"Who are they?"
Hina looked at the two charred figures Sora had brought back and asked in confusion.
"CP9 agents from the World Government. Rob Lucci and Kaku," Sora replied casually. "You've probably heard of them."
"Rob Lucci? The so-called strongest genius of Enies Lobby in the past few centuries?"
Hina's expression changed in shock.
She never expected even someone like Rob Lucci to fall so quickly to Sora.
It had only been ten minutes since he left.
Sora grinned. Despite Lucci's strength, he himself possessed all three types of Haki along with the Rumble-Rumble Fruit and other powerful abilities. Lucci barely lasted a few rounds.
"What are you planning to do with them?" Hina asked.
"I'll tell you the day you become my woman," Sora replied with a smirk, dragging the two unconscious agents into the Ark Maxim's interior.
Hina was furious at his shameless response.
"Let's go. Seems it's not your turn yet," Reiju said, leading the fuming Hina back to her quarters.
Only Sora, Reiju, and Kalifa remained on the ship for now, and Reiju had to keep an eye on Hina while Sora did his business.
Inside the ship's brig, Sora dumped the unconscious Lucci and Kaku next to Kalifa, who was still shackled.
He had promised her he wouldn't kill them—but he also didn't want them lingering in Water 7.
So, under Kalifa's plea, Sora agreed to let her handle the situation: she would convince them to leave.
In return, Kalifa agreed to become completely obedient—ready to serve his every whim.
Of course, if she ever betrayed him or leaked his secrets, Sora vowed to personally slaughter every current member of CP9.
"Hey, wake up!" he said, nudging Kalifa awake.
She stirred groggily, startled to see him.
She was still exhausted from the 'training' he'd put her through earlier.
Then she saw Lucci and Kaku at her feet.
So... Lucci really couldn't defeat him either.
Kalifa sighed inwardly.
Sora leaned in, gave her a rough kiss, then unlocked her handcuffs. "You talk to them."
With that, he stepped out and left a surveillance eye and ear in the shadows using Robin's Flower-Flower Fruit to monitor the conversation.
Inside, Kalifa quickly woke the two men and explained the situation.
She didn't dare mention anything sensitive about Sora's powers—only that Bruno had been killed and she'd been captured.
"Bruno's dead?" Lucci's voice was low and grim.
"You'd better not get any ideas about revenge. You can't beat him," Kalifa warned flatly, pushing up her glasses.
Sora's bizarre Devil Fruit abilities alone were impossible to counter—never mind his reported sword skills and Haki.
"I couldn't even last three rounds against him," Kaku said with a sigh.
Lucci was silent. He hadn't lasted much longer.
Faced with overwhelming power, resistance was meaningless.
Soon, Kalifa had convinced both of them to leave Water 7.
More accurately, they had no other choice—say no, and they'd be dead.
The only reason they were still alive was Kalifa.
Satisfied, Sora returned to the brig, zapped Lucci and Kaku unconscious, and smiled at Kalifa.
"I've kept my promise. Now it's your turn to show me your sincerity."
He hoisted the two men over his shoulders and vanished in a flash of lightning.
Kalifa pressed her lips together, then got up, walked to her room, and began tidying herself up—ready to please Sora.
His overwhelming strength had completely shattered her pride and confidence. She no longer had the will to resist.
With nowhere else to go, Kalifa had decided to walk the only path left to her.
Sora dumped Lucci and Kaku in a random alley in Water 7 and returned to the Ark Maxim, heading to Kalifa's room—curious how she planned to impress him.
[Name: Kalifa]
[Affiliation: CP9 Agent]
[Specialty: Rokushiki (Six Powers)]
[Innate Talent: None]
[Affection: 60]
[Combat Level: Five Stars]
[Rokushiki Mastery: Shave, Iron Body, Paper Art, Moonwalk, Tempest Kick, Finger Gun]
[Stats Gained: 30 physique, 30 vitality, 30 mental strength, 30 body technique/hour — Note: Five-star multiplier x5]
Seeing Kalifa's skyrocketing affection score, Sora smiled.
True to her word, she was now obedient and willing.
At this rate, a little more "training" and she'd become his loyal personal secretary.
Stretching lazily, Sora got out of bed, pulled the covers over the sleeping Kalifa, then headed to the deck.
He leaned on the railing, looking at the full moon high above the sea, exhaling softly.
Once Hina was fully his, he'd need just one more person to trigger the next upgrade to his pirate crew system.
Soon after, Reiju emerged and quietly embraced him from behind.
Sora wrapped his arms around her and basked in the peaceful moment.
After a few minutes, Reiju suddenly asked:
"The war between Whitebeard and the Navy starts in a month."
"Are you planning to join?"
Sora smiled. "Of course."
The Marineford War was his perfect stage to rise.
The Tremor-Tremor Fruit, Phoenix Fruit, Darkness Fruit, Shadow-Shadow Fruit... all of them were up for grabs.
Reiju nodded with a smile. "Then you should get Hina on board."
"With her as a go-between, you might even get a Warlord title."
Sora chuckled and pinched her nose. "Naive. I killed Celestial Dragons. The World Government would never accept me as a Warlord."
"Then what's your plan?" Reiju asked with a frown.
Sora smoothed her brows with a smile.
He knew the story—and Blackbeard's plans. He didn't need government recognition to insert himself into the war.
He opened his mouth to explain—
When suddenly, a voice came from nearby:
"If you want to participate in the campaign against Whitebeard... I might be able to make it happen."
______________
P/S: If you are interested, you can read up to 30+ chapters for $5 and receive daily updates at [email protected]/Betek (@->a).