"He even used his abilities. Rob Lucci really is a CP9 agent."
Iceburg let out a long sigh.
Although he had already expected it, when he actually heard Rob Lucci admit it—and even saw him use his abilities—Iceburg still could not help feeling hurt.
Of all the shipwrights, Rob Lucci had been the one Iceburg thought most highly of.
He had even planned to eventually hand Rob Lucci the position of foreman at the shipyard.
Who would have thought that Lucci was actually an agent?
"It looks like you care quite a bit about Rob Lucci."
"I thought you'd care more about Kalifa."
"After all, she's your secretary."
Arton said with a smile.
"But she's only my secretary. We're nothing more than ordinary coworkers."
Iceburg shook his head.
Arton nodded in firm agreement.
Although Kalifa could be considered a minor fanservice character in the original story, that did not mean she was a promiscuous woman.
Even while carrying out her mission, she would never sell herself to Iceburg.
Arton looked back at Kalifa and thought,
How can I get Kalifa to join my crew?
Kalifa was a proud woman. Arton was certain of that.
Inviting a woman like her to join him would not be easy.
More importantly, he was currently the one taking the initiative to cause trouble for her.
"Forget it. I'll take it one step at a time."
"I'll talk to her after this is over. Maybe I can use a mold to attract her."
"If even that doesn't work, then I'll just let it go."
Arton thought.
As a World Government agent, Kalifa had good reason to be a woman who wanted to become stronger.
If so, using power to entice her might have some effect.
Still, Arton could not be completely certain.
He would simply have to try.
Arton considered himself a fairly famous figure in this world by now.
As long as Kalifa paid even a little attention to world affairs and had not completely ignored everything outside her undercover mission, she would know that he possessed the power to help his companions rapidly become stronger.
That was why Arton believed attracting Kalifa with power could work.
If even that failed, however, he had no intention of forcing the issue.
Kalifa was indeed beautiful, but Arton had plenty of other exceptional companions beside him.
He could find happiness with them instead.
Therefore, Arton had no intention of wasting too much time on Kalifa.
What Arton did not know was that because of the voyage diary copy, Kalifa had long since developed thoughts of joining him.
In Kalifa's eyes, the World Government was merely an organization that treated agents like disposable tools.
She no longer had the slightest faith in an organization like that.
By contrast, she had personally seen how happily Arton's companions lived.
Everyone Arton allowed to join his crew was treated sincerely.
With such a captain before her, Kalifa naturally wanted to see whether she could become one of Arton's companions as well.
...
Chapter 809: There Are Many Things I Can't Tell You
"Take her down!"
Rob Lucci and Kaku shouted as they charged toward Conis.
Faced with their seemingly ferocious assault, Conis calmly stretched out both hands and aimed her palms at them.
Bzzzt!
Lightning flashed.
Rob Lucci and Kaku immediately collapsed.
Everything happened in the blink of an eye. By the time Kalifa reacted, smoke was already rising from both men as they lay on the floor.
"Y-You... you killed them?"
Kalifa stared at Conis in shock.
"No, I didn't."
Conis shook her head.
Arton wanted Rob Lucci and the others kept alive.
And with Kalifa standing right there, Conis had even less reason to kill Rob Lucci, Kaku, or the others.
"No?"
Kalifa breathed a sigh of relief.
At that moment, Conis instantly moved in front of her.
Kalifa jerked her head up in alarm and discovered lightning already flickering between Conis's hands, like a vicious dragon preparing to devour her.
"W-Wait! I have a voyage diary copy just like you—"
Kalifa had intended to use their shared status as voyage diary copy holders to build a connection with Conis, but before she could finish, a violent palpitation seized her heart and prevented her from continuing.
It felt as though if she said those words aloud, she would die.
What's going on?
Kalifa clutched her chest.
She had no way to verbally reveal anything concerning the voyage diary copies.
Whenever she tried to tell her CP9 companions about them, an intense sense of danger would overwhelm her.
That much made sense.
But why was she feeling the same warning now?
Wait. Could Arton be nearby watching?
Kalifa's eyes lit up.
Of course.
Conis was already here. There was no reason Arton would not have come along to watch the situation unfold.
And no matter how she looked at it, she was also one of the heroines connected to Arton.
Given his personality, there was no reason he would not want to meet someone tied to him.
"Are you all right?"
Conis looked at Kalifa with concern.
After hearing what Kalifa had almost said, she was genuinely worried about her.
Sure enough, just as Conis expected, Kalifa collapsed in pain before she could finish speaking.
"I-I'm fine."
Kalifa took a deep breath.
"If you're fine, then get some sleep."
Conis placed a hand on Kalifa's shoulder.
A surge of electricity entered Kalifa's body, making her tremble before collapsing unconscious onto the floor.
In the instant before losing consciousness, Kalifa had only one thought left:
Why didn't I follow the usual routine and collapse right away? This really wasn't the time to try talking.
...
"Sorry. We can talk properly later."
"Captain doesn't know that we possess voyage diary copies, after all."
"Right now, there are many things I can't tell you."
Conis looked down at the unconscious Kalifa and spoke silently in her heart.
Because she knew Arton cared about Kalifa, Conis had already decided to invite Kalifa into the interactions between herself and Arton.
Before that, however, she needed to find a convenient time to have a proper discussion with Kalifa.
Naturally, Raki would need to be there as well.
Conis knew she was not particularly skilled at communication, so it would be difficult for her to explain everything to Kalifa properly on her own.
With Raki present, things would be different.
After spending so much time together, Conis already knew that Raki was exceptionally good at dealing with people.