https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-46-The-Strongest-Force-on-the-Sea/13535771/
Chapter 47: Hit Me
Chapter 47: Hit Me
It didn’t take long to travel from Headquarters to Enies Lobby. After passing through the Gate of Justice, they arrived at Enies Lobby, where Tina dropped off the group before continuing her journey to Water 7 for a vacation.
Originally, their trip had been a straightforward detour, but Kuro had become fascinated by the Sea Train. He wanted to experience this legendary railway firsthand. Coincidentally, Lida and Klah shared his curiosity.
“So this is Enies Lobby!” Lida exclaimed, staring at the colossal structure encircled by waterfalls. “It’s even more breathtaking than I imagined! I’ve heard tales of this never-sleeping city for years, but this is my first time seeing it. I wonder if the food here is any good?”
Though Lida hailed from the Grand Line, he’d never visited Enies Lobby before. After all, this wasn’t a place ordinary people could freely access—only hear about.
Klah instinctively adjusted his glasses, his expression tense.
Kuro had already assured him that their identities posed no issues, but as a former pirate, the sheer reputation of this place still made him uneasy. No pirate ever came here for sightseeing.
Enies Lobby—one of the World Government’s three direct institutions—was legendary for its intelligence networks. Here, night never fell. The compound was divided into the Front Island, Main Island, Judicial Tower, Hesitant Bridge, and the Gate of Justice at the bridge’s end.
For pirates, the Gate of Justice was their final destination before execution or imprisonment in Impel Down.
“Food, food, more food!” Kuro ruffled Lida’s head, feigning exasperation. “All you think about is eating! Why don’t you act more like Klah and offer some strategic advice instead?”
Lida stuck his tongue out in response.
Kuro sighed. “Fine, fine! Let’s go stuff your face.”
With their Navy credentials, dining here cost them nothing. After leaving the cafeteria staff stunned by their appetite, the trio wandered around before boarding the evening Sea Train.
“Whoa, the Sea Train!” Inside the carriage, Lida bounced around like an overexcited child, poking at everything in sight.
His behavior was no different from the rowdy kids seen on high-speed trains back in Kuro’s old world.
Kuro sighed, finally understanding how some people tolerated noisy kids. After all, he thought, it’s your own kid—let them make noise. Fortunately, the late hour meant the train was nearly empty.
Klah, too, wore an expression of wonder. Back in the East Blue, he’d never heard of such technology. Even in the Grand Line, where rumors of the Sea Train spread, seeing it in action was a different experience entirely.
To the natives of this era, a machine that moved like magic across the sea was an extraordinary marvel.
“Hey! Keep it down at night!” Suddenly, the carriage door slid open, and a weasel-faced man barged in, his tone impatient. “Don’t you people need rest? Don’t you Navy ever sleep?”
The stranger’s pale face contrasted with his slender figure. He wore a dark T-shirt, a feathered hat, and two necklaces.
“You’re Navy, right?” He sneered. “I’m an intelligence officer of the World Government. My name is Nero. I’m ordering you to be quiet.”
These Navy brats were clearly low-ranking. How dare they compare to his status?
“Wow! The train’s incredible! It’s so fast!” Lida continued cheering.
Klah adjusted his glasses, gazing at the ocean outside the window. Kuro casually lit a cigar with a match.
“Hey! Don’t ignore me! Do you even know who I am?!” Nero clenched his teeth. “Looks like I’ll have to teach you a lesson!”
CP9 was a secret organization, and these three didn’t seem to recognize him. No need to reveal his full affiliation, but showing them the gap between them was necessary.
“Ungrateful little Navy bastards!”
“Hey, you with the glasses!” Nero pointed at Klah.
Klah pointed at himself. “Me?”
“Yes, you, four-eyes! Stand up!”
Klah complied, walking to Nero. “What is it?”
“Hit me.”
“…What?”
“Fight me, you insignificant Navy dog!” Nero smirked. “Since you ignored my orders, I’ll make you understand the unbridgeable gap between us. Use your weapon! I’ll show you how helpless you are. You’ll realize the absolute difference between my power and your pathetic Navy level!”
With his Iron Body, no attack could harm him. These low-tier Navy officers couldn’t possibly break through.
Thud!
A kick slammed into Nero’s neck.
Nero’s eyes rolled back as he collapsed, his hat flying off to reveal a head shaved bald except for three tufts of hair styled like an eagle’s beak.
Klah lowered his leg, adjusting his glasses. “I’ve never heard of such a strange request before.”
“Look at him—bald as a coot!” Lida giggled, pointing at Nero’s unconscious form.
“Don’t mock others’ appearances. That’s rude,” Kuro chided, his cigar dangling from his lips. “Though… yeah, he’s pretty bald.”
“Let’s make him properly bald!” Lida grinned mischievously, approaching Nero with a glint in his eye.
By dawn, Nero stirred.
“What the—?!” He instinctively clutched his aching neck. “How did I lose consciousness?!”
He suddenly remembered. “Those Navy bastards!”
But when he looked around, the carriage was empty.
“Damn it! If I ever see them again, I’ll show them the true power of a Nero Officer!”
He assumed he’d merely fainted. The speed of his defeat was beyond his comprehension.
“Already at Water 7?” Nero glanced outside. The train had stopped, revealing the aqua cityscape. He picked up his hat, ready to put it on, but froze.
The window’s reflection showed his face clearly.
That stylish hairstyle—his signature eagle-tufted look—was gone.
Now, a stick-figure drawing adorned his bald head: a circular face with a crooked smile, slanted eyes, and a comically exaggerated grin.
A wave of dread washed over him.
“My Hair!!!”
Nero’s shriek echoed through the carriage.
---
In Water 7, Kuro and the others stepped off the train. Lida immediately tugged at Kuro’s sleeve. “Let’s explore!”
“Wait—we need to report to our contact first,” Kuro said, admiring the Venice-like cityscape. He activated his Transponder Snail, dialing Lucius Kro’s number.
Bo-lo-lo-lo! The device rang.
Back at Headquarters, Lucius Kro paused mid-sip of his tea, hearing the same sound from his wrist. He opened his black Transponder Snail.
“Hmm? No answer? Strange…”
Snap! Kuro shut off his device decisively. “No one’s picking up. Let’s go sightseeing.”
He didn’t know the spies’ meeting protocols. If the call failed, it wasn’t his problem. Later, he’d have an alibi: You didn’t answer—how should I know?
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
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