"Shigan!"
Jabra shouted with a cruel grin.
The man was an assassin, and he knew how to kill. His claw had pierced through Nami's back with enough force to damage her internal organs and shatter her spine.
Jabra pulled his claw back, and Nami collapsed to the ground.
"Ahh!" a woman screamed.
"Don't worry, I'm a government agent on a mission!" Jabra shouted as he noticed the panic spreading.
The crowd froze in shock, but among them, several people recognized Nami as a member of Allen Walker's crew.
The panic subsided, though many averted their eyes.
The girl was in the prime of her youth and didn't look like someone evil, but if she had a bounty on her head, then this was something that could happen.
Jabra turned to Conis, who had gone pale.
"You're coming with me. If you behave, I won't hurt you. I've already worked off my bad mood."
Conis took a step back, making Jabra laugh as he prepared to chase after her.
"I was wondering how long it'd take before you attacked," Nami said.
Jabra froze. He looked to his right, where Nami's "corpse" lay, but then she stood up.
She wasn't dead!
"Impossible!" Jabra shouted.
He looked at Nami's back, and there wasn't a single wound on it. Yet he was certain he had pierced straight through her with his claw.
Nami turned around with an indifferent expression, sending a chill down Jabra's spine. Without hesitation, he attacked her again, this time with both claws.
"Juu Shigan!"
Nami smiled.
Jabra stopped his attack and leaped backward, putting distance between them.
He didn't know why, but this girl gave him the same kind of chills as Rob Lucci.
"Oh, looks like you've got good instincts. I guess being a dog has its advantages," Nami mocked.
Jabra felt humiliated. His pride as a CP9 agent and his confidence as a master of Rokushiki wouldn't allow him to back down.
He used Soru again to appear behind Nami, but the moment he did, she was already looking at him with boredom.
"You're way too slow..."
Nami disappeared.
Jabra couldn't react before a kick slammed into his face. His jaw and teeth shattered instantly. It was so fast and so powerful that the impact launched him through three buildings.
Nami landed gracefully in the middle of a crowd that stood frozen in shock. Silence filled the area for a moment.
"Ugh!... damn!"
An ordinary man would've died from that, but Jabra wasn't just strong—he was also a Zoan user, famous for their durability and recovery.
Jabra struggled to his feet and glared at Nami with hatred. "Damn it!"
Jabra charged at Nami like a madman. His pride wouldn't allow him to accept such a humiliating defeat.
"Bad choice." Nami sighed. She had planned to let Jabra go if he didn't attack again, but now she wouldn't show him any mercy.
The air felt heavy, forcing Jabra to stop. He looked at his hair, which was standing on end. It wasn't just an expression—it was literally happening.
The assassin stared at Nami in disbelief, and then he understood.
Why he hadn't hurt her.
Why she was faster than him.
Why she had seemed to be playing with him the whole time.
Nami's eyes shone with a faint blue light as arcs of electricity began crackling around her.
"You're the Lightning Logia..." Jabra muttered.
It had been many years since the Lightning Logia had appeared in the Blue Sea, so people had long forgotten about it. But the CP9 agents hadn't. After all, it was one of the strongest Logias.
"Bingo," Nami smiled mockingly, "Here's your prize!"
A bolt of lightning descended from the heavens, shaking all of Water 7.
"AHHHHHRRRRGGG!"
Jabra's last cry was drowned out by the thunder.
Nami: Navigator
Physical: Level 30 (57 million)
Observation Haki: Level 70
Armament Haki: Level 70
Devil Fruit: Lightning Logia.
....
Elsewhere, Fukurou lay on his back with his eyes rolled into the back of his head.
His round stomach possessed extraordinary resistance against blows, but now it was caved in as though a mammoth had crushed it.
"A kick from your Kilo-Kilo Fruit combined with Armament Haki is terrifying," Hina said while smoking a cigarette.
"Hehe~" Mikita held her blushing cheeks. "It's all thanks to darling❤️"
"Darling?" Kaya looked at Mikita coldly. "Need I remind you that he does this with everyone? You're not special."
Despite Kaya's words, Mikita continued daydreaming.
As Allen had promised, he accepted her into the crew, and as a result, she earned the right to level up alongside everyone else.
Mikita: Allen's Personal Maid?
Physical: Level 20 (38 million)
Observation Haki: Level 20
Armament Haki: Level 40
Boom
The three girls heard the familiar explosion and immediately knew what had happened.
"I suppose it was only a matter of time before those guys attacked all of us," Hina sighed. "I just hope not too many people die..."
....
Elsewhere, Tashigi looked at Kumadori, who lay defeated with multiple cuts across his body. She wasn't the one who had done it.
Vivi was.
"This weird guy moved around like a sheet of paper. It was really strange..." Vivi said.
"Khee!" Karoo squawked.
Tashigi could only look at Kumadori with pity. The Rokushiki master had appeared and used several techniques, including Kami-e, an incredible evasion technique. Unfortunately for him, Vivi not only possessed Observation Haki but also the Noro Noro Fruit.
To make matters even worse, not even his Tekkai could withstand Vivi's Haki-coated knife, so he was cut down mercilessly.
