Chapter 126: Crushing

Byakuya stood on the deck, gazing at the sky as it darkened, the sun slowly sinking into the horizon. 

He murmured in a voice he could hear, "The time should be about right now." 

"Lucci and the others should have lured Reisun to Zeto Island by now, right?" 

After learning that Lucci and the others possessed Vivre Cards capable of drawing Reisun out, Byakuya couldn't pass up such a perfect opportunity. 

Using the attraction between the Vivre Cards, they had lured Reisun and his group to the prearranged Zeto Island. 

There, Byakuya planned to take action and eliminate them to avoid any future threats.

Of course, relying solely on Lucci and the others wouldn't be enough. 

After all, Reisun's strength was near the top, even among the Marine vice admirals, and he had the entire CP8 organization with him. 

They wouldn't be easy to deal with. That's why Byakuya decided to take matters into his own hands, to personally see this old acquaintance off and prevent any unforeseen complications. 

To minimize the risk of exposure, he had sent away Quake, Tashigi, and Ain, lowering the chances of being detected.

As the last rays of light faded and night fully descended, Byakuya donned a black crescent robe and a dark mask, moving like a shadow across the deck of the Nikko, unnoticed by anyone.

Reisun had already arrived on Zeto Island with his subordinates by this time. 

Following the guidance of the Vivre Cards, they knew Lucci and the others were on this island; their movements had stopped completely.

As he watched the Vivre Card in his hand, almost pulling away with intensity, Reisun's sense of unease grew stronger. 

Despite knowing this might be a trap, he had come without hesitation.

In Reisun's mind, the worst-case scenario was that the entire CP9 had betrayed the World Government. 

But with his strength and the entire CP8, the idea of them posing a real threat seemed laughable. 

However, once on the island, Reisun's years of experience with life-and-death situations surrounded him with an overwhelming sense of danger. 

A single misstep could lead to his death. Cautiously, he warned his subordinates, "Be careful. It's very likely that CP9 has already defected." 

Just as they began to carefully survey their surroundings, a shadow suddenly appeared before Reisun.

At that moment, the Vivre Card in Reisun's hand trembled more violently than ever, indicating that this person in the black cloak was indeed the CP9 member they sought. 

Not only was the Vivre Card for Lucci vibrating, but those representing the other CP9 members held by Reisun's subordinates were reacting similarly. 

A gleam of realization flashed in Reisun's eyes—this was indeed a trap. He asked, "Did you kill all of CP9? Or are you one of them? Are you Rob Lucci?"

"Impressive, as expected of CP0. You guessed my identity right away." 

Lucci removed his pigeon mask and smiled, pulling out seven Vivre Cards from his cloak. 

"Is this what you're looking for?" Reisun's expression turned deadly serious as he looked at the smiling Rob Lucci before him. 

As the most talented genius in CP9's 800-year history, Lucci was someone Reisun was familiar with. 

He also knew that Lucci had already been designated as one of the candidates for CP0. 

If anyone in CP0 died or was severely injured, creating a vacancy, selections would be made from these candidates. 

If such a person chose to betray the World Government, it would provoke its wrath and destabilize the intelligence agency's standing. 

No, he had to eliminate this guy right here! Having made up his mind, Reisun continued, 

"Where are the rest of CP9? You don't think you alone can take us all on, do you? Bring them out." 

"There's no use in hiding anymore. After all, the tricks you're using are ones I taught you."

Lucci grinned. This time, he was the only one from CP9 who had come. 

Not because the others were unwilling but because Lucci didn't want them to take unnecessary risks. 

He knew Byakuya wouldn't be coming during the lure phase, leaving everything up to CP9. 

If anything went wrong, it would almost certainly result in death. 

Therefore, he had taken on the task alone, carrying all seven Vivre Cards to lure Reisun and his group here. 

Within CP9, Lucci was not only the leader but also a caretaker, always looking after everyone. 

He took all the risks upon himself, so he had to keep getting stronger to bear all the burdens. 

Battling strong opponents was the fastest way to grow stronger.

Just as Reisun signaled CP8 to capture Lucci, Byakuya arrived. 

Seven black iron balls, seemingly merging with the night, moved at sub-light speed through the air without a sound, propelled by Byakuya's telekinesis. 

The friction between the iron balls and the air was nullified, making them glide through the air like fish in water.

Before CP8's members could react, the iron balls shattered their heads, and red and white matter splattered everywhere, some even hitting Reisun and Theodore in the face. 

Everything happened so fast, so suddenly, even Lucci was startled by the gruesome sight. He had planned to stall for a long time until Byakuya arrived.

Byakuya had arrived much faster than Lucci had anticipated, and his methods were far more ruthless than expected. 

