CP9

He had spent eight years there, so Impel Down was practically Figo's home in the pirate world. Naturally, leaving made him feel a little reluctant.

But more than that, he felt excited.

Just how vast was this ocean?

Figo had only ever sailed within about fifty nautical miles of Impel Down. He'd seen just the tip of the iceberg.

Standing aboard the massive warship transporting the seven young Giants, Figo gazed out at the sea, his heart swelling with ambition.

I came! I saw! I conquered!

I'm losing it...

A little embarrassed, Figo quietly herded the seven Giants into the ship's prison. Watching them huddle inside cells that weren't quite the right size, he felt somewhat dissatisfied.

The cells weren't just small; there weren't enough of them.

What if they ran into pirates at sea? Wouldn't it be a pain not to have enough cells to lock them up?

Once I get my own warship, I'll cram as many cells onto it as I can.

I'll sail out, fill them up, then head back.

"Mr. Figo." A greeting came from beside him. "It's been a long time. I've prepared your cabin for you."

The voice was cautious, awkward, and familiar.

Figo turned and saw a tall, thin Marine lieutenant colonel in a justice cloak.

The face looked familiar, too. After a couple of seconds, Figo recalled who he was and said in surprise, "Old Xiao?"

Old Xiao? What kind of name was that?

Seven years ago, Xiao had wanted to compete with Figo for the position of deputy jailer. Figo had scared him so badly that he'd hauled a warship away overnight and transferred out. Xiao had thought he'd never have to deal with Figo again.

But before this voyage, Xiao had heard that Figo would be aboard the transport ship. He'd nearly lost it.

Still, Figo didn't seem to hold their little clash against him. Xiao quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Old Xiao it was, then.

"Mr. Figo, it's me."

"It really has been a long time. You've even made lieutenant colonel." Figo looked puzzled. "Are you the captain of this transport ship?"

It wasn't that Figo looked down on Xiao. They had seven Giants and three SRs aboard. If anything went wrong, a mere officer wouldn't be able to handle it. The whole warship could be wiped out.

Figo had only decided to board two days ago.

Sure enough, Xiao discreetly glanced at the seven Giants in the cells, then gestured for Figo to follow him.

Figo followed him to the rear of the ship. Xiao knocked on a cabin door and ushered him inside. Three people in ordinary Marine uniforms were there, two men and one woman. Their bearing and presence were nothing like those of ordinary Marines.

When they saw Figo, all three stood. The man in front held out his hand in greeting.

"Hello, Warden Figo."

Figo had a pretty good idea what was going on. He shook the man's hand. "You're with the World Government? You're the ones really in charge of this ship, aren't you? Why are you in disguise?"

"CP9. Peslo." Peslo introduced himself with a grave expression. "Warden Figo, you don't need to know why we're in disguise. The notice from Marine Headquarters says you're just taking leave aboard this ship. You don't need to know about our mission."

"Oh, I see," Figo said. "Fine."

His easy agreement left all three CP9 agents a little stunned.

He was that easygoing?

After a pause, Peslo added, "One more thing. When we execute the seven Giants, whatever happens, Warden Figo, don't interfere. I mean it: whatever happens!"

His tone carried a note of warning.

"Sure," Figo readily agreed.

The three CP9 agents had been working themselves up for this conversation, and Figo's response left them at a loss. After he left, they exchanged bewildered looks. Was he really being this cooperative?

Hadn't the Marines sent him to learn about their operation?

"Looks like they've got something big planned." Xiao showed Figo to his cabin. Figo genuinely didn't want to get involved in any trouble. He'd only just left Impel Down and wanted to get to know the world first.

"But their operation is aimed at the Giants, not those treasures. That's fine."

A faint shudder ran through the ship.

The transport ship set sail!

What was it like to travel a long distance by ship?

There was nothing but ocean in every direction.

It was exciting for a day. By the second, it was already boring.

They encountered no pirate attacks, and there wasn't a sudden storm, either.

The entire route from Impel Down to Huoyu Island lay in the Calm Belt. There wouldn't be any pirate ships or unusual weather! (A reader pointed out that Vegapunk invented the technology for sailing with Seastone, and he hadn't invented it yet. But I can't change it now—please forgive this newbie One Piece writer.)

And going for a swim was out of the question.

