How can I become the Pirate King if you don’t work hard?.

Chapter 373 Lucci: Who the hell writes reports every day?!
"If you can do it, then give it a try!"

Kro shook his hand, his posture firm and unyielding.

In this world, the only person he should bow down to is Gawain; no one else is worthy of his respect.

Not to mention the prey of this trip!
next moment.

The raging winds and howling aura collided repeatedly in the air, shaking even Impel Down!

……

Rumble——!
A scorching hell.

Gravel fell from the ceiling and struck the prison warden Saludes, but he blocked it with a swing of his trident.

But when he sensed the terrifying aura emanating from below, and the monstrous power capable of shaking the entire Impel Down, his body began to tremble involuntarily.

Saldeus took a deep breath, rallied, and led the Jailer Beasts behind him to quell the unrest throughout Impel Down.

Now that Magellan, the warden, has been severely injured by Rayleigh, the vice warden, Hannibal, is missing, he is the only one in Impel Down who can take charge of the situation.

Countless rioting pirates were already engaged in fierce battle with the four jailer beasts. Even when facing these serious criminals with bounties of tens of millions or even hundreds of millions, the jailer beasts held an absolute advantage on the field.

After all, they were once Zoan-type Devil Fruit users, and they even developed their abilities to the point of awakening.

However, during their awakening process, their self-awareness is devoured by the will residing in the fruit, turning them into completely out-of-control beasts. But the awakened ones retain their powerful strength and inhuman physique!
just.

As more and more prisoners gathered in the distance, Saludes's expression was frighteningly solemn!
Compared to the tens of thousands of prisoners, the fighting force in Impel Down was clearly insufficient.

If Magellan were here, he could have taken control of the battlefield instantly with the power of his Venom-Venom Fruit, but now things are in trouble.

If things continue like this, it's only a matter of time before we fall...

But what lay before him was a dead end that seemed almost impossible to solve!

"The forces invading Impel Down are not just Straw Hat Luffy and Rayleigh, but also a third party, and even... a fourth party!"

Impel Down is completely out of control!

"It is impossible to count exactly how many prisoners have escaped from their cells."

"The only good news right now is that Impel Down is located in the deep sea, and the navy stationed around it has either been attacked and destroyed by other forces, or has long been transferred back to the Navy Headquarters to deal with the upcoming war. In other words, there are no ships left to leave here."

"The worst-case scenario..."

"It's just that everyone will be destroyed together!"

With this thought in mind, Saldeus gripped the steel fork in his hand, having already made up his mind: even if Impel Down were to perish, he would never allow the prisoners here to escape!

Blu-bloom—!
The Den Den Mushi suddenly rang out, and Saldeus's eyes lit up. He quickly took out the Den Den Mushi from his pocket, and after answering, a deep voice carrying an undeniable will came through:
"This is Rob Lucci from CP9. How's the situation at Impel Down?!"

"Reinforcements from the World Government?!"

After receiving a positive reply, Saludes breathed a sigh of relief and briefly informed Lucci of the retreat into the city:
"The situation on the third and fourth floors is under control. The problem lies on the fifth and sixth floors, where the monitoring is completely ineffective. The situation is probably not good."

"After Straw Hat Rayleigh invaded Impel Down, he took some of the most dangerous prisoners from Level 6 with him. Judging from the direction they were heading, they were probably heading towards Marineford."

"It has been confirmed that among the prisoners they released are Jinbe, Crocodile, and Red Lone – Redfield!"

"The number of monsters in the next tier is countless!"

"Look at how Chief Shiryu and Magellan, despite joining forces to fight Rayleigh, were severely injured and are still in critical condition!"

"With the current fighting force of Impel Down, even against the prisoners of the fifth level, they can only hold out for a maximum of three hours!"

On the other end of the phone.

Lucci nodded:

"Understood. I'll lead my team to the scene within three hours!"

"it is good!"

Saldeus responded, and the Den Den Mushi in his hand was disconnected. Hope shone in his eyes once again!
"persist in!"

"Hold on for three hours!"

"The CP reinforcements will arrive soon. Even if we can't hold Impel Down then, we'll have a chance to retreat!"

"Stick to it!"

"You'll live!"

Saldeese's voice rang out on the fifth level of Impel Down, and countless guards who had been struggling to hold on unleashed astonishing power at this moment, showing no fear even in the face of the surging tide of pirates!

