Chapter 125: Thanks for the gift from CP9【56k】

Kaido had left the New World.

And he had already been photographed appearing in Paradise?

Who was he coming for?

"..."

Xia Nuo held the newspaper, his expression subtle.

The answer seemed self-evident.

"Avenging Hanafuda?"

Xia Nuo looked at the azure dragon looming in the dark clouds in the photo. "Or does he want to kidnap me back?"

The two didn't seem to conflict.

Kaido was always one to cherish talent, especially those with powerful physiques.

If Kaido was really coming for him...

Then the most likely scenario was that Kaido would first pull out his club, beat him up to vent his anger, and then forcibly take him back to Wano to try and recruit him.

Are you giving me Yamato, Teacher Kaido?

Even if you gave her to me, I wouldn't go.

Xia Nuo closed the newspaper and tossed it onto the table; he didn't have the habit of living under someone else.

"The sea is vast and boundless, after all."

Xia Nuo looked at the sky, his mouth curling into a curve.

He spread his right palm and then clenched it fiercely, making his finger bones crack. "Will I have a chance to run into you, Kaido!"

Since the battle with Garp, it had been a while since he had clashed with a top-tier powerhouse. If he could really run into him and have a hearty, satisfying fight...

That would be exactly what he wanted!

Half an hour later.

The *Rakumu* arrived at the station. According to the previous draw results, half the people took the train, and half continued on the *Rakumu*.

Jack's eight-meter-three physique couldn't fit into the Sea Train at all, so he honestly stayed on the ship.

Besides taking on the chores on the ship, he spent all day cooped up in the training room, following the plan Xia Nuo had formulated, starting to learn martial arts and Armament Haki.

Having finally been accepted by Lord Xia Nuo, as a combatant, he didn't want to hold everyone back.

Currently, on the whole ship, only Nami and Robin didn't have Haki, but they weren't main combatants, so it didn't matter.

But Jack, what else could he do besides fight?

It wasn't like he could turn into a mammoth and become an extra-large emergency food supply...

The whistle blew long and loud, steam gushed, and the dark green steel beast slowly started on the tracks.

Could this be considered finally riding a "green-skinned train" after many years?

Sunlight spilled through the glass, making the carriage bright and warm. Xia Nuo rested his chin on one hand, leaning against the window, thinking lazily.

There were far more passengers boarding than he had expected, and it was soon packed full.

If someone could come by and shout, "Pull your legs in, beer, melon seeds, mineral water," it would have even more of that "green-skinned" flavor.

"Woo—!"

The train began to accelerate with a *clatter-clatter*, and the sea breeze whistled in through the half-open window, blowing Xia Nuo's black hair into a mess.

He squinted into the distance; the horizon rose and fell in his field of vision, and occasionally seagulls would sweep past, only to be quickly left behind.

"So fast."

Smoker was sitting next to Xia Nuo, lighting two cigars, and couldn't help but exclaim:

"It's faster than a speedboat at full speed with the wind, and it's very stable. If only all the islands in the world could be connected by this kind of transportation."

"That would require ending this chaotic era first." Zeff laughed.

"There will be such a day."

Xia Nuo said with a faint smile.

He withdrew his gaze from outside the window and looked around.

Only then did he notice that more than half of the passengers in their carriage alone were wearing exaggerated masks.

"What's the situation?" Smoker also noticed and asked, puzzled.

"Because it's the first day of the Mask Carnival!"

A conductor wearing a fox mask and pushing a small cart passed by, explaining with a grin:

"You guests are very lucky; you just arrived in this area and caught the City of Spring Queen's grandest Mask Carnival!"

"Without a mask, you can't blend into the atmosphere of the carnival!"

The conductor smiled and took several exquisite masks from the lower level of the cart, enthusiastically pushing them:

"Would you guests like one too? We have all styles, and we can even customize them for you..."

Xia Nuo hurriedly reached out to interrupt him.

This kind of overly enthusiastic sales pitch was something he had been most afraid of since his previous life.

But what the conductor said made sense; once they reached the island, everyone would be wearing masks, and if they were the only ones not wearing them, it would be too eye-catching.

Especially since he had just been in the limelight in the newspaper, and many people had an impression of his face.

Thus, a moment later.

Three people and one wolf all had an ordinary animal mask on their faces.

*Awoo?*

Gin looked up, puzzled. What's the point of putting a wolf mask on me? Isn't this like taking off your pants to fart?

At dusk, the train slowly pulled into the station of the City of Spring Queen.

