Chapter 452

Red Line, Holy City of the Sky.

As the silhouette of the Sky City slowly came into view, Lafitte finally let out the breath he’d been holding: Safe. Completely safe.

He was still alive. The Dark-Dark Fruit was still with him.

Nine years as an undercover agent… finally, the harvest time had come.

With his own efforts, he had helped the Captain find the Dark-Dark Fruit—such a monumental achievement would surely secure him a place in the United Kingdom.

If Morgans the bird-man could do it, so could Lafitte—and he would do it even better.

The Captain’s number one fanatic? That’s Lafitte!

Upon arriving at the outer city of the Sky City, Lafitte immediately spotted his long-awaited superior, Rainy Shiryu.

At the sight, Lafitte instantly switched his expression to a smile.

“Oh, Lord Shiryu…”

Shiryu nodded, his gaze flicking unconsciously to the wooden crate in Lafitte’s arms: Damn dog, luck really is on his side.

Previously, the Nika Fruit had been found by Red-Haired Shanks, and the entire Red-Haired Crew had risen to glory.

Now, Lafitte carried the monumental achievement of recovering the Dark-Dark Fruit—he would surely become a prime prospect.

“Come with me. The Captain is waiting.”

“Lord Shiryu, after you.”

To be precise, this was Lafitte’s first time in the Sky City. When he first joined the Morning Star Crew, this place had still been Mary Geoise.

But the moment he stepped into the Sky City, Lafitte instantly felt his breathing grow easier—even the rheumatism he’d developed while undercover in the Blackbeard Crew… vanished.

No wonder so many people would exhaust their entire fortunes just to immigrate to the Sky City.

How wonderful. His own bright future—right here, right now.

Not long after, Lafitte followed Shiryu to the Governor’s Mansion. The instant he saw Seven, he dropped to his knees, holding the wooden crate aloft with both hands.

“Captain, I have not failed you.”

“Good.” Seven took the crate. “You’re back. The Air Force still needs a Chief of Staff. Rest two days, then report to Admiral Shi Ji.”

Lafitte’s combat strength is unknown.

But from his actions in the anime and his interactions with Seven, the conclusion was clear: Lafitte was better suited as a strategist than a frontline fighter.

After all, he was the man who infiltrated Marine Headquarters alone to secure Blackbeard’s Warlord status—courageous and cunning.

Had Seven not controlled Lafitte with a Devil Contract, he’d never have trusted such a man.

Moreover, Lafitte himself possessed flight ability, and the Air Force was precisely in need of a Chief of Staff to relieve the burden on senior officers like Jin.

Hearing this, Lafitte’s face flushed crimson, and he slapped his chest vigorously.

“Captain, I’m not tired.”

Good heavens—this was the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, a core power broker within the Air Force, wielding far more authority than Morgans the bird-man.

Why rest? Lafitte wanted to rush straight to the Air Force Headquarters and assume his post right now.

Only the Captain could do this—following him meant never worrying about your merits being buried; you’d always be rewarded exactly as your achievements deserved.

Unlike that fat black bastard, who kept all the benefits for himself while the rest of us got scraps.

“Very well.”

Seven toyed with the Dark-Dark Fruit in his hand. Since the horse was eager to work, let him work.

A stagnant United Kingdom was not the image Seven wanted to see.

“Tell me about these past years.”

Though Lafitte had sent back plenty of intelligence over the years, the finer details—limited by space—remained unknown to Seven.

At this, Lafitte hurried to speak.

“Captain, Blackbeard is probably broken.”

“Since marrying Luffy, aside from daily, unchanging torture of Koby, Blackbeard can’t bear to be apart from her for a single day…”

“He… lacks love?” Seven muttered.

According to the intelligence Seven had gathered, during the Battle of God Valley, Blackbeard and his mother had been saved by Buggy, but within a few years, Blackbeard’s mother passed away.

That was why Blackbeard joined the Whitebeard Crew at twelve.

An unhappy childhood requires a lifetime to heal—Blackbeard clearly lacked maternal affection from childhood, and after marrying Luffy, all his long-suppressed emotions erupted at once.

“Captain, hearing you say that, I suddenly understand—it’s exactly as you say.”

At these words, Shiryu immediately clenched his lips.

Dammit. This is Morgans version 2.0—even worse.

The days ahead… will be interesting.

Compared to Morgans, Lafitte, and other low-ranking bureaucrats skilled in flattery, Shiryu considered himself a high-ranking official of the United Kingdom.

His duty was simply to resolve the Captain’s troubles and execute assigned tasks flawlessly.

No need to waste time on flattery.

Only incompetent low-rankers spend all day scheming to kiss ass—and more importantly, Shiryu simply couldn’t flatter if he tried.

Flattering wrong is worse than not flattering at all.

After a long while, having heard Lafitte’s nine years of undercover experiences, Seven sighed.

“You’ve worked hard, Lafitte.”

Infiltrating Blackbeard’s crew for nine years without ever being discovered—only Lafitte could have pulled it off.

That was precisely why Seven hadn’t killed him outright, but chose to recruit him.

Talent thrives anywhere.

“A house has already been prepared for you in the Holy City. Someone will take you there.”

“Thank you, Captain.”

Watching Lafitte depart, Seven stored the Dark-Dark Fruit in his system space.

Unlike the Nika Fruit, which had a chosen one, whoever consumed the Dark-Dark Fruit must be carefully chosen.

Zoro’s brat spends all his time by Guinna’s side, vowing to reach the pinnacle of swordsmanship together—he won’t want to eat a Devil Fruit.

Usopp is out of the question too; he’s no good as a frontline fighter.

That leaves only Ace, Sanji, and Nami as viable candidates from the second generation of Wano Kindergarten.

At that moment, Shiryu whispered a reminder.

“Captain, those old nobles…”

“Almost forgot them.” Seven swiftly gave orders: “Shiryu, authorize the Black Ice Bureau to act. This time, eradicate them completely.”

“Yes, Captain.”

For Seven, the Dark-Dark Fruit was now secured—Blackbeard and the remnants of the old regime had lost all value.

Those who had lost their value and harbored treachery had no right to live.

Yet, just as the extermination operation began, an urgent message from a Marine branch made Seven suddenly laugh and groan at once.

“Blackbeard went mad? Is this true?”

Admiral Sakazuki nodded.

“We specifically sent Chief Marco to examine him. Blackbeard’s emotions were too volatile—his rage caused qi to reverse and stagnate, leading to a collapse. When he woke up, he was insane.”

Sakazuki had finally witnessed the power of Saint Seven.

Looking at Blackbeard's entire life, he was undoubtedly a formidable hero—but because he had offended the Seven Saints in childhood, he had been driven mad.

Too brutal!