The footsteps outside the Marine Branch office were calm and steady.
No rushing.
No hesitation.
Each step landed with purpose.
Inside the room, no one moved to greet them. The group remained where they were, waiting. The air felt quiet, but not relaxed. Everyone understood what this mont ant. The exchange had arrived.
The door opened.
Three figures entered.
All wore white suits and masks marked with simple patterns. Their presence alone carried authority. CP0, the direct agents of the World Governnt and loyal servants of the World Nobles.
The one in front stepped forward first.
The mont he crossed the doorway, his Observation Haki expanded naturally, almost by instinct. Years of training made it automatic. Before words were spoken, before negotiations began, he analyzed every person inside the room.
He did not know their nas.
To him, they were only perpetrators.
The ones responsible for humiliating the World Governnt and capturing a Celestial Dragon.
His gaze moved slowly from one individual to another.
His attention first landed on the smallest figure.
A child.
Physically weak. That much was obvious imdiately. Observation Haki confird it, her body held little physical strength.
But sothing felt wrong, there was danger there, not strength or pressure, but sothing sharper, like a hidden weapon waiting to activate.
He was right. Mindy, who was now living with Tony, had also been given several gadgets by him. She carried advanced weapons and equipnt capable of causing serious destruction, though their use was limited. Tony had placed safeguards on them, either he had to activate them himself, or specific conditions had to be t before they could be used.
The CP0 leader narrowed his eyes slightly behind the mask.
Unpredictable, he judged silently.
Next was a young boy.
Too young to belong in a situation like this.
Yet the mont Observation Haki touched him, the CP0 agent felt dense energy beneath the surface. Powerful. Active. Alive in a way few fighters possessed.
The boy sat casually, yet his presence carried weight far beyond his age.
The CP0 leader adjusted his ntal ranking.
Extrely dangerous.
A woman stood calmly near the window.
Her breathing was steady. Controlled.
Observation Haki asured her strength near the level of a Vice Admiral. Skilled. Experienced.
But her physical body felt lighter than expected. Not fragile, but not built for overwhelming endurance either.
A precise fighter, he concluded, though nothing particularly impressive beyond that.
His gaze shifted again.
This one felt different imdiately.
Her presence was stable and powerful, like a mountain that refused to move. Intelligence reports had ntioned her, a warrior capable of confronting an Admiral directly.
Observation Haki confird it.
No exaggeration.
She was strong.
Very strong.
Then his attention moved toward the man in armor.
Observation Haki read almost nothing from his body itself. Physically ordinary.
But the danger surrounding him was overwhelming.
It did not co from muscles or spirit.
It ca from sothing artificial.
Sothing engineered.
The CP0 leader felt a faint warning instinct deep inside him.
This one was more dangerous than most of the others combined.
Finally, his eyes settled on the last figure.
The largest man in the room.
His helm was removed.
His face was calm.
And the mont Observation Haki touched him
The CP0 leader nearly froze.
The sensation was wrong.
Heavy.
Deep.
Not sharp like killing intent.
Not explosive like powerful haki users.
It felt… ancient.
As if countless battles had settled into silence rather than aggression.
Even Admirals did not feel like this.
For a brief mont, a thought crossed his mind.
What has this man lived through… to beco like this?
He pushed the thought away imdiately.
Emotion had no place here.
Then he saw their objective.
The Celestial Dragon lay nearby.
Bound securely.
Unconscious.
A visible bump sat on his head.
Anger rose instantly.
The CP0 agent stepped forward.
"You bastard," he said sharply. "We agreed to an exchange. How dare you still strike a Celestial Dragon?"
The words carried restrained fury.
The World Nobles were sacred figures to CP0. Seeing one injured, even slightly, was unacceptable.
Across the room, Tony did not react emotionally.
He simply looked at the agent and answered calmly.
"He was quite noisy," Tony said. "So we silenced him. Otherwise it might affect our exchange."
He paused slightly.
"Or are you refusing the trade?"
The room went quiet.
The CP0 leader's anger flared again, visible even through the mask. But discipline forced it down. The mission ca first. Starting a fight here would risk everything.
He gave a short signal.
The two agents behind him stepped forward.
They placed the secured chest carefully on the table.
