[RLOP] Chapter : 05 - Negotiations

Spandam, pinned beneath Lucci's heel, wore the expression of a man watching his own funeral.

Ironically, his father, Spandine, mirrored the same look.

Inside the CP9 Director-General's lavish office, Spandine had collapsed onto the velvet carpet. His eyes were vacant, fixed on the two Transponder Snails resting on the desk, both lines still open.

One was his. The other was also his.

Yet, from this moment onward, neither those snails—nor even his own life—belonged to him anymore.

The Devil Fruit Encyclopedia alteration.
The Sun God Nika was exposed.

Spandine had served the World Government his entire life, and he knew exactly what awaited anyone who learned its deepest secrets.

Death.

If only time could rewind.
If granted another chance, he would never have called the Gorosei to protect his son.

No… further back. He shouldn't have answered that call in the first place.
No… even further. He should never have fathered Spandam.

…

"One Mythical Zoan, five Ancient Zoans, fifty regular Zoans—and the Nika Fruit information remains buried."

"Deal."

The negotiation was as grueling as expected—Lucci naming his price, the Saturn cutting it down, then both circling back with new offers. After a dozen rounds, each side finally reached their bottom line.

Lucci paused. His eyes flicked down to the trembling wreck beneath his boot.

"How about ten more regular Zoans?" His tone was flat. "In exchange, I'll erase Spandam. He's a loose end."

!!!

"I didn't hear anything!!!"

Spandam convulsed, writhing like a worm. His flailing only made him look more pathetic under Lucci's restraint.

Slap!

"Quiet, Coo!"

Hattori swooped down, landing beside Spandam's face and smacking him with a wing. The strike barely stung, but the insult burned.

"At most, one more Zoan."

"Deal."

Back then, inflation hadn't yet ruined the market. A standard Zoan fruit went for about fifty million berries. That was Spandam's worth in the eyes of the Gorosei.

Fifty million.
The price of a CP5 Director-General.

Years of sweat spent serving the World Government, traded away like scrap metal.

So this was justice. This was the Government—trash masquerading as gods.

"Rob Lucci. The items will be delivered to Onigashima within a week."

"Don't forget the agreement—the prestige of the World Government cannot be harmed."

Click.

The Transponder Snail shut its eyes and fell silent.

Lucci's gaze returned to Spandam.

As for Saturn's final warning—he dismissed it. Lucci already desired the Nika Fruit; he had no intention of spreading the secret.

Kaido, slouched at the doorway, hadn't cared for any of this. Too deep in drink, his massive frame sagged against the wall, sake gourd in hand, his spiked club forgotten at his side.

"W–Wait! Ah! Wait!" Spandam stammered, shivers running down his spine under Lucci's glare.

"Wait for what?" Lucci arched a brow, lifting his boot away and rising to his full height.

The moment the weight vanished, Spandam scrambled like a rat, clawing at the floor to retreat. But the room had limits.

Cornered against the wall, he turned back, panic twisting his face.

"M–My father is the Director-General of CP9! Spare me! Money, women, power—whatever you want, I can give it to you!"

Shing!

The blades lodged in the ground sang as Lucci drew them free. He spun one lazily, resting it on his shoulder, while the other scraped across the floor as he advanced, each step deliberate.

To Spandam, it was as though a white tiger's phantom loomed behind Lucci, eyes blazing, poised to devour him whole.

"Don't… don't kill me…"

...

No surprise. No hesitation. No softening of heart.

Spandam was dead.

His head severed, his heart pierced.

After killing his so-called future "benefactor," Lucci had expected to feel joy, triumph, freedom.
Instead, only stillness remained.

"Perhaps I've already forgiven the you of the future, Spandam," he murmured.

With a thought, the twin blades dissolved into streaks of white light, folding neatly back into his shoulder blades before vanishing. Hattori fluttered into his hand, and Lucci absently stroked the pigeon's feathers before turning his gaze to the towering figure of Kaido.

After a long silence, he finally spoke.
"Kaido-san… do you believe in fate?"

"Fate?" Kaido tilted back his gourd, draining the last drop of liquor. His eyes narrowed as they locked onto Lucci.

Feeling the weight of that gaze, Lucci carefully chose his words.
"Since I was a child… I've been able to see fragments of the future."

"Oh?" Kaido rumbled, the corner of his mouth quirking. "No wonder you already knew about the Nika Fruit."

Whether because of his endless experience or simply his instinctive trust, Kaido accepted the claim without hesitation. His easy faith sent an unfamiliar ripple through Lucci's usually steady heart.

Intrigued, Kaido grinned.
"Then tell me, brat—if you've seen the future, I must have become Pirate King and smashed the World Government to dust, eh?"

Lucci hesitated, then slowly shook his head.
"No. In the future I saw, you're defeated by a boy who ate the Nika Fruit. What becomes of you after that… is unknown."

He studied Kaido's expression. The Emperor still looked half-drunk, unfazed. Lucci pressed on.
"What should we do, Kaid-sano? Do we eliminate him now? Prevent it before it happens?"

"Prevent?" Kaido let out a thunderous laugh, rising to his feet in a single, massive step that swallowed the distance between them. His shadow loomed over Lucci like a mountain.
"Lucci… who do you think I am? Ask your question again."

Looking up into that overwhelming presence, Lucci whispered, "Do you believe in fate?"

"No!" Kaido's voice cracked like thunder. "Listen well, Lucci! Don't lay a finger on that boy. Let him grow. Let him reach me! And then—let him taste my Hassaikai! WORORORORO!!!"

His roar shook the hall, black-red lightning crackling wildly in his wake.

And in that moment, Lucci understood the gulf between himself and the true monsters of the world.
It wasn't just raw power.
It was the unshakable confidence that came with it.

If it were up to him, he would snuff out a threat before it bloomed. But Kaido… Kaido didn't need to. He had the strength, the courage—and the arrogance—to simply wait.

He was like a mountain that could never be scaled, daring challengers to climb until they broke.

Honestly, Lucci thought it was foolish.

But still...

"So cool."

—

Seven days later. CP9's training grounds.

Almost half a month had passed since Lucci's defection.

A group of half-grown agents clustered around a fresh newspaper, their faces twisted with shock, confusion, and grief. But not hatred.

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! How could Lucci defect, chababa!?"

"There's no way… there has to be a conspiracy!"

"Wuwuwu~ Lucci abandoned us…"

"Kalifa, stop crying! Lucci must have his reasons!"

"But… but…"

"Don't worry. I'll bring him back… even if I have to break his arms and legs to do it."

The headline blared above a crisp photo:

Lucci, blades in hand—one resting on his shoulder, the other frozen mid-swing as Spandam's head fell.

And behind him, whether by chance or design, the towering silhouette of Kaido loomed.

[Age 13 — Beasts Pirates crew member. The Killing Machine: Rob Lucci. Bounty: 100,000,000 Berries. Dead or Alive.]

In the corners of the page, two smaller articles were almost lost:

[CP5 Director-General Spandam bravely resisted the Beasts Pirates' invasion. Fell in battle.]
[CP9 Director-General Spandine, upon learning of his son's death, stormed Onigashima alone seeking revenge. Killed in battle.]