Trader In The World Of Pirates!!!

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[Translator's note: For those confused, Jūdaime means "Tenth" in Japanese, just as Decimo means "Tenth" in Italian.]

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Boom!

The blazing flames emitted intense heat, filling the small room and washing over the faces of the three others present.

Sawada Iemitsu's eyes widened in astonishment. Staring at Tsuna, who now stood glowing brightly before him, he had only one thought: Is this really... my son? The same son who once cried in fear of a Chihuahua?

Reborn, while surprised by Tsuna's sudden resolve, wasn't as stunned as Iemitsu. A small smile tugged at the corners of his lips, but his gaze shifted sharply to Ace.

Who would have thought... he mused. The stories Ace told Tsuna about the world of pirates during their breaks had evidently left a deep impact. Even Tsuna, once so timid and submissive, had begun to forge his own path.

The free mafia? Reborn thought to himself. Now, that sounds interesting.

Among the three of them, Ace alone grinned widely, admiring the growth of Tsuna—the boy he had trained. Whether a pirate captain or a mafia leader, Ace knew one thing: protecting your friends from danger is what a true leader should do. 

Clearly, Tsuna was starting to embody that ideal. 

Yet Ace knew that his own time in this world was limited. If things were different, perhaps he could lead Tsuna and his friends himself, to confront their enemies. But that wasn't possible now.

The room fell into a heavy silence after Tsuna's sudden declaration. After a moment, Iemitsu hesitated, then spoke: 

"Tsuna, I understand your feelings, but the Vongola's external advisory organization has already sanctioned the Ring Conflict within the family... The Ring Conflict has always been a sacred tradition within Vongola, and there's no avoiding it. 

"Besides," Iemitsu added with a serious tone, "Varia is not as simple as you think. As the elite assassination squad under the ninth generation, their strength is far beyond your imagination."

Poor Iemitsu. He wasn't aware that the strongest among Varia, aside from their leader XANXUS—Squalo—had already been handily defeated by Takeshi. And that wasn't even Takeshi fighting at his full strength.

In fact, Takeshi hadn't even needed to use the powerful creature he carried at his side, the Arrogant Swallow. With such an easy victory, Tsuna couldn't see Varia as a truly formidable enemy.

"I refuse." Tsuna interrupted, his dead-serious eyes flashing a sharp red-orange, glaring at Iemitsu. 

"Dad, you need to understand... I don't care who becomes the leader of Vongola."

"And as for me," Tsuna continued, his voice firm, "I just don't want my friends to get hurt because of me anymore."

Whenever Tsuna thought back to the Mukuro Rokudo incident, he felt a deep sense of guilt. Just because he was chosen to be Vongola's tenth boss, Takeshi, Hayato, and even himself were nearly controlled by Mokuro. Countless other students from Namimori Middle School—like Hibari and Ryohei—had also suffered injuries.

Tsuna was certain that Varia, given their ruthless ways, would target the people around him.

With this thought, his eyes grew more determined.

"I don't care about the Ring Conflict or Vongola's ancient sacred rituals," Tsuna said, resolutely. "Those things have nothing to do with what I need to do."

"I just want to protect everyone! That's all."

Tsuna's words rang out with a calm yet weighted resonance that struck Iemitsu deeply, echoing in his mind like ancient bells. It was almost impossible to believe that this was the same weak, timid son he once knew.

While Iemitsu had believed his son would eventually grow into a capable leader, he never expected this transformation to come so swiftly. For a moment, he was at a loss for words.

At that point, Ace grinned and stood up. 

"That's right!" he said, laughing. "The proud Tenth Generation of Vongola… If you let rules bind you every time, you'll never become a true mafia leader. You'll just let your enemies walk all over you!"

Turning his attention to Reborn, Ace asked with a smile, 

"What do you think, Reborn?"

After all, only Reborn could take Tsuna to Italy and find Varia's headquarters.

