The Scapegoats and So-Called Justice

(This is a CP9 cover story—it's not exactly similar to the original work... it's practically identical! Subscribe with caution!!!)

Enies Lobby

Rewind to after the Buster Call ended.

'Null,'

A circle appeared out of thin air, and Bruno, covered in cherry blossom hoof prints, carried the unconscious Lucci out.

"Is everyone here?"

Using the regenerative abilities of his Zoan Devil Fruit, the werewolf Jabura sat on the sidelines as a lookout.

Amidst these ruins lay the equally wounded Kalifa, Kalifa in tattered clothes clutching her stomach, Kaku with knife wounds spanning his entire body, the desiccated Lion Kanshō, and the unconscious Lucci ...

CP9 is practically crippled! They desperately need treatment, but:

"Fukurou, you watch them."

With a fierce expression, Jabura took off his coat and draped it over Kalifa, whose clothes had been ripped apart by Roman's blow. Then he turned to look at Bruno beside him.

"You and I will go and find out the 'situation'."

You have to understand, they are the assassination agency CP9. When it comes to personnel who fail in their missions... well, let's just say they have a superior like Spandam.

Sure enough, as the two quietly crept toward the outskirts of Enies Lobby, circles of fully armed agents slowly searched the area, along with that repulsive Spandam voice coming from the Den Den Mushi!

"This operation failed entirely because of CP9's negligence in failing to protect me... cough, the culprit Nico Robin!"

"Arrest the seven former CP9 members! Dead or alive..."

"I'll repeat myself, it doesn't matter if they live or die!"

·······

"Ah, just as I thought."

The werewolf Jabura sneered. Although he knew he and his companions would most likely be the scapegoats, a sliver of hope still lingered...

"What do we do now?"

When faced with Bruno's question, Jabura twitched the corner of his mouth.

What else can we do?

Escape!

Although more than half of them were seriously injured, they were, after all, CP9, known as 'Supermen'. Fukurou carried Kumadori, Bruno carried Lucci, Jabura carried Kaku, and the rest... Kalifa...

"Kalifa, can you still hold on?"

In response to Jabura's words, the female secretary, who was wearing the other person's clothes, nodded.

"We can hold on!"

How embarrassing! It was just a mere slap...

'Null,'

A silent, round hole appeared in the air. Using Bruno's "Door-Door Fruit," he continuously created passages through the air, and the seven people, along with a pigeon, finally made their way safely through the agents' search area. Then:

"Keep breathing,"

Four seriously injured men carried three unconscious people across the water. After all, Bruno's stamina was not unlimited, and being able to escape Enies Lobby was already his limit.

"Pay attention to the rhythm!"

Of course, apart from the Fukurou and the Lion Kanshō, the current CP9 are all Devil Fruit user, so the so-called 'walking on water' is actually:

Beneath their feet, in the vast ocean, lies the track of the Sea Train!

The group moved forward by relying on the tracks beneath their feet—thanks to their previous 'Seastone resistance' training, which prevented them from becoming unable to move once their ankles touched the sea.

"How are the three of them doing?"

After all, CP9 consists entirely of highly trained agents, and they are capable of providing some first aid and wound care, but:

"Lucci was the most seriously injured; his internal organs..."

Lucci's physique is already incredibly strong; he withstood Luffy Second Gear, Third Gear, and Haki in a single, devastating attack without being instantly pierced through!

"Then there was Kumadori, whose life force was absorbed by the opponent through some unknown Devil Fruit ability (Baku Baku Pages)..."

"Fortunately, his life is not in danger. As long as he gets plenty of food, he should be able to recover."

The Lion Kanshō one of only two among them who could use the Life Return technique; otherwise, the others would probably have remained mummified old men for the rest of their lives in this situation.

"Kaku's wounds are horrific, but they are only external injuries."

"Given the resilience of his Zoan Devil Fruit, he might even be able to heal himself..."

Soon, the fleeing group reached the next island, Queen of Spring Town - St. Poplar, along the tracks of the Sea Train.

A heavy rain began to fall as the disheveled group of CP9 members arrived at the hospital. But—

"Which of you... brought money?"

Ah, this...

The group exchanged bewildered glances. They were all high-ranking CP9 agents; why should they concern themselves with something as trivial as 'money'? Besides, back at headquarters, their food, drink, and supplies were all provided by Enies Lobby; money wouldn't have been of any use to them. This led to:

"Ahem, although you didn't bring any money, I can still treat you first..."

