A magic merchant infiltrating Fairy Tail

Seeing the two arguing more and more fiercely, Gray immediately stepped forward to stop them: "I'm telling you two, calm down!"

"What?! You want to join us too?!" ×2

Gray fell silent instantly, took a few deep breaths, and turned to walk away: "...I'm not going to both of you anymore, you two idiots!"

"Tch—coward!"

"Exactly, you coward!"

"You two bastards! You think you can push your luck just because I didn't even try to argue with you? Fine, come on! Fight! Let's fight now! Who's afraid of who! How about the loser has to work for the winner for a day?!"

Gray, unable to swallow his insults, instantly teleported in front of the two men, even removing his shirt at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye, revealing his clearly defined muscles. At the same time, he shouted at them, "You think you can beat a mere Crocodile? Juvia told me that if it weren't for her water magic freezing that guy's sand, you wouldn't have been able to hit him!"

"Besides, he's just a Shichibukai. He acts like he's never seen anyone before! Let me tell you, I ran into that guy named Hawkeye in the East Blue. If Killer hadn't stopped me, I would have given him a good beating..."

The three of them, as usual in the guild, huddled together angrily. A black iron rod, scorching flames, and chilling cold air appeared simultaneously, and the mixed magic power instantly filled the entire room, making it almost impossible for everyone to breathe.

"Lord Gray, do your best!!"

"Natsu, don't lose!!"

"Gajeel, you have to win!"

The agents watched the scene unfold silently, neither daring to utter a sound nor to move.

Since when have the Seven Warlords of the Sea been characters to be underestimated like this? And that guy who inexplicably took off his clothes—were you talking about Hawkeye? Hawkeye… he's the world's greatest swordsman! Do you think he's so easily beaten up? There's a limit to bragging!

Most importantly, what's with this explosive temper that makes them want to fight at the drop of a hat? Are all these mages this badly on each other? It sounds like they used to fight all the time...

I can't understand it! I absolutely can't understand it!!

Chapter 848 Subordinate Guilds

Just as Natsu, Gray, and Gajeel reached the peak of their magical power and were about to unleash their magic, a fist suddenly reached in and appeared before their eyes.

"?!!" ×3

"Oh no..."

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

In the blink of an eye, the three of them were lying face down on the ground, each with a large bag on their head. Erza, with a cold expression, replaced them: "It's so noisy! All of you, be quiet!!"

After saying that, Erza casually draped Gajeel's black coat over herself, then turned and sat down in the main seat. She raised her bright eyes and coldly shouted, "Listen up, all of you! Fairy Tail mages must follow the guild's rules in all their actions until they leave the guild or express any related intentions!"

"Want to be the president? Who gave you permission? Who approved it?"

"I...I was wrong..." A wise man doesn't fight a losing battle, and Gajeel knew this well.

Erza nodded in satisfaction and looked away. At the same time, Natsu, Gray, and Gajeel instantly stood up and surrounded Erza. One lit a cigar, one made ice, and one fanned her with an iron fan. Their movements were incredibly smooth.

Everyone: "..."

Crocodile was simultaneously stunned: I was actually defeated by a man like this?!

After a long silence, Mr. 1 spoke up and asked, "Now that you've found your partners, shouldn't you start figuring out the future plans for the company?"

Kira gave Mr. 1 a strange look and said casually, "In all my life, this is the first time I've ever seen an employee voluntarily request to work... This world is truly full of wonders!"

The senior agents fell silent. For those in their line of work, if a mission failed, they would either be killed by the target or eliminated by the organization; basically, there was only one way out: death.

So if they weren't afraid of death, they wouldn't repeatedly ask to work. Otherwise, do you really think there are workaholics in this world?

Since the other party had asked about the plan, Kira couldn't leave the decisive matter to Erza. So he stepped out of the cage, didn't even glance at Crocodile, and asked, "What's the situation now?"

Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment, and then Robin, the most quick-witted of them all, stepped forward to explain the situation: "It's like this..."

Robin, a veteran with twenty years of experience in the dark, explained the current situation in Alabasta in just ten minutes. Kira listened attentively, comparing the events happening in the Kingdom of Alabasta with his memories of the plot, and roughly grasped the current situation.

