Mock Town

"This is an S-class secret."

"If I tell you, you could face unimaginable danger."

He paused, then spoke with a serious look in his eyes.

"Are you sure you still want me to tell you?"

The answer was, of course, yes. Everyone present had been deeply shaken by that man, some even left traumatized. How pathetic would it be if they did not even know who he was?

"His name is River. He is the former Marine Admiral, Daytime Tiger!"

"Now that you know who he is..."

"Remember that name!"

"As for his offer to recruit us..."

Rob Lucci drew a small breath, his gaze shifting.

"We are still CP agents of the World Government."

"Please don't entertain any other ideas."

But it was hard to say how much effect his words would have.

A flicker passed through the eyes of Kalifa, Jabra, and the others.

Submitting to the strong was almost instinctive, especially within an organization as pragmatic and brutal as CP. The strong devoured the weak, and only by serving someone stronger could they survive more safely.

Moreover, this powerful man had already shown them goodwill!

Even Rob Lucci fell silent, thinking over what that man had said.

He weighed his options and made his own assessments.

"Strength and a future?"

After a long while, he looked up at the shimmering sea ahead and murmured those words.

Although the World Government trained them, taught them the Six Powers, and put them through all kinds of brutal training, it would surely keep its more powerful techniques hidden.

At their rank, they had no access to such things. And whenever something happened, the CP9 team was no different from cannon fodder, just as they had been this time.

In other words, to those higher up, they were nothing more than tools to be used, sacrificed, and discarded at any moment.

"The former Marine Admiral, Daytime Tiger!"

His eyes flickered as Rob Lucci sank into thought.

"What exactly are you after?"

It was not an easy decision to make. As he had said, at the very least, they were still members of CP9 for now.

Until he learned more about River, Rob Lucci had no intention of accepting his offer lightly.

It would be an enormous risk, both for him and for the CP9 team.

He could vaguely sense that enormous secrets and dangers lay between that man and the World Government.

"We'll meet again!"

Rob Lucci spoke softly, then closed his eyes.

That single, simple punch had left him badly injured, a testament to the man's terrifying power.

His Taijutsu, his strength, and the way his wounds healed rapidly, no matter how he was attacked or how badly he was hurt.

A man like that was simply a monster who could not be killed.

"He will definitely shock the entire world someday."

The seawater rippled gently as the lone boat drifted into the distance.

Time passed, and life at sea was dull and monotonous.

Fortunately, River's group gradually grew. With Foxy and his crew around, things became livelier.

As they spent more time together, Foxy and his men realized that their new boss was not some vicious, ruthless brute.

On the contrary, he was easy to get along with, gentle in manner, and free of any overbearing airs. He often told them all sorts of stories they had never heard before.

"What? Boss, you're saying Sky Island really exists?"

"How could an island float ten thousand meters in the air? That's incredible!"

"I really want to see it! Will there be beautiful angels with wings?"

"There are giant elephants roaming the New World? And one carries an island on its back!"

"Wow, Boss River, you know so much!"

Foxy's pirates bounced around excitedly, crowding around River over the past few days and constantly begging him to tell stories.

Once the two sides grew familiar with each other, the distance between them disappeared, and they became close. Their conversations quickly strengthened those bonds.

"Heh, I'll take you all to see those places someday!"

"Next, we'll soon get to experience the wonders of Sky Island!"

"As it happens, I have something to do there as well."

River spoke with a light chuckle.

He preferred this relaxed mood to a solemn, serious atmosphere aboard the ship.

"Wow, Sky Island!"

"Can we really go there? It's ten thousand meters up in the sky!"

"Angels, white islands... will there be heaven? Will there be gods?"

Everyone grew excited. They did not think River was boasting. Someone so powerful would surely not spout nonsense.

Of course, had such unbelievable claims come from anyone else, they would have scoffed and mocked that person without restraint.

"Sky Island?"

Wearing his Ghostface Mask, Crocodile stood quietly at the helm, his eyes lighting up.

In the blink of an eye, seven days had passed.

"Boss, our ship will reach Mock Town soon!"

Foxy held a spyglass, looking out at the sea ahead as he spoke happily.

They had finally reached their destination and could replenish the ship's supplies. More importantly, Boss River had said they could reach Sky Island from here.

That was undoubtedly something to get excited about.

"Really? That's wonderful news."

Hearing this, River put down the bounty poster in his hand and spoke with a smile from his beach chair.

Standing beside him, Crocodile saw Straw Hat on the bounty poster, and his pupils constricted.

"Monkey D. Luffy."

"A bounty of one hundred million Beli."

Clearly, that brat's bounty had risen this high precisely because he had defeated him.

"Judging by the sailing time, there's a good chance we'll run into that brat on this island."

Crocodile's eyes flickered, and he took a deep breath.

Marine warships were specially built, and they knew the route through this first half well, so they traveled much faster than rookies.

If he had the chance, he naturally wanted to wipe away this humiliation. A distinguished member of the Shichibukai, defeated by a brat who had only just set out.

He could not tolerate that fact.

Two hours later, the ship slowly docked at Mock Town's harbor.

Foxy and the others shouted excitedly, leaping off the ship and running farther into the island.

River and Crocodile were the last to disembark. Hamburg, who had been injured earlier, stayed aboard with the other crew members to guard the ship.

Ahead lay bustling streets, filled with vendors' cries, curses, and all manner of noise, while a constant stream of people of every description passed by.

"What a lively little town!"

River smiled.

"This island has the largest concentration of pirates in the first half. You'll find every kind of scoundrel here."

"Of course, it's also the place with the most trouble."

Crocodile spoke in a low voice.

Brawls and murders in broad daylight were utterly commonplace here.

The two soon entered the town. In a place where pirates gathered, taverns were naturally the most numerous establishments, and the heavy smell of strong liquor hung almost everywhere.

River scanned his surroundings with a smile.

"So, where can we find a lead on that fellow Doflamingo?"