This wasn't the area around Impel Down. Because the prison's outer walls contained Seastone, even the largest Sea Kings nearby were only a few hundred meters long. Figo could catch them, kill them, and eat whichever one he wanted.

But in the middle of the ocean, Sea Kings could grow over a thousand meters long, even five thousand. Figo had no desire to find out which of them would eat the other.

With nothing else to do, Figo lay on the deck, sunbathing and watching a cartoon.

Over seven years, he'd taken part in the capture of more than a hundred SR-level pirates. Character Events had activated for half of them, while the other half remained inactive.

The scenes that played when Character Events activated varied in length... and some weren't suitable for children.

Don't get the wrong idea. They were just too bloody.

Figo worried that watching too many would leave Impel Down short of its annual death quota. Now that he'd left, he could be a little choosier.

He might even find something he could take care of along the way.

Character Event activated: Kill a Rear Admiral.

Character Event activated: Kill a Vice Admiral.

Character Event activated: Wipe out the Marines!

The three-part killing spree left Figo dizzy. He cursed under his breath, waited a little, then activated the fourth event.

This one was finally a little more normal. A Great Pirate feared that after his capture, his young, beautiful wife and little son would be bullied. The event required someone to look after them.

Figo took note of the location. If he ran into them someday and confirmed they weren't villains, he could toss them a few hundred thousand Berries in exchange for an ability. Not a bad deal.

He continued: the fifth, the sixth...

Huh? One of the seven Giants still hadn't had a Character Event activated?

Figo looked at the image and remembered. This was the Giant who'd been sent to Impel Down just a month ago, the last of the seven to be captured.

His name was Kevin. His Crime Index was only 3, making him relatively pure among the villains in Impel Down. The abilities offered were pretty good, too: one of the three options was Armament Haki, and another was Hagoku.

Figo remembered. His indecisiveness had kicked in back then, and he'd spent ages agonizing over which of those two abilities to choose. He'd forgotten about the Character Event.

The warm sun shone on his face. Figo narrowed his eyes contentedly and kept watching the cartoon.

"Daddy, come back soon!"

A three- or four-year-old Giant girl tugged at Kevin's trouser leg and smiled sweetly.

Kevin affectionately stroked the girl's head and answered her. Then he turned to another male Giant beside them. "While I'm away, could you look after Little Kelly for me, Vina?"

"Don't worry, big brother Kevin!"

Kevin gave a grateful smile, slung his bundle over his back, and left home. At this point, he wasn't a pirate yet, just a single father raising his daughter. He was only heading to a distant Giant town to buy some daily necessities. He'd be back the next day.

By this point, Figo's brows had drawn together slightly. Based on his experience watching countless shows...

Something tragic was about to happen.

A pirate attack? A natural disaster?

The events unfolded in a way that was both exactly as expected and somewhat unexpected.

The scene shifted. Kevin returned home carrying a big bundle of things. He called out several times, but his adorable daughter didn't come out to greet him. Puzzled, he opened the door—and the sight inside made him break down instantly.

The Giant he'd entrusted with his daughter's care was gripping her by the neck with both hands. When he heard Kevin open the door, he turned and gave him a stiff, ferocious grin!

The three- or four-year-old Giant girl had clearly been dead for a while. Her little pink tongue protruded in agony, her small face frozen in confusion, as if her innocent expression were asking...

"Kelly?!"

The scene changed. Everything turned blood red.

Figo abruptly sat up, his brows furrowed. Seeing the scene of an innocent child's death had unsettled him a little. And from an observer's perspective, the Giant who'd killed her had clearly been in an abnormal state.

"Some kind of Devil Fruit ability?"

[Character Event (Activated): The death of his daughter left Kevin unable to think clearly. Enraged, he gave Sen Vina no chance to explain and hacked him to death. But later, on reflection, Kevin felt there was something off about Vina's motives and behavior.

Event Requirement: Help Kevin investigate the true cause of Little Kelly's death, or investigate it yourself. Kill or capture the real culprit.]

This was what a crime-fighting hero was supposed to do.

Figo grew more serious. He focused his awareness on the event, and an arrow appeared in his mind, pointing the way to begin investigating.

Figo looked in the direction it indicated and went pale.

The arrow pointed very close by!

That was... CP9's Peslo?!