[74] A Warlord

[2400 Words]

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The Grand Line, Paradise.

Alabasta, capital Alubarna."

When the CP-9 agents heard what Ren said, a moment of silence and astonishment befell them, followed by a wave of anger and frustration.

"Impossible!"

"You must be dreaming! Want one of our members?!"

"This is harassment!"

Ren listened to the agents' outcries without changing his expression, while Nojiko's face turned cold as she stared at them.

Even Rob Lucci found Ren's request excessive, but before the enraged agents could respond to Ren, something happened.

*Crack!*

*Whoosh!*

With the sound of rushing winds, a powerful aura burst forth from Ren, expanding to encompass the entire royal palace.

Inside the palace, an intriguing scene unfolded: servants and guards fell one by one, reminiscent of the first time the wave of Conqueror's Haki occurred.

"This... is it the captain?!"

"This wave is stronger than before!"

"Is the captain fighting someone?"

"Stay here as ordered!"

As the crew members discussed the sudden wave of Haki, the situation for the CP-9 agents worsened.

*Fall*

*Kneel*

*Kneel*

The agents began kneeling one by one, their faces pale and hearts pounding, The wave of Conqueror's Haki was overwhelming for them.

Rob Lucci struggled to maintain his composure, while Khalifa gritted her teeth on the ground, resisting the onslaught of Conqueror's Haki.

In the royal palace prison, the Marines and Hina, who had recently regained consciousness, were once again fainting. Even former Baroque Works agents who had joined Ren's fleet were struggling to stay conscious.

"Is this the captain..." Mikita, tasked with bringing Ace, resisted the wave of Conqueror's Haki. She wasn't worried about Ren, trusting in his strength. She speculated that he might just be testing out Conqueror's Haki.

Back to Ren, he looked with satisfaction at the CP-9 agents lying unconscious on the ground.

Then he turned his gaze to Khalifa, Rob Lucci, and the others who managed to stay conscious, and said, "Don't raise your voices again."

"!!!"

This sentence sent a shiver down the spines of all CP-9 agents. They regretted opening their mouths without knowing what they were facing. Despite warnings from superiors, they still fell into the trap!

"We understand..." Rob Lucci said with suppressed anger and humiliation.

Compared to being upset with Ren, he was now even more afraid.

"Is the gap in strength is this wide from the beginning..." Rob Lucci thought sadly.

Before coming here, he knew the opposing party was strong, but he didn't expect to lose so easily to this strange power! He hadn't even touched it!

"Was that... the Conqueror's Haki?" Khalifa whispered softly. Rob Lucci, next to her, could hear her. Suddenly, he felt that what happened might not be so bad after all. They had gained strategic information about a powerful, mysterious pirate!

It turned out that Black Death could use Conqueror's Haki! This was undoubtedly news that would shock top World Government officials!

As he thought about the praise, promotions, and rewards he would receive for providing such valuable information, his eyes blanked out for a few seconds.

Not only him, but even the other agents, even those who had lost consciousness, miraculously woke up with vacant eyes.

*Pop!*

"You'll forget I used Conqueror's Haki now, and your minds will interpret what happened to you in one way or another. You can't tell anyone about this incident, and you'll forget what happened after I finish speaking."

Ren's voice at that moment invaded the minds of the agents, imprinting commands that couldn't be disobeyed. Memories of the previous incident began to fade from their minds, leaving their memories incomplete. Their minds then invented complex scenarios to explain this strange situation.

The effect of Ren's mesmerizing magnetic skill was extremely powerful. All the agents were much weaker than Ren, so there was no problem in hypnotizing them and making them forget the previous wave of Haki.

But the fear of Ren remained deeply rooted in their hearts, and this was something that couldn't be erased.

"So, I you said, I want this woman, contact your superiors and inform them," Ren said to Rob Lucci, whose expression was confused by the current situation. Rob Lucci felt a deep-seated fear of Ren, hidden, and nodded before taking out a Den Den Mushi.

All the agents were awake and looking at each other confusedly. They didn't know why they suddenly fell to the ground. This unjustified fear they felt towards this pirate...

Simply put, everything was extremely bizarre.

