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Although Reisun hadn't interacted much with Byakuya, they briefly worked together.
From Byakuya's words, Reisun could sense a hidden murderous intent.
Most Marines might fear the Cypher Pol, but Byakuya certainly didn't.
After all, he was powerful in his own right, had a Fleet Admiral as an uncle, a former Marine Admiral as a mentor, and a background that few could challenge.
Even if he were to act out of line, he'd receive a verbal reprimand at most without serious consequences.
Hurriedly, Reisun denied any association: "This is Theodore, the leader of CP8."
"We're only here together to investigate matters in Water 7; he's not one of my subordinates."
At this point, Reisun was terrified that Byakuya might associate him with Theodore.
If a fight broke out and Byakuya decided to cut them both down, Reisun would die the most unjust death. However, Theodore needed to grasp the meaning behind Reisun's words.
He mistakenly thought Reisun was downplaying their connection to emphasize his importance to Byakuya.
As a seasoned bureaucrat, Theodore knew it was his turn to show his loyalty.
He bowed respectfully to Reisun and smiled, "Lord Reisun, you needn't be so modest. Even without this joint investigation, I, Theodore, would still be at your service."
Byakuya twirled his sword, Kazemune, which let out a crisp, resonant sound. He smiled and said, "Oh? So, it seems he really is your subordinate, after all?"
The sound of the sword made Reisun tremble internally. As he looked at the smiling Theodore in front of him, he wished he could strangle him on the spot.
You got yourself into trouble, and now you're dragging me into it, too? Do you want me dead or something?
Byakuya, seeing the blood-soaked Reisun, spoke calmly, "An arm or a leg—will you do it, or should I?"
Still clueless, Theodore asked, "Isn't just an arm or a leg too lenient for him?"
It was clear that Theodore thought the Marine Vice Admiral was talking about someone else's fate.
Reisun now fully realized just how disastrous this "teammate" was.
Reisun would have gladly handed Theodore over to Byakuya if it weren't for his current mission.
After a moment of silence, Reisun hesitated, "His father is a high-ranking official in the government..."
Byakuya replied, "That's why I'm only asking for an arm or a leg, not his life."
It was only then that Theodore, belatedly, realized they were talking about him.
As he listened to the two discuss which limbs would be sacrificed, Theodore felt his entire body go weak, his previous arrogance completely gone.
Even Reisun, whom he looked up to, seemed powerless to protect him from this Marine Vice Admiral.
Theodore looked pitifully at Reisun, but Reisun wouldn't even meet his gaze. Left with no other option, Theodore turned to Byakuya.
Instead of begging for mercy, he tried to leverage his father's position, threatening Byakuya, "My father works directly under the Celestial Dragons."
"If you lay a hand on me, he'll report this to the Celestial Dragons, and you won't escape the consequences."
Byakuya responded coldly, "Is being a dog for the Celestial Dragons something to be proud of?"
"I'm curious to see what fate awaits me if that happens. Besides, I've changed my mind. I've noticed that your mouth isn't just dirty—it's disgusting."
"So, in addition to an arm or a leg, I think I'll take your tongue too."
As he finished speaking, Byakuya's face twisted into a bloodthirsty smile as he stared intently at Theodore. "I'll count to three."
Before Byakuya could finish saying "one," Reisun swiftly pulled out a small Sword and slashed Theodore's left arm.
He then grabbed Theodore's face and, with the knife, cut off half an inch of his tongue.
Blood filled Theodore's mouth, and he passed out from the pain before he could even scream.
With blood still dripping from the knife, Reisun, his expression unreadable behind his mask, asked, "Marine Vice Admiral Byakuya, is this enough for you?"
But anyone could tell that this high-ranking official from the World Government was in a foul mood.
Byakuya glanced at Reisun, coldly ordered, "Get lost!"
Reisun said nothing and hurriedly carried the unconscious Theodore away.
Watching the scene from the sidelines, Lucci, Kaku, Iceburg, and Franky finally understood how arrogant Byakuya could be.
A few days ago, he had shown no respect for Fleet Admiral Sengoku.
Now, he was even more defiant toward the World Government's intelligence agency, which operated under the Celestial Dragons.
Byakuya's tough stance had forced them to harm one of their own.
Byakuya stood aboard the Byakuya and watched as Reisun and his men departed, his eyes filled with contemplation.
Today, he had thoroughly offended Reisun.
Even though Reisun might still be wary of his strength, his position within the World Government made it relatively easy for him to devise a way to deal with Byakuya.
This could lead to unexpected troubles for Byakuya in the future. And he wasn't one to leave a known enemy waiting for an opportunity to strike.
Moreover, Theodore's foul mouth only made Byakuya despise him even more.
