"Bartholomew Kuma lost to me."
"I want to make a deal with the World Government."
Uchiha Tamaharu didn't bother with pleasantries. He got straight to the point.
The person on the other end of the Den Den Mushi seemed to freeze up. After a pause, they finally spoke.
"Who are you?"
The Den Den Mushi spoke in an unfriendly tone, mimicking the voice perfectly.
"Uchiha. My name is Uchiha Tamaharu."
"I'll trade Straw Hat Luffy for a Shichibukai position. There's still an opening, right? Either the one Crocodile left when he was stripped of his title, or Jinbe's. Either one will do."
Uchiha Tamaharu gave a simple explanation, then bluntly stated his demand.
There were now two vacant Shichibukai positions. One had opened up after Jinbe was captured and stripped of his title.
The other had opened up after Crocodile was stripped of his title when his actions in Alabasta came to light.
That made two vacancies in all.
"Straw Hat Luffy?"
"A pirate like him isn't worthy of the title of Shichibukai."
The person on the other end of the Den Den Mushi replied calmly.
The conscious members of the Straw Hat Crew glared furiously at Uchiha Tamaharu.
But their mouths were sealed, so they couldn't say a word.
"I've captured Fire Fist Ace, the son of Gol D. Roger, the Pirate King. Would that be enough?"
"And Monkey D. Dragon, leader of the Revolutionary Army, is Luffy's father. Put them together, and now you have a banquet worthy of the World Government."
Uchiha Tamaharu spoke calmly.
The Straw Hat Crew stared in shock, clearly stunned by what he'd revealed.
Luffy's brother had been captured?
And someone knew Luffy's identity?
"Oh!"
"He's the son of that rebel, Monkey D. Dragon?"
The person on the other end of the Den Den Mushi sounded surprised.
But they quickly accepted it. After all, there weren't many people with the name Monkey D.
"Or are you backing down because of Garp the Hero and the World Government?"
"Will you make an exception for someone who broke the law and let him go?"
Uchiha Tamaharu tried to provoke them a little.
After all, he was just one step away from completing the mission.
"Hmph. The Navy is nothing more than one of the forces controlled by the World Government."
"Uchiha Tamaharu, you're interesting."
"Deal. Hand Straw Hat Luffy over to the World Government, and you'll be the new Shichibukai."
Whether or not the provocation had worked, the person on the other end of the Den Den Mushi accepted Uchiha Tamaharu's offer.
Clearly, they were interested in Monkey D. Luffy as a bargaining chip.
"By the way, a few CP9 agents provoked me. It seems the World Government is hunting them now. I'll take care of them while I'm at it."
Uchiha Tamaharu continued.
"Do as you like. Wait at Moria's place. I'll send a warship to collect them, along with your letter of pardon as a Shichibukai."
"Don't kill Moria or Bartholomew Kuma."
The person on the other end of the Den Den Mushi had nothing more to say.
After leaving him with those words, they hung up.
Apparently, they had more important matters to handle.
Uchiha Tamaharu tried using his Sharingan to put the Den Den Mushi to sleep and found it easy. He did it to prevent the Den Den Mushi from eavesdropping.
After all, Bartholomew Kuma was a man who had almost nothing of his own left. Who knew what the World Government might have done to him?
Kaku and the others stood stiffly to one side. They'd heard everything Uchiha Tamaharu had said during the call.
"Now, it's time to deal with you."
"Rob Lucci broke our deal. I told him to stop, but he resisted."
"I was going to let you leave once the deal was done, but now you've made this difficult for me."
"In our line of work, we don't tolerate betrayal."
Uchiha Tamaharu looked at the CP9 agents.
"This was Lucci's fault. I apologize to you on his behalf!"
Kalifa dropped to her knees without hesitation, not even sparing a thought for whether she was exposing herself.
Seeing her, the others realized there was nowhere else to turn. Their chances of successfully fighting back were slim.
One by one, the CP9 agents knelt.
Rob Lucci was moved by the sight.
He came to his senses, emerging from his panic. After a long hesitation, he gritted his teeth, knelt with them, and begged for mercy.
"You have two choices. The first is death."
"The second is to become my subordinates. A Shichibukai needs people to do his bidding, and you're strong enough to be useful."
"Make your choice."
Uchiha Tamaharu didn't mince words.
The CP9 agents had potential. If Rob Lucci hadn't been an undercover agent, he would at least have been able to hold his own against a Sweet Commander.
That was why Uchiha Tamaharu had used his Dōjutsu to suppress Rob Lucci's mind and instill fear in him. It would make him easier to control.
After all, there would always be things his own people couldn't handle. He needed suitable subordinates to take care of them.
CP9 had the potential to keep up as their strength grew, which was why Uchiha Tamaharu had gone to such lengths.
Their pleas hadn't earned them forgiveness. They'd only earned another choice.
"Lucci, you should decide."
The others looked at Rob Lucci seriously, and Kalifa spoke.
As members of Cipher Pol, they had all considered the possibility of dying. But if they could live, naturally, they would rather do that.
Their own organization had betrayed them. A man like Spandam could be trusted, so now they only trusted one another.
Rob Lucci looked at his companions. His pride wouldn't let him bow his head, but his comrades had just humbled themselves for his sake. He couldn't hold on to his pride any longer.
"We're willing to submit to you, Lord Uchiha Tamaharu!"
Rob Lucci struggled to his knees, then lowered his head to pledge his loyalty to Uchiha Tamaharu.
Though his heart was filled with resentment, he still chose to bow his head.
"I'll place a special ability inside each of you. If you disobey my orders, I can take your lives at any time."
Uchiha Tamaharu said.
Without keeping a safeguard in place, how could he trust them?
He needed to keep them firmly under his control and eliminate any possibility of betrayal.
"It's our honor."
Rob Lucci answered weakly.
"Lightning Style: Sealing Jutsu."
Uchiha Tamaharu walked over to Kalifa and began with her, placing the first sealing formula.
He sealed a Chidori formula inside Kalifa's neck. Within a hundred meters, Uchiha Tamaharu could release it at any time, unleashing a piercing Lightning Style attack.
Even if she learned Busoshoku Haki later, it wouldn't protect her from an attack from within.
With the seal in such a vital spot as her neck, she would have almost no chance of survival.
"One a day. Rob Lucci, you'll be the last."
Uchiha Tamaharu didn't seal them all at once. It consumed a fair amount of Chakra, and sealing more than three would be difficult for him. There was no need to rush, either. He only had to keep one of them under control to prevent them from getting any ideas.
"Clean up the battlefield and see if there's anything useful in these ruins."
"You lot, just keep an eye on this man."
Uchiha Tamaharu gave his orders.
He had his people search Moria's place for anything valuable. He left the task of watching Bartholomew Kuma to CP9.
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