Trading the Shichibukai Position

"Bartholomew Kuma has been defeated by me."

"I want to make a deal with the World Government."

Uchiha Tamaharu did not stand on ceremony, getting straight to the point.

The person on the other end of the Den Den Mushi seemed stunned, taking a moment before responding.

"Who are you?"

The tone of the Den Den Mushi was rather hostile, mimicking the speaker's expression perfectly.

"Uchiha, my name is Uchiha Tamaharu."

"I want to trade Straw Hat Luffy for a position as a Shichibukai. There is an extra spot now, right? Either the one left by Crocodile's removal or the one from Jinbe will do."

Uchiha Tamaharu stated his terms simply and bluntly.

There were currently two vacant positions in the Shichibukai. One was from when Jinbe was arrested and stripped of his title.

The other was from when Crocodile's actions in Alabasta were exposed, leading to his removal.

That made two vacancies in total.

"Straw Hat Luffy?"

"A pirate of that caliber is not worth the title of Shichibukai."

The voice on the other end of the Den Den Mushi remained calm.

The remaining conscious members of the Straw Hat Crew glared at Uchiha Tamaharu with fury.

However, their mouths were sealed, leaving them unable to speak.

"Capturing Fire Fist Ace, the son of the One Piece Gol D. Roger—is that not enough?"

"Add the son of the Revolutionary Army leader Monkey D. Dragon to the mix, and that is the kind of spectacle worthy of the World Government's reputation."

Uchiha Tamaharu spoke with calm detachment.

The Straw Hat Crew looked shocked, clearly stunned by the information Uchiha Tamaharu had just revealed.

Luffy's brother had been captured?

And Luffy's true identity was known to others?

"Oh!"

"So he is the son of that rebel Monkey D. Dragon?"

The person on the other end of the Den Den Mushi was clearly surprised.

But they immediately accepted the fact, as the surname Monkey D. was quite rare.

"Or perhaps, because of the Marine hero Garp, the World Government is having second thoughts?"

"Are you going to turn a blind eye and let a lawbreaker go?"

Uchiha Tamaharu used a bit of provocation.

After all, he was only one final step away from completing his mission.

"Hmph, the Marines are merely a force controlled by the World Government."

"Uchiha Tamaharu, you are quite interesting."

"Deal. Hand over Straw Hat Luffy to the World Government, and you shall be the new Shichibukai."

Whether it was the provocation that worked or not, the person on the other end agreed to Uchiha Tamaharu's deal.

They were clearly interested in the "item" that was Monkey D. Luffy.

"By the way, a few members of CP9 provoked me, and it seems they are currently being hunted by the World Government. I will take care of them while I'm at it."

Uchiha Tamaharu continued.

"Do as you please. Wait at Moria's place; I will arrange for a warship to come and collect him, along with the official decree for your Shichibukai status."

"Do not kill Moria or Bartholomew Kuma."

The person on the other end had no interest in further conversation.

After leaving those words, they hung up the Den Den Mushi.

Clearly, they had more important matters to attend to.

Uchiha Tamaharu tried using his Sharingan to put the Den Den Mushi into a trance, finding it easy to do so; this was to prevent the device from having any eavesdropping capabilities.

After all, Bartholomew Kuma was a man whose body hardly belonged to himself anymore; who knew what kind of tricks the World Government might have installed in him?

Kaku and the others stood to the side with stiff expressions, having heard every word Uchiha Tamaharu said during the call.

"Now, it is time to deal with you lot."

"Rob Lucci violated our agreement, and I told him to stop resisting."

"If the deal had ended properly, I would have been prepared to let you go, but now you are making things very difficult for me."

"In my line of work, we do not tolerate those who break their word."

Uchiha Tamaharu looked at the members of CP9.

"This was Lucci's fault, I apologize to you on his behalf!"

Kalifa did not hesitate to kneel down immediately, having no time to care whether she was exposing herself.

Seeing this, the others realized there was no other way out; the chances of success if they tried to resist were too slim.

The members of CP9 knelt down one by one.

Rob Lucci could not help but be moved as he witnessed this scene.

He also sobered up from his panic, and after much hesitation, he gritted his teeth and knelt down to plead as well.

"There are two choices now. The first is death."

"The second is to become my subordinates. The Shichibukai still needs people to run errands, and your strength is decent enough to be barely usable."

"Make your choice."

Uchiha Tamaharu did not stand on ceremony and spoke directly.

The CP9 group still had potential; if they weren't undercover agents, Rob Lucci's strength would at least be enough to trade blows with the Sweet Commanders.

This was also the reason he used his ocular jutsu to exert mental pressure on Rob Lucci, to instill fear in his heart so he would be easier to control.

After all, there were always things that his own clansmen were not suited to handle, and having suitable subordinates to resolve them was necessary.

CP9 had the potential to keep up with his growth in strength, which was why Uchiha Tamaharu had gone to such lengths to do this.

The plea did not earn them forgiveness, only an additional choice.

"Lucci, you make the decision."

The others looked at Rob Lucci with serious expressions, and Kalifa spoke directly.

As members of the CP organization, they had all thought about death, but living was naturally better.

However, they had been betrayed by their own organization; if a guy like Spandam could be trusted, they now only trusted their own companions.

Rob Lucci glanced at his companions. His inner pride did not allow him to bow his head, but these partners who had just knelt for his sake made it impossible for him to maintain that pride.

"We are willing to submit to you, Lord Uchiha Tamaharu!"

Rob Lucci knelt on both knees with difficulty, then lowered his head to pledge his loyalty to Uchiha Tamaharu.

Despite the immense unwillingness in his heart, he chose to bow his head.

"I will leave a special ability on you all. If you disobey my orders, I can take your lives at any time."

Uchiha Tamaharu said.

Without leaving a contingency, how could he possibly trust these people?

He had to keep them firmly in his grasp to avoid any possibility of a backstab.

"It is our honor."

Rob Lucci replied powerlessly.

"Lightning Style Seal."

Uchiha Tamaharu walked directly to Kalifa's side and performed the sealing technique on her first.

He sealed a Chidori technique inside Kalifa's neck; within a range of one hundred meters, Uchiha Tamaharu could release it at any time, causing a sharp burst of Lightning Style.

Even if she learned Busoshoku Haki later, she would not be able to withstand an internal attack.

With the seal placed on such a fatal spot as the neck, there was basically no possibility of survival.

"One a day. Rob Lucci, you will be the last."

Uchiha Tamaharu did not seal them all at once because it was quite taxing on his Chakra; sealing more than three was a bit strenuous for him. Besides, there was no rush; catching one and ensuring they had no other thoughts was enough for now.

"Clear the battlefield and see if there is anything useful in these ruins."

"You lot, just keep an eye on this guy."

Uchiha Tamaharu commanded.

He had his own people check if they could scavenge anything good from Moria, while the task of guarding Bartholomew Kuma was left to CP9.

Thanks to book friend Nuanye Weixun for the 1700 book coin tip, and thanks to everyone for the recommendation votes and monthly tickets.

Seeking investment for the new book; stable updates, will definitely be published.