The first strike wasn't loud.
It was quiet.
A ripple of shadow slid across the water like a predator under glass. Tendrils spread low from beneath the Going Merry, gliding toward the enemy ship before snapping upward—whip-like limbs striking the deck and slamming into two explosive crates near the mast.
They didn't explode.
But they shifted—just enough to roll off their bracing.
The ropes holding the ignition switch stretched taut.
On deck, Mr. 9's voice cracked like glass.
"WE'RE UNDER ATTACK?!"
He scrambled forward, nearly tripping over his own club as he leapt from his ship to the dock in a rush of flailing limbs and bravado. "Nobody move! I've got this!"
Zoro didn't move.
He waited until Mr. 9's foot touched the dock, then flicked his sheath open and stepped into his path.
"Wait, wait—!" was all Mr. 9 got out before Zoro's blade swept forward.
Steel clashed.
Zoro knocked the club aside, pivoted, and slammed the flat of his blade into Mr. 9's stomach with a thud that echoed across the wood. Mr. 9 flew backward and landed in a heap of wet ropes, groaning.
Miss Wednesday hadn't moved.
Her hand hovered inches above her side pouch. Her feet were still. Her eyes weren't on her partner.
They were locked on Luffy.
Watching the way he stood still after launching an attack that could have sunk them. Watching the shadows flicker beneath him like water obeying a heartbeat.
Watching how he didn't hesitate.
"Still want to light that fuse?" Sanji asked, voice soft as he stepped beside her.
She flinched.
"I've seen the kind of eyes killers have," Sanji added. "You're not one of them."
Miss Wednesday said nothing.
But she didn't deny it.
The system flickered again.
[Agent Profile – Code Name: Miss Wednesday]
[Cognitive Conflict Detected – Loyalty Fluctuating]
[Probability of Mission Withdrawal: 57% and rising]
[Lethality Assessment: Low]
[Nearby Reinforcement: High Threat Approaching – Rear Entrance Canal]
Luffy's gaze lifted toward the inner stomach wall.
He could feel it before he saw it.
A subtle shift in the water.
A rolling undercurrent pushing against the dock.
Even Crocus noticed. He turned toward the far rear canal—beyond the crates and the mist.
"That sound…" Crocus said. "There's someone else coming."
Usopp peeked over the side. "That's… that's another ship, isn't it?"
Zoro tensed. "We didn't hear any cannon. No shout. Just… presence."
Mr. 9 sat up with a groan, holding his gut. "We didn't call for backup!"
Miss Wednesday didn't answer.
Her eyes had gone wide.
Sanji noticed. "Who did they send?"
She didn't speak.
But her hand lowered from her pouch.
A slow shake of her head.
"I told you," she whispered. "If we failed… they'd send someone worse."
The water parted at the rear of the chamber.
Mist curled and fell away as a second black-sailed ship pushed slowly into Laboon's stomach.
It was smaller than the first. Sleeker. No figurehead. No flags. But its cannons were retracted, and its deck eerily empty.
No sound.
No voices.
Only the echo of dripping water and the steady churn of waves.
Nami turned to Luffy. "Who's that?"
The system pulsed.
[Affiliation Confirmed: Baroque Works]
[Designation: Unknown]
[Threat Classification: Incomplete – Suppressed Aura Detected]
[Distance: 90 Meters – Approaching at Low Speed]
[All Systems On Alert]
Luffy didn't speak.
His shadow stirred.
The aura coming off the new ship wasn't loud or chaotic like Mr. 9's.
It was cold.
Calm.
Like someone who didn't need to announce danger—because they were it.
Sanji stood in front of Miss Wednesday without needing to be asked.
Zoro lowered his blade but didn't sheath it.
Nami backed toward the wheel.
Usopp loaded a fresh shot into his slingshot with shaking hands.
Even Crocus stepped off the dock, eyes watching the approaching hull.
Then Miss Wednesday whispered:
"…They sent one of the Numbers."
Luffy turned slightly toward her.
"What number?"
Her voice cracked.
"I don't know."
She looked at the approaching ship like it was death incarnate.
"They never told us."
The black vessel came closer.
Shadows gathered.
Luffy stepped forward.
And the fog swallowed the light.
[End of Chapter 99]
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