Boom
Tashigi and Vivi looked toward the sky, already knowing it had been Nami.
"Looks like they're attacking all of us," Vivi said worriedly. She knew everyone had become strong, but they couldn't let their guard down. "Let's go, Tashigi-san!"
Tashigi looked at Vivi's back. She couldn't believe this was the same princess who had once cried helplessly before Crocodile.
Vivi, Princess of Alabasta.
Physical: Level 25 (43 million)
Observation Haki: Level 30
Armament Haki: Level 45
Devil Fruit: Slow-Slow Paramecia.
....
Nami looked indifferently at Jabra's charred body. The man had tried to kill her twice. Even death was a light punishment for him.
"Are you alright, Nami-san?" Conis asked worriedly.
"Of course. More importantly, why were you so scared? You already knew, didn't you?" Nami asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I... I was afraid he might be able to use Haki," Conis admitted, embarrassed by her own reaction.
Nami blinked before lightly flicking Conis on the forehead.
"Next time, have a little more faith in me. I'm the second strongest, after all~."
"Hehe, so you can beat Uta-san?" Conis teased.
"Ugh... well... the third strongest," Nami admitted awkwardly. "But one day I'll beat her!"
Conis laughed, and the two girls continued shopping.
That's right.
This wasn't a crisis.
It wasn't even a real problem.
At most, it was a minor annoyance.
Besides, they both knew that if someone truly dangerous appeared, Allen would step in.
....
"What was that?" Robin asked.
"Nami," Allen replied with a faint smirk.
At this point, unless a Vice Admiral attacked the girls, Allen wouldn't need to interfere.
Was that an arrogant thought?
No.
Allen wasn't just giving them overwhelming power. He constantly trained with them as well. Even on previous islands, he had forced the girls to fight him seriously.
He knew that no matter how strong he himself became, the only way he could truly have peace of mind was if the girls were capable of protecting themselves.
Robin smiled before wrapping herself even closer around Allen's arm, making him smile in return.
While the two of them remained absorbed in their own little world, Kalifa wore a worried expression. By now, the operation to capture Allen's crew should have already begun, yet the earlier explosion had filled her with unease. Furthermore, Allen's and Robin's conversation suggested that one of her comrades had been responsible.
'No... I'll leave everything to Lucci. I'll focus on my mission.'
"Allen-sama, would you like to relax at a restaurant with private rooms? It will all be our treat, so please don't worry about the cost," Kalifa said, adjusting her glasses with a confident expression.
....
"What?!" Sengoku shouted inside his office.
The news from Water 7 had reached him almost immediately. He was furious because CP9 had made their move before Vice Admirals Doll and Gion had arrived.
"Calm down, Sengoku," Tsuru said from across the room. "It wouldn't be the first time the government has done whatever it wanted."
"I know that..."
"Besides, trying to capture Walker's crew wasn't a bad idea. What was unexpected was that those girls already knew Haki." Tsuru narrowed her eyes.
"I expected Walker to teach his crew Haki," Sengoku said, resting his elbows on the desk. "But once again, that crew became stronger far faster than I anticipated."
Allen's growth—and that of his crew—was like a rocket.
They kept getting stronger on every island to the point that it had become abnormal.
"There's still one piece of the puzzle that doesn't fit," Tsuru said.
Sengoku remained silent.
By this point, both the Marines and the World Government had exhausted every possible lead while investigating Allen.
An orphan who had been seen across every sea.
They had eventually traced him back to a small island in the West Blue.
There was no special family or bloodline. Just an orphan born to ordinary parents, an insignificant boy destined to become another forgotten face.
Yet his appearance had forced him to travel from place to place.
Sometimes running away.
Sometimes leaving of his own free will.
Although his origins were ordinary, his survival skills had earned him more than one sigh of admiration.
Thanks to that information, they understood why Allen hated the current system and wanted to change it.
However, nowhere in that story did it explain how, in only two months, he had gone from being a nobody to someone capable of standing against the strongest pillars of the world.
"It's abnormal," Sengoku said. "Right now, we can't divert any more forces to deal with Allen. Not with Whitebeard waiting in the shadows. All we can do is hope Gion and Doll can stop him."
"That's offensive," Tsuru said before smiling faintly. "Who do you think trained those two?"
"R-right..."
A bead of sweat ran down Sengoku's cheek. He knew better than to provoke Tsuru.
"It's true, they're stronger than an ordinary vice admiral."
The man who commanded the entire Marine Headquarters trusted Gion's and Doll's strength.
Even so, Allen had shattered his predictions more than once.
'It's almost as if some unknown force is helping him... even opposing fate itself.'
....
Achoo!
'Are you alright, Lenalee? Wait... can you even catch a cold?'
[No... I mean, I don't know. That's never happened before... Maybe someone is talking badly about me?]
'In this world, does anyone besides us even know about you?' Allen asked with a bewildered expression.
[Exactly. It has to be one of the girls. Hmph! They don't even realize what a blessing it is to have me on their side, and they still dare disrespect me.]
Allen shook his head before chuckling.
"Is something wrong, Allen-sama?" Kalifa asked after noticing him lost in thought.
