CP9?
Jabra, Fukurou, and Kumadori?
After hearing Cobra's description and details about the three individuals, Luo Lan immediately recognized who they were.
Those three were simply too distinctive—there was no mistaking them.
So, because they couldn't get direct information from Cobra, they kidnapped Vivi instead?
And now they're trying to use Vivi to force Cobra into cooperating?
It made sense. Cobra was a complete doting father, and for an intelligence agency like CP9, uncovering that weakness would've been child's play.
"Your Majesty Cobra, don't worry. I'll have someone handle this situation."
"But they said I must give them an answer by tomorrow at the latest. I'm afraid there's not enough time..."
"Relax. They'll be there within an hour."
Cobra's eyes widened in disbelief.
An hour?
Could it be... Jun Lin's base is actually inside Alabasta?
He wasn't to blame for thinking this. In this era, sailing ships typically moved at a speed of seven to eight knots per hour.
To put it in perspective:
If you were standing at the harbor and spotted a ship on the horizon, that distance would be about what a sailboat could travel in an hour.
Furthermore, Alabasta's capital, Alubarna, was inland. No matter which port you landed at, reaching Alubarna would take at least a full day's journey.
Even if you sailed directly up the Sandora River and landed on the western edge of the capital, you'd still need to travel hundreds of nautical miles through the river.
From Cobra's point of view, the only way someone could reach the royal palace within an hour was if Jun Lin's base was already within Alabasta's borders.
Luo Lan didn't bother explaining further.
He simply told Cobra to wait in the palace, then summoned Hina, Ace, and Zoro.
It had been almost half a month since the super cloning facility was completed.
These three were the first batch of improved Rumble-Rumble Fruit users.
Of course, Zoro had initially resisted, insisting he was a swordsman and didn't need any Devil Fruit powers.
But after Luo Lan gave him a little pep talk, he was totally sold.
Especially when Luo Lan said:
"Zoro, I've already thought of your future title!"
"How about this: World's Greatest Swordsman — Thunder God Zoro? Sounds badass, right?"
"Imagine it — every move you make crackling with lightning. The visual alone… chef's kiss."
"Tell me that's not cool."
And so, Zoro ended up eating the fruit in a daze.
Thus, the Rumble Trio was born.
They also became the first members of Jun Lin's newly formed Rapid Response Unit.
The Navy has Kizaru?
Well, Jun Lin has a whole squad!
Is that overkill? Not really.
Their speed might be slightly slower than Kizaru's...
Yes, only slightly slower—not by a huge margin.
Because let's be honest, Kizaru keeps saying "Have you ever been kicked at the speed of light?"...
But that's total nonsense.
If he could actually move at light speed, he'd be invincible in the One Piece world.
He could circle the planet ten times in a second. No one could dodge his attacks. Every strike would land, guaranteed.
But in reality? His Pika Pika no Mi doesn't grant true light speed—not even close. He doesn't even reach a ten-thousandth of light speed.
He's just faster than your average Rumble-Rumble user. That's it.
So yeah, Kizaru's fast—but the gap isn't as big as people think.
Anyway...
Back to the point—Hina was appointed as the first commander of the Rapid Response Unit.
So far, there were only two team members: Ace and Zoro.
Since the base on Rhodes Island was located near the Calm Belt and not far from Alabasta, the moment they left the belt, they'd be within 100 nautical miles of the kingdom.
According to Hina, they could reach the capital in under three hours.
But these three?
They could do it in less than three minutes.
Super fast.
So when Luo Lan told Cobra they'd arrive within an hour, he was actually being extremely conservative.
"How are you guys doing with mastering your Rumble-Rumble powers lately?" Luo Lan asked.
"Pfft, what's there to master? I've already got it down!" Ace boasted.
"No one was asking you," Luo Lan rolled his eyes.
He turned to Hina and Zoro instead.
After all, they had only eaten their fruits recently—Hina eight days ago, Zoro just five.
Ace, on the other hand, had been training with his Rumble-Rumble Fruit for almost two months.
"Hina and Zoro have been teaching classes in Seras, so they haven't started fully developing their powers yet. But they've got the basics down—elemental transformation and lightning-speed movement are no problem," Hina reported.
Zoro nodded in agreement.
That was exactly what Luo Lan wanted. Just like with Ace before, they needed to learn some fundamental knowledge before diving deep into Devil Fruit development.
"Learn your science and math, and your fruit powers will go god-tier."
Not just a saying—it was true.
Satisfied, Luo Lan nodded.
That was enough.
After all, the opponents this time were just CP9.
Sure, in the original story, CP9 were a pretty big deal for Luffy and his crew.
But honestly...
Luo Lan didn't think much of them.
Apart from Lucci, the others—like Jabra and Kaku—barely had power levels above 2,000.
Actually, at this point in time, they might not have even reached 2,000 yet.
The rest? All under 1,000.
Most hovered around 800, and some were just over 600.
Let's be real—Jun Lin's average soldier, after basic training, started at 500.
Those who had served for over three months and had a bit of talent were already breaking 1,000, and many had mastered the Navy's Six Powers techniques.
So aside from Lucci, Jabra, and Kaku, the rest of CP9 wouldn't even qualify as junior soldiers in Jun Lin's army.
As for those three...
While they had some strength, compared to Hina's near-10,000 power level, or Ace and Zoro's 7,000+?
They were barely warm-ups.
It was starting to feel like bullying children.
"Alright, you three head out."
"Oh, and once you're done in Alabasta, swing by Water 7 for me."
"Bring a message to someone there—and bring that person back with you too."
After giving them detailed instructions, Luo Lan sent them off.
---
A few minutes later.
Alabasta Kingdom — Capital: Alubarna
At the top platform of the royal palace, Cobra paced anxiously.
Every minute, he asked Igaram the same question:
"How much longer?"
After more than ten rounds of asking, only ten minutes had passed.
For the first time in his life, time felt unbearably slow.
And then—
Three bolts of lightning streaked across the sky, heading straight for the palace.
They moved so fast that no one could react.
And in the blink of an eye—
They landed right on the palace platform.
---
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