"Give it, give it!"
Seeing the newcomer about to return the transponder snail to Rocks, Charlotte Linlin shouted hurriedly.
"The first mate said to give it to the Captain!"
Redfield simply handed the transponder snail to Rocks.
On this ship, Captain Rocks held the highest authority.
Obeying orders was instinct carved into the bones of every CP Agent.
Since Fang Huo ordered the transponder snail be given to Rocks, he instinctively felt this rookie had to carry it out.
Charlotte Linlin's status couldn't compare with the Captain and his first mate.
"I'll give it to you in a minute, Linlin!"
Rocks took the transponder snail and set it in front of him.
"Handle it yourself."
Fang Huo's voice turned cold, and Rocks's face darkened instantly at the words.
So it really was fake?
After Black Flag Black, the World Government still hadn't given up planting undercover agents?
Yet Rocks felt it a bit far-fetched—what if Fang Huo was mistaken, or simply wanted to borrow his blade to kill Redfield?
After all, Fang Huo had snatched the Vampire Fruit from Redfield; he did have a tiny motive for murder.
Rocks thought it over and decided not to kill these two promising officers just yet.
Better to wait for Fang Huo to return and confirm things personally.
Still, he trusted Fang Huo enough to capture these two first and sort truth from lies.
Yet the instant Rocks finished listening to Fang Huo and made his decision, his Future Sight Observation Haki suddenly showed him Baroque Butler leaping overboard to escape.
That made Rocks's face even darker.
Jumping ship spoke louder than any confession!
Rocks had meant to spare them, but now he cast that last shred of mercy aside.
In a flash he charged at Baroque Butler, who stood by the rail, without a hint of hesitation.
"Seize Redfield!"
With one hand clutching Baroque Butler's throat, Rocks barked the order to the other officers.
The abrupt scene caught everyone off guard.
Besides Rocks, no one aboard had trained their Observation Haki to the level of seeing the future.
The first to react wasn't Whitebeard Newgate but the newly boarded Fūgetsu Kisaburō.
Also obeying the Captain on instinct, he drew his gokudō kaisen and slashed at Redfield.
Whitebeard had been getting along well with the newcomer Redfield, so he hesitated to strike immediately.
He hadn't figured out what was going on!
Charlotte Linlin, closest to Redfield, was the second to swing at this new officer who had just spoken with Fang Huo.
He hadn't handed the transponder snail to her—
perfect chance for payback!
Though even Linlin didn't know exactly why she was attacking.
"Ugh-ha~"
Baroque Butler's neck was crushed in Rocks's grip, and he vomited a mouthful of blood.
He'd never expected Rocks to strike so suddenly; he'd thought Redfield had passed Fang Huo's test.
He'd relaxed for an instant—only for Rocks to land a fatal blow.
Utter regret!
"What the hell!!"
Newgate and Maron cried out in shock—why had a fight broken out of nowhere?
"Fang Huo says they're not Redfield!"
Rocks casually tossed the half-dead Baroque Butler aside, watching Fūgetsu Kisaburō and Linlin besiege Redfield, determined to give the impostor no chance to flee.
He'd targeted the butler—who might dive overboard—before the closer fake Redfield, precisely because he feared the well-prepared butler could escape.
"What! They're fakes?"
The officers gasped, then in tacit unison surrounded Redfield.
With Fūgetsu Kisaburō and Linlin on the attack, the man wouldn't get away.
"Why! Why!"
Redfield panicked—he had no idea how he'd been exposed.
Right then—
Fang Huo's voice crackled from the transponder snail again; the call hadn't ended.
"Because Brook is Redfield's idol—a musician, not a cook!"
And Redfield's Innate Observation Haki lets him see into people's hearts.
If you haven't the makings of a king, that's passable, but Innate Observation Haki is an inborn talent!"
"Who exactly are you? CP0 Agents of the World Government?"
"What have you done with the real Redfield?"
Fang Huo's tone carried killing intent; he seemed to have altered Redfield's fate.
Would the famed count red of the future end up dead because of his prophecy and butterfly effect?
He suddenly regretted feeding Rocks intelligence about Redfield.
Or rather, searching Ohara for information on the Barlorick Family had been a colossal mistake!
He'd still underestimated the World Government's intel reach and planning.
"So I had that many flaws… but that Count's Son was just a reclusive nobody!"
"He actually possesses Innate Observation Haki and maybe even the makings of a king?"
The CP Agent posing as Redfield couldn't keep up the act; the other agent was already half-dead from Rocks's beating.
He had no chance of survival either.
"You really were fake?"
Whitebeard Newgate was irked—he'd wasted days bonding with an undercover agent.
"Did you kill the real Redfield?"
Rocks snarled; these CP Agents were like ghosts, layering his hatred for the World Government even thicker.
"Hahaha, you damned pirates—the Barlorick bloodline has been wiped out by us!"
"They died because of you!"
"Since you wanted them to join the Rocks Pirates, they had to die!"
The CP0 Agent spat through clenched teeth; their infiltration had failed again.
All that preparation had still ended in defeat.
"Damn it!"
Rocks, blazing with fury, lunged forward and gravely wounded the fake Redfield with a single slash.
Fūgetsu Kisaburō and Charlotte Linlin lowered their blades.
Charlotte Linlin was first to snatch the transponder snail from Rocks.
"Fang Huo, when are you coming back?"
Charlotte Linlin asked excitedly, sparing no thought for the two newcomers—be they spies or victims, dead was dead.
"Sigh… once I find the Devil Fruit I want."
Fang Huo felt guilty—he had indirectly caused Red Count Redfield's death.
That mighty, aloof red had yet to shine in this timeline before vanishing.
Fang Huo would have to weigh carefully whether future intel might trigger unforeseen disasters.
"You must be careful! I'll wait for your return."
Charlotte Linlin noticed none of Fang Huo's mood; she only cared that he came back safely.
"Is the real Redfield truly dead?"
Whitebeard Newgate sighed—he'd hoped to witness the genius who, in the future, could rival him with only the Three Types of Haki and raw martial skill.
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