"Franky?" At the name, a flash of wariness appeared in Iceberg's eyes.
In Water 7, everyone believed their beloved mayor would never associate with a domineering gang leader.
But in reality, they were disciples of the same master. Though they bickered and fought, their relationship was close — like family. They were unwilling to publicly acknowledge this because their master was the fish-man Tom.
Tom created Water 7's Sea Train. Even more astonishing — the ship Pirate King Gol D. Roger used to sail around the world, the Oro Jackson, was built by his hands.
After Tom was executed by the World Government, the blueprints for the ancient weapon Pluton were passed to Iceberg. Since Iceberg's identity attracted too much attention, he entrusted them to Franky.
So when Noyer came before him and immediately asked to see Franky, clearly knowing something, he had to be cautious.
Iceberg feigned nonchalance, "Franky? I don't know where he is. Why are you looking for some punk?"
Noyer smiled, "Mr. Mayor, some things aren't suitable to discuss here."
Iceberg glanced at the enthusiastic citizens crowding around them, thought for a moment, and said, "Alright then, please wait. I'll have your ship brought to Dock 1, and we can talk in detail."
Noyer chuckled inwardly. Making an excuse to keep the ship — afraid I'll run away?
With matters concerning ancient weapons, his master's trust, and his junior brother's safety, Iceberg couldn't be careless. He'd bring Noyer to his own turf first, then figure out a strategy.
Despite his turbulent thoughts, Iceberg asked with a smile, "May I ask your name, sir?"
"Noyer."
Iceberg's heart tightened, "Kilros D. Noyer?"
Noyer looked at him with pleasant surprise, "You know me? Am I that famous?"
Iceberg's expression stiffened. Having overpowered a Warlord and killed a king of an allied nation — even though these exploits hadn't been reported yet, Iceberg, with his extensive network, still knew a thing or two.
He was actually welcoming a ruthless character at Warlord level to his company's shipyard?
Kalifa beside him showed a hint of alarm. But in her heart, she had already confirmed that the man before her was CP9's assigned target from the government.
Possessing the Copy Fruit — for the government, this ability had miraculous uses in every aspect.
For example, the Ope Ope no Mi that the government and Celestial Dragons coveted — could Noyer copy the ability and perform the immortality surgery? Those various Devil Fruits with forbidden abilities but dangerous side effects — could he serve as a replacement?
Moreover, from what they could see, there seemed to be no upper limit to the number of fruits Noyer could copy. This temptation meant that whoever possessed him could indirectly possess all Devil Fruits — at least in the eyes of the Celestial Dragons, whose heads were stuffed with lard.
The Celestial Dragons' greed and the government's apprehension trickled down through layers of command. With the Marines' assistance, the burden ultimately fell to CP9.
Kalifa reassured herself that they had made thorough preparations, but facing this big target still intimidated her. Someone who could fight Warlords was no pushover.
Never mind that Warlords like Crocodile and Moria performed poorly in the original story. Even at their worst, they were still selected by the government from among the ocean's most vicious criminals. Compared to the vast majority of pirates, they still possessed dominant-level strength.
Kalifa steadied her mindset. She only needed to lead Noyer to the ambush point. Under an inescapable net, he wouldn't be able to run.
The only intelligence discrepancy might be this big idiot beside Noyer. The materials the Marines had sent contained no information about Enel.
Kalifa harbored ulterior motives, while Enel's sensitive Observation Haki vaguely sensed some fluctuations in her heart.
He quietly winked at Noyer, who looked at him strangely and raised an eyebrow. The two began a silent conversation.
Enel (squinting): This chick keeps looking at you. I feel like she's up to something!
Noyer (Dragon King smile): You don't understand! It's because I've got charm!
Enel (bratty face): You're pulling my leg, aren't you? (눈_눈)
Noyer (winking): I can defeat Warlords, so attracting girls is totally normal, right? ←_←
Enel (dumb face): Wait, what's a Warlord? (º﹃º )
Iceberg looked with a strange expression at the two who had suddenly transformed into meme faces.
What's wrong with these two?
◇◆◈◆◇
Iceberg courteously received them and headed toward Dock 1. He sent someone to bring the Celestial Drake over — Wyper should come along as well.
Noyer and Enel walked into Iceberg's shipyard. An atmosphere full of vigor immediately greeted them. As far as shipyards went, this place was absurdly large.
What surprised Enel was that the bare-chested, sweating shipwrights were all nimble — clearly trained fighters. Were these shipwrights or thugs?
