Jabra jumped up and smacked Kaku on the forehead with a loud crack. Finally, Kaku stopped spinning.
He blinked hard a few times, regaining his senses before glaring at Jabra and shouting,
"You bastard! How dare you—mmph!"
Jabra clamped a hand over Kaku's mouth, his expression grave as he gestured toward Burūno.
Kaku froze for a moment, then followed Jabra's gaze, frowning.
"When did Kalifa get here? Wait... something seems off."
Jabra nodded and motioned for Fukurou and Kumadori to follow. The four of them silently approached, stopping a short distance behind the man in black.
The black-cloaked man didn't seem to notice them. He simply smiled at Kalifa and Burūno, saying,
"Why the sudden tension? Is the show over already?"
Burūno swallowed hard and gave a stiff chuckle.
"My apologies, sir. I just remembered something important I need to do..."
As he spoke, Burūno subtly shifted toward Jabra and the others. The black-cloaked man made no move to stop him, merely turning to observe them with quiet amusement.
Once Burūno reached Jabra and the others, his hand shot out, instantly opening a door in midair.
Without hesitation, the CP9 members dashed through the portal the moment it appeared. Burūno was the last to enter, quickly shutting the Door behind him.
The door vanished, leaving them all momentarily relieved. Kalifa wiped the cold sweat from her forehead and said in a low voice,
"That man definitely knows who we are. He was after us specifically!"
Jabra and the others nodded grimly. Burūno, his face troubled, added,
"If that's the case, then we've been exposed. There's a good chance CP0 has already surrounded this place. We need to find Lucci and get out of here—fast!"
The others nodded in agreement. Just then, a chilling voice rang out from above.
"That was quite the performance."
"!!!"
Burūno and the others snapped their heads upward, eyes widening in shock.
Above them, floating effortlessly in the dimensional space of the Door-Door Fruit, was the black-cloaked man, his black wings slowly flapping as he looked down at them.
Seeing those wings, Kalifa's face turned pale. She muttered in disbelief,
"No way... it can't be. He wouldn't personally come after us... would he?"
Burūno's face twisted in horror.
"How!? When did you get in here!?"
As the user of the Door-Door Fruit, Burūno had been the last one to step inside. He had even checked—the black-cloaked man hadn't moved an inch before he closed the door!
While CP9 was frozen in terror, the man landed gracefully before them. His wings dissolved into streaks of black light.
He glanced at Burūno and chuckled.
"You were shutting the door so slowly... weren't you just waiting for me to step inside?"
Burūno and the others felt a cold dread settle in their stomachs.
The speed required to enter the Door at the last moment, completely unnoticed—even Lucci at his peak couldn't accomplish that.
A heavy silence filled the space. CP9 members exchanged glances before shifting into battle stances. Their opponent was terrifyingly strong, but surrender was not an option. Given their identities, capture meant certain death at the hands of the World Government—or worse, immediate execution.
Kaku subtly signaled to Burūno with his hand, using a CP9-specific code.
Burūno instantly understood, but his face darkened.
Kaku's message was clear: they would hold the black-cloaked man off, while Burūno escaped and sealed the Door—trapping the enemy inside.
They had already accepted their fate.
A tense stillness settled over them. Kaku adjusted his cap slightly, his eyes flashing coldly.
In the next instant, he transformed into his hybrid Zoan form, his long neck snapping into place as he roared,
"Rankyaku!"
Whoosh!
A massive blue wind blade shot toward the black-cloaked man.
Yet he merely raised a single hand, stopping the attack effortlessly in his palm.
CP9 members were stunned beyond belief. Kaku gasped,
"T-that's impossible! He stopped Rankyaku with just his bare hand!?"
By now, they had witnessed both his overwhelming speed and his unfathomable defense. If this man truly went on the offensive, the outcome would be unimaginable.
Jabra acted instantly, grabbing the stunned Burūno and hurling him backward.
"Go! Now!"
Burūno's body flew through the air. Meanwhile, Jabra, Kaku, Kalifa, and the others used Soru, appearing right in front of the black-cloaked man with their attacks prepared.
For a moment, time seemed to freeze.
Hummmm—
A deep purple shockwave erupted above them. The next second, an overwhelming force crushed down on the entire space.
All of CP9—including Burūno—were slammed onto the ground, pinned by an invisible weight. The emerald-green floor of the Door-Door dimension cracked beneath them.
They couldn't move an inch.
The black-cloaked man hadn't even lifted a finger.
He merely watched them with an amused smile and said,
"Was that part of your show too?"
Jabra, lying closest, clenched his teeth. He couldn't even twitch his fingers.
"So... he's a Devil Fruit user..."
They didn't know what kind of ability he possessed, but just from this display, they knew it completely outclassed their own Zoan-based powers.
Kalifa, face pressed against the ground, felt her worst fears confirmed. Struggling to speak, she stammered,
"You... you're not really..."
Before she could finish, the crushing force abruptly vanished. They were free.
Then, the man's calm voice reached their ears.
"Stand up."
Trembling, CP9 slowly got to their feet. Kalifa lifted her gaze, her sharp eyes locked onto the black-cloaked man.
He met her stare briefly—then reached up and pulled down the collar of his cloak, revealing his face.
Jabra and the others went rigid, their expressions struck with sheer disbelief.
Kalifa's voice trembled as she whispered,
"It really is... Saint Carl!"
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+230 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg