“Now, that’s impressive.”

“I’m grateful for your praise.”

“So, why did you do it?”

“Before I answer that, I want you to answer a question of mine first.”

“I don’t mind.”

Edward smiled.

“Then do you mind telling me what do you wish to become in the future?”

“What I’ll be become?”

“Yes. How do you see yourself in the future?”

“……..”

(He’s having trouble answering? That isn’t good.)

Edward spoke again.

“You can just tell me the truth there’s no need to think that hard.”

“I think you’re misunderstanding something, Edward. It’s not that I don’t have an answer, it’s just that my answer might disappoint you.”

“No problem. I just want a honest answer.”

“I see.”

Miko sighed.

“I don’t see myself as a great king or ruler. Just someone who laughs, cries, and fight with those I care about. I just see an ordinary man basking in ordinary happiness. So I’m not the don that you’re looking for.”

“What are talking about? You’re exactly what I’m looking for.”

Edward suddenly became excited.

“A Don who doesn’t treasure his loved ones is no true Don. To a Don, his gang is like his family. He’s willing to lay his life on the line for them and they’re willing to do the same for him.”

“Didn’t you say a don must be ambitious?”

“Are you implying that you aren’t? Considering your status and involvement in the war for the throne, in order to get the ordinary happiness that you seek you must become someone great. In other words, you need to become greater than everyone else to achieve the ordinary. That’s a great ambition.”

(Well, he’s definitely smart.)

Miko smiled.

“Well, I answered your question. So answer mine.”

Edward nodded.

“I wish to dethrone Bloom Newgate.”

“Why? She seems like a good leader.”

“She is, But that woman isn’t someone I’m willing serve. She isn’t a true Don, even though she’s pretty amazing. However, dethroning her will cause a lot of problems unless a proper replacement is brought forth. I can’t be that replacement because as amazing as I am, I don’t consider myself the leader type. I’m someone who strives in the shadows of great people.”

“People like me?”

Edward nodded.

“As I said earlier, I want to make you the ruler of his country, however, that would be extremely difficult. Even so, I’m determined to do it; because I believe that only you are worthy enough to make me bow my head.”

“He’s praising Miko while hyping up himself. His confidence is amazing.”

Tia said.

“Even before I became aware of your existence, I knew that I can’t allow Bloom Newgate or the Four Pillars to be my master. So I’ve been making preparations for when I find a worthy person to take this country. I’ve gathered funds, developed weapons, and gained connections for the last five years. If it’s resources alone, I rival the government itself.”

“You’re saying that your wealth is comparable to the country itself? How’s that possible?”

“I’d like to keep that a secret for now but I assure you that I’m not lying.”

“……..”

Miko became quiet for a bit before speaking.

“The reason you caused the destruction of the Red Light District…Could it be that you were conducting an experiment?”

Edward’s eyes brighten up.

“That’s exactly right! I wanted to see how much destruction and how much trouble untrained thugs can cause the government if they received my support. I would then use that to estimate how powerful of a blow I can land if I were to give trained individuals with proper plans the same or greater resources. I also wanted to see how the pillars and the queen would react to crisis.”

“Well, it isn’t a bad plan and if you’re lucky you might even weaken Bloom forces.”

(In fact, you almost killed me.)

“There’s another plus from this experiment. With this going on Bloom can’t afford to monitor you around the clock. This creates a gap where I could come and meet you like this.”

(This guy is pretty capable. He has resources and skills that would be an asset to Miko. However….This guy is too dangerous to have as a subordinate or even a partner. His type are quite whimsical and could change sides at any moment.)

Momo thought as she looked back and forth between Miko and Edward. Miko thought about it for a bit as well before asking a question.

“So you want to join Renacido?”

“It’s my dream.”

“A dream could be another’s nightmare…. That being said it would be too wasteful to kill such a capable person.”

(He was still thinking about killing me?)

Edward show a bitter smile.

“Alright. I’ll accept you in Renacido. However, I do not wish to rule this city. I’m an ally with Bloom so I can’t just dethrone her. However, when I leave this place you’re welcomed to accompany me back. I have many ways to make use of your talent.”

“No problem, Don. Just use me as you see fit.”

“Then, can you stop the war in the red light district.”

“There’s no need. It has already ended.”

“Oh, really? Jin and Kaido works fast.”

Edward shook his head.

“They weren’t the ones who ended it.”

“Then who?”

“One of the Four Pillars and the local monster, Natasa Kingsley.”

“A Pillar, huh? She must be strong. I wish to meet her one day.”

“I wouldn’t advise it. That woman is the most dangerous entity in this city outside of yourself. Common sense simply doesn’t apply to her.”

********

Somewhere in the Newgate Country.

“Hahaha!”

A merry laughter could be heard coming from one of the buildings rooftop. This laughter belonged to Natasa Kingsley.

“Ah~. That was fun.”

She was sitting on the ledge of the roof that was overlooking the city. Her feet dangled off the ledge without a care in the world.