Iceberg entered the shipyard and called out to the crowd.
A young man wearing a cap responded and came over. He leaped lightly, landing in front of Iceberg, "Mr. Iceberg, what is it?"
"Kaku, bring back the single-masted ship from Dock 5. It's already been arranged." Iceberg turned to Noyer, "Kaku is the foreman of our company's shipwrights. Because of his strong leaping ability, he's called Mountain Wind."
Noyer nodded, studying the seemingly sunny long-nosed youth.
Kaku, Lucci, and Kalifa — government agents' acting skills were truly impressive. Three people had infiltrated Iceberg's side at once, and he hadn't noticed at all.
Kaku's composure was clearly stronger than Kalifa's. He smiled politely at Noyer, then quickly set off.
Iceberg frowned, "Strange. Where's Lucci? Why don't I see him?"
A foreman wearing sunglasses nearby smiled, "Lucci took on a big job and went out to work."
Iceberg nodded and turned to welcome them, "Please come in, you two."
He led them into his office.
Noyer got straight to the point, "Mayor, I know about your relationship with Franky, but we mean no harm."
Iceberg's expression didn't change, "Are you with the government?"
Noyer shook his head.
Iceberg asked, "Then tell me — what relationship do Franky and I have?"
Noyer smiled, "Two disciples of the master shipwright Tom. One is named Iceberg — that's you. The other…"
"The other was named Cutty Flam. My junior brother is dead!" Iceberg interrupted, his voice low.
Noyer wagged his finger, "No, he's not dead. Franky is Flam's alias. After being severely injured, he transformed himself into a cyborg and survived."
Beads of sweat appeared on Iceberg's forehead. His hands and feet went cold.
He forced himself to stay calm, "Who exactly are you? What do you want?"
Noyer looked directly into his eyes, "I'm just making a friend. Don't worry — I know what you're concerned about. The Pluton blueprints? I won't try to steal them."
Iceberg could no longer hold himself together.
With trembling arms, he slammed his hand on the table, "Who exactly are you?"
Noyer stared at him, "Noyer. A passerby who respects Master Tom."
Iceberg was stunned. Instinctively, he thought it was a joke. Are there still people who remember Master Tom…
But when he saw Noyer's serious expression, he couldn't help but believe him.
Still, he asked in confusion, "Why are you looking for Franky?"
"I'm interested in his skills — his ability to manufacture weapons." Noyer spoke honestly.
Befriending Franky was all about his manufacturing expertise. What else could the system reward be, if not his craftsmanship?
Iceberg sat back on the sofa and steadied his emotions, "How can I trust you?"
Noyer smiled, "If I were a villain, I would have already threatened you by force instead of wasting time talking. The Pluton blueprints are just blueprints. Who knows if anyone in this world could even build it? Why would I be interested?"
After a long silence, Iceberg finally spoke, "Franky established the Franky Family. They run a ship-dismantling business on the shore."
Aside from his identity, Franky's address wasn't a secret — everyone in Water Seven knew it. There was no point in hiding it. Now Iceberg could only hope Noyer was telling the truth about having no interest in Pluton.
He handed Noyer a note with the address written on it.
Noyer smiled, "Thanks!"
Mission accomplished. He stood to leave, but seemed to remember something.
"Mayor, let me give you a warning — be careful of those around you."
Iceberg frowned, "What do you mean?"
Noyer said, "The government you're so wary of has already planted people around you."
Iceberg's expression darkened, "Impossible! Who?"
"Your secretary, and two shipwright foremen — Kaku and Lucci."
Iceberg stared at him in disbelief, "How could that be? Lucci and the others have been with me…"
Noyer shook his head, "Rob Lucci — CP9's strongest in eight hundred years. A genuine special agent."
Seeing Iceberg's unconvinced expression, he turned to leave.
"You'll understand soon enough. CP9 should make their move against me any moment now. Where's your secretary?"
Iceberg froze, "She took time off earlier. She'll be resting this afternoon — she's already left."
Noyer sneered, "Lucci went out too, and Kaku was sent away. Looks like they're about to make their move."
Iceberg's trust in Lucci and the others began crumbling.
Could they really be agents?
Watching Noyer walk away, his conviction wavered. If Kalifa and the others were agents, how many confidential documents had been leaked over these days…
◇◆◈◆◇
Noyer and Enel left Dock No. 1 and headed toward the address Iceberg had given them.
