Chapter 164: Response
"Isn't it a little too quiet?"
Axel sat lazily in the soft office chair he had specially acquired, one hand propping up his chin.
Over the past few days, he had finally cleared the mountain of documents on his desk and delegated the rest of the work to the proper people. After running around for so long, he had earned a rare stretch of peace.
Three days had passed since his encounter with CP9.
The trouble he expected had yet to arrive.
After that brief retreat, they had not appeared before him again. The base had returned to its usual rhythm, and the calm was so comfortable that Axel almost forgot what had happened.
Sunlight streamed through the window and fell across the desk. Axel stretched lightly, basking in it for a moment.
Sometimes, a simple life did not sound bad.
Ignore the storms out at sea. Ignore who was right and who was wrong. Stop caring about the Navy, pirates, the World Government, and all the mess hiding beneath the word justice.
Just lie down and live like a salted fish.
The thought appeared, then vanished just as quickly.
His own heart would not allow it.
Perhaps secluding himself would be freer. At the very least, he would not be as tired as he was now, constantly dragged into one problem after another. But in this world, strength itself was a kind of responsibility.
Axel did not have the lofty ideals of a saint saving the masses, nor did he dream of becoming a self-sacrificing hero.
Still, one thing was true.
Effort and reward were linked.
Once he accepted the idea of slacking off, his growth would slow. It was no different from a game. Under the same conditions, there was a clear gap between someone who grinded every day and someone who played casually when they felt like it.
If he wanted to live freely, he first needed the strength to protect that freedom.
Axel's fingers brushed across the desk, as if tracing a road whose end he still could not see.
A soft knock came from the door.
"Come in."
An ordinary Marine soldier entered and saluted.
"Captain Axel, a message has arrived from Enies Lobby. They wish to speak with you regarding the previous matter."
The soldier clearly did not understand what "the previous matter" referred to, but he relayed the message exactly as ordered.
Axel's expression shifted slightly.
So it begins.
He had expected this. CP9 was not the kind of organization that would give up after one retreat, and they definitely would not abandon a mission because of a few words from him.
Using Enies Lobby as a channel to conduct an investigation was also within his expectations.
CP9 belonged to the World Government.
So did Enies Lobby.
It was a natural and convenient excuse.
"Mm," Axel said. "Help me refuse."
The Marine froze.
"Refuse?"
For a formal request like this, agreement was practically assumed. It was part of procedure.
"That's right," Axel said calmly. "Refuse."
Since he knew they were coming to cause trouble, why would he agree?
Only an idiot opened the door for a thief and asked if he preferred tea or coffee. Axel was not that generous.
"But…" The Marine hesitated, struggling to find the right words. This clearly did not match protocol.
"It's fine," Axel said. "Just tell them I said the previous matter has already been settled. I'm sure they'll understand."
"Is… is that so? Yes, sir!"
The Marine straightened, saluted again, and quickly left.
The door closed, and silence returned to the office.
Axel did not believe a simple verbal refusal would stop them. Most likely, the other side would simply find another excuse.
The question was what method they would use.
At the moment, the only people still connected to the Pluton blueprints were him and Tom. Iceburg might count as well, but after the previous searches, Iceburg should have mostly shaken off suspicion.
What could CP9 use to justify an unrestricted investigation?
Events that had yet to happen were always difficult to predict.
It was easy to commit a crime. Solving one was the troublesome part.
Even if he could not know exactly what the other side would do, Axel had no intention of sitting still and waiting for them to make the first move.
He adjusted his posture, hopped down from his office chair, and walked toward the harbor.
At the base's shipyard, Tom was lifting a massive tree trunk over ten meters long and thick enough that three grown men would struggle to wrap their arms around it.
The nearby Marines watched with wide eyes.
They had already seen Tom's strength several times over the past few days, but every time, it still felt unreal. That single trunk would have required at least a dozen Marines to move, yet Tom carried it as casually as if it were a sack of grain.
Of course, there had been people who refused to believe it at first. They insisted the trunk must have been hollow and tried to lift one themselves.
Those men were now recovering at the island hospital with injured backs.
Tom carried the timber forward at an easy pace, his fingers digging into the outer layer of wood to keep it from slipping.
Ahead of him, a cleared plaza had been turned into a temporary shipbuilding area. Neatly cut planks were stacked in rows, tools had been arranged by category, and a ship's base had already begun to take shape.
Before reaching the plaza, Tom set the trunk down.
Even with his control, the wood still struck the ground with a heavy thud, making the nearby Marines feel its weight through the soles of their boots.
Tom had stopped not because he was tired, but because he had spotted Axel approaching.
"Yahahaha! Axel, my boy, need something from me?" Tom asked cheerfully.
"Yes," Axel said. "It's about the battleship."
To outsiders, it sounded like he was asking about shipbuilding.
Tom, however, understood at once.
The "battleship" meant the Ancient Weapon Pluton. It was the code they had agreed on.
Axel could use his ability to block sound, but holding a silent conversation in front of others would look strange. This kind of wording was safer.
Tom's expression grew serious.
"I understand."
He stopped his work and followed Axel away.
They did not go far. After taking only a few steps to a secluded spot, Axel opened a barrier with his ability, isolating the sound within.
"CP9 has made a move," Axel said.
Tom's face tightened.
A few days ago, after they returned to the warship, Axel had explained what CP9 was. Tom did not know every detail, but he understood enough to know that they were dangerous.
"What did they do?"
"They contacted the base through Enies Lobby and requested an exchange. Most likely, they want to use that as an excuse to investigate us. I refused, but they won't stop there. The real danger is whatever comes after."
Tom's voice sank. "So it's still about the blueprints."
He had once asked Axel why he did not simply let the World Government search, since the blueprints were already destroyed.
Axel had answered with one question.
If the positions were reversed, would Tom believe someone who had held the blueprints for years and claimed they had never studied them?
Tom had understood immediately.
If it were him, he would not believe it either.
"So what should I do?" Tom asked.
He knew Axel would not come to him without a plan.
Axel looked up at him and said something that sounded odd at first.
"Stop working for now. From this moment on, stay by my side."
.....
[If you don't want to wait for the next update, read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon.]
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