Chapter 616 - 838 – The Future Has Already Changed

"No matter what, we still have to thank you for helping us."

"This is the best liquor we have here. Please, give it a try."

Blueno quickly prepared a drink and placed it in front of Raki with a smile.

"Thanks. You didn't poison this, did you?"

Raki picked up the glass.

"O-Of course not."

Blueno wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and glanced at Kalifa, who was also looking at him with a slight frown.

He really had considered poisoning the drink earlier.

However, after Kalifa shot him a look, Blueno quickly abandoned the idea.

He understood perfectly well what Kalifa's look meant: Don't poison her.

And what Raki had just said only proved that Kalifa's warning had been right.

There really was no reason to poison Raki now.

She was far too cautious. If they were caught trying to poison her, wouldn't they just end up getting beaten again?

Kalifa had already said that Raki was very strong.

"That's good."

"Relax, I was only joking."

Raki smiled at the nervous Blueno.

Of course, she had noticed his little movement.

Still, considering that she would need to make use of Rob Lucci and the others later, Raki couldn't be bothered to scheme against them.

Once she finished what Arton had asked of her, she could always find another opportunity to properly teach Blueno a lesson.

"Come to think of it, we still don't know what you're doing here."

Kaku stepped forward and smiled as he asked Raki.

"I came to Water 7 to have a ship built."

"If I hadn't recognized you and that pigeon keeper as shipwrights, I wouldn't have bothered helping you."

Raki shrugged.

"A ship?"

Kaku's eyes lit up. "Are you a pirate?"

"Take a guess." The corners of Raki's lips curled into a mysterious smile.

"You still want us to guess?"

Kaku rubbed the back of his head in frustration.

If possible, he wanted to keep things simple.

But it seemed the woman in front of him had no intention of making things easy for them.

"What kind of ship do you want? To thank you, we can help."

Rob Lucci stepped forward.

His pigeon had been knocked unconscious by lightning earlier, so for the moment, Lucci could only speak for himself.

"Of course you'll help. I've already discussed it with Mayor Iceburg."

Raki smiled.

"You've already spoken with Mayor Iceburg?"

Kaku's eyes widened.

Even Rob Lucci was surprised.

Aside from Kalifa, every CP9 agent present was startled.

To keep herself from giving anything away, Kalifa deliberately feigned surprise as well.

When did you meet Mayor Iceburg? Why didn't I know about it?

Although that was what she said aloud, Kalifa was inwardly sulking.

She hadn't expected that she would have to put on an act to deceive her own CP9 companions one day.

Still, there was no other choice at this stage.

Kalifa believed that if her companions knew how the World Government would treat CP9 in the future, they would understand her.

Unfortunately, judging by the current situation, the future had already changed. Arton and the others might never experience the events that had originally awaited them.

...

Kalifa was somewhat worried. If Arton and the others never experienced the World Government's hostility firsthand, then once she joined Arton's pirate crew, would Lucci, Blueno, and Kaku think she was a traitor?

The thought only lingered for a moment.

As far as Kalifa was concerned, what she was doing was the right thing.

There was no point dwelling on it.

"Kalifa is Mayor Iceburg's secretary. If you want a ship built, she should know about it."

Arton gave Raki a meaningful look. "Besides, I met him after you all got off work. If I'm not mistaken, he'll tell you about it tomorrow when you go in."

"The ship I want is very large, so I'll need all of you to take the job seriously."

Raki smiled.

"A very large ship? How large?"

Kaku asked.

"About as large as a warship."

Raki spread her arms wide to emphasize the scale.

"Huh? As large as a warship?"

"Are you sure?"

Kaku's mouth twitched.

Who besides the Marines would want to build a ship that large?

Even pirates generally wouldn't.

Some unusual pirate crews did build enormous ships, but they certainly didn't use Marine warships as their standard of comparison.

"Of course I'm sure. We need a ship large enough to accommodate all kinds of entertainment facilities, so naturally it has to be bigger."

"Don't worry about the money. We've already offered Mayor Iceburg a very generous payment."

"He was also happy to agree to put his full effort into building it for us. Of course, he'll use the best shipyard available."

"That's when I heard your names—Rob Lucci and Kaku."

Kaku nodded despite himself. "I see."

"Since it's such a major commission, Mayor Iceburg really would tell us about it afterward."

"So you're building a ship like that to use as a cruise ship?"

Blueno asked curiously.

"You could think of it that way."

Raki smiled and nodded.

Although Arton was a pirate, he was also a pirate who knew how to enjoy life.

Building a ship like that was completely understandable to her.

Of course, as Arton's companion, Raki was very much looking forward to having a ship like that as well.

It would let her have fun with Arton in all kinds of settings.

Just imagining all the places where she could have a good time with him brought a faint blush to Raki's cheeks.

...

"Are you all right? Did the alcohol go to your head?"

Blueno looked at Raki's flushed face in confusion.

She had seemed perfectly fine just a moment ago. Why had her face suddenly turned red?

Surely his liquor wasn't strong enough to affect a guest that quickly.

"I'm sure Miss Raki is fine."

Kalifa's words carried a deeper meaning.

As someone who had been through it herself, Kalifa could more or less guess what Raki was thinking about right now.

Obviously, she was imagining herself having fun with Arton.

Even Kalifa felt a little excited when she imagined the same kind of scene.

I'll have to find a chance to invite Arton over to my place sometime and have a proper feast.

Kalifa thought to herself.