"I am as silent as an owl, thanks to my mastery of the Soru technique. My victims never notice my presence until it's too late," Elly heard a voice and turned around to see Fukurou hiding in an ally while peeking at byron.
"Stop trying to find me. You never will, not until it's too late," That was all Fukurou could say before Elly palmed her face in exasperation as she made her way behind him with a Soru step, burying the stock of her rifle in the back of his neck and kicking him towards Byron.
"Hey, Byron, you need some help? I've almost finished with my opponent," Elly said as she watched Byron swing his axe at Fukurou, who came flying at him, only for Fukurou's body to compress itself upwards, dodging the attack as he disappeared into the darkness again.
"I don't know," Byron replied with an irritated expression while watching Fukurou disappear from his sight again.
"What do you mean you don't know?" Elly said with a raised eyebrow while looking at Byron suspiciously.
"This guy has been doing nothing but hiding like a coward and monologuing this whole time. I have no idea how strong he is," Byron replied with a scowl while looking at the surrounding shadows, trying to spot Fukurou's figure.
"Are you being serious right now?" Elly asked with an incredulous expression on her face, suddenly dodging to the side as Kumadori appeared above her, holding his staff-like cue, pointing the butt of his staff at her.
"Shishi Cue, Cue, Cue," Kumadori shouted while in the air, thrusting the butt of his staff repeatedly, launching compressed air bullets with each thrust strong enough to leave holes on the stone floor. Blood still leaking from his mouth and back.
Elly continuously dodged the incoming air bullets with a mixture of her superb gymnastics and Kami-e successfully, thanks to her superior senses and budding Observation Haki. Disappearing and appearing above Kumadori, who was still in the air as she spun herself in the air and planted her foot on Kumador's back, sending him crashing into the ground.
"Stay (Thud). The (Thud). Fuck (Thud). Down (Thud)," Elly said, Stopping with every word as she stomped on Kumador's back, who was still struggling and trying to get up, to make sure he wouldn't get up again, causing him to spurt even more blood from his mouth and back with every stomp until he lost consciousness.
'Crap, Jabra and Kumador are both down already. I need to get them out of here quickly,' Fukurou thought to himself while looking at Kumadori's unconscious figure.
"Soru: Tekkai Dama," Fukurou shouted as he began spinning himself, aiming at both Elly and Byron, forcing the two of them to dodge as he stopped himself right next to the unconscious Kumadori, picking him up and throwing several cylindrical objects to the ground that exploded, releasing a thick cloud of smoke as they did.
Fukurou then threw several bombs in all directions inside the smoke and moved towards Jabra with Kumadori, flung on his shoulder, only to repeat the same process as he picked up Jabra and fled the battlefield.
"Let them go," Wilson said as he appeared next to Elly, who had her rifle pointed at the smoke while firing at the fleeing Fukurou despite the smoke hindering her vision.
"But We can't just let them go after- " Elly said, intending to protest with an annoyed expression, but she was interrupted by Wilson.
"We're not letting them go just like that after attacking us, but we need to ask Johnny what he knows about those guys before acting against them, or we might end up ruining his plans," Wilson explained while shaking his head.
"These guys used the six powers Johnny taught you a while ago. He said that those are government techniques, so we need to report to Johnny before we do anything else," Wilson concluded, his expression even more annoyed than Elly.
"Wilson is right. Even I want to go after them, especially because that bastard kept hiding and monologuing to himself the entire time, so I barely got to fight him before he fled," Byron added, his expression a mixture of amusement and irritation.
"Fine, but if we can't find them later, then it's on you two," Elly said with a pout, still not convinced, but she still trusted Wilson's judgment nonetheless.
"I'm sure Laffite can find them if quickly if we asked him when he gets back, so don't worry about it," Wilson said with a smirk as he morphed back into his human form and turned around, walking in the docks' direction with Elly and Byron behind him.
-0-
Johnny's point of view:
"Rehahaha, It took me all day, but I finally managed to get the hang of it," I exclaimed with a loud laugh while walking stiffly around the deck of the black pearl, like some sort of rusty robot, causing Bob, who was watching to sigh, planting his face into his palm as he did.
"Rehaha, Don't be like that, Bob. You have to learn to walk before you can run," I remarked with a smirk, looking at the exasperated Bob. "I only have to get used to walking normally with Tekkai active and then get used to fighting with it," I concluded, causing Bob to roll his eyes as he buried his face in his book without replying.
I kept walking stiffly for what felt like an hour until I became capable of walking normally.
That said, however, it still required obscene amounts of concentration, making the technique unusable in a fight.
I deactivated Tekkai and Kami-e, intending to wrap up the training for today, when I heard several familiar footsteps near the black pearl, causing around with a smile as Wilson, Elly and Buron made their way into the ship.
"Oh, you guys are back," I said with a smile that turned into a frown as soon I smelled the scent of blood and saw some blood staining Elly's clothes. "What happened?" I asked, frown still on my face as I made my way towards them, my eyes on the bloodstains on Elly's clothes.
"Three people attacked us, using the techniques you've been teaching Laffite and me, captain," Elly explained with a calm expression, causing my frown to become more pronounced. "But we fought them off, without trouble," she added with a smirk, causing me to calm down a little.
"That's right, they fought well, or Elly did so at least," Wilson said with a smirk. "This guy's opponent kept hiding and monologuing. They barely fought one another before our attackers fled with their tails between their legs," he added while looking at Byron, causing the latter to scowl in annoyance.
"As long as none of you were injured, then it's fine," I said with a smile. "What did you attackers look like, and why did they target you, by the way?" I asked after a minute's pause, my smile disappearing, replaced by a blank expression.
"There was a guy a fu Manchu mustache who seems to have eaten a wolf Zoan devil fruit, a tall guy with pink hair and a copper staff, who can control his hair, and finally a fat balloon-like guy with green hair and zipper for a mouth," Wilson explained with a thoughtful expression on his face, trying to come up with the best words to describe the attackers.
"As for why they targeted us? I have no idea," Wilson added while shrugging his shoulders.
"Cp9, huh?" I muttered with a darkened expression. "Ignore them for now, but stay alert just in case they strike again," I concluded with a sigh, turning around and making my way towards the captain's quarters.