Despite their disheveled appearance and numerous injuries, the aura of their expertise was still undeniable. Furthermore, their matching black suits made them look anything but 'good people,' and the hospital was worried they might go on a killing spree.

"No!"

The menacing-looking Jabura stepped forward.

"Paying for treatment is the hospital's rule, and we have no reason to break it at will."

"Please help them arrange hospital beds, and we will raise the money immediately."

While the still unconscious Lucci and Kumadori placed in the hospital, the other CP9 members embarked on a journey to raise money!

·······

"Watch the show! The wolf jumps through the fire ring!"

After splitting up, several CP9 members started using various methods to make money.

Bruno used the Door-Door Fruit to create a ring of fire that spontaneously combusted, and Jabura, who transformed into a big gray wolf, was the performer jumping through the fire ring!

"The giraffe slide only costs 10 Beli per ride..."

Kaku, who transforms into a giraffe, serves as a toy, while the big-mouthed Fukurou is the ticket seller.

"Soap Sheep Cloud 'Otsu Wave'!"

The soap bubbles spread all over the street, and after a quick mop sweep, everything looked brand new!

Soon, coins and damp Beli were collected and sent to the hospital.

"I appreciate your kind gesture!"

The elderly doctor, his hair streaked with gray, nodded vigorously. With just a casual examination, he had already gleaned a wealth of information from the two 'patients': their well-developed muscles, their wounds of varying ages...

All of this indicates that this group of people are 'masters' who kill without hesitation!

They are powerful beings who can arbitrarily control the lives of ordinary people, and even everything else.

But this group of skilled individuals, without stealing, robbing, using force, or making threats, quietly raised money for their companion's treatment through the most ordinary means...

"I will definitely heal your companion! I swear in the name of 'doctor'."

·······

"Call,"

Several wet figures sat at the hospital entrance, Jabura grinned.

"I thought you were going to borrow money from some 'kind people'."

That's a crime.

"We represent justice..."

"Ha ha ha ha,"

Upon hearing Kaku's earnest reply, Jabura burst into laughter.

"But others don't think that way, they don't see it that way. — In their eyes, we are just the government's lackeys, and now we are even more like stray dogs abandoned by our masters..."

"No matter how others see or think, our hearts will always be 'just'."

"Fool,"

Jabura grinned, revealing a ferocious face that seemed ready to devour anyone in its path.

"You actually still believe in justice...?"

"Chatterbox, just now Jabura performed a wolf jumping through a ring of fire to raise money—"

What?!

My fierce persona...

"Shut up, Fukurou! — How do you know?"

Faced with the furious Jabura, Bruno, who looked like an honest man, calmly spoke up.

"I said it."

??

"You bastard..."

Hahahaha~~~~

On a rainy night, a group of disheveled experts sat under the eaves of a hospital and burst into laughter.

A few days later, everyone had almost fully recovered.

With their strength, they could make a good living even by doing manual labor. The CP9 members could work and earn money while waiting for their leader Rob Lucci to recover. Such a life... didn't seem so bad.

"You're finally awake?"

The doctors in the hospital were incredulous at Lucci's recovery. He had suffered ruptured internal organs, heart and lung failure, and more than a dozen broken ribs, yet this man covered in wounds had somehow managed to pull through.

Compared to such a medical miracle, the rapid recovery of another withered person after receiving a large amount of nutrient solution seems insignificant.

"Doctor... thank you..."

"You should thank your partners; they raised money for your treatment and stayed by your side through thick and thin."

One day later,

"Let's go bowling to celebrate our eldest son's discharge from the hospital!"

Everyone celebrated Lucci's recovery with great joy, but for these superhumans, playing the game of ordinary people's entertainment was just:

Boom--!

The bowling ball was thrown with the force of a cannonball by Kalifa, the 'weakest' among them! It instantly smashed through the bowling alley! This made the other CP9 members around them laugh.

"Control yourself, control yourself! Kalifa, we are 'ordinary people' now..."

"Help!!"

?

"Pirates! Pirates have landed!"

??

"Where's the navy? Where's the police?!"

"They're all wiped out! It was the Candy Pirates with a bounty of 60 million! Our town is finished..."

Splash!

"Let's go,"

The members of CP9 silently got up and walked towards the dock.

"Hahaha, this town is mine now!"

