In the blink of an eye, it was May, and the weather began to turn hot. At Shipyard Dock No. 1 in Water 7, a tall man was carrying a log towards a corner of the factory.
He wore a white tank top and work pants, with a white pigeon on his left shoulder.
He carried the wood to the side, set it down, then sat on a nearby crate and began looking through blueprints.
Just then, two figures walked in. One was strong, tall, and imposing, covered in muscles. The other was a young man, about twenty-two or twenty-three years old, thin, with an ugly face and messy hair.
"Lucci, he's looking for you. Says it's important," the tall man said, approaching Lucci and pointing to the other person.
"Looking for me?"
Lucci tilted his head and looked at the newcomer. The pigeon on his shoulder opened its beak, pointed at the man, and a voice emerged, "What do you need?"
"Wow, the pigeon can talk," the thin figure exclaimed in surprise.
"Cut the nonsense. What do you need?" Lucci looked at him, and the pigeon flapped its wings, speaking again.
"Oh, it's ventriloquism."
The thin figure realized the voice was coming from Lucci and lost interest. Coming to his senses, he pulled a piece of paper from his bosom and handed it to Lucci, saying, "Someone asked me to give you this."
"Oh?"
Lucci was curious. He took the paper, opened it, and looked closely.
"Huh?"
Lucci's eyes widened instantly. Written on the paper was a single line: "Rob Lucci of CP9, I know you've been lurking in Water 7 for nearly five years, all to obtain the blueprints for Pluton. Coincidentally, I know them, including the Poneglyph that records Pluton's location. If you want them and don't want your undercover mission to fail, head outside the dock now. There's a ship there with the number 4 written on it."
How is this possible...
This paper contained far too much information: his identity, his mission, and his location.
Just the mention of his identity was something no one in Water 7 knew, except his colleagues.
Even the mayor of Water 7, Iceburg, didn't know about CP9's existence, only about CP1 through CP8.
Furthermore, it knew the duration of his undercover operation, nearly five years, and the details of his mission.
Only CP0, CP9, and high-ranking World Government officials knew these things.
Not only that, but the writer also knew about the Pluton blueprints and its location.
Who wrote this note?
"Who sent you to give this to me?" Rob Lucci stood up, his eyes coldly fixed on the man opposite him.
"Lucci, what does the note say?" the burly man asked curiously.
Lucci shook his head. "Bazz, it's nothing."
"But your expression looks grim. Did something happen? I can help," Bazz said, looking at Lucci.
"Bazz."
Seeing Bazz wouldn't leave, Lucci's face darkened, and his fists clenched involuntarily. But then he said, "I can handle it. It's just a bit troublesome. You go on ahead."
"If you can't handle it, come find me," Bazz said, scratching his head before turning to leave.
"Tell me, who gave you the note?" Lucci asked the figure in front of him.
"A man. He gave me this and told me to give it to you," the youth shrugged.
"Where is that person?"
Lucci asked coldly, looking at the youth.
The youth yawned. "Probably left already."
"Take me to where you met him," Lucci said coldly.
"I can't."
The youth suddenly smiled. "There's another note. That person told me if you weren't going to head over immediately, I should give you this one."
He then pulled out another piece of paper and handed it to Lucci.
"What is this?"
Lucci frowned as he looked at the note. It read: "Mr. Lucci, please do not attempt any other actions. Please proceed to the designated location within ten minutes. Remember, you must go alone. Do not contact anyone, and do not communicate with anyone in any way. Trust me, I can see your every move. Rest assured, your safety will not be threatened in the slightest."
He can see my every move, so there must be their people around.
Lucci scanned his surroundings. There were dozens of shipwrights, most of them working. Only a few were looking at him, but it was impossible to tell if they were watching him. Moreover, if they were monitoring him, they wouldn't necessarily be staring directly at him.
Damn it.
Lucci felt the situation was tricky. He couldn't contact his colleagues and had to board the ship and leave as the other party commanded.
So, what do they want with me? What do they want to discuss? And they guarantee my safety.
What if this is a trap?
But the other party knew so much information. Just revealing this information was enough to ruin their nearly five-year mission.
Not only that, but they also knew what he wanted – the blueprints for Pluton, making it impossible for Lucci to refuse.
Coupled with Lucci's confidence in his own strength.
The mission cannot be compromised, and Pluton is too important.
We have no choice but to go and see who you people are!
Lucci snorted and walked away into the distance, leaving the No. 1 dock and heading outside.
Many sea ships were docked there, and one of them had the number 4 written on its hull.
"Is this it?"
Lucci thought as he walked towards the large ship, casually dropping two pieces of paper with his right hand. He then boarded the ship via the stairs and found many figures standing on the deck.
"You must be Mr. Lucci, right? I'm the captain of this freighter. I heard you needed passage?" a figure asked Lucci.
"Passage?"
Lucci was slightly taken aback, realizing that this ship might not know the specific identities involved. He then said, "That's right, but where are you headed? Are you sure it's on the way?"