Unlike the smoky, bustling atmosphere of the City of Gourmet, this city appeared exceptionally gorgeous in the twilight.

Towering Gothic architecture, glass domes painted with colorful designs, glazed lanterns hanging along the streets, and fireworks exploding in the sky from time to time...

Everything highlighted the luxury and joy of this city.

And as soon as he got off the train, Xia Nuo immediately felt the charm of the carnival.

On the entire island, tens of thousands of tourists had come for the occasion, all wearing various masks.

Gorgeous feather decorations in retro style, ferocious demon masks, butterfly masks inlaid with crystals... the formal wear they wore was also diverse.

On the streets, ribbons and flower petals fluttered in the sky, and revelers wearing masks danced, hugged, and laughed and sang while holding wine glasses.

In this atmosphere, Xia Nuo and the others who had just stepped onto the island couldn't help but be infected, becoming relaxed and happy.

"Are there new guests? Welcome to the Mask Carnival!"

A hot girl in a revealing outfit brought over drinks with a grin. "The carnival lasts for three nights, and all the drinks in the city are free. Please enjoy this feast to your heart's content!"

"Thank you."

Several of them smiled and took a glass of wine.

"Let's split up and look around."

Xia Nuo said, holding his wine glass, his voice carrying a rare sense of comfort. "Relax to your heart's content, and meet back here at midnight."

"Yes, Boss."

By that time, the *Rakumu* would be arriving, and the carnival would last all night; they would play for the first half of the night, and Kuina and the others would play for the second half.

Once tomorrow morning came, they would set off for the next stop, Water 7, and arrive before dark; the plan was simply perfect.

Speaking of which.

In this City of Spring Queen, they could put everything aside and purely relax on vacation, but once they reached Water 7, there would be serious business to attend to.

It had been nearly three months since they set sail.

The *Rakumu* had accompanied them all the way, experiencing quite a few shocks and storms.

Since they were going to that city known as the world's shipbuilding capital, they would inevitably need a comprehensive overhaul, and by the way, renovate and reinforce the training room.

"Oh, right, and your flame-conversion thruster."

Xia Nuo looked at Smoker. "It's been so long, how's the R&D progress?"

"..."

Smoker's old face flushed red; the smoke from his cigar couldn't hide his embarrassed expression:

"Tried several schemes, all failed. The difficulty of making it effective on a ship the size of the *Rakumu* is much higher than expected."

He scratched his head, exhaling a smoke ring in frustration:

"The closest we got to success, the thruster only lasted three minutes before overheating and exploding. If Nojiko hadn't happened to be nearby and helped freeze it, it would have nearly blown a giant hole in the stern."

"Well, we're not professional shipwrights, after all; being able to do this much is already quite good."

Xia Nuo laughed and patted his shoulder. "Once we get to Water 7, we'll brainstorm with the shipwrights there; there should be a way to solve it."

"Hmm."

Smoker nodded; he thought so too.

After chatting simply for a few sentences along the way, the group split up at the street corner.

Xia Nuo took Gin and walked along the main street on the north side, enjoying various song and dance performances along the way, stopping from time to time to look up and admire the fireworks that suddenly bloomed in the night sky.

"Hmm?"

He suddenly felt something, opened the system panel, and looked at the backpack column.

Just then, the Devil Fruit detection radar had two small yellow dots that were almost overlapping, flashing on and off.

This meant that there were two Devil Fruits within a ten-kilometer radius of him, and they were right next to each other.

Clearly, when they first entered the city, the radar hadn't beeped.

This situation indicated that the two Devil Fruits were also moving, most likely being carried by tourists who had just entered the city.

"Not easy to find..."

Xia Nuo frowned slightly.

In the city alone, there were at least over a hundred thousand people gathered; who knew who had the Devil Fruits.

Moreover, if they were being carried by pirates or black-market villains, it wouldn't matter if he took them, but if ordinary people had obtained them, he had no reason to rob them.

Better to leave it to fate.

Xia Nuo shook his head and closed the system panel.

Just as he was about to take Gin to the stall ahead to buy some snacks, a shrill voice like a child's suddenly came from behind:

"Hey, Jabra, those two Devil Fruits are still in your bag, right? You didn't lose them? Chapapa!"

Huh?

Xia Nuo paused and turned his head to look.

He saw three guys who weren't wearing masks, so they looked very eye-catching, queuing up in front of a *tamagoyaki* stall behind them.

The person who had just spoken had the same hair color as Zoro, his body was round and rolling like a big ball, yet his limbs were very slender, bearing some resemblance to an owl.