Of course, his attention was more focused on Nico Robin herself. The 28-year-old mature, cunning older sister was too attractive to a handsome young man like him who had just turned 22. Fortunately, Kira was rational enough and mature enough, and his sky-blue, jewel-like eyes were clear and clean enough, so no one noticed anything amiss. They just thought he was scrutinizing the organization's second-in-command.

After Nico Robin finished speaking, Erza pondered for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Kira, what do you think?"

Erza actually had her own plan, but she thought that listening more would make her clearer, and since their group was currently led by Kira, that's why she asked the question.

"It's very simple!"

Kira walked over to Erza, took the coat off her shoulders and draped it over himself, then looked at everyone in the room and announced, "From this day forward, Baroque Works is a subordinate guild of Fairy Tail! And I, Kira Hopelight, am your guild master!!"

"Listen, all members of the guild are family. Anyone who dares to attack our guild will be considered our enemy, and we will exact endless revenge on them!"

Suddenly, Kira paused slightly, as if he had thought of something, and then continued, "Guild members cannot lay a hand on their family members. Of course, it's okay to quarrel and fight occasionally. When you want to uphold your beliefs, you will inevitably clash with others. But the premise is that you must respect the other person and communicate with your soul, instead of using violence as a means to vent hatred and resentment."

"This is what family is all about!!"

The senior agents widened their eyes in surprise, staring blankly at Kira who had just said those words, their expressions seemingly savoring the moment.

"This guy...?!!"

"Unbelievable! These words actually make me feel surprisingly safe!"

"Wow~ This kid has the air of a boss... at least much better than that Iron Man from before!"

"Kira-chan's words are absolutely wonderful! I'm completely blown away!!"

"Family? What a naive kid! He's still too innocent! But I don't dislike them..."

"Waaah..." Crocodile's eyes almost popped out of their sockets, and a hoarse voice came from his throat, but it was blocked out by the iron mask, so no one could hear him.

What is that brat doing?! He's actually poaching people right in front of me!! He's tied me up here, shamelessly reaping the benefits, and taking away the entire Baroque Works that I've spent so many years painstakingly building?!

shame!!

This is an absolute disgrace!!!

At this moment, Crocodile felt incredibly frustrated.

The mages stared at Kira in a daze, silent, because for a moment they seemed to see the shadow of Makarov in Kira.

"Kira is mimicking the old man again..."

"After all, the chairman's eloquence is something Kira dreams of learning!"

"However, he did make a good point! His aura and tone just now... he had the flair of the president."

"Isn't that because it was originally the president's name?"

Seeing that the people around him, especially Lucy and Happy, who were known for their sharp tongues, were openly undermining him at this moment, Kira immediately glared at them, and the two of them instantly shut their mouths in embarrassment.

"So it's not that the company is welcoming a new boss, but that it's been completely acquired, right?"

None of the Baroque Works members present dared to disobey Kira's orders, but they still had more questions: "Although we are a subordinate guild... what exactly are we supposed to do?"

"A mage's job is to accept commissions and receive payment. This ranges from small tasks like catching chickens and dogs, working as a temporary waiter, and performing in plays, to larger tasks like intelligence gathering, hunting magical beasts, and providing security. They do all sorts of things. However, whether or not a commission is accepted is entirely voluntary, and the completion status of the commission and the specific payment are negotiated between the mage who accepts the commission and the client."

Everyone nodded. This kind of work was quite different from the Baroque Works' previous style. It was much freer and much safer. There was no need to fight to the death or worry about being eliminated. It sounded pretty good, but it was only suitable for peaceful places.

In today's vast ocean, in this turbulent era of great pirates, people with such power cannot actually do things like catching chickens and dogs, working as waiters, or performing plays; otherwise, they would struggle to even eat.

Is this what a job transition looks like? It seems like I've landed a job that's perfect for a peaceful retirement...

If they were already sixty years old, they would definitely agree without hesitation, provided that the workplace is safe enough. But they are still young and feel that they can take another chance and do a few more years of assassin work.

Suddenly, Kira changed the subject: "Logically speaking, our Light Guild shouldn't accept murder requests, but I also know that in this era, it's impossible not to kill. So from now on, our guild headquarters will only accept ordinary requests, but you subordinate guilds can."

“Kira…” Erza frowned, about to say something, but Kira raised his hand to stop her.

Mr.1 said calmly, "In the end, are you still using us as a weapon? It sounds like nothing's different from before..."

