Chapter 129: It's time to let a swordsman like you see it【65

"Achoo!"

Xia Nuo, sitting under the parasol, sneezed violently, and the coffee he was holding spilled all over the floor.

"Smoker!"

He immediately turned back and shouted.

"Understood."

Smoker, who was steering the ship, responded immediately.

*Swish, swish!*

Smoke washed over, and the floor was instantly cleaned.

Professional and efficient.

Xia Nuo then rubbed his nose and looked up at the distance in confusion. Under the wanton rolling fire clouds, the outline of Water 7 was already faintly visible.

Who is thinking of me again?

After the last sneeze, Garp found him within two days.

Could it be that this time... Kaido is almost here?

An hour later.

The *Rakumu* finally sailed into Water 7.

The night was getting dark, and the lights were lit one after another, making the winding waterways sparkle.

This city with developed waterways had countless entrances, and this circle on the outer edge of the island was basically dockable everywhere. Xia Nuo specifically found a relatively remote place to dock, so as not to cause too much of a stir. Once anchored and steady, the four people and one wolf all got off the ship.

Of course, they didn't forget to bring those treasure chests.

In the past.

These treasure chests would have to be pulled by Gin.

Gin usually wouldn't be happy about it, feeling that it damaged the dignity of the Wolf King, and would always dawdle on the ground for a long time, only acting as a sled dog after Xia Nuo kicked him in the butt.

But it was different now; there was a more professional porter on the ship.

Jack fully utilized the strengths of his physique, grabbing more than a dozen treasure chests with his large arms and stacking them high on his shoulders.

Walking along the way, he was like a mobile fortress, and the residents he encountered hurriedly avoided him.

There were also a few batches of thugs whose greedy eyes were instantly attracted to the treasure chests.

But noticing Jack's scary physique and fierce face, they shrank their necks and didn't dare to take action at all.

Xia Nuo watched all this and was quite amused.

Looking fierce has the advantages of looking fierce; even with a bounty of zero, he had the deterrent power of a 1 billion Berry level.

After renting a few Bulls, the group headed straight for the upper city.

The bank and Vivre Card shop were both there.

Traveling from the outer district to the upper city, due to the terrain, would normally require winding around the waterways and taking a lot of effort.

But...

Water 7 has elevators.

The full name is "Water Gate Elevator," which uses a closed water gate to vertically lift ships or passengers riding Bulls from the low-water area to the high-water area in just over ten seconds.

A bit like the Panama Canal locks Xia Nuo remembered.

The group rode the Bulls into the elevator, and *whoosh*, they arrived in the upper city.

"Eh, strange."

Xia Nuo looked around, but couldn't find Kuina and the others.

They had clearly agreed on the phone to meet at the entrance of the upper city tonight.

"I'll call and urge them again." Smoker took out a Den Den Mushi.

"Hmm."

Xia Nuo nodded and didn't care.

It was dinner time, so maybe it was because Nami was too greedy, causing the others to be delayed.

*Brrr-brrr~*

The Den Den Mushi rang for a long time, but there was no response.

"What's going on?" Smoker frowned, hung up directly, and dialed Robin's number.

Still no connection.

Dialed Kuina's, still the same.

Xia Nuo, who was looking up at the beauty of the fountain, finally turned his head.

"Boss, something seems wrong..." Smoker chewed his cigar, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Nami's phone not connecting was normal.

After all, that girl had a carefree personality and was never very reliable; maybe her Den Den Mushi fell into a pit when she went to the bathroom.

But for Robin and Kuina's phones not to connect, it was clearly abnormal.

"Big brother, big brother!"

A little girl with twin tails ran over, jumping and skipping.

She stood on her tiptoes, held a crumpled piece of paper high, and handed it to Xia Nuo: "Here, for you, someone asked me to give this to you!"

Xia Nuo opened it casually, and the partners behind him also leaned in to take a look.

