Water 7, Galley-La Company.
Mayor Iceburg was busy handling official matters in his office when suddenly, foreman Barry burst through the door.
Iceburg froze. The moment he saw Barry's face, he was so shocked that he stood up from his chair.
"Barry, what happened to you!?"
Barry's face was covered in blood, and one of his arms hung limply at his side. He was panting heavily as he shouted,
"Bad news! Those CP9 guys are back!"
"Nani!?"
Iceburg's expression changed dramatically. In a panic, he asked,
"You mean Lucci and his group? How is that possible? Aren't they still wanted by the World Government?"
Barry wiped the blood from his face, his expression darkening.
"It's them! I wouldn't mistake them for anyone else. They've injured a lot of our shipwrights. Right now, Kashi and Oimo are fighting them!"
Kashi and Oimo were two giants who had stayed behind in Water 7 and hadn't left yet. As members of the Giant Warrior Pirates, their strength was formidable.
Iceburg quickly nodded and said,
"Let's go! Gather the guards! We need to help Kashi and Oimo!"
Without another word, he rushed out, failing to notice the hesitation on Barry's face.
Barry gritted his teeth and muttered,
"No way… I must've seen wrong…"
At Dock One, two battered and bruised giants wielded a massive battle-axe and a spiked club, clashing against six small figures in black suits.
The surrounding buildings had been reduced to rubble due to the intense battle.
Kashi swung his battle-axe with full force, aiming a powerful strike at Rob Lucci. Lucci stepped into the air using Geppo, dodging Kashi's attack with ease.
With his target gone, Kashi's axe struck nothing but air. He widened his eyes and frantically searched for Lucci but couldn't find him.
Until—
"Rankyaku!"
A massive bird-shaped wind blade slashed across the back of Kashi's neck, causing blood to spray in all directions.
Kashi let out a pained roar, clutching his wounded neck as he dropped to one knee.
Not far away, Oimo was locked in battle with the remaining five CP9 members. When he saw Kashi's dire situation, panic surged through him, and he turned to rush to his comrade's aid.
At that moment—
A large mass of white foam suddenly surged from the ground beneath him, forming a slippery carpet.
In his haste, Oimo stepped onto it and immediately lost his footing, his massive body crashing backward.
The moment he hit the ground, several pink "tentacles" lunged at him, wrapping tightly around his neck.
A choking sensation overwhelmed him. Oimo's eyes bulged as he dropped his spiked club and grasped at the pink strands constricting his throat, trying to tear them apart.
These "tentacles" were, of course, Kumadori's hair, manipulated through Life Return. To be honest, restraining a giant with hair was a first for him. Gritting his teeth, he shouted,
"Now!"
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Fukurou, Kaku, and Jabra appeared before the fallen Oimo simultaneously.
The three of them unleashed attacks using Rokushiki techniques, striking Oimo's face in unison. Even with his thick skin and tough physique, the giant couldn't withstand the assault, his eyes rolling back as he lost consciousness.
On the other side, Lucci delivered a devastating Rokuogan, nearly shattering Kashi's soul.
With a loud crash, Kashi succumbed to the same fate as Oimo.
Just as the two giants fell, Iceburg and a group of guards finally arrived on the scene.
Standing atop Kashi's forehead, Lucci turned his head to glance at Iceburg. With a faint hum, his body shrank back to his human form.
Lucci didn't even regard Iceburg and his men as a threat.
Kaku and the remaining CP9 members swiftly used Soru, positioning themselves behind Lucci.
Iceburg's face was grim as he locked eyes with Lucci.
"Lucci, do you really think you can return here and cause trouble without consequences? Aren't you afraid the World Government will capture you?"
Lucci remained silent, coldly staring at Iceburg. Instead, Jabra sneered,
"Iceburg, we are the World Government. Do you think we'd arrest ourselves?"
Seeing Jabra's smug expression, Iceburg felt even more uneasy. He swallowed hard, just as he was about to say something else—
Lucci's eyes narrowed, and his figure suddenly vanished.
In the blink of an eye, Lucci reappeared in front of Iceburg, his fingers aiming straight for Iceburg's eyes. The guards behind Iceburg couldn't even react.
Just as Iceburg was about to lose an eye—
"Enough."
A calm voice rang out from nowhere. Lucci's fingertip stopped just one centimeter from Iceburg's eyeball.
Iceburg's pupils shrank to the size of pinpricks, and cold sweat dripped down his forehead.
The guards finally snapped back to their senses and rushed forward, weapons in hand, ready to attack Lucci.
But in the next instant, their shadows suddenly rose from the ground, strangling them into submission.
Even Lucci couldn't help but glance at his own shadow in mild surprise.
Then, under Iceburg's shocked gaze, Lucci suddenly turned around and dropped to one knee, bowing deeply.
Behind him, Kalifa and the others followed suit, kneeling in unison.
Iceburg followed their line of sight to a mostly intact clock tower in the distance.
Bathed in sunlight, he barely made out a silhouette at the tower's peak.
Iceburg blinked hard, trying to see clearly, but the figure vanished in that single moment.
Then, in the next second, a tall figure appeared right in front of him.
Iceburg stumbled backward in fright. When he looked up at the newcomer, his entire body stiffened. Trembling, he stammered,
"No… This… This can't be real…"
Barry, dragging his injured body to the scene, caught sight of the man standing before Iceburg. His eyes instantly filled with despair, and his legs gave out beneath him.
Lucci lifted his head, reverence filling his gaze.
"Carl-sama."
The man before them was none other than Carl.
Carl raised his hand slightly. At that signal, Lucci and the others immediately stood up.
A door materialized behind Carl, and Burūno stepped out. He had been on the clock tower earlier, preparing drinks for Carl—his cover identity had been a bartender, after all.
Carl's gaze fell on Iceburg. Iceburg trembled violently and shook his head, trying to compose himself. Forcing a smile, he said,
"Fleet Admiral… I wasn't expecting you…"
"You were involved in the construction of the Straw Hats' ship, weren't you?"
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