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67.78% One Piece: Starting by Refusing Shanks / Chapter 242: Chapter 242: Kuraigana Island: Kaku's Resolve

章節 242: Chapter 242: Kuraigana Island: Kaku's Resolve

CP9 is the World Government's direct secret intelligence agency.

Kaku didn't know who would pick up the phone when the Den Den Mushi dialed.

But he couldn't care about that anymore. He hadn't contacted Spandam for a long time, and given that man's personality, he was sure Spandam had already held a grudge. He needed to report his situation before things got worse.

It didn't matter who picked up; it would be someone on his side. He just needed them to transfer the call to Spandam.

As soon as this thought crossed his mind, Kaku dialed the number. Suddenly, there was a faint sound in the pitch-black jungle next to him.

As a professional assassin, Kaku's instincts and reactions were sharp. The moment he sensed the disturbance, he immediately hung up the call and hid the Den Den Mushi.

Then, a slender figure slowly emerged from the darkness of the jungle.

"Yo, isn't that one of Takumi's crewmates?" a lighthearted voice, laced with a hint of mockery, called out.

Kaku reflexively took half a step back when he saw who it was, his forehead breaking into a cold sweat.

It was Red-Haired Shanks!

Now things were really bad...

Kaku was frantically thinking of an explanation.

Shanks casually approached him, with a slight smile on his face, placing a hand on Kaku's shoulder, laughing as he said, "Am I really that scary? You seem pretty nervous, haha..."

"Uh, no... I..." Kaku's mind went blank the moment Shanks laid a hand on him.

One thought ran through his head: It's over...

"So, what was your name again?" Shanks asked with a playful smile.

Kaku knew there was no escaping now and reluctantly answered, "Kaku…"

"Oh, little Kaku, how old are you?" Shanks continued to ask.

"I'm eighteen…" Kaku responded, using his typical formal speech.

"Pfft… Your manner of speaking is pretty amusing, haha..." Shanks chuckled.

Kaku forced a dry laugh. "Heh, it's a habit..."

"You're an interesting guy," Shanks remarked. "So, what were you doing before you joined Takumi's ship?"

"I was a shipwright," Kaku answered.

"A shipwright, huh? Takumi isn't the type to bring freeloaders onto his ship, so you must be a pretty skilled one." Shanks laughed again, giving Kaku a light pat on the back. "And I see you carry two swords. You're a swordsman, huh? I heard from Enel that you're also the cook on the ship, haha, impressive for someone so young!"

Kaku gave a helpless smile. At this point, he just wanted to leave.

Then, a cold voice suddenly came from above the two of them: "You talk too much."

The voice chilled Kaku to the bone.

Shanks didn't seem surprised at all. He casually glanced up at the nearby tree, where a man stood on a branch, staring down at them with a cold expression. It was Mihawk, the "Hawk-Eyes." Shanks waved nonchalantly, still grinning, "Yo, you're here too, haha..."

Mihawk jumped down from the tree and ignored Shanks, walking straight towards Kaku. "You're bold to steal something."

Kaku's face froze, his mind spiraling into chaos.

It was bad enough to run into Shanks, but now Mihawk was here too…

Wait… how did they know about the Den Den Mushi?

No one saw him take it… did they?

Suddenly, Kaku remembered running into Yasopp outside the storage room.

Could it be that Yasopp saw him?

If that were the case, it would make sense that Shanks and Mihawk knew about it.

It looked like his cover was about to be blown…

Damn it. The mission had been going so smoothly, and now, at the last moment, he was about to be exposed. He couldn't accept it!

Though Mihawk was a Shichibukai, which meant he worked with the World Government, there was no guarantee he would help Kaku, especially since Mihawk and Shanks were known to be friends. And Kaku, as a mere CP9 agent, was hardly someone Mihawk would choose to help over Shanks.

In other words, even if Mihawk knew he was with the World Government, there was no chance he'd side with him over Shanks.

At this point, there was no use denying it…

Kaku's clenched fists were drenched in cold sweat.

The atmosphere grew tense, with only the sound of the wind rustling through the forest filling the silence.

"Wow, Mihawk, you're too harsh," Shanks finally broke the silence with a smile. "You're scaring poor little Kaku, haha! Let's talk this through."

Mihawk responded flatly, "Why are you here?"

Shanks shrugged, "I'm just here to confirm something."

Mihawk asked, "Have you confirmed it?"

Shanks nodded, "Yep, confirmed."

