CP9

After eight years in Impel Down, it was essentially Figo's home in the Pirate King world, so leaving naturally stirred a bit of reluctance.

But there was far more anticipation.

Just how vast was this sea?

Having only swum within a fifty-nautical-mile radius of Impel Down, Figo had only tasted a fraction of it.

Boarding the massive warship that was transporting seven young Giants, Figo gazed out at the sea, a surge of ambition rising within him.

I came! I saw! I conquered!

I'm losing it...

Feeling a twinge of embarrassment, Figo calmly herded the seven Giants into the ship's prison. Watching them huddle in cells that weren't quite the right size, he felt a bit dissatisfied.

Not only were the cells too small, there were too few of them.

What if they ran into pirates during the voyage? How frustrating would it be to have nowhere to put them?

Once I have my own warship, I'm going to cram in as many cells as it can hold.

Sail out, fill 'em up, then sail back.

"Lord Figo." Just then, a greeting came from beside him: "Long time no see. I've prepared your rest cabin for you."

The voice was stiff, awkward, yet familiar.

Figo turned and saw a Marine lieutenant colonel, tall and lean, draped in a cloak of justice.

The face was also somewhat familiar. Figo thought for two seconds, then said in surprise: "Old Xiao?"

Old Xiao? What kind of damn nickname was that?

Ever since seven years ago, when he'd tried to compete with Figo for the position of Deputy Jailer Chief and was so terrified he'd shouldered a warship and transferred away overnight, Xiao thought he'd never have to deal with Figo again.

But before this voyage, he heard Figo would be boarding this transport ship, and Xiao nearly broke down.

Still, it seemed Figo had no intention of holding a grudge over their minor past conflict. Xiao breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Old Xiao it was, then.

"Lord Figo, it's me."

"It really has been a while. You've been promoted to lieutenant colonel." Figo looked a bit puzzled: "Are you the captain of this transport ship?"

It wasn't that Figo looked down on Xiao. Seven Giants and three SRs—if anything went slightly wrong, it wouldn't be something a single field-grade officer could handle. The whole warship could be wiped out.

And he himself had only decided to board two days ago.

Sure enough, Xiao subtly signaled with his eyes toward the seven Giants in the cells, then motioned for Figo to follow him.

Figo followed him to the rear of the ship. Xiao knocked on a cabin door and invited Figo inside. Inside the cabin were three people in standard Marine soldier uniforms—two men and one woman—but their bearing and aura were completely different from ordinary Marines.

Seeing Figo, the three stood up. The leading man extended a hand in greeting:

"Hello, Warden Figo."

Figo had a guess and shook his hand in return: "World Government people? You're the real ones in charge of this ship, aren't you? Why the disguise?"

"CP9, Peslo." Peslo introduced himself with a grave expression. "You don't need to know why we're disguised, Warden Figo. According to the notice from Marine Headquarters, you're just on leave aboard this ship. You don't need to understand our mission."

Figo said, "Oh. Fine."

His easy agreement left the three CP9 agents momentarily stunned.

Was he really this agreeable?

After a pause, Peslo added: "One more thing. No matter what happens during the execution of the seven Giants, Warden Figo is not to interfere or participate. I mean: no matter what!"

There was a hint of warning in his tone.

"Got it." Figo was still agreeable.

The three CP9 agents found their carefully built momentum suddenly stuck in their throats. After Figo left, they exchanged glances, all a bit confused. Was that attitude real or fake?

Wasn't he sent by the Marines to investigate their operation?

"Looks like whatever they're doing is no small matter." Figo, now led by Xiao to his own cabin, genuinely didn't want to get tangled up in trouble. Fresh out of Impel Down, he just wanted to get a feel for this world first.

"But their target is the Giants, not those treasures. That's fine."

A faint tremor came through.

The transport ship was setting sail!

What was it like to voyage far by sea?

Endless ocean in every direction.

The first day was novel. By the second, it was boring.

No pirate attacks. No sudden storms.

Because the entire route from Impel Down to Huoyu Island lay within the Calm Belt, there were no pirate ships or abnormal weather! (Some readers pointed out that Seastone navigation tech was invented by Vegapunk and doesn't exist yet, but I can't change it now. Forgive this Pirate King newbie writer.)

Couldn't even take a dip in the sea.

