The waves rose and fell as a lone boat drifted with the current, looking like a fallen leaf floating on the sea.
The people aboard were none other than the CP9 team that had recently been defeated by the Straw Hat crew at Enies Lobby.
At the center of the boat lay a man wrapped in bandages from head to toe. Even from a distance, the bright red blood soaking through the white gauze was clearly visible. A white pigeon stood silently on his chest.
He was Rob Lucci, the coldest killing weapon in CP9 history, known as the strongest operative the organization had produced in eight hundred years.
The rest of the CP9 agents sat around him, their faces heavy with gloom and worry.
"Damn the World Government!" Jabra growled, clenching his fists. "They actually put bounties on us! If Blueno hadn't reacted so quickly, we'd have already been captured!"
Kalifa adjusted her glasses. Her fair face was covered in dust, marred by a few minor scratches. She silently stared down at the unconscious Lucci.
"The most important thing right now is finding a doctor and saving Lucci," Kaku said grimly. "His injuries are far too severe."
Fukurou's zipper-like mouth remained tightly shut, despair and confusion written all over his face.
Since childhood, the CP9 agents had lived as intelligence operatives. They were weapons forged by the World Government itself. Gathering intelligence and assassinating key targets had been their entire lives.
Now, they had suddenly become wanted criminals, hunted by the very people they once served. The drastic change left every member feeling both furious and deeply uncertain about the future.
What they needed most right now was someone to lead them. In everyone's eyes, Rob Lucci was the obvious choice. Unfortunately, he was lying unconscious.
"What do we do now? Where are we even supposed to go?" Blueno's deep voice broke the silence.
No one could answer because it was the exact same question everyone wanted answered. The entire boat fell silent. Confusion, anger, and fear filled their hearts, leaving them with little desire to even speak.
"Do you think he'll wake up?" Kalifa sighed. As the one staying closest to Lucci, she knew better than anyone how serious his injuries were.
Without proper treatment, he could die at any moment. And given their current situation, they were practically enemies of the entire world. Things could hardly get any worse.
"No matter what, we have to wake Lucci up," Kaku said firmly.
Suddenly, Kumadori looked up and froze. Something white had appeared in the distance. A moment later, after spotting the Marine markings on the sails and the anchor emblem on the flag, his expression changed dramatically.
"Yoyoi! Everyone, look over there! A Marine battleship ahead!"
The shout immediately drew everyone's attention. Amid the rolling waves, a massive battleship came into view. Mounted on its bow was a golden staff ornament that stood out prominently.
"That's not a standard Marine battleship," Kaku said with a serious expression. "Any battleship carrying a personal insignia belongs to an elite officer, a major figure within the Marines."
As former CP9 agents, they might have spent years on undercover missions, but they still possessed extensive knowledge of Marine intelligence.
"And of all times to run into someone important from the Marines..." Kumadori sighed and shook his head.
"Does anyone recognize whose ship that is?" Jabra demanded. "The one with the golden staff?"
Soon, everyone realized something strange. Not a single member of the team had any information about the ship. That was highly unusual. One person missing a piece of intelligence was understandable, but an entire CP9 team? That shouldn't have been possible.
"Lucci might know," Blueno said, glancing at the unconscious man. "But obviously he can't tell us right now."
Everyone's expressions grew even more serious as the battleship continued to draw closer. Clearly, the Marines had noticed them just as they had noticed the battleship.
"Can we get away?" Kaku asked. "I'd really rather not deal with the Marines right now."
"Our boat has no chance of outrunning a battleship," Kalifa replied with a sigh.
"So our only option is to fight?" Kaku's face darkened.
If possible, he wanted to avoid combat entirely. They had barely escaped the World Government's pursuit, and every member of the team was exhausted and in terrible condition. In fact, since the Enies Lobby incident, they hadn't had a single bite of food or a drop of fresh water.
As time passed, the battleship bearing the golden staff insignia drew even closer, looming larger and larger before them. It became increasingly obvious that its performance far exceeded that of ordinary Marine vessels.
"This is bad," Blueno muttered, his face grim. Fukurou kept his mouth tightly shut, worry and fear flashing in his eyes.
Then, suddenly, 'crackle!' A bolt of lightning shot out from the golden-staff battleship, illuminating the entire sky.
"What is that?!" Kumadori shouted.
Everyone's pupils contracted. The lightning was unbelievably fast, streaking across the sea in an instant and arriving directly in front of them before abruptly stopping in midair.
