The two CP5 agents?
Completely paralyzed.
Their minds went blank. Even their bladders felt like they were about to explode.
Can you even believe it?
This was the ship they'd written off as a total wreck—
Cracked deck, busted hull, holes in the cabin, And yet right beneath it all?
A freakin' mountain of gold.
The stench of old wood and copper coins filled the air, pungent and glorious. This wasn't just a wreck—it was a treasure trove. A monument to bad taste and good luck.
Men chase three things in this world: wealth, fame and power.
As intelligence agents for the World Government, they had the last part down.
But this?
This was profit.
They had never imagined that happiness could come so suddenly.
So violently.
So terrifyingly real.
They were nobodies.
Their entire lives, they hadn't seen—no, hadn't even dreamed of seeing this much money.
Their hands shook.
Their legs trembled.
Their moral compass?
Yeah, that thing was buried somewhere under this gold pile.
"…Wh-What do we do?"
"These treasures… we don't know where they came from. Just to be safe, I think we should…"
"Stash some away. Give a cut to Spandam…"
"And then—Kahehehe"
"That idiot will definitely clash with the ship's owner over the money. While they fight, we reap the rewards."
"A few days later, we dig up the stash. Even if we quit the World Government… we'll be rich men."
The plan was simple.
But simple plans work best—on simple minds.
And Spandam?
They knew that guy better than anyone.
With a personality like his—greedy, petty, despicable, there's no way he'd walk away from a treasure hoard like this..
They knew him well. Knew he was greedy, cowardly, and stupid enough to fall right into their trap.
So, without wasting another second, the two of them got to work.
Two massive treasure chests.
One for each.
They dug two shallow graves, shoved the boxes in, and patted the dirt down.
"Bro, with this kind of money… what do you plan to do first?"
"Easy! Quit the job, go home, find a wife, settle d—"
STAB!
"…Huh?!"
"Sorry, bro. I'll burn your wife for you."
"Y-You—?!"
The man stared at the dagger buried deep in his chest. After a stunned pause, he looked up at his partner and croaked, "You… were even faster than me…"
With that, he collapsed onto the deck, dead.
"If I'd been slower… I'd be the one lying there."
The other man muttered, pulled the dagger from his fallen partner's chest, and without blinking, slashed his own arm.
As the blood soaked through his sleeve, he snatched up the small treasure chest they'd set aside and sprinted toward the dock like a man possessed.
---
At the port, aboard a World Government warship
"What?!"
"Someone dared kill a CP5 agent?!"
"Are they trying to pick a fight with the World Government?!"
Spandam stared at the injured agent in disbelief.
He had only sent them to observe and investigate. How the hell did this turn into a murder?
And from what it sounded like… it was over money?
What kind of joke was this?
A government agent murdered over some loose change?
"You idiots…"
Spandam roared, veins popping from his neck. "I asked for the blueprints—the blueprints! Not this nonsense!"
"Sir, I—I swear, there's a ton of treasure on that ship! Look, just see for yourself!"
The wounded agent, trembling like a leaf, offered up a small treasure chest.
"I don't want your damn treasure—I want Plut—"
"...Hmm?"
Spandam's shouting cut off mid-sentence.
He stared at the chest. His eyes bulged. His jaw hit the deck.
He was stunned.
That mark on the lid… it looked suspiciously like
"H-Holy Tribute?!"
Spandam shrieked, pointing at the symbol burned into the box.
No doubt about it—the mark was unmistakable. It was the royal seal of the Heavenly Tribute, the sacred tax paid by member nations to the Celestial Dragons.
Heavenly Tribute?!
Clunk
The agent holding the chest went stiff as a board. He nearly dropped the thing on his foot.
That treasure on the ship… it was Heavenly Tribute?
Did… did I just steal the Celestial Dragons' money?
No—wait! It wasn't me who stole it.
It was the guy on that busted-up ship!
"L-Lord Spandam…"
The injured man suddenly lunged forward and latched onto Spandam's leg like a drowning man clutching driftwood.
"This has nothing to do with me, sir! I swear!"
"We were just—just..."
As an agent working in World Government intelligence,
he definitely knew what the Celestial Dragons were,
and more importantly, he knew that anything even remotely related to the Celestial Dragons was nothing but a one-way ticket to hell.
He was a small fry. He liked being a small fry. He had no interest in getting swallowed up by a world-shaking mess.
