Chapter 10

Paola Beach

POV GARP

Rodenko watched me closely before finally speaking in a sultry, bedroom voice, "Hero of the Marines, or should I say Vice-Admiral Monkey D. Garp? I'd like to get to know you better..."

I looked into her eyes, trying once more to understand her intentions. Her words were in stark contrast to the emotions I could sense through my Observation Haki.

"Agent Rodenko, why do you want to get to know me?" I asked bluntly, curious about her response.

"What can I say… you're an attractive man, Vice-Admiral… and the front is a lonely place… so why wouldn't I want to get to know you better?" she whispered seductively, placing her hand on my upper arm, gently caressing my muscles and giving my bicep a light squeeze.

"You know, Agent... part of my powers allows me to feel emotions. So why are you lying to me and yourself? I can sense your disgust and self-hatred every time you try to seduce me… so what's your real goal?" I replied, not hiding the truth.

The sun was setting, casting Rodenko in a sensual light. Even though the woman before me was stunningly beautiful, I couldn't ignore my conscience. I knew she didn't really want this…

As I spoke, her expression changed. The playful seductress was gone, replaced by a serious woman who looked at me with a cold gaze.

"You're playing a dangerous game with your honesty… I'm not above erasing you from existence. I know I'm not strong enough to do it personally, if even half of what the KGB's report says about you is true, but accidents happen on the front line…" Rodenko threatened.

"Bwahaha, who's playing the dangerous game now, Black Widow?" I laughed, though my eyes didn't share the amusement. I released just a hint of my haki, ready to strike at a moment's notice.

"Fortunately, we're on the same side, Vice-Admiral," she said, and in an instant, the seductive beauty was back.

"One of my missions may have already failed… at least with cheap tricks, but that doesn't mean you'll escape me forever! I think you're a man who values honesty, so I'll be straightforward with you. I was sent here with two missions: first, to cooperate with you against Hydra. Second, to recruit you for the USSR by any means necessary. I've never failed a mission before, and I don't plan to start now. So, be ready, Vice-Admiral!"

"Ah, so you are a honeytrap, then… I suspected as much. I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I won't sleep with a woman who doesn't actually want it… why do you even follow such degrading orders?"

Rodenko laughed and said, "Fucking with you would have just been the quickest way—it doesn't mean there aren't other ways to recruit you… and orders are orders… I would do anything for my motherland! There is no greater honor than to serve!"

"Even if it means losing yourself in the process? A wise man once told me, 'Duty isn't everything'... so what is it that you truly want… what is your own will?"

For the first time, I saw a genuine emotion cross Rodenko's face: confusion. My Observation Haki picked up pure bewilderment as well. I sensed that the fog surrounding her will was shifting, as if rays of sunlight were beginning to pierce through the morning mist.

Intrigued, I watched the change unfold, but then Rodenko suddenly looked up.

"I think we'll have to postpone our little rendezvous for another time. Until next time, Vice-Admiral," she whispered and kissed me on my cheek, disappearing into the darkness.

I waited a moment and then greeted, "Good evening, Sergeant." I had already sensed Fury approaching for the past few minutes, apparently searching for me.

"Motherfucker, 'good evening' my ass! Was Rodenko here?! Did you do anything or tell her anything?" Fury snapped.

I could've sworn I heard a faint feminine laugh in the darkness and couldn't help but smile myself.

"Don't worry, Serg, I didn't do anything with Rodenko that would jeopardize the mission. We just had a nice chat."

"Don't worry my ass! Don't play me for a fool… did you stick your dick in her or not?"

My expression hardened. Fury was pushing my limits with that question.

"No, we didn't have sex. And don't worry, I know she's a honeytrap. But don't overplay your role… accidents happen all the time on the front lines, Sergeant Fury."

---

Italy

POV GARP

The days started to blur together, passing by more quickly as tension built among the whole team. The only ones who remained relatively calm were James, Victor, and me—probably because we had the least to fear.

