"The Gorosei's orders. Oni, Inbi Hebi, Poison Eye."
A calm, ordinary voice came through the Den Den Mushi, barely above a whisper:
"Assist CP-9 in locating the Pluton blueprints, and implicate the Straw Hat Pirates in the murder of Iceberg, mayor of Water 7. Publicly expose their crew. Capture them and Nico Robin, the Devil Child, and bring them to Enies Lobby for detention."
CP-0 Ao Oni and CP-0 Hidden Snake exchanged stunned glances. Despair flickered in their eyes.
Poison Eye — towering and burly, wearing a dark green cyclops mask — allowed a flicker of bloodlust to flash across his face.
"Finally, we face the Fifth Emperor. How… exciting."
Hidden Snake, with his white top hat and snake-scale mask, trembled as he breathed heavily.
"Are you insane? Do you want us to provoke someone on the level of a Yonko? Even the three of us together won't stand a chance."
"I'm not sending you to die."
The agent's voice remained calm, almost detached. "Someone else will draw him out first."
Hidden Snake's shoulders sagged with relief.
"But even so — how do we know we will bait his real body? That Devil Fruit of his… he makes clones. There's no way to be certain."
"It's all right," No Name answered steadily. "Your job is simpler: secure his allies. We'll use them to force his hand."
They all nodded in agreement.
"That's the mission," No Name continued. "Capture every single crew member. That's our leverage."
---
Night draped itself across the streets of Water 7, only a few pedestrians braving the darkness.
At a seaside hotel, Shirogai reclined on a beach lounge chair, eyes closed, as if resting from a long journey.
Suddenly, a small boy, maybe around ten years old, raced over, clutching a Den Den Mushi. He called gently, "Hey… wake up."
Shirogai opened his eyes and smiled warmly at the child. "Is something wrong, little friend?"
The boy held up the Den Den Mushi and said timidly, "Someone asked me to give this to you."
Shirogai chuckled. "Well, this is interesting." He accepted the shell and watched as the boy skipped away into the darkness.
His Den Den Mushi suddenly vibrated:
"Pururu, pururu. Pururu, pururu…"
Shirogai raised an eyebrow. "Looks like tonight's going to be lively." He answered, voice relaxed, amused:
"Hello? This is the Straw Hat Pirates. Who is this?"
"This is Admiral Akainu," came a deep, commanding voice.
Shirogai's lips curved into a grin. "An Admiral calling me personally? How… impressive."
---
Out at sea, not far from Water 7, a fleet of more than twenty Marine warships cut through the night, their cannons aimed directly at the city.
"For Justice!" shouted the Marines in unison, tension sharp in their voices.
Shirogai lazily lifted his head, watching the armada glint under moonlight.
Admiral Sakazuki — Akainu himself — stood in stern silence on the deck of his ship, Den Den Mushi in hand.
He spoke coldly across the waves: "You've destroyed our ships, pirate. Now you're going to pay for it."
He raised his voice: "Come out in ten seconds, or we level Water 7."
Shirogai rose slowly from the lounge chair, stretched his back nonchalantly, and laughed softly:
"To wipe out an entire city just for me? That's… brutal justice."
"Carry out my command!" Akainu ordered sharply.
His adjutants echoed back: "Yes, sir!"
Soon the order echoed through the fleet: if no one showed, they would bombard the city.
Shirogai floated upward, watching the warships. He said with a grin, "Akainu always was bold."
Then, without a sound, his figure flickered into a deep purple haze — he vanished.
In a hidden corner, Inbi Hebi whispered into his Den Den Mushi, "He's gone. He's been drawn out."
"Act now," came the immediate reply.
---
Inside a back-street hotel…
"Hey! Aren't you worried about Robin's safety?!" Sanji called out, cigarette dangling from his lips. His frustration was clear: "First there's infighting, now Robin disappears!"
"Relax," Zoro said, doing one-handed push-ups on the floor. "Shirogai told us she's fine."
"But this is weird!" Sanji glared into the night. "As soon as we met Admiral Aokiji, Robin vanishes. What does that mean?"
Chopper, grinding medicine by his side, trembled. "Sanji, are you saying… Robin might have been taken and killed by an Admiral?"
Sanji flicked away his cigarette butt. "Not exactly killed, but… close enough." He leaned out the window, voice heavy with unease. "Luffy, you're just sitting on the rooftop… how long for?"
Suddenly, a dark figure slipped across the nearby wall.
"Who's there?!" Sanji's voice was sharp, alert.
A deep voice answered: "Kid, you shouldn't have tried to find me."
In a blur, shadowy hands seized Sanji's neck and yanked him out the window.
Sanji's legs kicked, scramble and fierce, but the figure was too fast.
"Well done," came a calm voice. It was CP-0 Ao Oni, wearing a mask. He held Sanji's foot with one hand, and with the other snatched at his neck, delivering a fierce blow.
Sanji's Observation Haki sensed the strike, but he couldn't counter in time. His vision went dark — unconsciousness claimed him.
With only a few moves, Ao Oni had taken him down.
"One down." He tossed Sanji aside like he weighed nothing, then pressed himself against the wall, muttering under his breath.