The strangest part was his mouth; it was actually a yellow zipper, and at this moment, the zipper was open, and he was blabbering non-stop:

"This mission failed again. These two fruits were an unexpected gain we got with great difficulty. Once we return to Enies Lobby tomorrow and hand them over, we can offset some of our guilt. Must not lose them, chapapa!"

"Shut up! Don't talk about this on the street! And, how could I make a mistake on such a simple thing? Nagging!"

The middle-aged man in the middle, called Jabra, couldn't take it anymore and turned his head to roar.

His physique was normal; he was wearing a black martial arts uniform with his chest open, and at this moment, he was pinching his long handlebar mustache, frowning and deep in thought:

"Compared to that, why did this plan fail? It makes no sense. We were just escorting two government officials, and the whole process was so confidential and low-key. How could we still be targeted by assassins..."

"Because I let it slip again, chapapa! When we were drinking at the pier, the bartender asked me who those two were, and I told him everything loudly, chapapa!"

"WHAT??!!!"

Jabra couldn't believe it, and in grief and indignation, he went up and grabbed the other's collar, shaking him desperately. "So it was you again, Fukuro!"

"You guy, when will you ever fix that loose-lipped habit of yours? What is the zipper on your mouth for? We are government agents who need to keep secrets, you bastard!"

"But you being so loud isn't right either. That man leading a big doggy is just staring at us without moving, chapapa!"

"Just a passerby, leave him alone." The person on the far right who had been silent finally spoke.

He was large and fat, with long pink-white hair, and his face was covered in thick white powder. At this moment, he pulled out a short blade, his expression solemn and heavy:

"Since it was a companion's mistake that led to the mission's failure, I have no face to continue living in this world. Let me commit *seppuku* to apologize!"

"Kumadori..." Fukuro's tears were nearly falling from being moved.

Kumadori signaled him not to cry, while his other hand gripped the short blade and stabbed it forcefully into his abdomen.

"Iron Body!"

With a metallic *clang*, the blade tip was blocked outside his abdomen, unable to even pierce the skin.

"What a pity, I can't die at all, yoyoi!"

"You go die too, you bastard!!!" Jabra's temple veins were throbbing; what kind of evil had he committed in his past life to be teamed up with these two guys!

By comparison.

Lucci being sent to Water 7 with Kalifa was an enviable job!

Fortunately, at this moment, the stall owner, an old lady, finally finished their portion and handed it over tremblingly. The three of them each held a portion of *tamagoyaki*, blowing on it while walking toward a small alley nearby.

Xia Nuo watched their retreating backs, and the corner of his mouth, hidden behind the mask, finally curled up slightly.

"Is this a gift from nature..."

Delivered right to his face as soon as he arrived.

There's such a good thing?

The last Snow-Snow Fruit was only revealed after killing Wapol, and the Flame-Flame Fruit had everyone searching through the ruins for half a day.

And now...

Like a little girl preparing to snatch candy from a strange uncle, he chuckled weirdly, ordered a portion of *tamagoyaki* for Gin, let it stay in line at the stall, and followed the three of them into the dimly lit alley...

Deep in the alley, the CP9 trio was sitting by the wall, enjoying their *tamagoyaki* without any precautions.

"Hmm, the taste isn't bad." Jabra chewed loudly. "But compared to the frustration of the mission failure, this bit of food can't make up for it..."

"Don't think so much about it; you should have been used to it long ago, right? Anyway, as long as it's not a particularly critical mission, we won't be expelled, chapapa!"

Fukuro's mouth was full of food, saying vaguely, "By the way, speaking of which, Kumadori, can you share half of your *tamagoyaki* with me? I don't have enough to eat, chapapa!"

"Eat as much as you like; life is short, please enjoy it while you can... yoyoi!" Kumadori looked tragic, but still used his fork to slice off half and tipped it over.

The group was eating intently when they suddenly felt a chill behind them.

"You guys are eating quite happily, huh?"

A light voice came from behind. The three of them stiffened and turned their heads abruptly—

A black-haired youth wearing a white mask was leaning against the wall, the moonlight stretching his shadow long.

"Hey, do you recognize me?" the youth asked with a smile.

"Oh! It's that passerby walking the dog from just now!" Fukuro scratched his head. "Do you want to eat *tamagoyaki* too? But I don't have enough for myself, I can't give it to you, chapapa!"

"I'm not interested in that."

The mask was indeed useful; if they didn't recognize him, it would be simple. Xia Nuo smiled and pointed at the bulging bag at Jabra's waist. "But I'm quite interested in what's in your bag."