"Since we have presented the Devil Fruits," the leader said evenly, "we will now take the Celestial Dragon."
Tony nodded once.
"Sure."
No argunt.
No delay.
Tony pulled the chest closer and opened it.
Inside rested seven strange fruits, each shaped differently, each covered in unnatural swirling patterns.
Four Paracia.
Three Logia.
Though he wasn't entirely sure if they were all truly Paracia or Logia types.
Tony examined them briefly while the two CP0 agents moved toward the unconscious noble.
They lifted him carefully, supporting his body without roughness. Despite everything, their handling remained respectful.
The exchange was complete.
The CP0 leader felt tension leave his shoulders internally.
No battle.
No sudden betrayal.
The mission had succeeded.
But nothing showed on his posture.
Professional calm remained.
"Since the exchange is completed," he announced, "we will now leave."
The agents turned imdiately.
One carried the Celestial Dragon.
They walked toward the door.
Before exiting, the leader stopped briefly and looked back.
"Do not expect this to be the end."
He already knew a fleet waited beyond sight near the island. Now that the Celestial Dragon had been rescued, they would soon begin advancing here.The warning was clear.
From behind him, the small girl waved lazily.
"Yeah, yeah."
Her casual tone irritated him instantly.
For a mont anger threatened to surface again, but he suppressed it and continued walking without another word.
The door closed.
Silence returned.
The room felt lighter.
Not safe.
Just quieter.
Everyone looked at each other.
Saeko spoke first.
"Are we leaving now?"
Tony thought for a mont.
The Devil Fruits.
The Sea King samples.
They had already taken what they ca for. There was no reason to stay and fight the people of this world.
"Yes," he said. "We should leave."
He then turned toward Gaius.
"Are there still Marines left on the island?"
Gaius closed his eyes slightly.
Observation Haki spread outward like an invisible wave, sweeping across the island, buildings, docks, shorelines, yet found nothing. After a mont, he opened his eyes.
"No."
The evacuation had worked completely.
Tony nodded slowly.
"The World Governnt won't let this go," he said. "Their real force should be coming closer now. With the Celestial Dragon back in their hands, they'll move soon."
He folded his arms, thinking.
"Before we leave… we'll leave sothing for them."
Tony raised his hand.
A small tallic sphere appeared above his palm.
About the size of a large coin.
"This," Tony said, "is called Sunburst."
Everyone looked at it.
"It contains a compressed micro arc reactor core," he continued. "A bomb."
He placed it on the table.
"How it works is simple," he said. "You can tap the button to arm it, or I can do it remotely, or set a tir. After three seconds, the containnt fails on purpose, and the reactor collapses."
He paused slightly.
"It's not a fireball. It's a miniature artificial sun appearing for half a second."
He explained calmly: "The blast could reach ten to fifteen ters. Anything at the center would disappear instantly. The shockwave could break through concrete, and the heat could lt light armor. It would leave the ground glassed, and there would be no shrapnel, just pure energy."
Mindy crossed her arms.
"That shouldn't be enough."
Tony smiled faintly.
"Of course not. That's why I brought hundreds. But fifty should be enough. Materials are expensive."
Dozens of identical spheres appeared across the table, filling the surface.
Tony turned toward Naruto.
"Naruto. Shadow clones. Spread these across the area."
Naruto grinned slightly.
"Got it."
He ford hand signs.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Smoke burst outward as multiple Narutos appeared instantly.
Each clone grabbed a Sunburst sphere.
Without delay they rushed out, through doors, windows, hallways, scattering across the Marine base in every direction.
One by one they disappeared into the distance, placing traps across buildings and open areas.
The island was quietly turning into a battlefield.
They simply waited while Naruto completed deploynt.
After a mont, Gaius spoke.
"While we wait, we should identify the Devil Fruits."
Diana nodded.
"That makes sense."
Tony reopened the chest.
The strange fruits sat inside, each unique, each carrying unknown power.
He picked up the first one carefully.
The group gathered closer around the table.
Outside, Naruto's clones continued their work.
Far away, the World Governnt fleet moved closer.
And inside the office, the next phase began.
Tony looked at the fruit in his hand.
"Let's see what we actually got."
End of Chapter 181
~~~
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