In just a moment—no, without even directly confronting them—the entire CP8 unit was annihilated. 

The only one left was their bewildered commander, Theodore, trembling as he witnessed the carnage before him. 

At this moment, Reisun wished he could turn and flee. Anyone capable of instantly wiping out CP8 was powerful enough to kill him. 

If he stayed, there was no doubt he would meet his end. 

But as soon as Reisun turned around, he was confronted by a mysterious figure dressed in a black crescent robe and pitch-black mask. 

The outfit was similar to Lucci's, making it clear that the two were from the same organization. 

The realization hit Reisun—when had such a powerful and mysterious organization emerged in the seas, one that even the intelligence agencies had never heard of?

From behind the black mask, a slightly raspy voice spoke, "Reisun, where do you think you're going?" 

At that moment, Reisun began to regret his rash actions from the previous day. 

If only he hadn't clashed with Byakuya or had shown a bit more warmth after their conflict, Byakuya might not have left Water 7 the next day. 

If Byakuya were still around when Reisun realized he had entered a trap, he could have invited Byakuya to join him. 

With Byakuya's strength, he would certainly not lose to this mysterious figure before him, and Reisun wouldn't find himself on the brink of death as he was now.

It was almost pitiable—if only Reisun knew that the Byakuya he so desperately longed for was the very mysterious figure standing before him, about to kill him. 

He might have been so ashamed that he would have taken his own life right then and there. 

Forcing himself to remain calm, Reisun asked, "Do you realize what the consequences will be if you kill me?"

"Consequences? What consequences could there be? At most, they'll just send more dogs like you to bite at me," Byakuya scoffed. 

"And when they do, I'll kill them too. What can you do about it?" 

As soon as the words left his mouth, the back of Reisun's clothes suddenly tore apart, and eight chains shot out from his back like agile serpents, twisting through the air. 

The next moment, under Reisun's control, the chains converged and lunged at Byakuya, their tips coming together like a flower bud about to bloom.

But with a single thought, Byakuya summoned eight iron spheres behind him. 

Just as he was about to finish Reisun, Lucci appeared in front of Byakuya in his half-human, half-leopard form. 

"Sir, leave Reisun to me. I want to test myself." Rather than being annoyed by Lucci's request, Byakuya was even more impressed. 

With Lucci's potential, had he not wasted those years in Water 7, he would not have been weaker than Reisun. 

He might have even reached the threshold of becoming an admiral. Though some time had been lost, it wasn't too late to make up for it. 

Under Byakuya's guidance, Lucci developed Armour and observation haki, healed his internal injuries, and improved his physical capabilities far beyond their previous levels. 

He needed a real challenge to convert this progress into true combat power.

Facing Reisun, a fellow intelligence officer, was undoubtedly the perfect choice. Byakuya smiled and said, 

"Since you want to take on Reisun, I'll go have some fun with Theodore." 

As Byakuya's figure vanished, the eight chains converged on Lucci like sharks scenting blood. 

Lucci's expression grew serious as his arms suddenly turned black. His muscles swelled as he forcibly clamped the eight chains between them. 

"Shatter!" Lucci crushed the chains with a powerful shout, breaking them with sheer force.

Seizing this opportunity, Lucci gave Reisun no time to deploy his Devil Fruit abilities, closing in on him for close-quarters combat. 

Lucci knew Reisun's abilities were suited for long-range battles, offering little advantage in close combat, whereas Lucci's strength lay precisely in close-quarters fighting. 

To win, he needed to exploit his strengths to the fullest. 

Lucci's mastery of the Six Powers technique was near perfection, and he had developed his unique style by integrating his Devil Fruit powers with the Marine techniques. 

For a time, he had Reisun completely on the defensive.

Meanwhile, Byakuya tracked down Theodore, who was attempting to flee. 

Seeing Byakuya appear before him, Theodore didn't waste a single word—nor could he. 

He immediately dropped to his knees, producing pitiful whimpers as he kowtowed repeatedly, begging for his life. 

Seeing Theodore's pitiful state, Byakuya's playful side emerged. "I could spare you. How about this? I'll give you a chance to live," Byakuya said, his voice laced with amusement.

Hearing that the mysterious figure before him might let him live, Theodore was so grateful that he nearly smashed his forehead to pieces with his desperate bowing. 

The mysterious figure continued, "I'll stand here without moving. You start running." 

"We'll set a time limit, and if you manage to escape within that time, I'll let you go. How does that sound? Fair, right?" 

Theodore nodded eagerly; in such a situation, fairness didn't matter—any chance to live was worth taking. "You can start running now." 

But just as Theodore turned to take his first step, he suddenly heard a familiar voice from behind him, "I'm going to start counting down from three..."

