Chapter 191: Lucci's Choice

"Truly moving camaraderie, but you seem to have forgotten that for people like us, emotions are meaningless."

Gismonda's tone was calm, even carrying a touch of chilling coldness.

For Luo Bu Lucci, the current situation had almost become a death sentence.

Consequently, his posture, his vigilance, and the killing intent radiating from his entire body slowly dissipated, and the face beneath his mask was filled with mockery.

"Luo Bu Lucci."

"Even if you didn't leak the Six Powers, you who have developed emotions are no longer of any value."

Lucci remained indifferent; only the bloodshot veins in his eyes became more obvious, making his eyes appear completely red under the moonlight, while a indescribable feeling filled his heart.

Since childhood, the CP organization had brainwashed him countless times, telling him over and over that everything he did was for justice, for the eradication of evil.

But the day he became evil, he finally realized how absurd that will truly was.

"What a joke!"

Lucci let out a roar, but the only answer he received was the sound of a gunshot.

Bang!

When that bullet flew past Lucci's face, he realized the bullet was not aimed at him, but at the already dying Kalifa; immediately followed by a second shot, a third shot...

Within just a few breaths, the bullets fired at Kalifa formed a continuous wall of fire, raining down upon her like drops of rain.

"Iron Block - Steel!"

Lucci cursed inwardly at their treachery, yet without a single moment of hesitation, he flashed forward to block in front of Kalifa.

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

The bullets struck his flesh and blood body, yet produced a sound like metal colliding with metal.

Obviously, for Lucci, who had mastered the Six Powers, even comprehended the Return of Life, and developed his own unique techniques, ordinary bullets could no longer pose any threat.

How could Gismonda, a member of CP0, not know this principle? He subtly signaled the sniper beside him.

The sniper understood immediately.

He skillfully ejected the bullets from the gun barrel, immediately replaced them with bullets specially made for Devil Fruit users, and pulled the trigger again.

The entire process took less than one second.

"Hmph—!"

In the heart of Lucci, who had just awakened Observation Haki, a strong sense of crisis suddenly surged.

Stronger than at any time before!

More terrifying!

More fearsome!

He instantly understood what this was:

"Sea Prism Stone!"

As another violent organization parallel to the Navy under the World Government, although the military power of the two was not on the same level, their authority was equal.

The Navy had an ample supply of Sea Prism Stone, even abundant enough to incorporate it into the outer armor of warships.

How could the CP organization possibly not have any?

At this moment, every cell in Lucci's body, every consciousness in his brain, reminded him of the same thought:

Flee!

Flee!

Flee!

But Lucci also understood in that instant.

The opponent had never been aiming at him, but at Kalifa's head; if the first two gunshot wounds left Kalifa with a breath of life, then this shot would surely kill her!

There was no possibility of breaking out of the encirclement while carrying a dead weight.

The optimal solution was naturally to abandon Kalifa directly; indeed, Kalifa's words just now had also卸ed the last burden from his heart.

She chose to use her life to send me out of the encirclement...

This thought flashed through Lucci's mind instantly, and he made a decision, yet the lingering instinct in his body still made him perform an action completely contrary to rational judgment.

Sss—!

The Sea Prism Stone bullet struck Lucci's body, instantly splitting into tiny fragments that embedded themselves deep into his flesh and blood.

At this moment, Lucci also lost all power to resist, falling to the ground with a thud, for Sea Prism Stone could not only suppress Devil Fruit abilities but also cause users to fall into a weakened state.

When the scalding blood hit Kalifa's face, her eyes held only an indescribable emotion.

"Ah la~"

In Kalifa's voice, there was a touch of helplessness, yet also an indescribable satisfaction.

At least at this moment, we have both found something truly worth sacrificing our lives for, rather than the so-called justice written on paper or living in the mouths of these people~

"Lucci, so you, of all people, would do such a stupid thing."

"This is also the ending we people should have."

"Stop!"

Accompanying Lucci's fall, Gismonda slowly raised his hand; the gunshots around them ceased instantly, yet the gun barrels still pointed coldly at the two of them.

Gismonda lowered his gaze, looking down from above, and said calmly:

"What is the purpose of the Xiang Gaowen Pirates entering the Grand Line? What are they plotting?!"

"Speak, and I'll give you a quick end!"

Luqi gasped for breath, yet a faint smile surfaced on his face at this very moment:

"Who knows?!"

