Chapter 313: Chapter 14: Shocking Revelation
The city lights came on, and night descended.
In a tavern in the City of Seven Seas, the place should have been filled with drunkards at this time, but today it was empty and somewhat desolate.
A strong bartender stood behind the bar. With a rugged appearance and standing at least two meters tall, he had a pair of pitch-black horns on his head like a Wild Bull. However, these weren’t actual horns, just a peculiar hairstyle. This bartender was Bruno.
Bruno wiped the glass in his hand, eyes staring straight ahead as if deep in thought.
Ding-ding.
The tavern door was pushed open, the bell rang crisply, and the sound of high heels on the wooden floor echoed through the room.
Bruno didn’t look up; he already knew who had arrived.
"You’ve regressed, Kalifa."
Bruno’s voice was strong and deep, his breathing powerful — a master of Taijutsu.
"An accident."
Kalifa didn’t explain further; after all, having a bomb put inside her was a fact.
"Lock the door."
Kalifa’s steps halted, she spun around to lock the door before sitting on a round chair.
"Where exactly is the bomb?"
"The stomach, here."
Looking at the direction Kalifa pointed, Bruno nodded.
"Human Door."
Bruno placed a finger on Kalifa’s abdomen, and an inexplicable change occurred.
Creak~.
A small door opened on Kalifa’s abdomen; no blood appeared. The Door-Door Fruit doesn’t harm the body when used.
Kalifa’s stomach appeared in Bruno’s sight. He picked up a bottle of alcohol, poured it on his right hand, and placed a finger on Kalifa’s stomach.
Another creak was heard, like an old door opening, with a small door appearing in Kalifa’s stomach.
Bruno attentively gazed inside the stomach, and upon seeing clearly what was inside, his pupils contracted sharply.
"Can it be removed?"
Kalifa’s voice was urgent.
"Very difficult, very difficult..."
"What’s going on?"
Kalifa looked down into her stomach, bewildered by the scene that met her gaze.
A small door had opened at the top of her stomach, giving an unobstructed view of the inside.
Two white gelatinous masses were clearly visible within her stomach, growing many soft ’tendrils’ that clung like tree roots to Kalifa’s stomach lining.
Bruno picked up a pair of tweezers, attempting to touch the tendrils of the white gel. With just a slight touch, they started to redden, the temperature rising, and Kalifa’s face contorted in pain.
"These tendrils are clinging to your stomach lining, and even a slight touch could trigger an explosion. Who exactly did you encounter?"
Bruno’s expression didn’t look good. This unknown enemy was not only cunning but also meticulous, with the bombs set up flawlessly.
After pondering for a moment, Bruno spoke, "If we risk removing the bombs, the chance of success is less than 10%, possibly even lower."
Kalifa slumped in the chair as if making a certain decision.
"Do it!"
Kalifa’s face showed determination; she didn’t want to be controlled.
"Then I’ll proceed."
Bruno took several deep breaths and cautiously inserted the tweezers into Kalifa’s stomach. Upon touching the Alchemy Bomb, its surface immediately started to redden. Bruno stopped his movements, waiting for it to calm down.
After a long time, the Alchemy Bomb returned to its original color, and Bruno exerted a gentle force.
Crack~, a tendril of the Alchemy Bomb snapped, greatly alarming both of them; Kalifa even saw her life flash before her eyes.
"Iron Block."
Bruno immediately used Rokushiki, his body becoming as hard as iron, while Kalifa looked desperate, knowing it was over.
The imagined explosion didn’t occur, and the bomb tendril gradually returned to white.
"It doesn’t seem as sensitive as I thought."
Bruno gently placed the bomb tendril on a wooden table, and at that moment, a mutation occurred.
Boom!
The bomb tendril suddenly exploded, the wooden table shattered instantly, splinters flying everywhere. Bruno shielded Kalifa immediately.
Bang, bang, bang...
Splinters shot towards Bruno like bullets; Bruno, using Rokushiki: Iron Block, was unharmed, though he looked somewhat bedraggled.
After the explosion subsided, Kalifa was drenched in sweat, her clothing soaked, feeling utterly exhausted.
"This is..."
Bruno was puzzled; there had been no sign of an imminent explosion.
"You’ve been found out, this kind of bomb can be controlled."
"Controlled?" Bruno was speechless.
"Yes."
The bomb removal failed. Bruno deactivated the Door-Door Fruit ability, and Kalifa’s body returned to normal.
"You’ll have to find your own way with this bomb."
Bruno brushed off the wooden splinters from himself, went to the bar, and tossed a bottle of wine to Kalifa.
Kalifa caught the wine, opened it with her bare hands, and drank heartily, the wine trailing down from her red lips to her chest.
"If I die, don’t think of avenging me; it would be meaningless."
Leaving this phrase behind, Kalifa left the tavern. After ensuring no one followed her, she walked into a secluded alley and took out a Telephone Worm.
"Polulu, polulu, polulu..."
The snail-like Telephone Worm emitted strange sounds. These snails were communication tools in the Pirate World, similar to walkie-talkies, sending special wavelengths to each other for communication purposes.
"This is Gabra. Is that you, Kalifa? Aren’t you on a mission?"
A somewhat sly voice came through, the kind of slyness like a lone wolf; the Telephone Worm’s form also resembled a wolf.
"It’s me. I have something to discuss with you."
"What’s the matter?"
"If I remember correctly, you got a Good Fast Blade Fifty Work in a mission six years ago, didn’t you?"
Kalifa’s question caused a pause on the other end of the Telephone Worm.
"Don’t talk nonsense. When did I ever get a Good Fast Blade Fifty Work?"
"Stop lying; I saw it with my own eyes."
Kalifa rolled her eyes, knowing the other person’s character all too well.
"So what if you saw it? I already handed it over to the superior."
"Oh~? Really?"
"Of course. Just say what you have to say. Don’t waste time."
The man on the other end seemed to be losing patience.
"Thirty million Belli. I’ll buy that blade."
"I already told you..."
"Should I ask the superior now?"
"Deal, deal. Are you coming to pick it up, or should I send someone? Since when did you start using swords? Don’t you use a Stinging Whip?"
The voice in the Telephone Worm grew even more cunning.
"Send someone. It must arrive tomorrow."
"This..."
The man on the other side sounded troubled.
"Take the Sea Train. I’ll cover the expenses!"
Kalifa felt somewhat exasperated with the money-grubber on the other end.
"Just to be clear, the superior must not be informed of this matter."
"No problem." Kalifa agreed decisively.
She hung up the Telephone Worm and leaned against the corner, showing no signs of dejection.
"Just wait, whether it’s Rokushiki or the Good Fast Blade, it’ll all be reclaimed, including your life, Bai Ye!"
Kalifa was not one to give up easily, having faced far tougher situations before.
Kalifa wasn’t the strongest in CP9, but her endurance was the greatest. Being the only female combat member in CP9, she undoubtedly had her extraordinary qualities.