"Oh no!" Fukuro subconsciously covered his zipper mouth. "He heard it! Chapapa!"

"Is zipping it up useful now, you idiot!"

Jabra was so angry he nearly vomited blood. "Isn't it because you were shouting randomly on the street just now that you attracted this daring brat?"

Hmph!

He threw away the *tamagoyaki* in his hand and slowly stood up, looking at Xia Nuo. The muscles under his black martial arts uniform were bulging, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes:

"Hey, brat, didn't your family tell you that on the sea, there are many people you can't afford to provoke? You dare to target us; do you even know who we are..."

"I know, chapapa!"

Fukuro raised his right hand high. "I am CP9 secret agent Fukuro, Doriki 600. Kumadori next to me is about the same, Doriki 610. This man threatening you is called Jabra; he's very powerful! Just a bit worse than Lucci, a Dog-Dog Fruit—Wolf form user, and he's the leader of the three of us, Doriki 1900..."

"You might as well tell him the color of my underwear!!!"

Jabra was in tears, desperately pinching Fukuro's cheeks and roaring. "That's too detailed! Who introduces themselves like that!"

This worry-free idiot! Big idiot!

And what do you mean "just a bit worse than Lucci"? He wouldn't admit defeat to that man!

Eh, Doriki?

Xia Nuo was stunned listening to this.

He nearly forgot about this thing; what era was this, to be throwing out such ancient settings.

"Besides you few, no one cares about this."

Xia Nuo watched this farce and rubbed his temples helplessly. "Alright, honestly hand over the fruits, that way you can avoid a beating."

"Looks like you don't know what CP9 is. Well..."

Jabra let go of Fukuro and looked over coldly. "How could I expect a country bumpkin like you to know what the government's most confidential department is."

As soon as the words fell.

"Shave!"

His figure disappeared instantly, and the next second he appeared behind Xia Nuo, his right hand fingers together like a blade, carrying a sharp wind-breaking sound straight for his back—

"Finger Pistol!"

However, just as his fingertips were about to touch Xia Nuo's coat, his wrist was firmly clamped by a slender, powerful hand, unable to move an inch further.

How is this possible?!

Jabra's pupils shrank, and he hadn't yet reacted.

*Crack!*

A crisp bone-cracking sound rang out; Jabra's wrist bone was crushed. He groaned, cold sweat instantly seeping from his forehead, but he gritted his teeth to endure the sharp pain and swept his left leg out like a whip—

"Tempest Kick: Wolf Fang!"

A pale blue slashing wave like a crescent moon whistled out, but the moment it touched Xia Nuo's body, it dissipated like foam.

This guy, something's wrong!

Jabra's eyes widened in shock, knowing he had probably encountered a formidable enemy he had never seen in his life, and he didn't hesitate to activate his fruit ability.

His whole body expanded rapidly, his hair grew thick, and he was about to turn into a werewolf several meters tall...

"—Awoo!"

A wolf howl suddenly came from the alley entrance!

Jabra's legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground.

He curled up in pain, his beast transformation quickly aborted, and his body shrank back to its original state, as if the wolf inside him had been scared out of its wits and was resisting coming out in fear.

Xia Nuo paused.

Did I ask you to intervene? Go eat your *tamagoyaki*!

He glanced at the alley entrance with dissatisfaction. The wolf king, who had been majestic just a moment ago, immediately shrank its neck and honestly retreated.

"Jabra!"

Fukuro and Kumadori were shocked and angry, calling out at the same time.

"Chapapa! You bastard!" Fukuro opened his five fingers in anger. "Look at this move of mine, I've been practicing it since I was twelve, it's called—"

*Thump!*

Xia Nuo's figure appeared in front of him like a ghost, and with a casual kick, Fukuro rolled his eyes and fell backward.

"Damn it, Fukuro, hold on a little longer, Life Return: Hair Binding Technique!"

Kumadori shouted, his white hair suddenly surging, winding toward Xia Nuo like a living thing!

However, the next second, after Xia Nuo glanced at him, countless black hairs grew from his own head, twisted together, rolled forward, and directly cut off all of Kumadori's hair at the root.

"Yoyoi?!"

Kumadori touched his bald scalp in shock. "You turned into a monk. You guy, you actually know Life Return too, how is that possible!"

Xia Nuo ignored him, walked slowly between the three, bent down, and picked up the bag Jabra had dropped.

Untying the ribbon, two Devil Fruits with peculiar shapes rolled out and were held in his palm.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 144 =====