So, brain working overtime and dramatic voice fully engaged, he started spinning a tale for his superior.
"WHAT?!"
"You're telling me that ship was loaded with Heavenly Tribute?!"
"And the people on board… killed Sagan?!"
Spandam let out a screech like a cat who'd just had its tail stepped on.
Then—he remembered something.
That incident from a while back… the one where a shipment of Heavenly Tribute mysteriously vanished…
"Heh… Heavenly Tribute… ha… haha…"
His eyes lit up like a kid on Christmas morning.
"Didn't expect it to come to me so soon… Promotion, here I come…"
"Nice work! Let's go! Time to reclaim the Tribute!"
Swaggering away from the port like he'd already been promoted to chief of CP0, Spandam marched off with his goon squad in tow.
———
Meanwhile
After saying his goodbyes to Zeff, Revy, and the others, Kisame leisurely strolled back to the junkyard shipyard.
After all, there was still a ton of treasure on board.
And knowing his luck? This was exactly when some greasy-handed thief would come crawling in.
He walked at a casual pace, admiring the strange customs of this bizarre world.
Chaotic? Sure. But compared to the ninja world… this place felt downright sunny.
"Hmm?"
The moment he stepped onto the deck—He froze.
There was a body, lying flat on its back, staring blankly at the sky.
Kisame blinked.
First thought: I've been robbed.
And sure enough…One look at the pile of gold—now clearly missing a foot-high stack and his face darkened.
He spun around, fury rising like a storm.
"TOM, YOU FAT BASTARD—THIS IS HOW YOU GUARD A SHIP?!"
But just as he was about to storm off the deck and hunt down the offending shipwright—
Voices rang out from outside.
"C-Captain, that's the one! That's the ship!"
"The Heavenly Tribute—they found it on that boat!"
"You sure? This beat-up piece of junk?"
"Y-Yes, absolutely! Don't be fooled by the rust! I think they're hiding something… sinister! That's why they're using a crappy ship—to fly under the radar!"
"And they killed Sagan too!"
"…Under the radar?"
Who the hell came up with that nonsense?!
THIS is what my ship always looks like!
And I just got back—WHO exactly did I have time to kill?!
From the conversation, it was clear.
They already knew about the Heavenly Tribute.
And worse They were from the World Government.
Was his Navy career really about to end before it even began?
Suddenly, Kisame thought of something, and a wide grin stretched across his not so handsome face, rows of sharp teeth flashing.
"Edo Tensei no Jutsu!"
Without hesitation, he slapped his palm down—ding ding, the coffin arrived!
Bang!
The coffin lid crashed to the floor, nearly landing on his toes. He didn't move an inch, just smiled calmly at the man inside.
"You again."
The moment Kakuzu saw that dead-fish grin, his rage shot through the roof.
Last time, he'd nearly been beaten to death by that three-billion bounty lunatic and this guy still had the guts to summon him?
Did he think Kakuzu's 800-mile shuriken was for show?
"Heh… Kakuzu, come on. You're in the land of the living now—could you lose the corpse expression?"
"Doesn't the sunlight feel nice?"
Kisame gave a slow, chilling smile.
Kakuzu's face darkened further.
"Seeing you, even under a clear sky, is like getting smothered in storm clouds."
"This never ends well."
"If this is another fight with that horned freak from last time, just kill me now."
"Heh, no way. This time, it's good news!" Kisame's pale face still held that same eerie smile.
"Really?"
"Really. A ninja doesn't lie to another ninja." Kisame nodded solemnly, then added,
"I felt bad about last time."
"So, I prepared two billion Berries as compensation."
"But…"
"Someone's got their eye on that money now."
"What?!"
Kakuzu's voice cracked like glass, like he'd just heard his shady neighbor sneak into his house.
If anyone so much as touched a single Berry of his, he'd tear them apart piece by piece.
Two billion…
"Where are they?"
Kakuzu's eyes turned ice-cold, like he was staring down a sworn enemy.
"Out there. Just about to come up."
Money…Money was power. Stronger than gods, better than chakra.
The second he heard someone was coming for it, Kakuzu's aura exploded.
The air turned thick, and the music in the background might as well have started playing. He strode toward the door, murderous intent boiling.
Kisame barely got a word in
"Try not to kill anyone, alright? These guys are with the World Government."
"If they die, it gets complicated."
"Hmph… death? For them, that would be mercy."
(End of Chapter)
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