"Still, that guy is far more human than you lot."

"Looking to die!"

Gismonda's eyes instantly went cold.

He turned around and waved his hand.

The CP organization agents read his intent without a word; without the slightest hesitation, they pulled their triggers in unison.

But before the flintlock pistols could even spit out fire, a jet-black figure came streaking from afar.

Hiss!

Hiss!

Hiss!

The crowd only saw several silver-white blade lights suddenly flash in the air; in the next instant, the flintlock pistols in their hands—along with the bullets that had yet to leave the barrels—were sliced clean through, and what fell to the ground along with them were their own hands.

"Who?!"

Gismonda felt his hair stand on end in an instant. The premonition of danger brought by his Observation Haki made him instinctively wrap his arms in Armament Haki to shield his front, and in the next instant he collided head-on with the incoming blade edge…

Clang!

After a single explosive ring, the newcomer disengaged and shot backward.

Under the moonlight.

Gismonda looked up.

He saw only a lean man in a black suit, sharp claw blades fitted to the tips of all ten fingers, staring coldly back at him.

"Hundred Trick—Xiang Keluo!"

"The Xiang Gaowen Pirates mean to meddle in CP's affairs too?!"

"Who knows?!"

Xiang Keluo spread his hands, a trace of helplessness on his face. He did not turn to look at Luqi behind him, merely saying lightly:

"If I let them die here just like that, a certain single-minded fellow would be in an awful lot of pain, you know."

"So how about doing me a favor? Let the matter end here?"

Coming back to himself, Gismonda raised a hand and brushed the dust from his clothes, chin lifting slightly as he regained that lofty, imperious bearing from before.

Before he acted, he had already obtained detailed intelligence on the knight Gao Wen, and naturally knew just how long Gao Wen had schemed, and how much blood and sweat he had shed, to obtain the Warlord of the Sea as a tiger skin.

And such a man would absolutely never abandon his own interests for the sake of an undercover agent.

Besides, standing behind me is the World Government itself!

The fact that Gao Wen was willing to bow his head to the World Government in exchange for the Warlord of the Sea privilege proves he has no courage to oppose the World Government!

Having confirmed his own thinking, Gismonda merely replied coolly with a single word:

"Scram!"

Xiang Keluo's face instantly turned ashen, the claw blades at his fingertips glinting with a sinister chill, and the killing intent in his heart surged fiercer still.

He was just about to make a move when Xiang Gaowen's playful laughter reached his ear:

"Ara ara~"

"Didn't I say your face isn't worth anything?!"

Under the moonlit night.

The sea breeze kept blowing in, striking the agents and bringing a chill beyond words.

Xiang Gaowen's figure walked over slowly from afar.

He drew no blade, used no Devil Fruit power, and even the killing intent around him was entirely reined in.

Yet that overwhelming pressure still left the CP agents on the scene unable to breathe, and quite a few of the wounded fainted on the spot.

"Conqueror's Haki?!"

Gismonda's brows knit tight.

If it were only one Hundred Trick Xiang Keluo, he still had the confidence to withdraw unscathed.

Afterward, he only needed to report everything that happened tonight up to the World Government, and what awaited the knight Xiang Gaowen would be a joint manhunt by the Marines and the World Government.

The so-called Warlords of the Sea have never been set in stone.

The old fall, the new rise.

After all, wasn't it by supplanting Gecko Moria that Xiang Gaowen originally clambered up in the first place?

But once Xiang Gaowen arrived on the scene, the situation was different.

Given the terrifying destructive power he had displayed in the Drum Kingdom, an entire cactus archipelago could potentially be wiped right off the map by him.

This man truly had the ability to leave everyone here dead.

But…

Gismonda's gaze fell on Luqi, who had been gravely wounded in the distance, and a fierce glint flashed through his eyes.

They knew far too much—knew far too much about the World Government and CP themselves—and once that intelligence fell into the hands of pirates, the impact would be incalculable.

In the span of a single thought.

Gismonda had already made his decision:

Tonight, Luo Bu Luqi must die!

"You mean to interfere in CP's internal affairs?!"

He looked up at Xiang Gaowen and barked the question, yet his fingers, as if by chance, brushed against the sniper beside him.

The latter understood the signal, seized the moment, and raised his flintlock pistol at Roubo Luqi, but before he could even pull the trigger, a sharp sound of tearing air echoed from the distance.