Mihawk, still expressionless, asked, "How do you plan to handle it?"

Shanks touched his chin, smiling, "Depends on the attitude. If it doesn't work out, we'll break his legs first."

Mihawk: "…"

Kaku: "?"

"Alright, little Kaku, I'll give you a choice," Shanks smiled mischievously at Kaku, his tone still casual. "One, leave Takumi's ship immediately and return what you've taken, and Mihawk and I will act like this never happened. Two, you die. So, what's your choice?"

Kaku was stunned.

Shanks… was going to let him go?

But Shanks had a good relationship with Takumi, right?

Since he had been exposed as a traitor, why not just capture him and hand him over to Takumi? Why give him a chance to leave?

Or maybe this choice was a trap.

No matter what he chose, the result would be death?

Kaku stared at Shanks' seemingly harmless smile, unable to figure out what he was really thinking.

Just then, the distinct sound of the Den Den Mushi rang out.

Kaku, who had been trying to remain calm, suddenly panicked.

"Oh dear, bad timing, huh?" Shanks said, reaching out his hand. "Hand it over."

Kaku took a deep breath, reluctantly pulling out the Den Den Mushi he had hidden and handed it over to Shanks.

Shanks took the Den Den Mushi, examined it briefly, and then tossed it to Mihawk. "I'll take care of this. You go get some rest, injured warrior."

Mihawk casually caught it and answered the call. An elderly voice came through, "Calling so late? What's the matter?"

"Nothing," Mihawk coldly replied, before hanging up the call. Then, without another word, he walked away with the Den Den Mushi.

Now, only Kaku and Shanks remained.

"So, what's your choice?" Shanks asked with a smile, repeating his earlier question.

Kaku sighed deeply, realizing that no matter what he did, the outcome would likely be the same. Resigned to his fate, he said with a determined look, "Kill me."

CP9 missions came first. Once assigned, they had to succeed at any cost.

If a mission failed, even if he didn't die, he would face severe punishment back at headquarters.

And given how long he had gone without contacting Spandam, failure would mean certain death.

In the end, whether he returned alive or not, he was as good as dead.

If he was going to die anyway, dying in the line of duty seemed more meaningful.

"Oh? You really want to die?" Shanks looked at him with surprise, his smile still in place. "Didn't expect you to be so loyal to your organization."

Kaku shrugged. "My life belongs to the World Government. Ever since I was young, I've been prepared to die for them. If I failed the mission, death is what I deserve. Dying at the hands of a Yonko is an honor for someone like me."

************

Please support me on Ko-fi at ko-fi. com/gered to read up to chapter 310!


next chapter

章節 243: Chapter 243: Kuraigana Island: The Threatened Kaku

Because he had come to terms with it, Kaku was no longer as nervous as before.

Seeing Kaku's determined, ready-to-die attitude, Shanks couldn't help but laugh heartily, "Haha, so you really are one of the World Government's people."

Kaku: "?"

Shanks continued, "I heard from Enel that you boarded the ship in Water 7. Water 7 is really a great place, so nostalgic. Back then, the Oro Jackson was born there. If I get the chance, I'd love to visit Water 7 again."

The Oro Jackson was the main ship of the Roger Pirates, built by the legendary shipwright Tom in Water 7, using the precious Adam Wood.

Of course, Kaku knew this, as it was the Pirate King's legendary ship.

However, he couldn't understand why Shanks would suddenly bring this up.

Grinning, Shanks said, "Speaking of Water 7, I'm reminded of Mr. Tom. And since you're a person from the World Government, it's not likely that you went to Water 7 to be a shipwright for no reason. So, your real purpose for going there was to get something, right?"

Kaku stayed silent, not responding.

Shanks continued, "From what I know, there's indeed something related to Water 7 and ships that's quite important. And it's also connected to Mr. Tom. So, you became a shipwright in Water 7 to get close to Iceburg, and then obtain what you were after, right?"

Kaku nervously swallowed his saliva.

Shanks had hit the nail on the head. Their mission in Water 7 was, indeed, to obtain the blueprints of the "Pluton."

This was a top-secret mission, known only to the CP9 members involved and the commanding officers who issued the order.

If this mission's details were leaked, the consequences would be unimaginable.

No way. Even if he had to die, he couldn't let Shanks interfere with their plans!

With that thought, Kaku forced a dry laugh and said, "What are you talking about? I don't understand. In fact, I was sent to Water 7 just to get aboard Takumi's ship. My mission is to earn Takumi's trust, nothing more."

