Bang!
Sora tossed the unconscious CP0 squad leader in front of Jessica.
Still weeping over Jonathan's death, Jessica's sorrow instantly twisted into rage at the sight of the squad leader.
Without hesitation, she pulled a kitchen knife from her thigh holster and lunged—but Sora grabbed her wrist.
"Knives are for cooking. If you want revenge, use this."
He handed her the pistol taken from Jonathan's corpse.
Jessica snatched it, aimed it at the squad leader's head, and pulled the trigger.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three shots to the head. The CP0 leader was dead for good.
With her revenge taken, Jessica turned the gun on herself.
Smack!
Sora slapped her hard across the face, sending her flying.
He walked over, lifted her now-swelling cheek, and smiled.
"Jessica, don't tell me you're planning to go back on your word."
Sora always kept his promises—and nothing infuriated him more than being lied to.
Jessica turned away and gritted her teeth. "Just kill me."
Jonathan had just died. How could she follow another man?
"You clearly don't understand your position."
Sora gave her a calm smile, then continued.
"I actually liked the Marines here at G8. That's why I only knocked them out instead of killing anyone."
"But because you tried to trick me, I've changed my mind."
Jessica's eyes widened. "You really didn't kill them?"
"I have no reason to lie about that."
"Look, they're waking up already."
Sora dragged Jessica to the window and pointed to the Marines, groggy but regaining consciousness, having only been knocked out by Reiju earlier.
The events inside the command office were still unknown to the rest of the base. Most of the Marines were still busy chasing Reiju across the facility.
Seeing that none of them were dead, Jessica was visibly shaken.
Then she turned to Sora and said, "I… I'll do as you say. Just please don't hurt anyone else."
She understood perfectly—Sora had used the lives of the G8 Marines as leverage.
If she continued to resist, he might take his anger out on the entire base.
After witnessing him wipe out CP0, she no longer doubted his resolve.
After all, he was a man who dared kill Celestial Dragons—what were a few ordinary Marines to him?
"Then show me some sincerity."
"You broke my trust, after all."
Sora gently patted her cheek and grinned.
Jessica bit her lip, filled with regret.
But she couldn't let G8's soldiers suffer for her mistake.
Wiping her tears, she looked at him and pleaded:
"Can we at least go to another room…? I'll agree to anything."
Seeing her give in, Sora's smirk widened.
"Good."
…
"That bastard Sora! What the hell is he doing?!"
Reiju cursed under her breath as she darted across the base.
She'd been distracting the G8 Marines for an entire hour, leading them in circles while secretly disabling coastal cannons—all to follow Sora's instructions and keep their attention away from the command center.
She didn't expect him to just vanish and leave her to deal with all this alone.
Boom!
Suddenly, one of the Celestial Tribute ships in the base exploded, catching the Marines off guard mid-chase.
Reiju's eyes lit up. She immediately flew into view and made her way toward the Ark Maxim.
That explosion was the signal—Sora's agreed cue for retreat.
As she reached the edge of the base, she saw Sora flying over the sea with Jessica slung over his shoulder.
"What the hell were you doing?" she asked, glancing at Jessica before giving Sora a light punch.
Jessica, still draped over his shoulder, bit her lip but said nothing.
What was she supposed to say—that Sora had been… feeding her?
"Here," Sora said, pulling out a Devil Fruit and tossing it to Reiju.
"I found it aboard the World Government's tribute ship inside the base."
His storage box was already full, so he had only grabbed the most valuable items—specifically, the Devil Fruits.
Yes—plural.
Besides this one, Sora had obtained two more.
"What kind of fruit is this?"
Reiju examined the golden, sun-like fruit in her hand with curiosity.
Sora grinned.
"It's a Paramecia-type: the Purification Fruit."
"It can purify any harmful substance."
That information had come directly from his system.
Reiju laughed, looking back at him. "I bet you're planning to give this one to Kaya."
Kind-hearted Kaya trained with the crew every day, but she had no love for violence. She'd always wished for a fruit that could heal, not harm.
And this fruit was perfect for her.
Sora smiled and nodded.
Yes—this fruit belonged with Kaya.
Then he slapped Jessica lightly on the thigh and laughed.
"Jessica, what kind of Devil Fruit would you want?"
Jessica flinched, blushing, unsure how to respond. She didn't want to speak to him—but she didn't dare anger him again, either.
She hadn't expected him to ask for her preference at all.
Could he really just get whatever fruit she wanted?
Eventually, she whispered, "As long as it's not a basic Zoan-type… I'll take anything."
Sora chuckled and gave her another light tap.
"Then I'll make sure you get something powerful."
…
G8 Marine Base.
Inside the commander's office.
G8's second-in-command, Major Drake, stared in horror at Jonathan's lifeless body.
"What the hell happened here?"
Just then, a red-eyed Marine ran in and reported:
"Major Drake! Aside from Commander Jonathan, there are no other casualties inside the base."
"All CP0 operatives are dead."
"And… someone saw Godslayer Sora abduct Head Chef Jessica."
Hearing this, Drake wiped the tears from his eyes and said gravely:
"Report all of this to Marine Headquarters immediately."
"Yes, sir!"