Cutting off just an arm and his tongue didn't seem like a sufficient punishment to leave a lasting impression.
Byakuya thought it might be time to take further action... That night, Byakuya visited Lucci at his residence.
"Lord Byakuya," Lucci greeted him, unsurprised by the sudden visit. Byakuya said, "Reisun has control over your Vivre Cards, doesn't he?"
Lucci nodded, "Yes, it's part of the standard procedure when we join the intelligence agency. It allows them to keep better control over us."
"Well, that should make our plan easier to execute," Byakuya said. They discussed the details of their plan, and once it was settled, Byakuya left Lucci's place.
The next day, Byakuya bid farewell to Iceburg and Franky and boarded the Byakuya with some Marine soldiers, preparing to return to Marine Headquarters.
However, Quake, Tashigi, and Ain took a separate Marine ship for their return journey.
Byakuya's reasoning was quite sound—he claimed that Quake's strength alone wasn't sufficient to ensure a safe journey back, so he assigned Ain and Tashigi to accompany him.
During Byakuya's time in Water 7, Ain and Tashigi had captured quite a few pirates.
The names of these two skilled Marine swordswomen had spread throughout the nearby regions, boosting their confidence significantly.
When they heard about Quake's lack of strength, they eagerly volunteered to join the mission, promising to ensure a safe return to Marine Headquarters.
Having been scorned by Byakuya and the two women, Quake felt utterly dejected, nearly to the point of sulking in a corner.
Two pairs of eyes watched from a distant high-rise window as the Byakuya and the Marine ship set off from Dock One.
One gaze was filled with gloom, the other with hatred. The first belonged to Reisun, the latter to Theodore.
Theodore's left arm, which hadn't been damaged, had been stitched up the previous night, and with some time to heal, it would regain most of its function.
However, his tongue was beyond repair, rendering him mute for life—unless he could find a Devil Fruit with special abilities to reattach it.
Filled with rage, Theodore wrote on a piece of paper, "I will have my revenge!"
But Reisun shook his head and said, "For now, we need to focus on finding CP9. As for Byakuya, there will certainly be an opportunity to make him suffer in the future."
"We need to make him understand that the true rulers of this world are the Celestial Dragons."
"The Marines are just their dogs, and even they hold a lower status than we do!"
Byakuya had humiliated Reisun in front of many people, making it impossible for him to save face.
If Reisun hadn't acted ruthlessly against Theodore, Byakuya might have gone after both of them.
This situation gave Reisun, who always considered himself to be in a superior position, a strong sense of crisis.
If someone like Byakuya were to rise to a high position in the Marines, would the Marines still be the Marines of the World Government?
Just thinking about it made the prospect seem terrifying.
Once this matter was resolved, Reisun decided to investigate Byakuya thoroughly. He planned to start with Byakuya's actions in the East Blue.
Zero Three would use it to his advantage if he could find even the slightest flaw in Byakuya.
Even if Byakuya ended up killing him, it would still cause significant trouble for him. After all, his status was quite different from that of a subordinate like Theodore.
However, Reisun wasn't focusing too much on Byakuya.
Instead, he pulled out seven torn Vivre Cards from his pocket, belonging to Lucci, Kaku, Kalifa, Blueno, Jabra, Kumadori, and Fukurou.
Reisun stared at the Vivre Cards laid out on the table, murmuring to himself,
"With CP9's leader Spandam missing and these seven members out of contact, we can't confirm if they've betrayed us."
"But if we can use the Vivre Cards to locate them, it might prove that they're not connected to Spandam's disappearance."
If the investigation confirms that they aren't involved, they can continue their undercover operations under a new commanding officer.
However, if they can't be found, the World Government will be notified, and a bounty will be issued for all seven of them.
By observing the movement of the Vivre Cards, Reisun could tell that the seven had not discarded them, which suggested they hadn't betrayed the World Government.
This discovery eased some of Reisun's concerns.
Perhaps he could locate them and inquire whether they had any information regarding Spandam's disappearance.
He might even find some valuable clues from them. Similar to CP9, Theodore's CP8 also consisted of seven members.
Reisun initially planned to have each member of CP8 carry a Vivre Card to track down CP9 and gather them for questioning.
However, CP9's Vivre Cards suddenly pointed in the same direction, and their attraction grew weaker.
This could only mean one thing: all seven members of CP9 were moving together towards the same location, and they were getting farther away from Reisun and his team.
This realization heightened Reisun's unease, as it suggested that CP9 might not be as trustworthy as he had previously thought.
Still, since they hadn't discarded their Vivre Cards, Reisun, responsible for this mission, knew he had no choice but to follow this only lead.
After all, it was a mandatory task issued by the World Government, and Zero Three had no other option.
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