"Oh? Is that so?" Shanks stared at Kaku, half-believing him.

Kaku nodded, "Yes, it's true!"

"Hahaha, little Kaku, you're still too young." Shanks chuckled, patting Kaku on the shoulder. "An explanation is just an excuse. Do you really think your acting skills can fool my eyes? If I'm not mistaken, this is your first time doing an undercover mission, isn't it?"

"Uh... well..." That was true.

"Hmm, let me think..." Shanks stroked his chin, deep in thought for a few seconds. Then, as if he had realized something, he clenched his right fist and lightly hit the palm of his left hand. "I remember now! The World Government has a secret intelligence agency under its command. It seems the members of this agency are all assassins. Little Kaku, you must be from CP9, right?"

"Aren't you going to kill me?" Kaku couldn't take it anymore. Being completely seen through was too painful. "If you're going to make a move, stop with the nonsense. If you don't act, I can kill myself."

As he said that, Kaku drew his two swords and brought the blades close to his throat.

Before he could act, Shanks swiftly and accurately struck Kaku's wrist with a hand chop.

Kaku winced in pain, dropping both swords to the ground.

"You really can't keep your cool," Shanks said with a cheerful smile. "Caught red-handed and already thinking of suicide? Is your life really worth that little?"

"You said you were going to kill me, and now you're stopping me from killing myself. What exactly are you trying to do?" Kaku asked with a serious expression.

Shanks waved his hand, "When did I say I was going to kill you?"

Kaku paused, confused, "Didn't you give me a choice?"

"Yeah, I gave you a choice. But no matter which one you picked, I wasn't planning on killing you."

"Huh?" Kaku was dumbfounded.

With a smile, Shanks said, "After all, you're still one of Takumi's crew. It's not my place to deal with you."

"So, you're going to hand me over to Takumi?" Kaku asked, his face darkening.

"No," Shanks shook his head. "I can pretend none of this ever happened. You can continue being an undercover agent on Takumi's ship. But remember, I've already got a hold of your little secret. If you don't want to be exposed, you'd better do as I say. Don't be fooled by how indifferent Takumi seems. Even I can't fully understand his thoughts. Let alone a newbie like you. If you want to earn his trust, you still have a long way to go. So, for now, just stay on his ship and take good care of him."

Shanks' words left Kaku in a daze.

For some reason, he had a feeling that if he agreed to Shanks' request, he would end up on a never-ending path of no return...

But right now, he had no other choice.

After a moment of silence, Kaku asked with a grim face, "Why are you helping me? Aren't you Takumi's friend?"

Shanks shrugged, "I'm not helping you. Takumi isn't the best at taking care of himself. Even if you threw him into a group of kids his age, some might believe he's twelve. Oh, and here, take this."

As he spoke, Shanks handed Kaku a Den Den Mushi.

With mixed emotions, Kaku accepted it.

Shanks grinned, "This Den Den Mushi can contact me. Keep it safe. Don't let Enel mess around with it. If it dies, it'll be a real headache for me."

Kaku nodded silently.

Shanks waved his hand, "Alright, go back and get some rest. Don't worry about Mihawk. He's not the type to meddle in others' business."

"Then... I'll leave now?" Kaku hesitated.

"Go on."

Kaku immediately took the Den Den Mushi and ran.

Once Kaku had run far enough away, Shanks turned to the dense forest behind him and said, "He's gone. Aren't you going to come out?"

Then, a small figure emerged from the darkness in the direction Shanks had been looking.

As the person's face appeared under the hazy moonlight, Shanks grinned, "So you've grown up, huh? Starting to care about others now? Haha... How did I do just now?"

The one who appeared was none other than Takumi.

Takumi walked towards Shanks with an indifferent expression, saying as he walked, "So-so."

"Harsh as ever," Shanks remarked, then changed the subject. "Did you know about little Kaku's situation from the beginning?"

Takumi casually replied, "Mm-hmm."

"If you knew he was an undercover agent, why did you keep him around?"

"That's none of your business."

"Eh? That's a little hurtful." Although Shanks' words sounded hurt, there was no sign of actual sadness. "It seems that you've had control over Kaku's actions all along. But I'm surprised that you came all the way here for an undercover agent. Were you worried that Mihawk or I would kill him?"

Takumi: "…"

************

Please support me on Ko-fi at ko-fi. com/gered to read up to chapter 310!


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