Messy, heavy footsteps echoed in all directions, loud enough to rattle the air.
On the street outside, countless pedestrians turned to look, suspicion and unease written all over their faces. When they saw wave after wave of men in black suits carrying guns and ammunition, they hurriedly backed away, faces paling with fear.
"What's going on?"
"So many people… They've surrounded the place!"
"Those uniforms… are they Marines?"
"Did someone break into that building? Otherwise why would they gather this many men to seal it off? They're obviously trying to stop whoever's inside from escaping!"
Speculation exploded like sparks.
The tall building was completely ringed in—sealed so tightly it felt like a steel barrel.
The black-suited men shoved the crowd back harshly.
"All of you, move! If you don't want to get caught in the crossfire, get the hell out—now!"
In the blink of an eye, the street emptied. People scattered in panic, fleeing the scene.
"Move!"
"Call in more men! Someone's grown a death wish—actually daring to break into our Cipher Pol base. They're tired of living!"
"As far as I remember, ever since our Loguetown base was established, no one has ever dared trespass like this."
"And now I'm seeing it with my own eyes… unbelievable."
More and more CP agents poured in.
Not only was the building sealed, even the streets farther out were locked down. It was airtight—like an iron drum. Not even a fly could slip through.
One thought lived in every agent's mind:
That intruder is dead.
Inside the vast lobby—
Ryukawa's eyes narrowed as he looked at the young man with the white pigeon on his shoulder.
Then his expression cleared, as if a puzzle piece finally snapped into place.
So that's it.
No wonder.
No wonder that face felt familiar.
"Rob Lucci?" he said. "So it's you."
"I was wondering why you looked familiar. Now the answer's finally clear."
Lucci's face didn't change at all. His gaze locked onto Ryukawa like a blade, cold light flickering in his eyes.
Ryukawa lifted a hand and waved casually.
"Me? Looks like my identity got exposed no matter what."
Truthfully, he hadn't wanted that.
If he could help it, he'd rather not be known at all—
because if his identity remained clean, he could wipe out Cipher Pol's East Blue base and leave without anyone linking it back to him.
That was the point.
Hide the "civilian" mask.
But in the end…
it still leaked.
And not only did it leak—Cipher Pol had set a trap, invited him in, and sealed the net.
Ryukawa exhaled lightly and asked, almost conversational.
"If nothing went wrong, your people already reached Octagon Town."
"And they've confirmed what happened there."
Lucci studied him for a long moment, then spoke evenly.
"You're smart."
"If they hadn't reported back, I wouldn't have believed it either."
"That the one who ruined our operation… was a boy."
His tone was calm—too calm.
Like everything was already decided.
And with the entire building encircled by CP's elite forces, his confidence wasn't unfounded.
This was a closed jar.
Even if Ryukawa wanted to escape, there was no path up to the sky and no road down into the earth.
A textbook trap.
"Honestly," Ryukawa said with a hint of admiration, "I came here thinking I'd wipe out your base and walk away clean."
"I underestimated Cipher Pol's intelligence network."
"Your information-gathering really is something."
Lucci's mouth curled into a faint smile.
"To wait for you, I spent half a day preparing."
"And sure enough—my deduction was correct."
Then, slowly, he removed his black suit jacket, revealing a lean frame that didn't look bulky at first glance—
yet carried the density of something forged by countless battles.
He continued, voice steady.
"Do you know how many men I arranged for you?"
"I don't think you can escape Loguetown anyway, but I'll tell you—just so you understand and give up."
"Outside this building, there are two thousand CP elites. The perimeter is sealed, water-tight."
"And in this lobby alone, I've placed three hundred marksmen."
"You should be able to feel it."
"Right now… your head is already inside three hundred gun sights."
He paused, letting the weight sink in.
"One command from me…"
"And you die."
Lucci's expression remained serious, but there was a controlled satisfaction behind it—victory already in hand.
For this intruder, he'd invested real effort.
Failure?
Not even a concept.
In Lucci's eyes, this operation simply could not fail.
Loguetown's entire CP military presence had been gathered into one place…
All to deal with a single enemy.
How could that possibly fail?
The chance of failure wasn't low.
It was zero.
Ryukawa tilted his head slightly, amused.
"All that trouble… just for me?"
"That really feels worth it?"
"I don't have a bounty. I don't have a name anyone knows."
"For someone who only ruined one of your transactions, you're making a grand production out of this."
Lucci answered without hesitation.
"If it were only you, I could handle you alone."
