"Damn it—"

  "Did it fail?"

  "This guy even knows such fidential information?"

  The expressions of the CP0 officer, Steel Bone Kong, and Saint Howard shifted dramatically as they locked their gaze o, ominous figure of El, who held the Celestial Dragon tightly bound and radiating Haki. Shocked and furious, they hadn’t anticipated that their seemingly foolproof pn could still be thwarted.

  "rick; I have to admit, you did mao amuse me…” El sneered down at the medic who had narrowly escaped his attack.

  The medic wasn’t particurly strong—El recalled him from their initial hostage exge on the Sabaody Archipego. He seemed weaker than the anding CP0 agent, but his bizarre Devil Fruit ability posed a threat if one wasn’t careful.

  This S-S Fruit allowed him to instantly switch locations with any target in sight, even sing multiple targets' positions. Though it required a medium and cked the mobility of the - Fruit, it had a unique feature: it could sersonalities, simir to the abilities of the Op-Op Fruit.

  "Damn it, I was so close!" The medic—or rather, the disguised CP0 agent—broke into a cold sweat, removing his medical gloves and ripping off his mask, gring at El with a mix ret ament. If he had been just a bit faster, he might have sed Saint Rhodys bato safety.

  "Life Return!" he shouted, g his fists as he invoked his power. His lean frame swelled to over 2.4 meters tall, though he remained slender pared to Steel Bone Kong.

  "Mamamama… a S-S Fruit with abilities like that?" Linlin mused, wielding her giant sword, Napoleon, as she observed the unimposing CP0 agent. "If we’d been careless, we might’ve fallen for it!"

  “We’ve stalled long enough. I’m done pying this game… so, are we trading or not?” El's gaze was icy as he stared down Saint Howard. “If not, I’ll just leave—with the ‘show’ your Celestial Dragon will soon give the world.”

  "Bastard—"

  "How dare you!"

  Saint Hred at El, his face ashen, while the CP0 officer and Kong couldn’t hide their displeasure.

  "We'll trade!" Saint Howard spat through gritted teeth.

  "Then hand over the Devil Fruits first," El said, a sly grin spreading across his face.

  "No way!" Kong refused without hesitation. "If you try anything, we’re the ones who’d lose out!"

  "Well, that’s easily solved!" El's smile widened as he pulled a strange, rough stone from his pocket and tossed it at the CP0 agent. "Eat this Seastone first."

  The stone wasn’t rge—about the size of a baby’s fist—just enough for the 2-meter-tall CP0 agent to swallow without choking.

  “This guy…” Kong, Saint Howard, and the others felt their hearts skip a beat. Who carries Seastone on them like this?

  The CP0 agent’s face went pale; swallowing it would pletely cripple his abilities. Even if it wasn’t poisonous, any ensuing battle would leave him vulnerable, especially if El targeted him first.

  "Eat it!" Saint Howard ordered, still scowling. No matter how much he despised Saint Rhodys, only they had the right to punish him—not these lowly pirates.

  “Wait, ri in the o first,” Kong reminded. With El, no precaution was too small.

  “Yes, sir.” Though relut, the CP0 agent dared not disobey, quickly donning his gloves, rinsing the Seastohhly at the shore, and, gritting his teeth, swallowing it whole.

  "Linlin, go and plete the exge: one hand for the man, the other for the goods."

  El, watg the agent dispy his now Seastone-den mouth, nodded and tossed Saint Rhodys to Linlin, who then walked up to the CP0 officer with the box of Devil Fruits in hand.

  The exge proceeded smoothly, with both sides watg each other carefully, showing no signs of immediate betrayal. The CP0 agent, with Saint Rhodys in tow, returo Steel Bone Kong’s side, while Linlin carried the Devil Fruit case back to El.

  "Now!"

  Suddenly, Saint Howard and Kong sprang into a, charging toward El and Linlin with killing i.

  “El, you’re stayioday… 'King Kong Chariot!'"

  “It seems we had the same idea…” El sneered as he faced Kong’s powerful fist. His own massive fist, imbued with overwhelming Haki, shot forward without hesitation.

  "Hero’s Spear!"

  "Mamamama, I’ve been waiting for this…” Linlin cackled, swiftly hurling the Devil Fruit case into the sea and swinging Napoleon with deadly force, g against Saint Howard’s ornate saber.

  "Mighty Nation!"

  "Heavenly Dragon Strike!"

  'Boom!'