"NANI?!"
The smile on the other end of the Den Den Mushi instantly froze, as if someone had hit pause.
Then came over ten seconds of dead silence.
After that, Spandam shrieked like a cat whose tail had been stepped on:
"What the hell do you mean, rescued?! What are you even good for?! The entire CP9 mobilized and you couldn't even capture one Devil Child?!
Lucci, do you have any idea what this means?! My promotion plans, my future—all ruined!"
A barrage of obscene curses and accusations sprayed from the Den Den Mushi like a machine gun.
Lucci listened without expression until Spandam ran out of breath and his voice faltered. Then he spoke coldly:
"Are you done?"
"You—!"
Spandam sputtered. The Den Den Mushi twisted into an enraged expression: "I'm your superior, you damn pigeon bastard!"
"I need complete detailed information on Straw Hat Monkey D. Luffy. Now."
Lucci completely ignored Spandam's outburst. "Also, the two Devil Fruits you promised us as rewards upon mission completion. I want them immediately."
Hearing this, Spandam found an outlet for his frustration and couldn't resist running his mouth again:
"Straw Hat? Who the hell is that? Some no-name pirate from some backwater?!
I've never even heard of him, and you CP9 got beaten by trash like that? I'm starting to think your abilities have deteriorated from hiding out in Water 7 for too long!
You failed the mission and now you still want Devil Fruits?!"
"Spandam."
Lucci's voice suddenly dropped to freezing point. Even through the Den Den Mushi, the icy killing intent clearly transmitted. "Remember what I said. Otherwise, I might not be able to resist coming back right now and killing you."
On the other end, Spandam instantly fell silent—as if an invisible hand had gripped his throat. All that came out were strangled gasps.
Click.
Lucci hung up the Den Den Mushi.
"Bastard! BASTARD! BAAASTARD!!"
Inside his office at the Tower of Justice, Spandam furiously hurled his wine glass to the floor. Expensive liquor and glass shards scattered everywhere.
He screamed crazily at the now-silent Den Den Mushi: "Lucci, you damn subordinate, threatening your superior?! CP9 are all ungrateful wolves!"
He'd sent practically every CP9 asset he could mobilize to ensure mission success—and this was the result?
Nico Robin: lost. All that remained was Franky and Pluton's blueprints. His credit had been drastically reduced.
To prevent any further accidents with his remaining results, Spandam suppressed his rage, grabbed another Den Den Mushi, and screamed hoarsely:
"Relay my orders! All forces at Enies Lobby, immediately enter level one combat readiness! Seal off every entrance! The Straw Hat Pirates are probably coming!Who are the Straw Hat Pirates?! How should I know?! Just carry out the damn orders!"
Back in the first car, the atmosphere was oppressive.
"Puhahaha!"
Franky in the corner couldn't help laughing. "How pathetic."
The CP9 members' expressions darkened further, but no one acknowledged Franky's mockery.
"That Straw Hat is terrifying. Our mission... failed. We CP9 have assassinated Revolutionary Army executives. But against him, all of us together almost got wiped out."
Jabra swayed as he stood up, wiping blood from his mouth. He glanced at Lucci, still with lingering fear.
If Lucci hadn't decisively cut the cars loose, they would have been annihilated.
His words were filled with frustration. CP9's pride lay shattered.
Lucci sat on the sofa, eyes closed, as if processing every detail of the battle.
Suddenly he spoke, his voice hoarse:
"Jabra. What do you know about this Straw Hat?"
As a member frequently deployed on missions, Jabra had relatively broader intelligence sources.
He smiled bitterly and shook his head: "Give it up, Lucci."
As years of comrades, even years apart, he immediately understood Lucci's unfinished thought.
It was unwilling—the desire to challenge again.
"Even if your Doriki far exceeds mine, the fight just now proved it: all of us CP9 together are no match for him."
Jabra's voice was heavy. "My information on him is limited too. But there is no doubt, the World Government's 200 million bounty on Straw Hat? No exaggeration. If anything, it might be too low."
He recalled the suffocating pressure from fighting Luffy and continued: "We've dealt with Shichibukai before. But even those guys didn't pressure me as much as Straw Hat. The aura he carries—it's the mark of a strong man.
The strong he's clashed with, besides Crocodile, include current Marine Headquarters Rear Admiral Smoker—a Logia Moku Moku no Mi user—and the newly nominated Shichibukai, Blackbeard Marshall D. Teach."
This kind of existence was beyond CP9's abilities to handle alone.
Such a guy had enormous potential. As long as he didn't die young, becoming the overlord of one party was almost certain!
If he successfully entered the New World, he'd definitely carve out a territory!
And how long had it been since Luffy first set sail and got his bounty?
This growth rate was absolutely appalling.
Kaku clutched his chest—still aching. His voice was heavy: "Facing someone like that, the Six Styles are useless. His martial arts, his Haki—completely crushed us. This old man's Doriki? A joke before him."
"Th-there's worse news. That Straw Hat... he said himself... he's targeting Enies Lobby. He's going to declare war on the World Government."
Just then, Blueno, who had been unconscious, struggled to wake up and weakly added: "The Straw Hats... besides Straw Hat himself... have plenty of other awesome guys."
"Declare war on the World Government?!"
Jabra sucked in a cold breath. His voice was almost a sigh: "Then we're in serious trouble."
They all clearly understood what Luffy's Haoshoku Haku meant. Especially having personally experienced its terror.
That king's disposition meant he possessed prowess and potential far beyond ordinary people. The ten thousand troops stationed at Enies Lobby—would they even matter against Luffy's Haoshoku Haki?
The fight in this train car just now proved it: numbers of weak soldiers meant nothing against absolute quality. Unless they were elite Marines, or captain-level officers who also mastered Haki.
The ten thousand regular troops at Enies Lobby would have minimal effect against that level of Haki.
But summoning Marine Elite took time.
And time was exactly what they lacked.
***
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