Turning his head, Blueno's face was already filled with despair.
Before making his move, he had never imagined that Rob Lucci, who is known as a genius, would be taken down so effortlessly, like a small fry.
It could only be said that their long-term undercover mission had severely limited their perspective.
If only they had spent those five years carrying out assassinations in the New World instead of their infiltration mission, they wouldn't have been so blind to the gap in strength between them and their enemy.
For those in the first half of the Grand Line who had never set foot in the New World, it was impossible to fathom just how vast the difference in power between the two regions truly was.
"Don't worry, I won't kill you."
For this bartender whose drink-making skills were passable, Naruto had no intention of delivering a fatal blow.
"Of course, that's assuming you don't try anything sneaky."
As Naruto said this, Naruto even turned his back, casually rummaging through the liquor cabinet behind the counter.
Meanwhile, Blueno, who had been about to quietly open a door on the floor to escape, immediately froze in place..
Taking out two glasses, Naruto poured drinks for both himself and Blueno before finally posing his question.
"So, why are you all hiding in Water 7?"
"I won't tell you."
Though his combat skills were lacking, Blueno's loyalty to the World Government and the CP organization was unshakable.
This was partly due to the brainwashing-style indoctrination he had undergone since childhood in the CP organization, and partly because Blueno himself was inherently stubborn, or perhaps just slow-witted and rigid.
"Is that so-"
Hearing this, Naruto simply nodded and took a sip of his drink.
Blueno, having said his piece, had already steeled himself for death.
His hand clutched the glass tightly, but he made no move to take a drink.
But to his surprise, Naruto seemed to have asked the question casually, and even without getting an answer, he showed no intention of pressing further.
After finishing his drink, he merely patted Blueno on the shoulder and walked straight out of the bar.
Blueno stared at his own palm in disbelief, which is still damp with cold sweat.
'I actually survived.'
'Wait-!'
As if remembering something, Blueno quickly rushed to his comrades' sides to check their injuries.
The situation was grim.
Jabra, who had taken a direct hit from Naruto, had already been reincarnated into another world.
On the other hand, Fukuro, who had caught him, had only suffered broken bones and was not in mortal danger. In fact, with Blueno's help, he regained consciousness quickly.
As for the others, they had all fallen into a deep coma, their pulses intermittent. They needed immediate medical attention.
"Chapapa~ Blueno, are we staying here?"
Fukuro unzipped the zipper on his mouth and asked with difficulty.
Blueno glanced at the severely wounded members and thought back to Naruto's overwhelming power. His expression darkened as he shook his head.
"Let's go vack to Enies Lobby."
"B-but, Spandam will definitely pin all the blame on us! Even though this whole mess happened because he acted on impulse and got us all wiped out-"
Once the zipper on his mouth was undone, Fukuro began speaking without restraint, even voicing the unspoken truth they all knew.
But Blueno was well aware that their superior was a spineless man who only knew how to shift blame.
In the end, they failed to complete this mission.
Not only that, but their five years of undercover work might have been for nothing. To say Blueno wasn't resentful would be a lie.
Tap, tap.
Suddenly, the crisp sound of footsteps echoed.
Blueno and Fukuro immediately tensed, thinking Naruto had returned for a second round.
But the person who pushed open the door was a woman in a white dress, draped in a coat, with her face hidden behind a fox mask.
"Who are you?!"
In the past, Blueno would have attacked first.
But after this ordeal, he had learned his lesson. Even as he spoke, his hand subtly reached behind his back, preparing to create an Air Door to escape into another dimension.
Pop-
The woman suddenly flicked her finger, and a Flying Finger Gun pierced straight through Blueno's hand, interrupting his escape plan.
Blueno grimaced in pain and about to counterattack, but then the woman spoke again, her tone unhurried.
"Rob Lucci, Kaku, Kalifa… Hmm? Where's Jabra? Oh, there he is."
As she spoke, the woman walked over and glanced at Jabra's corpse. Strangely, a faint, inscrutable smile appeared on her face.
That smile made Blueno furious, but with the enemy's strength unclear, he didn't dare act recklessly.
What's more, even if he took action, he might not be a match for this woman.
"Alright, from now on, you're all under my direct command. Consider your undercover mission officially over."
"What are you-"
Blueno, who was originally a little bit stunned by the woman's 'audacious claim', suddenly saw the other party throwing a Den Den Mushi at him. He caught it and stared at her in confusion.
"Spandam is no longer your superior. Feel free to call and confirm it yourself-"
She paused, then waved a hand dismissively, "Now, clean this place up."
After saying that, the woman turned and left, leaving Blueno and Fukuro exchanging bewildered looks.
…
Leaving aside the new changes awaiting the former CP9 members, let's shift our focus back to the masked woman who had just left Blueno's Bar.
She walked along the street, heading toward the outer city as the buildings around her gradually grew sparser.
The night was quiet.
After a while, the woman leaned against a wall and stopped. Then, without a care for whether anyone might see her face, she casually removed her mask.
If there were a great pirate from the New World here at this moment, they might be able to recognize her identity.
The [Queen of the Pleasure District] of the Underworld, the dark ruler who controlled most of the adult entertainment industry… Stussy.
Of course, that was only her public identity.
In truth, Stussy was also a high-ranking agent of CP-0, the elite intelligence division under the World Government, answering directly to the Five Elders.
As for whether she had any other hidden identities beyond these… perhaps only she herself knew.
Well, no… there's one other person who knows.
"Honestly… I just helped you clean up a big mess, and you won't even come out to see me?"
Stussy tapped her lips lightly with a finger, then pulled out a tube of lipstick from her small handbag.
After she spoke, the alley remained silent, as if she were merely talking to herself.
A long moment passed.
"Sigh… To be honest, I really didn't expect to run into you here, Stussy."
Naruto's figure slowly emerged from around the corner. Looking at the stunning woman with a complicated identity in front of him, a rare look of headache appeared on his face.