It read:

【Your sisters are all tied up in the station warehouse. If you want them to live, have your subordinates go save them immediately】

【You come to the Galley

[Come to the Galley-La Company headquarters alone and wait for me downstairs. I have a deal I want to discuss with you. Remember, you must come alone, otherwise I will not show myself.]

"Hey! Wait, don't go yet!"

Smoker instinctively reached out to stop the little girl who wanted to run away. His fierce appearance, with a cigar hanging from his mouth, made the little girl tremble, and her eyes instantly turned red.

"Sorry, I'm sorry, little sister."

Smoker hurriedly squatted down, trying his best to soften his voice, and took a few mint candies out of his pocket to hand to her:

"It was my fault for not paying attention to my tone. Big brother just wanted to ask you, who was it that asked you to bring this note to us?"

"It's candy!"

The little girl's eyes lit up. She happily took the candy, immediately felt that Smoker was indeed a good person, and spilled everything she knew like beans from a bamboo tube.

"I don't know him either. It was a weirdo wearing a mask who gave me 100 Berries to deliver it. He was very tall and very thin... um, I don't know anything else."

In the end, she didn't forget to add a final blow: "The big brother I was calling for was that very handsome black-haired big brother. It's too shameless for you to call yourself a big brother, white-haired uncle."

Uncle??

Hey, you really are pushing your luck!

Black lines appeared on Smoker's forehead. After watching the unlucky child walk away, he stood up sullenly: "What does everyone think of the content on this note?"

"It's obviously made up."

Zeff crossed his arms over his chest and sneered:

"The one who wrote this note must be a remnant accomplice of those CP9 agents. This kind of old-fashioned trick is only enough to fool a three-year-old. Only a ghost would believe it."

"Eh??" Jack, who had been full of anxiety and anger, was suddenly stunned, "So it's fake?"

He had been ready to go, just waiting for Boss Xia Nuo's order to rush to the station to save people immediately!

"So, there really is a three-year-old here!" Smoker jumped up and slapped his knee, roaring with sharp teeth.

"Then, then why can't the phone call get through?" Jack scratched his head in confusion.

"Idiot, it's the government's special intelligence department after all. It's normal for them to have ways to block communication signals."

Smoker sneered, "But this kind of method... hmph, what a bunch of short-sighted fools. Don't they know how terrifying the Observation Haki of a strong person really is?"

Everyone's eyes subconsciously turned to Xia Nuo.

Just as Smoker said, at this moment, Xia Nuo was standing in front of the railing, facing the vast city below, his arms spread wide, eyes slightly closed.

—Powerful Observation Haki was activated at full strength, instantly sweeping across the entire island like a tidal wave!

In such a densely populated metropolis, finding someone is actually not easy.

But Xia Nuo was far too familiar with the auras of Nami and Nojiko. After scanning back and forth twice, he precisely located them.

Xia Nuo opened his eyes and turned around.

"They are both in the east. If I remember correctly, that's the area where the bank is located, right?"

Xia Nuo shrugged and said, "They probably also received the fake message delivered by the child and thought the meeting place had been changed to the bank."

"So I wasn't the only one who was fooled." Jack immediately giggled happily.

"What are you proud of? It's not the same nature at all, you idiot!"

Smoker couldn't help but kick him again, "The fake message they received didn't have such exaggerated content!"

One was a kidnapping, the other was just a change of meeting place.

Moreover, in the original schedule, the first thing to do after the two sides met was to go to the bank to exchange cash, so the credibility of the latter was indeed very high and reasonable.

"Going through all this trouble, is it just to get us to move away so they can meet Boss Xia Nuo alone?" Smoker blew a smoke ring and looked at Xia Nuo, "Boss, what do you say?"

"You guys go straight to the bank, follow the original schedule, and tell Kuina and the others about these things by the way."

Xia Nuo looked toward the Galley-La Company headquarters, stretched, and said indifferently, "Since the person behind the scenes wants to see me alone so much, I'll go and satisfy his wish."

"Understood."

"Then we'll head to the bank first, Boss."

Everyone nodded and headed straight for the bank area.

