Lucci quickly assigned tasks. As the strongest member of CP9, he was also the de facto leader of the team, and his orders were far more effective than Spandam’s.
His strength was undeniable, and the other members were willing to follow his arrangements. As for Spandam, if it weren’t for his fortunate birth, he would never have had the chance to join a secret agency in this lifetime, let alone become the leader of CP9.
Under Lucci’s arrangement, Kaku began a feint attack, while Blueno opened an Air Door and slipped into the Door Space, waiting for an opportunity to strike.
There was nothing wrong with this arrangement. Faced with an unknown giant beast and someone who seemed capable of controlling it, the logical strategy was to take out the controller first. However, Lucci had underestimated the enemy’s strength.
If not for the need to rescue someone, Tiger had plenty of other ways to handle this situation.
“To be honest, I don’t really want to fight you guys. There is just someone I must take away. How about you leave on your own?”
“This is the Sea Train transporting prisoners under the jurisdiction of the World Government. Your actions are a provocation against the World Government and a disruption of the world’s order. The one who should surrender is you.”
“Looks like negotiations have broken down.”
Immediately after, Tiger threw a punch into thin air beneath Feraligatr. At the same time, Blueno had just opened an Air Door at that exact spot.
As the user of the Door-Door Fruit, Blueno could open doors anywhere. When he opened a door in midair, a unique dimension would appear behind it, allowing him to hide.
Whether for ambushes or quick escapes, this ability was incredibly useful. Lucci and Kaku had engaged Tiger in conversation earlier precisely to create a better opening for Blueno.
However, Tiger had already sensed Blueno’s attack with his Observation Haki.
This wasn’t Future Sight—across the vast sea, those who could use Observation Haki to foresee the future were extremely rare. But at its core, Observation Haki was all about predicting the opponent’s next attack.
Regular Observation Haki could technically be considered a foreseeing the future, though it was neither as detailed nor as long-lasting as Future Sight.
“A space-type ability, huh? That’s going to be troublesome.”
Blueno’s ability made Tiger wary, and he immediately marked him as a priority target.
To avoid exposing his true identity, Tiger had completed his transformation in a place where no one was watching before the battle began, directly entering his Hero Form.
Simply yielding wouldn’t change the situation—this was something Tiger had understood long ago. He had given the enemy a chance earlier, but no one had chosen to leave.
Therefore, when he attacked, he did not hold back.
Blueno, who had just exited the Air Door, originally intended to keep Feraligatr busy, but Tiger had already sensed his movements.
At this moment, the long-range offensive techniques of Fish-Man Karate came into play. Blueno felt as if his chest had been struck by a massive hammer, and blood immediately gushed from the corners of his mouth.
He tried to open a door behind himself to temporarily retreat from the battlefield, but Feraligatr didn’t give him the chance. Before the Air Door could even open, Feraligatr’s claws were already swinging toward him.
“Tekkai • Go!”
Tiger’s previous attack had left Blueno barely able to move. Since he couldn’t use his Devil Fruit ability in time, he had no choice but to rely on Tekkai to endure the attack. Whether or not Tekkai could withstand it was uncertain, but without it, he definitely wouldn’t stand a chance.
Even after gathering all his strength, he still seemed insignificant in the face of Feraligatr’s attack. The sharp claws tore through his hardened body, exposing stark white bones beneath the wounds. The only reason he wasn’t ripped into several pieces was thanks to his Tekkai.
Currently, CP9’s power could be temporarily evaluated using Power Level. A Marine soldier wielding a weapon has a Power Level of 10, while Kumadori the Lion has a Power Level of 810.
In the original timeline’s Enies Lobby battle, Chopper, after consuming three Rumble Balls and entering his Monster Point form, had knocked out Kumadori with a single strike. Blueno’s strength was roughly on par with Kumadori’s, placing his Power Level at 820.
However, the giant Feraligatr was far stronger than the unconscious, monster-transformed Chopper.
Blueno was sent flying like a cannonball, smashing through several train carriages in succession before finally coming to a stop.
“Blueno!”
Seeing Blueno being blown away, Kaku anxiously called out his name, but he didn’t go to check on his condition—the battle wasn’t over yet. If they didn’t deal with these opponents first, it would only lead to greater troubles.
Lucci didn’t say a word, but his brows were tightly furrowed. His body swelled as he transformed into his Leopard Human form.
“Uncle Tom, you and Feraligatr go rescue your disciple. Hachi and the others will assist you from underwater. Leave this place to me.”
“Aqua Laguna will be coming soon—we need to get everyone out before the tsunami hits.”
Tiger paid no mind to Blueno, who had been sent flying. If Feraligatr couldn’t even handle someone like that, its “big brother and sister” would definitely look down on it.
Hearing Tiger’s command, Feraligatr intended to continue searching the train carriages with Tom. However, Kaku had not given up on resisting and was still carrying out the mission Lucci had assigned him—trying to keep Feraligatr busy.
“Hey, square-nose boy, I’d advise you not to interfere. Otherwise, things might get ugly—people could die.”
Tiger crushed Kaku’s Rankyaku with his hand, and at the same time, he swung his fist toward Kaku’s neck. Seeing that Tiger had already taken action, Feraligatr paid Kaku no mind, fully entrusting its back to Tiger as it swam toward the rear carriages.
At this moment, Lucci’s figure also vanished from where he stood.
“Rokushiki Secret Technique • Rokuogan!”
Without any unnecessary probing, Lucci immediately unleashed his strongest technique. This was a technique he had mastered after perfecting Rokushiki and pushing every aspect of it to its limit.
It was also his most powerful attack. Tiger’s strength made Lucci feel a sense of crisis—his instincts told him he couldn’t afford to give this enemy any openings.
Using a combination of Soru and Geppo, Lucci closed in on Tiger’s side. Both his fists clenched tightly, and he gathered all his strength between them, launching a devastating shock wave directly at Tiger.
Boom!
A puff of white smoke rose from Tiger’s body as Lucci’s Rokuogan hit its mark. However, a layer of pitch-black Haki completely shielded Tiger, rendering the force of Lucci’s Rokuogan utterly ineffective.
“That stung a little. Not bad. But showing off like this as a Devil Fruit User in the middle of the sea? That’s not exactly a wise move.”
Rokuogan carried immense penetrating power, but pain came in different levels—after all, even a mosquito bite could technically be called “painful.” While it wasn’t that exaggerated, Lucci’s Rokuogan didn’t cause any effective damage either.
Moments later, several rings of water began forming around Tiger’s arms. As the rings started to spin, the seawater below reacted as if guided by an invisible force, gathering toward his arms.
“Fish-Man Karate • Aqua Ring Fist!”
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