The captain smiled and said, "We're going to the Kingdom of Daglish, and it just so happens to be on our route."
"That's right, I am heading to the Kingdom of Daglish."
Lucci nodded, walked to the ship's railing, made a gesture with his right hand, and then said no more.
This ship was a freighter, merely docked here by chance, and might not know the identity of the person looking for him. Therefore, he could only wait and see what happened.
The ship sailed off into the distance, moving further and further away from Water 7. Lucci judged the direction of travel and confirmed it was indeed heading towards the Kingdom of Daglish.
What organization was there?
Lucci pondered the information about that place. Although he had been undercover in Water 7 for nearly five years, he had still been receiving intelligence.
However, the information he received wasn't detailed. He was only informed of major events, but nothing concerning the Kingdom of Daglish.
There was no need for him to know minor details.
He hadn't found any significant changes in the Kingdom of Daglish on the newspapers either.
So why was the destination the Kingdom of Daglish?
Was that the final stop? What was the organization at the destination?
In this world, only high-ranking officials of the World Government would have the ability to know this information, but they wouldn't use such methods.
Besides them, perhaps only the Revolutionary Army could achieve this in terms of information.
Or perhaps the Four Emperors and several major pirate crews.
Lucci was contemplating the identity of the mastermind when the captain walked over and said, "Mr. Lucci, the wind is picking up. Why don't you rest in the cabin?"
Lucci glanced at the captain. He was about to refuse but then nodded and said, "Alright."
The captain led Lucci off the deck and into the cabin, entering a room. "You can rest here. We should reach the Kingdom of Daglish in two days."
"Okay."
Lucci entered the room and found it empty. He walked in, closed the door, and sat on the bed, searching thoroughly.
There was no information.
Was he being too suspicious? Was he just being asked to rest?
Lucci sat there, frowning in thought.
It seemed he would only know once he got there.
Lucci sighed and sat there to rest, but he remained constantly vigilant.
Time ticked by, and soon it was afternoon.
Lucci was resting with his eyes closed when suddenly, with a loud bang, the entire ship was violently impacted, and the hull swayed intensely.
Huh?
Lucci's body lurched violently, slamming against the side of the cabin. However, he extended a finger and pressed against the ship's planking, supporting himself.
What happened?
Lucci pushed the door open directly and went outside.
The next moment, he saw a scene that he couldn't believe.
The ship had split open.
In the middle of the passageway, the ship had torn completely in half, with only a small section still connected at the rear. But as the hull sank, it was gradually tearing apart.
And the half of the ship he was standing on was tilting and sinking into the water.
What on earth had happened?
Why had the ship split open?
Lucci observed the crack and discovered a large hole.
Based on the direction of the split and the opening, it must have been hit by something, at least a marine creature sixty to seventy meters long.
But the question was, why did the keel break? What sea fish had that much power to snap it completely?
Lucci looked confused, but as the sea ship slowly sank, he tapped his toes, his body vanishing. He instantly appeared on the deck from the broken section and looked around.
Several figures fell into the water, some in a panic, others clinging to the mast. The captain ordered the small boats lowered.
Lucci walked to the ship's edge and looked underwater, finding nothing there.
First, leave the large ship.
Lucci leaped, reaching the mast. He instantly struck out with his right hand.
Crack.
The mast fell directly into the sea, floating on the surface.
Lucci stepped directly onto the mast, steadying himself.
The crew members who had fallen into the water saw the mast and immediately swam over, clinging to it.
Lucci didn't stop them; instead, he pulled them all up.
It would be difficult to get back relying on him alone. He was a Devil Fruit user, and falling into the water would be problematic.
Lucci stood on the mast, waiting quietly.
The ship slowly sank. On the sea's surface, only a few wooden barrels, a mast, and two small boats remained.
"Captain, did you see what destroyed the ship?"
Lucci jumped onto a small boat and asked the captain.
"No, the others..."
The captain looked around. A crew member said, "I was on lookout duty at the time. I saw a dark shadow underwater that directly hit the ship."
"A dark shadow? Describe it." Lucci looked at him.
The crew member scratched his head and said, "It was entirely black. It had a dorsal fin similar to a shark's, very large. Its head was relatively big, and its tail was slender. That's all."
"Its tail was slender?" Lucci asked, confused. "Did it not have a tail fin?"
The crew member replied, "No, I'm sure of that. Looking from above, I only saw the slender shadow of its tail."
"A creature like that."
Lucci was somewhat puzzled. Most sea fish, sea beasts, and Sea Kings have tail fins.
Fish without tail fins are rare, somewhat unusual, but not unheard of. For example, eels have only a small tail fin, just a ring, making it seem like they have none.
But the problem was that sea fish of the eel order don't have such large dorsal fins.
Lucci was confused, unsure what kind of creature it was. He looked at the captain and asked, "What should we do next?"
"Let's head towards Water 7. I'll contact someone to pick us up. Besides, there are a few islands there whose locations I'm familiar with, where we can rest."