No one had any objections, and no one was worried about Xia Nuo's safety.

The reason was simple.

They had unparalleled trust in their captain's strength!

In the face of absolute power...

All conspiracies and tricks, all painstaking calculations, were nothing more than a joke.

————

Galley-La Company headquarters.

Iceburg, the mayor of Water 7 and president of the Galley-La Company, was currently pacing back and forth in his office with a frown.

"Strange... where did Kalifa and Kaku go?"

He stopped, muttered to himself, and tapped his fingers lightly on the desk, "We clearly agreed to organize the order reports for all the docks together tonight..."

They hadn't been seen since the afternoon; in the blink of an eye, both had been missing for most of the day.

Kaku could be excused; maybe he was dragged to a tavern by that guy Paulie to drink and forgot about it.

But his always professional secretary Kalifa, who would insist on working even when she had a cold and followed him everywhere, had never had such a precedent of absenteeism without cause.

"What a headache..."

Iceburg lay on his office chair, his face bitter, and picked his nose quite ungracefully, "Leaving me here all alone, where's the motivation?"

He was a very lazy mayor, used to slacking off. To get him to work seriously, he needed subordinates to push him from behind.

Creak~

Just then, the office door was pushed open.

"Finally here? What's going on, Kalifa? I thought you forgot..."

Iceburg hurriedly wiped the booger he had picked under the desk and looked up with surprise, but the person who walked in was wearing a black suit and a black top hat...

"Lucci?"

Iceburg was slightly taken aback.

"Why is it you? Where's Kalifa? Weren't you supposed to be working overtime at Dock 1 tonight, inspecting that merchant ship? Why did you come to me—"

Before he could finish, his voice stopped abruptly.

Because Lucci didn't respond at all, just walked to the sofa expressionlessly, sat down, crossed his legs, and slowly looked up. Those eyes, usually gentle, were now as cold as knives.

"What are you..."

Iceburg looked hesitant and couldn't help but take half a step back.

Something seemed wrong...

In the year or more he had known Lucci, although this young man was taciturn, he was diligent and reliable, and often had witty remarks, using ventriloquism to make him laugh heartily.

But now.

The man in front of him, exuding a dangerous aura, made him feel unprecedentedly like a stranger.

"Sorry, Mayor Iceburg."

Lucci casually brushed the dust off his trouser legs and finally spoke, his voice low and hoarse:

"Thank you for taking care of us during this time, but it's a pity... tonight, I am not here to see you as a shipwright."

"Eh, what does that mean?"

Iceburg scratched his head and laughed dryly, "What kind of act is this, Lucci... Haha, it's the first time I've heard you speak with your mouth. I'm not used to the sound. Hey, where's Hattori? Why didn't it come with you?"

Hattori was the name of Lucci's pigeon.

Lucci didn't answer, just raised his index finger lightly.

Swish swish—!

Two Finger Pistols shot out, instantly piercing Iceburg's knees and spraying a large amount of blood.

Iceburg fell to his knees powerlessly, clutching his wounds, looking at Lucci in disbelief.

"Now that you can't run, let me reintroduce myself."

Lucci's gaze was calm, "I am Rob Lucci, a member of CP9, the intelligence agency directly under the World Government, and the captain of this Water 7 plan."

—What???

Iceburg's eyes widened, and his face turned pale instantly.

CP9?

That most secretive agent organization of the World Government?!

When did Lucci become a government man?

No, that's not right. It should be said that this guy was a government man all along, just disguised as a shipwright, lurking in Galley-La?

Wait, captain? Then there must be other members...

Kalifa and Kaku... they seem to have joined the company around the same time as Lucci, could they also be?

"Unfortunately, as you thought, yes."

Lucci seemed to see through Iceburg's thoughts and said lightly, "But they are busy at the moment and can't come here, so I can only bid you farewell on their behalf."

It really is!

Damn it, Kalifa, Kaku...

"What... exactly do you want to do?" Iceburg suppressed the shock in his heart, but his voice still trembled slightly.

