"Report them?"
Looking at Isuka’s eager expression, Lucas chuckled and took another sip of his strong liquor.
"You really do have the instincts of a model citizen."
"Besides the Dark King Rayleigh, the other person was Shakky, the former intelligence officer of the Rocks Pirates. Her reputation is no less impressive than Rayleigh’s."
"The reason the two of them have been able to remain on the Sabaody Archipelago for so many years, practically under the noses of Marine Headquarters and the World Government, is because they’re being tolerated."
"Rather than letting two monsters like them disappear into the seas where no one can keep track of them, it’s better to have them living somewhere everyone knows about, where they’re constantly under observation."
"Admiral Lucas... are you saying that woman has an even more terrifying background than the Dark King Rayleigh? And that Fleet Admiral Sengoku and the others are allowing it, so there’s nothing we can report?"
Isuka was stunned.
She had never imagined that the seemingly ordinary woman could have a reputation rivaling the Pirate King’s right-hand man.
Ding!
Congratulations, Host. The Gold Treasure Chest has been successfully upgraded. Opening it guarantees a 100% reward rate.
The system’s mechanical voice suddenly echoed in Lucas’s mind.
His eyebrows lifted.
He had almost forgotten about it.
Three days earlier, he had finally saved enough System Currency for a twenty-pull, only for the system to interrupt him midway.
Still, when he saw the Gold Treasure Chest quietly floating within his consciousness, his interest immediately returned.
Missing out on that twenty-pull had certainly stung.
But considering the much higher reward ceiling of a Gold Treasure Chest—and its guaranteed reward—the disappointment quickly faded.
Besides...
The Flying Six were still tied up aboard his warship.
Given Jack the Drought’s personality, it was only a matter of time before he came to rescue them.
Since Lucas had already labeled Jack as his next payday, he naturally wanted to make sure he was fully prepared before collecting that bounty.
The appearance of the Gold Treasure Chest couldn’t have come at a better time.
Taking a slow breath, Lucas silently gave the command.
"System."
"Open the Gold Treasure Chest."
Ding! Please wait...
Ding! Congratulations, Host. Gold Treasure Chest opened successfully.
Reward obtained: Intermediate Mutation Card ×1.
Can be used on the Host or any of the Host’s Skills. Upon activation, the target will undergo an unpredictable mutation.
"An Intermediate Mutation Card?"
Lucas blinked.
He had expected something far more outrageous.
At the very least, he had hoped for some high-level Haki—Future Sight, Advanced Conqueror’s Haki Infusion, or something equally obvious that would immediately boost his combat power.
Instead...
The system had given him a Mutation Card.
A good blade should be reserved for the finest steel.
For the moment, he wasn’t sure what to use it on.
Then—
A bold idea suddenly surfaced in his mind.
"Stop!"
"Marines aren’t allowed in here!"
A shrill voice abruptly interrupted his thoughts.
Returning his attention to reality, Lucas realized they had already arrived at their destination—
The Human Auctioning House.
The streets, which had emptied moments ago after the pirates caught sight of the Admiral, were now crowded once more.
People poured out of the auction house.
Leading them was a figure Lucas hadn’t expected to see.
Clad in armor, towering in stature, and wielding an enormous katana...
Yet speaking with a comically high-pitched voice completely at odds with his appearance.
If Lucas remembered correctly—
This was Pica, one of the highest-ranking officers of the Donquixote Pirates, serving under the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Donquixote Doflamingo.
Seeing Pica here, Lucas immediately understood what Shakky had meant when she said things would be troublesome.
As an underworld broker who moved freely between the criminal world and the World Government—and as someone who knew the Celestial Dragons’ secrets—Doflamingo’s involvement meant this matter had become far more complicated.
CP9 were certainly experts at hiding.
But fooling both Marine Headquarters and even CP0’s intelligence network?
That clearly required help from someone else.
Lucas was convinced that even if CP0 themselves arrived and found the Donquixote Pirates involved...
They would likely have to report the matter and wait for the Five Elders to make the final decision.
"So the new Marine Admiral actually managed to find this place."
Hidden in the shadows stood a man dressed in a white cloak.
Behind him followed Spandam, his body wrapped in bandages, half his face concealed beneath a mask.
"Father!"
"You have to help me!"
"Our Spandine family has faithfully served the Celestial Dragons for generations."
"I can’t let our family fall because of me!"
"I don’t want to die!"
"As long as we blame everything that happened at Enies Lobby on Lucci and the others, they’ll never be able to defend themselves."
"Only then can the Spandine family survive!"
Spandam desperately grabbed the man’s cloak.
"Spandam!"
"That’s enough!"
Spandine barked coldly.
"None of this has anything to do with you."
"Remember that."
"It was Rob Lucci and the others who grew overconfident and failed."
"Don’t worry."
"For the sake of our family, I’ll clean up this mess."
"As long as CP9 is eliminated before Lord Imu learns the truth... everything will be fine."
"I’ve already summoned my colleagues from CP0."
"They’ll be here soon."
"Heh..."
"Spandine."
"I never thought you’d come asking us for a favor."
Two ghostlike figures appeared silently behind the pair.
Their unnaturally tall, slender frames made them look distinctly inhuman.
Startled, Spandam stumbled backward, nearly collapsing to the ground.
Had Spandine not caught him in time, he would have made an embarrassing spectacle of himself.
Looking at his utterly disappointing son, Spandine couldn’t help feeling frustrated.
Still, he gritted his teeth.
"Iga. Ihei."
"Don’t forget—you two owe me a favor."
"Repay it today."
"And I won’t forget what you’ve done."
"Repay a favor?"
Behind his mask, Iga paused before breaking into a smile.
"Spandine... you’re being too formal."
"Your son’s problem is our problem."
"We’ll deal with them."
"But since the Joker has become involved, we can’t act openly."
"So let’s leave it to the new Marine Admiral first."
"If he manages to recover CP9..."
"Then we’ll simply have him hand them over to us."
Leave it to him?
Having finally steadied himself, Spandam looked toward Lucas’s back.
For some reason...
A deep sense of unease welled up inside him.
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