In just a few seconds, Lucci made his decision.
His eyes narrowed sharply as he vanished from his spot in a flash, speeding straight toward Nami, who stood outside the wooden railing in the distance.
In his view, Iceberg was no longer important under the current circumstances.
His plan was simple: take the seemingly weakest crew member hostage first, then find a way to withdraw together with Kaku and Kalifa. Once they regrouped with the rest of CP9, they could return and finish this battle properly.
However, just as Lucci had covered half the distance—
A powerful sense of danger suddenly surged from behind him.
Will instantly appeared at Lucci's back, his eyes cold as he stared at the CP9 agent. At the same time, he pressed a hand firmly onto Lucci's shoulder, forcibly halting his momentum. Lucci couldn't advance even an inch further.
"Since you don't plan on showing me any more of your strength, this battle should end here."
"What?!"
Lucci, who had been suddenly pinned in place and rendered immobile, hadn't fully processed what was happening. But the moment he heard the voice behind him, his hair stood on end and a cold bead of sweat involuntarily slid down his forehead.
Before he could even turn around—
Bang—!
Will raised his hand and delivered a sharp chop to the side of Lucci's neck, simultaneously yanking him sideways with the same palm.
"Wah…!"
Lucci, caught off guard by the heavy blow, immediately spat out a large mouthful of blood. His forward momentum was violently interrupted, and his entire body was sent flying sideways.
——!!
After smashing through a large pile of sturdy timber, Lucci collapsed among the broken wood, clutching his neck with an extremely ugly expression.
"My neck bone… was almost shattered…"
Feeling the tearing pain radiating from his neck, Lucci's face twisted in disbelief.
He had already undergone his full transformation, greatly enhancing his physical strength and durability, yet he had nearly had his neck broken by a single strike. And from the feel of it, the opponent had only used one hand to stop him mid-Soru. Just how monstrous was this man's power?!
Lucci trembled slightly as he slowly rose to his feet, still covering his neck, his face dark as he prepared to speak.
But before he could utter a word—
Swoosh—!
Will had already disappeared again, instantly reappearing right in front of him and swinging a powerful uppercut upward.
With no time to dodge, Lucci's bloodshot eyes widened. His whole body tensed instinctively as he roared:
"Tekkai—!!"
——
A bone-chilling impact rang out.
Lucci's head snapped back violently as he spat out another mouthful of blood. His body shot upward at high speed, his eyes beginning to roll back.
"My consciousness… won't last much longer…"
Using the last remnants of his willpower to cling to awareness, Lucci finally fell powerlessly from the air, crashing heavily back into the pile of shattered wood.
As the dust quickly settled, the leopard-transformed Lucci had already reverted to his human form.
At this moment, Will had already walked over to Iceberg, a kind smile on his face.
"Alright, those annoying pests are all taken care of. Now let's continue discussing the ship order."
"Eh?"
Iceberg was momentarily stunned, then nodded seriously with a solemn expression.
"No problem at all, Mr. Will. I'll do my absolute best!"
"That's good."
Will nodded in satisfaction and began describing his more detailed ideas and concepts for the new ship. Iceberg quickly picked up the notebook that had fallen to the ground and started diligently recording everything with the pen he carried.
But just then, Nami—who had been watching the spectacle from outside the wooden railing—suddenly changed expression and turned her head sharply.
She was surprised to see several figures in black metal armor sprinting toward the money boxes.
The moment she realized their target, a fiery glint ignited in Nami's eyes. Without hesitation, she raised both hands and lightly called out:
"Wet Stream—!!"
Whoosh—!
"Hmm?!"
The armored men were first startled by the sudden gust of air. However, when they realized the Qi streams only created mild resistance and left them feeling slightly damp, with no real destructive power, they grinned and continued charging toward the money boxes. Their plan was to snatch the chests and escape by sea while everyone at the shipyard was distracted.
Nami, however, remained completely calm. Once she sensed that the men had absorbed enough moisture, she stopped the first technique and immediately released her hands again.
"Cold Stream—!!"
Whoosh—!
Two streams of Qi swept over the group, causing them to shiver involuntarily. Their running speed gradually slowed as large amounts of ice crystals rapidly formed across their bodies.
In just a few seconds, several lifelike ice sculptures stood frozen a few meters away from Nami, each one perfectly preserving the runners' original postures.
"Done!"
Nami stopped releasing her Qi, clapped her hands with a satisfied smile, clearly pleased with the combined technique's effect.
"Oh? So you can freeze people too," Will remarked, turning to look with a hint of surprise in his eyes.
Iceberg, who was standing nearby, also caught sight of the situation. Upon recognizing who the would-be thieves were, he quickly spoke up with an apologetic tone:
"Everyone, I'm truly sorry. These people… are actually subordinates of my junior brother. They usually specialize in dismantling ships and secretly take on work similar to bounty hunters. The reason they targeted you is probably because they see you as pirates, and stealing from pirates isn't considered a crime in their eyes."
Fearing he might be misunderstood, he added directly:
"I don't mean anything else by this. I simply hope you can spare their lives. In exchange, I can offer you an even bigger discount on the shipbuilding cost."
The moment she heard the cost could be reduced further, a bright glint flashed in Nami's eyes. Before Will could even respond, she smiled sweetly and answered:
"No problem at all!"
"Actually, this ice should melt pretty soon. They'll be able to free themselves and leave on their own."
"That's good to hear."
Iceberg breathed a small sigh of relief and smiled sincerely.
"Thank you very much for your understanding."
However, right at that moment—
"Buruburu— Buruburu— Buruburu—"
The ringing of a Den Den Mushi suddenly came from Nami.
"Hmm?"
Nami pulled out a Den Den Mushi that resembled Carina from her chest, lifted the receiver, and asked in a puzzled tone:
"Hello, Carina? Why are you calling all of a sudden? Did something happen on your end?"
