Igaram said indignantly, "Are you here to laugh at us? We all work for the same company. Why take pleasure in our misfortune?"
Mr. Eight struggled to his feet. "Exactly. With your help, those people would be no trouble at all."
Wednesday stopped playing dead and pleaded, "Please, hurry and take care of that swordsman."
"Don't bore me with jokes."
Mr. 5 looked thoroughly disdainful. "You want us to help you? Do you think we came all the way to this godforsaken place over something so trivial?"
Old Nine was stunned. A low-ranking officer like him had no access to the higher-ups' secrets.
Igaram and Wednesday exchanged a glance. They shared the same fear: their cover was about to be blown.
Mr. 5 wanted to toy with his targets a little longer. "Don't you have any idea? What sort of crime would make the boss send us out personally?"
He went on, "Our company's motto is 'mystery.' No one is allowed to investigate anyone else's background, let alone the boss's true identity."
Miss Valentine finally cut in with an exaggerated laugh. "But the boss told us someone had learned his secret. So we investigated and discovered that important figures from a certain kingdom had infiltrated our company and were carrying out some dangerous scheme."
Mr. 5 suddenly pointed at Rubick and the others. "Since you know the secret too, we might as well get rid of you all."
Tears streamed down Nami's face. "Hey! You're the ones who insisted on telling us!"
Worry crossed Igaram's face, but it quickly hardened into resolve. He swung his guns toward Mr. 5 and fired a barrage of bullets.
"Bunch of Spikes!"
Boom!
Mr. 5 stood still and let the shots hit him. A deafening explosion sent smoke billowing everywhere. Miss Valentine, who had