"Of course it's different. Subordinate guilds will be completely autonomous. We won't interfere with their acceptance or execution of commissions; they just need to pay their dues regularly. Moreover, as subordinate guilds of 'Fairy Tail,' you are free to come and go. You can join or leave at any time. Even if you fail in your work, you won't be purged. Only if you commit serious crimes, such as attacking people at headquarters, will we absolutely not forgive you."

"Simply put, subordinate guilds exchange 'cooperation and support for headquarters' actions at any time' and 'regular payment' for 'freedom of work content' and 'the ability to join and leave at any time'."

"It's similar to the relationship between the 'Four Emperors' and the territories they occupy."

Robin astutely pointed out Kira's plan: "So, you don't need to give anything at all, you just need to wait to collect the money, and then if anything goes wrong, you can simply abandon the subordinate guilds, and the head guild will be a completely clean organization? What a brilliant plan..."

Kira smiled faintly: "Rights and responsibilities come in pairs. If you don't want to abide by the rules of 'Fairy Tail,' then you must bear the corresponding price."

"But there's one thing you can rest assured about: if you join headquarters and become part of our family, then no matter your background or what you've done, as long as you don't break any of the guild's biggest taboos, we will protect you! Because 'Fairy Tail' will never abandon any family member!!"

Would you never abandon your family...?

Robin adjusted his hat to cover his large eyes, then lowered his head, seemingly lost in thought.

Robin had never heard such words in her twenty years as a fugitive, and of course, even if someone had said them to her, she would never have believed them, because she had witnessed far too much darkness. On this high seas, betrayal was a constant occurrence; even the so-called 'Four Emperors' pirates were not entirely clean within themselves, and betrayal was commonplace for them.

But this doesn't mean Robin doesn't believe there are people in the world who would never abandon their friends, because she always remembers what Saul, her benefactor from her childhood, told her—"The sea is vast, and sooner or later you will meet friends who are willing to protect you."

Although Robin didn't have much hope that this would happen to her, she believed that there were indeed some fools in the world who would never betray their comrades.

She didn't know if these self-proclaimed mages were the kind of idiots, but she knew she had no choice now.

"Why does this sound so familiar? Your talk of 'comrades are family'... it sounds a bit like the Whitebeard Pirates, doesn't it? Do you want to become the fifth Emperor of the sea, or replace someone else?"

Kira suddenly burst into laughter: "You need to get this straight, we're not pirates! We're..."

"The mages of 'Fairy Tail'!!"

Chapter 849 History is in my hands!

"The first thing is to find the newspapers and have them send out messages all over the world with the headline 'Fairy Tail, Assemble!' and have them gather at Sabaody Archipelago. I'm going to find everyone in the guild!"

"Oh, and don't forget to add 'If we don't make it, please wait for us,' so that the ending says it was Kira Hopwright who said it!"

“I understand!” Robin nodded and took notes. “But wouldn’t that expose my identity as a ‘mage’ to the Navy?”

Kira smiled confidently: "That's exactly what I want! I want the whole world to know that a mage has arrived. Otherwise, how can I become famous? If I'm not famous, what weight will my words carry? Anyway, we're not pirates, so the Navy will just find out!"

Robin immediately realized that Kira had ulterior motives for doing this. His current fame was likely a preparation for something big to come, but she hadn't figured out what that big thing was yet. All she knew for now was that as the head of the Fairy Tail subordinate guild, Baroque, she needed to remember and obey the guild master's orders.

Kira was very satisfied with Robin's actions; such a capable secretary was truly invaluable. So he nodded and continued, "The second matter concerns the current situation in Alabasta!"

Upon hearing this, everyone in the room fell silent, turning to look at Kira with expectant eyes.

Crocodile's actions were daring and potentially life-threatening for these lawless individuals, but they were also very attractive, possessing a power that made people want to participate. While they could accept Kira's approach of picking the peaches and then abandoning the trees, they would still feel a sense of loss, a loss that even the promise of a safe and secure job in the future could not fill.

Kira sat upright in the main seat, full of vigor: "I have no interest in the kingdom's turmoil, so you don't need to worry about what happens next. Just leave."

"Anyway, you had no idea that the boss was Crocodile before. Everything you did was forced upon you by the unknown boss Mr. 0. You were just ignorant accomplices. If anyone asks you any questions about this matter in the future, just pretend you don't know anything and then push all the responsibility onto Crocodile."