Lucci quickly glanced around and saw that the pirates were already up, cleaning up the mess from last night's all-night celebration.
And the one who had kicked him awake was none other than Squard—so he swallowed his irritation immediately.
He responded naturally, "Understood, Captain Squard. I'll head to your ship now and start working."
Even as he said it, he was a bit surprised at himself.
"So I'm this good at going undercover?"
"I'm playing the role of a ship mechanic without the slightest hint of awkwardness."
"I really am a genius!"
Thinking this, Lucci casually picked up a toolbox and boarded Squard's ship, cheerfully beginning to inspect and repair equipment.
Everything felt incredibly natural, as if he had been born and raised on this pirate ship, working full-time as the onboard repairman.
Meanwhile, Squard headed straight to Roya's quarters.
After kneeling respectfully, he reported, "Master, as you instructed, I've sent that man to my ship."
Roya nodded slightly. "Good. No matter what he does, do not interfere."
The seed of awareness had been planted. Now, all that was left was to quietly wait for it to take root and sprout.
This was the first time Roya had used this active ability of his Observation Haki domain, but he was full of confidence and anticipation about the results.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku? Heh..."
Lucci spent a whole day happily playing the role of a ship mechanic. Though physically tired, he felt strangely fulfilled.
Until he happened to glance into the dining hall—and saw Roya having a meal.
Suddenly, his true identity surged back to the surface.
"Wait! What the hell am I doing?!"
"I'm CP9's top assassin, on a mission of utmost secrecy!"
"How did I end up working all day as a damn repairman?!"
"But… fixing ships really is fun..."
Lucci shook his head violently, banishing the absurd thoughts from his mind.
From the inside of his elbow, a small lump of flesh twitched—and slowly squeezed out a black, rice-sized pill.
"The super poison developed by CP Headquarters—strong enough to kill a Sea King with just one grain!"
"Colorless and tasteless. Not even the most advanced Observation Haki can detect it!"
"Against others, it might not be enough, but with your physical strength… this one grain will do the job!"
Lucci took several deep breaths, calming his thoughts.
He had to suppress the murderous intent in his heart—otherwise, Roya might sense it and uncover his plan to poison him.
Once he was sure his spirit was completely calm and undetectable, he put on a humble and sincere smile and approached Roya.
Roya's eyes instantly shifted to his face.
Lucci expected this kind of alertness and reaction—he just smiled even more sincerely.
He had tuned his mind to be in a state of total admiration for Roya.
"I won't slip up, even under his Observation Haki."
He bowed deeply and said, "Vice Emperor, sir. I have a question I'd like to ask you."
He could clearly sense Roya's gaze scanning him.
There was also a faint, intangible pressure gently enveloping his entire body.
Lucci remained absolutely calm, waiting patiently.
Eventually, the pressure lifted.
Roya's voice followed: "What is it? Go ahead."
Lucci froze for a second—the voice sounded impossibly magnetic.
It was as if it resonated with his very soul.
He suddenly wanted to obey it completely… to follow that voice all the way to the moment it claimed the world.
Startled, Lucci bit his tongue to shake off the sensation, forcing his focus back to the assassination.
He raised his head slightly and asked, in a slightly flustered tone:
"Vice Emperor, sir, when we carry out our underwater assault… what depth are we diving to, roughly?"
"I need to know so I can assess which ships need reinforcement."
As he spoke, his fingertip flicked subtly—
Rokushiki: Shigan Air Tap—a technique executed silently and swiftly.
He used a burst of air from his fingertip to lightly tap Roya's wine glass, producing a soft clink.
Roya's gaze naturally shifted to the cup.
And in that precise instant, Lucci flicked the black pill from his fingers—into Roya's soup bowl.
The poison dissolved instantly—leaving no trace.
Roya stared at the glass for a few seconds, then turned back and replied:
"Depth? Around 20,000 leagues under the sea, give or take."
With that, he picked up the bowl and, under Lucci's watchful eyes, drank the rest of the soup in one gulp.
Lucci's humble smile instantly turned smug.
Unable to contain his glee, he started to speak:
"Vice Emperor, sir—"
But Roya just smiled at him—and tapped the soup bowl lightly.
Lucci reflexively looked down… and saw something that shouldn't have been there.
That black grain-sized pill, which was supposed to have dissolved, was still sitting calmly at the bottom of the bowl.
This was… hard to explain.
Did those CP logistics idiots give me a dud?
Or… has Roya's Observation Haki evolved to the point it can filter poison from liquids?!
This isn't scientific!
This isn't the Observation Haki I know!
Lucci began shaking his head uncontrollably, trying to deny the mental contradiction gnawing at him.
Roya said gently, "Alright, you can go rest now."
"Tomorrow, be sure to finish the maintenance on the other ships. We can't afford any mistakes."
Lucci snapped out of his mental spiral.
He glanced one last time at the soup bowl, feeling like… he had just done something.
But he couldn't quite remember what.
Still, deep inside, he instinctively followed Roya's instructions.
He left the dining hall, found an empty cabin, and collapsed into sleep.
---
In his dreams, he was fully immersed in the role of a pirate.
Not only did he follow Roya on their Grand Line adventure all the way to Raftel, he even earned a share of the massive treasure.
During the wild celebration for Pirate King Roya's coronation, Lucci naturally awoke from his dream.
He didn't disturb the other sleeping pirates, and silently climbed up to the deck, where he blew into a small bird whistle.
Soon, a white dove flew down through the night sky.
Lucci had already transformed into his leopard-human hybrid form, shrinking his size and weight to the bare minimum. He climbed into a canvas sack.
The dove struggled to lift the sack—and slowly flew off into the distant darkness.
---
Inside the Admiral's private conference room, Fleet Admiral Sengoku stared coldly at Lucci, who stood before him in a Navy lieutenant's uniform.
After a long silence, Sengoku finally spoke:
"So… you didn't kill Roya?"
Lucci nodded. "No. To be precise, I was completely incapable of killing him."
"Whether by direct assassination or poison, all attempts failed."
"So I had no choice but to retreat and bring back this intel."
"The Whitebeard Pirates… plan to breach the Navy's defenses from underwater."
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