"It's nothing," he replied.
Kalifa led Allen to a luxurious restaurant in Water 7. Normally, reservations had to be made a week in advance, but by borrowing Iceburg's name, they secured a private room immediately.
Robin looked through the menu with interest and ordered quite a few dishes.
Allen wasn't picky about food, so he simply ordered whatever looked the best on the menu. While they waited, Allen learned a few things about Kalifa, though she carefully avoided mentioning anything that could compromise her.
"Going back to what we were talking about... you have a younger sister?" Allen asked with interest.
"Yes. Her name is Alpha, and she works... as a nurse in a distant kingdom," Kalifa replied. She certainly wasn't about to reveal that her younger sister was a CP8 agent.
"Oh, she must be as beautiful as you are," Allen said.
His sharp gaze made Kalifa afraid to lie outright in case he noticed, so she decided to mix truths with her fabricated story.
"That's harassment..." Kalifa muttered, despite practically being in Allen's arms.
Allen laughed.
"You know, this whole harassment thing is a pretty blurry line. The moment you accept something, it stops being harassment."
"..."
Kalifa blushed.
She couldn't deny that he was handsome and charming.
But he was a pirate.
And she was a government agent.
She would never see him as someone she'd consider a partner.
Even so, every time Kalifa tried to draw a line, Allen somehow managed to cross it, and she didn't dislike it. Even now, she was leaning against his shoulder while he wrapped an arm around her waist. If it had been any other man, she would've beaten him up already.
Or perhaps...
Deep down, she simply didn't want to.
Kalifa felt she was reaching her limit, but every time she thought about moving away, Robin's smile grew wider, clearly ready to take her place, leaving Kalifa with no choice but to stay close to Allen.
'Those two aren't plotting against me... are they?!' Kalifa was speechless.
By all common sense, Robin should've been jealous and competed for Allen's attention as she had at first. Yet ever since they entered the restaurant, she had stepped aside as though everything were part of some elaborate plan to push Kalifa straight into Allen's hands.
But that didn't make any sense...
What kind of woman would help her boyfriend pick up other women?!
Feeling Kalifa's gaze, Robin looked at her and smiled mockingly.
'Don't tell me!'
Kalifa's eyes widened.
At that very moment, the private room's door burst open, and a man entered with a cold expression.
It was Rob Lucci!
"Kalifa, the mission is canceled! We're leaving."
Kalifa turned pale.
What had this idiot just done?
He had just exposed his secret identity in front of their target.
She tried to pull away from Allen, but the arm around her waist felt like an iron shackle that couldn't be broken.
More importantly, Kalifa realized that Allen's reaction was far too calm.
"You... knew?!" Kalifa exclaimed.
"Yes. This man has been playing with us from the very beginning!" Lucci growled.
The usually indifferent man was furious.
Allen ignored him as though he were nothing more than background noise and focused entirely on Kalifa beside him.
A teasing smile appeared on his face.
Instead of frightening her, it only made her blush.
"To be precise... I overheard you," Allen said.
When he first arrived in Water 7, a suspicious pigeon had been watching him.
He followed it back to Rob Lucci and overheard his conversation with Kaku, as well as the later discussion with Jabra, Fukurou, and Kumadori.
Lucci clenched his teeth.
After watching his comrades get wiped out like flies, he finally understood why Allen had allowed the girls to separate.
Moreover, the fact that none of them had even bothered reporting what happened to Allen meant that those enemies had been so weak they weren't even worth mentioning.
"You knew from the very beginning! You lured us in and wiped us out!"
Lucci's body began to grow, transforming into a leopard hybrid.
He was furious.
The moment he realized Allen knew his identity, his primary mission had already failed.
His disguise as a shipwright was over.
"A Zoan. How cute," Robin mocked.
"I didn't lure anyone," Allen said with a grin, not attempting to stand up. "You were the ones plotting against us. I ignored you, and my girls crushed you."
"Allen Walker..." Rob Lucci released an overwhelming wave of killing intent.
"Wait, we're inside a restaurant!" Kalifa shouted.
"The civilians don't matter. We have to eliminate this man."
Kalifa was stunned.
Accepting unavoidable casualties was one thing.
But they didn't kill civilians for no reason.
"Watch out, feral cat... there's something I don't understand," Allen said as his hand slid from Kalifa's waist up to gently cup her face. "Why didn't you wait a little longer before exposing your friend?"
Even though Lucci could no longer continue his mission and half of his comrades had already been defeated, there had been no need to storm into the restaurant like a brainless brute and expose Kalifa.
Kalifa also looked at Lucci; he wasn't some crazed killer; he was an extremely intelligent man.
This move didn't fit him at all.
"The moment Spandam learned of our failure... he ordered a Buster Call on Water 7..."
Kalifa's eyes widened.
Robin's face went pale.
Twenty years ago, a Buster Call had destroyed her homeland.
Now that apocalyptic nightmare was about to descend upon Water 7?!
"I don't know who Spandam is, but he's an idiot," Allen said.
For the first time, Rob Lucci completely agreed with Allen.
====
A/N: Spandam, as always, is one of the biggest bastards in all of One Piece. 🗿
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