"Yes... Yes... Regarding Mission 0X3, I must inform the higher-ups about something important..." Rob Lucci spoke to a government agent through the Den Den Mushi.

After some formalities, Rob Lucci was connected with the Five Elders.

His voice became extremely respectful, and it seemed he had forgotten his previous fear when speaking to his superiors.

"What do you have to report, Rob Lucci?" a deep voice came from the Den Den Mushi, seemingly one of the Five Elders.

"Sir, the Black Death has another condition," Rob Lucci reported.

"Speak," the voice of one of the Elders came.

Rob Lucci then informed them of Ren's desire to acquire one of the CP-9 agents, which initially shocked and then angered the Five Elders.

They began to curse Ren for being too audacious and daring to steal their agents.

Ren listened to the angry voices of the Five Elders with a small smile on his face. He didn't care to converse with them now; he preferred to do it face to face rather than through the Den Den Mushi.

Then suddenly, the Den Den Mushi fell silent for a few minutes. The Five Elders no longer spoke.

.

Pangaea Castle.

The Five Elders discussed Ren's condition, each giving their thoughts on whether they should accept it.

"In ordinary times, we wouldn't allow this weak slave to do as he pleases...but since an important chess piece is in his hands, we must overlook his arrogance, Then we can make him pay the price for our extortion..."

Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro said, his angry expression indicating his displeasure.

"Logical, but the most important question is, does this agent he wants have any important information? If she betrays us - and I suspect she will - no important information should leak." Saint Topman Warcury added.

Saint Jaygarcia Saturn, holding his staff, chimed in:"These CP-9 agents have been tasked with finding the Pluton blueprints for several years now, but they haven't found the owner of the blueprints yet. So, the agent he wants doesn't have any important information."

"But did you not notice something... Ayhe Black Death, all members of his crew are females according to the information our intelligence has gathered," Saint Shepherd Ju Peter pointed out.

They nodded in acknowledgment of this point, then the last Saint, who seemed old and mature with a hint of wisdom, spoke:"It seems he is a ladies' man. This will make it easier for us to deal with him in the future if anything unexpected happens..."

Saint Marcus Mars gazed with his deep eyes at the Den Den Mushi.

"I agree with you."

"We can use this agent as a spy to provide us with information about this mysterious pirate and see what his plans and ambitions are."

"The CP-9 brainwashed agents won't betray us, so I don't think there's a problem. I agree as well."

"Then it's decided," Saint Marcus Mars said with a voice full of wisdom.

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[Khalifa POV]

I looked at the blue-haired pirate with anger. Yes, he was handsome, the most handsome man I've seen, but that didn't stop me from being angry about him after expressing his intention to acquire me.

And the way he said it really annoyed me.

I'm not some commodity to be bargained for in a business deal!

This is harassment! Harassment!

Although maybe I am...

If the World Government wants to sacrifice me and give me to this pirate, no one will oppose this decision.

Even my "friends" , the agents will suffice by showing some expressions of pity, mockery, sadness, etc...

And perhaps not genuine after all, we were good actors, and I was the most skilled among them.

But put that aside. It's impossible for the World Government to accept his condition, right...?

That's what I thought until I heard Rob Lucci's voice, which was slightly trembling.

"Sir Ren, your condition has been accepted," were his words, making the expressions of the other agents tremble a little. Even though they opposed it in their hearts, orders from the higher-ups couldn't be refused.

"Eeeh...?"

That was the only thing I could say with my mouth, because my mind was struggling with a storm of conflicting and tangled thoughts...

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[Third-person POV]

"What?" Khalifa said in a stunned voice, causing the expressions of the agents to tremble slightly. They were opposed to this in their hearts, but orders from the higher-ups couldn't be refused.

"From now on, you'll be stripped of your identity as an agent of the World Government," Rob Lucci said, but his gaze was strange, as if he was sending her a secret message.

"Understood," Khalifa simply replied and walked to Ren's side.

"Very good, I knew the World Government was very generous," Ren smiled and wasn't surprised by the Five Elders' acceptance of his request.

'These old men might be thinking of using Khalifa as a spy...Rob Lucci tried to hide his expressions, but I don't feel any negative feelings from him using Observation Haki...'