"Where are you going?" Wilson asked in a confused voice as he watched me turn around, leaving without saying anything else.
"I need to call someone," I replied without turning around, still walking towards my room.
-0-
Somewhere in Kano country, in a large room with no furniture, except for several beds.
"This is all your fault, Jabra. You just had to go fight them, dragging Kumadori and me with you," Fukurou said with an angry expression while looking at Jabra, who was lying on a bed while groaning in pain.
"If news of this gets out, then our only fate would be incarceration or execution," Fukurou added, his expression still of boiling rage.
"How was I supposed- cough- supposed to know they were so strong?" Kabra asked while coughing, causing blood to spurt from his mouth.
"The report said that only their captain and the gorilla guy were a threat since they use the six powers," Jabra added with a pained expression while clutching his stomach.
"It was supposed to be an easy job, taking them out one by one and then going after their captain," Jabra added with a pained expression.
"Yea, but it wasn't easy now, was it?" Fukurou asked as he clenched his fists. "Worst of all, we weren't even ordered to attack. We were only told to keep an eye on them because that person is interested in their captain, so you can get one over Kaku and Lucci and now look at us," Fukurou exclaimed with a loud voice while pointing at Kumadori, who was still unconscious thanks to the vicious beating he received from Elly.
"I have at least five bullet holes in my back, almost half of your bones are broken, and we don't even know if Kumador is going to survive or not, and we're in danger of being disappeared by the other agents cp9 agents if they find out about this," Fukurou added, causing Jabra to lower his head in shame.
"Calm down... Fukurou," Kumadori said with a barely audible voice as he regained his consciousness at the end of Fukurou's speech. "Must… lay low... for now, keep this... a secret," He added while gasping for breath, trying to calm down his companion, and fainting again as soon as he finished speaking.
-0-
Third person's point of view:
Somewhere in the grand line, a marine battleship is cutting through the waves, chasing behind a pirate ship as the canons on the marine ship's prow continuously fired their projectiles at the pirate ship.
"Stay on their tail," Hina, who was standing in the middle of the marine ship's deck, exclaimed loudly, her gaze sharp as she locked her eyes on the pirate ship.
"If Those pirates manage to lose us, then Hina will make sure you get toilet cleaning duties for the rest of your miserable lives," She added with her usual stoic tone.
"Yes, captain. We won't let you down, captain," all the marines on the ship replied with one loud voice with smiles on their faces, seemingly in high spirits, despite Hina's threats, even as the pirate ship returned fire.
"Leave it to me, captain," ensign Obryn said confidently, jumping into the air just as Hina was about to jump into the air to deflect the incoming cannonballs herself.
He then spun himself sideways in the air with his leg outstretched to the side, catching the cannonball with his leg and deflecting it to the side of the ship.
The pirates, of course, weren't discouraged by the ensign's show of force, continuously firing their rear canons at the incoming marine ship, with Most of their projectiles missing their targets thanks to the superb steering of the marine ship's helmsman. The others being deflected by ensign Obryn until a cannonball managed to hit the pirate ship's mast, breaking it in half and forcing it to a halt.
"You know the drill," Hina remarked as the marine ship came to a stop near the pirates' disabled vessel. "Board the pirates' ship and subdue them. Hina will feed the bodies of anyone who dares to die here to the fish," she concluded as she spat her cigarette on the ground, stomping it and boarding the pirate ship before any of her subordinates could even nod.
It didn't take long for the battle to end with most of the pirates lying on their ship's deck wriggling in agony, being bound by black metallic rings, while most of the marines were unscathed, only a few of them suffering slight injuries.
"Get those pirate scum to the holding cells, haul all of their supplies to our ship, and make the preparations to sink this ship," Hina ordered with a calm voice while watching her subordinates busily moving to and fro between the two ships.
"Perurururu," Hina heard a ringing tone coming from her pocket, causing her to frown as she picked up her personal transponder snail. "You have your instruction. I'll be in my the captain's quarters if you need me," Hina remarked as she jumped back into her ship, making her way towards her quarters.
"Yo, Hina. It's been a while," came Johnny's voice from the transponder snail as soon as she picked up the call.
"Johnny? What do you want? Hina is currently busy," Hina asked in a stoic tone.
"How cold. To think you would treat me so coldly after having your way with me. Johnny's heart is breaking," Johnny replied jokingly, his tone that of mocked hurt.
"Cut the crap, Johnny. Hina is really busy," Hina replied with a sigh, rubbing her forehead in exasperation, but there was a slight smile on her lips.
"Fine. I'm calling on that favor you owe me," Johnny replied, his tone turning serious as he spoke.
"So quickly? What do you need?" Hina asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I'm currently in Kano country, and three cp9 agents attacked my crewmates. Can you find out why cp9 is targeting us and by whose orders?" Johnny explained his tone, becoming especially cold when he asked about the person giving the order.
There was an entire minute of silence as Hina's mouth widened in shock at Johnny's words, causing the cigarette to fall from her mouth.
"Are you serious? If you're joking, then you should stop Johnny because this isn't a laughing matter," Hina stated with a frown, hoping against hope that Johnny was indeed joking.
"I'm dead serious right now. Those cp9 agents went after my crewmates, Hina," Johnny said slowly and calmly, trying to clarify that he isn't joking.
"Fine. Hina believes you, but this kind of information is above Hina's pay grade," Hina remarked with a sigh, her tone very bitter. "Hina will have to ask one of Hina's superiors about this," she concluded.
"So, Will you do it?" Johnny asked, his tone neutral, not showing any emotion.
"Hina will do it. Don't do anything reckless until Hina figures out what's going on," Hina stated after a couple of seconds in thought.
"Thank you, Hina. I'll owe you one," Johnny replied, his tone seemingly pleased.
Hina tried to explain that he wouldn't owe her anything because she was keeping her part of the bet, but Johnny had already hung up, causing her to sigh.
-0-
Johnny's point of view:
I sighed as I put the transponder snail down, feeling the urge to hit something as I stood up and made my way to the black pearl's deck.
"Hey, captain," came a voice from my side as soon as I left the captain's quarters, causing me to turn around and see Laffite, who was leaning on the railing of the ship, seemingly waiting for me.
