Malphegor
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HGBW: Ch. 92
🕑 Added 2025-03-10 21:18:32 +0000 UTCThe Marine soldiers, who had been intimidated by Who's-Who at first, calmed down after being reassured by Rosinante. They were no longer swayed by his words.
"Damn it!"
Kalifa observed the changes in the expressions of all the Marine soldiers and was left with only one thought—this was their last chance to cause trouble for Tanaka, and Rosinante had completely ruined it.
"Wait! I… I know Rokushiki. You saw it!"
Who's-Who grasped onto the flaw in Rosinante's argument.
"Rokushiki?"
Hearing this, the Marine soldiers all turned to look at Rosinante.
"Doflamingo is quite talented, and he also knows a few Rokushiki techniques. Then why is he a pirate and not CP9?"
Rosinante remained calm as he provided an example.
With those words, the Marine soldiers all found his reasoning logical.
The Rokushiki, like Haki, were rare in the Four Blues and the first half of the Grand Line, but once you reached the New World, they were as common as roadside cabbages.
You could pull any random Marine officer from the New World, and they would likely know Armament Haki.
Similarly, you could grab any pirate from that region, and they would probably know at least one or two Rokushiki techniques.
"Fucking liar!"
Who's-Who turned red with anger.
At that moment, he finally understood. Why would Rosinante, a Marine, be siding with Tanaka, a criminal wanted by the World Government?
Because these two guys were equally devious!
"Shut him up."
Rosinante said expressionlessly.
Of course, he knew how wronged Who's-Who was, but precisely because he knew Who's-Who's real identity, he had to prevent him from proving that he was actually CP9.
As long as he stuck to this one point, then went back and let Sengoku handle the situation, there would be no problems at all.
After all, he really didn't know anything, right?
The Marine Headquarters didn't notify him. The World Government didn't issue an order.
Who knew if Who's-Who was just an imposter running around pretending to be CP9?
"Yes!"
Feeling that they had almost been tricked by Who's-Who, several burly Marines immediately stepped forward, pulled out some random cloths from who knows where, and gagged him.
"Sorry about this. I wanted us to have a nice reunion, but instead, I brought you this mess."
"At least you're okay."
Now that the situation was settled, Rosinante finally apologized to Tanaka.
"It's not your fault."
Tanaka shook his head.
He understood that World Government orders weren't something a mere Rear Admiral like Rosinante could refuse.
Besides, Rosinante was clearly aware of the situation.
Even after realizing that Who's-Who really was CP9, he still stood firmly by Tanaka's side and ruthlessly framed him.
Going against the World Government's orders like this took courage, and Rosinante had definitely earned his favorability points.
Of course, even if he had turned against him or lost control of the situation, it wouldn't have mattered.
From his perspective, even if the number of Marines here doubled, he could still take them all down with a single slash.
After all, his ROOM had already encompassed all the Marines, including Kalifa.
"Here, take this. You never know when you'll run into another fake CP9 while traveling. Better to be prepared."
Rosinante patted the paper bag containing the Haki training method against Tanaka's chest, speaking with a hidden meaning in his words.
"I know."
Tanaka naturally understood what he was implying.
Because of the Op-Op Fruit, he had already come under the watchful eye of the World Government.
This time, they had sent CP9 after him. Next time, it could be CP0—or even an Admiral.
That made the Haki training method in his hands all the more valuable.
Only by mastering Armament Haki and Observation Haki would he have the strength to fight back when facing powerful World Government agents or Marine Admirals in the future.
"By the way," Rosinante continued, "Instructor Zephyr was quite interested in your deal, but he recently took a training ship out to sea and won't be returning to headquarters anytime soon."
"So, you might want to look for someone else."
Rosinante subtly hinted at the dangers of pursuing that route.
"Got it."
Tanaka nodded slightly at his words.
This time, the World Government had kept things quiet to maintain secrecy. Since he was still young, they likely didn't see him as too much of a threat and figured sending CP9 under Who's-Who's command would be enough to capture him. That's why they didn't make a big spectacle or issue a bounty—so as not to scare him off.
But now that CP9 had failed, it was only a matter of time before he was officially wanted.
Once the World Government or Marine Headquarters issued a bounty, Zephyr, who had agreed to teach him Rokushiki, would likely change his mind instantly.
If he showed up before Zephyr at that point, the retired Admiral would turn into a Marine officer tasked with capturing him.
Even without Rosinante's warning, Tanaka had already given up on dealing with Zephyr.
Besides, he had found a better option.
At that thought, his gaze shifted to the three heavily wounded CP9 agents lying on the ground.
Rokushiki, Life Return…
Weren't these three living, breathing sources of those very techniques?
"Rear Admiral Rosinante," Kalifa spoke up.
"Even though their identities are unclear, they dared to impersonate CP9 and use Rokushiki. That alone suggests they have a powerful backer behind them."
"I believe we should imprison them first and send them back to headquarters to await further orders."
Kalifa had been secretly watching Tanaka's every move.
The moment she saw his eyes linger on the injured Who's-Who, Blueno, and Jabra, her heart tightened. She immediately sensed the danger her comrades were in.
She was far more cautious and perceptive than Who's-Who.
Seeing that Rosinante had full control of the situation and that Tanaka was terrifyingly powerful, her only goal now was to protect Jabra and the others.
"…"
Rosinante furrowed his brows slightly at her words but didn't respond right away.
He knew very well that if he took Jabra and the others back, the World Government's orders would likely arrive before they even reached Marine Headquarters.
And once it was confirmed that Who's-Who and the others were really CP9, he would no longer have control over the situation aboard the warship.
"Not good."
Kalifa's heart sank.
Earlier, she had suspected that Rosinante was truly unaware of their real identities. But now, seeing his reaction, it was clear—he knew exactly who Blueno, Jabra, and Who's-Who were.
However—
Clang!
Before Kalifa could think further or take any action, a sword suddenly extended from behind her neck.
The cold steel touched her skin, and the chilling sensation sent an uncontrollable shudder through her body.
"You've been exposed."
