Chapter 11: CPX and the Uncollected Bounty
The echo of the gunshot still seemed to tremble in the air.
Koby's eyes widened, his mouth agape enough to fit an egg, as he stared in disbelief at Ralph, who had just holstered his gun, and the motionless figure in the pit.
His mind buzzed, not from the gunshot, but from the words Ralph had shouted before firing.
"G...Government?" Koby's voice trembled violently, as if he'd heard something earth-shattering. "Mr. Ralph, did you just say... on behalf of the gov—"
Ralph finally noticed Koby hiding nearby and realized the boy had overheard his impulsively delivered line. Instantly, he felt the awkwardness of social death.
He cleared his throat twice, trying to cover it up. "Ah, that... don't mind the details." He quickly changed the subject. "Where's Zoro? Wasn't he untied?"
Koby, still reeling from the impact of the phrase "on behalf of the government," took a moment to process the question before hurriedly replying, "M-Mr. Zoro rushed into that building to retrieve his swords as soon as he was freed." He pointed toward the main structure of the marine base.
"Zoro went into the building alone?"
Ralph was also taken aback, then an amusing image involuntarily surfaced in his mind—the green-haired swordsman getting disoriented in the complex corridors, bumping into walls everywhere.
Given Zoro's world-class lack of direction, it seemed unlikely he'd smoothly rendezvous with Luffy inside the maze-like marine building.
He turned to look at the marine base. Sure enough, chaotic noises—shouts, reprimands, and the sound of objects being overturned—were already emanating from within. Clearly, all the marines had been drawn by the "monster" who'd barged in and Luffy searching for his swords.
Whatever!
Ralph thought. Since Morgan, the biggest problem, had been dealt with, Lufia and Zoro could cause as much ruckus as they wanted inside.
Unexpectedly, Koby persisted with his questioning. He grabbed Ralph's arm, his eyes filled with confusion.
"Mr. Ralph! What did you mean by 'government'? Could it be... you work for the World Government? But... aren't you a pirate?"
The barrage of questions annoyed and embarrassed Ralph to no end. He couldn't very well admit he'd just been impulsively quoting a classic line from another world to look cool.
Seeing Koby's innocent yet stubborn gaze, Ralph steeled himself and decided to fabricate an identity to shut up this future "Deserter King" once and for all—and have some fun while he was at it.
He adopted a mysterious expression, lowering his voice as if divulging classified information. "Koby, since you overheard, I won't hide it completely from you. I am indeed a member of the World Government's secret intelligence agency—Cipher Pol, or CP for short."
"CP..." Koby murmured. He'd never heard of it, but it sounded plausible, almost real.
Ralph continued his deadpan fabrication: "Officially, there are eight CP organizations, from CP1 to CP8. Additionally, there's CP0, which reports directly to the World Nobles."
"Celestial Dragon." He paused, lowering his voice further to create a mysterious atmosphere. "And CP9 is a special agency hidden in the shadows."
Koby's mouth fell open into an O shape again, utterly shocked. He felt as if he had just heard an incredible secret, his heart pounding wildly.
"Then... Mr. Ralph, which organization do you belong to? CP0 or CP9?" Koby asked cautiously, his voice filled with awe.
Ralph shook his head, a mysterious smile appearing on his face as he began his improvisation: "Neither of those higher organizations. I belong to—CPX."
"CPX?"
"That's right," Ralph explained with an air of importance. "If CP9 is a special agency hidden in the shadows, then CPX is the 'shadow within shadows.' Our existence is one of the World Government's highest-level secrets."
He leaned closer to Koby and warned in an extremely serious tone: "So everything you've heard today must remain buried in your heart. Revealing CPX's existence means..." He made a throat-slitting gesture. "...elimination."
Koby trembled in fear, his face instantly turning pale. "Eli... elimination? But...but you're the one who revealed this identity yourself, Mr. Ralph!"
Ralph was inwardly amused by his reaction but maintained a serious expression: "Well, besides elimination, there is another solution..." He deliberately dragged out the sentence.
"Wh...what solution?" Koby nervously swallowed.
"That would be," Ralph patted his shoulder with a tone that implied "I see potential in you," "recruiting you into CPX."
"What?!!" Koby was completely stunned, his eyes wide as saucers. "Jo...joining CPX? So... so casually? Didn't you say this is a world-class secret agency? And... why would you recruit someone like me, a useless person?"
