[RLOP] Chapter : 04 - Gorosei

Enies Lobby

An island housing a court under the World Government's banner—meant for judging criminals.

But the truth?
The courtroom is nothing but a façade. No trials, no verdicts. Criminals are dragged straight to the gallows, their fates decided solely by the Government's will.

This is what they call Absolute Justice.

And here, in the very same place, lies the headquarters of CP9—the World Government's most secretive intelligence unit next to CP0.

Inside an office, as the sun dipped below the horizon…

Spandine, Chief of CP9, reclined lazily into a sofa chair, swirling a glass of red wine. With a long sigh, he let the salty sea breeze drift through the window, the scent of power almost sweet on his tongue.

On his desk lay a transfer order from the World Government.

The thought alone was intoxicating. Soon, he would ascend to the position of Chief of CP0.

Even without the blood of a Celestial Dragon, that title was the highest station a commoner could reach. To serve directly under the Dragons themselves—wielding authority greater than even the Fleet Admiral—was a privilege beyond measure.

The mere idea of pointing a finger at the Fleet Admiral's nose and calling him useless, while the man was forced to swallow his fury, made Spandine's chest swell with ecstasy.

And as anyone familiar with ecstasy knows… misfortune often follows.

"Purupuru… purupuru… purupuru…"

The sudden ringing of a Transponder Snail snapped him back to reality.

Fishing it from his coat, Spandine hesitated, quickly reviewing his recent sins. Only after reassuring himself that someone else could take the blame did he finally answer.

What came through was a voice. Young, almost childish.

"Nice to meet you. My name is Rob Lucci."

Mary Geoise

In a pristine, cavernous conference chamber, the Gorosei gathered around a Transponder Snail placed at the center of the table.

The air was still—too still. A suffocating coldness settled over the room.

Their expressions ranged from disinterested to faintly disdainful.

"This number belongs to Spandine."

"Rob Lucci? Who is that?"

"A trainee. A provisional recruit from CP9's home base."

"A half-finished tool… why would he contact us directly?"

The Gorosei exchanged sharp glances. Their irritation with Spandine—who hadn't yet assumed the role of CP0 Chief—was already simmering beneath the surface.

As for Rob Lucci? He was nothing. A disposable weapon, destined to sink into the sea once broken.

Just as Saturn, the Gorosei member closest to the snail, reached out to hang up, the boy's voice returned.

"Don't be so hasty. Surely the Gorosei wouldn't want certain… truths about Sun God Nika spreading across the seas. For instance—that the so-called Paramecia Gum-Gum Fruit is in fact a Mythical Zoan, the Human-Human Fruit, Model: Nika."

The voice was calm. Almost too calm.

Yet in an instant, the conference chamber erupted.

A furious pressure exploded from the five elders. Documents scattered like leaves in a storm. Windows shattered from the force of their rage.

The Human-Human Fruit, Model: Nika!

It was a name erased from history after Joy Boy's defeat—buried so deeply that even whispers were forbidden. By now, no more than a handful of souls in the world should still know of it.

And yet… a mere tool had spoken it aloud.

But these were ancient monsters who had ruled for centuries. Their fury burned hot, but only for a moment. With practiced control, they smothered it, returning the room to a deathly calm.

Saturn, hand still hovering over the receiver, forced his tone into a measured calm.

"Rob Lucci, is it? We can meet any condition you ask. Where shall the exchange take place?"

There was no denial, no outrage. No argument, no haggling.
Only surrender to the weight of a secret that could never be allowed to spread.

There was only the most direct of questions—
"Where is it?"

This was exactly what Lucci had been wary of from the start.

The Gorosei's blatant disregard for cost made their intentions clear: meet him, seize what they wanted, and eliminate him without hesitation. He had every reason to believe that the moment he named a location, the Buster Call fleet would set sail in the very next breath.

Meanwhile—
out on the boundless sea, on a remote island—

The stench of gunpowder tainted the air. Screams mingled with the crackle of flames, rising into the smoky sky.

Inside a surprisingly tidy office, Lucci reclined lazily on a sofa, stroking Hattori's feathers.

At his feet lay a young man with middle-parted purple hair, battered so badly he was nearly unrecognizable. Two long white odachi stood planted in the ground, crossed like an executioner's seal. Their tiger-head tsuba gleamed, ornate engravings along the blade reflecting the boy's tear-streaked face.

Under Lucci's silent threat of death, the beaten youth could do nothing but curl up and tremble like a worm.

He was Spandine's son.
The current Chief of CP5.
And the future disgrace of CP9—Spandam.

Lucci's gaze lingered on the pathetic figure, and a faint smile crossed his lips before he turned back to the Transponder Snail.

"As expected of the Gorosei," he said smoothly. "Since you're so generous, I'll be direct. I want Zoan-type Devil Fruits—ten Mythical Zoans, one hundred Ancient—"

"Impossible!"

Before he could finish, Saturn's furious voice exploded through the snail.

Saturn, who never intended to pay a single coin, felt the vein in his forehead bulge at such insolence.

Already, in his mind, he branded Lucci as a fool. A frog at the bottom of a well, ignorant of the value of Devil Fruits.

True, the World Government had hoarded many in its millennium of rule. Even Mythical Zoans, rare as miracles, were not in short supply. But the strongest had long since been distributed—given to the God's Knights, to promising Celestial Dragons not yet rotted in decadence. The leftovers were tossed to the nineteen royal families for amusement.

And the Marines? As the Gorosei often said—mere tools, nothing more.

Lucci, however, remained unbothered by the outburst. His expression calm, his voice measured, he began again:

"The trade location will be set at—"

BOOM!

The roof exploded. A massive shadow blotted out the light, and Spandam screamed beneath Lucci's feet, reduced from trembling to sheer terror.

"Stop talking down to my crew like that, you old fossils!" a thunderous voice roared. "The trade location is Onigashima! If you don't like it, come to the New World and fight me!!! Wororororo!"

Snatching the Transponder Snail, Kaido's drunken fury spilled out like a storm, cursing the Gorosei without restraint.

Lucci could only give a helpless smile. In this world, many dared to curse the Gorosei—but only a handful could do so to their face without consequence. Kaido, of course, was one of them.

On the other end, the atmosphere among the Five Elders grew heavy, their faces dark and contemplative. The raging voice was filtered out, but his words weighed on them. They fell into silent calculation, weighing gains and losses.

At length, as Kaido paused to wet his throat with another swig, the elders exchanged glances. Finally, Saturn spoke again, voice clipped but measured:

"Let's begin negotiations."

"Wororororo!" Kaido burst into booming laughter.

Lucci's lips curved into a faint smile. He knew then—

The debt to Kaido was already paid off.