The submarine carried Lucci away, heading into the distance. It took half a day, and by evening, they arrived at an island.
The submarine surfaced, and people on the island were waiting to receive them. They carried the cage ashore and walked inland.
"It doesn't seem to be far," Lucci thought. From Water 7 to here, the ship had traveled for half a day, and the submarine had also traveled for half a day.
The cargo ship was full of goods and had a limited speed, only about ten knots. As for the submarine, when sailing on the surface with the help of its sails, its speed was only eight knots.
The speed was slow, and the distance wasn't that great.
After judging the distance, Lucci surveyed his surroundings. The island wasn't very large; based on its population, it could accommodate a small town of about two thousand people.
A small path led into the depths of the island. The trees were dense, but in some places, there were pits where trees had been dug out, not yet filled in.
Wood chips, stones, and lime were scattered along the roadside.
These were construction materials, and some hadn't sunk into the ground, meaning they had been transported here recently.
It was highly likely that this was originally a deserted island that they had modified.
In other words, this might not be their main base.
Lucci stroked his chin and looked at the road ahead. After walking a stretch, the area opened up into a clearing. Near the foot of the mountain, there was a row of two-story buildings, about one to two hundred meters wide. The buildings were some distance from the mountain range, and there was likely a courtyard behind them.
At the main entrance on the first floor stood a blue-haired woman.
Lucci had no information about her in his mind. Perhaps the intelligence department had her on record, but since it wasn't part of his mission, they wouldn't have specifically disclosed it to him.
"Take them inside," the blue-haired woman said to the group.
"Yes, Miss Doublefinger." Someone immediately replied, carrying the cage and entering the gate.
"Doublefinger?"
Lucci noted the name and observed his surroundings.
Behind the main gate was a large hall, with corridors extending to the sides. Opposite the entrance, there was another door.
After exiting the door, they found themselves in a courtyard. It wasn't very large; the walls were only about the size of the hall.
However, there was a large door on each of the side walls of the courtyard.
They carried Lucci through the door on the right and went inside, discovering a vast courtyard that stretched about four to five hundred meters long, all the way to the distant coastline.
In the courtyard lay a Giant Beast.
"It really is the Giant Beast that appeared with Robin."
Seeing its full form, Lucci confirmed its identity. He was very curious. Could Robin really be the mastermind?
"You can leave. Patrol the area around the coast and sound the alarm immediately if you detect any approaching ships."
Zala looked around, and the people nearby immediately left the courtyard.
Zala closed the door and walked up to Lucci, looking at him and saying softly, "It's a pleasure to meet you, CP9's Rob Lucci."
"Who are you?" Lucci asked Zala, his voice cold.
Zala waved her hand and said, "It doesn't matter who I am. What matters is that we have what you want."
"The blueprints for Pluton?" Lucci retorted, his gaze fixed on her.
Zala nodded. "That's right. We know the location of Pluton's blueprints. If you're willing to cooperate, we'll give them to you."
"Then you'll have to prove you have Pluton's blueprints first," Lucci said, looking at Zala. "I can't just believe you based on your word. What if you're lying?"
Zala replied, "Pluton's blueprints are not in our possession."
Lucci leaned back against the cage and said lazily, "Then there's no need for cooperation."
"Don't rush." Zala looked at Lucci. "You infiltrated Water 7 because the blueprints for Pluton, one of the Ancient Weapons, fell into Tom's hands, right? The world's greatest shipwright, the Fish-Man Tom."
"You know quite a lot." Lucci was somewhat surprised. His identity wasn't hard to discover, but knowing that Pluton's blueprints were with Tom was a very secretive matter.
Zala continued, "Iceburg is Tom's apprentice, and he is the President of the Galley-La Company. The Galley-La Company was established five years ago, and you also arrived here five years ago. So, you guessed that after Tom's death, the blueprints fell into Iceburg's hands. That's why you infiltrated the Galley-La Company and became a shipwright, aiming to obtain Pluton's blueprints. Am I correct?"
"It seems you know a great deal." Lucci's eyes became calm. She knew about Iceburg, but her words also revealed a lot. Her statement contained significant information.
First, they definitely knew Tom had Pluton's blueprints.
