Clash with CP9!

"However..." Luke paused, then continued, "However, I'm afraid there aren't many materials left for forging the armor."

It turned out they were only short on materials.

Swain asked, "Where can we buy the materials?"

"We can't buy them anymore." He shook his head.

That left Swain and Norton puzzled.

Since it concerned him personally, Norton still asked, "Why can't we buy them?"

Only then did Luke explain what had happened.

Every year, a portion of the ships and weapons produced in Water 7 was allocated to the World Government and the Marines.

As a result, materials were extremely scarce. Those two major powers alone took sixty percent as part of the membership fees.

The remaining forty percent had already been made into weapons and sold.

Seeing how disappointed Swain and Norton were, Luke pointed them toward another option: the Black Market!

The Black Market could be found almost everywhere. Especially on a prosperous island like Water 7, it naturally wouldn't be lacking.

That afternoon, Swain followed Luke's instructions and bought eight hundred pounds of materials from the Black Market.

Luke and Swain agreed that the armor would be ready in a week.

After paying the deposit, Swain found a place to stay and told Norton what had happened.

"I saw a CP9 member at the Black Market today. You'll have to wear a mask and disguise yourself for the next few days."

Norton nodded after hearing this. He knew his identity was highly sensitive. If the World Government discovered him, they would probably send even more powerful people to capture him.

While they were talking, someone strode through Kong, observing the people below as if searching for something.

If Swain had seen him, he would certainly have recognized him.

That man was Kaku, a member of CP9.

"Someone reported that two strange people have arrived on the island. They may have something to do with Iceburg. I'd better investigate thoroughly!"

He muttered to himself.

He had been sent to monitor Iceburg and seize the blueprints for Pluton when the opportunity arose.

Iceburg was the mayor of Water 7 and Franky's senior apprentice brother.

Elsewhere, Norton put on a mask. After giving him some instructions, Swain split up with him.

Swain went to the Galley-La Company to have a ship built.

He had ordered Norton to stay put at their lodgings. However, after finally returning to a normal life, Norton had gradually begun to loosen up. After all, he was only nineteen and was just as curious about the outside world as any newly minted adult.

Unable to stand the loneliness, he slipped out. First, he wandered around outside, experiencing a different kind of life.

Then he found a tavern and started drinking. Drinking was his greatest hobby.

During the darkest period of his life, it had been the only thing that could make him forget his troubles.

"Bring this customer more wine." The tavern owner, Blueno, gave the order.

Several layers of wine glasses were stacked high on the table.

The surrounding customers admired him. "This guy is incredible. He's drunk so much and still hasn't fallen over."

The Lunarian Tribe's constitution was undeniably powerful. He only became slightly drunk when night fell. Seeing that it was already dark, Norton knew it was time to leave.

The owner, Blueno, was wiping glasses. Seeing Norton preparing to leave, he also got ready to close up.

But when he reached the doorway, he discovered that the man was nowhere to be seen on either road.

The sound of wings flapping came from Kong. He looked up, his eyes filled with gravity. Norton was actually flying through the air.

"This is definitely a characteristic of the Lunarian Tribe!"

He had already suspected Norton belonged to that special race when Norton removed his mask.

However, Norton had concealed his wings so well that Blueno hadn't noticed them. There were also many people with similar hair and skin colors, and without the wings, he naturally wouldn't have suspected that Norton belonged to that race.

Now that he was certain, he naturally had to report it to his superiors.

Blueno's true identity was one of CP9's members, as well as a user of the Door-Door Fruit.

After closing the tavern door, he opened it again. The scene inside was no longer a tavern, but a conference room.

Meanwhile, when Swain returned to their lodgings and didn't see Norton, he found it somewhat strange.

Fortunately, after waiting for a while, he saw Norton flying back alone.

"Yo! Captain!" Norton said drunkenly.

"How can you make clones?"

He lunged to one side, only to miss Kong completely.

Then he collapsed onto the ground and began snoring loudly.

Swain was both amused and exasperated when he saw this. Although Norton hadn't listened to him and had gone drinking instead of staying put, he wasn't angry.

If Norton obeyed his every order, wouldn't that make him nothing more than a subordinate? How could he be considered a companion?

He had been living with Norton for more than a month, so he naturally understood him somewhat.

Norton wasn't the kind of person who would betray him. He might as well let him do as he pleased.

With Swain there to cover for him, allowing Norton to express his true nature would instead strengthen the relationship between captain and crewman.

Just like Whitebeard and Ace, Roger and Rayleigh, Red-Haired and Beckman, and Luffy and Zoro. Even Kaido and King were like that, weren't they?

He might as well let him be... Swain felt that he was only a Kong shell of a captain. It was enough for his crew to treat him as a friend.

However, trouble arrived the next day at noon!

Bang! Someone was sent flying out of the house.

"You dare launch a sneak attack with skills like that?" Norton said mockingly.

The person who had been sent flying was Kalle, a user of the Bovine Fruit!

"Lucci, hurry!" Kalle shouted.

The moment he finished speaking, two people appeared behind Swain and launched a sneak attack.

They were none other than CP9's leader Rob Lucci and its member Blueno.

Blueno had used his Fruit ability to teleport them behind Swain and Norton.

Clearly, this was a carefully planned assassination.

But Swain reacted extremely quickly! He instantly used his ability to form a shield from seawater, protecting himself and Norton.

The shield shattered beneath Lucci's kick, but they weren't injured.

Seeing that the sneak attack had failed, Lucci also pulled away from Swain.

"Not bad!" Swain praised.

To be able to shatter his defensive shield, Lucci certainly had some ability!

Just not much!

"Very strong!" Lucci said solemnly.

He hadn't expected that even a sneak attack wouldn't be enough to kill his opponent. Their assassination had clearly been arranged too hastily.

They had attempted the assassination without even investigating Swain's strength properly.

It wasn't entirely their fault. Swain didn't even have a bounty poster at this point, and their target had been Norton.

They simply hadn't expected there to be someone even stronger.

But even without Swain, Norton alone could have easily crushed them!

Swain and Norton's strength was nothing like Luffy's when he had a hundred-million-berry bounty.

"Shigan!"

Lucci vanished from sight, then suddenly emerged from a door.

Blueno and Lucci were coordinating their attacks!

This method of appearing through a Fruit ability made it difficult for Observation Haki to predict their movements!

Others might truly have fallen into their hands, but their opponent was Swain, not some random nobody!

Swain used the same technique.

The difference was that he covered his fingers with Armament Haki: Ryuo.

When the two Shigan clashed, Lucci was sent flying by Swain's overwhelming force.

The change happened in an instant!

Norton also reacted.

"You think I'm just decoration?"

"Fire Ball!"

Norton flung his right hand toward Blueno. A man-sized fireball shot toward Blueno, who was still coordinating with Lucci to attack Swain.

Poor tool Blueno had genuinely forgotten that there was also a member of the Lunarian Tribe present. He was instantly sent flying by the fireball, and the upper half of his body was scorched.

When Kalle saw this, he used Soru's Teleportation to instantly appear beside Blueno.

"Rankyaku!" That finally dispersed the fireball and blocked Norton's attack.