"But the intelligence we gathered indicates…"
"You have deep ties to the Revolutionary Army."
"So I thought—this might be a good opening for us."
"With your talent, you'd stand out even among Revolutionaries."
"And if we take you today…"
"We can use you as bait to draw them out."
"That would be… foolproof."
He added calmly:
"And there's another reason."
"While dealing with you, we can't be sure whether the Revolutionaries will intervene."
"So this deployment is simply to ensure absolute security."
Lucci's eyes were steady.
"I've always been cautious."
Ryukawa let out a quiet "ah," understanding dawning.
So in their eyes…
he was already branded as Revolutionary.
That was… annoying.
Seems I really can't keep moving with them, he thought.
People will keep mistaking me for one of theirs.
Just like now.
If not for the Revolutionary connection, Cipher Pol never would've mobilized this heavily for him.
"Revolutionaries… you really do bring me trouble," Ryukawa muttered inwardly.
"When this is over, I'm getting an explanation."
"And if nothing else…"
"I'm taking compensation."
But that was later.
Right now—
there was only one priority.
Solve the problem.
Wipe out these CP dogs.
That came first.
Lucci's smile widened slightly.
"I can see you still want to resist."
"But I'll tell you again—you can't run."
"There are two thousand elites outside."
"With a net like this, where do you think you're going?"
In Lucci's mind, this was already a dead man's board.
Ryukawa alone could not break free.
Loguetown had no exit for him.
That was Lucci's certainty.
This game was over before it began.
Then Lucci's tone sharpened, pride rising.
"Of course, my greatest reliance isn't those useless trash outside."
"I trust my own strength more."
"Even without them, keeping you here would be easy."
He looked down at Ryukawa, eyes cold and arrogant.
"Who am I?"
"I'm Rob Lucci."
The reputation stacked on his name—the "strongest in eight hundred years"—fed that confidence like oxygen.
With his current strength, sweeping the entire East Blue was nothing.
A kid from the East Blue?
He could take him whenever he wanted.
At Lucci's side, Morks—Loguetown's CP chief—couldn't help stepping forward, voice low, nervous.
"Lucci-sama… please act quickly. Better to end this before anything unexpected happens."
"…Fine," Lucci said, nodding once.
The white pigeon on his shoulder fluttered up into the air.
With his jacket removed, Lucci's upper body was revealed fully—muscle lines hard and clean, scars laced across him like old stories. He looked like a weapon that had been sharpened through countless life-and-death battles.
Morks stared at Ryukawa, excitement on his face.
"Lucci-sama is personally moving…"
"That kid's finished."
In his eyes, Ryukawa's fate was already sealed.
Rob Lucci was no ordinary agent.
He was an executioner.
A killing god.
When a monster like that made a move, failure didn't exist.
And their target was just an East Blue boy.
Easy.
Lucci rolled his shoulder once, then spoke in an even tone—almost… respectful.
"You're the first person in years with the courage to break into a Cipher Pol base."
"For a boy with that kind of nerve…"
"I'll give you the respect you deserve."
He lifted his chin slightly.
"I've decided."
"I'll go all out."
He stared at Ryukawa with dead-calm eyes.
"Try to last three seconds."
"Don't disappoint me."
The pressure in the room thickened.
A murderous chill spread through the lobby like smoke, sweeping outward in waves.
Ryukawa, trapped in the center of it all, didn't so much as blink.
Instead, he smiled—light and calm, like he was watching a performance.
"Why does it feel like you've already decided you've won?"
He tilted his head.
"Also… do you really think numbers matter?"
"And that title—'strongest CP9 agent in eight hundred years'…"
Ryukawa's smile sharpened.
"From where I'm standing, you don't look that strong."
"At the very least…"
"You're not strong enough to make me feel threatened."
He took a slow breath.
"Yes, I'll admit it—your plan is flawless."
"Even I walked straight into it."
"I've never been good at schemes and tricks."
"My strength has always been…"
"Fighting."
"Killing."
Ryukawa's voice was calm—too calm.
Then it dropped, carrying a quiet weight.
"But you overlooked one crucial thing."
"You overlooked the fact that…"
"In front of absolute power…"
Every plan, every arrangement…
is fragile."
He lifted the wooden sword in his hand.
Pointed it straight at Lucci.
His eyes turned razor-clear.
"Today…"
"I'll use you to test my blade."
The air tightened.
Swords were already drawn—even if no steel had been bared yet.
The killing intent flooded the hall.
And the battle—
was about to explode.
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