Second, they knew he had infiltrated five years ago.
Finally, she hadn't mentioned anyone else's name, consistently referring to "you" and focusing on him. These three points could lead to several deductions. First, based on her words, she inferred his objective from Iceburg's relationship with Tom and the time he joined the Galley-La Company.
Perhaps there was no mole, and he figured out the objective through deduction.
Secondly, they knew their objective was Pluton, yet they claimed to know Pluton's blueprints and asked if he wanted them. Perhaps Pluton's blueprints were no longer in Spade's possession. And they likely knew the whereabouts of Pluton's blueprints.
Thirdly, they might not have been aware of Kalifa, Kaku, and Blueno's existence.
So, let's consider this: it's highly probable that five years ago or sometime before, they discovered him, recognized him as CP9's Rob Lucci, and surmised he must have had some ulterior motive.
They then used Spade to deduce his objective.
Simultaneously, they found Pluton's blueprints, then found him, hoping to exchange the blueprints for cooperation.
Lucci asked softly, "So you discovered my tracks long ago?"
"Of course."
Zala smiled and said, "We discovered you years ago. We never expected the famous Rob Lucci to come to Water 7 and work as a shipwright. And to have been lurking here for five whole years. We were very curious at the time, what was Lucci doing? What was worth him spending so much time on?"
"So that's how it is."
Hearing this, Lucci's inner thoughts solidified. They had discovered him long ago and then used the duration of his infiltration to deduce his possible objective.
Lucci looked at Zala and lazily asked, "Pluton's blueprints aren't with Spade, so where are they? Tom had two apprentices, right? Are they with the other one?"
"You mean Franky? That punk leader?"
Zala smiled and said, "Of course not. Why do you think Tom would definitely give the blueprints to his apprentices?"
"You mean to say?" Lucci raised an eyebrow.
Zala said, "He gave them to someone, someone you would absolutely not expect. Whether you lurked here for five years or ten, you wouldn't find the blueprints."
"Gave them to someone else?"
Lucci frowned. She spoke so confidently, did Tom really give them to someone else? Someone he couldn't imagine, meaning he definitely couldn't get the blueprints from Spade.
Lucci looked at Zala and asked, "So you know the whereabouts of the blueprints and want to cooperate with me?"
"That's right."
Zala said, "As long as you're willing to help us, we'll naturally tell you the whereabouts of Pluton's blueprints."
"What do you want?"
Lucci looked at Zala and asked.
Zala replied, "It's very simple. We need the training techniques for the Marines' Six Powers and Life Return, and then we'll tell you the whereabouts of Pluton's blueprints."
"Six Powers and Life Return?"
Lucci's expression was one of extreme surprise, not because the reward was too great, but because it was too little.
The importance of Pluton was undeniable. As one of the Three Ancient Weapons, Pluton was something he wouldn't hesitate to obtain even if it meant lurking for five years. How great was its importance?
This was a power that could change the world's strategic landscape, and its value was immeasurable.
But there were several issues here.
Firstly, many people knew the Six Powers, not just the intelligence department, but also the Marines, and many of them were much weaker than him. Why choose him? Wouldn't it be simpler to choose someone with weaker abilities?
Fewer people knew Life Return, for example, Vice Admiral Onigumo knew it, as did CP9's Wiper.
Six Powers plus Life Return, targeting him seemed reasonable.
But the problem was, the Six Powers and Life Return were nowhere near comparable to Pluton.
Once they possessed Pluton, they would have immense deterrent power. Why would they still need the Six Powers and Life Return?
Secondly, after letting him go, if they mobilized CP9 or even higher forces to pursue them, wouldn't they suffer more losses than gains?
So they wouldn't let him go at all. That was secondary; he was willing to trade his life for the whereabouts of Pluton.
But they also wouldn't reveal the location of Pluton's blueprints to him.
Lucci asked subtly, "As long as I tell you, you plan to let me go?"
"Of course."
Zala shrugged.
"I need to think about it."
Lucci hesitated and said, "I can't make a decision right now."
"Then we'll give you more time."
Zala looked at Lucci and said coldly, "Tomorrow, you must give us your answer."
Lucci looked around and said, "So you don't plan to let me out?"