To my surprise, Agent Rodenko was also unshaken, showing no signs of being fazed by the impending Hail Mary mission. Part of me began to suspect that she wasn't entirely human either or maybe just had a serious crack in her psyche.

Her attempts to get close to me had lessened, though she still maintained her flirty persona around the others. But more and more, she sought out time alone with me, and I felt like a real friendship was slowly forming between us. Our conversations grew deeper, and Rodenko even began opening up about her emotions.

"It doesn't really make a difference whether I talk to you about my feelings or not... you sense them anyway," she reasoned. I couldn't argue with that logic. In a way, I was becoming a sort of therapist for her. Most of the time, I just listened while she talked, fascinated by the changes in her will. The fog around it would often lift, only to settle back again.

Her faith in the USSR and its government was unwavering, almost disturbingly so. Especially when she spoke of her direct superiors, though she never revealed their names. She showed an almost fanatical belief in their perfection. In her eyes, they were practically holy figures whose words were law. When I asked where this belief came from, she couldn't explain, and that seemed to give her pause for thought.

Nearly two weeks later, the command center finally issued the orders. "Move out!" Only the Presidents of the USA and USSR, along with the most trusted personnel, were privy to the mission details. The plan was to take Hydra by surprise before they got wind of their fate.

Operation Diadem was under way.

With two lightly armored transport vehicles, we moved close to the front line, almost into enemy territory. Under the cover of night and fog, we squeezed through the defensive lines. Everything had been meticulously coordinated with a frontal assault by the Italian militia to draw attention away from our entry point.

The knowledge that some good men were being sacrificed for our mission weighed heavily on me, but it only fueled the fire to make sure the mission succeeded.

We were making our way through a half-burned wheat field, which, thanks to heavy artillery bombardment, resembled a desolate lunar landscape more than farmland. Just then, a patrol with a tank came into view, less than 500 meters away, heading straight for us.

It was immediately clear that there was no cover in the area. Fury nodded at me and said, "Make it quick! It doesn't matter how much noise you make—we'll change course immediately after. Just make sure they can't report us by radio!"

I nodded, and in the next moment, I vanished from my comrades' sight. At top speed, I raced toward the tank and the ten-man patrol. I leaped into the air to disappear into the darkness, making sure no one saw me coming. Like a bullet, I hurtled toward the tank, my fist ready to strike.

I would have preferred to spare the soldiers' lives, but too much was at stake. I made the decision to end it quickly and painlessly. I could have probably knocked them all out with my Conqueror's Haki, but the risk that one of them might withstand my will and alert Hydra via radio was too great.

Too many had already died to get us this far into enemy territory. Additionally, the KGB had provided intelligence about strange energy weapons being tested and produced at the Hydra camp. They feared the weapons could change the hole war and the fate of millions of people. We had to stop them!

Just before reaching the tank, I punched and put every ounce of my haki into that punch, every last spark.

Then, everything went silent.

"I'm sorry," I whispered to the condemned soldiers.

It was as if the world held its breath before an ear-splitting boom shook the air. It sounded like a big heavy bomb had gone off.

Under my fist, the tank was practically pulverized, the hard steel yielding like hot wax. And with the tank, everything within a 20-meter radius was obliterated. The soldiers, who had just been smoking and chatting moments before, were now nothing more than bloodstains in a small crater.

I stood there, momentarily stunned by the impact of my blow, my mouth hanging open.

'Shit, definitely overdid it! Guess I haven't tested my full strength in a long time! I wasn't even this strong in the First War!' I cursed to myself as I extended my Observation Haki to its full radius. I had a habit of keeping my awareness at around 500 meters, any further felt uncomfortable, like I was a pervert and eavesdropping. Plus keeping it wider for prolonged time gave me very severe headache.

The radius grew and grew until I sensed every will within a nearly 12-kilometer range.

I realized that my willpower must have become much stronger the last few months, but i didn't had time to celebrate.

