Chapter 20: Faction Shift
“This...”
Kalifa’s fists clenched tightly, her slender fingers cracking audibly.
“I have to... protect... his safety??”
Kalifa confirmed once more.
“Yes, even if we fall in battle, he cannot die.”
Rob Lucci gave a clear reply, his face expressionless.
“He’s an important researcher. That kind of bomb is remarkable, very suitable for our missions.”
Bruno had once attempted to dismantle an alchemy bomb, and he fully understood how terrifying they were.
“The commander’s orders are absolute.”
Kaku patted Kalifa’s shoulder in consolation.
“I...” Kalifa lowered her head, her shoulders trembling.
“The mission comes before everything.”
Rob Lucci turned his head to look at Kalifa. She took a deep breath, steadying her mindset.
“Right, the mission comes before everything.”
Kalifa tried to erase the resentment in her heart, but recalling what had happened earlier, a strong sense of shame surged up.
“The mission comes before everything,” Kalifa murmured again.
“Bai Ye, please remove the bomb from Kalifa. We’re colleagues now.”
Rob Lucci didn’t use a commanding tone; Su Xiao was now on equal footing with him.
“Alright.”
Su Xiao jumped down from the wooden crate, walked up to Kalifa, and placed one hand on her chest.
Kalifa gritted her teeth and said, “Watch where your hand is.”
“Don’t mind this level of contact. After all, we’ve had ‘in-depth exchanges’ before.”
As he spoke, Su Xiao began unbuttoning Kalifa’s top.
“Ahem.” Rob Lucci cleared his throat.
“Is this to remove the bomb?”
“Yes. I could also soften it in her stomach, but the explosive components are highly toxic. They’d seep into her stomach lining, and she’d die within half a month.”
Rob Lucci looked at Bruno, who nodded. That kind of bomb was indeed difficult to remove.
“We’ll step out first.”
Lucci led the three out of the warehouse, standing guard outside.
Su Xiao removed Kalifa’s clothing, pressing his fingers directly against her skin. Placing the bomb was simple, but removing it was not.
He hadn’t expected such a twist earlier, so he had only hastily removed the first bomb.
Now it was different. He was a member of CP0. If Kalifa died abnormally in the near future, the CP department would come after him.
His fingers brushed against Kalifa’s delicate skin as his pure mana seeped into her body, examining the alchemy bomb’s specifics.
After a long while, Su Xiao opened his eyes and gestured for Kalifa to lie flat on the ground.
“Remove all clothing from the upper body.”
Kalifa’s eye twitched.
“Underwear too?”
“What do you think? The first alchemy bomb is already corroding your stomach. If you don’t want to die, take it off.”
Kalifa took a deep breath and stripped off her upper garments. Reminding herself this was for survival, her expression returned to normal.
Su Xiao pressed his finger to a spot ten centimeters above Kalifa’s navel, channeling a large amount of mana into her body.
“This cool energy...”
“Don’t speak. Slow your breathing—no, hold your breath.”
Su Xiao closed his eyes in concentration. Placing an alchemy bomb was easy; removing it was somewhat difficult.
Half an hour passed. Rob Lucci and the others waited outside the warehouse, where strange sounds occasionally emerged, leaving the three speechless.
A few minutes later, the warehouse door opened. Kalifa walked out looking exhausted, her clothes slightly disheveled.
“Give me food.”
As soon as she said this, she collapsed to the ground. Kaku moved to help her but was stopped by Rob Lucci.
“Bai Ye, please take care of Kalifa. Our identities can’t be exposed yet.”
With that, Rob Lucci looked at Kalifa.
“Tell Bai Ye our plan. I mean the temporary one for tomorrow.”
The four agents’ original goal was to steal the blueprints for the ancient weapon Pluton. For this mission, they had infiltrated and lain low for five full years.
Three days ago, the CP9 members received a temporary mission: capture Nico Robin, who was hiding with the Straw Hat Pirates.
Nico Robin’s appearance had shocked the World Government, prompting a direct order: even if they couldn’t obtain Pluton’s blueprints, they must capture Nico Robin.
The World Government tolerated Pluton’s blueprints being stored in Water 7 because the blueprints were written in ancient script. Only a handful of people in the world could read it, so the government allowed the blueprints to remain outside, only recently sending agents to steal them.
Nico Robin’s sudden appearance changed everything. If someone obtained Pluton’s blueprints and captured Nico Robin, that person could revive the ancient weapon Pluton.
Though the chances of success were slim, the World Government wouldn’t tolerate even a one-in-ten-thousand possibility.
The World Government panicked and issued a direct order: capture Nico Robin at all costs.
The beautiful Robin had inadvertently walked into a death trap. If there was one place she couldn’t go, it was Water 7—and she was now heading there.
Lucci had Kalifa relay the plan to Su Xiao: capture Nico Robin. The Pluton matter was likely not to be disclosed for now.
Kalifa got up from the ground, looking weak.
“I... I can handle it myself.”
When she looked up, Rob Lucci and the others had already walked away.
“Tell me your plan. I know a good restaurant nearby.”
Su Xiao stepped out of the warehouse. Seeing him, Kalifa instinctively stepped back. For a spy like Kalifa to react this way, whatever happened in the warehouse must have been intense.
Su Xiao led Kalifa to the medicinal food old man’s boat. The old man greeted them warmly, especially Kalifa—he was always enthusiastic toward beautiful female guests.
After a hearty meal, Su Xiao and Kalifa arrived at a secluded seaside spot. Though their outward relationship seemed ambiguous, they were definitely not there for a tryst.
“Tell me your plan.”
Even though Su Xiao already knew the four agents’ plan, he had to go through the motions to avoid suspicion.
Kalifa roughly outlined the plan to capture Nico Robin. As soon as she finished, a notification from Reincarnation Paradise appeared.
[The Hunter has triggered a side mission: Capture Nico Robin.]
Side Mission: Capture Nico Robin
Difficulty Level: Lv.6
Mission Brief: Escort Nico Robin to Enies Lobby.
Mission Info: If Nico Robin dies during this period, the mission will fail.
Mission Time Limit: Three days.
Mission Reward: 5000 Paradise Coins.
Mission Penalty: World Government Faction Reputation -700 (Reputation reduced by 700 will result in a hostile state).
Su Xiao accepted the mission. 5000 Paradise Coins was practically free.
After he accepted, Kalifa spoke up, “During the mission, you just need to hide. Otherwise, you’ll cause trouble.”
“What?”
Su Xiao stared intently at Kalifa. After eating enough, she had recovered her strength and was clearly being provocative.
“I haven’t fought you yet. It’s also a good chance to experience the Six Styles in combat.”
Su Xiao drew the Dragon-Slaying Flash from his waist, holding it in reverse grip with the blade facing outward.
A look of delight appeared on Kalifa’s face. She finally had a chance to teach Su Xiao a lesson.