Midnight, Water Seven.
The bustling waterways were now choked with a thick, rolling fog. The city of shipwrights slept, blissfully unaware of the invisible net tightening around several targets distributed across the islands.
But as the CP9 moved in for the kill, they found the "prey" wasn't hiding—it was waiting.
South District: The Beast and the Weapon
In an abandoned warehouse, Urouge sat atop a pile of old timber, gulping down potent local liquor.
Suddenly, a shadow—weightless as a leaf—stuck to his back. A finger tensed with enough power to pierce battleship armor lunged at the monk's heart.
Six Powers · Shigan!
Pfft!
Rob Lucci, his shipwright disguise shed for a black suit, felt his finger sink into flesh. But his cold eyes narrowed. He had penetrated less than two inches before hitting a wall of rock-hard muscle and bone. His finger was stuck fast.
"That's a heavy blow, donor," Urouge rumbled.
The monk's back muscles contracted with a surge of wild strength, forcing Lucci's hand back. Urouge grabbed his hexagonal iron staff and turned, his torso looking like it had been carved from a mountain.
"Rob Lucci, right?" Urouge slammed his staff into the cement. "Our girl on the ship said some rats from the gutter would be visiting. I've been hardening this hide in the sky for months. I was worried I wouldn't get to stretch."
Lucci's predatory pressure flared. It wasn't just the physical toughness; it was the fact that the pirates knew their names and their plan. The ambush had been compromised from the start.
North Canal: The Hunter's Cutting Board
On a stone bridge, Leona leaned against a stone lion, eyes closed. Blue, crescent-shaped vacuum slashes suddenly wove a net of death around her.
Six Powers · Rankyaku!
"Sharp movements," Leona whispered, "but your breathing is too loud."
Guided by Observation Haki, she moved like a leaf in a gale, weaving through the gaps. The slashes carved deep gouges into the bridge behind her.
Kaku, wielding twin swords, leaped onto the scene. "Dodging my Four-Blade Style by perception? You're well-guarded for a 'special-grade' target."
Leona drew her black steel bone-chopper and boning dagger, her dark red trench coat fluttering. "In front of a true hunter, there is only one ending: lying obediently on my cutting board!"
Southern Timber Warehouse: The Clown's Sandstorm
An "Air Door" opened in mid-air. Blueno lunged out, his hand-blade aimed at the back of Buggy's neck.
Iron Body · Crash!
Bang! The blow landed, but instead of shattering bone, it felt like punching loose sand. Buggy's body disintegrated into hundreds of cherry-sized fragments.
"Hehehe! Scared, buffalo?" The fragments danced in the air, defying gravity.
Buggy's three months of "micro-division" training allowed him to elementally bypass physical strikes. Worse for Blueno, the tiny pieces of "minced meat" swarmed into his Air Door, infiltrating his safe dimension.
"No... impossible!" Blueno flailed comically as Buggy's fragments tried to crawl into his nose and ears, all while the real Clown prepared Sea-Stone-tipped blades for the counter-strike.
Municipal Fountain: The Kiting Game
Kalifa flickered through the fountain statues using Shave, her thorny whip shattering stone but hitting only air. This was her seventh miss.
"You get angry too easily for a secret agent, big sister," a voice called from a windmill tower 200 meters away.
Carina crouched behind tiles, peering through a scope. With her Fruit ability, she had a holographic trajectory of Kalifa's movements mapped in her mind.
Bang!
A high-explosive bullet hit the exact spot where Kalifa intended to land her Moonwalk. The blast tore holes in her professional suit. Carina wasn't trying to kill her yet—she was kiting her, systematically breaking the agent's will.
The Main Event: The Breakwater
While the CP9 struggled, the true fate of the sea was being decided on the giant breakwater. Dark clouds obscured the moon as Ace stood at the edge, flanked by Sabo and Enel.
Three figures in spotless white trench coats and beast masks descended from the sky, stepping on the air itself.
CP0 Captain · Genn, wearing a ferocious ox skull mask, looked down at Ace. "Impressive intelligence network. But there is never a shortage of clever rookies on this sea."
Beside him, an agent in an owl mask and another in a "weeping" mask released a chilling wave of Haki.
Ace didn't waste breath. A deep, flowing black luster spread over his right hand. His blood surged like an angry beast.
"Who lives and who dies," Ace's voice shattered the stagnant air like muffled thunder.
"The fists know the answer."
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