Chapter 76: The Elite Agents Annihilated (Please Vote for Monthly and Recommendation Tickets)

At this moment, in the Canola Flower Harbor, Luffy and his crew had already come ashore, and Ace had finally met the hungry Luffy as he had hoped. Smoker, not one to idle, immediately attempted to capture Luffy, but with Ace’s assistance, Luffy managed to escape successfully.

Afterward, Ace told Luffy about the whereabouts of Buffon and Vivi, handed him a piece of his own Vivre Card, and then set off once again on his journey to pursue Teach.

Understandably furious, Smoker, with the help of the intelligence network, soon deduced the group’s destination and set out for Rainbase with his men in tow.

Meanwhile, deep in the desert at the Baroque Works headquarters—the Spider’s Café—the five remaining top agents had gathered. Today, they would travel together to the Rain Dinners Casino to meet their enigmatic boss, Mr. 0, for the very first time, to receive their final mission orders.

Mr. 1 and Mr. 2 fought as soon as they met, and only stopped at Miss Doublefinger’s persuasion. Finally, the five of them climbed onto a three-wheeled wooden cart pulled by the land turtle, Binchy, and sped toward Rainbase.

Just after they set off, a shadowy figure darted with lightning speed under the cart, hiding beneath it.

Having left Yuba, Buffon’s group now lacked any means of transportation and had slowed considerably. At this point, an overheated Lily, feeling regretful, murmured, “Captain Buffon, we should have kept one of those Sandora Giant Lizards yesterday to pull us to Rainbase.”

Buffon shook his head and fell silent, though he thought to himself, “If only we had a land turtle to ride now…”

As this thought crossed his mind, he heard a rumble from behind. Turning around, Buffon saw a giant turtle charging toward them from a distant dune, kicking up a cloud of sand. At the same time, a shrill voice called out, “Clear the way ahead! Our land turtle can’t stop!”

“Speak of the devil!” Buffon praised inwardly, donned his hood and mask, and stepped into the turtle’s path.

“Captain Buffon, are you planning to steal this land turtle?” Vivi asked as she put on the mask Buffon had given her.

Before Buffon could answer, Reiju, already masked, replied, “And what’s wrong with that? We’re pirates, after all. Isn’t taking things by force what we do?”

Buffon felt grateful—how wonderful it was to have the perceptive Reiju by his side. She could answer almost any question for him, sparing him much trouble.

By this time, Binchy the land turtle had barreled right up to Buffon. To the turtle, Buffon’s 299-centimeter height was nothing—he could send him flying with a single kick. The turtle took a deep drag on the cigar in its mouth and charged at Buffon with all its might.

“What a reckless little brat, does he really mean to hijack us?” Miss Doublefinger commented coolly.

Barely had she finished speaking when a tremendous crash sounded from the front, and the three-wheeled cart suddenly lifted off the ground!

The five agents reacted instantly, opening the doors and leaping out. But upon landing, they found themselves surrounded by four figures in white cloaks and masks—one, judging by the size, was even a giant!

Just as they prepared to fight, a melodious female voice rang out, “Captain, shall we play a game with them?”

Buffon shook his head, and the four sprang into action. Buffon struck out with a hand blade in each hand, knocking out Mr. 2 and Miss Merry Christmas; Baggio took down Mr. 1 in two swift blows; Reiju’s poisonous mist enveloped Miss Doublefinger; Saul clapped his massive hands together, flattening Mr. 4.

The shadowy figure hiding under the cart watched these four white-clad forms and was suddenly gripped by a familiar terror. “I barely escaped last time—don’t tell me I’ve run into that group again…” he thought, fortifying his wax shell and resolving to stay hidden and silent.

After the five agents were subdued, Vivi and Lily, who had not participated in the fight, walked over. Seeing the agents’ faces, Vivi involuntarily took two steps back, her voice trembling, “Top agents!”

Buffon, of course, recognized the five, but the others didn’t care in the least, so nobody was surprised.

Buffon ignored the fallen agents and walked straight to Binchy. The land turtle was trembling, its top hat and cigar already fallen to the ground. Buffon picked up the cigar, snapped his fingers to ignite a flame at his fingertip, lit the cigar, and put it back in Binchy’s mouth. Then he stooped to retrieve the top hat, placed it on the turtle’s head, and tidied the brim.

Only after this did Buffon say, “To Rainbase!”

Whether the land turtle understood or not, it nodded vigorously. Buffon then beckoned to the others.

“Are we just going to leave them here?” Vivi asked in surprise.

Buffon shook his head and climbed onto the cart. The rest followed suit, while Saul, being a giant, could only ride atop the turtle’s shell and serve as the driver.

Not long after they set off, Baggio nudged Buffon and pointed beneath the cart. Buffon shook his head indifferently and closed his eyes to rest. If all went well, they would reach Rainbase by early morning.

Regardless of how the events played out compared to the original story, Buffon was determined to visit the Rain Dinners Casino.

By midnight, the five agents abandoned in the desert were nearly buried by the shifting sands. Mr. 2 Bon Clay was the first to awaken. He spat out a mouthful of sand, roused the others, and took out a Den Den Mushi to call Mr. 0.

“What’s happened? Calling at this hour?” Crocodile’s voice was icy and calm on the other end.

“Mr. 0, we were ambushed on the road by four people in white robes. One was a giant! They took Binchy.”

Crocodile’s face remained impassive, but inside, his mind was in turmoil. The “Utopia” operation was imminent—there could be no room for error now. This was his carefully laid plan for seizing the country, three years in the making.

“But who would interfere at a time like this? The Navy?” he wondered, but aloud he asked, “Did you see their faces? How strong were they?”

“No! They all wore white cloaks and masks. We were defeated instantly. It was around four in the afternoon—they knocked us out and left us in the desert,” Bon Clay answered anxiously.

Hearing this, Crocodile stubbed out his cigar in the ashtray, his fist clenched tightly, but his voice remained composed, “Alright, I understand. Continue toward Rainbase. I’ll have Miss All-Sunday send another land turtle to pick you up.”

After hanging up, Robin, who had been petting a crocodile, asked, “Mr. 0, what happened?”

“They were ambushed—four masked figures in white cloaks,” Crocodile replied.

Robin tensed at the description, instinctively asking, “Was it CP0?”

Crocodile glanced at Robin, a faint smile on his lips. “What? Worried they’re after you again? Don’t worry. Under my protection, even if it’s CP0, they can’t touch you.”

It was understandable for Robin to suspect CP0—since she had been on the run at age eight, those white-cloaked figures had haunted her life. Moreover, Buffon’s group had never appeared before her in such garb, so it was only natural for her to think of CP0.

Seeing her silent, Crocodile added, “If it really is CP0, that’s manageable. What worries me is…”

He didn’t finish before Robin interjected, “So, what’s our next move?” As if the conversation about CP0 had never happened.

Crocodile thought for a moment, then said seriously, “Have the camel make another run. The people at Canola Flower Harbor should stay put for now. Once everyone arrives, we’ll decide what to do next.

As for these white-clad strangers—they’ve seized Binchy, so chances are they’re headed for Rainbase as well. Tomorrow morning, let’s go meet these guests from afar and see what surprises they might bring us.”