They withstood the enemy's offensive and even subtly pushed the battle line forward!

adhere to!

Persistence is key to survival!
This has become the only thing that sustains their will to keep fighting!
……

The surging currents propelled the CP organization's ships straight down towards Impel Down.

Lucci stood on the deck, side by side with Kaku, gazing calmly at the distant sea.

More than two years have passed. He has grown a short beard, become stronger, and exudes an invisible aura of power.

Even Kaku, standing beside him, got goosebumps and couldn't help but be secretly surprised:
Just how much stronger have you gotten?

Two years ago, after they returned to the CP organization, they were assigned to different missions.

Lucci rose through the ranks and, after Spandam was dismissed for a matter involving Mary Geoise, took over as the head of CP9.

There are rumors circulating within the CP organization that the higher-ups have taken a liking to Lucci's talent and are considering promoting him to CP0, but they are just waiting for an opportunity.

This mission to rescue Impel Down might actually be for Lucci.

CP0 is the true high-ranking organization of CP, bypassing the World Government and directly answering to the Celestial Dragons, hence the title of the Shield of the Celestial Dragons.

As for everything Lucci experienced on Gawain's ship, and why Gawain would go to such lengths for Lucci, they tacitly refrained from asking.

It's one thing to understand a problem in your heart, but quite another to say it out loud.

In short, regardless of whether it's him, Bruno, or Gabra, they would undoubtedly choose Lucci over the World Government.

Within those two years, Lucci's combat power skyrocketed, and even the strongest members of CP0's upper echelons would likely be no match for him now.

"me?"

Lucci shook his head:

"I still have a long way to go."

He looked down at the number three coin in his hand, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Two years have passed and Lucci has grown a lot.

With his mastery of dual-color Haki reaching a higher level and his Devil Fruit ability awakened, he has also entered the Gold Limit level according to the ranking rules proposed by Gawain.

However, Gao Wen and his gang have changed even more drastically in the past two years.

With the addition of newcomer Beville, Zoro, Sanji, and Law have realized their monster talents. If he were to return to Gawain's ship, could he protect the third coin?
Even Lucci himself wasn't confident he could do that.

Kaku's lips twitched slightly upon hearing this, and he couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"If you're already so far behind, how far behind are we?"

"That's enough, you idiot!"

After saying that, Kaku went into the cabin with his head down, afraid that if he stayed with this bastard for even a second longer, he would be so angry that he would vomit blood.

But as he entered the cabin, he couldn't help but lean against the door.

Looking at Lu Qi on the deck through the porthole, he couldn't hide the envy in his eyes.

Even though the relationship between Lucci and Gawain was never explicitly stated and there was no evidence of it, Lucci even explained that it was just a mission and that as a tool of the World Government, he shouldn't have any emotions. However, the changes in his companion could not ultimately fool Kaku.

This once cold and aloof man has developed an unusual amount of human warmth since the incident two years ago.

This contradicts the CP organization's educational philosophy, but ironically, it is precisely this human touch that allows Lucci to rise rapidly within the CP organization, and he is even about to be promoted to the top ranks.

"Companions, and...another way of life?" "Really..."

"Lucky guy!"

The sea breeze blew in through the porthole.

Kaku straightened his hat and lowered his head.

Gabra, who was walking slowly to the side, also silently watched Lucci on the deck.

However, compared to Kaku, his gaze was much more complex.

He once harbored some resentment towards Lucci, and thus constantly clashed with him.

But after two years, that fighting spirit has long since faded under the continuous blows.

After all, when the man you consider your rival easily achieves your ambitions, and his combat power and intelligence leave you far behind, the struggle becomes meaningless and will only make you look like a complete clown.

Gabra murmured:

"I'm so envious of that guy!"

"He has everything: power, status, and companions willing to risk their lives to face the legends!"

Kaku glanced at him, the home port feeling slightly cold, and didn't say anything.

Gabra snapped out of his daze and quickly explained:
"I'm talking about us, us, not Knight Gawain!"

"Chababa—!"

When no one was looking, the owl unzipped its beak, about to spill out its many secrets, when it was quickly pulled back shut by Weiqu.

"Yo yo yi~"

"I...I know nothing!"

After saying that, Weiqu ignored the owl's struggles and dragged it into the room next door.

