On the deck of the Sunny.
Looking at the eerie surroundings, Vivi whispered:
"This place is scary... is Luffy okay?"
"Maybe Luffy's been eaten by ghosts," Robin said calmly.
Everyone remembered the little ghost that had appeared on the ship earlier.
It looked cute, but had a very cruel way of attacking.
When a woman finds unity, she must strike back!
"Nami!"
At that moment, Zoro's shout came from the Merry: "Something is flying!"
Everyone immediately turned their gaze.
It was a bat with a human head and bat wings, flapping rapidly toward the group before landing on the Going Merry.
"Dear guests of the Straw Hats, I am Hildon, a messenger. Captain Luffy is currently holding a banquet with Lord Moria. Please follow me."
Brook had a blank expression on his face.
With the cross still hanging from his chest, Usopp swallowed hard and asked:
"Are you... a zombie?"
"Yes."
"Luffy is having a party with Moria?"
"Yes."
Hildon touched something again and said, "Captain Luffy asked me to send a message to Bartolomeo, telling him to bring those four people along."
The four prisoners aboard the Ark Maxim—CP9 agents.
Apparently, only the Straw Hats knew about them.
So without question, everyone followed Hildon toward the castle.
When they reached the restaurant, they immediately saw Luffy and Moria.
Everyone looked confused.
Weren't they here to fight Moria and recover Brook's shadow?
How did it turn into a party?
"Hahaha, take a seat! This is a welcome party—Moria has joined us," Luffy laughed and gave a brief explanation.
Then he turned to Moria:
"By the way, you took his shadow, right?"
Moria looked at Brook, a bit surprised:
"I remember you—the skull with the afro. I placed your shadow into a powerful swordsman."
Hearing that, Brook said excitedly, "Please return it to me, Moria!"
"It'll be returned. I'll release all the zombies here."
Clearly, a ship this massive isn't suitable for entering the New World.
He'd rather start over—this giant place is useless now.
At that moment, Zoro caught the keyword: "A swordsman?"
"The legendary sword god Ryuma from Wano Country."
Moria was very satisfied with this zombie. His only regret was:
"Unfortunately, your shadow is too weak. He can't display his true strength at all!"
Brook: "...Then give it back!"
"Wait!" Zoro grinned with interest. "Sword God Ryuma? I can't just ignore that. Where is he?"
"In the west annex."
"I'm going to find that sword god! Brook, I'll help you get your shadow back!"
Zoro dashed out of the restaurant immediately.
Brook was speechless. Is it because you want to fight him? Moria was already going to give it back!
"You'd better follow him," Nami sighed and shook her head. "No matter what he says, he'll probably wander around for hours."
Hearing that, Brook immediately followed.
"Wait, Mr. Zoro, let me show you the way! Don't run off!"
"Huh? I don't need help from someone who took a year to find his own body."
"I told you, it was because of the fog!"
Their voices faded into the distance.
Luffy smiled, stood up, and said: "You guys sit tight. Law, come with me."
With a few people, Luffy entered a room across from the restaurant.
It was a lounge with tiger-skin rugs on the floor, portraits on the walls, and candle chandeliers overhead.
"What is it, Straw Hat?"
"You ate the Ope Ope no Mi worth five billion, right?"
Luffy chuckled and pointed at the four CP9 agents: "Take their hearts. Can you do that?"
Hearing this, Law's and the others' expressions subtly changed.
When Law heard "five billion," he was visibly surprised:
"You know?"
"Yeah, as you know, my grandfather is a Vice Admiral, so I know a lot of things."
"I know about your grandfather. I've been keeping an eye on you for a while."
Law was the sole survivor of Flevance, a city whose people suffered from the deadly, poorly understood White Lead Disease. The city was destroyed by neighboring nations out of fear (his parents and younger sister among the casualties), and young Law barely escaped with his life. He later joined the Donquixote Pirates, where Doflamingo intended to make him an executive officer. However, thanks to Doflamingo's brother Rosinante, Law escaped their influence and vowed to bring down Doflamingo's empire.
Hearing Luffy speak about his past, Law's expression darkened.
"Let's set that aside. Let's take their hearts now."
Luffy waved his hand.
Law walked over to Lucci and smiled. "Don't worry, you won't feel a thing."
All four were restrained by Bartolomeo's barrier fruit and couldn't break free from the barrier cuffs.
They could only watch Law's actions helplessly.
"Scalpel!"
With a slash, a square-shaped hole opened in Lucci's chest.
And his heart fell backward.
"What is this!?" Lucci was shocked.
Luffy reached out, grabbed the heart, and gave it a slight squeeze.
Lucci let out a scream and collapsed to the floor.
Kaku, Kalifa, and Blueno's expressions changed drastically as their eyes fixed on the heart in Luffy's hand.
The heart was encased in a cube and continued to beat in his hand.
"What do you want, Straw Hat Luffy?" Kaku asked seriously.
"You might not believe this, but I'm actually a World Government agent. Right now, I'm testing your loyalty to the government."
Luffy laughed and spouted nonsense, tossing the heart lightly in his hand while pulling out a piece of paper and a Den Den Mushi from his pocket.
"Contact your superiors and relay this message exactly as written. If there's a single mistake... you die."
After a pause, the corners of his mouth curled up.
"As for crushing the heart... I don't think I need to explain what would happen."
This was a blatant threat!
Lucci, lying on the ground, had gone pale.
No matter how much you train or how strong your body is, the heart remains fragile.
He was in so much pain, he couldn't speak.
Kaku, Blueno, and Kalifa looked at each other.
Deceive their superiors?
Once it's done, there's no turning back.
No, there was no turning back to begin with.
Agents whose missions fail and whose identities are exposed are naturally eliminated.
Taking a deep breath, Kalifa was the first to step forward. "If I do this... will you let us go?"
"No. But at least I won't kill you."
"Understood."
Kalifa stepped closer. Bartolomeo, ever the smart one, helped her open the note on the low table.
The contents were simple.
"Let's begin." She clenched her teeth. "Our superior is a government officer named Spandam. His contact number is..."
---
(End of Chapter)
"Hmph. If you really want to be useful, then entertain me, try to throw those pathetic power stones at me. Let's see if even your insolence can amuse a king."