As I had feared, the explosion hadn't gone unnoticed, and I could feel hundreds of soldiers heading toward us, the closest less than 2 kilometers away. "FUCK!" I cursed loudly, sprinting back to Fury to report my findings.

"Motherfucker, we're on a secret mission! What part of that didn't you understand?" he yelled, then continued, "Couldn't you have been a bit more subtle, just a little more silent, you asshole?! If I die today because of your stupidity..."

"What's done is done!" Rodenko interrupted. "We need to get out of here, so start running!" Her shocked gaze didn't leave me for a second. I almost wanted to laugh; her wide popping eyes looked utterly ridiculous. But instead, I took off running with the rest of the team.

"Garp, keep us updated on troop movements around us! Find a path where we won't be spotted!" Fury ordered as we ran for our lives.

I cursed my own stupidity. Sure, the order was to be quick and ignore the noise, but the way I executed it was just plain idiotic. The worst part was that I hadn't just put my own life at risk—I'd endangered the entire team.

I guided the team along the fastest route through the danger zone, dodging tanks and other vehicles and giving timely warnings whenever a plane flew overhead. With any luck, the Nazis would think it was just an ammunition accident or an unnoticed enemy plane that made it into German airspace and bombed the tank. But my real concern was Hydra.

Hydra knew about the supernatural and was probably aware of my abilities. Luckily, they shouldn't know the full extent, which even I hadn't realized until a few minutes ago. Still, I feared that Hydra might put two and two together.

We sprinted nonstop for an hour until I gave the signal to pause. Thankfully, no one was on our tail, and the nearest human presence was about 5 kilometers away.

"I swear, if I could, I'd blow your damn head off," Gabriel spat out, still struggling to catch his breath along with most of the team. Everyone, that is, except the brothers and me. Rodenko was in better shape than the rest, but the effort still showed on her face.

Victor let out a laugh and slapped me on the shoulder. "Haha, what a show, Garp!" Fury just shook his head, but if looks could kill, Creed and I would've gone up in flames right then and there.

I apologized again, knowing full well that words couldn't make up for my mistake.

"Garp, what's the situation? Jim, Rodenko, do you have any idea where we are exactly?" Fury asked, his teeth practically grinding together.

"All clear. No one nearby," I replied.

Rodenko and Jim exchanged glances and briefly studied a map that Jim pulled from a thigh pocket.

"We're only slightly off course... we should reach our target by the early morning hours, as planned," they finally reported after a brief discussion.

"Good. Thirty-minute break. Garp, you're on watch. If anyone gets close, eliminate them—no prisoners, no mercy! We can't afford that this deep in enemy territory. And for God's sake, keep it quiet this time!" Fury ordered.

As ordered everyone took the chance to rest and recover from the intense sprint. Everyone except me. Not that I needed a break. The minutes ticked by. With my Observation Haki, I sensed a group of five men slowly approaching. They were still kilometers away and not an immediate threat, but I reported them to Fury anyway, for a specific reason...

"Sergeant, five people are approaching our position. I strongly suspect they're Hydra soldiers," I said, having detected the foggy wills of the group.

Fury considered this and then gave the order: "Take them out. We can't let any Hydra bastards get away. Better to deal with them now than hunt them down later!"

Rodenko, who had overheard everything, interjected, "What if they have tracking devices on them? Killing them here might tip Hydra off that something's wrong..."

A quick decision was made: I would eliminate the Hydra soldiers and then carry their bodies back at a steady pace. Five of our team members would don the uniforms of the dead men. Better to send the trackers back to Hydra than leave them behind in one spot.

As planned, I sprinted off and, within minutes, spotted the five soldiers ahead of me. They were better armored and armed than typical Nazi troops, and each wore an armband with the Hydra emblem.

I didn't hesitate. I smashed each one of their heads swiftly and painlessly with a punch into pieces of brain and bone, then slung all five bodies over my shoulders and made my way back to the others at a leisurely pace.

(TO BE CONTINUED)