Lucci didn't answer directly, but stood up and walked slowly to the window, overlooking Water 7 in the night.

In his field of vision.

That little girl he had instructed in advance was currently on tiptoe, handing the note to that group of people.

Is he coming, the great swordsman Xia Nuo?

Lucci exhaled lightly, his eyes filled with unconcealable excitement.

To be honest.

He had been lurking in Water 7 for almost a year, and that idiot Spandam kept telling them not to alert the enemy and to plan slowly. He had had enough.

It had basically been confirmed that Tom's blueprints were with Iceburg, so why not take action against Iceburg directly, instead of continuing to let them play shipwrights here and waste their time?

How much longer did he have to wait?

Half a year? A year??

As the strongest genius in CP9's eight-hundred-year history, why should he waste so much time on this boring mission!

Thinking of this, Lucci's gaze became even more determined.

Since the plan had been drawn up, with his temper, he wouldn't look back!

To protect justice.

Even if there were some risks, they could be completely ignored!

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 147 =====

Although that possibility is unlikely.

But if that were the case, their group would all be doomed. In this way, at least before dying, he could have a showdown with Iceburg and vent his resentment toward this idiot mayor who really thought of him as a subordinate.

Kaku and Kalifa seemed to like this guy quite a bit, and even grew to like the atmosphere of life here.

But he was different; he had no nostalgia for this city or this company.

"Iceburg."

Lucci stood with his back to Iceburg, his voice calm, "Since you asked, I'll speak plainly. Regarding the blueprints for the Ancient Weapon 'Pluton'... you should be very clear about it, right?"

Iceburg's breathing stalled.

As expected...

It really was aimed at this!

"Pluton?"

He pretended to be calm and said in a deep voice: "I don't know what you're talking about. Pluton is a legendary weapon. As an ordinary person who started as a shipwright, how could I possibly come into contact with such—"

"Lies."

Lucci turned around and glanced at him with a sneer.

"Our chief, Spandam, has already investigated it clearly. The reason we were sent to infiltrate Galley-La was also aimed at you."

He approached Iceburg step by step, his voice getting colder, "After all, Tom's other disciple, Flam, is already dead. You are the only disciple left. Where else could the Pluton blueprints be if not in your hands?"

Hearing this name, Iceburg's fists clenched tightly.

Spandam...

That CP5 leader who wouldn't leave their workshop alone a few years ago.

Tom, his teacher, had clearly been cleared of charges, but it was because of this guy's framing that he was executed by the World Government!

And his junior brother Franky was also missing because of this, his fate unknown to this day!

"I don't know! Teacher Tom never mentioned anything like that to me!"

Cold sweat seeped from Iceburg's forehead, but he still gritted his teeth and insisted:

"What Pluton blueprints? I've never seen them... Even CP9 has to follow the rules, right? Accusations without evidence are just your delusions!"

"Under normal circumstances, we do have to follow the rules."

Seeing that he had no intention of speaking, Lucci finally lost his patience, "It's a pity I have to go downstairs to meet someone in a moment, and I really have no interest in finishing this play with you."

Whoosh!

His figure disappeared from where he stood, appearing in front of Iceburg the next second, and he kicked the other man hard in the chest.

Iceburg instantly spat out a large mouthful of black blood, his upper body falling backward. The world spun before his eyes, but he gritted his teeth and resisted the kick, not losing consciousness.

Tom's disciple is unexpectedly tough.

Lucci glanced coldly at Iceburg and ordered:

"Knock him out, tie him up, and put him in a bag, Blueno."

"The officers on that great swordsman's ship are also a bit tricky. After I deal with Xia Nuo, don't get entangled with them. Directly commandeer the Sea Train and rush to Enies Lobby overnight with these two."

"Yes, Lucci."

A burly figure emerged from the shadows. Blueno's expression was indifferent, silent, and his large hand reached toward Iceburg.

"Blueno from the tavern, so you are also..." Iceburg was slightly startled, then smiled bitterly, and spat out the words with difficulty, "My side, has it already been completely surrounded by your people?"