Ace, unfamiliar with this world, couldn't lead the way himself. Otherwise, he would've had his Charizard fly them there.

Reborn paused thoughtfully. His round eyes flicked between Iemitsu, Ace, and finally Tsuna, who stood bathed in resolve. Then, he spoke in a calm, serious tone: 

"Going to Italy and finding Varia... isn't that difficult."

"Reborn!?" Iemitsu interrupted, startled.

Tsuna's plan to attack Varia was no longer a simple rivalry between candidates for Vongola leadership. Once Tsuna decided to strike at Varia's base, it would no longer just be a matter of internal dispute.

Varia's leader, XANXUS, was the recognized heir of the ninth boss. If Tsuna moved forward with this, it would signal not just a challenge to Varia, but a defiance of the ninth boss's decision. 

It would be nothing less than a declaration of war on the entire Vongola family!

Especially now, with the real ninth boss missing and an imposter in control, Tsuna's actions could cause irreversible damage—to both him and the Vongola family.

This was the main reason Sawada Iemitsu didn't want Reborn to support Tsuna's reckless ideas.

Furthermore, Varia's members were as skilled as clouds. Iemitsu wasn't too concerned about Tsuna's strength, but he had no idea just how much influence Ace had on his son. The Ninth had kept information about the Chamber of Commerce hidden from everyone, so Iemitsu only knew that Tsuna had a tutor besides Reborn—but not the extent of Ace's impact on him.

This lack of information left Iemitsu utterly confused.

Reborn, however, merely glanced at Iemitsu, who had interrupted him, and then turned back to Tsuna. 

"If you want to go to Italy, it's actually quite simple," Reborn explained. "As the candidate for Vongola's Tenth Generation, you can contact Colonello. Request that he send a few warships to pick you up. He'll grant you that favor."

"But…" Reborn's tone shifted, growing serious. 

"While I support your actions, this time, if you still recognize me as your tutor…" He paused for effect. 

"Then you must bring all of your Guardians with you."

"Guardians?" Tsuna was momentarily stunned.

Reborn continued, "If both sides' Guardians are present, then your attack on Varia could be framed as a special version of the Ring Conflict."

"How about it? Give it some thought."

"Well…" Tsuna's face showed deep contemplation as he listened to Reborn's proposal.

From both his father's and Reborn's attitudes, he could tell that this situation was more serious than he had initially thought. But considering what Basil had said about Squalo—one of Varia's top fighters—being defeated by Takeshi, Vongola's assassination team didn't seem as formidable and mysterious as people claimed.

Moreover, Tsuna had complete confidence in his Guardians—well, aside from Lambo. 

As he reflected on this, the flame of death that had been burning above Tsuna's head gradually dimmed, and he returned to his usual demeanor.

Finally, Tsuna nodded. 

"I understand, I agree to your request."

——

The next day, in the Namimori Middle School boxing gym...

"Oh? You want to go to Italy to face the final enemy? Sounds like things are pretty urgent!" Sasagawa Ryohei, holding half of Vongola's Sun Ring, flashed his usual bright, youthful grin.

Across from him, Tsuna, clutching the ring box, nodded seriously. 

"That's right. I'm really sorry to involve you in this, big brother, but I need your strength to protect Kyoko and everyone else."

Tsuna's expression was grave. After the forty unforgettable days they had spent together, the bond between him and Ryohei had deepened significantly, more than in the original timeline. 

Having watched each other train, Ryohei had come to admire Tsuna, viewing him as a true "man of extremes."

And with Kyoko's safety on the line, Ryohei had no reason to refuse.

"I see..." Ryohei smiled, slipping on the Sun Ring. 

"Leave it all to me—to the max!!!"

——

Later that day, during lunch break, Tsuna waited on the rooftop of Namimori Middle School, holding the box with Vongola's rings.

Suddenly, he heard steady, deliberate footsteps approaching from the corridor.

