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Outside the Sea-Prism Stone cage, a door suddenly opened in the air.
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Lucci, carrying the unconscious Kaku, stumbled out with Kalifa, both looking worse for wear.
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Almost as soon as they emerged, the door behind them dissolved and disappeared.
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Lucci, seething with rage, glared back at the cage and shouted, "Blueno! Come out!"
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Kalifa, supporting Kaku, fought to hold back the tears welling up in her eyes.
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There was no sound from within the Sea-Prism Stone cage, but Lucci''s anxiety only grew.
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He felt as if... Blueno was dead.
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The members of CP9 had been chosen by the government from a young age, subjected to brutal trials.
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Even though government agents weren''t supposed to have emotions, growing up in such an environment, becoming stronger together, sparring, relying on each other, how could there not be some emotion?
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Lucci had always believed himself to be cold-blooded.
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But now, with a comrade and friend dying right in front of him, he couldn''t suppress the sadness welling up in his heart.
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Lucci stood there in a daze for a long time before his expression finally changed.
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His once stern face became even colder, his black eyes vacant, like those of a numb madman.
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"Let''s go..."
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Kalifa said nothing, and together, they managed to carry Kaku away.
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In Lucci''s heart now, there was only one thought: to become stronger! To kill Noir! To kill all of his comrades!!
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After they had gone far enough, the walls of the Sea-Prism Stone cage finally crashed to the ground, and Noir emerged.
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With his arms crossed, Wyper asked in confusion, "Why did you let them go on purpose?"
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Enel rolled his shoulders, angrily saying, "Yeah! I wanted to settle the score with them!"
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Noir replied meaningfully, "Don''t worry. There will be another chance to meet them."
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As he spoke, Noir glanced down at Blueno, who lay at his feet, his fate uncertain.
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Surprisingly, although Blueno aura was weak, he was still alive!
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Having gone through such a defeat, how much longer would Rob Lucci be able to remain in CP9?
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Noir thought to himself.
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Blueno had indeed sustained what should have been fatal injuries, but Noir had used his healing abilities to bring him back.
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There was no other reason; it was just that when Noir saw Blueno sacrificing himself to save his comrades, he suddenly thought that these people might be useful to him.
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Especially given Lucci''s performance just now; Noir was quite impressed.
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After experiencing such a failure, the government would not tolerate Lucci for long.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
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By saving Blueno now, Noir figured that when Lucci was eventually cast out or fled on his own, there would still be an opportunity to meet again.
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Enel, following Noir''s orders, hoisted Blueno up and asked, "Are we still going to find Franky?"
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"Of course, we haven''t met him yet," Noir affirmed.
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Wyper scratched his head in confusion and asked, "Who is this Franky, anyway? Why are we so set on meeting him?"
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Noir was about to explain when they suddenly heard a commotion from up the street.
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"Franky''s here!"
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"Everyone, run!"
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"Ahh, Pervert!!"
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What?!
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Noir''s eyes lit up. Just as they say, things sometimes just fall into place!
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Noir hurriedly pushed through the crowd, making his way toward a small gang coming down the street.
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The gang members were dressed in matching baggy black outfits, looking ridiculous, almost like clowns.
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And the leader? Even more eye-catching.
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He had a slicked-back hairstyle, was wearing an open floral shirt, and most notably, was only wearing a small pair of briefs below.
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It''s no wonder anime characters are so recognizable, who could mistake Franky''s unique look?
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Delighted, Noir pushed past the lackeys and quickly walked up to Franky, grabbing his hand and saying, "Brother, I''ve been looking for you all day!"
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Franky looked at Noir with a puzzled expression and asked, "Who are you?!"
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"I''m a friend of Mayor Iceburg," Noir lied without batting an eye. "He recommended I come to you. I heard you sell underwear. What''s the price?"
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Franky''s face darkened as he shouted, "This is fashion!"
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Noir looked at him thoughtfully and said, "Could it be... you''re a pervert?"
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Rather than getting angry, Franky burst into a hearty laugh, waving his hand dismissively and saying, "Not at all... hahaha!"
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"Achievement unlocked: Successfully befriending an important character. Reward: Universal Talent Copy Card 1, Modified Iron Man Armor Full Series Blueprints 1 set."
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Done! That was easy!
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Noir chuckled inwardly. The system''s reward criteria were simple: as long as an important character developed a certain level of goodwill toward you, it counted as a success.
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Come to think of it, Enel hadn''t triggered any befriending rewards yet. Does that guy hate me that much?
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Franky clapped his large, mechanical hand on Noir''s shoulder and said, "It''s rare to meet someone with such good taste. We must chat more!"
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"Actually, I''m heading to the black market. I heard there''s some good stuff there. Want to come along?"
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"Sure, sounds fun!"
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As Noir and Franky walked off together, arm in arm, Wyper and Enel were left baffled in the wind.
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Is friendship among ordinary people really this easy to form? Enel was beginning to feel enlightened.
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While walking with Franky, Noir sneakily glanced at the blueprints in his system.
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The Iron Man Armor blueprints were indeed from the Marvel universe, but the functions and components had been modified to fit this world.
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For Noir himself, though, the Iron Man armor seemed rather pointless; his own power was already strong enough.
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This kind of high-tech armor would just slow him down.
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It seemed like another reward meant for subordinates...
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Noir couldn''t help but feel a bit disappointed. First, he got an empty island, and now armor. The system really seemed to be pushing him to build a crew or a force of some kind.
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But he hadn''t even reached the New World yet. What''s the rush?
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Franky led the group to the jet-powered sea train built by his master, Tom.
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"The black market is on the next island over. We''ll need to take the train there," Franky explained.
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Noir nodded, taking in the scenery outside the window.
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Who would have thought he''d be riding a train here? The bumpy ride made Noir feel like he''d crossed into another world.
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Enel and Wyper, curious as ever, pressed their faces against the window, their backsides sticking out, like two curious kids.
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Noir, meanwhile, chatted with Franky, asking about the black market.
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Franky enthusiastically explained:
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"This time, the black market has a lot of good stuff. And because of one particular treasure, a lot of big names have come to bid!"
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"A treasure? What kind of treasure?"
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Noir asked with curiosity. Franky smiled mysteriously and said, "A Devil Fruit."
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Noir''s interest was piqued. "Could it be a Logia-type Devil Fruit?"
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Franky shook his head. "No, it''s a Zoan-type."
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Noir was about to feel disappointed when Franky''s next words reignited his excitement.
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"I heard that this Zoan-type Devil Fruit is one of the incredibly rare Ancient Zoan types!"
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