Inside one of the giant containers in the warehouse district.
Masked Claude turned to "Victor" and asked in a low voice, "You didn't slip up, did you?"
"Nope."
The "Victor" in front of him smiled confidently. His left hand reached up and tugged at his face.
With a soft peel, a human-skin mask came off.
Beneath it was a completely different face.
He picked up another mask on the table and put it on as he spoke.
"I shadowed that guy Victor for days. His little habits, his expressions, his voice I've copied every last one. I'm no different from the real Victor. No one will see a flaw."
"As long as there's no flaw, that's enough. The mission's already halfway done. I don't want any accidents at this stage," Chief Claude said.
The CP0 agent let out a creepy chuckle.
"If you ask me, to be safe, we should've just killed him."
Claude shot that down immediately.
"Even killing people has to be done with a clear idea of who and why. And after you kill, even if you scrub the scene spotless, if too many people 'disappear' in a short time, you don't think others will start to wonder? Notice?"
"Killing people can solve a lot of problems, but there are some things you can't solve by killing your way through."
"Otherwise, why do you think the World Government bothered to create CP0 in the first place?"
"Alright, alright, I get it."
The agent twisted his mouth.
This guy… it was just a casual suggestion. Did he really have to lecture me like that?
Why did I get stuck babysitting him instead of taking field missions… I really don't want to listen to the Chief nag.
Bloop
Bloop
The den-den mushi rang.
Claude immediately picked it up, a hint of urgency in his voice.
"Moshi moshi. Is the mission complete?!"
Heavy breathing came from the other end, followed by a rough voice.
"Target captured. But there are too many enemies. It's hard to break away. I need support."
"Tell me your location. Support is on the way now."
Claude's tone turned sharp and decisive.
Then he looked at the CP0 agent beside him and ordered, "You, go link up with them. And make sure you shake any tails following you."
"Yes."
The CP0's voice held a barely concealed excitement.
Killing missions were his favorite.
He left with his orders.
The room fell quiet.
A few minutes later, the den-den mushi rang again.
Bloop
Bloop
Claude's face lit up as he stared at it.
"Could that be good news from the Skull Castle?"
He picked up the call.
The voice that came through belonged to the CP0 who had infiltrated the Skull Castle earlier.
"Reporting, Chief. We've found clues regarding the Celestial Dragons in the Skull Castle. Also…"
"We've already planted the intel about that Devil Fruit."
Claude's smile deepened, the joy in his heart almost overflowing.
"Good. One objective complete. Now, about the Celestial Dragons report their situation."
"The Celestial Dragons are being secretly held by Rocks in a hidden chamber inside the Skull Castle. Security is extremely tight, no openings at all…"
The CP0 agent continued his report.
"The Skull Castle, huh…"
Claude frowned.
That was Rocks' headquarters nest of the Rocks Pirates.
Rescuing Celestial Dragons from there would be a nightmare.
But even if it was a nightmare…
They had to try.
"You two remain hidden inside the Skull Castle and await my orders," Claude said.
On the other side.
Inside the Skull Castle.
Rocks' face was as black as the bottom of a pot. Standing beside him were the very CP0 who had "secretly infiltrated" the Skull Castle.
"That Devil Fruit really is the World Government's bait…"
"Those old fossils. What a neat little scheme. Using the location of that Devil Fruit to lure me out!!"
"If I hadn't laid my piece a move earlier, I might've really walked straight into their trap."
…
"Times like these, it's better not to think too deeply. Get off Beehive Island first."
Miss Bakkin knew some things were trouble just waiting to explode if you got too close.
She slung her bag over her shoulder and, relying on her familiarity with Beehive Island's layout, made her way toward the port.
And ran headlong into the just-departed Ares.
"Where are you going?"
Ares' voice stopped her in her tracks.
He still remembered her.
The first time he'd come to Beehive Island, he'd already seen this woman.
"I I…"
Bakkin's face went pale.
The savage, beast-like pressure rolling off Ares' body made her tongue knot up instantly.
Who on this island hadn't heard of Ares' legend?
This man was a humanoid beast.
King of beasts.
No
To be precise, he was the King of all beasts.
Bakkin forced out a lie, stammering, "I I'm just going to sell some things…"
"If you're really just selling things, let me see what you've got in that bag."
Ares' gaze was like twin dragon eyes, sharp and oppressive, making her body tremble uncontrollably.
The pressure was suffocating.
Bakkin swallowed hard. Her whole body was so tense she felt like a corpse.
In her heart she was already cursing.
Damn it, why did I have to run into this monster here of all places?
They say this guy's basically insane. If I refuse to show him, he might really punch me to death on the spot.
On Beehive Island, whether they were pirates or civilians, everyone was terrified of Ares.
Because he'd done far too many things that were… "insane."
Even if it wasn't as bad as Big Mom's "eating disorder," once Ares started going off-script, almost no one could stop him.
"Are you hiding something?"
Ares' voice sank, his brows drawing together.
That tiny movement alone made Bakkin's heart leap into her throat.
His questioning stare made sweat bead across her forehead.
Then, suddenly
A spark of inspiration flashed through her mind, like she'd grabbed hold of a lifeline.
"Ares! You're looking for the ones who kidnapped Katakuri, right?!"
"I I accidentally discovered where they're hiding!"
"Oh?"
Ares' expression shifted, a flash of joy glinting in his eyes.
"Speak. Where are they?!"
Bakkin's eyes rolled once, and she said, "I'll tell you but you have to let me leave Beehive Island. This place is too dangerous right now. And they're about to execute the Celestial Dragons soon who knows what chaos will break out? I don't want to be here when it happens."
"No problem. As long as you tell me where Katakuri is."
Right now, Katakuri was all that mattered to Ares.
Everything else was secondary.
"They're in Victor's secondhand goods warehouse," Bakkin said.
Ares wasn't one for twists and turns.
He didn't ask anything else.
He just stepped past Bakkin and shot off like a bolt of lightning.
"Whew…"
Bakkin pressed a hand against her chest, gasping for air.
"Just standing in front of him takes ridiculous courage. That guy's getting more terrifying by the day…"
"If I'd never met Whitebeard and the Golden Lion, he would've been my number one target, no question."
"But now…"
"He might be even scarier than Whitebeard. Definitely a man you could die from fooling with."
She did still fantasize about getting Ares' genes.
With those, she might be able to create an embryo with talent that surpassed even her current "samples."
But that was all it could be a fantasy.
She'd heard the story:
Big Mom had tried to "take" this man once and they'd ended up having a full-on brawl over it.
That whole mess had nearly torn Beehive Island apart.
"Better let that one go…"
On the streets, plenty of the Rocks Pirates' crew were still searching.
Ares grabbed the first one he saw and, with a few blunt questions, got the exact location of secondhand dealer Victor's warehouse.
He didn't waste another second.
He sprinted off in long strides, his feet casually stomping some unlucky pirates to death as they fought in the streets.
He didn't even bother to look back.
"Ares!!"
"Where are you going?!"
Wang Zhi, clad in golden armor, saw Ares racing past and shouted after him.
But Ares didn't respond.
Either he ignored him, or he truly hadn't heard over the roar of blood in his ears.
"He's running that fast… and he didn't even answer me. It must be something serious."
"Could it be…"
"He's found a lead on Katakuri?!"
All it took was a bit of thought for Wang Zhi to realize this possibility was very high.
"Right now Katakuri and Big Mom's other kids are in enemy hands. I'd better follow."
"I can't let Ares go crazy. If they get spooked and kill the hostages, we'll be in real trouble."
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