"Oh, your back Laffite. How did things go with Don Chinjao?" I asked with a smile, trying to hide my irritation.
"Don Chinjao is currently on an expedition to the grand line, but I managed to meet up with his grandson Boo," Laffite said with a smile. "He informed me of his grandfather's departure himself and that we'll have to ask Chinjao himself for a meeting when he gets back," he concluded.
'Just great,' I thought to myself with a sigh.
"More importantly, I hear that Wilson and the others were attacked earlier today," added with a probing tone.
"That's right. I know I've been throwing a lot of work on you lately, but I'm going to have to ask you to find the people who attacked them and keep an eye on them," I said with a sigh. "But do that in the morning, after you're well-rested," I added with an apologetic voice.
"I don't mind, captain, so leave it to me and don't worry about it," Laffite said while smiling assuringly, his tone filled with confidence, causing me to nod with a smile as he turned around and left, making his way towards his room.
'Why can't that air-headed gorilla learn something or two from Laffite?' I thought to myself while shaking my head.
-0-
Third person's point of view:
At Marine ford, inside the fleet admiral's office, Fleet admiral Sengoku can be seen sitting behind his luxurious wooden desk, going through various reports with a tired expression on his face.
'That bastard Garp actually did the smart thing for once by declining promotions,' The fleet admiral thought to himself with a forlorn expression as he stopped working for a second to heave a long, tired sigh.
'All those years I spent fighting dangerous pirates and criminals didn't kill me, but all of this paperwork will definitely be the end of me,' He thought as he closed his eyes, remembering his younger days in the field with a smile that quickly turned bitter as soon as he opened his eyes and saw the mountain of paperwork stacked on his desk.
Sengoku sighed again as he opened the drawer on his desk, intending to take out a pack of fried rice crackers he stashed there earlier to indulge in them and forget about his problems for a minute or two.
"GAAAAAAARP,' Sengoku exclaimed loudly enough for his voice to reverberate all over the Marine ford when he opened the drawer, only to find it empty.
Merely seconds after Sengoku's rage-fueled exclamation, a smirking Garp entered his office with an opened bag of fried rice crackers, devouring them shamelessly as he did.
"Do you need something from me, Sengoku?" Garp asked with a shit-eating grin as he took a handful of fried rice crackers and stuffed them in his mouth, chewing on them remorselessly while looking the enraged fleet admiral in the eye.
"Don't play stupid, Garp," fleet exclaimed while pointing his finger at Garp accusingly. "How many times have I told you to stop stealing my fried rice crackers," Sengoku added, his tone showing more and more anger as Garp kept eating without giving him any attention.
"Don't be so mad. I'm sure you can buy as much as you want with how much the world government is paying you as a fleet admiral," Garp said with a bored expression while picking his ear with his pinky.
"Just because I can buy more doesn't give you the right to steal my snacks, Garp," the fleet admiral kept shouting, but Garp kept eating the crackers, seemingly uninterested in what he had to say.
"In the first place, what kind of marine hero steals his superior's snack? Marine hero, my ass. You're just a cracker thief," Sengoku then proceeded to scold Garp for an entire minute, only stopping when he noticed the vice admiral's lack of response.
"Don't fall asleep while you're being scolded, you bastard," The fleet admiral shouted, veins bulging in his forehead as he took a stabler and threw at Garp's face, hitting right in the nose and waking up the dozing vice admiral.
"You're still talking?" Garp asked blearily with an annoyed expression as he made his way to a cabinet in the room, opening it and taking out another pack of fried rice crackers.
Looking at this scene, Sengoku was about to lose his patience and lunge at Garp to punish the vice-admiral for stealing his snacks, but he forcefully calmed himself down as he heard one of the transponder snails on the table ringing.
"Report Captain Hina," the fleet admiral said with a calm voice after taking a deep breath as he watched Garp take a seat, opening the cracker packet and stuffing crackers into his mouth.
"Oh, is that little Hina? Tell her I said hi," Garp said with a beaming smile after he heard Sengoku speak, causing the latter to send him a dirty look without replying.
"Greetings, sir. Hina is calling about a somewhat sensitive issue," Hina replied with her usual stoic tone, causing the fleet admiral to frown while Garp didn't seem to be interested. "Do you wish for Hina to speak now, or would you like for Hina to wait until you go somewhere more private?"
"It's ok. Speak freely, captain Hina," Sengoku said after taking a look at Garp.
"Yes, sir," Hina said and paused for a minute, trying to figure out the best way to pass the headache Johnny threw into her lab to the fleet admiral.
"Do you remember the bounty hunter in west blue, Johnny silver hand that you asked Hina to investigate a while ago, sir? The pink-haired captain asked, her tone hesitant.
"I do. Like I said, speak freely, captain Hina. There's no need to hesitate," Sengoku replied with a patient tone, but his frown deepened as his sixth sense predicted a new headache.
"Isn't that the brat you mentioned some time ago?" Garp asked while stuffing a cracker in his mouth. "Is he causing trouble already?" the vice-admiral asked with a smirk while chewing his food, but Sengoku kept ignoring him, causing him to pout as he stuffed more crackers into his mouth.
"As you know, Hina has lost a wager against him, causing Hina to owe him a favor," the pink-head remarked, taking a deep breath. "He contacted Hina several minutes ago, asking me to find out why several cp9 agents attacked his crew in Kano country," Hina explained quickly with one breath.
Hearing Hina's words, the fleet admirals' face darkened as he found himself speechless for an entire minute, and even Garp stopped eating, his hand holding a cracker near his open mouth coming to a halt, but he shrugged it off and kept eating after merely one second.
"Are you sure he's been targeted by cp9 agents?" Sengoku asked after gathering his wits, his expression still darkened by the revelation.
"Hina's very sure, sir. Johnny would not make such claims unless he's certain about them." Hina replied with no signs of hesitance in her voice.
"Do you know what happened to his companions that the cp9 agents attacked?" Sengoku asked
"He did not tell Hina what happened to them, but Hina imagines they managed to fight the cp9 agents off somehow," the pink head replied.
"What makes you say so? Cp9 agents are all cold-blooded killers, trained to be assassins since they were children," Sengoku asked in a confused tone, seemingly bewildered at Hina's words.
