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"It seems that's the case. It's no longer possible to rely on Blackbeard's strength. Perhaps we should look for other people instead."
That was what the CP0 agent said.
"In that case, let's try to take control of Tyrant Bear. Once the war between Marine Headquarters and the Whitebeard Pirates ends, we'll rely on his strength to force Ikki to compromise. Of course, the Marines' own strength will be put to use as well, if it comes to that."
That was what the man in the hat and mask said.
"Agreed."
The third agent nodded in agreement.
After the meeting ended, the three agents quickly sprang into action. War was about to begin, and they didn't have much time left. What little remained would have to go toward their final arrangements.
Meanwhile, elsewhere, in the residence shared by Ikki, Nami, and Nojiko, only Nami and Nojiko were actually present. Ikki was nowhere to be found.
He hadn't gone sightseeing around Marine Headquarters either. Instead, he had used his system privileges to slip away back to the gym.
In his own words, there wasn't much else to do at Marine Headquarters, so he figured he might as well head back to the gym and get some exercise in rather than sit around waiting in the room.
That was what he claimed, at least. Nami and Nojiko, left behind in the room to keep watch on the situation outside, knew better.
Ikki clearly wasn't using this stretch of downtime just to exercise. He was there to see what other perks the gym might have to offer.
After all, the last time he'd suddenly returned to the gym, the women training there hadn't been wearing a stitch of clothing. With benefits like that on offer, there was no way someone with his personality would pass up the chance to properly enjoy it.
Nami and Nojiko sometimes wondered whether the soul inside him had been swapped out for someone else's entirely.
"Ahh, that feels good. I wonder when this war is finally going to start."
Nami said, slumped over the table with a bored look on her face.
"You've changed, Nami. You used to be so sweet, and now you're actually looking forward to a war?"
Nojiko walked over and set a glass of juice down in front of her.
"Seriously, Nojiko, you're always teasing me. I'm not looking forward to the war. I just don't feel comfortable being here at Marine Headquarters. You know we're not safe here."
Nami lifted herself up and pouted at her.
"That's true enough. This isn't our territory, not really."
Nojiko nodded.
For pirates like them, Marine Headquarters had never been a safe place to begin with, and that was without even accounting for the fact that the World Government meant to move against them once the war was over.
Blackbeard had already left Marine Headquarters, but that didn't mean the World Government's scheming against Ikki would simply vanish along with him.
Nami and Nojiko both understood that much. Without the Blackbeard Pirates to work with, the World Government would have to turn to the Marines themselves to deal with Ikki.
The Marines did hold a fair amount of goodwill toward Ikki these days, and it showed in how Sengoku, Zephyr, and the others treated him. That kind of regard didn't come cheap.
Even setting aside how useful Ikki's power might be to other practitioners, Zephyr would never have let his beloved disciple Ain study under him otherwise, let alone paid a famous sword as the price of it.
Even for the Marines, a famous sword was a rare and precious thing. If they came easily, every soldier in the ranks would already own one, and at the very least, every swordsman among them certainly wished he did.
The Marines were, after all, an arm of the World Government. Even if they might hesitate to follow every order handed down, if the World Government truly wanted Ikki arrested, Fleet Admiral Sengoku would have no choice but to obey and send a powerful Marine force after him.
That was exactly why neither Nami nor Nojiko were particularly eager to keep staying at Marine Headquarters. If they hadn't believed Ikki already had a way to handle the coming crisis, they might have tried to talk him into simply leaving this place of trouble behind.
Once they were back at sea, no matter how powerful the Marines or the World Government were, there was no guarantee they could actually touch Ikki. It was the same principle behind why, for all their might, neither the Marines nor the World Government could lay a hand on the Four Emperors of the New World.
By now, both women had a quiet feeling that once Ikki reached the New World, one of the old Four Emperors might well step down, and a new one would rise to take the throne. And that new Emperor would be none other than their own captain, whom they respected so deeply.
"I wonder how long Captain Ikki plans to stay in there. Does he really like the gym atmosphere that much? We're right here, aren't we? Two beautiful women, just waiting."
Nami said, glancing resentfully at the door leading to the gym.
"Captain Ikki is a shy one, after all. I suppose he feels more at ease over there."
Nojiko laughed.
"Hmph. He clearly just thinks there are more people to look at over there, so he can get a better eyeful of Robin and Belo Betty."
Nami said.
It had to be said, Nami understood Ikki well. Part of the reason he'd taken this window of time to slip off to the gym really was to admire a wider variety of girls.
But that wasn't the whole of it. Not long before, Belo Betty and the others had received life potions from him, and predictably, they'd grown rapidly stronger from taking them.
Ikki still wanted to see with his own eyes just how much stronger they'd become, and that was as much a reason for his trip to the gym as anything else.
The gym.
"Phew, the effects of the life potion have finally worn off. Now that was an exhilarating workout."
Shyarly said with a sigh, setting the barbell back into its rack.
The medicine's lingering potency had left her body drenched in sweat, and under the gym lights, the sheen of it caught the light in a small spectacle of its own.
"Is that all?"
Ikki said, sitting on the stool with a look of faint regret, glancing toward her.
"Hehe, Captain, are you feeling a bit regretful?"
Belo Betty walked over to his side, a fitness drink in one hand and a towel dabbing the sweat from her face with the other. Like Shyarly, her training had left her body glistening with sweat, and like Shyarly, she hadn't wanted to soak her clothes through, so she wore nothing at all.
"It is indeed a bit of a pity."
Ikki turned to glance at Belo Betty, then let his gaze drift back to Shyarly.
"Oh, so Shyarly really is more appealing to you? Is that just because of her size? Here I was hoping this form of mine might catch your attention instead."
Belo Betty shook her head and sat down in the seat beside him.
"There's nothing to be done about that, I suppose. We're all built to ordinary human proportions, and Shyarly's a size larger besides. She's a mermaid on top of it, so it's no wonder Captain Ikki finds her more attractive."
Not far off, Robin turned around and said with a smile.