One Piece: Impel Down's Guard - Chapter 12
“An aura of malice.”
Having guarded Impel Down for eight years, Figo had honed his ability to detect malicious intent. This wasn’t related to Observation Haki but rather a keen intuition. As the nun across from him decided to snatch the treasure by force, Figo sensed it.
He could even feel that her hands had taken more than a few innocent lives.
She was no genuine nun!
Crack—
In the sky, within the dark clouds, lightning flashed again.
The air was filled with a terrifying rumble.
The rain poured harder.
The heavy raindrops fell on Figo, blurring his vision and disturbing his senses. Then… Boom!
The sound of the thunder changed!
A thick bolt of lightning descended straight from the sky, radiating heat that seemed capable of evaporating the ocean. It illuminated the dark sky with a blinding light as it struck Figo!
Figo didn’t look up, but his Observation Haki allowed him to “see” the trajectory of the lightning and feel its power.
It wasn’t that impressive.
Not comparable to natural lightning.
One hand held the treasure.
The other drew a sword from its sheath!
As the blade gleamed, a flying slash shot from its tip like a crescent moon, rising into the sky to meet the lightning. The clash produced an even more dazzling light!
Hmm? The nun raised her arm to shield her eyes from the glare, feeling a twinge of unease for the first time.
Figo was different from the other people she had deceived or robbed. When did such a powerful swordsman or warrior appear on Woe Island or the sea?
In the next moment, her Observation Haki also caught Figo’s movement.
His speed was fast, almost in an instant, crossing the tens of meters between them. Figo didn’t use his sword; he swung the wet bundle of treasure roughly at her head!
The treasure bag whistled through the air like a cannonball under Figo’s strength!
Hmph… The nun flicked her fingers, causing the ash and ember from her cigarette to fall.
The ember seemed alive, growing into a blazing fireball as it flew towards Figo!
Bang! Bang!!
Two muffled sounds echoed!
One was the sound of the fireball hitting Figo, turning his body below the neck into a man of fire!
The other was the sound of the treasure bag escaping the flames and hitting the nun’s head!
Her delicate face first showed shock and disbelief, then quickly twisted in pain, saliva and broken teeth flying from her mouth! Her slender body was hurled into the air, flying dozens of meters before crashing to the ground, twitching and then falling unconscious!
The dark clouds dissipated.
Figo took a deep breath, looking down, and blew!
“Whooo——”
The burning flames vanished, leaving only two holes in his clothes, revealing Figo’s unscathed body beneath, untouched by the fire!
Figo had long mastered Tekkai, and even without it, his body was as tough as steel. That bit of fire couldn’t even scratch him. Why would she naively think Figo would dodge?
“A top-notch Devil Fruit.”
“Third-rate everything else.”
This was a small fry meant for the fifth level of Impel Down, utterly unaware of how many eyes Figo had!
Figo slung the bundle over his shoulder, then picked up the nun, placing her on his other shoulder. One hand holding the treasure, the other the unconscious beauty, he headed back towards the warship, feeling quite accomplished.
At the warship, seven or eight marines had stayed behind. Having spent days on the same ship, even the regular soldiers knew that Figo, who had been sunbathing on the deck every day, was a big deal – the former warden of Impel Down and soon-to-be Rear Admiral.
They exchanged glances when they saw Figo return after just an hour or so with disheveled clothes and carrying a nun. The leading captain stepped forward and asked, “Warden Figo, what happened?”
“Caught a con artist. Get me a jacket and a pair of Sea Prism Stone handcuffs.”
“A con artist? Sea Prism Stone?” The captain glanced at the beautiful nun, hesitated for two seconds, then said:
“Yes, sir!”
No doubt a looker.
Despite her bloody face, the nun still looked good. Figo gently placed a pair of silver bracelets on her wrists, giving her a new home.
[Prisoner: Carmel]
[Level: SR3]
[Status: Incarcerated]
[Crime Index: 91]
[Capture Participation: 100%]
[Available Benefits: Devil Fruit Development (Not yet activated), Disguise, Business]
[Character Event: Activatable]
Whoa, a crime index of 91. That’s high, even among the worst in Impel Down’s fifth and sixth levels. Truly a devil in angel’s disguise, much more than just a con artist.
But the name Carmel… why did it sound so familiar?
Figo pondered, “Come to think of it… she does look a bit like a female version of Sanji. Could she be Sanji’s great-great-grandmother?”
Better check out her character event.
……
“Witch! You notorious human trafficker, how dare you approach the World Government? Did you think we wouldn’t know your history?!”
The scene appeared, and Figo was stunned.
From his eight years of experience, Figo knew the crime index was based on his values. It turned out she was a human trafficker; no wonder her crime index was so high.
However, in the scene… it was CP9’s Peslow questioning her again?!
Why always him!
Carmel and Peslow sat across from each other in a secret room. Hearing Peslow’s question, Carmel calmly took a drag on her cigarette and said, “No need for posturing. If you didn’t want to cooperate with me, we wouldn’t be meeting today.”
Peslow was silent momentarily, then said, “Let’s hear your plan.”
“Hehe, let’s put on a show together. My Soru Soru no Mi allows me to disguise myself as a messenger of God. During the execution of the giant pirates, I will masquerade as a divine guide and rescue them to win the giants’ trust!”
“…And then?”
Carmel spread her hands, “I will then infiltrate Elbaf and establish an orphanage. Let’s call it the ‘House of Lambs,’ welcoming all orphans regardless of race or stance!
Of course, focusing mainly on giants!
I will act as the bridge between the World Government and the giants. Through our operations, we can raise giant orphans for a while, then secretly sell them to the World Government and Navy!
Think about it. You will easily gain the strength of the giants and have invincible giant marines!”
Peslow fell silent again.
Carmel wore a greedy expression and smacked her lips, “And all I need is some money, just a little.”
……
The character event scene ended.
[Event Requirement: Help Carmel establish the House of Lambs, adopt orphans of various races, and sell them to the World Government.]
The information was overwhelming for Figo to process.
So, that was CP9’s plan.
The Soru Soru no Mi, the future Yonko Big Mom’s fruit, capable of imbuing non-living objects with souls. No wonder there was lightning and fire; it felt familiar. No wonder the name Carmel sounded familiar.
Isn’t this the old nun from the flashback, who raised Yonko Big Mom, got eaten by her, and had her portrait placed on the table?!
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