Before he could react further, the wall behind him split open — two swords cut through the stone.
"Your reaction speed is decent," Ao Oni observed, his voice mildly amused as he vaulted upward to avoid the slash.
Zoro stared coldly as he landed, drawing his twin blades — Yubashiri and Sandai Kitetsu — and holding Wado Ichimonji in his mouth.
Zoro growled.
Ao Oni laughed. He moved like a whisper, drifting through the air with elegant ease, dodging Zoro's strikes.
"Your slashes are good — like that kid's kicks. But still… not fast enough."
He spun through the air, closing the distance, then struck fiercely at Zoro's collarbone.
Zoro flinched at the blow, but channeled his Observation Haki. He ducked, drew Wado Ichimonji fully, and launched his Three-Sword Style: Tornado.
Swish! Swish! Swish! A whirlwind of slashes coiled around Ao Oni.
"Six Styles: Paper Arts!" Ao Oni called out. He flattened into a shape like a cicada wing, weaving through the blade storm unharmed.
"The strength is solid. But you have glaring weaknesses." He floated above Zoro's tornado, then dropped down with quiet poise.
"Six Styles: Ghost Claw Finger!"
A ghostly, glowing fingertip lunged at Zoro's shoulder — swift, precise, deadly.
Zoro froze. Taking it full force would sap his strength completely.
Suddenly Chopper roared from above:
"Bastard, what do you think you're doing to Zoro? Jump Enhancement: Hoof Print!"
Having taken a Rumble Ball, Chopper's deer hooves struck hard, slamming into Ao Oni.
Ao Oni smirked nonetheless. "Oh? This cute little pet isn't as harmless as I thought."
He flexed his muscles in a shimmer, and his body hardened instantly: Six Styles: Iron Body, his defense spiking in power.
Chopper's hoofed kick landed, sending Ao Oni crashing to the ground. But it wasn't enough to truly hurt him.
Still, Chopper's attack interrupted Ao Oni's lethal Finger Pistol blow on Zoro.
Zoro used Moonwalk to float down beside Chopper, breath ragged but determined.
"Thanks, Chopper."
Zoro wasn't bound by any misguided code of honor: if the opponent wasn't a swordsman, he wasn't compelled to duel in strict one-on-one.
Ao Oni shook off the fall, brushed the dirt from his clothes, and looked at Zoro and Chopper. He smiled — but it was a cold, calculating smile.
"I am a member of the World Government's CP-0 intelligence. I am here by order to apprehend you. Surrender now… and you might live."
Zoro narrowed his eyes at him, swords still drawn. Bits of recognition flickered in his mind.
"You're from CP-0… Government assassins?"
Ao Oni's voice was light, but his aura remained deadly:
"Call me someone who handles the dirty, dangerous missions. Spies like us don't only kill — we clean up, we vanish, we do what's needed."
He paused, then pointed upward: "Your Captain is up on the rooftop. Someone's already gone to deal with him."
"Luffy!" Zoro and Chopper cried out together, glancing upward in alarm.
"Oh, you're so gullible," Ao Oni chuckled, slipping away into a shadow.
Suddenly, a steel-hard hand emerged behind Chopper and struck the back of his neck — he collapsed.
"You two had better pass out quietly. Even the Marines' Admirals are involved this time… We can't afford failure."
---
On the distant sea, Shirogai hovered in midair, watching the fleet. He smiled at the sight of Admiral Sakazuki's stern face.
"Heh heh… for someone like me, even the Admirals come personally. What an honor."
---
In a remote stretch of sea near Water 7, under the moon's pale light, Admiral Borsalino, also known as Kizaru, stood atop the mast of the Going Merry, dressed in his yellow suit and Admirals' coat.
He sighed softly. "Can't even sleep in peace."
A shimmering purple light rippled on the beach. Another figure of Shirogai appeared, his expression calm but cold.
"Kizaru," Shirogai called, voice teasing. "Miss me after only a few nights?"
Kizaru adjusted his sunglasses, looking at Shirogai on the shoreline, his tone half amused: "Shirogai San, you wear a scary expression — like you're smiling but mad."
On the Going Merry deck, Usopp — tied up in his sleep — squirmed in fear at Kizaru's presence.
Shirogai's cold smile deepened. "Well done so far," he said, voice low.
Kizaru shook his head helplessly. "I'm only doing my job, Shirogai San. Don't blame me."
---
Elsewhere, closer to a chilly expanse of sea, Admiral Kuzan — Aokiji — sat on an ice throne, green eye-mask slipped over his eyes. He yawned lazily.
"He should've sensed me by now," he murmured. "Main body or clone, who knows. Either way, someone's ruffled."
He removed his mask, his voice steady and thoughtful: "He's coming fast. Is that him or just a copy?"
Suddenly a black-and-red flame fell from the sky, striking the ice like a comet. The ice cracked and splintered with a thunderous boom.
Aokiji's brow furrowed as the burning figure rose from the broken surface. He whispered to himself, "Someone's angry…."
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I'll be dropping a 50% discount code for my Patreon membership on the 15th, in celebration of the upcoming Christmas season.
The code will be active from that day until the end of the month.
Stay tuned