Ren thought and looked at Khalifa, who came to his side and stood expressionless. Nojiko looked at Khalifa with caution.

"The Fire fist, Ace, has arrived." Ren attracted Rob Lucci and the rest of the agents' attention, then they looked in the direction he indicated.

There, Mikita could be seen dragging someone across the ground, holding a chain tied around their neck. Naturally, this person was Ace.

"This...!" The agents froze at the sight of the tragic state Ace was in, the commander of Thanks for the commonder 2nd division of the whitebeard pirates!

His body was covered in both large and small wounds, but the most striking was that his left hand was missing from the shoulder, creating a horrifying scene.

Khalifa trembled slightly, seeing someone as strong as Ace brought to such a state.

"You damn! Are you ready to face Oyaji's wrath?!" Ace shouted weakly, feeling humiliated and insulted by being treated this way. What made him hate Ren even more was the condition Luffy was in because of him.

"Kyahaha, you're still threatening Captain despite being a loser?"

*Bam!*

Mikita lifted him into the air using the chain around his neck and slammed him onto the ground. Pain spread throughout Ace's body, and he seemed to struggle for air as he breathed harshly, suffering from the pain.

The agents' expressions froze again as they witnessed the famous Fire Fist Ace being treated in this manner.

Damn... this pirate crew is even crazier than we expected.

"Are you convinced now? Give me the paper to sign quickly," Ren's voice carried a hint of impatience as he pointed to the paper in Rob Lucci's hand.

"Yes...understood."

Rob Lucci said, and then handed him the paper and a pen. Ren read the contents.

The duties of a Warlord were simple.

Do not interfere in the internal affairs of a country affiliated with the World Government, and do not target countries affiliated with the World Government.

You must catch a certain number of pirates annually to maintain your Warlord status.

Do not harm Marines, and at the same time, they will not harm you.

If there is an important summons from the Marines or the World Government, you must attend, or your status will be revoked, and you will be hunted again.

The benefits were numerous, such as freezing the bounty on your head and your crew's heads, allowing you to engage in piracy and some shady activities as long as it doesn't threaten the security of the countries affiliated with the World Government.

And you won't be bothered by bounty hunters because the bounty is now useless and frozen.

You'll also be able to use Marine routes to enter and exit the Grand Line quickly and easily.

*Scratch~*

Ren signed the paper, then handed it to Rob Lucci and returned his pen. And thus, he became a Warlord in the records of the World Government!

"Our work here is done, have a good day, Mr. Ren," Rob Lucci bowed professionally and left with the other agents except for Khalifa.

Khalifa looked at this scene expressionlessly. Her guess became certain; since Rob Lucci didn't take her Den Den Mushi, it meant that giving her to this pirate was for the purpose of spying on him!

Khalifa became calm when thinking about it. She was a professional spy, so it wouldn't be easy for this man to deceive her. She just had to act submissive, then uncover all his secrets for the World Government.

"Good job, Mikita. Take Ace back to prison," Ren said, and Mikita quickly complied, leading Ace to prison as if she were dragging a dog.

"Now... let's talk, Miss Khalifa."

He turned to her with a friendly smile.

It was time to deal with this woman!

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"Sister, we're nearing Alabasta!" Gion came to Tsuru and said.

"That's good. I've been informed that the World Government agents have made a deal with the Black Death. We just need to bring Ace and the other detained Marines, then hand over the money, and this mission will be over," Tsuru revealed the information she had just received.

"Oh! They're fast indeed." Gion nodded towards Tsuru.

And so, the Marine ship sped toward Alabasta at maximum speed...

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Author's gossiping.

Note: To everyone who continues to talk about the MC being evil, there is an #Anti hero tag in the summary that was added a few days ago, but I still receive messages like this. If you want a story where the MC becomes a stupid dog when they meet one of the main characters and doesn't benefit from them, this is not your place.

And if you continue to give deceitful reviews because the MC killed your Fucking Favorite character, I will delete them. You can only write your own Fucking FanFic and do what you want there, because it seems to me that you lack some brain cells.

Have a nice day.