CP9 is the World Government's direct secret intelligence agency.
Kaku didn't know who would pick up the phone when the Den Den Mushi dialed.
But he couldn't care about that anymore. He hadn't contacted Spandam for a long time, and given that man's personality, he was sure Spandam had already held a grudge. He needed to report his situation before things got worse.
It didn't matter who picked up; it would be someone on his side. He just needed them to transfer the call to Spandam.
As soon as this thought crossed his mind, Kaku dialed the number. Suddenly, there was a faint sound in the pitch-black jungle next to him.
As a professional assassin, Kaku's instincts and reactions were sharp. The moment he sensed the disturbance, he immediately hung up the call and hid the Den Den Mushi.
Then, a slender figure slowly emerged from the darkness of the jungle.
"Yo, isn't that one of Takumi's crewmates?" a lighthearted voice, laced with a hint of mockery, called out.
Kaku reflexively took half a step back when he saw who it was, his forehead breaking into a cold sweat.
It was Red-Haired Shanks!
Now things were really bad...
Kaku was frantically thinking of an explanation.
Shanks casually approached him, with a slight smile on his face, placing a hand on Kaku's shoulder, laughing as he said, "Am I really that scary? You seem pretty nervous, haha..."
"Uh, no... I..." Kaku's mind went blank the moment Shanks laid a hand on him.
One thought ran through his head: It's over...
"So, what was your name again?" Shanks asked with a playful smile.
Kaku knew there was no escaping now and reluctantly answered, "Kaku…"
"Oh, little Kaku, how old are you?" Shanks continued to ask.
"I'm eighteen…" Kaku responded, using his typical formal speech.
"Pfft… Your manner of speaking is pretty amusing, haha..." Shanks chuckled.
Kaku forced a dry laugh. "Heh, it's a habit..."
"You're an interesting guy," Shanks remarked. "So, what were you doing before you joined Takumi's ship?"
"I was a shipwright," Kaku answered.
"A shipwright, huh? Takumi isn't the type to bring freeloaders onto his ship, so you must be a pretty skilled one." Shanks laughed again, giving Kaku a light pat on the back. "And I see you carry two swords. You're a swordsman, huh? I heard from Enel that you're also the cook on the ship, haha, impressive for someone so young!"
Kaku gave a helpless smile. At this point, he just wanted to leave.
Then, a cold voice suddenly came from above the two of them: "You talk too much."
The voice chilled Kaku to the bone.
Shanks didn't seem surprised at all. He casually glanced up at the nearby tree, where a man stood on a branch, staring down at them with a cold expression. It was Mihawk, the "Hawk-Eyes." Shanks waved nonchalantly, still grinning, "Yo, you're here too, haha..."
Mihawk jumped down from the tree and ignored Shanks, walking straight towards Kaku. "You're bold to steal something."
Kaku's face froze, his mind spiraling into chaos.
It was bad enough to run into Shanks, but now Mihawk was here too…
Wait… how did they know about the Den Den Mushi?
No one saw him take it… did they?
Suddenly, Kaku remembered running into Yasopp outside the storage room.
Could it be that Yasopp saw him?
If that were the case, it would make sense that Shanks and Mihawk knew about it.
It looked like his cover was about to be blown…
Damn it. The mission had been going so smoothly, and now, at the last moment, he was about to be exposed. He couldn't accept it!
Though Mihawk was a Shichibukai, which meant he worked with the World Government, there was no guarantee he would help Kaku, especially since Mihawk and Shanks were known to be friends. And Kaku, as a mere CP9 agent, was hardly someone Mihawk would choose to help over Shanks.
In other words, even if Mihawk knew he was with the World Government, there was no chance he'd side with him over Shanks.
At this point, there was no use denying it…
Kaku's clenched fists were drenched in cold sweat.
The atmosphere grew tense, with only the sound of the wind rustling through the forest filling the silence.
"Wow, Mihawk, you're too harsh," Shanks finally broke the silence with a smile. "You're scaring poor little Kaku, haha! Let's talk this through."
Mihawk responded flatly, "Why are you here?"
Shanks shrugged, "I'm just here to confirm something."
Mihawk asked, "Have you confirmed it?"
Shanks nodded, "Yep, confirmed."
Mihawk, still expressionless, asked, "How do you plan to handle it?"
Shanks touched his chin, smiling, "Depends on the attitude. If it doesn't work out, we'll break his legs first."
Mihawk: "…"
Kaku: "?"
"Alright, little Kaku, I'll give you a choice," Shanks smiled mischievously at Kaku, his tone still casual. "One, leave Takumi's ship immediately and return what you've taken, and Mihawk and I will act like this never happened. Two, you die. So, what's your choice?"
Kaku was stunned.
Shanks… was going to let him go?
But Shanks had a good relationship with Takumi, right?
Since he had been exposed as a traitor, why not just capture him and hand him over to Takumi? Why give him a chance to leave?
Or maybe this choice was a trap.
No matter what he chose, the result would be death?
Kaku stared at Shanks' seemingly harmless smile, unable to figure out what he was really thinking.
Just then, the distinct sound of the Den Den Mushi rang out.
Kaku, who had been trying to remain calm, suddenly panicked.
"Oh dear, bad timing, huh?" Shanks said, reaching out his hand. "Hand it over."
Kaku took a deep breath, reluctantly pulling out the Den Den Mushi he had hidden and handed it over to Shanks.
Shanks took the Den Den Mushi, examined it briefly, and then tossed it to Mihawk. "I'll take care of this. You go get some rest, injured warrior."
Mihawk casually caught it and answered the call. An elderly voice came through, "Calling so late? What's the matter?"
"Nothing," Mihawk coldly replied, before hanging up the call. Then, without another word, he walked away with the Den Den Mushi.
Now, only Kaku and Shanks remained.
"So, what's your choice?" Shanks asked with a smile, repeating his earlier question.
Kaku sighed deeply, realizing that no matter what he did, the outcome would likely be the same. Resigned to his fate, he said with a determined look, "Kill me."
CP9 missions came first. Once assigned, they had to succeed at any cost.
If a mission failed, even if he didn't die, he would face severe punishment back at headquarters.
And given how long he had gone without contacting Spandam, failure would mean certain death.
In the end, whether he returned alive or not, he was as good as dead.
If he was going to die anyway, dying in the line of duty seemed more meaningful.
"Oh? You really want to die?" Shanks looked at him with surprise, his smile still in place. "Didn't expect you to be so loyal to your organization."
Kaku shrugged. "My life belongs to the World Government. Ever since I was young, I've been prepared to die for them. If I failed the mission, death is what I deserve. Dying at the hands of a Yonko is an honor for someone like me."
************
Please support me on Ko-fi at ko-fi. com/gered to read up to chapter 310!