Rob Lucci lay on the ground, vomiting blood profusely, his face as pale as paper and his breath faint.
He had no strength left to continue fighting.
Jake looked at the man lying before him but didn't utter any mocking words as before.
He simply gazed at him and then said slowly.
"You're seriously injured this time. I shattered the bones in your left arm. Make sure to rest for a while after you return. There's no deep hatred between us—you didn't go for the kill against the students in the training camp, so I won't kill you either. The severity of your injuries was measured against all the wounds you inflicted on those students."
Rob Lucci looked up at Jake who stood before him, partially blocking the sunlight.
He spat out a mouthful of dark red blood and speak with his weak voice.
"Spare me the lecture. Whether those weaklings live or die means nothing to me. I was just following orders. Your kind of attitude toward the weak disgusts me."
Jake didn't argue.
Instead, he smiled and said.
"Everyone has their own way of living, and we have different senses of justice. I don't expect you to agree with me—think whatever you want. But if you had killed even one student from the Marine training camp, believe me, you wouldn't have survived today. The only reason I told you all that was to explain why you're still alive."
With that, Jake turned and walked away without the slightest intention of engaging further with Lucci.
Rob Lucci was a man completely brainwashed by the World Government into a killing machine.
For someone like him, who lacked independent thought, Jake had little desire to converse.
As Jake walked back toward the Marine training camp, waves of cheers erupted across the plaza.
Even Zephyr, usually stern and serious, wore an uncharacteristically bright smile.
But while the Marines celebrated, the atmosphere among the CP agents was heavy with tension.
Kaku could clearly sense the suffocating, icy aura radiating from his instructor.
Still, seeing Rob Lucci lying severely injured on the ground, Kaku suppressed his fear and spoke softly.
"Instructor, Lucci's injuries are critical. I'll take him back to base for treatment."
Yet after Kaku spoke, the instructor remained silent.
He merely tilted his head slightly, his gaze sharp as a blade, staring down at Kaku with a hoarse, mocking tone.
"The last one who disobeyed me is lying right there. What's your meaning now?"
Kaku recognized the instructor's thinly veiled smirk and knew exactly what was on his mind.
But Kaku wasn't afraid.
He met the instructor's gaze steadily, his voice calm and firm.
"I'm following your orders—and saving Lucci. He can't die."
Hearing Kaku's initial deference, the instructor finally snorted coldly and said.
"Seems you understand your position better than he does. Fine, take him back yourself. But I won't let this matter slide so easily."
Kaku felt a pang of bitterness at the words.
He knew his instructor's temperament and that he'd already marked him for resentment.
But to save Lucci, there was no other choice.
To gain something, one must always lose something in return.
Amidst the cheers and laughter from the Marines's side, Kaku carried Rob Lucci on his back and boarded the CP ship.
Though severely injured, Lucci remained conscious.
He knew he had been rescued and understood the immense pressure Kaku had taken on to save him.
His voice hoarse, he opened his mouth and said.
"This matter had nothing to do with you. Why did you come to save me?"
"Because I consider us comrades. A while ago, when I was defeated by that Smoke-Smoke Fruit user, you helped me regain face. So I owed you a debt."
Hearing this, Lucci curled his lips into a faintly mocking smile.
"That was just me following orders. There wasn't a shred of intention to help you regain any dignity. You're overthinking it."
As if he had anticipated this response from Rob Lucci, Kaku replied calmly.
"Whether you meant it or not, you still stood up for me. You're a genius seen once in centuries. I don't expect to forge any deep ties with you, but debts of gratitude—I, Kaku, will never forget!"
"Heh. What a fool. Someone like you should leave the CP organization sooner rather than later. Staying here will only drag others down."
At this, Kaku's lips curled into a faint smile, his voice suddenly bright with amusement.
"You know, for someone who seems so hard to get along with, you're not all that bad deep down. Were you worried about me just now?"
Lucci paused slightly, then sneered.
"Worried about you? How did you interpret that?"
Unfazed by Lucci's cold tone, Kaku chuckled.
"You told me to leave CP, saying I'd drag others down. But everyone knows—during missions, if a comrade becomes a burden, the priority is to abandon them and complete the objective. Isn't that right?"
"If you know that, how can you claim I was concerned about you?"
A glimmer of amusement flashed in Kaku's eyes.
"So, you must be worried that I'd be abandoned by my comrades and lose my life someday—that's why you told me to leave CP, right? You don't want me to die, do you?"
Lucci didn't answer directly, replying coldly.
"If you died now, who would take me back to base for treatment?"
"So, you were worried about my future?"
"…"
When Lucci didn't respond, Kaku's grin widened.
He patted Lucci's shoulder—only to accidentally hit a wound.
After a flustered apology, he said.
"I won't leave CP. But I don't want to die, nor be abandoned by my comrades—and I don't want to abandon them either. So for someone like me, I hope a genius like you can look out for me in the future. Please take care of me from now on! Lucci!"
"I never agreed to you calling me by name. If you're so worried, then hurry up and scram!"
"You didn't refuse, so I'll take that as a yes?"
"Heh."