"Mr. Iceburg, now that our cooperation is settled…"
Ronan let out a cold laugh. The long spear in his hand hummed deeply.
With a flick of his wrist, the black seastone spear tip sliced through the air, trailing a faint dark-red current as it pointed straight at Kalifa's throat.
"Shall I deal with this clueless spy for you while I'm at it?"
"Hey, hey, hey! Ronan! What nonsense are you talking about?!"
Sanji was the first to jump out, stepping between the spear and Kalifa, waving his hands with a pained expression.
"A beautiful and capable secretary like her—how could she possibly be a spy?! You've trained yourself stupid! And how did you even figure that out?!"
"I felt it."
Ronan replied calmly, his gaze never leaving Kalifa.
He couldn't exactly say he was a transmigrator—this sounded more believable.
"No… he's right."
Iceburg let out a long sigh, his eyes filled with self-mockery.
Kalifa understood in that instant—her cover was blown.
Under Ronan's overwhelming killing intent, pressing down like a mountain, every muscle in her body screamed in warning.
She refused to sit and wait for death.
If she had to die, she would fight for a chance to live!
"Die! Rankyaku!"
A cold glint flashed in her eyes as her long right leg exploded with power, releasing a crescent-shaped air blade sharp enough to cut steel, slicing straight toward Ronan's waist.
This was a furious strike from a CP9 elite.
But in Ronan's eyes, it was painfully slow.
He didn't dodge.
Lightning-infused inner energy surged into his arms.
Without any flourish, he simply raised his spear horizontally with one hand—using the shaft as a shield—and met the attack head-on.
BANG—!!!
A dull explosion echoed.
Kalifa's kick struck the spear like flesh against ancient divine iron.
In the next instant, Ronan's eyes sharpened. His right hand pushed forward, the spear vibrating violently under the surge of inner energy.
A tidal force surged back through Kalifa's leg.
The CP9 agent didn't even have time to use a defensive technique before she was blasted backward by the overwhelming power.
RUMBLE—!!
Her tall body shot through the air like a cannonball, slamming into the thick marble wall of the VIP room.
The wall exploded into rubble.
She crashed into the debris, her leg bones snapping with a crisp crack as blood burst from her mouth.
Instantly—she was out of the fight.
"Hey! Ronan! That was too much!"
Sanji stared at the unconscious beauty in the rubble, panicking.
"Even if she's a spy, someone that beautiful should be treated gently!"
"A World Government spy…"
Usopp glanced at Kalifa.
"Then what was her goal? Why infiltrate Iceburg's side?"
"That's something Mr. Iceburg can answer."
Ronan turned, his gaze meaningful.
Nearby, Robin—who had remained silent—now showed a complex expression.
Fear. Hatred.
"CP9…"
She whispered, her nails digging into her palm.
The dust from Dock No. 1's destruction hadn't even settled when a chilling killing intent filled the air.
"Thud. Thud."
Heavy footsteps echoed from the corridor.
Rob Lucci stepped forward, the pigeon still perched on his shoulder.
The disguise of a shipwright was gone.
His cold, emotionless eyes swept over Kalifa's fallen body, then settled on Iceburg and the Straw Hats.
"…So our years of infiltration have finally failed."
His voice was calm—yet soaked in bloodlust.
Kaku dropped his usual cheerful demeanor. His body lowered, muscles coiling like a drawn bow.
"But if we take Iceburg and Nico Robin here… the mission can still succeed."
"…Who did you say you're taking?"
Luffy pressed down his straw hat, his gaze turning sharp.
"Straw Hat Luffy."
Lucci sneered.
"Don't think escaping from Admiral Akainu means you can run wild on these seas."
"Akainu isn't suited for pursuit. Escaping him isn't something to brag about."
"Today, I'll show you how vast the sea truly is—and that there are plenty stronger than you."
"The sea is vast. And yes, there are countless strong people."
Ronan stepped forward, spear grounded, his presence heavy as a mountain.
He looked at Lucci with calm indifference—almost pity.
"But unfortunately… none of those strong people you mentioned include a rat like you hiding in the shadows."
"You're asking to die!"
"Rokushiki—Soru!"
Lucci vanished instantly.
His speed created faint sonic bursts in the air.
To ordinary eyes, he had disappeared completely.
But under Ronan's Observation Haki, his trajectory was crystal clear.
Lucci appeared behind Ronan in an instant, his index finger thrusting forward.
"Shigan!"
A strike capable of piercing steel.
Ronan didn't move.
He didn't even turn his spear to defend.
He simply stood there—and let the finger strike his back.
CRACK—!!!
A bone-shattering sound echoed through the room.
But there was no blood.
Lucci's finger—capable of killing silently—hit Ronan's body like it had struck divine metal.
The recoil surged back instantly.
His index finger twisted grotesquely into a V-shape, bone piercing through flesh.
"How… is that possible?!"
Lucci staggered back several meters, clutching his ruined finger, disbelief written across his face.
Ahead of him—
Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji stood with arms crossed, wearing amused, almost pitying smiles.
The kind of look one gives…
An ant trying to shake an elephant.
"I told you already," Ronan said calmly.
"Among those stronger than us… you're not one of them."
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