Kalifa's eyes widened in shock.
She knew just how strong Lucci was.
But now?
Even someone as powerful as Lucci had been thrown in front of her like a dead dog.
And Blueno too—given his abilities, if he had really tried to escape, no one should've been able to stop him.
Which could only mean…
Blueno had been instantly killed, without even having the chance to use his Devil Fruit powers.
And judging from the outfits of those three people…
"You… are the Jun Lin group declaring war on the World Government?"
As soon as she said that, Iceburg and Paulie finally let go of their last sliver of hope.
Kalifa was definitely a CP9 spy. There was no doubt now.
And Lucci and Bruno? They were too!
"What about Kaku?"
"There's Kaku too?!"
Hearing Iceburg's question, Paulie was again shocked.
Just Kalifa and Lucci had already been overwhelming enough.
But the president was asking about Kaku now—did that mean he was also…?
"He's dead."
"What!!" x3
That answer stunned not only Iceburg and Paulie, but even Kalifa cried out in disbelief.
"Lucci and Kaku were two of my most outstanding foremen. I didn't expect this… sigh."
"So, what will you do with Lucci and Kalifa?"
After a deep sigh, Iceburg asked.
Although he mentioned both names, he was clearly looking only at Kalifa, his expression complex.
She had been his personal secretary for over three years—always by his side. Inevitably, he felt something for her.
Not romantic feelings, of course.
Hina saw through Iceburg's inner conflict immediately and took out a Den Den Mushi to make a call.
Brr brr brr…
"How's it going?"
"Lucci and Bruno have been captured. Kaku is confirmed dead."
"Good. Head to Enies Lobby next and deal with Spandam. That bastard has done more than enough harm."
"Understood. Though, there's a bit of an issue."
"What kind of issue?" Luo Lan asked.
"Iceburg seems hesitant about how to deal with Kalifa."
"I see…"
Luo Lan immediately understood.
In the original story, Iceburg didn't show this kind of hesitation—probably because Kalifa wasn't killed.
So now he's conflicted because Kalifa might be executed?
Well…
That's not a problem. In fact—
It might be something he could use to his advantage.
After all, Galley-La was about to become a key business partner of Jun Lin. A small favor wouldn't hurt.
"Kalifa, do you want to live… or die?"
"What are you saying?"
"It's simple. Don't expect the World Government to come save you—they won't even know who took you down. So I'll ask again: do you want to live or die?"
Luo Lan was making it clear.
Forget any thoughts of rescue or revenge from the World Government.
Just consider one thing: life or death.
Kalifa hesitated.
But before she could answer, Iceburg spoke up instead.
"If she wants to live, what must she do?"
"President!"
Paulie shouted when he heard Iceburg speak.
"Paulie, I know what I'm doing."
"Fine, she's your secretary—you decide."
Seeing his boss's serious expression, Paulie raised his hands in surrender.
"It's simple. She joins Jun Lin, trains with us for three or four months, and then she's free to go."
"That easy? Aren't you afraid she'll leak your secrets once she leaves?"
"No need to worry. Our ideological training program is top-tier."
Luo Lan said casually.
Joining Jun Lin, staying for a few months…
By then, Kalifa wouldn't even consider betrayal.
She'd be a loyal follower through and through.
Afterward, they could even send her back to work for Iceburg without issue.
She might even help gather intel from the World Government.
After all, Kalifa's family wasn't ordinary.
Her father was a former CP9 agent and now held a government position. Her younger sister, Alpha, was a CP8 member.
Her whole family were loyal hounds of the World Government.
With the right excuse, it wouldn't be hard to plant her back inside the government.
"Kalifa, I'll ask you one more time—"
"Do you want to live… or die?"
"I want to live!!"
This time, Kalifa answered without hesitation.
Of course, it wasn't because she truly wanted to betray the World Government.
Joining Jun Lin?
If she could infiltrate them…
She could earn great merit in the future.
After all, the World Government had been trying to investigate Jun Lin for a long time with no success.
If she could do it…
As for Luo Lan's so-called "ideological education"?
Please—she had undergone elite training.
All that mind-washing stuff? She could fake it easily.
Change her beliefs for real?
Impossible. Absolutely impossible.
Kalifa was confident in that.
But…
Luo Lan didn't care what Kalifa was plotting.
Honestly, even if Im himself came over and stayed with Jun Lin for 100 days, he'd end up just as loyal.
This had nothing to do with training or willpower.
"Alright, it's settled. But until she comes back, she must be kept under close watch!"
"Understood!"
Hina nodded.
"You two stay here and keep an eye on them. I'll head to Enies Lobby myself!"
After hanging up the Den Den Mushi, Hina gave orders to Ace and Zoro before turning to leave.
Spandam wasn't even worth a full team.
Leaving Ace and Zoro behind served two purposes: watching Kalifa and protecting Iceburg.
Who knew if there were more CP agents hiding in Water 7?
That was Luo Lan's direct instruction.
The original story was just that—a limited perspective focused on the main characters.
Useful for reference, not absolute truth.
So Luo Lan always kept backup plans.
"She's going to Enies Lobby alone—is that safe?"
After Hina left, Iceburg asked, worried.
"Don't worry. With Big Sis's strength, unless a Marine Admiral comes in person, no one can stop her."
"And even if an Admiral does show up, as long as it's not Kizaru, she can still escape!"
At some point, Ace and Zoro had started calling Hina "Big Sis" in private.
Why?
Simple—they'd been convinced (and beaten) into it.
In fact, Ace was understating things.
Even if Kizaru showed up, they were still confident they could retreat safely.
Because the Science Division had developed something special for their rapid-response unit.
Something like a grenade—but instead of an explosion, it released a cloud of seastone dust over a wide area.
It wasn't very concentrated after dispersal, but if a Devil Fruit user inhaled it, it caused serious sluggishness and was hard to remove.
Even just touching it with your skin could disrupt your powers.
On the flip side, Hina, Ace, and Zoro…
Were completely immune to seastone.
---
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