"That man would not bother with asking Hina to find out what's happening if his companions were killed or seriously injured," Hina explained with a sigh. "He would have found them and dealt with them himself if that was the case," she added, her voice a mixture of many complicated emotions.
"I understand. I will have someone look into this matter and inform you of my findings, depending on how sensitive the conclusions will be," the fleet admiral stated with a grave voice. "Until then, you are not to mention this matter to anyone. Dismissed," He ordered, hanging up the call with a sigh.
"And you wonder why are so short-staffed compared to the increasing number of pirates swarming the seas?" Garp asked in a leisurely tone as he watched the gleet admiral hang up the call and put down the transponder snail.
"I don't have time for your nonsense Garp, so make yourself useful and go tell vice-admiral Tsuru to come to see me here," Sengoku said while sending the vice-admiral another dirty look as the latter got up, making his way outside his office and not forgetting to raid another one of his fried rice crackers stashes on his way out.
-0-
Johnny's point of view:
It's been an entire week since I called Hina, and I didn't hear anything back from her, causing whatever patience I had to fade away with each passing day.
Even now, I feel my patience fading little by little with every step I take as I pace around my room. The very idea that the people who attacked my crewmates are so close to me and I can't do anything about them is driving me insane, no doubt because of the vengeful perk.
I've tried to vent my anger, which I had been barely able to keep hidden from everyone except Wilson so far, by training, going on a rampage, and catching almost all wanted people in Kano country. I even occasionally went diving deep into the sea, brutalizing all unsuspecting sea monsters I came across.
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
"Captain, that Obbi guy is back again, asking for a cut of bounties you've claimed," Came Laffite's voice from outside of my room's door.
"Tell him to fuck off," I exclaimed with an impatient voice. "Better yet, make him disappear tonight. I have no patience to deal with that piece of trash right now," I concluded while trying to calm myself.
"Take Kozue with you while you're at it. She should be able to move by now, and she should be able to make his disappearance untraceable to us," I added after taking a deep breath, finally calming down a little.
"Will do, captain," Laffite replied, and I could barely hear his footsteps as he turned around to leave even with my enhanced hearing.
I spent several more minutes trying to calm myself after Laffite left by meditating without much success, causing me to get up with a sigh, intending to massacre a sea monster or two to vent my frustrations since most wanted people in Kano country have already fled the island, or they're hiding so well even Laffite can't find them.
I, however, had to stop just as I was to open my door's room and go outside as I heard my transponder snail ringing, causing me to hastily pick it up and answer the call while making my way towards a chair to sit.
"Hello, Johnny. This is Hina," Came Hina's voice from the transponder snail as it morphed to resemble her Likeness.
"Do you have something for me, Hina?" I asked impatiently as soon as Hina stopped talking, even forgetting to greet her back.
"Hina managed to get some information. Are you alone?" the pink-haired marine asked, her tone hesitant.
"I'm all alone. You can talk," I replied, trying to prepare myself for whatever Hina was about to tell as I was very sure that it would be bad news since even the cp9 were involved.
"There are two probable reasons for the cp9 to target you," Hina said with a grave voice. "The first one is that a recording of you singing reached Mariejois somehow, and one of the celestial dragons said that he would be happy if he had a slave who can sing like you," she explained her voice a mixture of strain and disgust.
"A celestial dragon, you say?" I asked in an icy voice. "They attacked my crew because some fat pig in a bubble wants a slave who can sing?" I asked, my grip tightening around my chair's armrest, causing it to fracture and splinter, groaning as it exploded in my hand.
"Cal down, you fool. Do you want to get us both killed by saying such things?" Hina replied quickly, with some panic in her voice.
"Don't do anything stupid. Besides, the cp9 agent could be targeting you because the marine's SSG (special science group) is interested in your mechanical arm," she added quickly, trying to calm me down.
"Don't worry. I know what I have to do now," I replied to Hina, my voice still cold but calmer nonetheless. "Getting this information can't have been easy, so thank you, Hina. I owe you a big one." I added, hanging up as I got up and made my way outside.
"Wilson, you stay on the ship and don't go anywhere today," I said as soon as I came out of my room and spotted Wilson. "That goes for you two as well, Elly, Byron," I added as I turned to look at the other two.
"Fine, but where are you going with a face like that?" Wilson asked while pointing at my scowling expression.
"I'm going to make some people regret the day they were born," I replied without stopping as I made my way to the railing and jumped off the ship, not waiting for Wilson to say anything else.
-0-
Third person's point of view:
Kano country, inside the cp9 Hideout, the three cp9 agents were standing together, Kumadori and Fukurou staring at Jabra with a frowning expression as he yelled into a transponder snail.
"What the hell do you mean we are to be relocated?" he exclaimed with a loud voice as he brought the snail close to his mouth, spraying its face with his saliva.
"You heard me, agent," replied an icy crisp voice from the other end of the call. "Not only did you act on your own against a person of interest, but you also alerted him to your presence and the growing interest in him," the voice added in a tone that didn't accept any arguments.
"The only thing you've accomplished is alerting the target to our interest, compromising yourselves, and making future attempts that much more difficult," the voice explained with a patient tone. The words he spoke, however, seemed to be anything but that.
"The only reason we aren't sending other agents to erase the shame you've caused on the cp9 is that you still haven't completed your mission, and we are currently short-staffed with the others assigned their own missions," the voice added, his tone growing colder and colder as he spoke.
"So you better complete your mission with flying colors and hope that the people up top are impressed enough to spare your miserable lives," the voice concluded, hanging up the call and leaving the trio looking at each other with concerned frowns.
"How the hell did news of this get out so fast," Jabra asked with a scowl. "I know none of us told anybody, so how the hell did the higher-ups know about it so fast?" he added with an expression that was a mixture of anger and concern.
"It can't have been you flapping that big mouth of yours again, Fukurou, can it?" Jabra asked while looking at the green-haired humanoid ball, which was Fukurou.
"That's impossible. You had my zip my mouth this entire week-" Fukurou replied as he unzipped his mouth. "-and I haven't opened it even once this entire week," he concluded, zipping his mouth again as he did.
"YOYOI. It doesn't matter who did this. I will take responsibility and commit seppuku right this instant," Kumadori Exclaimed with his hand in front of his face while jumping on one leg, causing the other two cp9 agents to smack him on the head. "Now is not the time, you idiot," they shouted with their fists on his head.
