章節 55: Betrayal

Info Chapter

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"I only know human nature," Iceburg said through gritted teeth. "And I see none of it in you."

Bang!

Lucci's foot struck Iceburg's face with brutal force.

"Watch your mouth. Did you think you were still my boss?" Lucci sneered. "Kaku, check his pulse."

Following orders, Kaku knelt beside Iceburg, feeling for his pulse. Iceburg lay crumpled on the floor, too weakened to move after his earlier injuries and the relentless blood loss. Only the faintest breaths escaped him.

"Mr. Iceburg, let's play out a little hypothesis game," Lucci began, his voice laced with mock politeness. "First off, you let us get our hands on a fake blueprint. You must have suspected us—government agents lurking around—so you deliberately exposed a decoy, giving it to Paulie to draw us out."

"But what if the intruders weren't government agents, but just assassins bent on taking you out? The real blueprint would be lost forever. Surely, you must have thought of that risk."

Iceburg gritted his teeth, refusing to respond, but the flicker in his pulse betrayed him.

"Your silence is enough confirmation ," Lucci continued with cold satisfaction. "The real blueprint isn't in your possession, is it? You entrusted it to someone."

He observed Iceburg's reaction closely. "We may lack direct evidence," he admitted, "but someone capable enough to safeguard that blueprint would have to be someone close to you."

Lucci gave a slight smirk. "That's right. We found a signature on the fake blueprint. 'Tom... Iceburg... and Cutty Flam.' And last I checked, Tom's Workers was quite the legendary shipbuilding company. But the registration records were wiped from this island's history."

"Our research led us back to Tom's disciples. According to government data, Tom had only two apprentices. One of them is believed to have died in an 'accident' eight years ago."

"But," Kaku interjected, "we all remember a certain visitor to Galley-La Company four years back—a man looked like Cutty Flam. He claimed his identity boldly."

Kalifa, and Kaku exchanged knowing looks. "Yes," Kalifa confirmed. "I was there when he came to see you, Iceburg. He told me he was Cutty Flam"

"So that makes him your one remaining ally, the hidden one, the man now known as… Franky."

Iceburg's body trembled, his clenched fists shaking with suppressed rage.

"You entrusted the blueprint to that Franky," Lucci stated, watching Iceburg's reaction. "That's great move, a man who keeps a low profile and stays close enough not to arouse our suspicion. It makes sense. No one would question him at all."

"The blueprint's absence explains your defiance," Lucci said coldly. "The other Tom's apprentice has it, so you felt free to resist."

With a smirk, Lucci nodded to Kaku, who confirmed Iceburg's racing pulse. "We're done here. All we need now is Franky."

Iceburg's weakened voice burst out in fury. "You… bastards…!"

Suddenly—boom!

The wall and door exploded inward, and Luffy and Zoro burst into the room.

"Where's Robin?!" Luffy demanded, eyes blazing with determination.

"Lu–Luffy!" Robin gasped, unable to believe her eyes.

Rob Lucci's expression darkened. "Are you here to cause trouble?"

"Robin!" Luffy shouted, relief filling his voice. "Finally, I found you!"

Nami, taking in the scene, looked bewildered. "Wait, what's going on here?"

Paulie, equally stunned, surveyed the scene. Iceburg lay injured on the ground, his attackers—former colleagues, dressed in strange black attire—stood around him.

"Mr. Iceburg… what… happened here?" Paulie asked, his voice shaking. "What are you doing"

Iceburg, with great effort, rasped, "Paulie… I told you to escape with the blueprint… why did you come back if you failed?"

Paulie looked at him, horrified. "What's going on here? Why are you all dressed like this?"

Paulie's voice cracked as he recognized familiar faces. "Kalifa… Blueno… Kaku… Lucci! Stop this insane joke right now, you bastards!"

Even Luffy, usually oblivious to faces, recognized them. "Wait! Aren't these the people who work with you?"

"That one's the guy with the pigeon," Luffy said, pointing.

"And the one with the square nose!" Zoro added, recalling Kaku, who'd checked the ship's hull.

Nami's eyes widened as she pieced it together, horror dawning on her face. "Could it be… the 'assassins' are one of their own?"

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"Paulie, we're actually government intelligence agents. But If we apologize, would you even forgive us?" Lucci's voice was cold, and any pretense of friendship had vanished.

Paulie's eyes widened in disbelief. "We're partners! We build ships together every day. How could you…?"

Paulie was recalling all memories with these four.

Unmoved, Lucci replied, "If you don't believe me, I can kill Iceburg to prove it. "

"It was all act from the start, Paulie."

With that, the last facade fell away, and Paulie was overcome with rage. "Are you mocking me?! You treated me like a fool this whole time!

Paulie whipped his rope with a spiraling row of knives tied to it, towards Lucci. "'Rope Action: Pipe Hitch Knives!'"