This wasn't near Impel Down. Around Impel Down, because its outer shell contained Seastone, the local Sea Kings were at most a few hundred meters long. Figo caught them when he wanted, killed them when he wanted, ate whichever one he pleased.

In the middle of such an ocean, where Sea Kings exceeding a thousand or even five thousand meters in length could appear, Figo had absolutely no desire to test which of them would end up eating the other.

With nothing else to do, Figo lay on the deck sunbathing, casually watching an anime.

Over seven years, he had participated in capturing over a hundred SR-ranked pirates, half of whose Character Events had been activated, and half of which had not.

Because the scenes that played out when Character Events activated varied in length... some were even unsuitable for minors.

Don't get the wrong idea—it was just excessively bloody.

Figo worried that watching too many would make Impel Down's annual death quota insufficient. Now that he had left Impel Down, he could afford to pick and choose a bit.

Maybe there were even some he could handle on the side.

Character Event activated: Kill a Rear Admiral.

Character Event activated: Kill a Vice Admiral.

Character Event activated: Kill all Marines!

A triple combo of slaughter left Figo dizzy. He cursed under his breath, paused for a moment, then activated a fourth.

This time, it was finally a bit more normal. A Great Pirate, worried that his young, beautiful wife and infant son would be bullied after his capture, had an event requirement to provide some care for his wife and child.

Figo noted the location. If he ever ran into them in the future, and confirmed that the wife and child weren't villains, tossing a few hundred thousand Berries for a skill wouldn't be a bad deal.

He continued. Fifth, sixth...

Huh? Out of the seven Giants, was there still one whose Character Event hadn't been activated?

Figo glanced at the image and recalled that this one had only been locked up in Impel Down a month ago—the last of the seven Giants to be captured.

His name was Kevin. His Crime Index was only 3, making him relatively innocent among the villains in Impel Down, but the skills he offered were quite good. Among the three options, one was Armament Haki, and another was Hagoku.

Figo remembered now. Back then, he had been struck by indecision, agonizing over which of those two skills to pick for ages, and had simply forgotten about the Character Event.

The warm sunlight shone on his face. Figo squinted comfortably and went back to watching his anime.

"Daddy, come back soon!"

A little Giant girl, three or four years old, tugged at Kevin's pant leg and said with a sweet smile.

Kevin affectionately patted the girl's head, acknowledged her, then turned to another male Giant. "While I'm away, take care of Little Kelly for me, Vina."

"Relax, big brother Kevin!"

Kevin smiled gratefully, shouldered his pack, and left home. At this time, he wasn't a pirate yet—just a single father raising his daughter. This trip was only to a distant Giant village to buy some daily necessities. He'd be back the next day.

Seeing this, Figo's brow began to furrow slightly. Based on his extensive experience binge-watching dramas...

A tragedy was probably about to happen.

A pirate raid? A disaster or accident?

The course of events was both predictable and somewhat surprising.

The scene shifted. Kevin returned home laden with bags, calling out a few times, but his adorable daughter didn't come out to greet him. When he opened the door in confusion, the sight before him shattered him instantly.

The Giant he had entrusted to take care of his daughter was gripping her neck tightly with both massive hands. Hearing the door open, he turned his head and gave Kevin a stiff, sinister grin!

The little Giant girl, three or four years old, seemed to have been dead for a while. Her small pink tongue stuck out in pain, her little face frozen in confusion, asking a question with an innocent expression...

"Kelly—?!"

The scene shifted. A blur of blood.

Figo sat up abruptly, his brow slightly furrowed. Witnessing the death of an innocent young life made him a bit uncomfortable, and from an outsider's perspective, the murderer Giant's state was clearly off.

"Some kind of Devil Fruit ability?"

[Character Event (Activated): The death of his daughter robbed Kevin of rational judgment. In his fury, he gave Sen Vina no chance to explain and killed him on the spot. But upon later reflection, he felt that both Vina's motive and behavior were suspicious.

Event Requirement: Let Kevin, or help Kevin, uncover the true cause of Little Kelly's death. Kill or capture the real culprit.]

Now this was what a crime-fighter should do.

Figo's expression turned serious. He focused his consciousness on the event, and an arrow appeared in his mind, pointing him toward the direction of the investigation.

But as he made out the direction, Figo's expression changed.

The arrow pointed very close!

That was... CP9, Peslo?!