"YOYOI. If that is the case, then there is no longer a need to continue this pointless argument," Kumadori remarked with a nod. "We must hurry up and leave this island to complete our mission, hopefully well enough to keep our lives," he added, causing the other two to nod while sighing.
"However, meeting my mother in heaven does not sound like a bad idea, so feel free to continue arguing if you wish," the pink-haired cp9 agent added after a minute's pause, causing the other two's eyes to twitch.
"That can be easily arranged," Came a voice from outside as one of the room's walls exploded into countless pieces, revealing Johnny's scowling face as he burst into the room, rushing towards the trio.
-0-
Johnny's point of view:
Earlier:
"So this is where those bastards are hiding," I murmur to myself while looking at an unassuming building with very few windows compared to the surrounding building with what little windows it had closed shut.
'I've waited this long, so might as well figure out what they're up to before I get to it,' I think to myself as I disappear from the rooftop I'm standing on, only to appear near the cp9 hideout leaning my back on the wall and straining my senses.
'It seems that they're talking to their superior,' I think as I close my eyes, focusing on my hearing instead.
"It looks like they weren't acting on anyone's orders," I murmured to myself as the conversation between Jabra and the person on the other line of the transponder snail ended.
'It doesn't change what I'm here to do anyway,' I concluded, channeling the impact fist technique through my body.
"However, meeting my mother in heaven does not sound like a bad idea, so feel free to continue arguing if you wish," I heard Kumadori's voice from the other side of the wall, causing me to scowl as I punched the wall, shattering it to countless pieces.
"That can be easily arranged," I remark as I rush into the room, channeling the impact fist again and lunging at Jabra, who quickly activated his Tekkai Kenpo as soon as the wall shattered.
I held Jabra's face with one hand to make sure he wouldn't go flying and buried my fist in Jabra's abdomen as soon as I reached him, the shock wave caused by my punch going through his defenses and injuring his internal organs that were still recovering.
I then slammed him to the ground, with the back of his head impacting the wooden floor, shattering it into pieces and immobilizing him for now as Kumadori shouted, "Shishi Kebab," hurling a fireball at me, which hit me in the back, but I shrugged it off thanks to my heat resistance cyber ware enhancement.
"Soru: Iron ball," Fukurou shouted in a hurried tone as his body turned even more round, launching himself at me as he spun in the air.
It took me a mere fraction of a second to calculate his trajectory and movement pattern thanks to my enhanced vision and enhanced brain processing power, so I took two steps forward, my left arm snaking its way towards the spinning Fukurou's collar, gripping it and forcing his motion to a halt.
I then slammed him on top of Jabra in an over-shoulder throw, channeling another impact fist and releasing it with my hands on his chest, immobilizing him as well and causing Jabra, who was beneath Fukurou, to faint.
Looking at this scene, Kumadori hurriedly lunged at me, the butt of his staff pointed at me as he held like a billiard's cue, continuously thrusting it at me and releasing a compressed air bullet with every thrust.
I quickly drew my sword, deflecting the air bullets as I charged at Kumadori as well, causing him to frown and shout, "Lion Finger Gun."
Kumadori's hair became longer and morphed into countless hands with their fingers pointed at me, releasing even more air bullets as he thrusts them all in my direction.
I naturally could not deflect such an ungodly amount of projectiles, causing some of them to hit me, doing absolutely no damage thanks to my tough, cyber ware enhanced exterior and Tekkai technique that I learned to move while activating earlier this week.
"Zekku (absolute void)," I murmured, feeling my consciousness being drawn into Satori's blade, leaving me unable to think of anything but the most optimal way to swing it as my hands moved on their own, slashing Kumador's torso leaving a red gash that extended from his chest to the upper area of his stomach.
"I have questions, and you will answer them," I stated while looking at Kumadori collapsing next to Fukurou and Jabra, bleeding profusely and staining the floor red with his blood as he fell.
"You won't get a single word out of my mouth," Fukurou said as he unzipped his mouth and zipped it nack again after he finished speaking.
Jabra didn't say anything since he was unconscious while Kumadori tried to say something, but only blood came out of his mouth.
I raised an eyebrow in bemusement at Fukurou as I kneeled down next to him and unzipped his mouth. "Why did you attack my companions?" I asked in an icy tone.
"Don't look down on me. I'm the tight-lipped Fukurou, lover of gossip," Fukurou said while looking me in the eye challengingly. "There is no way I'll tell you that we've attacked your friends, so we'd have less trouble when we go after you," He added, causing me to sigh in exasperation and Kumadori's body began twitching on the ground.
"I see. If you're not going to answer that question, then it can't be helped. I'll just have to ask you a different one," I remarked in a mocking tone as I watched Kumadori's body twitch even more intensely, seemingly trying to say something but only making grunting noises.
"Why do you want to go after me?" I asked as I turned my face to look at Fukurou again.
"As I've said, you should give up already. There is absolutely no way I'll tell you that Jabra wanted to go after you because a cp0 agent promised him a promotion if he managed to capture you alive," Fukurou exclaimed, his eyes filled with resolve and his tone unfaltering to the point where even I would have been moved if he wasn't telling me everything.
"I see. You're a tough nut to crack, but you'll break eventually," I remarked with a blank face, barely holding my laughter at this scene, even forgetting my earlier rage.
"Why does the cp0 agent want me captured alive?" I asked the green-haired humanoid ball again after a second's pause to compose myself.
"I don't know, and even if I knew, I wouldn't tell you that I think it has something to do with the celestial dragons or the SSG since they are the only ones able to make them move," Fukurou replied, his tone challenging and his eyes unflinching as they met my own.
"So you won't crack until the end?" I asked as I heaved a purposefully long sigh of disappointment. "Then there is no point in asking you any more questions since you will now answer," I added while shaking my head with a defeated expression on my face.
"Then, that only leaves deciding your fates on today's schedule."
-0-
"Then, the only thing left on today's schedule is deciding your fates," I remarked, watching Fukurou paling, Kumadori halt his twitching, and even Jabra chose this moment to regain consciousness.