Gabra had already slipped away in the chaos.

Kaku was left alone in the cabin, watching Lucci's figure and listening to the sounds of playful fighting coming from inside. A smile involuntarily crept onto his lips.
“I have some pretty good companions too~ These guys will be Lucci’s companions later…”

"You deserve to die!"

……

The jokes made by the people in the cabin naturally did not escape Lu Qi's ears, and he couldn't help but smile.

"The captain would probably like these guys, right?!"

"After all, a maritime emperor can't be without top-notch agents."

"Ha~"

"But this time, did Crow invade Impel Down?!"

"This is a bit tricky."

Lu Qi frowned.

Impel Down, as one of the world government institutions alongside Marine Headquarters and Enies Lobby, holds countless serious criminals, and any problems there would alert Mary Geoise.

At any other time, the admiral would have already appeared and suppressed Impel Down.

Lucci was starting to have a headache; he was wondering how to write this report.

He instinctively began to miss the days when he and others were risking their lives to cultivate on Gawain's ship. Compared to the high-ranking members of the CP organization sitting in their offices drinking tea and writing reports, that was the life of a human being!

What decent person wants to sit in an office all day, earn a pittance, and waste time drinking tea and reading newspapers?!
Training, muscles, and strength are the romance of men!

"Hopefully things are under control, and it would be best to find a strong enough scapegoat."

"Tsk~"

"It's a pity that Straw Hat Rayleigh left too early, otherwise it would have been a good idea to shift the firepower to these two."

"Now we can only take it one step at a time!"

……

"Ah!"

On a warship, Blackbeard couldn't help but sneeze, feeling a slight chill down his spine.

"You've caught a cold?!"

Doc Q lay listlessly on the back of the white horse, which also looked sickly.

"How can it be?!"

Pakistan directly rejected this possibility:
"How could the captain possibly get sick?!"

"that is……"

He looked at Blackbeard suspiciously, his gaze somewhat evasive.

"What's wrong?!"

Lafayette couldn't help but ask, and after a moment's hesitation, Burgess whispered furtively in Lafayette's ear:

"Last time the captain sneezed, he attended a meeting at the Navy Headquarters a few days later and got beaten up... This time it probably won't be any better!"

"I can hear you!"

Blackbeard was furious, but when he turned around, he only saw three faces pretending to ignore what was happening. Burgess even whistled. Seeing this, Blackbeard's face darkened, but he was not really angry.

These three were core crew members who had followed him all the way and gone through countless adventures. Their loyalty was beyond doubt. Just a few jokes to maintain harmony within the team.

As for sneezing, it's never a good thing...

Blackbeard sneered.

If it were that accurate, wouldn't that be a kind of precognitive ability?!
Furthermore, ever since the day I left Whitebeard, my luck has been consistently strong; it's impossible for me to have another mishap, right?!
It's time to change my route!

Blackbeard nodded, regaining some confidence, and then turned to look at the deck behind him.

A group of hardened criminals, dressed in prison garb, stood on various parts of the warship, enjoying their newly acquired freedom and fresh air!

"It's not the rotten smell of Impel Down, it's the salty, fishy air of the sea!"

"I can't believe I'll ever see a sea king again in my lifetime! I have to cast my line here!"

……

Blackbeard watched with a dark expression as the man took out a fishing rod from the cabin and hooked a fish directly onto the deck.

What's even more infuriating is that he actually caught a sea monster, but the fishing rod was of such poor quality that the line broke, allowing the prey to escape.

The group of prisoners watching exclaimed in disappointment and then formed a line to discuss the precautions for fishing!
"If you ask me, if you want to fish, you should first bait the area!"

"Are you fucking crazy?! This is the sea, you can't possibly dig a hole here!"

"Forehead……"

"I was just saying..."

With everyone chiming in, the actions gradually became more and more outrageous.

Seeing this, Blackbeard was speechless, but he could only grit his teeth and accept it.

These were the elites he had selected from Level 5 of Impel Down. Although they were a bit rough around the edges and their combat strength was far inferior to the monsters on Level 6, their numbers were sufficient.

The sixth layer of wool was almost completely plundered by the Straw Hat crew; those left were either the old, weak, sick, or ruthless characters like Barrett.

Even Blackbeard himself wasn't confident he could defeat him, let alone suppress him or recruit him as a crew member.

(End of this chapter)