Akainu had just left Ryugu Palace and was heading for the Marines' secret base on Fish-Man Island, which had only recently been established.
A man in white suddenly appeared beside him. Onigumo and the others instinctively reached for their weapons.
"Who goes there? Stop!"
Unlike the tense Marines behind him, Akainu remained calm. He raised his right hand and waved them back, signaling them not to make a move.
"Location." The man handed Akainu a slip of paper, then slipped into the crowd and vanished.
"Admiral Sakazuki, who was that?" Onigumo asked.
Akainu glanced at the information on the slip. "CP8."
Onigumo stole a look at it and spotted the World Government's emblem in the lower right corner.
Cipher Pol answered directly to the World Government. Though it was called an intelligence agency, each branch from CP0 to CP9 had a different role.
CP0, for instance, served as a guard unit. It protected the Celestial Dragons and their property, answered only to their orders, and was beyond anyone else's authority.
CP9, which the Blood Sword Pirates had wiped out, specialized in assassination.
CP8 gathered intelligence ahead of military operations. Its work resembled that of scouts in ancient times.
"Let's go! Time to fight our first battle on Fish-Man Island!" A rare smile appeared on Akainu's stern face.
He had expected it to take some time to find those people, but CP8 had given him a pleasant surprise. The chance to get moving as soon as he arrived on Fish-Man Island lifted his spirits.
Talking with Neptune and his wife at Ryugu Palace had never been to his liking. He was a soldier, not a politician!
No sooner had they left the palace than the group raced toward another part of the island without a moment's delay.
Meanwhile, in a town