Bruno's Tavern.
Oguro led the group directly to the contact point of Rob Lucci's squad.
Unfortunately, the tavern doors were locked tight, and a "Temporarily Closed" sign hung high.
"Are they hiding? Or is this a trap?"
Oguro narrowed his eyes, silently analyzing every possibility.
Knowing the World Government, there was a chance they were using Robin to lure him into a trap.
"Forget it. Even if it is a trap, it doesn't matter! In the face of absolute power, all schemes are just clownish amusements!"
With his strength as backing, Oguro feared no one.
...
Dock 1.
Oguro asked Barry about Rob Lucci's whereabouts.
"That guy left early today," Barry replied.
Hearing that, Oguro immediately knew what had happened—Lucci must have seen Robin and taken her away!
Barry, unaware of this, continued, "If it's urgent, go to his house and look for him."
Following Barry's directions, Oguro arrived at the house at night.
He scanned with Observation Haki and confirmed Lucci was inside.
Knock knock knock!
Oguro rapped on the door.
Lucci cautiously peered outside, his heart skipping a beat.
Sith Oguro… here?
His first thought: he was exposed.
But he wasn't entirely sure. After all, they had never met.
"Rob Lucci, I know you're inside. Open the door!"
Even before Lucci could respond, Oguro's cold voice cut through.
There was no longer any doubt—he had indeed been exposed.
After a brief hesitation, Lucci opened the door.
Now, he was surrounded. Launching a direct attack wasn't wise; he needed to wait for an opportunity.
As a CP9 member, brains mattered as much as brawn.
"What business do you have with me?" Lucci feigned confusion.
Oguro wasted no time. "Where's Nico Robin? Return her."
Lucci's eyes hardened, but he still protested. "Sorry! I don't know who you're talking about!"
"If you're looking for someone, try Mayor Iceburg! He'd be happy to help!"
Really? Not a hint of remorse?
Oguro glanced at Soi Fon.
The next moment, Lucci's vision blurred. A violent force gripped his neck, lifting him off the ground.
Thud!
He slammed hard against his own wall. Soi Fon had lifted him effortlessly with one hand, completely immobilizing him.
Terrifying power!
Lucci, hailed as the strongest CP9 in 800 years, had naturally been arrogant.
But now, Soi Fon merely demonstrated a glimpse of her strength and utterly shattered his pride.
He didn't even see how she had moved him.
"Rob Lucci. CP9 member. Commander: Spandam. Mission: undercover in Water 7 for the Pluton blueprints. Need me to continue?"
Oguro walked leisurely into Lucci's house, his gaze icy.
Lucci was dumbfounded.
Oguro knew his identity, his superior, even his mission—all World Government secrets!
He wasn't a pirate, so how could Oguro know all this?
Oguro sat down in a chair, exuding a dominant aura.
"So, Rob Lucci, don't play games with me. Where's Nico Robin?"
"Hmph!"
Lucci snorted and began transforming, fur spreading across his face.
Devil Fruit activated: Zoan – Cat-Cat Fruit, Leopard Form!
"Storm Leg!"
He unleashed a shockwave kick.
As a believer in dark justice, Lucci upheld the principle: a CP9 member may die in battle, but never surrender.
"Seeking death?"
Soi Fon's eyes flashed. She casually deflected the shockwave with her left hand, then grabbed Lucci and slammed him into the ground.
Boom!
The granite floor shattered, the thunderous noise drawing the attention of nearby residents.
Cough!
Lucci spat blood.
He had just begun his transformation when brute force interrupted him.
At least six or seven ribs were broken; his internal organs sustained various injuries.
Clap clap! Oguro applauded. "Loyal to the end, huh? But who does your loyalty really serve? Spandam? Do you think he cares if you live or die?"
"Bah! Serving the World Government? Spandam is nothing!"
Giving your loyalty to Spandam? That's an insult even to words.
"Ha… the World Government?" Oguro's laugh was filled with mockery.
"You don't actually think they consider you one of their own, do you?"
"Don't try to sow discord between me and the World Government!" Lucci sneered.
Psychological warfare was already CP9's specialty.
Oguro's smile didn't fade. "Sow discord? Ha! You don't need me for that! Just think about it—hailed as the strongest CP9 in 800 years, yet sent under the control of a moron like Spandam?"
"And there you stayed for seven years, producing nothing, while the World Government never even asked—does that sound like the treatment a top-tier agent deserves?"
"With your talent back then, you should have been taken directly to CP0 for training—or at least assigned a capable mentor. Spandam… is he fit for that?"
Lucci fell silent.
Many things didn't hold up under scrutiny.
Yet subconsciously, he had always ignored these facts.
To truly contemplate them would shatter his faith… everything he believed in.
Oguro wasn't done.
He tapped the table lightly, feigning thought.
"When did the World Government give up on you?"
"That's right! It was when you ate the Devil Fruit!"
Lucci's eyes widened instantly.
"Impossible!" he shouted instinctively. "The Devil Fruit is a reward from the World Government! To enhance my strength!"
Oguro struck mercilessly. "Enhance your strength? With a mundane Zoan? Is the value of the strongest CP9 in 800 years really that low?"
"Even if they couldn't find a Logia or a Mythical Zoan, finding an Ancient Zoan or a rarer Paramecia wouldn't have been hard!"
"The World Government's 800-year accumulation… and they couldn't even give you a proper Devil Fruit?"
"Meanwhile, the Navy's top fighters… in the mid-era, just one Logia or one Paramecia—each stronger than you!"
"Has the World Government really sunk so low? Couldn't they spend a few years getting you a better Devil Fruit?"
"Ultimately… you're just a disposable piece to them. Not worth investing any real resources!"