Boom!

A bullet flew from the far end of everyone's line of sight through the night sky; in the next instant, the barrel of the CP organization sniper's gun burst open on the spot, completely shredded.

His head exploded like a watermelon, red and white flesh splattering onto Gismonda's mask; the foul stench surged into his nostrils, making him feel instantly nauseous.

For someone like him, there should have been no physiological reaction to death and flesh; if one appeared, it could only be due to one reason...

Fear!

This guy, this guy, this guy has not a shred of reverence for the World Government!

He opened his mouth, yet felt only a dry throat, unable to utter a single word.

"Sniper!"

"An incredibly powerful sniper!"

A name instantly flashed through his mind, causing the entire group of agents, already terrified by Xiang Gaowen's arrival, to tremble all over.

"Sound-Over-Fanoka!"

"Do you intend to make an enemy of the World Government?"

"You do not represent the World Government, and moreover, you seem to have forgotten one thing: the root of the Seven Warlords' privilege has never been an edict from the World Government, but their own immense combat power!"

Xiang Gaowen's voice was utterly indifferent, stating a fact so ordinary in his eyes, yet the man before him, stationed in the World Government's confidential department, had not the slightest awareness of this.

However, being a place that could breed the Spandam father and son, there were certainly not only those two fools.

Xiang Gaowen had not even glanced properly at Gismonda; he looked at Roubo Luqi and Miss Kalifa, and said calmly:

"Now is the time for you to choose: either completely break away from the World Government and become my comrades, or die here."

"My patience is limited."

Roubo Luqi slowly opened his eyes, but did not answer Xiang Gaowen's words immediately; instead, he asked:

"When did you discover our purpose?"

"From the very beginning."

Roubo Luqi was stunned, a hint of self-mockery appearing on his face:

"As expected, my unease all along was correct; from the start, we were like two buffoons before you."

"Heh~"

He forced himself to straighten his body, looked at Xiang Gaowen, and asked:

"I don't understand; why, even when facing us as enemies, do you still have to..."

"Who knows?"

Xiang Gaowen reached out and pinched the bridge of his nose; the face of Argo suddenly flashed in his mind, and he sighed:

"That guy Argo really liked you."

"..."

Roubo Luqi fell silent for a moment.

The World Government, which he had served all his life, treated him as a tool; once he lost his utility, or even merely aroused a sliver of suspicion, it would discard him without hesitation.

Yet a man who had only met him once, heard him speak a few words, drunk a few times, and boarded the same ship, could risk his life to block enemies for him.

This world is truly...

Crazy!

Then should I not also change my way of living?

While Roubo Luqi hesitated, Miss Kalifa's weak voice reached his ears.

"Hey, Captain~"

Miss Kalifa forced herself to sit upright, leaning against the stone wall behind her.

She habitually raised her hand to brush back the golden hair on her forehead, then adjusted her clothes.

Only then did she look at Xiang Gaowen; the blood covering her lips and all over her body instead added a touch of tragic beauty to her entire person.

Her eyes were like a pool of autumn water, utterly moving; the emotions brewing within them were now completely unmasked.

"Who is more beautiful, Miss Kalifa or Princess Gwen?"

The sudden question made Xiang Gaowen pause; only then did he realize that the most severely injured was not Roubo Luqi, but Miss Kalifa.

The gunshot wound to her chest had already damaged her lungs.

The bullet that struck her thigh had directly torn away a large chunk of flesh.

Without timely treatment, perhaps the next second, or perhaps even this very second, she would die.

Xiang Gaowen had intended to clarify the misunderstanding that had persisted all along, but what came out was:

"You will have a chance to know once you survive."

"What an unromantic man."

A smile curved Miss Kalifa's lips; she then slowly closed her eyes, her chest heaving even more violently, that was her will to survive struggling constantly.

Seeing this scene, Roubo Luqi's pupils contracted sharply; at this very moment, he made his decision:

"Miss Kalifa, let us... live again! Even if we must fall into the evil path!"

Accompanying these words.

Roubo Luqi's gaze grew ever more resolute; he turned to look at Xiang Gaowen, forced his weak body to support itself, knelt half-kneeling before Xiang Gaowen, and said solemnly:

"Former CP9 member, Zoan-type Cat-Cat Fruit, Leopard Model user, Roubo Luqi!"

"Captain Xiang Gaowen, let me board your ship!"

(End of this chapter)