"Trash, trash..."
Nami's voice seemed like a demon's whisper, constantly echoing in his ear.
But as a member of CP9, the proud Bruno found himself unable to argue back.
Just a few minutes!
Kaku and Kalifa had already fainted from shock, losing their combat capabilities.
In contrast, these two girls were completely unharmed.
Now, with just myself alone...
Can't win, don't stand a chance!
Must escape!
He endured the sharp pain in his chest, struggled to get up, and activated "Soru".
Whoosh!
With a flash, he arrived in front of Kaku and Kalifa on the ground, reaching his arms out towards them.
But at that instant.
The figure before him blurred, and the blue-haired girl smiled as if she'd magically appeared right in front of him.
It's Soru!
Bruno's face turned even grimmer; this girl was proficient in Rokushiki too?!
"Hey."
Nojiko was within arm's reach, grinning, "At a time like this, trying to rescue your companions—aren't you... dreaming a bit too much?"
Boom!
Another blow slammed down!
In just an instant, Bruno was sent flying, crashing heavily against the wall; the injuries from this punch were more severe, and he lay sprawled on the ground, everything spinning, almost losing consciousness.
No chance to save them.
One more punch and I'd be done for here.
Bruno gritted his teeth unwillingly.
Sorry, Kaku! Kalifa!
He shakily opened his right hand, pressed it to the ground, and activated the Door-Door Fruit's ability.
Air Open!
Buzz!
The ground abruptly pushed open a large square door, revealing a green, eerie alternative space; Bruno's body, affected by gravity, instantly fell into it and disappeared without a trace.
And the door closed immediately in the next moment, the ground returned to its original appearance.
"Eh?!" Nami, sitting on the wall with her legs crossed, suddenly widened her eyes, "Where did he go?"
"Disappeared."
Nojiko chased to the spot where Bruno vanished, looking left and right, frowning, "No traces at all; how did he do it? A Devil Fruit ability?"
"It's the Paramecia-type Door-Door Fruit."
Robin furrowed her brow slightly, "The Ability User who eats this fruit can create doors at will in the air, walls, ground, etc.; creating passageways to an alternative space where people can enter and leave freely and defensively... it's a very troublesome ability."
"Wow, there's really such a cheat-like fruit?"
Nami jumped down from the wall and, a bit annoyed, kicked Kaku's long nose: "Honestly, I wanted to let him taste my Fruit Ability too, but his courage is so small..."
"Doesn't matter, having these two is enough."
Nojiko glanced at the ground, "Let's take them away, regroup with Kuina. Although these CP9 agents aren't that strong, since they are in the shadows and we are in the light, we need to be cautious and gather first. Once these two wake up, we'll see if we can get out of them whether there are more of their comrades on this island."
"Hey!"
The window upstairs suddenly opened, and a plump woman stuck her head out, complaining, "What's all this noise, do you have any consideration? It's driving me crazy!"
She suddenly noticed the cracked wall beneath, and her eyes widened, mouth agape, "My wall..."
"Sorry about that, ma'am."
Nami immediately pulled a wad of cash from her wallet and tossed it up, "Here are two hundred thousand Bellies, should be more than enough to fix this wall; the rest is our apology."
The woman caught the money, hesitated for a second, then her face broke into a smile, counting the cash, "Ah, young people today are so considerate!"
"You go ahead, continue playing, feel free to tear down the wall if you want."
The woman closed the window and disappeared from view.
Robin looked at Nami and shook her head helplessly, "You gave too much."
Even though the prices in a big city like Water Capital might be higher, fixing this wall would only cost six or seven thousand Bellies at most.
"That little money, no big deal!"
Nami smiled casually, waving her hand, "We did cause trouble for others, didn't we? So what if I gave more, once we sell those treasures, we'll have billions of Bellies again."
Brother's, is hers.
Money, there's always more to be had; such a small amount of Bellies, who would care?
...
Meanwhile.
A few hundred meters away, in a dimly lit alley.
Thud!
Bruno clumsily fell from mid-air, crashing heavily onto the ground; the piercing pain from his injuries made him groan involuntarily.
"Damn it..."
Grinding his teeth, he held his wound, cold sweat beading on his forehead, looked around to ensure no one noticed him, and began to quickly analyze his situation.
He didn't dare return to his tavern.
Even though wearing a mask, the voice and body shape likely gave away his identity.
So he could only go to that place.
"Must inform Lucci immediately!"
Bruno staggered to his feet, holding his chest, limped deeper into the alley.
"Nico Robin... and her companions... who exactly are these people?!"
...
Carrera Shipbuilding Company.
Inside the number one dock gate, in a dusty, long-unused cabin.
This place was purchased by the CP9 agents lurking in Water Capital when they first arrived as a secret meeting base.
But later, after Bruno started running the tavern, meetings naturally shifted to the tavern, leaving this place gradually unused.