Walking leisurely through the streets of the Water City, Enel said in a low voice, "Several people are following us. Looks like they're looking for trouble."
Noyer nodded.
A little kid suddenly walked over, licking a lollipop with snot running from his nose, "Big brother, someone asked me to give this to you."
In the child's dirty hand was a crumpled note. Noyer took it and unfolded it to see threatening words.
[ Mr. Noyer, we have your crew member. If you don't want him dead, do as we say. ]
Noyer frowned. Conis was with Robin, and he trusted the older woman's vigilance. Besides, he had informed Robin in detail about the situation with Enies Lobby before going ashore.
So had Wyper been captured? Was this Kaku's doing?
That seemed impossible — Noyer knew Wyper's strength. Even Kaku, CP9's second strongest, would struggle to take down his crew member. Unless Lucci came himself, or the remaining CP9 members ganged up on him, defeating Wyper so quickly would be nearly impossible.
Noyer asked the little boy, "What else did the person who gave you this note say?"
The little boy stared blankly while sniffling, "Oh right, he told you to turn right at the crossroads ahead, then turn left at the third alley."
Quite cautious.
Noyer grabbed Enel and started running in the direction indicated. But just as he turned into the alley, a familiar person appeared before him.
"Wyper? What are you doing here?" Noyer asked.
Wyper looked equally surprised. He pulled out a note, "After I delivered the ship to the dock, someone lured me out saying you guys had been kidnapped."
A red light glowed in Noyer's pupils as a smile curved at the corner of his mouth, "So it's that kind of trap."
Enel activated his Observation Haki, but his body wasn't responding properly. He said with difficulty, "Someone's coming."
As soon as he finished speaking, black walls suddenly emerged from the ground at both entrances of the alley. Metal walls also rose from the base of the buildings on both sides, encasing everything. Looking up, even the top was soon sealed off.
In just seconds, the place had become an iron-walled cage. The narrow alley was almost devoid of light, making it difficult to discern direction by sight alone.
Then, the outline of a door suddenly appeared in the air, opening like a hole in the void. From within the green dimension, several figures were revealed. Four people in total, all wearing black uniforms with masks. The man in the lead even had a white pigeon perched on his shoulder.
Noyer looked at their leader and smiled, "Rob Lucci, your pigeon is too distinctive. There's no need to hide anymore, is there?"
Lucci showed no reaction, simply removing his disguise in silence. The three behind him also removed their masks.
If you're going to take them off anyway, why bother wearing them in the first place? Noyer didn't understand.
Lucci, Kaku, Kalifa, and Blueno — the Doa Doa no Mi (Door-Door Fruit) user who had been undercover at the tavern — were all here. Four out of seven CP9 members had come. With this formation, they were determined to succeed.
Caged like a captive animal, Enel was the first to lose his temper.
"You're asking for death!"
He struck his thunder drums, and lightning condensed into a dragon shape behind him that charged forward, illuminating the dim space.
The CP9 agents showed no panic. Blueno instantly activated his ability, easily absorbing the thunder dragon with his Devil Fruit.
The next second, he extended his leg into the ground and roared:
◇ Fish-Man Karate: Rankyaku ⥤ Tempest Kick ◇
The sharp wind slash struck the earthen ground. Blueno instantly cleared away the top layer of soil, leaving only dust.
As the earth receded, the same black metal wall was revealed underneath. Enel had already been feeling unwell — now the sensation grew even stronger. His body went soft, and he nearly collapsed.
Wyper quickly supported him and said in shock, "Could this be… Kairōseki?"
"That's right." Lucci finally spoke, "In this room constructed of Kairōseki, your abilities cannot be used."
Noyer clicked his tongue, "Quite the production, setting all this up just to deal with me."
However, his fruit abilities weren't affected by this. Moreover, having copied Mihawk's talent, his combat strength had long since shifted from his Devil Fruit to his swordsmanship!
◈◈◈
T/N: Comment, give me Power Stones, like and favorite, it all supports me and makes me go foward with this. Appreciate my other stories as well, I guarantee the good work!
If you want 20 chapters ahead of this novel for just $5 or enjoy a large catalog of good novels with excellent translations (free or starting at $1.5): MrBlackWing (you know where to search)
I'm currently translating another project (for $1.5) where the main character travels through various worlds, like Highschool of the Dead, Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress, Darwin's Game, and many more, building a massive harem. It will have smut chapters (+18) and spicy images of the female characters. Check it out if you're interested! :)
That's it and happy reading! (-‿◦)