As night fell, a hotel on Shipbuilding Island had been booked by the wealthy and powerful Cifer. At this moment, in the women's bath of the hot spring pool...
"Nolan, don't you feel weak?"
Robin and Bonney were soaking in the bath, their faces flushed and their bodies limp, but Nolan seemed to be swimming.
"No way~ After Captain Cifer left that energy called Spiritual Pressure in my body, I don't seem to be afraid of water anymore."
This is something Nolan discovered himself while taking a shower after that day. He would feel somewhat weak when taking a shower and dared not soak in the water for too long.
During that bath, she discovered that she had no reaction to water at all, even when she was fully submerged. So she excitedly told the captain.
As a result, the captain said something about "covering" that she couldn't understand, but overall, it was only beneficial to her.
"Since Robin and Bonney are too lazy to move, let me give you a back scrub!"
Nolan, emitting a "hehehe" laugh, pounced on the two, splashing water everywhere.
Meanwhile, in the men's bathhouse...
"Cifer ~ Enel ~ I feel like I can't move at all, like I'm about to ascend to heaven~"
Chopper sat on a stool with half his body submerged in water, looking helpless. Taking a bath is actually quite comfortable, but feeling weak is quite uncomfortable.
"Hahaha~ Chopper is still too weak. He should learn from the God."
Enel was sitting in the hot spring with Cifer, the water almost reaching his chest.
But unlike Chopper, he didn't feel weak and limp all over. Instead, he looked no different from usual, still peeling a banana in his hand.
"That's so strange, Enel. You're supposed to be a terrible swimmer, so why are you able to jump around like a madman when you're in the water?"
Chopper looked on with envy, wishing he could walk freely in the hot spring like him.
"Is there even a question? It's because of the power of the God!"
Enel, while chewing on a banana, gave Chopper a look that seemed to suggest he was mentally challenged.
"Enel's physical skills and Haki are far superior to yours. Even if you can't use your abilities actively in the water, you won't be completely powerless."
Cifer answered Chopper's question.
As Cifer's right-hand man, Enel never slacked off in his training in order to catch up with him, and it was all-encompassing.
"Speaking of Cifer, why do you even wear that armor on your head when you take a bath?"
Chopper raised another question: he seemed to have never seen Cifer take that thing off.
"This... just consider it a part of my body!"
Cifer touched that spot, seemingly recalling some of Ulquiorra's experiences, except that he was no longer alone.
The person you've been waiting for has arrived!
Enel, just as he finished speaking, Lucci, wearing hats of different styles, and Kaku, with his square Long Nose, walked in and stood by the bathtub.
One was dressed in a full suit, while the other was in a casual outfit; neither seemed to fit the atmosphere of the bathhouse at all.
"Ulquiorra, what do you want to talk about by meeting me?"
It was still the same strange tone, and it still sounded like a pigeon talking.
"I don't want to talk to pigeons in your own voice."
"Then tell me!"
After a moment of silence, Lucci stopped using ventriloquism.
"What? As CP9's top combatant, a genius that comes along only once in eight hundred years, you're afraid to go underwater? This guy is also a Devil Fruit user!"
"Don't worry, if I want to hurt you, it doesn't matter whether you go into the water or not!"
Cifer didn't answer him, but casually pointed to Enel, who was relaxed and carefree to the side, his words full of sarcasm.
"Lucci!"
Kaku was afraid that Lucci would fall for the man's provocation, so he quickly spoke up. After all, he was Devil Fruit User, and if he went into the water, he would be at the man's mercy!
But to his surprise, Lucci didn't respond at all, and instead turned around and walked out.
"Huh? They're leaving already?!"
Chopper was completely bewildered. His captain had driven the man away with just one sentence?
Neither Cifer nor Enel spoke. Kaku stood there, unsure whether to follow them out, his toes practically digging into the floor.
"What are you still standing here for? Since someone has booked the hot spring for us, we might as well soak in it."
Lucci, with only his lower body wrapped in a towel, came back in and, after saying those words to Kaku, stepped into the water.
"A mere hot spring, nothing special!"
In fact, Lucci was completely exhausted while soaking in the water, and he only managed to keep his balance by stretching his arms out and leaning against the edge of the bathtub.
Kaku then realized what was happening, hurriedly ran to change his clothes, and then rushed into the hot spring, sitting down next to Lucci.
"So, you can tell me your purpose now. Did you invite me to meet you just to take me to a hot spring?"
Lucci disliked beating around the bush and got straight to the point.
"Although no one can damage my ship, it would be good to have a shipwright do some maintenance on it from time to time. You are quite suitable, and your strength is also decent."
Cifer clearly stated his thoughts, and Kaku, sitting opposite him, almost dropped his chin into the water.
"Are you kidding me? I'm a member of CP9, which is directly under the World Government's control!"
"Just based on what you just said, it's already a huge disrespect to the World Government. CP9 has the right to kill on the spot!"
Even though he could barely lift his hands, Lucci still maintained his arrogant and unruly demeanor, while Kaku was already drenched in sweat.
"When have I ever paid homage to World Government?"
One sentence shut Lucci up. He thought about it carefully and realized that he had never heard of the other party following any government orders.
"Stop talking nonsense. I'm here to talk to you about Nico Robin."
Lucci didn't want to discuss an impossible problem with him anymore, so he changed the subject to his own thoughts.
"We have not reported Nico Robin's presence to the World Government; on the contrary, we hope to borrow her temporarily."
"After you've finished helping us, we'll return her to you unharmed. CP9 will just pretend they never knew her, okay?"
Kaku swallowed hard, listening to Lucci's arrogant words as if nothing had happened, while Cifer made no response.
"Hey~ Hahaha~ You really don't think before you speak, kid!"
Enel's eyes gleamed with malice. He thought he could just use God's companion with a few words. Where in the world is there such a comfortable thing?
"I also want to try it out and see if these two world-famous men are really as powerful as the rumors say."
"Lucci!"
Kaku was already exasperated; he had guessed from the start of their conversation that it would inevitably turn out this way.
Lucci's eyes were filled with intense fighting spirit; if he weren't a little unable to stand, he would have already made his move.
Cifer stood up from the bath, his tall figure instantly enveloping the two of them.
"First, even the World Government wouldn't have a good outcome if it asked me for people, let alone CP9;"
"Secondly, what we have in abundance is the power to tame wild beasts."