"Deciding our fates- cough - don't make me laugh," Jabra said, coughing blood as he did while clutching his chest. "We're already dead. Our only hope of survival was to complete our mission without any further complications," the wolfman added his expression a mixture of pain and resignation.
"And now that's impossible since news of this defeat would reach the higher-ups somehow, like our earlier defeat," he concluded while looking me in the eye, making it clear that I should hurry up and kill him.
"I see," I said, getting up and kicking Fukurou and removing him from Jabra. "Then die," I stated as I drew my gun and put a bullet between his eyes that were stubbornly looking at me to the very end.
"Do you two wish to die as well?" I asked while looking at the Fukurou and Kumadori, only to be met with silence from them, with Kumadori struggling to turn himself around to lie on his back.
"No matter what you do, the world government will try to erase you as soon as you finish your mission," I remarked while lighting a cigarette as I kicked Kumadori, giving him a helping hand (or a foot in this case) and turning him on his back.
"You know this as well as I do," I stated while watching Fukurou crawl his way to sit in front of Kumadori protectively. "But your fates aren't in the world government's hands. It's in my hands," I added with an amused smile while looking at Fukurou and Kumadori, who were listening intently to my speech in silence.
"Unlike the higher-ups of the world government, I'm a very reasonable man. You only need to ask for a chance to live, and I'll give it to you," I concluded with a smirk as the two's expression began shifting rapidly, seemingly very conflicted.
"What do you want?" Fukurou asked with a resigned tone of voice after exchanging several meaningful glances with Kumadori.
"Those are not the magic words, my rotund friend. Why don't you try again?" I replied, my smirk becoming more pronounced.
"We would like to live. Give us a chance to live!" Fukurou said through gritted teeth, his body tensing, only to lose its tenseness as when he finished his sentence.
"Still a little lacking, but beggars can't be choosers, I guess," I replied in a leisurely tone. "The way I see it, the world government will try to erase you one way or the other, so why not work for me instead?" I added with a smirk.
"You want us to join your crew?" Fukurou asked suspiciously with a raised eyebrow.
"Rehahahaha, Hell no. I don't take weaklings and government dogs on my ship," I stated with a laugh. "And you two check both boxes," I added with a shrug after I stopped laughing.
"We're not weaklings. It's you who is a monster," Fukurou shouted with an outraged expression and a loud tone.
"Why thank you," I replied with a beaming smile. "Anyway, what I want you two to do is join The baroque works organization, and provide me with whatever important information you come across about both the grand line and organization itself," I explained while looking at their expression that shifted with every word I spoke.
"What about the world government? Won't the higher-ups notice something and send people after us?" Fukurou asked with a frown, seemingly contemplating my offer.
"That's simple. Pretend you're still doing the mission and disguise yourselves when you infiltrate the Baroque works and make up some bullshit to report to the government when they contact you," I replied with a shrug while looking at Fukurou like he was an idiot.
"What about Jabra? What happens when they ask about him, and what should we do when they discover that we're lying?" Fukurou asked again while pointing at the dead Jabra.
"If they ask about Jabra, then tell them he went rogue and ran away, you wouldn't have any problems convincing them of that since he's the one who started this entire farce," I replied while pointing at Jabra's body as well. "And when they find out you've been lying, then the organization of the Baroque work is the perfect hiding place," I explained in a leisurely tone. "As long as you hide yourselves, well, that is."
"No matter how good a hiding place we find, we'll eventually be found," Fukurou replied while shaking his head.
"You won't have to stay there forever, only two years, which is how much time you need to finish that so-called mission anyway," I said with a wolfish smirk, causing Fukurou's eyes to widen in shock.
"How do you know that?" the green-haired agent asked, his shock visible on his face, and I merely replied with a bemused grin. "Fine. Never mind then," he added a second later, after seeing my expression.
"We accept those terms. No, we don't have any choice but to accept those terms," Fukurou said with a resolute tone after exchanging a glance with Kumador in what seemed to be a silent conversation.
"Then get a doctor to look at your wounds or something and contact me on this number when you leave the island," I said as I got up, turning around and throwing a small piece of paper on the ground.
"Oh, and just in case you two think of double-crossing me," I added without turning around while walking toward my improvise entrance (The wall I exploded earlier) as I took out a transponder snail and pressed the red button on its shell.
"Don't," I concluded with an amused voice as the transponder snail began playing the conversation we just had.
-0-
Later at night.
I sigh in content as I slump into the black pearl's railing, leaning on it and taking out my whisky bottle to indulge in as I do.
After venting most of my frustrations at the cp9 agents and Killing Jabra, the piece of human waste who started this whole situation, I'm finally able to relax now.
Even though it was Jabra's reckless actions that alerted me to the situation early, allowing me to begin planning ahead of time to get on top of any similar circumstances in the future, he still had to die.
But I wasn't satisfied, as the main reason for all of this situation. A fat pig in a fancy space suit is still living in Mariejois, enjoying his life without a care in the world.
I shake my head as I take a sip of whisky, pushing down the urge to climb the red line and doing something similar to what Fisher Tiger did in the past.
"I'm not nearly strong enough to do something like that. I need to focus on my plans and become strong for now, but one day...," I murmur to myself with an inaudible voice while smiling, the image of a burning Mariejois appearing in my head as I did.
"What did you say, captain? And your smile kind of felt scary for a moment, just now," Elly said, causing me to stop thinking about all the different ways a celestial dragon would squeal when I finally get the chance to beat one of them to death.
"Nothing important, just thinking about something fun," I replied with a smile as I turned around to look at her. "More importantly, give me my hat back. I just lent it to you when I went to meet with Hina," I said while looking at my hat that was resting on Elly's head.
"No," Elly replied with one word, causing my eyes to twitch. "What do you mean, no? That's my hat. Hurry up and give it back," I said with an exasperated voice.
"No means no," Elly replied again, looking at me like I was an idiot. "You..., fine. You can keep it for now, but you'll have to give it back sooner or later," I said with a defeated sigh when I noticed Laffite and Kozue coming back to the ship.
"Welcome back, you two. How did it go?" I asked as I turned to look at the two as they jumped aboard the ship. "It looks like someone called Obbi had too much to drink on while moon gazing on a rooftop and fell headfirst into the ground, breaking his neck and dying in the process," Kozue replied with a smirk.