"And I didn't notice a single trace? I really am slow-witted..."

Iceburg lowered his head in self-mockery, then suddenly looked up and stared straight at Lucci, grinning and laughing: "Take me to Enies Lobby? Do you think I'm afraid of death?"

Lucci frowned slightly.

"My teacher would rather die than hand over the blueprints." Iceburg's voice gradually became firm, "As his disciple, how could I possibly disgrace his will!"

"Pluton, such a forbidden object that can destroy the world, no matter what, I will absolutely never let it reappear in the world!"

"As for wanting to kill me?"

He suddenly pulled two pistols from the inner pocket of his suit, held them in his hands, and anger burned in his eyes:

"Come and try it, you government dog!"

Bang! Bang!

Both pistols fired at the same time, and the bullets whistled toward Lucci.

Lucci frowned slightly, and his eyes turned completely cold.

"Foolish act."

He stood where he was, not moving at all, letting the bullets fly toward him.

Iron Body had already been activated. If the soft bullets fired by an ordinary person could pass through, it would be a joke...

Boom!!!

At this very moment, the office window shattered!

A slender katana broke through the window, colliding exactly with the trajectory of the bullets. While splitting the two bullets in half, it directly shattered the Iron Body and pierced through Lucci's abdomen from the right side, pinning him hard to the wall.

This scene happened too suddenly.

Blueno and Iceburg didn't react in time, and even Lucci was stunned for two seconds before looking down at the wound on his waist that was gushing blood...

"Ah la la, sorry."

A lazy voice rang out.

Lucci looked up with difficulty, only to see a black-haired boy sitting leisurely on the windowsill, his legs dangling in the air, a smile on his face:

"I was originally in the garden downstairs, waiting for you to finish your business, but the commotion above was a bit loud. I was worried that you would be so angry that you'd actually slaughter this Mr. Gin, so I had to reluctantly make a move first."

Gin?

Who?

Lucci was stunned, not understanding what Xia Nuo meant.

But... that's not important!

He looked at the sword that had pierced his waist and abdomen and almost laughed out loud on the spot.

What powerful energy...

A sword thrown casually could penetrate his Iron Body!

Is this the swordsmanship attainment of a great swordsman famous across the sea?

But...

Pirates are indeed all idiots!

The note he gave was an open plot from the start.

Regardless of whether the other party saw through it, he was certain that a pirate with such great fame would have an overly arrogant confidence in his own strength.

And the result was as expected.

The other party not only cared about the so-called "style of a great pirate" and "pirate righteousness," but actually came to the door alone.

And he didn't even need Blueno to make a move; just to save someone, he threw his sword away first!

Was he afraid that the sword energy would affect Iceburg?

Regardless, it wouldn't be so easy to get it back.

The plan went even more smoothly than expected!

"Blueno!" he suddenly shouted sharply, pulling the sword out of his body by force.

"Understood!"

Blueno understood instantly, took the blood-stained katana, and drew a line on Lucci's body with his right hand—

"Door-Door Fruit: Human Door!"

A bizarre scene appeared.

Lucci's body split open like a door being pushed, revealing a dark green different space inside.

Blueno didn't hesitate, hugged the katana, and jumped into it!

Whoosh!

The opening closed instantly, and both the person and the sword disappeared without a trace.

Huh?

Xia Nuo was a bit confused by this scene, not knowing what these two were doing.

"A complete success."

Lucci licked the blood from the corner of his mouth. The wound on his abdomen was still gushing blood, but he didn't notice it at all.

Under the moonlight, this strongest member of CP9 saw his body swell violently. He immediately assumed a half-beast form, his muscles bulging like steel bars, and fanatical fighting intent burned in his eyes:

"That sword of yours, it hurt me so, so much."

"However, now..."

He tore his tattered shirt to shreds with a savage grin, revealing his extremely sturdy body:

"It's my turn. It's time to let a swordsman like you see the charm of pushing physical techniques to the peak!"

(End of chapter)