Half an hour earlier.
Water Seven, outside a certain tavern.
Three figures dressed in black formal attire suddenly flashed into view.
Clatter.
Hearing the tavern door open, the tall bartender who had been wiping a glass slowly turned around. A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes when he saw the three newcomers, and he spoke in a low voice:
"Why did you three arrive so quickly?"
He had only just received news of the new plan and had assumed they wouldn't arrive until tomorrow. Fortunately, he had already closed the tavern early, so there was no one inside except him at this time.
Jabra pulled over a chair, leaned lazily against its back, and replied casually with his head tilted:
"Ah, it's all because of that guy. He insisted on dragging us to Water Seven today. I have no idea how someone so useless became the CP9 commander."
Bartender Blueno wasn't particularly surprised. None of them held Spandam in high regard. However, he chose not to comment and instead changed the subject:
"Since you're all here, shall we move out immediately? According to the latest intelligence, the target—'Devil Child' Nico Robin—has already checked into a high-class hotel in the city along with her companions."
"Chababa, then let's head over right now," Owl said, unable to resist unzipping his mouth as he urged them on.
Kumadori spread his hands and spoke in his usual theatrical, wobbly tone: "Yo yo yi~! I think that's quite feasible."
"Then let's go."
Jabra had no objections. He stood up indifferently.
"Wait a moment."
Blueno suddenly stopped them. He bent down and pulled out several strange costumes and masks from behind the bar, tossing them to the three men.
"The Mask Festival is about to be held in Water Seven. If you wear these, you won't stand out as much. Otherwise, if you alarm the target and cause them to flee early, it'll become much more troublesome."
After all, one sinister-looking man accompanied by a tall, burly figure with a zipper across his mouth and another with long pink hair and a pale face looked extremely suspicious no matter how you saw it.
This was also the main reason why these three were unsuited for undercover work.
Jabra and the others took the disguises and didn't object. As long as they could complete the mission quickly, it didn't matter.
Once all four had changed into their disguises, Blueno led the three out of the tavern and said in a muffled voice:
"Follow me."
Swoosh—!
Swoosh swoosh swoosh—!!!
The four figures vanished from their spots, reappearing together on the rooftop ahead before accelerating toward the higher district.
At the same time.
In the inner city area of Water Seven, outside a luxurious high-rise hotel.
Carina and Robin were carrying the girls' luggage together, while Issho and Chopper—in his large Heavy Point form—handled the rest of the items.
Seeing the tall Chopper willingly carrying more than his share, Issho couldn't help but praise him:
"You really are reliable, Chopper."
Chopper immediately blushed and replied in a slightly deepened, stubborn voice, "Even if you say that, I won't be happy!"
Issho sensed the overwhelming joy in the reindeer's heart and couldn't help but show a gentle smile.
After Carina and Robin finished the check-in procedures, the four of them took the luggage and rode the elevator upstairs together. They first delivered everyone's bags to their respective rooms before entering their own.
Robin slowly closed her door, then summoned several pale, slender arms to carry her luggage to the bedside. After dismissing the arms, she looked around the room and couldn't help but smile with satisfaction.
In the past twenty years, Robin had never experienced such a relaxed and peaceful life as she did now.
It was only after meeting Will—that powerful, decisive man who seemed capable of shielding her from every storm—that she had finally tasted true "freedom."
Robin sat down slowly by the bed and began reminiscing about everything that had happened since she joined Will's crew.
A few minutes later.
Whoosh—
A gentle breeze suddenly blew in from the side, interrupting her thoughts.
Robin turned toward the balcony, her pupils constricting sharply as she stood up at once.
The balcony door was now open, and the curtains swayed gently in the wind.
Four figures in strange costumes and masks stood silently on the balcony.
"We've finally found you, 'Devil Child' Nico Robin."
Hearing those words, Robin's expression grew solemn. She took two steps back and asked coldly, her eyes filled with vigilance:
"Who are you?"
The man wearing the bear mask spoke in a muffled voice:
"We are CP9."
"What?!"
Robin instinctively showed a trace of fear upon hearing the name.
But then, as if she had suddenly remembered something, her emotions gradually calmed. A composed smile appeared on her face as she said:
"What a pity. You really shouldn't have come looking for me."
"Hmm?"
The four CP9 agents hadn't expected such a reaction after revealing their identities. All of them were inwardly shocked.
However, before they could speak again—
In the next instant, an invisible pressure instantly enveloped the four of them. Their expressions changed drastically beneath their masks.
No matter how hard they struggled, their bodies refused to move even an inch. They couldn't even close their eyes or speak.
Clatter!
At that moment, the door suddenly opened. Carina was the first to rush in from the hallway, running to Robin's side with a worried look.
"Robin, are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
Robin smiled reassuringly, then looked at the tall Chopper and Issho as they entered together.
"You're all here."
Issho and Chopper nodded slowly in response.
Seeing that the intruders posed no immediate threat, Chopper shrank back to his small form. Issho stepped forward and spoke in a calm voice:
"We can discuss the details later. Allow this old man to deal with these intruders first."
With that, he slightly drew the cane sword from its sheath. Using the power of gravity, he pulled the four immobilized figures and sent them flying rapidly out the window. Then, he abruptly sheathed the blade.
"Hell Trip—!"
The moment the words left his mouth, the four people in mid-air felt the pressure on them double instantly. They all plummeted downward together at tremendous speed.
——!!
Accompanied by a deafening crash, the masks of all four were blown off as they each spat out a large mouthful of blood.
Although the oppressive force enveloping them gradually began to dissipate, every bone in their bodies felt as if it were on the verge of shattering.
As a result, none of the four could stand up or escape right away.
--
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