"Of course not."
Zala said, "Your strength is formidable, and we are no match for you, so please stay here. Therefore, if you don't want to stay here, you'd better tell us quickly."
"Alright."
Lucci nodded, but he had already made his calculations. It seemed the people guarding him, even with the Giant Beast, were not confident they could defeat him.
The Giant Beast was very strong in the water, its head incredibly tough, and even my strongest attacks had no effect.
However, on land, if I had the speed, attacking its weak points wouldn't make victory difficult.
Therefore, my strength here is limited, at least not comparable to my own. In that case, I don't need to think about reaching new agreements to gain a chance at survival.
Zala waved her hand and said, "I'll bring food later."
Leaving those words behind, Zala turned to leave, but Lucci called out, "Where is Robin? She should be one of your people too, right?"
"Robin?"
Hearing this, Zala stopped and looked at Lucci, asking, "You know her?"
Lucci nodded and said, "Of course. This Giant Beast used to act with Robin. Seeing it naturally means I know Robin."
"Robin?"
Zala asked with a smile, "Do you want to see her?"
Lucci said, "Yes, I'm curious about some of her actions."
"If you want to see her,"
Zala pointed at Xia Qiu and said with a smile, "then you can only be eaten by it."
Leaving those words behind, Zala turned and left, walking to a distance and bursting into laughter.
"Robin was eaten by the Giant Beast?"
Lucci heard this, looked at the Giant Beast, and was somewhat surprised.
Did she do something wrong and get punished? It seems the Marines' wanted posters have been looking for a dead person all along.
Lucci thought, looked at the Giant Beast, and shook his head.
Not long after, Zala personally delivered food, not only for Lucci but also for the Giant Beast.
Lucci ate the food with some difficulty, closed his eyes to rest, and waited for tomorrow.
The next morning, Lucci's eyes snapped open. He saw Zala walking towards him not far away.
Zala looked at Lucci and asked softly, "Have you considered it?"
"I haven't made up my mind yet."
Lucci shook his head and said, "The Six Powers are one thing, but Life Return is too important. That's a bit troublesome. If it were just the Six Powers..."
"No."
Zala said, "This trade is for both the Six Powers and Life Return."
"Alright, let me think about it again."
Lucci nodded and said, "This is a matter of great importance. Give me some more time."
"At most until noon. We have to leave at noon, either with your message or your corpse," Zala said coldly, then turned to leave.
Leave at noon?
There were five hours left. That was a bit short, but it should be doable.
Moreover, they wanted to leave with the information. Although they might not be core members of the mysterious organization, they could lead him to the core members.
That would be sufficient.
Lucci continued to wait, while Zala returned again, bringing a chair and some more food.
She handed the food to Lucci and sat down in the chair herself, flipping through a book.
After finishing the food, Lucci closed his eyes to rest, not saying a word.
Time ticked by, and Zala became increasingly impatient. She put down her book several times to ask questions, her voice growing more intense.
But Lucci just kept saying, "Wait a moment, wait a moment."
Finally, at eleven in the morning, Lucci suddenly said, "I intend to refuse."
"Refuse?"
Zala frowned, stood up abruptly, and looked at Lucci, saying, "If you refuse, there's only a dead end for you."
"That's not necessarily true."
As Lucci's words fell, with a bang, a gust of wind swept towards Zala's head.
"Huh?"
Zala immediately turned and raised her hand, crossing her arms behind her. Spikes spread out, and what was attacking from behind was a Rankyaku.
Bang.
The Rankyaku hit the spikes. The crossed arms and the extended spikes resisted the Rankyaku, and with a crack, the spikes broke.
The spikes that could easily pierce thick walls didn't last long.
But Zala used the force to leap backward, landing beside Xia Qiu and looking into the distance.
And in their original spot stood a tall woman, who had just retracted her right leg, and a tall man.
Not only that, but another figure leaped out from a door that opened in the air.
"Boss."
Seeing Lucci, the three immediately called out.
"You're too late. I almost died," Lucci said with a cold expression.
"We were delayed a bit."
The woman pushed up her glasses and said, "But now that we're here, they're the ones who will die."
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Translation by: randomtranslator.com
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