Seeing how easily Koby fell for it, Ralph's playful side was fully ignited, and he went all out with his acting.
"Koby, I want you to join because I've recognized extraordinary qualities in you." Ralph's gaze became "profound" and "sincere."
"My... my qualities?"
"Exactly!" Ralph affirmed with a nod. "You possess exceptional sense of justice and kindness—precisely the qualities CPX values most!"
"Justice and kindness?" Koby grew even more confused. "But...isn't it the Marines who uphold justice?"
Ralph had been waiting for this exact question. He immediately countered with a tone carrying just the right mix of sarcasm and gravity: "Then, Koby, if the Marines themselves make mistakes, or even become oppressors, who should punish them?"
"This..." Koby was speechless, remembering Morgan's actions.
Not giving him time to think, Ralph continued to strengthen his persuasion: "Not just the Marines, but also high-ranking government officials, nobles from various countries, and even... the World Nobles, the Celestial Dragons! If they abuse their power, trample on justice, and act recklessly, should no one be able to stop them? No one to punish them?"
He took a deep breath and declared in a tone filled with sense of mission:
"No! This world needs someone to wield the blade of judgment in the shadows! And we, CPX, are the ones who do this! We are the nameless heroes who silently punish evil, eliminate wickedness, and uphold world peace and true justice!"
"Nameless heroes..."
Koby murmured the words, his mind instantly conjuring images of tragic yet noble heroes hidden in darkness, fighting and sacrificing silently for a greater cause. This aligned perfectly with his dream of "justice," even more lofty and romantic! He felt his blood heat up with excitement.
"I... am I really capable?" Koby's voice trembled with emotion and uncertainty.
Ralph gave his thin shoulder a firm pat, his tone filled with "trust" and "encouragement":
"Of course you are! As long as you have the determination to carry out justice, improving your strength is only a matter of time! I see great potential in you, Koby!"
"Mr. Ralph..." Koby had never received such "profound" trust and encouragement before. Moved to tears once more, he wiped them away forcefully and straightened his slender chest. "I... I want to join!"
"Excellent!" Ralph was inwardly overjoyed but maintained a serious expression as he began assigning the mission,
"Then your first task is to continue pursuing your dream of joining the Marines. Successfully enlist, remain undercover, and strive to improve your strength! At the same time, secretly monitor those heinous individuals who have escaped proper judgment and gather intelligence on them!"
"Yes! I'll complete the mission without fail!" Koby stood at attention excitedly, as if receiving a sacred duty.
Ralph added a final "solemn" reminder:
"Remember! We are the world's most secretive, most mysterious organization! Never reveal your identity to anyone—not even your closest comrades, most trusted superiors, or even your parents! From now on, we will communicate directly, and you must not inquire about other members' existence."
"Understood! I will guard the secret strictly!" Koby nodded earnestly, tears in his eyes, feeling as though his life had suddenly been imbued with immense significance.
Seeing Koby's utterly convinced expression, Ralph finally couldn't hold back. He turned away, shoulders shaking slightly as he silently chuckled to himself.
Done! Not only did I resolve the awkward identity leak, but I also planted an 'insider' in the future Marines—killing two birds with one stone! I'm such a genius!
Just then, "Crash!" "Crash!" Two sharp sounds of shattering glass echoed almost simultaneously from different directions of the Marine building.
Luffy and Zoro burst through two separate windows, landing steadily in the plaza.
Luffy held three swords in her arms, her face full of urgency—she was in a hurry to deliver the swords to Zoro.
Helmeppo was nowhere to be seen, likely tossed aside carelessly somewhere in the building.
Zoro, on the other hand, wore an expression of "matter-of-fact" calm—he had gotten completely lost inside and figured this "straight-line" approach was faster.
Thus, the (temporary) four-member Straw Hat group reunited by the execution grounds once more.
"Ralph! Where's Morgan?" Luffy asked, looking around.
"Taken care of." Ralph pointed at the deep pit.
Luffy ran over to take a look, then came back and vigorously patted Ralph on the back, her smile radiant: "Not bad at all! You handled it so quickly! Hehe!"
[System Notification: Luffy is very satisfied with your successful fulfillment of the agreement and your solo defeat of a powerful enemy. Favorability +10%.]
