Chapter 988: Where the Enemy Dares to Tread, I Shall Follow
Chapter 988: Where the Enemy Dares to Tread, I Shall Follow
Three days later, in the South Sea.
Massive golden warships drifted aimlessly across the Grand Line.
Inside Kuro’s office, Klah, dark circles under his eyes, handed a stack of documents to Kuro. A faint tremor in his hands betrayed his exhaustion.
Since Kuro had tasked him with reviewing the details of ‘Sword’s’ undercover agents, he’d thrown himself into the work without rest. Now, after days of relentless effort, he’d finally compiled a summary.
This mentally draining task had pushed even him to his limits.
“You don’t need to read it. Just give me the highlights,” Kuro waved a hand dismissively. “I want the total data on all undercover agents, broken down by year and the percentage of active agents. Just recite the numbers.”
Klah: “….”
Why didn’t you say that from the start?!
You could’ve spared me all this work!
He’d spent hours organizing the files, thinking Kuro would actually review them!
Klah tugged at his lips, inhaled deeply, and began, “Mr. Kuro, according to the investigation, 60% of ‘Sword’s’ undercover agents have been embedded for over five years. Of this 60%, 20% are officers within pirate crews who intermittently send intelligence. The frequency varies, but generally, they report once every three months to their assigned sub-commanders.”
Sub-commanders had access to higher-level contacts within ‘Sword’—currently, Kuro himself, the organization’s leader. This was why Ethan Kadi could directly provide support to these agents.
“Five years…”
Kuro leaned back in his chair, musing, “So, do you have any ideas to keep them from wavering?”
“Mr. Kuro, perhaps we could establish regular contact. For agents who’ve been embedded long-term, we could send subordinate members to check in on them, monitor their activities, and even offer small gifts to maintain morale,” Klah suggested.
“Gifts? Like birthday parties on rooftops with watches?” Kuro rolled his eyes. “That’s too risky. It could expose them. One misstep, and your subordinates might end up being thrown off the rooftop.”
“???” Klah blinked, confused.
Didn’t they have Moonstep techniques? And besides, how high would they have to fall to actually die? Ordinary heights wouldn’t threaten them.
“Initiate audits,” Kuro said abruptly. “Start secret evaluations. You’ll handle the coordination—contact the Navy members in ‘Sword’s’ squads and have them oversee the audits. Focus only on agents with five or more years of service.”
He picked up the Transponder Snail and dialed.
The screen flickered to life, revealing a sharp-eyed man with a suave mustache.
“Lucci.”
“Kuro. What trouble are you stirring up now?” the Transponder Snail’s voice was icy.
“Trouble? Can’t I just chat?” Kuro grinned. “But fine, straight to business. I’ve recently taken over ‘Sword’—you CP branches know about that, right? Don’t pretend otherwise.”
As one of the World Government’s three direct subordinate intelligence agencies, CP couldn’t possibly be unaware of the Navy’s secret intelligence unit, ‘Sword.’
“We’re aware. You’ve taken command recently,” Lucci replied.
“Exactly. I need cooperation. I’m reviewing the loyalty of our veteran undercover agents. You’ll provide personnel to assist my department. We’ll identify those who’ve fallen short—detain them for ‘rehabilitation.’ For those who pass, leverage CP’s strengths to promote them to captain positions.”
The Transponder Snail’s screen flickered with irritation. “I’m not your subordinate, Lucius Kro!”
“Come on, we’re both under the World Government umbrella. You’re a CP0 officer—you have the authority. Do me this favor, and I’ll treat you to a meal,” Kuro said, exhaling a plume of smoke.
Kuro had no close ties to CP or World Government officials, but his relationship with Lucci, though not warm, was cordial after past dealings.
Still, Kuro didn’t expect immediate compliance. He’d made the call as a formality—if Lucci refused, he’d involve Gramps or Sakazuki to pressure higher-ups.
After a pause, Lucci sighed. “Fine. Provide the details, and I’ll cooperate.”
“Wow, you’re easy to work with! Perfect. You assign a deputy, and I’ll have mine coordinate. Done.”
Without waiting for a reply, Kuro hung up. “There. Done.”
“Promoting undercover agents to captain positions?” Klah adjusted his glasses. “Is this to monitor pirate movements?”
“More or less,” Kuro replied. “I dislike CP’s methods, but they deliver results. They’ll stop at nothing to achieve their goals. The Navy isn’t that ruthless, but alone, we can’t audit these agents’ loyalties. CP’s tactics are too extreme, but with the Navy leading and CP as backup, we can balance it.”
“These agents are Navy-trained. We can’t just eliminate them. They’ve sacrificed promotions and safety to infiltrate pirate crews, risking discovery and even death in combat with Navy forces. If they’ve fallen, as long as they don’t cross the line, we’ll detain them. If they’re still viable, we’ll promote them.”
After all, one must show loyalty.
These agents had abandoned their Navy careers for justice, enduring peril and betrayal. The Navy owed them. Those who passed the audit would earn captaincy, bypassing the precarious life of subordinates in pirate crews.
The Navy had limits—its duty was protection, but pirates? Why not let Navy agents become pirates themselves?
A Navy pirate could outmaneuver and outfight ordinary pirates. Once promoted, these agents would enforce Navy discipline, ensuring their crews avoided civilian harm.
Let pirates roam freely? No. The Navy would strike where the enemy dared to tread.
(End of Chapter)
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