"'Finger Pistol!'" Lucci sidestepped effortlessly and closed the distance, driving his index finger into Paulie's chest with deadly precision.

Luffy shouted, "Rope guy?!"

Paulie struggled to stand, recalling all the time he'd spent with them—Kalifa, the sexy woman he admired and wanted to confess his love to, Blueno, his bar owner friend, Kaku, his fellow craftsman, and Lucci his dear friend. It was all lies.

"Forget it," Lucci said coldly. "You can't escape death anyway."

"Paulie!" Paulie's friend, Iceburg roared in horror as he saw his condition.

"Stop it!" Luffy sprang forward, attacking Lucci, "Gomu Gomu no Pistol!".

But Lucci caught his arm with one hand."'Iron Body!'"

"Gomu Gomu no Pistol 'Shot'."

Luffy's fists pounded Lucci like a barrage, but each strike failed to penetrate his steely defense. Lucci grunted, unfazed. "You're annoying," he muttered, vanishing in an instant with "'Shave'!"

"Disappeared!" Luffy gasped.

Lucci reappeared in front of him. "'Finger Pistol!'"

A sharp stab to Luffy's throat left him coughing and gasping for air.

"If you weren't rubber, that would've been fatal," Lucci said dismissively.

Desperate, Luffy stretched his arms to pull Paulie to safety. "I won't let you kill him, not after everything you two went through together!"

"That was then," Lucci said. "Things have changed."

Luffy then focused on his partner. "Robin! What are you doing with them?!"

Robin looked at him, a cold resolve in her eyes. "I've said my goodbyes. Didn't someone tell you?"

Chopper wailed, "I told everyone, but we can't accept it! Why, Robin?!"

"I have a dream, one I can't achieve with all of you. And I will do anything to reach it."

Lucci cut off their arguments, his tone cold and dismissive. "Enough. We don't have time for this. We have someone important to find, and frankly, this building—and all of you—are now useless to us."

"Kalifa, time?" he asked.

Kalifa glanced at her watch. "Two minutes."

"Then in two minutes, this place will be in flames. If you want to escape, go ahead—if you can."

Zoro gripped his sword. "It's clear they want us out of the picture. And Robin seems to be with them. Luffy, will you just let her go?"

"Never" Luffy shouted, determination burning in his eyes.

"Good," Zoro growled, unsheathing his blade. "Let's settle this."

In a flash, Lucci, Kaku, Blueno, and Kalifa attacked. Blueno went for Luffy, Kaku faced Zoro, and Kalifa took on Nami and Chopper.

"Get away from me!" Luffy yelled, kicking Blueno.

"'Iron Body!'" Blueno's defense withstood Luffy's kick.

"What are you made of?!" Luffy fumed.

"Our bodies are tougher than steel," Blueno replied with a sinister grin.

"Gomu Gomu no Shotgun!" Luffy shouted, raining punches.

"'Paper Arts'." Blueno's body moved fluidly, dodging each strike effortlessly. He stepped behind Luffy, his voice mocking. "I'm not just defense."

"Gomu Gomu no Shotgun!" Luffy tried again, , but Blueno vanished with "Shave," only to reappear behind him, mocking Luffy's attempts.

"Damn it!" Luffy cursed, swinging wildly.

Meanwhile, Kalifa swiftly knocked Nami and Chopper to the ground.

"Nami! Chopper!!" Zoro shouted.

"Roronoa Zoro," Kaku sneered, "do you really have time to worry about others?"

He unleashed a brutal Finger Pistol strike.

Bang!

Kaku's attack pierced Zoro's body like a bullet.

"Zoro!!"

Lucci seized the opportunity, his hand closing around Luffy's face.

"Tempest Kick!"

With a calculated strike, he slashed across Luffy's body, drawing blood despite Luffy's usual immunity to blunt force attacks.

"Uuuuuuuuu…"

"Who… are you… people?" Paulie gasped in despair and disbelief, looking at Lucci and the others.

Lucci's voice was devoid of empathy. "We were raised differently. Trained since childhood to sacrifice ourselves for the government, we CP9 agents have surpassed human limitations, mastering the Six Powers." He glanced dismissively at Paulie . "You and your friends? Just dirty pirates."

Without another word, he struck Luffy again with a merciless Finger Pistol, tearing into his previous wound.

"Uhhhhh!!" Luffy cried out in pain.

"Luffy!!" Zoro, with his last ounce of strength, tried to intervene, but Lucci caught his blade, countering with a vicious kick. Zoro crashed through multiple walls and lay unconscious.

As Blueno and Kalifa secured the crew in ropes, flames licked through the building, consuming it from within.

Lucci turned one last time. "You'll be reduced to ash here. Let's go."

Once Lucci and his team left, three silent figures appeared in the room: Akira, Shisui, and Itachi, who had been watching the whole scene unfold.

(A/N: I read the comments talking about RI, so I Recommend to anyone reading RI fanfiction 'the one and only Great Love.' It's the best one out there.)