"And if I refuse?"
Robin countered without flinching, though her palms were slick with cold sweat.
"Then we'll go to war directly. After eliminating the Straw Hats, we'll take you by force." Lucci said coldly.
"Then try it!"
Vivi stepped forward, gripping Robin's hand tightly, responding without retreating an inch.
She didn't care in the slightest about her position as Alabasta's princess. At this moment, she was simply a nakama of the Straw Hat Pirates.
Lucci's eyes narrowed, his gaze sharp as it fixed on Vivi: "It seems even you, noble princess, have fallen to become an accomplice to pirates?"
Robin gently pressed Vivi's hand, signaling her not to act rashly.
Truth be told, Lucci didn't want unnecessary complications either. If they could avoid direct conflict, that would be best—because capturing Robin wasn't their only mission.
Honestly, Nico Robin was just a bonus.
They had spent years in deep cover searching for Pluton's blueprints, and now they'd found them—on Franky.
They'd only received word of Robin's arrival at Water 7 when they were about to close their net. Their idiot of a superior had ordered them to bring Robin back as well, while they were at it.
According to intelligence, the Straw Hats had two exceptionally strong fighters. Though Lucci was confident his power far exceeded theirs, if something went wrong and delayed their primary mission of securing Pluton's blueprints, the loss would outweigh the gain.
Think about it—how much time had they wasted on this one mission?
Five whole years!
Three years, then nearly another three—messing around until they'd almost become executives at the shipyard.
"Lucci, we're running out of time." Kalifa glanced at her watch.
"I don't have much patience left." Lucci delivered his final ultimatum.
"You want war with us?" Robin's eyes flashed coldly. She crossed her arms before her again: "Even the legendary CP9—we're not so easily pushed around."
She knew CP9 was strong, but she chose to believe in her nakama!
Luffy had fought against a Marine Admiral like Aokiji. Why should he fear CP9?
"Don't act rashly, Nico Robin."
Lucci's voice remained calm, yet carried a suffocating pressure. "I think you've misunderstood something. Your opponents aren't us, CP9—they're the World Government. You know what it means to make an enemy of the World Government, don't you?"
He paused, then dropped a bombshell: "The higher-ups are determined to succeed in this mission concerning you. If necessary, they can even issue a Buster Call against the Straw Hats!"
"What did you say?!"
Robin's face instantly went deathly pale. Her pupils contracted, and her body trembled uncontrollably. "Don't be ridiculous! This is Water 7—the World Government's official shipyard! How could they possibly issue a Buster Call here?!"
Buster Call!
That was Robin's nightmare. Even with her composure, hearing that name made it difficult to hide her panic.
Five Marine Vice Admirals, ten top-tier battleships, ten thousand elite Marines—an absolute force that would indiscriminately obliterate the target area.
More importantly, the authority to issue a Buster Call rested with the highest Marine command.
The highest command meant the Fleet Admiral and the Three Admirals!
Which meant an Admiral was likely monitoring CP9's operation.
Was it Aokiji?
Probably not—they'd already encountered him. If it were Aokiji, that might be manageable. But if not, it meant another Admiral was involved, and that wasn't good news for them.
Was it Akainu? Or Kizaru?
"Nothing is impossible."
Lucci continued, "You underestimate how dangerous the World Government considers you."
"Furthermore, the legendary Marine Hero—that Vice Admiral—is currently not far from these waters. If it truly came to that, the higher-ups would certainly summon him for support. You should understand what a lineup like that means for the Straw Hats, shouldn't you?"
The Marine Hero... Garp?
Robin's pupils dilated further. She could barely breathe.
That was Luffy's grandfather.
Setting aside the CP9 right in front of them, there was the threat of a Buster Call, the possible deployment of an Admiral, and that legendary Marine Hero!
These multiple pressures bore down on her heart like several mountains, crushing her until she could scarcely draw breath.
Any one of these top powers would be a nightmare on its own. But all of them mobilized for her sake? This kind of pressure—probably only a pirate of Yonko caliber could withstand it.
Vivi could clearly feel the fear and despair emanating from Robin. She gripped Robin's ice-cold hand tightly.
Lucci seemed to be losing patience. He issued his final ultimatum: "If you don't cooperate, then that ship of yours docked at the shipyard—my subordinates will move immediately and destroy it completely."
He pulled out a Den Den Mushi, his finger hovering over the button.
"How despicable!" Vivi cursed angrily.
They would use such methods to force
their compliance?
Robin grasped Vivi's hand and gave her a look.
"I'll go with you. But I have one condition."
Meanwhile, Luffy and Nami had just completed their massive currency exchange. Carrying a large suitcase of Berries, they continued their clumsy act as a fake couple.
Then suddenly, they heard an urgent, tearful shout.
"Luffy! Luffy!"
Little Merry came running over, gasping for breath, her face streaked with tears. She threw herself onto Luffy's leg.
"Merry? What happened?" Luffy's smile vanished instantly. He crouched down, steadying her.
"Robin and Vivi were taken away by bad people! They said they're from the World Government—called CP9! They told me to hurry and find you!"
Merry sobbed, "And I can feel a bunch of people approaching the Going Merry too!"
Luffy's gaze turned terrifyingly fierce.
CP9?
World Government?
He murmured the words under his breath, his fists clenched until his knuckles cracked. "I wasn't looking for you, but you come looking for me instead, huh."
"Calm down."
Nami grabbed Luffy's arm and asked Merry for the specifics.
Merry choked back her tears and relayed everything Vivi had instructed her to say. Vivi was using her powers to locate everyone—they'd found Luffy that way too. Merry was sent to tell him what had happened.
The plan: meet at the Going Merry in ten minutes.
"Hey! Wait!"
Just then, a man wrapped entirely in bandages, wearing bloodstained shipwright coveralls, staggered desperately toward them.
Seeing Luffy, he straightened up. "Are you Straw Hat Luffy?"
"Who're you?" Luffy asked.
"I'm a shipwright here. If you're looking for Rob Lucci and his crew, I know where they are." Paulie had seen Luffy's wanted poster. Hearing just now that his nakama had been taken, he immediately realized this might be an opportunity.
Paulie had just experienced betrayal by coworkers he'd worked alongside for years. The Iceburg he respected had been injured by them, and Franky had been captured too.
If he got the chance, he would make those bastards pay!
***
Dive deeper into the story with 30+ advance chapters, available now on Patreon!patreon.com/CNBLUE
If you're enjoying the novel, please consider leaving a review. Your support is crucial and helps the story grow immensely. Thank you!