As the captain spoke, he took out a Den Den Mushi from his pocket and dialed.
But at that moment, Lucci's ears twitched. He suddenly stomped his feet, his body leaping high into the air.
The next moment, he saw a dark shadow shooting towards them from a distance. As it moved forward, its dorsal fin slowly emerged.
It was incredibly fast. Once its dorsal fin appeared, it collided with the small boat.
Splash.
The small boat shattered, and the people on board were flung out.
"It's you?"
Looking at the figure below him, Lucci recognized it: the massive ramming horn, the towering dorsal fin, and the legs on its sides.
It was the sea monster that had attacked Alabasta and then killed Vice Admiral Onigumo.
Is Robin targeting me?
With her abilities, she might be capable of this.
Lucci gritted his teeth. He stomped his legs twice in the air, his body leaping high. Then, his body expanded, transforming into a giant leopard-man, three and a half meters tall.
He clasped his fists in front of him, then inverted his body, took a deep breath, and stomped his legs in the air, shooting downwards.
Six Powers Secret Technique, Maximum Wheel Rokuogan.
This was his most powerful move, its immense power capable of piercing thick city walls.
However, this was the first time he was using this move in mid-air. The environment made it difficult to execute properly, so he could only rely on the force of his full descent to barely use it, causing considerable damage to his body.
This Sea King could kill even Vice Admiral Onigumo. He might not be its match.
Therefore, he had to use his strongest move to attack it.
Lucci descended from the sky, lunging at Xia Qiu. As he got closer, he clenched his fists and slammed them towards Xia Qiu's head.
Crush its head, kill it.
This was Lucci's only path to survival.
Boom.
His fist landed on Xia Qiu's forehead. A violent sound erupted, shockwaves scattering outwards, and the sea waves exploded.
Snap.
Lucci's arms snapped, his body sent flying high into the air. He spat blood, then slowly fell to the ground.
How is this possible?
This Sea King possessed immense strength. Although its impact was slightly less than his Rokuogan, the issue was that its forward momentum was already nearly depleted.
It had smashed through a ship, traveled a distance, slowed down, and was about to re-enter the sea.
Sensing his attack, it simply lifted its head and charged upwards.
One must understand that water provides buoyancy, but it doesn't support the body, making it difficult to exert full power.
Yet, its upward headbutt could generate such immense force. Even a large Sea King might struggle to achieve this.
Furthermore, its head was incredibly hard, harder than iron. He was confident he could shatter a block of iron, but this…
He couldn't inflict even a sliver of damage on it.
He had anticipated it would be strong, but not this strong.
How could such a powerful Sea King exist?
No wonder Vice Admiral Onigumo died.
In that case, Nico Robin must be the one trying to kill me.
But how did she learn about me? And how does she know about Pluton and its location?
She must have infiltrated the World Government, or someone betrayed me. This is a terrifying realization.
And if she truly possesses information about Pluton…
Lucci suddenly felt a sense of dread. Pluton, capable of destroying an island with a single cannonball, combined with a Sea King that even Vice Admirals couldn't contend with in the water.
Given Robin's hatred for the World Government, the World Government might face its greatest crisis ever.
Lucci tried to stabilize himself in mid-air and use Geppo to regain his footing, but he coughed up a mouthful of blood and plunged into the sea.
"It's over."
Lucci knew he was doomed. As a Devil Fruit user, he was powerless underwater. He struggled to move his arm, but he was no match for the Sea King.
His body sank downwards, awaiting death.
He had left a contingency. If he didn't show up, at least the others in CP9 would be alerted, and perhaps the World Government would pay attention to this matter.
His death could expose a massive crisis. It was a worthwhile sacrifice.
As for his own demise, it was because he was too weak.
Lucci thought, slowly closing his eyes.
However, unexpectedly, a submarine slowly rose beside him.
A submarine?
Lucci opened his eyes and stared at the submarine, finding it somewhat familiar.
The submarine surfaced, its hatch opened, and several figures jumped out, diving into the sea. They swam down, grabbed his body, and began to ascend towards the surface.
They're not going to kill me?
Once we reach the surface, I'll have a chance.
Lucci thought, holding his breath. But at that moment, the submarine submerged again, disappearing into the water. The two figures holding Lucci swam towards the top of the submarine.
They were still underwater, but towards the rear, there was a large cage.
What is this?
Lucci was confused. The two pushed him inside and locked the cage door.
Then, the submarine slowly ascended. Water drained from the cage. Once the cage was fully above the water's surface and the water had drained out, Lucci understood what the cage was.
Without the surrounding seawater, he was still completely powerless. There was no doubt about it; this cage was made of Seastone.
So they don't want me dead. Their goal is to capture me.
Lucci snorted, but then his eyes narrowed. In that case, I might not die after all.
On the contrary, CP9 might even be able to capture the mastermind behind all this.
Lucci closed his eyes, awaiting their arrival at their destination.
Where they had been, all the crew members had been swallowed by the Sea King.
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Translation by: randomtranslator.com
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