Lucci slowly lowered his stance. Looking at the devastation all around him, he shook his head in disappointment. They had been too weak—too weak even to serve as a warm-up. He spread his Observation Haki again and carefully scanned the entire island, confirming that aside from himself, there was no sign of any living person.
According to an order Adams had issued long ago, after killing an ability user, one had to conduct a thorough search around the place of death. A Devil Fruit had a chance of randomly respawning nearby after its host died. Keeping this firmly in mind, Lucci began searching patiently.
By the time the eastern horizon turned pale and the first ray of sunlight fell upon the sea, Lucci had already returned to his usual human form. He had washed the blood from his body and changed into a clean set of clothes.
He stood by the shore, holding a strangely shaped Devil Fruit covered in spiral patterns.
He carefully put the fruit away, then took out a Den Den Mushi. It was answered before it rang three times.
"Mission complete. The Poker Pirates have been eliminated, and one Devil Fruit has respawned." Lucci's voice was as cold and concise as ever.
Adams's slightly lazy voice came from the other end of the Den Den Mushi:
"Mm, well done. Bring Clockwork Island back as soon as possible."
"Understood."
The call ended. Lucci put away the Den Den Mushi, threw back his head, and let out a low dragon roar. His body transformed once more, rapidly expanding and lengthening until he became a three-hundred-meter-long pink dragon.
Pale flame clouds curled around the giant dragon. It grabbed the yellow flame clouds surrounding Clockwork Island with its claws, flicked its tail, and carried the enormous island into the sky.