In Machi's eyes, Law and the Ohara Museum were merely acquaintances, if not outright strangers, so she couldn't understand why Law would side with the Ohara Museum.
Law didn't explain himself. Instead, he brought up the number of deaths that had occurred that night.
"What does that mean?" Machi asked, confused.
"The number of people who died by your hands tonight." Law replied.
On the wilderness outskirts of the city, Machi stood on a slope. Hearing Law mention the night's death toll, she remained utterly indifferent.
When perspectives differed, so too would values and judgments.
"So that's why you intervened?" Machi frowned slightly as she watched the distant weeds bending under the wind's pressure.
Hearing Machi's emotionless tone, Law fell silent for a moment, his thoughts drifting to Uvogin uprooting a tree to swat down a helicopter earlier.
After a pause, he suppressed his complicated emotions and countered, "What do you think?"
"Weren't those people just strangers to you?"
Machi struggled to accept this reasoning. In her mind, compared to the Ohara Museum, Law had closer ties to the Phantom Troupe. He should have stood with them.
Raised in the harsh environment of Meteor City, Machi's values and mindset made it difficult for her to comprehend Law's actions, leaving her deeply conflicted.
"Then do you think what I did, which is stopping you, was right or wrong?" Law's voice was calm.
Machi fell silent when she heard this.
She didn't want to say Law was wrong, nor did she want to admit he was right.
Hearing the silence on the other end of the line, Law sighed softly, feeling a faint discomfort begin to fester in his chest.
He said in a deep voice, "I just don't like it when you kill innocent people. Understand? There are countless ways to get what you want, and you chose the worst one. That's why I stopped you."
The real reason Law had intervened had nothing to do with this. His decision had been influenced by multiple factors.
Yet, instead of explaining the truth to Machi, he leaned into her assumption and amplified his response. It was because her indifference toward those lives unsettled him.
"I see." Machi murmured.
Even through the phone, Law could tell her mood had darkened. But he had no intention of compromising on this topic.
"If I told you, Uvogin, and Nobunaga right now to leave the Phantom Troupe, what would you do?"
"I…"
Machi thought back to the intelligence the Troupe had gathered on Law tonight, and the hostility, whether overt or concealed, most of the members had shown toward him.
She had no reason to leave the Troupe. Nor did she want to see Law and the group clash again. Most of all, she didn't want the Phantom Troupe and Law to become mortal enemies.
If she, Uvogin, and Nobunaga worked to mediate, they could still resolve this.
So…
"I won't leave."
Machi gave her answer.
Law wasn't surprised by the answer. After a brief silence, he said, "It's late. You should rest."
Machi wanted to say more, but in the end, all that came out was a soft, 'Mm' and the call ended.
Law put away his phone and stared quietly at the ceiling.
The number 6258 on the cover of the God Hand's book represented lives saved, while the 2463 on the back represented lives taken.
In other words, directly or indirectly, Law was connected to the deaths of 2,463 people.
In truth, the number of people he had killed personally exceeded a thousand. Even if he didn't consider himself a righteous enforcer, he firmly believed those deaths were justified… that those people deserved to die.
Even his deals with Kuro's Black Pages involved executing heinous criminals in prisons. The Phantom Troupe, however, killed for their own gain and desires.
No matter what Machi said over the phone, Law didn't believe he had done wrong. Moreover, the second condition he had proposed today was for the benefit of both the Kurta Clan and the Phantom Troupe.
'No matter what, as long as they didn't cross me...'
Law silently thought to himself.
If others didn't provoke him, he certainly wouldn't provoke them.
But if the Phantom Troupe came looking for revenge in the future, then they shouldn't blame him for not holding back.
…
The next day, the museum grounds showed no trace of corpses. If one didn't look closely, even the bloodstains were nearly invisible, and the wreckage of the helicopter had completely vanished.
Law strolled through the gardens, watching uniformed workers filling in the massive craters… many of which had been created by Uvogin's punches.
'I'd love to just dump all the follow-up work on Salin, but even if I leave, I still have to take the musical score with me.'
Walking along the path, Law stroked his chin, contemplating how to obtain the Sonata of Darkness from Clover.
Last night, he had helped Clover fend off the Phantom Troupe and privately taken three treasures as payment. If he wanted the musical score now, he'd have to buy it… assuming Clover was willing to sell.
Speaking of those three treasures, he could only appraise them once he left the Ohara Museum.
Plus, he couldn't sell them at the Lawlin Museum, and they'd have to go to the black market.
One of them was even one of the Seven Beauties of the World, so fetching a high price shouldn't be difficult.
Combined with the 500 million from selling the bone pen and final letter to Clover, he wouldn't have to worry about funds for a while.
…
"Mr. Law, Master requests your presence."
An elderly butler in a formal suit approached him.
"Lead the way." Law nodded.
"Please follow me."
The butler bowed respectfully before heading toward the palace-like building.
Under his guidance, Law arrived outside a room. The butler pushed the door open, revealing Clover and Salin seated together at a table inside.
As Law entered, the crisp, refreshing aroma of tea immediately filled his senses.
"Mr. Law, please have a seat."
Clover stood up upon seeing him, his hospitality a far cry from his attitude the day before.
Law pulled out a chair and sat down, glancing at Salin, who seemed surprised, apparently unaware that Clover had summoned Law.
Seeing her reaction, Law was puzzled. He had assumed that since both Salin and Clover were present, they were discussing partnership matters and needed his input, hence the invitation.
…
"I truly didn't expect the founder of the Lawlin Museum to be so young." Clover first instructed his staff to prepare tea before turning to Law with a look of admiration.
He had connections in both legal and underground circles and knew of people with exceptional disguise skills… even hyper-realistic masks. So while he wasn't entirely shocked to learn Law had been wearing one last night, he was still amazed by Law's youth and strength.
He knew many Pro Hunters and had ways to hire them as bodyguards. Yet during last night's attack, none of them had been of any use… neither had the guests' personal guards.
If not for Law, the losses last night would have been catastrophic. Even so, three treasures had still been lost… though-
"Not at all. I'm more of a hands-off manager." Law replied modestly.
"You're too humble. That group last night was none other than the infamous Phantom Troupe from the black market bounties. Yet you single-handedly drove them off." Clover laughed heartily, showing no sign of distress over last night's heavy losses.
Just then, a servant placed a steaming cup of tea in front of Law.
Clover gestured to it and said solemnly, "This is Earl White tea. Less than ten pounds are produced each year. It took me great effort to obtain just one. Please, try it."
'Tea with an annual yield of less than ten pounds?'
Law was impressed. He lifted the cup and took a sip… then his eyes flickered imperceptibly before he set it down calmly.
"The tea is excellent, but it's been ruined by something unnecessary." Law's expression remained neutral as he stared at Clover. The tea had been laced.
Hearing this, Clover's face instantly changed.