The captain of the Candy Pirates, wielding Big Saber, loudly announced that beneath his feet lay the corpses of Marines and police, as well as weeping ordinary people.

"I'm going to rob this place of everything—"

Bang!

With his body wrapped in bandages and a pigeon perched on his shoulder, Lucci killed the pirate captain, who claimed to have a '60 million bounty,' with a single flying kick.

"Who goes there—"

"Captain... this is impossible..."

"Don't be afraid, brothers, let's attack together!!"

Facing the swarming pirates, the CP9 members silently met them.

"Big brother, you can do it!"

"Hero, take them down!"

"Well done, everyone!"

Crackling sounds filled the air, a one-sided battle... no, or rather, a massacre ensued—

"... So... so scary..."

"Don't look, go home quickly—"

"Blood... corpse..."

"Oh, it seems we went a little too far."

Jabura, standing on a head embedded in a pool of blood, glanced back at the cowering townspeople behind him. Just moments before, some had called him 'Mister Beard,' but now, wherever his gaze swept, the crowd scattered and retreated.

"This small town,"

Lucci glanced calmly behind him; he had seen this kind of scene many times before.

"We can't stay here any longer."

"Let's go, we are 'Dark Justice', we have never dared to hope for the applause of heroes."

That's right.

They are assassins lurking in the shadows, so naturally they won't receive flowers or praise...

"Elder sister,"

Kalifa was walking at the back, Guotou and saw a little girl standing on tiptoe, holding a wildflower from the roadside in her hands.

"Thank you for saving me, and for saving my mother! And thank you everyone—"

·······

"Thanks,"

Kalifa knelt down to take the wildflowers and wanted to pat the other person's head, but then she saw that her hands were covered in blood!

But that's enough. This wildflower is the highest praise CP9 can offer...

At least the smiles on everyone's faces now are genuine!

"Let's go,"

The CP9 crew, having boarded the Candy Pirates' ship and torn down all the pirate flags and symbols, prepared to head to their next destination:

Their hometown.

"It's been so long since I've been back. I wonder how the teacher is doing?"

"Hmph, beating you down will definitely not be a problem."

Kaku, now recovered, started bickering with Jabura again. The group of people noisily arrived at the dilapidated old tower next to their hometown, looking down at a group of children training and their teacher.

"Justice always exists; it exists in our hearts."

"Passed down from generation to generation, the era of the 'Great Pirates' will surely come to an end! One day, the world will be at peace and will no longer need killers like us. — Even if our hands are stained with blood, we will gladly accept it."

The ruthless CP9 is nothing more than a group of naive people with 'justice' in their hearts.

?!

"It seems we have guests. We can't let them disturb our hometown."

On the coast, a Marine warship was anchored, led by Marine Headquarters Colonel Captain Berigood, Devil Fruit user the Bean-Bean Fruit!

"Search, the CP9 members are right here—"

"Keep the change, please,"

In the jungle, the shadows of a multitude of animals were cast: leopards, wolves, giraffes, minotaurs, lions, Fukurou, and even Kalifa's bubble sheep...

"Small--"

Crackling sounds

Although Berigood was not weak and his subordinates were elite marines, he could only struggle for a few seconds against the entire CP9. Soon, the poor Berigood was turned into a pile of round balls on the ground.

"Lucci, Den Den Mushi."

As the Den Den Mushi connected, Spandam's signature voice came from the other end, his body riddled with broken bones, resembling a deformed monster, and his face swollen like a pig's head.

"Who?"

"Rob Lucci, your former subordinate."

??!!

"Spandam, we will be back."

!??

Click,

The Den Den Mushi hung up, leaving Spandam huddled on his hospital bed, trembling with fear.

"Damn it, are those assassins still alive?"

·······

"Hmm, this ship is nice."

After boarding Marine warship, Lucci and his crew nodded in satisfaction. They would never want to travel on a pirate ship unless absolutely necessary.

"Let's go, we're about to embark on our escape."

On the shore, scattered like spheres, lay the unconscious Captain Berigood and numerous naval soldiers, along with:

A wildflower buried in the soil, swaying in the wind.

P. S.: Ahem, to be fair, CP9 isn't really that bad... Since they've written a cover story, it means they'll appear later. This isn't just about padding the word count...

P. S.: This is for readers who haven't read the title page story, in case the character's later appearance doesn't match the original work. For those who have read it... next time I'll specify in the title that it contains a lot of original plot...