"Now, I acknowledge your strength."
"You really are an exceptional talent."
"At four years old, you blocked my probing strike head-on. On that alone, I recognize you as my partner for this rescue operation."
Rob Lucci's gaze grew more solemn as he looked at Kai. In that instant, any irritation he had about Kai's age vanished.
By now, Lucci felt he had a rough measure of the boy in front of him: undeniably strong—but, in his mind, probably still beneath himself. As a collaborator for this mission, though? Acceptable.
Their first exchange ended even.
Lucci hadn't pressed Kai down—and Kai hadn't pressed Lucci down either.
(Of course, in Kai's case, it was because he chose not to. For Lucci, it was because he couldn't.)
"Alright," Kai said with a light smile. "Test phase is over. You hit me, I hit you—call it even. Next, we get serious and discuss the rescue plan. Unless," his eyes curved, "you still want to keep going and decide a winner."
He forced the simmering, violent impulse in his chest to settle. That surge did rise up from time to time, but he could leash it with ease—he refused to be ruled by emotion and become a mindless beast.
"My offense just now," Lucci said, dropping the matter. He had no intention of continuing. "The priority is the rescue—Rosseid's captured nobles and the king's five hundred royal guards. That is what matters."
"Before I arrived, you should've already prepared an action plan, right?" Kai asked, looking over.
For a CP operative, brute force wasn't enough—keen observation, clean logic, fast adaptation were essential. For a fiddly rescue op like this, Kai had no desire to over-engineer it himself. That part? He was happy to leave to the so-called CP prodigy, Rob Lucci.
"Plan?" Lucci's tone was flat. "I don't need a plan to deal with pirates. No sense in overcomplicating something so simple."
Kai shot him a strange look. For a "genius" spy… the kid was kind of reckless.
But honestly? Perfect.
"Then we go straight for the head," Kai said, eyes brightening. "Direct strike on their base, smash the lot, and pull the nobles and soldiers out in one sweep. That's the simplest path. You already pinned their location, yeah?"
Lucci nodded. "Before we move, we see the Rosseid king. Inform him we will commence immediately—and have all local forces withdraw. No interference with our operation. That reduces friendly-fire risk and keeps the field clean."
"Exactly what I wanted," Kai said, satisfied. Clear the board of obstacles; the rest, they would handle.
"I'm starting to think more highly of you," he added, giving Lucci a long look. "Strength… a bit light—but you are a 'get-things-done' type."
"Consider staying in the rear," Lucci said after a beat. "Once we clash head-on with the pirates… I can't guarantee I'll kill them all. Nor can I guarantee a clean exit. And I especially can't guarantee your safety."
"Stay back?" Kai chuckled. "No need. I'm representing the Marines on this op. Hiding behind the lines would be a disgrace to Headquarters."
He hadn't formally enlisted yet, but that was already a foregone conclusion. He would not tarnish the Marines' face.
"Fine," Lucci said. "On your courage alone—if you falter, I'll do my best to get you out. If something… unforeseen happens, then you're on your own."
"Relax," Kai waved. "If anyone dies, it won't be me."
Lucci ignored the jab. Inwardly, he'd already judged it: The kid's not weak, just big-mouthed. Let's hope he doesn't wet himself once the real killing starts. Otherwise he becomes dead weight.
"Move," he said. "Audience at the palace. We inform the king and have his men cleared from the field. During our operation, Rosseid's troops must not interfere. That's my only hard demand."
"No objections," Kai said. Simple, fast, and the most efficient way to keep control—exactly his style.
The two left the secret room beneath Uncle Kaich's Tavern and stepped into Rosseid's bright, bustling streets, heading for the royal quarter to formalize the pullback.
At the same time, moments after Kai and Lucci departed, the tavern door creaked open again.
Two men entered—tall and whiplike, nearly two to three meters each, dressed head-to-toe in pure white, faces hidden behind white animal masks. A glacial pressure rolled off them as soon as they crossed the threshold, smothering the room into silence. No one spoke. No one approached.
Their uniforms were too distinctive. Their presence, too cold.
They did not look left or right. The pair strode straight to the counter with an even, unhurried cadence, boots ticking like a metronome.
When the barkeep finally got a clear look, his eyes bulged. Color drained from his face. His voice trembled despite himself.
"Y-You're… CP0?!"
He was right.
Cipher Pol Aigis Zero—the World Government's most secret hand, the Celestial Dragons' personal enforcers.
Membership was invitation only, earned after brutal, relentless selection. Every operative was a blade honed to a killing edge. In strength, in reach, in terror—the name alone made most men blanch.
On paper, CP0 was "another arm" of the Government. In practice, they were the dogs of the Celestial Dragons—shields, spies, executioners, and everything in between.
A thousand epithets followed them across the sea, but one truth remained:
CP0 was feared.
They were the largest shadow-network in the world, famed as inescapable—their threads were spun through every corner of the seas.
They seemed to know everything. To reach everywhere.
Silent.
Powerful.
Terrifying.
That was CP0's reputation—the common understanding held by anyone who'd ever heard the name.
To be continued…
With royal clearance their first stop, Kai and Lucci move—unaware that CP0 has already entered the tavern, and the board just got crowded.
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