"Lightning?!" Kalifa exclaimed in shock.
Every member of CP9 immediately went on guard. They had never seen anything like it, a bolt of lightning that seemed to possess a will of its own, capable of stopping itself in mid-flight.
"You all seem to have run into a bit of trouble."
Just as the CP9 agents reached full alert, a voice suddenly rang out. Within the blue lightning, something began to twist and take shape. A human head emerged, its features becoming clearer by the second.
"Who are you?!" Kumadori shouted.
"I know who you are," the figure spoke as the blue lightning expanded into a tall human body, gradually becoming solid. "CP9."
Kojin looked down at them with a faint smile. The boat was small, built to carry maybe five people at most. It was clearly overloaded, riding dangerously low in the water and looking like it could capsize at any moment. This team had obviously reached the end of the road.
The moment he identified them, Kaku and the others' expressions changed. They stared at him intently, ready to attack at any second.
"Marine," Kaku said grimly. "We have no quarrel with you. How about you pretend you didn't see us and let us leave?"
Kojin smiled. His feet, which had been floating in the air, gently landed on the boat. The entire vessel immediately rocked violently, nearly flipping over.
"I heard your mission failed, so the World Government threw you away. And now you've got bounties on your heads, haven't you?"
The casual remark caused the CP9 team's expressions to darken even further.
"Looks like a fight is unavoidable," Kaku said through gritted teeth, a cold light flashing in his eyes. They weren't indecisive people. After a brief exchange of glances, they immediately reached a decision.
"Since I've already seen you," Kojin said leisurely, "I can't exactly pretend nothing happened, former CP9 agents."
He stood there completely exposed, showing no sign of caution whatsoever. At that moment, Kaku moved. The instant he did, Blueno, Jabra, Kalifa, Kumadori, and Fukurou moved as well.
Their timing was flawless and their speed was astonishing. In an instant, they sealed off every possible route of escape, attacking from all directions and covering every angle around Kojin.
"Such impatience," Kojin shook his head with a smile. "I wasn't finished talking yet."
He remained standing with his arms folded, making no attempt to dodge or defend.
'Whoosh!'
The air trembled. Every attack from the CP9 team struck its target. Or rather, it should have.
The moment their attacks landed, everyone's pupils contracted. There was no feeling of hitting a solid body. Nothing at all.
"How is that possible?!"
"What the hell is this guy?!"
Kaku's expression changed drastically as he turned his head, and what he saw made his heart skip a beat. The parts of Kojin's body that had been struck had transformed into blue lightning.
Their attacks had passed straight through him as though they had plunged into a mass of living electricity.
"Ugh!" Kalifa let out a muffled groan, fear flashing across her face. Blue arcs of electricity burst from Kojin's body and instantly spread across her. In a single moment, numbness and searing pain coursed through her entire body.
'Crackle! Crackle!'
The sound of electricity filled the air. The small boat was engulfed by blue lightning as electric arcs spread everywhere, sweeping over every member of the team.
"I don't like rude people. So consider this a little lesson," Kojin's voice was calm.
Kaku, Jabra, Kalifa, Blueno, Kumadori, and Fukurou all convulsed as electricity raced through their bodies. Shock and fear filled their eyes before they collapsed helplessly onto the deck.
One exchange. Just one exchange was enough to completely defeat them. The man before them was a Thunder Human who had eaten the Goro Goro no Mi, the strongest of the Logia-type Devil Fruits, and had appeared right in front of them.
"Who… are you?" Kaku gritted his teeth and tried to stand, but his body refused to obey.
"Who am I?" Kojin smiled faintly. "Just a kind-hearted Marine who happened to see you all down on your luck and decided to lend a hand."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"To be honest, I also dislike the kind of people who use others, throw them away once they're no longer useful, and then try to silence them. So in a way, I'm actually on your side."
Kaku's expression shifted. "On our side? You want to help us?"
Kalifa was the first to grasp what this mysterious Marine was implying.
"Smart,"
Kojin snapped his fingers and gave the bespectacled woman an appreciative look. Black fishnet stockings, glasses, a cool and professional aura mixed with a hint of charm, Kalifa was undoubtedly the perfect secretary type.
"But saving you comes at a price."
'(End of Chapter)'
You can read ahead up to 30 chapters on my Patreon: https://www.p*treon.com/darkshadow6395