"I see, what a shame," I remarked with a blank expression as I leaned my head backward, taking a big mouthful of whisky into my mouth and swallowing it promptly.
"You guys did well, go get some rest," I added with a smile, causing Laffite and Kozue to smile as well as they turned around to mingle with the rest of the crew.
Laffite went to drink with Wilson while Elly took Kozue's hand and led her into the lower decks to do god knows what females do in private, causing me to shrug as I made my way to my room to call it a day and get some shut-eye.
-0-
It has been three weeks since I've dealt with the cp9 agents and one month, give or take a couple of days, since we came to Kano country, and Don Chinjao finally returned to the island yesterday.
I've spent this time training my conquerors Haki on a small island Laffite discovered nearby that was swarming with all manner of beasts while drilling Byron and Elly in the six powers in my free time, with Wilson or Laffite taking over when I was away.
Elly had finally managed to master Rankyaku, and she can perform at least three air steps before she has to land again for a couple of minutes when it comes to Geppo, while Byron is now in the same place Elly had been when we left Ballywood kingdom.
He managed to learn Tekkai, Shigan, and Kami-e very quickly, but he seemed to struggle with learning Soru as he couldn't figure it out until the end of the month, and he is now struggling, even more, to master Rankyaku and Geppo.
Wilson was being Wilson, disappearing once in a while to do some more secretive training that he refused to share with us, only saying that it's related to his original full-gorilla form.
Bob was also being Bob, being a lazy bastard and not doing any training as he sat on his ass, cooking and reading books all the time, but I didn't mind. That shitty cook always felt like he was holding back his power, hiding for some reason.
Laffite was very interested in my Impact Fist and asked me to teach him the technique after hearing about Kumadori's fighting style, saying that he had an idea about mixing the Impact Fist with Shigan and other things to come up with something very destructive.
Kozue was only interested in Tekkai, kami-e, and Geppo, and she managed to learn the first two and is beginning to master mixing them to achieve mobility with Tekkai active before she learns Geppo.
As for me, well, I spent the first week trying to recall the feeling of unleashing my Conquerors Haki during battle and became able to release it successfully once in every three to five attempts, until the end of the month at which I was able to do it at will, but I couldn't control at as it affected everyone within its range.
Fukurou and Kumador had also left Kano country and made their way to the grand-line as soon as their wounds healed about a week ago, contacting me and asking me about further instructions before they did.
And this brings us to this very moment. I am now leaning on the black pearl's railing, holding a newspaper and reading with a smile as I do.
"Portgas D Ace, captain of the spade pirates, huh?" I murmur while reading the news about him, defeating Ensign Isuka of east blue, causing him to get a bounty of twenty-five million.
'It looks like he already left Sixis island with Masked Deuce and ate the Mera-Mera fruit, but it doesn't look like he's in the grand line yet. I wonder if we'd bump into him in the future,' I think to myself with a smirk.
"I didn't think that you were this kind of person, captain. To think you'd look at a picture of a man with such a lewd smile, how perverse," Kozue said as she made her way near me and took a look at the newspaper in my hand.
"The only perverted thing here is your thinking, begone pervert," I reply with twitching eyes as I plant my fist at the top of her head.
"So you would even strike a lady such as myself. You are indeed a wicked rogue, captain," Kozue said while rubbing her head.
"Rehahahaha, I'm a believer of true equality between genders. I'll smack anyone in need of smacking regardless if they were a lady or a not," I stated with a smirk as I spread my arms to the side for dramatic effect.
"Besides, you're a pervert and not a lady, so you're fair game either way," I added with a grin, causing Bryon to chuckle only to cover his mouth and look away after Kozue sent him a dirty look.
Kozue tried to say something back, but Laffite interrupted her. "Captain, it's time to meet with Don Chinjao," he said promptly as soon as he appeared out of nowhere, causing Kozue to swallow her words and me to nod carelessly with a shrug.
In the past couple of weeks, I've come to the conclusion that I was putting too much weight and importance into this meeting with the old geezer because it's the first time I was so close to accomplishing one of my long-term goals, which blinded me to other solutions that would have been obvious if I wasn't so anxious.
"Wilson, Laffite, and Kozue, you're with me. The rest of you stay on the ship," I ordered while removing myself from the railing, tucking Satori and my gun in my belt as I did.
Hearing my words, everyone nodded except for Elly, who pouted instead as she wanted to tag along, but she refrained from objecting, causing me to smile and nod at her in approval.
"Lead the way, Laffite," I ordered, causing Laffite to nod with a smile as he jumped off the ship, causing Wilson, Kozue, and me to follow after him.
It didn't take us long to find ourselves standing in front of a giant pagoda-like building as one of the guards stationed at the pagoda's gate approached us. "State your identity and business in coming here," He demanded while smacking the ground with the butt of his spear.
"Johnny silver hand and his companions. We have a meeting with Don Chinjao," Laffite replied as he took a step forward, causing the guard to nod. "You are expected. Follow me," the guard said, turning around, opening the gate, and making his way inside with us following behind him.
After a minute or two of walking, we found ourselves in a spacious room filled with Chinese-style furniture and decorations, with Chinjao sitting on the far end of it on a very large chair befitting his size as he looked at us, surrounded by his two grandsons, and a lot of Happo navy members.
"I rarely waste my time on brats like you, but even I would be a little curious when a bounty hunter who appeared out of nowhere and took out one of five families asks to meet me," Don Chinjao said with a curious expression.
"So tell me, brat, what do you hope to accomplish by meeting me?" he asked with a curious expression as he moved his eyes to take a look at my companions, his eyes lingering on Laffite a little longer than the rest.
"Straight to the point, eh? That's fine, too," I remarked with a grin. "I'm here to make you an offer that would be beneficial to us both," I added, my grin disappearing, replaced by a serious expression instead.
"Hiyahoho, an offer that could benefit me, you say? What benefit could I possibly gain from accepting an offer from a brat like you?" The old pirate asked arrogantly, his tone and expression dismissive.
"You're already here, so I might as well hear what you have to say," he added with an amused expression.
"I can help you retrieve the treasure you left behind in the Crystal Ice Sheet," I stated with a confident voice, causing the old pirate to frown.
