Given their unique powers, Paramecia-type users could easily slip free from confinement in ways no one could anticipate. So…
Click.
El pulled out a pair of Sea Prism Stone handcuffs he had prepared long beforehand and clamped them tightly around Blueno's wrists.
Even though Blueno was already beaten to the point of being barely able to move, it was only wise to take extra precautions against someone with such a strange and versatile Devil Fruit ability.
…
"Why hasn't Blueno sent any word back yet?"
Lucci and the others had been waiting for quite some time.
According to their usual arrangements, whether the mission succeeded or failed, Blueno was supposed to send a signal.
But now, there was nothing—which meant he had clearly run into trouble. Yet without any report from him, they had no idea what had happened or what methods El might have used.
"Something is wrong…" Rob Lucci frowned deeply.
"I thought from the start that this plan had little chance of working. It seems El and his crew were fully prepared all along."
"What do we do now?" Kalifa adjusted her glasses, a trace of nervousness in her voice.
It was impossible to stay completely calm when facing one of the most powerful pirates in the Grand Line.
Still, their duty was to serve the World Government, and often they had no choice but to proceed even when they knew the risks.
This attempt had been a bold gamble—and so far, it did not look like it had paid off. Though they were not without contingency plans.
"First, we gather information from a safe distance—do not get too close!"
As the strongest and de facto leader of this CP9 unit, Lucci made the call. With one of their own likely compromised, the safest course was to retreat first.
But before leaving, they needed to find out exactly what had occurred; after all, they would have to give a full report to their superiors.
Most importantly, they had to confirm whether Blueno was still alive.
Agents of CP9 were privy to many of the World Government's most closely guarded secrets.
To the Government, such people could not simply be abandoned—if they were to be written off, it had to be ensured they could never "leak" sensitive information.
In the past, there had been cases where similar elite agents had defected, but without exception, every single one had been hunted down and eliminated by the Government's pursuit squads.
Lucci and his team knew full well that returning to El's location was extremely dangerous. Yet they could not afford to take chances.
If Blueno had fallen into El's hands and revealed any classified information, it would spell disaster for the entire unit.
The strength of the El Pirates was one thing—but the World Government was the true, towering force that loomed over them all.
No individual or small group could stand against an organization that ruled the entire world. Lucci and his comrades understood this perfectly.
Having served the Government for so long, they knew exactly how it operated.
More than once, CP9 had been ordered to eliminate anyone who threatened its rule—including former colleagues and insiders who knew too much.
For that very reason, Lucci had to go back and confirm Blueno's condition.
This time, they were far more cautious than when Blueno had set out. Back then, they had assumed El was relaxed and off guard.
Even so, Blueno had vanished without a trace. While not the strongest in CP9, his Door-Door Fruit gave him an unmatched advantage when it came to escaping—even Lucci himself could not hope to outrun Blueno.
If even someone with such an ability had been captured, they had every reason to be wary.
Under Lucci's command, the rest of CP9 regrouped to carry out reconnaissance, determined to learn what had become of their missing comrade.
…
"As expected, Lord El was right all along," Crocodile nodded, listening to Doflamingo's sinister chuckle.
"Let no one lower their guard," Issho warned.
"Captain El's orders are clear: we do not let a single enemy slip away."
"Exactly," added Boa Hancock, the Pirate Empress.
"We follow his commands without question. None of these lapdogs of the World Government shall escape!"
From the moment he had moved against Blueno, El had already predicted how the rest of CP9 would react—and had planned accordingly. Though powerful, he was only one man.
To capture all of them without resorting to overly destructive, wide-scale attacks would require careful preparation.
After all, the World Government did not send out incompetents; CP9 agents all possessed considerable skill.
El could easily defeat them, but taking them alive without causing unnecessary damage required a solid strategy.
Now, Issho, Doflamingo, Crocodile, Hancock, and other senior officers of the El Pirates were lying in wait, ready to execute their captain's plan.
All these forces were deployed for one purpose: to ensure not a single member of CP9 escaped.
These government spies were not only strong but also masters of stealth and concealment.
A moment of inattention could easily let them slip away. If, with such a lineup, any of them still managed to flee, it would be a failure on the part of every officer present.
Whether it was Issho, who had only recently joined, or the fiercely loyal Hancock, everyone took this mission very seriously.
This was no trivial task—it was a direct confrontation with the World Government.
While El could handle such matters with ease, his crew knew they would have to work hard to match his effectiveness. After all, CP9 agents were far from weak.
They faced the same reality El had already realized: defeating these enemies was not difficult, but subduing and capturing them alive was another matter entirely.
Hancock, Doflamingo, and the others had all crossed paths with the World Government and the Marines many times before; they had plenty of experience dealing with such adversaries.
"Stay alert," Crocodile warned. "Do not let anyone slip past you."
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