"CP9's ship? Those are government people."
Smoker was baffled. Ye Chen had only just become a Shichibukai. Was he already going to turn against the government?
"I told you to get it, so get it. Stop talking. You're a deckhand—what gives you the right to tell us what to do?"
Lucci's face darkened, and his voice turned icy. Smoker snorted. Lucci's murderous aura didn't scare him, but he was the ship's deckhand now. However much he resented it, he had to obey.
"Lucci, you..."
Ye Chen was puzzled too. The sight of CP9's ship had excited him, but he hadn't lost his head. He had only just become a Shichibukai; he wasn't about to throw that away. Lucci, though, looked grim.
Ye Chen could see that Lucci still held a grudge against CP9 and Enies Lobby. After watching him for a moment, Ye Chen understood.
Spandine's treatment of Lucci back on Enies Lobby had infuriated him. Even after becoming a Pirate, Lucci hadn't forgotten Spandine and his people.
Spandine had ordered Lucci killed, after all.
Smoker soon carried the cannonballs onto the deck. Lucci took one from his arms and loaded the cannon in a few swift movements. Then, to everyone's astonishment, he aimed it straight at CP9's ship.
"Lucci... are you sure you want to fire?"
Nami went pale. Young as she was, she understood what firing on CP9's ship meant: declaring war on the government. Ye Chen would likely be stripped of his Shichibukai title before he'd even settled into it.
"Heh..."
Lucci flashed them a smile, showing a row of white teeth. There was a wicked chill in it.
Then, with a boom, Lucci fired. The cannonball hurtled toward CP9's ship. Whether his aim was poor or he had missed on purpose, it exploded in midair just