"You are a smart woman. So you should also understand what will happen if you refuse to answer."
"So…"
"Tell me. Where are the Celestial Dragons being held?"
CP0 always preferred dealing with clever people. Talking to someone who could think was far more efficient than dealing with a blockhead.
The cold barrel pressed against the back of her head.
Shakky's heart was pounding up in her throat, but her mind was racing.
CP0 came in already assuming I know where the Celestial Dragons are locked up. In reality I do not know a thing about where they are being held.
If I tell them I do not know, then I am useless to them and they will probably kill me on the spot.
As long as I have value, they will not pull the trigger.
So right now, I can only pretend I know…
Drag things out. Stall for time. Wait for someone to save me, or find my own chance to slip out of CP0's hands.
Once she made her decision, her panic cooled. She forced her voice steady and shot the question back at them.
"How do I know that if I tell you, you will not kill me afterward?"
Behind the eerie white mask, the CP0 agent frowned slightly and said in an icy tone, "You do not have a choice."
"If you stay silent, you die. If you talk, you might live."
The other CP0 agent swept a quick glance over the surveillance feeds and added coldly, "You have one minute to think about it. In one minute, if you do not answer, all that waits for you is death."
Most of the camera views had already been destroyed in the fighting. Only a small portion were still functioning.
Even from that small portion…
CP0 could roughly piece together the situation inside the prison. Most of the freed prisoners chose to run instead of staying to fight the guards of the Rocks Pirates.
Only a few with deep grudges stayed behind to battle Rocks' men.
For the moment, the special marine unit led by Garp was still pinned on the fourth level by Whitebeard.
Suddenly.
One of the CP0 agents' eyes lit up. On one of the screens, he saw a familiar face.
It is him. Monkey D. Dragon.
His position is on the sixth level.
The first four levels had taken the brunt of the assault and most of their cameras were destroyed. But the fifth and sixth levels, which had not been attacked yet, still had most of their feeds intact.
On the screen.
Dragon was moving from cell to cell, opening doors and releasing the prisoners inside.
Each pirate was more monstrous than the last, every one of them someone who had once shaken a corner of the seas. Former big name captains, or pirates who had challenged the Rocks Pirates themselves.
Only those with that level of notoriety were qualified to be locked on the sixth level.
What CP0 cared about most, however, was one thing.
Are the Celestial Dragons in there or not?
He stared at the surveillance screen without blinking. The odds were slim, but in his heart he still hoped Rocks really had locked the Celestial Dragons inside this prison.
In the monitoring room.
Sweat beaded on Shakky's forehead. Her thoughts spun at light speed.
They had given her only one minute to think and answer.
Even if I really did know where the Celestial Dragons are, I cannot just spit it out. And in reality, I have no clue at all…
While she burned with anxiety, the CP0 agent behind her kept piling on the pressure.
"Think carefully. You have thirty seconds left."
"Your answer will decide whether you live or die. Tell us where the Celestial Dragons are held, and I will let you walk away."
Fine sweat started to seep from Shakky's smooth forehead.
"Twenty seconds."
"You have ten seconds left."
"Three… two… one."
The instant he finished counting down, Shakky blurted out, her voice tight with nerves, "I do not trust you. I can take you to where the Celestial Dragons are held. But until we get there…"
"I will not tell you the exact location."
CP0's annoyance was obvious. The gun barrel jabbed harder into the back of her head, making her skull ache.
"Woman, do not play games with us."
"If you do not believe me, then go ahead and pull the trigger." Shakky's tone was all but saying she was ready to drag them down with her.
She was gambling.
Gambling that CP0 did not dare to kill her. Gambling that they would not dare risk the mission failing.
And…
She won.
Hesitation flashed across the CP0 agent's face. He turned to look at his partner.
Their gazes met, and a silent conversation passed between them.
Then the other CP0 agent ground his teeth and said, "Shakky, you had better not lie to us. Your identity is crystal clear to us."
"You are the former empress of Amazon Lily. If you dare deceive us…"
"Not only you will die. Kuja Island will vanish from the map along with you."
"Even the Calm Belt will not protect you."
"Do not doubt the power of the World Government."
Shakky forced a gloomy smile. "How would I dare lie to CP0…"
That was what she said.
But in her heart she was praying.
Captain Rocks… Was this all within your expectations as well? I hope you have some way to get me out of this…
If not…
She was as good as dead. Right now, all she had managed was a temporary delay.
Once CP0 realized the truth, that would be the moment she died.
"Take her."
Knowing this place was about to become a battlefield of chaos, CP0 forced Shakky out of the prison at gunpoint.
Outside the prison.
Golden Lion Shiki had already led a large force of pirates to surround the entire complex.
His golden mane, like a lion's, fluttered in the wind.
With a blade in each hand, he stood atop a pile of bodies that had formed into a small hill beneath his feet. Judging by their clothes, most of the dead were ex–prisoners who had just been freed from their cells.
They thought they had escaped hell, only to run into Shiki the Golden Lion and have their lives ended ahead of schedule.
Drip…
Drip…
Scarlet blood slid down the gleaming edges of "Oto" and "Kogarashi," pattering onto the ground.
Shiki took a deep drag of his cigar, the corners of his mouth curling up.
"Jihahahaha…"
"This time we are going to wipe out every last marine on this island."
…
It was not only the prison that had fallen into chaos. The entire island was a mess.
Most of the fighting came from opportunistic pirates.
In the past days…
Tens of thousands of pirates had poured in from every sea. Hive Island had become a boiling stew of all kinds of scum.
By the time Tengetsu Ares reached the town…
Everywhere he looked, there were scenes of looting, killing, and arson.
But the moment Ares arrived, the pirates on the street all stopped as if they had rehearsed it beforehand. Blades froze mid–swing. Throats swallowed hard. Cold sweat slid down tense faces.
Ares did not need to say a word.
Just standing there was enough to scare them stiff.
The entire street turned eerily silent. A heartbeat ago they were hacking each other to pieces. Now it was so quiet it was unsettling.
Only after Ares walked off the street…
Did the howls and screams erupt again.
The chaos resumed as if someone had hit play.
It did not take long for Ares to find Wang Zhi.
"Wang Zhi, have you found any trace of Katakuri?"
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