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...
Outside the Sea-Prism Stone cage, a door suddenly opened in the air.
Lucci, carrying the unconscious Kaku, stumbled out with Kalifa, both looking worse for wear.
Almost as soon as they emerged, the door behind them dissolved and disappeared.
Lucci, seething with rage, glared back at the cage and shouted, "Blueno! Come out!"
Kalifa, supporting Kaku, fought to hold back the tears welling up in her eyes.
There was no sound from within the Sea-Prism Stone cage, but Lucci's anxiety only grew.
He felt as if... Blueno was dead.
The members of CP9 had been chosen by the government from a young age, subjected to brutal trials.
Even though government agents weren't supposed to have emotions, growing up in such an environment, becoming stronger together, sparring, relying on each other, how could there not be some emotion?
Lucci had always believed himself to be cold-blooded.
But now, with a comrade and friend dying right in front of him, he couldn't suppress the sadness welling up in his heart.
Lucci stood there in a daze for a long time before his expression finally changed.
His once stern face became even colder, his black eyes vacant, like those of a numb madman.
"Let's go..."
Kalifa said nothing, and together, they managed to carry Kaku away.
In Lucci's heart now, there was only one thought: to become stronger! To kill Noir! To kill all of his comrades!!
After they had gone far enough, the walls of the Sea-Prism Stone cage finally crashed to the ground, and Noir emerged.
With his arms crossed, Wyper asked in confusion, "Why did you let them go on purpose?"
Enel rolled his shoulders, angrily saying, "Yeah! I wanted to settle the score with them!"
Noir replied meaningfully, "Don't worry. There will be another chance to meet them."
As he spoke, Noir glanced down at Blueno, who lay at his feet, his fate uncertain.
Surprisingly, although Blueno aura was weak, he was still alive!
Having gone through such a defeat, how much longer would Rob Lucci be able to remain in CP9?
Noir thought to himself.
Blueno had indeed sustained what should have been fatal injuries, but Noir had used his healing abilities to bring him back.
There was no other reason; it was just that when Noir saw Blueno sacrificing himself to save his comrades, he suddenly thought that these people might be useful to him.
Especially given Lucci's performance just now; Noir was quite impressed.
After experiencing such a failure, the government would not tolerate Lucci for long.
By saving Blueno now, Noir figured that when Lucci was eventually cast out or fled on his own, there would still be an opportunity to meet again.
Enel, following Noir's orders, hoisted Blueno up and asked, "Are we still going to find Franky?"
"Of course, we haven't met him yet," Noir affirmed.
Wyper scratched his head in confusion and asked, "Who is this Franky, anyway? Why are we so set on meeting him?"
Noir was about to explain when they suddenly heard a commotion from up the street.
"Franky's here!"
"Everyone, run!"
"Ahh, Pervert!!"
What?!
Noir's eyes lit up. Just as they say, things sometimes just fall into place!
Noir hurriedly pushed through the crowd, making his way toward a small gang coming down the street.
The gang members were dressed in matching baggy black outfits, looking ridiculous, almost like clowns.
And the leader? Even more eye-catching.
He had a slicked-back hairstyle, was wearing an open floral shirt, and most notably, was only wearing a small pair of briefs below.
It's no wonder anime characters are so recognizable, who could mistake Franky's unique look?
Delighted, Noir pushed past the lackeys and quickly walked up to Franky, grabbing his hand and saying, "Brother, I've been looking for you all day!"
Franky looked at Noir with a puzzled expression and asked, "Who are you?!"
"I'm a friend of Mayor Iceburg," Noir lied without batting an eye. "He recommended I come to you. I heard you sell underwear. What's the price?"
Franky's face darkened as he shouted, "This is fashion!"
Noir looked at him thoughtfully and said, "Could it be... you're a pervert?"
Rather than getting angry, Franky burst into a hearty laugh, waving his hand dismissively and saying, "Not at all... hahaha!"
"Achievement unlocked: Successfully befriending an important character. Reward: Universal Talent Copy Card 1, Modified Iron Man Armor Full Series Blueprints 1 set."
Done! That was easy!
Noir chuckled inwardly. The system's reward criteria were simple: as long as an important character developed a certain level of goodwill toward you, it counted as a success.
Come to think of it, Enel hadn't triggered any befriending rewards yet. Does that guy hate me that much?
Franky clapped his large, mechanical hand on Noir's shoulder and said, "It's rare to meet someone with such good taste. We must chat more!"
"Actually, I'm heading to the black market. I heard there's some good stuff there. Want to come along?"
"Sure, sounds fun!"
As Noir and Franky walked off together, arm in arm, Wyper and Enel were left baffled in the wind.
Is friendship among ordinary people really this easy to form? Enel was beginning to feel enlightened.
While walking with Franky, Noir sneakily glanced at the blueprints in his system.
The Iron Man Armor blueprints were indeed from the Marvel universe, but the functions and components had been modified to fit this world.
For Noir himself, though, the Iron Man armor seemed rather pointless; his own power was already strong enough.
This kind of high-tech armor would just slow him down.
It seemed like another reward meant for subordinates...
Noir couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed. First, he got an empty island, and now armor. The system really seemed to be pushing him to build a crew or a force of some kind.
But he hadn't even reached the New World yet. What's the rush?
Franky led the group to the jet-powered sea train built by his master, Tom.
"The black market is on the next island over. We'll need to take the train there," Franky explained.
Noir nodded, taking in the scenery outside the window.
Who would have thought he'd be riding a train here? The bumpy ride made Noir feel like he'd crossed into another world.
Enel and Wyper, curious as ever, pressed their faces against the window, their backsides sticking out, like two curious kids.
Noir, meanwhile, chatted with Franky, asking about the black market.
Franky enthusiastically explained:
"This time, the black market has a lot of good stuff. And because of one particular treasure, a lot of big names have come to bid!"
"A treasure? What kind of treasure?"
Noir asked with curiosity. Franky smiled mysteriously and said, "A Devil Fruit."
Noir's interest was piqued. "Could it be a Logia-type Devil Fruit?"
Franky shook his head. "No, it's a Zoan-type."
Noir was about to feel disappointed when Franky's next words reignited his excitement.
"I heard that this Zoan-type Devil Fruit is one of the incredibly rare Ancient Zoan types!"
...
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