Hearing that familiar voice and recalling those words from the previous day, 

Theodore quickly realized that the mysterious figure before him was none other than the Marine Rear Admiral Byakuya. 

Shame overwhelmed him as he thought of how he had just begged for mercy, groveling at Byakuya's feet. 

Theodore knew Byakuya would count straight to "one," he was certain he would die by his hands. No, he had to get this information out. 

Theodore instinctively tried to shout to Reisun, but all he could produce were muffled sounds.

As panic set in, Byakuya's voice echoed behind him like the grim reaper's countdown. 

"One..." In an instant, an iron ball pierced Theodore's heart, leaving a gaping wound in his chest, through which his shattered heart could almost be seen still beating. 

Blood poured from his mouth as he collapsed to the ground, his remaining consciousness urging him to reveal this great secret. 

With trembling fingers, he dipped them in his blood and shakily wrote the characters for "Byakuya" on the ground.

After finishing the character for "ya," a grotesque smile twisted across Theodore's lips. This was the best he could do. 

Eventually, someone would find these characters and target Marine Rear Admiral Byakuya. In this way, perhaps his death would be avenged. 

But just then, a large foot suddenly stepped into Theodore's view, crushing the words he had written.

"Did you really think I wouldn't notice you writing?" Byakuya taunted, 

"I've been standing here silently all this time because I wanted to wait until you were done." 

"Then, I'll destroy it right in front of your eyes, crushing your last hope of revenge. That way, even in death, you won't find peace." 

Hearing this, Theodore's eyes widened in fury. The overwhelming anger triggered something within him, and he died on the spot.

Looking down at Theodore's lifeless body, his eyes still wide open, Byakuya couldn't help but comment, 

"This is what happens when you run your mouth without having the strength to back it up. How pathetic." 

With that, Byakuya erased the first character in "Byakuya," leaving only the character "ya" written in blood.

Originally, Byakuya had planned to write the character himself after killing Reisun, but now that Theodore had left it behind in blood, it saved him the trouble. 

Meanwhile, on the other side, the fight between Lucci and Reisun was nearing its conclusion. 

Regarding raw power, Lucci was not yet a match for Reisun. 

However, with Byakuya present, Reisun had to divert some of his attention to guard against a possible surprise attack from him, preventing him from fully focusing on the battle with Lucci.

Close combat is always the fastest way to decide a fight; one wrong move could mean death. 

Moreover, Lucci was more skilled in close-quarters combat than Reisun. 

Seizing a critical moment at the cost of severe injuries, Lucci executed the Rokushiki Secret Technique, "Armament: Six King Gun," striking Reisun squarely in the chest. 

The tremendous impact shattered Reisun's heart, securing Lucci's victory in the battle.

At this point, Lucci was leaning on his knees, gasping for air, his chest heaving, his body covered in wounds, blood flowing freely. 

The fact that he was still alive was a testament to his sheer willpower. 

"Tsk tsk, you look pathetic," Byakuya remarked, observing Lucci's chaotic state.

Lucci didn't even have the strength to respond to Byakuya's teasing. 

Byakuya then retrieved a fast-healing potion and a medicinal serum from the system shop and tossed them to Lucci, instructing him, 

"You should quickly contact Blueno and the others to come pick you up. Then, take Robin and head to Jaya Island."

"Robin should know the way to Sky Island. Once you get there, you can find Enel," Byakuya added. 

After a moment of recovery, Lucci finally managed to speak, asking, "Is Enel the companion you recruited during your last trip to Sky Island?"

"Yeah, that guy's a Logia-type Devil Fruit user. He's pretty strong, but he's got a nasty temper." 

"When you get there, make sure to wear the black crescent robe. I told Enel to only recognize those robes."

"Could he actually attack us?" Lucci asked, puzzled.

"Hard to say. I think the guy's got a few screws loose. He might actually go after you," Byakuya replied.

Anyone Byakuya considered strong was undoubtedly formidable, likely even stronger than Lucci. 

This made Lucci feel even more uneasy. "Byakuya-sama, what if he really does attack us?"

"Don't worry, I'll avenge you," Byakuya said without a second thought.

"..." Lucci was speechless. Was this person someone they could consider an ally?

"Alright, I've told you everything you need to know. I'm heading out now. When you reach Sky Island, make sure to contact me," 

Byakuya said before disappearing like a breeze before Lucci's eyes. Lucci looked at the two vials in his hand. He recognized them both. 

One was a fast-acting potion that would heal him quickly but would put him through excruciating pain. 

The other was a slower, painless serum with no side effects. Lucci hesitated briefly before choosing the painful one, injecting it into himself. 

As Byakuya had said, who knew what dangers lay ahead on the journey from Water 7 to Jaya Island?