This was the internal space of Gran Tesoro, but its gold structure was different from ordinary gold. The building formed by this gold had turned the area into a completely independent space.
Ordinary disturbances wouldn’t reach the outside, and right now, Gran Tesoro was not only busy hosting sightseeing tours for a group of lucky visitors, but also holding a carnival. As long as they don’t collapse the place, people outside won’t notice anything unusual.
“What are you talking about, Mr. Tesoro? I don’t quite understand what you mean…”
Even at this point, Knight still had a confused look on his face, though he seemed a little afraid.
Despite Tesoro calling out his code name accurately, he still didn’t admit it.
If it weren’t for Who’s-Who vouching for it, Tesoro himself might have doubted whether this person was really a CP0 agent.
Tesoro’s impression of CP0 was still stuck on the white suits and strange masks, walking around the streets flaunting themselves like they didn’t care if people recognized them.
“It’s fine. You don’t need to understand. The stage is already set, and now it’s time for the actors to appear. And this time, it’s an old acquaintance of yours.”
Suddenly, a wall in the golden theater melted, and Who’s-Who appeared.
“Long time no see, Senior Knight. You once said you’d help me, haven’t forgotten that already, have you?”
In his Human-Beast form, Who’s-Who appeared before Knight. He looked much the same as before, but his colors had shifted to black and gray.
His expanded fur made his body look a bit obese, but the once fluffy fur was now entirely made of steel. On his head, he had Viking-like helmet decorations, encasing his original horns. This was his new ability—Viking Pokémon – Perrserker, the evolved form of Galarian Meowth.
Meowth, originally a household cat-like Pokémon, evolves into different forms due to environmental changes.
Alola Region originally didn’t have Meowth. A few were gifted to the region, living alongside nobles and eventually developing a haughty sense of pride.
In Galar, however, Meowth served as an assistant to fishermen and lived among the warlike seafaring tribes, even taking part in raids, evolving into a more combative form.
“I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”
“There’s no point in playing dumb, Senior Knight. You can’t have that bad of a memory, do you?”
Who’s-Who reverted to his original form, and only then did Knight fully grasp what was happening.
“You traitor…”
Up until this moment, Knight still couldn’t think of any flaw in his cover. He even thought this might be some surprise event orchestrated by Tesoro.
He had full confidence in his undercover work. But now Knight understood why Tesoro had been so adamant that there was something off about his identity—he had run into a damn old acquaintance.
For undercover agents, running into an old acquaintance is undoubtedly devastating, as one word could blow their cover.
But Knight’s situation was worse. The other side wasn’t just an old acquaintance, but a traitor.
He had known that Who’s-Who defected from CP9 and joined the Beasts Pirates, but according to past intelligence, Beasts Pirates’ officers rarely appeared on Gran Tesoro, and Who’s-Who had never been here before.
He hadn’t shown his face for a while, just like Queen, and the last news of him was during the Beasts Pirates’ ranking battle.
Even if Who’s-Who had come here, Gran Tesoro had over 30,000 visitors daily. Without specific intelligence, Knight shouldn’t have been exposed. But his luck was just that bad—he’d been discovered.
What Knight didn’t know was that the person controlling the surveillance device that day was named Baccarat. Her Devil Fruit ability was Tesoro’s deepest secret. The Luck-Luck Fruit could work wonders in the most inconspicuous ways.
“Don’t say that, senior. I just wanted to live. I’m not like you guys, willing to serve them even at the cost of your life. Since you promised to help me back then, why not fulfill that promise now?”
“You b*stard! Is this what you think helping someone means?!”
Back then, Knight’s squad was short on people, so he considered bringing Who’s-Who under his command after his promotion. At the time, Knight saw Who’s-Who as a promising recruit.
He genuinely wanted to help him back then, but now Who’s-Who wanted to exchange his life for a better future.
“Each serves their own master. Or maybe you could consider surrendering? I could recommend you to Mr. Kaido. Even though many senior officers dislike World Government members, if you truly join, they can accept you.”
Shayna and King still hated members of the World Government. When Who’s-Who first joined, he faced plenty of disdain.
“Heh, Who’s-Who, aren’t you overestimating your abilities a little? You think too highly of yourself!”
Listening to Who’s-Who boast, Knight’s eyes were full of contempt. People like him would never betray, especially when they’d willingly take on suicide missions, like interfering in Kaido’s battle.
But he couldn’t understand how a former CP9 member had so much confidence.
“Let alone you, even that brat Rob Lucci is not my match!”
With his feet rapidly hitting the ground dozens of times, Knight used Soru to instantly appear in front of Who’s-Who, thrusting his fingers together with Shigan aimed at Who’s-Who.
One major disparity between CP9 and CP0 is strength. He may have not been able to defeat Queen, but a mere Who’s-Who? He was hardly worth his attention.
“I hate when people compare me to that stupid brat!”
CP9 has a peculiar situation: when Rob Lucci is mentioned, he is regarded as the most talented newcomer in eight hundred years. In the same breath, Who’s Who is considered his equal. No one enjoys being seen as a mere supporting character, especially when they believe they’re no less capable than the other.
In this battle between former CP9 and current CP0, Who’s-Who also resorted to using Rokushiki to counter Knight.
“Fool, your Tekkai won’t be able to stop me. Shigan: Impact Hammer!”
It was as if the bones in Knight’s fingers vanished, his fingers eerily retracting into his palm, then snapping out like a spring.
The Earthworm Devil Fruit granted him more than just regenerative ability—it strengthened his muscles and altered his bones. His entire body could transform into a spring-like state, allowing him to launch even stronger attacks.
Tekkai and Shigan are the spear and shield of Rokushiki. Those who overestimate the quality of their shield usually don’t end up well, but this time, it wasn’t the shield that overestimated itself—it was the spear.
The fur on Who’s-Who’s body fully blocked Knight’s Shigan.
“Hahaha! If the ultimate goal of Tekkai is to achieve the hardness of steel, then what happens when a body made of steel also uses Tekkai? Have you ever thought about that, senior?”
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