Puff...
Gobert took a drag from his cigar, exhaling a leisurely puff of smoke a moment later.
Then, he suddenly said, "Actually, I think I've mostly guessed why those 'black dogs' needed us Marines to intervene!"
"Oh? Tell me!" Cross's expression brightened, and he quickly urged.
"Right after the Mariejois Attack Incident, Marine Headquarters ordered me to cooperate with those 'black dogs' in receiving a batch of goods on the Sabaody Archipelago, making sure the reception went smoothly!" Gobert took another drag from his cigar, exhaling slowly, and continued, "Then three days ago, Marine Headquarters informed me the mission was canceled. That's when I realized something was wrong with that batch of goods!"
"What kind of goods?" Cross asked, puzzled.
"I'm not too sure myself. I had someone at Headquarters try to inquire about it, but they couldn't find out what it was, but it doesn't matter." Gobert spread his hands, saying casually, "Anyway, it's supposedly something those 'black dogs' transported from the Future Country Baldimore on Karakuri Island. The local Marine branch even dispatched two warships as escort, but they were ambushed by pirates halfway, and all the goods were hijacked."
"The Future Country Baldimore… Vegapunk?!"
Cross mused for a few seconds, slowly uttering a name.
"You know Vegapunk too?"
Gobert was somewhat surprised, then mused to himself with annoyance, "Right, why didn't I think of that? In the Future Country Baldimore, for those 'black dogs' to value it so much, and for the Marines to send warships to escort it, it could only be something related to Vegapunk!"
"Hehe~ The Marine Headquarters' chief scientist, Dr. Vegapunk, hailed by the world as 'a mind 500 years ahead of humanity.' Of course, I know such an important figure!" Cross said with a smile.
Just then, Gobert's aide-de-camp, Jess, slowly entered the office, holding a silver tray on which sat two gilded white porcelain cups, filled with steaming black coffee, along with a sugar cube dispenser and a small pot of milk.
"Rear Admiral, Cross-san, please enjoy!"
He placed everything from the silver tray onto the coffee table, bowed respectfully, and then turned and exited.
"I know you like sweets, so add plenty of sugar cubes and try it!" Gobert said with a smile. "But I still prefer my black coffee pure!"
"Life is a sea of bitterness, so I dislike bitter things!" Cross, biting his cigar, reached for a cup of black coffee and placed it in front of him. He then added several sugar cubes and some milk, stirring gently with a small spoon.
"Bitter things leave a lasting impression… Oh, damn it, I was just inviting you to try coffee, not to discuss philosophy!" Gobert suddenly realized, exclaiming involuntarily.
"Life is always full of confusion. Hmm, the taste is indeed good!" After a teasing remark, Cross raised the black coffee, now sweetened and milky, and took a sip. The rich and mellow coffee flavor blended perfectly with the milk, and the sweetness from the sugar cubes made him praise the taste.
"Of course, those merchants wouldn't dare to fool me with inferior goods!" Gobert said proudly.
"Since the CP organization agents are involving us Marines, can we then assume the attackers are on the Sabaody Archipelago?" Cross smiled, returning to the previous topic.
"Possibly!" Gobert said, tasting his unsweetened black coffee with little interest. "Perhaps the pirate crew thought it was a blind spot, or maybe something else; it doesn't matter!"
Knock, knock, knock~
Suddenly, there was a knock on the office door.
"Come in!" Gobert looked up and called out.
Creak.
Then, the door was pushed open, and the young aide-de-camp walked in, saying in a deep voice, "Rear Admiral, CP organization personnel have arrived!"
No sooner had he spoken than two figures entered the office.
One wore a black horned helmet, had long pink hair, earrings, and was dressed in a black suit, leather shoes, and trousers, with black gloves on his hands. He was tall and slender, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, his gaze arrogantly sweeping over Gobert and Cross.
The other was lean, with a scar over his left eye, a pointy chin beard, and a long, braided pigtail tied behind his back. He wore a black jacket and had an untamed look about him.
"Welcome, welcome! Coffee?" Gobert lazily raised his gilded coffee cup, gesturing with it.
Cross silently observed the two men in front of him, feeling a sense of familiarity.
"No need for coffee, we're pressed for time. Let's get moving!" the man in the black horned helmet said impolitely.
"Exactly, exactly! The sooner we finish, the sooner I can go back and chase after Kalifa!" The other man stroked his pointy chin beard, seemingly lost in pleasant thoughts, almost chuckling aloud.
The man in the black horned helmet gave his companion a look of utter disdain after hearing his words.
"What's the rush? Shouldn't you two be giving me the details of this mission? Also, aren't you going to introduce yourselves?" Cross said, biting his cigar and exhaling a puff of smoke, his tone even.
"You must be Amphitrite Cross. I've heard of you, the brightest new star in the Marines!" The man in the black horned helmet looked at Cross, saying provocatively, "I'm Who's-Who, one of CP9's strongest agents! This guy is Jabra, but you don't need to remember him!"
"You bastard! I'll introduce myself just fine! And what do you mean, 'you don't need to remember me'? Are you looking to die?!" Jabra was furious, roaring at Who's-Who with bared teeth.
"What, are you provoking me?" Who's-Who said rudely.
"Bastard!" Jabra flared up, immediately stepping forward and glaring fiercely at Who's-Who.
"..." Gobert looked at the two bickering men, somewhat dumbfounded.
At this moment, after hearing the names 'Who's-Who' and 'Jabra,' Cross instantly recognized their identities.
The former was indeed one of the current strongest agents of CP9, claiming to be on par with the genius Rob Lucci, but in the future, due to a failed mission, he would be sent to the deep-sea prison Impel Down.
After escaping, he would leave CP9 to become a pirate, forming his own pirate crew, and later join the Beasts Pirates, rising to become one of the Tobiroppo.
The latter remained a CP9 member until over a decade later when the Straw Hat Pirates caused chaos at Enies Lobby. He was defeated by Sanji, and later, after the Marine's Buster Call fleet destroyed Enies Lobby, he escaped with the other CP9 members.
"CP9, huh… I met some of your CP9 members on Skoggy, the Sculpture City. One was named Elmo, and another Gadriel. Do you know them?" Cross asked with a smile.
"Oh~ You mean those two guys!"
Jabra turned his head, giving up on arguing with Who's-Who, and said, "Elmo and Gadriel are on other missions."
"Are you an idiot?! Why are you picking up that owl's bad habit, answering whatever people ask?!" Who's-Who shouted, exasperated.
"I want to, what's it to you? Besides, it's not a big deal, and it's not like it's classified information!" Jabra retorted, annoyed.
"Bastard, I'm going to kill you!" Who's-Who cursed furiously.
"Come on then, it's not certain who'll kill whom!" Jabra rolled up his sleeves, confronting Who's-Who without fear.
Cross: "..."
Gobert: "..."
Young aide-de-camp: "..."
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