As his desperate screams went unanswered, Who's-Who understood. He had been abandoned.
He cursed into the dirt, "Rob Lucci! You bastard! You left your superior to die! When I get back, I'm going to report you to the higher-ups!"
"I don't know why your friends decided to ditch you," Takero's voice whispered in his ear like a devil, "but what makes you think you're going back?"
Takero had, of course, sensed the other agents retreating in the distance. He had considered waiting for them to come to him, but he was surprised when they simply ran away. It didn't matter. He had already memorized their Ki signatures. He could hunt them down one by one later. Right now, the priority was the broken man at his feet.
"You have one chance to explain." Takero released the gravity pressure, looking down at Who's-Who, who was now just a heap on the ground. "Tell me your real reason for coming to Ambri Island."
Although Tesoro had already told him they were after Robin, Takero wanted to hear it for himself. Desperate to save his own life, Who's-Who forgot all about secrecy and spilled everything. "It's... it's to capture the Devil Child, Nico Robin! And... and you!"
"Me?" Takero's interest was suddenly piqued.
"Yes, yes..." Who's-Who gasped for breath, not daring to hesitate. "It's because you... you were searching for a 'High-Tech City'... and you were researching 'history' with Nico Robin..."
Takero was even more confused. What did his search for West City have to do with the World Government? And what did he mean, 'researching history'? That was Maid Number Two's hobby. Why was he getting the blame for it? Still, these questions were interesting. What kind of "history" could have the World Government so terrified?
'Interesting,' he thought. 'I'll have to ask Robin about this later.'
He turned his gaze back to Who's-Who. "You've got guts. Coming after me with your level of strength. Your courage is impressive, but your brain... not so much." He slowly raised his hand, preparing to finish off the worthless agent.
Seeing his life about to end, Who's-Who used his last bit of strength to shout, "Wait! Wait a second! I... I have one more piece of crucial information!"
"Oh? And what's that?" Takero paused. "If it's good enough, I might consider sparing your pathetic life."
"It's the Admiral! A former Marine Admiral—'Black Arm' Zephyr!" Who's-Who yelled. "He's leading an elite fleet, and they're heading for Ambri Island at full speed! Their target is you! They'll be here by tomorrow morning at the latest! You still have one night to get away!"
"An Admiral?" Takero's eyes lit up. Get away? What a joke. He couldn't be happier! The last time he fought that flashy Admiral Borsalino, the guy ran off halfway through the fight, leaving Takero completely unsatisfied. Even if this was just a former Admiral, he had to be strong. This was like someone delivering a pillow right when he was feeling sleepy.
Takero burst out laughing. "Hahahaha! Now that is good news! Very good news!" He looked down at the trembling man on the ground and nodded in satisfaction. "I said I'd let you go if you could satisfy me. A Saiyan always keeps his word. You've saved your own life. Now, get out of here."
Who's-Who could hardly believe his ears. He was actually letting him go? Not daring to waste a second, he scrambled to his feet and fled into the darkness without looking back. As for his subordinates still trapped in the villa? He could barely save himself; he had no time to worry about them. They were on their own.
When Takero walked through the front door of the villa, the battle inside was already over. The lights in the living room were on, but the faint smell of blood lingered in the air. The floor and walls were scarred from the fight.
Tesoro was calmly directing a group of guards as they cleaned up the mess. His eyes were bright, showing a new level of composure that had been forged in the heat of battle. Several of the black-clad CP9 agents, tied up securely, were being dragged out by the guards. They were bruised and battered, their previous arrogance completely gone. Though Tesoro was still new to this, his Kame School training combined with Monet's hard-to-counter Logia powers had been more than enough to subdue the remaining agents.
"Boss! You're back!" Upon seeing Takero, Tesoro immediately stopped what he was doing and came forward to greet him, his face full of reverence.
But another figure was even faster.
"Master—!!!" A delicate cry, tinged with relief and a strong desire for praise, rang out. Monet, flapping her beautiful wings of pure snow, zipped past Tesoro in a white blur and threw herself into Takero's arms, rubbing her head against his chest.
"Waaah... Master, you're finally back! I was so scared! Those bad guys were so mean!" She looked up at him, her emerald eyes watery, her expression clearly saying, "Please comfort me."
Takero was a little amused. He patted her on the head. "Alright, alright, let go. You're too flat." Despite his teasing words, he offered genuine praise. "You did a good job this time." He had sensed the battle inside with his Ki from outside. Maid Number One might act silly, but she was reliable when it counted.
Hearing his simple, direct praise, Monet completely ignored the comment about being flat. Her heart felt as sweet as honey. A brilliant smile bloomed on her face, and she snuggled even closer.
Tesoro watched from the side, feeling a little helpless. When it came to acting cute to get the boss's approval, he knew he could never compete with the green-haired girl.
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