The CP0 agent spared by Eli Winters fled the scene after narrowly escaping death, his heart caught between relief and lingering terror. He did not head straight for CP headquarters. Instead, he boarded the Sea Train and returned to Enies Lobby first.
As the train slowly pulled into the station, he dragged his exhausted body onto the platform. Relying on his status as a CP0 operative, he requisitioned a small naval warship. It was not large, but it was more than enough for someone desperate to return to headquarters as quickly as possible.
He drove the ship hard across the sea, waves crashing against the hull. After a rough journey, the CP0 agent finally arrived at the Holy Land, Mary Geoise.
Only when his feet touched that familiar ground did he truly feel alive again.
Without wasting a second, he hastily tidied himself up and rushed off to report to Saint Shigedel.
Seeing the CP0 agent in such a battered state, Saint Shigedel frowned deeply and said coldly, "What happened? Weren't you following Rulte Hughes to assist Spandine? Why are you back?"
The weight of his voice pressed down like an invisible force, making the agent shudder.
At the question, the man dropped to his knees with a loud thud. Tears poured from his eyes as he wailed, "My lord, they're all dead. Everyone is dead."
His voice was filled with raw fear and grief, his body shaking violently.
Saint Shigedel's eyes sharpened, a sense of foreboding rising in his chest. His gaze turned piercing as he stared at the kneeling man. "What did you say? Who is dead?" he demanded, his tone icy.
The agent opened his mouth to continue, but before another word could escape, his body suddenly exploded into a cloud of blood mist, splattering across the pristine white floor.
Saint Shigedel's expression changed instantly. His muscles tensed as he scanned the room, shouting, "Who's there? Stop hiding and come out!"
"Lower your voice, little Pengpeng. I'm right here."
Eli Winters stepped out of the distorted space itself, wearing a relaxed smile.
"It's you. Eli Winters." Saint Shigedel's face drained of color. He had never imagined Eli would appear here. Fear surged through him as memories surfaced of Eli crushing the Yonko and wielding that terrifying spatial ability. At this distance, if Eli wanted him dead, escape would be impossible.
"Of course it's me," Eli said casually as he sat down on the sofa, utterly unconcerned that he was a wanted criminal. "What, no welcome for an old acquaintance?"
Saint Shigedel forced himself to calm down. As the highest-ranking authority within CP0 and a formidable fighter in his own right, he steadied his breathing and asked coldly, "Why are you here?"
"Oh? Didn't you send people after me?" Eli replied with a grin. "Now you're asking?"
That smile sent a chill down Saint Shigedel's spine. He immediately understood. Spandine had clearly disobeyed orders and acted on his own.
"That useless fool," Saint Shigedel cursed inwardly.
"This wasn't my order," he said aloud, his voice hard. "I only told Spandine to capture Tom and his apprentices."
"I don't care," Eli said lightly. "He was your man, Pengpeng."
Saint Shigedel clenched his teeth. "Then what do you want?"
"Haha. You Celestial Dragons have quite a stash of Devil Fruits," Eli said pleasantly. "How about sponsoring me with one?"
Humiliation burned through Saint Shigedel. A Celestial Dragon being blackmailed on his own territory was a disgrace beyond words. But compared to his life, pride meant nothing.
He opened a drawer, pulled out a Devil Fruit, and tossed it to Eli. It was a gift Spandine had once offered him while begging for help. Now it had ended up in the hands of the man who had killed Spandine's son. If Spandine could see this, his expression would have been priceless. Unfortunately, he never would.
Eli caught the fruit and recalled the Devil Fruit compendium he had studied. A smile crept onto his lips. It was a Zoan type, the Fish-Fish Fruit, Ancient Model: Sarcosuchus. Very nice.
"Haha, Pengpeng, you're quite sensible," Eli said cheerfully.
Saint Shigedel's fists trembled as he fought to contain his rage. His face was stiff as stone as he said, "Are you satisfied? If so, you can leave now."
"Don't be so cold. We haven't seen each other in ages. I was hoping to chat a little longer," Eli said, sounding almost reluctant.
"I have nothing to say to you," Saint Shigedel replied flatly.
"Fine, fine. If I'm not welcome, I'll go," Eli said, standing up with an exaggerated look of disappointment.
Saint Shigedel watched him without expression.
Eli did not mind at all. After all, he had already been paid. A sour face was nothing.
Space twisted around him, his figure turning hazy. Just before disappearing, Eli spoke again, "Oh, by the way, Tom and the Pluton blueprints you're looking for are already with me. You can stop wasting time in Water Seven."
With that, Eli vanished completely.
After he was gone, Saint Shigedel slammed his palm down, smashing the desk into splinters. His face contorted as he roared, "You've gone too far, Eli Winters. One day, I'll grind you to dust."
The guards outside, startled by the noise, rushed in. Seeing the blood-stained floor and Saint Shigedel in a fury, they froze in place.
Saint Shigedel turned on them, eyes cold and murderous. "Useless trash. All of you. With that much commotion, you heard nothing? Someone broke in and you noticed nothing. What good are you to me?"
The two guards trembled violently. One of them stammered, "My lord, we didn't hear anything at all."
"Get out. Get out, all of you," Saint Shigedel shouted, grabbing a chair and hurling it at them.
The guards fled at once, terrified they would be torn apart in the next moment.
After venting his rage, Saint Shigedel slowly calmed down, but a deep fear of Eli's methods took root in his heart.
Meanwhile, after leaving Saint Shigedel's office, Eli did not immediately return to the Angel's Judgment. After going through all that trouble to come here, taking just one Devil Fruit would have been far too modest. He had deliberately sealed the space inside the office to avoid causing chaos too quickly.
Heh. Plenty more ripe targets waiting to be harvested.