I, of course, didn't take offense to him calling me a brat since he even called Luffy that when he had a five hundred million bounty on his head, and I'm currently just a bounty hunter making a name for myself in west blue.
"And how would you help me retrieve my treasure when even I can't do it myself? I'm warning you, brat, you better chose your next words wisely," He asked, still frowning, his tone one of warning.
"By making you able to break through the ice again. I can give you back that drill head you were so proud of!" I explained gravely while looking the old pirate in the eye, causing his frown to become more pronounced.
"Do you have any idea how many doctors I've visited over the years to fix my head? Of course, you don't. Even I lost count after seeing a hundred of them!" Don Chinjao asked with an outraged voice as he got up from his seat, his beard flowing upwards to show his anger.
"I'm sure you've visited a lot of doctors, but you never found the best doctors," I replied with a challenging smirk. "I know where those doctors are, and I can gather them in one place to fix your head," I added while pointing at his head, my smirk still plastered on my face.
"You forget one thing, brat," Don Chinjao said with a scowling expression. "I'm a pirate, and whether you're telling the truth or lying, I'll find out by beating it out of you," He added, releasing his Conquerors Haki and targeting my companions and me with it.
Looking at this scene, his grandsons and the rest of the Happo navy members prepared for the incoming fight as the conquerors Haki washed over my crew and me, not phasing me in the least, causing Wilson and Laffite to smile eagerly while Kozue merely frowned.
"Go ahead and try it if you think you have what it takes old geezer," I replied, releasing my own Conquerors Haki and causing it to collide with don Chinjao's, creating a shock wave that encompassed the entire room, knocking out everyone except for me, my companions, Don Chinjao, and his grandsons.
-0-
"It looks like you have some ability, brat," Don Chinjao said in an amused tone after seeing my Conquerors, Haki. "Sai, Boo, you two stay out of this. I'll teach this punk how to respect his elders myself," He concluded with a grave tone and charged at me as soon as he finished his sentence.
"You guys stay out of this, too. I'll teach this has been geezer a lesson about the changing of times," I stated with an eager smirk, charging at the old pirate with Satori in hand as I did.
"Eight impact fist," shouted as soon as I was within striking distance, and I replied in kind by channeling my impact fist through my free hand, causing two shock waves to meet in the middle, between Chinjao and me.
"Brat, how can you use this technique?" Chinjao said while pushing his fist forward, trying to overcome my shockwave with his own.
"It's different from your technique. Yours controls vibrations around your body while my techniques create vibrations within my body," I said, trying and succeeding in pushing back the old pirate's technique.
I managed to push back the Chinjao's eight impact fist thanks to my technique being more compact and concentrated while he was loose and covered a larger area.
"No matter. I only need to overpower you if your technique counters mine," the old pirate said as his fist turned black, and he pushed it forward with a grunt, causing his shock wave to overcome mine.
Looking at the incoming shock wave, I hastily crossed my hands in front of my face, lowering my posture and activating kami-e to soften my entire body as defenses were meaningless in front of a shock wave.
The shock wave hit me with the force of a speeding truck, sending me flying backward and knocking the air out of my lungs. I gasped for breath midair as I corrected my posture and launched myself at the old pirate again with Geppo.
'Haki, huh? I definitely felt that not only did it overcome my defenses, but it even caused damage to my softened organs.' I think with a wince, still charging at Chinjao as I do.
"Silver drill," I murmur to myself, spinning myself in the air with my sword pointed forward as I continuously push myself face first towards Chinjao with consecutive Geppo steps.
"No matter how many times you try, nothing will change, brat," the old pirate remarked, meeting my spinning sword with his fist coated in Haki and channeling his eight impact fist through it.
The force of the shock wave slammed into me, going through my head and into the rest of my body, forcing me to stop spinning, but I didn't relent and end the engagement there.
I grasped his outstretched arm with one hand to stop me from flying away as I bent my body by body upwards with Geppo, performing a cartwheel flip in the air and planting my foot at the top of his head.
The force of my kick forced Chinjao to lower his head, but he jerked up with a grunt, channeling both Haki and a shock wave through his head, sending me flying backward again, this time crashing into a pillar.
"You shouldn't have gone for the head, brat," Chinjao said while patting his bald head, only to stop moving with eyes opened wide in shock as he touches a sliver of blood coming from the top of it. (Author note: Sorry, but I couldn't resist making that reference XD.)
'That makes it three Haki-infused shock waves so far. I can't keep shrugging them off as if nothing happened, but I have to because I felt something other than a pain in the third shock wave,' I think to myself as a savage grin appears on my face without my say so.
'It's stated in the anime that fighting people with Haki is the fastest way to awaken and strengthen it, so I guess I'm putting that statement to the test now,' I concluded in my head as I charged at The old geezer again, grin still on my face.
"Gengetsu (Phantom Moon)," I shouted at the top of my lungs, swinging my sword and releasing a flying slash in the shape of a half-circle in the old pirate's direction.
Chinjao looked at the incoming slash with a frown, coating his hands in Haki and deflecting it to the side after a second of struggle, which left his defense open for me as promptly used Soru, appearing on his side and slashing him at him horizontally.
The old pirate quickly reacted thanks to his observation Haki, coating his side in Haki as he turned around and sent me flying with another Shockwave.
-0-
"Are we just going to keep watching our captain get thrashed?" Kozue asked with a concerned frown while looking at me, crashing into another pillar.
"Trust in the captain," Laffite replied without removing his eyes from the fight, but the white knuckles of the hand he used to hold his red cane told a different story.
"Johnny isn't done yet. You can see it if you look at his grin. He still has some tricks up his sleeves, so shut your mouths and keep watching," Wilson Added with a smirk while watching the fight with wrapt attention.
-0-
"It looks like you're not all talk at least, brat," Chinjao said as he wiped the blood on his side that Satori managed to draw from him despite his use of Haki while watching me get and get ready to charge at him again.
'I've been avoiding using this particular cyber ware improvement since I came to this world, but I suppose now is the best time to try it,' I think to myself as I get up, dusting myself and cracking my neck as I do.
"I'm just getting started, old man," I reply with an eager grin as I activate my Berserker cyber ware, causing my skin to turn red as small clouds of steam begin pouring out of my pores.
(Patréon - www..patré /Wicked132)
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