Chapter 21: The Eve
Fifteen minutes later, Kalifa lay on the ground with a blue-black bruise on her forehead, tied up like a dumpling by the Realm Severing Thread. She was breathing heavily, and her skirt was torn.
"Let me go," Kalifa struggled.
"I can let you go, but I'm not very familiar with some techniques of Shave. I need you to explain them."
Kalifa pondered for a moment. Now that Su Xiao was already a member of the CP department, mastering the Six Styles wasn't a big deal.
"Fine."
After releasing the Realm Severing Thread, Kalifa looked quite frustrated. It turned out that even without the bomb inside her, she was no match for Su Xiao.
"You've already grasped the basics of Shave?"
"Yes."
Kalifa began explaining some techniques of Shave, but this came at a price: two Alchemy Bombs.
Su Xiao didn't look at the prompts from Reincarnation Paradise. He was fully focused on listening to Kalifa's explanation of Shave techniques. With the assistance of Reincarnation Paradise, he entered a peculiar state.
After a long while, Kalifa finished her explanation. Su Xiao's Shave had actually increased from Level 1 to Level 3, significantly improving his movement distance and precision during use.
Although it still couldn't be used in combat, it was fine for escaping.
"I can only tell you this much. This is my understanding of Shave."
Kalifa adjusted her glasses and smoothed out her slightly wrinkled clothes.
Su Xiao took out two Alchemy Bombs and tossed them to Kalifa. Kalifa was startled and quickly caught them.
"Hey, these are bombs. Are you trying to kill me?"
Kalifa's forehead broke out in cold sweat, and she looked at Su Xiao with lingering fear.
"Alchemy Bombs are very stable. They won't explode on impact unless you squeeze them hard. As for how to use them... focus your attention on the bomb and try to control it with your 'will.'"
"Will?"
"Yes."
Kalifa stared intently at the bomb.
"Activate, activate, activate..."
Kalifa started muttering to herself. Seeing this, Su Xiao almost laughed out loud. This spy had a goofy side too.
"Use your mental energy to control it, not your voice!"
"Oh?" Kalifa was slightly surprised. She tried to concentrate her attention on the Alchemy Bomb. The surface of the bomb gradually turned red, looking like it could explode at any moment.
"This is truly... a miraculous bomb."
She stopped activating the Alchemy Bomb, put it away, and her expression turned serious. It seemed she was about to explain tomorrow's plan in detail to Su Xiao.
"The operation starts at nine tomorrow morning. The specific goal of the mission is simple: capture Nico Robin. She's known as the Devil Child. She was wanted for 79 million Berries as a child and has evaded the World Government's pursuit for many years. Her anti-pursuit skills are very strong.
Over the years, the CP department has been trying to capture Nico Robin, but as she's grown older, her anti-tracking and escape abilities have only improved. She often attaches herself to major pirate crews, using them to evade the CP department's pursuit."
As expected, Kalifa didn't mention the mission regarding the ancient weapon Pluton—at least not for now.
"This time, Nico Robin is attached to the Straw Hat Pirates. Following past patterns, she would use them to escape pursuit. But what's puzzling is that a few days ago, we received news that the Straw Hat Pirates are heading straight for Water 7. Under normal circumstances, Nico Robin wouldn't come to a dangerous place like Water 7..."
Su Xiao waved his hand.
"Get to the point."
Kalifa was a bit displeased, but Su Xiao seemed like her nemesis. She had no way to deal with him. She couldn't beat him in combat, and as for a battle of wits... Kalifa felt a bit hopeless. She had almost ended up warming his bed~.
Taking a deep breath, Kalifa continued, "Our goal is to capture Nico Robin. Of course, there's also a secondary mission, which Lucci will handle. You'll find out about it then."
The secondary mission Kalifa mentioned was likely the one about the ancient weapon Pluton. When they interrogated Iceburg about the blueprints, Su Xiao would learn about it, so Kalifa was giving him a heads-up.
"In simple terms, we're capturing Nico Robin tomorrow."
"Yes."
"Got it. See you at nine tomorrow morning."
Su Xiao turned and walked toward the inn he usually stayed at, pondering tomorrow's actions.
If the CP department's intelligence was correct, the Straw Hat Pirates would likely arrive at Water 7 around eleven in the morning.
Tonight, many ordinary agents had already gathered at Water 7, spreading throughout the city to serve as informants for tomorrow's operation.
Tomorrow at noon would be a "carnival." A large number of contractors would appear in Water 7. Some aimed to hunt other contractors, while others targeted plot characters.
Back in his room at the inn, Su Xiao went to bed early to rest up for tomorrow's operation.
At eight the next morning, Su Xiao left the inn with Bubu Wang, heading straight for Dock 1, the meeting point agreed upon last night.
Arriving at Dock 1, Su Xiao found Rob Lucci and Kaku sweating as they worked on building a ship. This surprised him a bit.
It was a three-masted ship, over 99% complete and nearly finished.
"What are you two..."
As a security guard at Dock 1, Su Xiao could chat with them without raising suspicion.
"One more hour," Rob Lucci said using ventriloquism, which he always used in Water 7.
"One more hour. We need to hurry," Kaku said, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
Su Xiao was stunned. These two were acting a bit off.
"You... want to finish this ship?"
Kaku's hammer-wielding hand paused for a moment before he continued driving nails into the wooden planks.
"Counting the time, we've been building this ship for a month. It's the most satisfying work Lucci and I have ever done. So we need to finish it. It deserves to go to sea."
Clang, clang, clang.
Kaku and Lucci hammered away at the wooden ship, finishing up the final touches.
Four CP9 agents had been undercover in Water 7 for five years. Kaku and Lucci had spent those five years building ships. People aren't made of wood or stone; even spies have feelings.
Before leaving, Lucci and Kaku wanted to finish this ship, giving it a chance to sail the seas.
Their five-year career as shipwrights was about to end. They would become agents again. Lucci's expression was unreadable, but Kaku didn't seem happy.
Perhaps, compared to being an agent, Kaku would rather be a shipwright.
All the main members of CP9 shared a trait: they were orphans who had lost both parents, either sold or voluntarily sent to CP9 for training.
After a terrifying elimination process, they had emerged as the top agents of CP9.
Su Xiao found a chair and sat down. Before long, Kalifa arrived at Dock 1 for her daily inspection and inventory.
Kalifa walked over to Su Xiao, sat intimately on his lap, and quietly slipped a note into his collar.
After sitting on his lap for a few minutes, Kalifa's lips moved as if she were speaking, but she said nothing. It was just to avoid suspicion.
A few minutes later, Kalifa got up and left. Her task for the day was to guard the city hall, in case Iceburg noticed something was wrong and tried to escape.
Su Xiao opened the note, read its contents, and left Dock 1.
Lucci and Kaku were still building the ship. They would finish it soon. This might be the last ship they ever built.