Ralph felt a surge of joy in his heart—this was definitely worth it!
Meanwhile, Zoro took his three precious swords from Luffy, carefully inspecting them, a trace of regret on his face: "Tch, I didn't even get a chance to make a move." He looked at Ralph, his gaze noticeably less distant than before.
Ralph was about to modestly respond when he suddenly waved his hand: "Don't rush, it's not over yet."
Before his words faded, Morgan's adjutant charged out of the main building with a large group of marines, swiftly surrounding the four of them. However, most of the soldiers wore complex and hesitant expressions, their gun barrels not aimed at the four, showing no will to fight.
The adjutant stepped forward, his gaze sweeping over Ralph, Luffy, and Zoro before settling on Ralph, his tone carrying a mix of helplessness and formality:
"Although... we sincerely thank you for freeing this base and the town from Colonel Morgan's tyranny. But we are marines, and you... are pirates. By the rules, we must arrest you."
As he spoke, his eyes kept signaling around, as if saying: Hurry up and run, we're just going through the motions!
Luffy wasn't foolish; she recognized the marines' goodwill and was about to signal Ralph to "escape" when she noticed him giving her a meaningful look.
Ralph subtly gestured with his eyes toward Koby, who stood beside them.
Only then did Luffy understand.
Right! How could they have forgotten about Koby! Hadn't this kid been insisting he wanted to become a marine? How had he ended up mixed up with their pirate group? If this were confirmed, how could he ever join the marines?
At that moment, Ralph's acting skills kicked in again!
His expression instantly shifted to one of disdain and mockery as he let out a derisive laugh, his gaze sweeping over Koby, his voice soft yet loud enough for all the marines to hear:
"Koby! Do you still want to be a marine? What dreams? Don't be naive! Look at yourself—you worked as a deckhand on Alvida's pirate ship, and now you're hanging around with pirates like us. What right do you have to become a marine?"
Without waiting for Koby's reaction, he turned his criticism toward the Marines led by the adjutant, his voice suddenly rising with ruthless condemnation:
"And look at them! Morgan has been tyrannizing this place for so long, oppressing the townsfolk and abusing his power! With so many of you here for so long, did any of you stand up and resist? Did any of you ever think about true justice? No! A bunch of cowards! Useless! The Marines? Nothing but a gathering of spineless trash!"
The latter part of his speech struck deep into the Marines' sore spots, leaving them red-faced and shamefully lowering their heads. Even the adjutant was left speechless, unable to refute.
Koby immediately understood Ralph's intention—this was creating an opportunity for him!
He promptly stepped forward, loudly defending the Marines:
"No! Mr. Ralph, you can't say that! These Marines have their difficulties too! I believe they still hold justice in their hearts! I believe the Marines are still—"
"Justice will prevail! My dream won't be shaken by your mere words!"
Tears glistened in Koby's eyes as he spoke, making it hard to tell whether it was acting or genuine emotion!
Ralph inwardly praised: Kid, you're quite the actor! Would be even more convincing with some blood!
Then he "flew into a rage", delivering a kick that appeared vicious but was carefully controlled, sending Koby stumbling toward the marine ranks: "Stubborn fool! Let me knock some sense into you!"
Luffy immediately understood the act, shouting as she rushed forward to deliver what appeared to be a fierce but restrained "Gomu Gomu no Gatling" on the fallen Koby. The attack kicked up clouds of dust, creating quite the visual spectacle.
How could the Adjutant not understand what this meant? He immediately stepped forward, positioning himself before the painfully curled-up Koby, and sternly addressed Ralph's group:
"Stop! Since this boy is determined to become a marine, he must sever ties with you pirates! From now on, he has nothing to do with you! Koby—fall in!"
Bruised and battered, Koby struggled to rise from the ground and joined the marine ranks, his eyes betraying unconcealed gratitude.
With the act sufficiently performed, the Adjutant and Marines secretly breathed sighs of relief, waiting for Ralph's group to "know their place" and make a quick escape, allowing everyone to go their separate ways peacefully.
However, Ralph stood unmoving with arms crossed, a faint, ambiguous smile playing on his lips.
He raised an eyebrow, his gaze settling on the Adjutant.
"Have you forgotten something?" he reminded them. "You still owe me my bounty money."