To put it bluntly, by the time I stepped onto the island, the situation was already a checkmate.
The World Government ship had already docked. The town was a chaotic swarm of residents clutching their belongings, rushing toward the evacuation ships.
I moved against the current, weaving through the panic toward the massive tree towering at the island's center.
The Tree of Knowledge was already trailing smoke; a fire had broken out in one section. In the central plaza, Olvia, Dr. Clover, and the other scholars had been herded together. Surrounding them were government agents led by—if I recalled correctly—the CP9 Director, Spandine.
Robin was there too. She was standing near a man with slicked-back hair and glasses, and another with shaggy hair and round sunglasses.
They were definitely CP9 agents. Does the government already know she can read the Ancient Text? Wait, can she actually read it yet? I didn't have enough intel.
Maybe she was just caught in the library when they stormed it.
I watched from the shadows as Spandine confronted Dr. Clover.
"The... name... of... the... kingdom... is..."
Crap!! Dr. Clover! Don't say it!! I thought I had stopped the research, but these were the greatest scholars in the world—they must have reached that hypothesis four years ago, before I ever intervened!
"Don't say it, Clover!" I hissed under my breath.
Spandine pulled a pistol from his coat and shot Dr. Clover. At the same moment, he pulled out the Golden Den Den Mushi and pressed the button.
A thunderous alarm blared across the island, signaling the start of the Buster Call.
There's no time! I have to at least save Robin!!
The warships surrounding the island began their bombardment. The earth shook as the first shells impacted the coast.
"Gah—to hell with it!!"
I reached into my gear and pulled out a plain mask. I've always been better at hitting things than thinking, anyway.
I stripped off every piece of equipment that could identify me as a Marine. I had studied so hard, tried so hard to be a "proper" officer, but right now, the only justice that mattered was right in front of me.
I sprinted toward Spandine, who was still holding the Golden Den Den Mushi. My right arm turned a slick, metallic black as I hardened it with Armament Haki. Without a word, I swung.
"Gwah—!!"
Spandine went spinning through the air like a top before crashing into the dirt.
"Director!!" "You! Who are you!?"
The government agents scrambled, and the two CP9 agents immediately dropped into combat stances.
I'd made my choice. I'd punch first and worry about the paperwork later. The Buster Call had started, but the scholars were still alive. If I could just knock these agents out and drive them back, I could get Robin, Olvia, and the scholars to an evacuation point!
I caught Robin's eye and gave a sharp tilt of my head toward Olvia. She looked stunned, her eyes wide, but she quickly realized the opening and scrambled toward her mother.
Seeing her safe for the moment, I hardened my entire body with Haki.
"Who... are you?" the man with the slicked-back hair asked, his voice cold and steady. His companion, the shaggy-haired man, remained silent.
Get ready to go down, CP9. I've got a long list of things to do, and beating you is just the first item.
One of them used Soru to close the distance at a speed invisible to the human eye. I matched him, using my own Soru to intercept.
(Impact Cannon!!)
I tightened my high-density muscles with Tekkai, making them harder than steel, then layered Haki over them. That fist—backed by the extraordinary physical strength I had painstakingly forged—collided with the shaggy-haired agent, Mojah.
"Goff... ha..."
Mojah had tried to use Tekkai to tank the hit, but my fist punched right through his defense, driving the air from his lungs and dropping him to his knees.
Against a normal opponent, a CP9 agent would be an untouchable god. But they had picked the wrong fight.
I was a man who had endured agony beyond human limits to remodel my own body, densifying my muscles and reinforcing my bones and vessels.
I had mastered the Six Powers and modified them to suit my unique frame. And finally, I had the "Hardening" of Armament Haki.
The combination was devastating.
The slicked-back man with the goatee—Lasky—watched his partner collapse with a look of intense caution.
"I'll ask again. Who are you?" Lasky asked. "A bodyguard for Ohara? A Revolutionary? You use the Six Powers... are you a former soldier?"
I remained silent.
"Nothing, then? Fine. You attacked the Director and the CP9. If you surrender now, I might let you live. Otherwise, you die here."
"..."
"I see. Then you are an enemy of the World Government. Perish."
Lasky vanished with Soru. Unlike Mojah, he used varying tempos in his movement, making it impossible to predict his angle of approach. This was a true master of the Six Powers.
"Finger Pistol: Yellow Lotus!!"
He struck with both index fingers in a rapid-fire barrage. The speed and concentrated piercing power were enough to tunnel through solid iron.
Ting! Ting! Ting!
"You're... durable," Lasky muttered, seeing his strikes fail to penetrate my Haki-hardened skin.
I countered with a Fist Cannon—a punch delivered with the explosive speed of a Finger Pistol. It lacked the piercing power but had ten times the destructive force.
Lasky saw it coming. He swayed like a blade of grass, using Kami-e to let the shockwave of my fist slide past him.
This is going to take a while, I thought, tightening my leather-gloved grip.
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