Tread... tap... tap... tap...

Bang!

The iron door to the rooftop swung open with force. Hibari stepped through, his face as cold and indifferent as ever, as if the world owed him something. 

At the sight of Tsuna, a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes, but it quickly vanished.

Without a word, Hibari pulled out an envelope and smirked. 

"This invitation letter—did you write it?"

"Uh… no, wait… yes, I did," Tsuna stammered. Despite his newfound strength, Tsuna couldn't help but feel a chill every time he faced Hibari.

After taking a few deep breaths to steady himself, Tsuna's expression grew serious once more. He lifted the box containing Vongola's rings and said, 

"Since you've read the letter, you must understand why I've sought you out."

"Would you be willing to be my Guardian and come to Italy with me to face Varia?"

"Italy?" Hibari chuckled darkly. 

"Boy, you're mistaken."

"What you seek to protect has nothing to do with me," Hibari continued, his tone icy. 

"I'm not about to neglect my duties with the Disciplinary Committee to deal with some ridiculous mafia nonsense."

"Uh… is that so…"

Although Tsuna had anticipated the possibility of Hibari's rejection, he still felt somewhat overwhelmed when it actually happened.

Fortunately, he had come prepared.

Tsuna calmly placed the ring box aside and pulled two cotton gloves from his coat. A flicker of flames appeared on his forehead, and when he lifted his head again, his eyes had transformed into double orange pupils, glowing like blazing sunlight.

In his calm, yet determined state, Tsuna, now in Hyper Dying Will Mode, spoke evenly:

"In that case…"

"Let's settle this with a fight."

"If I win, Hibari, you will become my Guardian and join me in Italy."

"Oh?"

Hibari, who seemed to have predicted this turn of events, showed no surprise.

His black Disciplinary Committee uniform fluttered in the wind, and two tonfa with a cold gleam appeared in his hands.

The battle was about to begin!

——

Later that evening, in the dilapidated remnants of Kokuyo Middle School's last standing building...

Tsuna, seemingly injured, slowly approached, holding a beautifully crafted ring box. 

Not far from him stood Ken and Chikusa, who had previously been captured by the Vindice. They now flanked a blue-haired girl, standing like her guards, watching Tsuna warily.

"I didn't expect us to meet again like this," Tsuna said seriously as he stopped before the little girl.

To be honest, when Tsuna first learned from Reborn that his Mist Guardian would be Mukuro Rokudo, he had been quite shocked—even in his Hyper Dying Will state.

However, after defeating Mukuro, Tsuna had come to understand the tragic past that had driven Mukuro's actions.

Suffer yourself before advising others to do good.

With Tsuna's deep sense of empathy, he could easily grasp the reasons behind Mukuro's actions.

Though Tsuna couldn't condone what Mukuro had done, much of his resentment towards him had dissipated.

Now, hearing that Mukuro had helped this little girl survive in a unique way, Tsuna softened further, accepting Reborn's proposal.

"Reborn should have explained the situation to you," Tsuna said, his tone respectful.

Despite having defeated them in the past, Tsuna did not show any arrogance. On the contrary, due to the special role of the Mist Guardian, he was even more serious now than during the earlier battle.

"We... we know everything," Chrome replied timidly, her voice soft.

"From now on, I'll be... the Guardian of Mist for the Vongola family…"

As she spoke, Chrome shyly glanced up at Tsuna, a slight blush coloring her cheeks, adding to her cuteness.

"Uh…"

Tsuna, who had originally expected Chrome to be as devious as Mukuro, was caught off guard. His expression quickly softened.

Though he appeared to have everything under control, Tsuna had rehearsed this scenario many times before arriving.

But seeing how shy and adorable Chrome was, Tsuna suddenly found himself at a loss for words.

Fortunately, just then...

A thick, familiar mist began to swirl around Chrome.

Moments later, Tsuna heard that recognizable, sinister laughter.

"Kufufufu…"