“What was that, Natasa?”

She looked beside her and saw a robotic owl. The owl was looking at her directly while a human’s voice came from it.

“What’s the matter? I took out the coalition just like you asked.”

“Yes, But you also had an unnecessary battle with Jin Makoto. You were supposed to destroy them and then leave. Instead you purposely waited to see who would come.”

“Leaving like that it’s not my style. Besides, it’s more imposing when we remind them of our strength.”

“I told you this already. The current you cannot defeat Kaido or Jin, so stop picking fights with them. Speaking of which, why did you try to recruit Kaido in front of Jin?”

“To leave the idea of him joining us in his head. I basically wanted to create some tension in their camp.”

“Stop doing things without consulting me first. Even though we want Kaido, some preparations need to be made before we bring him to our side.”

“Yeah, Yeah. More importantly, I didn’t see that Miko kid. What’s the deal?”

“He left the district earlier. I wanted to keep an eye on him but…I ran into an annoying obstacle.”

“Mhm…I really wanted to meet him.”

Natasa clenched her fists.

“I really wanted to test my strength against Nero’s grandchild.”

“I know I told you this already, but you of all people should stay clear of him. Your personalities are similar which mean that you’re destined to fight if you meet. I want to avoid drawing the Dragna clan into our affairs.”

“I wonder if he’s strong enough to make me go all out?”

“Natasa, listen to me!”

“I hear you, Gear. But I don’t necessarily need to listen to you, you know. I’m a Pillar too.”

“If our plans are to work you need to, you damn brat. ”

*Bam!*

Natasa swung her hand and casually destroyed the owl. She then turned and faced the beautiful view of the city she was in.

“All he cares about is his plan. If it was up to me I’d challenged that bitch directly for the throne a long time ago.”

She had a dangerous look in her eyes as she grinned.

“Maybe I should do just that? I’m sure that it would be fun. After all, I’m the one most fit to rule.”

She grinned for a bit before stopping.

“Nah, that would be plain stupid.”

She stood up and crossed her arms behind her head.

“I’ll just let Gear continue to use me for now. Scheming is his thing after all. Just like it’s my job to be wild and have fun.”

She then walked forward and jumped off ledge and disappeared into the night.

**********

Later that same night, in Miko’s hotel room.

“I can’t believe you accepted someone that fishy into Renacido. We literally know nothing about him.”

Momo was complaining to Miko who was reading a manga called Act-Age.

“Don’t worry. It’s like in this manga I’m reading. There’s a character who everyone calls angel; she’s an amazing actress who everyone looks up to. However, the protagonist while intrigued by her began to hate her because she couldn’t see her real face. Eventually they came to be best friends and rivals who help each other grow.”

“What are you saying?”

Miko closed the book and smiled at Momo.

“This manga thought me that first impressions aren’t everything. You may dislike someone on your first, second, or even third meeting, but that doesn’t mean that you should completely discard them. Who knows, they might be the thing you’re missing that will allow you to put on your best performance.”

“…I think I understand what you’re saying. However, this person was tapping our room and watching our every move since we came here.”

“So? It was either gonna be him or Bloom. It’s not like I’m hiding or anything. Anyone can find me with a little effort.”

“You’re so laidback about this…”

Momo sighed. Miko looked at her for a while and then smiled.

“Thanks for worrying about me all the time. It really shows that you care.”

He stood up put the manga down.

“As for Edward, he’s my problem. I’ll handle it. Besides, you’re here to help me out when I need it right?”

“Of course.”

Momo nodded. Miko stood there in silence as if he was thinking about something deeply.

“By the way, Miko. How did you know that he was in disguise? I didn’t even notice until you said something.”

Tiamat asked.

“When we first met Bloom and I saw that she was in disguise, I spent the whole time observing her disguise to see if there’s any fault. That’s when I realized that her voice had a slight static sound to it. So slight that you needed to concentrate on it to realize it. There’s also the fact that the bracelet that transformed her was always there. Edward’s voice had the same static sound and had the same bracelet that Bloom had on his wrist.”

“I see. That’s quite observant.”

“Thank you.”

Miko became silent again and stayed like this for a bit before grinning.

“Let’s go with that.”

“With what?”

Ishma asked him.

“Send a message to Hina and the others back in the Dragna empire. Tell them to come here exactly one month from now.”

“Wait….Are you planning to actually go to war with Bloom in a month?”

To Momo, that was the only reason why Miko would’ve given his apostles a time to come to this country. However, Miko shook his head.

“The targets are the Four Pillars opposing her. There’s something I want to confirm that will require me to come in contact with them. Since that’s the case, I might get in serious conflicts with them. So I need back up.”

“Why are you smiling when you’re talking about conflicts?”

“No reason.”

Miko started laughing.

“So why do you need a month?”

Tia asked. Miko stopped laughing and showed a sly smile.

“I’m gonna use that month to seduce the queen.”