After the Marines finished cleaning up the battlefield, Kaito gave the order to regroup and move out.
On the way back, Kalifa wore an expression like she had something to say but was holding back. She didn't speak until they returned to Kaito's office.
After helping him take off his suit jacket and hang it on the rack, Kalifa slowly stepped behind Kaito and instinctively began massaging his shoulders.
Kaito closed his eyes, enjoying the massage, thinking to himself,
No wonder the bosses back on Earth liked hiring secretaries the moment they got rich—especially the young and pretty ones. What a decadent lifestyle.
He cracked an eye open and saw Kalifa staring at him. The moment she saw him open his eyes, she quickly looked away. Amused, Kaito said,
"If you've got something to say, spit it out. This is your only chance."
Kalifa hesitated for a moment before asking,
"I heard you defeated a Vice Admiral during the year-end assessment and were awarded a Zoan-type Mythical Beast Devil Fruit. Did you not eat it?"
Figures. The World Government's intel was sharp as always. Then again, it was a Mythical Zoan-type Devil Fruit—rare enough as it is. And they gave it to a 'newbie' like him? Kaito thought for a second and casually made something up.
"Nope, I didn't eat it. I fed it to my pet cat. See? The one on my shoulder."
He tilted his head toward his right shoulder, where Modis was lounging.
"Oh, and her name's Modis."
Kalifa narrowed her eyes and studied the cat perched on Kaito's shoulder more carefully. She nodded inwardly.
That explains a lot. No wonder this cat's abilities are so bizarre—it must be thanks to that Mythical Zoan Fruit.
Still... what was Uchiha Kaito thinking? A fruit like that could start a bloody war on the sea, and he just gave it to his pet cat?
Generous, isn't he? Kalifa thought. If only I had a Devil Fruit like that...
She glanced at Modis with undisguised envy.
Kaito noticed the look in her eyes and remembered that, at this point in time, Kalifa hadn't eaten a Devil Fruit yet. He casually said,
"You haven't eaten a Devil Fruit, right? Be a good secretary for me, and if I ever get an extra one, I'll give it to you."
He put extra emphasis on the word me. Kalifa immediately caught his meaning.
The fact that the World Government had secretly sent her to monitor Kaito was something both of them understood without saying it out loud.
But Kalifa didn't take his words too seriously. A single Devil Fruit wasn't nearly enough to make her betray the World Government.
Kaito knew that too. Offering one Devil Fruit to win her over was a stretch. He was just testing the waters. Since she didn't react negatively, that meant the door was open—everything could be negotiated with the right price.
She was a highly capable secretary, after all. He'd already started feeling reluctant to let her go.
Kaito touched the Rinnegan in his right eye and thought,
Just one more Devil Fruit... and I'll be able to unlock the third tomoe in my right Rinnegan. I've got a feeling that once it does, something fundamental will change. I need to hurry.
With that in mind, he looked up at Kalifa, who was still massaging his shoulders.
"Do you know of any reliable ways to get a Devil Fruit? Preferably one with a confirmed ability."
Kalifa paused. Then she remembered—Kaito had fed the Mythical Zoan Fruit to a cat, so he hadn't eaten one himself. Was he looking for one for his own use now?
Even as the thought crossed her mind, her professionalism kicked in and she responded immediately.
"If it's Devil Fruits you want, the auction house in Area 1 of the Sabaody Archipelago sometimes sells them. But most of the time, they're auctioning off slaves."
An auction house? Kaito remembered when Luffy's crew first arrived at Sabaody—they'd gone to an auction and caused a major incident, even punching a Celestial Dragon, which had drawn Borsalino—the lazy uncle—out to the scene.
Yeah, that must be the same place. The Celestial Dragons liked going there too... and while they're scum, they've got good taste. Sounds like a place worth checking out.
He nodded. Kalifa's suggestion was solid. He snapped his fingers and said,
"Alright. Make the arrangements. We're going to Area 1 tomorrow and trying our luck."
"Yes, sir."
Kalifa gave a slight bow and stopped her massage. She turned to leave and begin gathering information on the auction house and preparing tomorrow's itinerary.
But just as she stepped around the chair and passed Kaito's side, he suddenly reached out and pulled her into his arms.
Caught off guard, Kalifa ended up sitting right on his lap. The suddenness of it left her stunned, and she didn't struggle immediately.
She was still a woman, after all. When she came to her senses, she glared at Kaito in embarrassment and anger.
"Let go of me! This is sexual harassment, Captain Kaito!"
Kaito looked at her with a half-smile. As she started squirming in his lap, he tightened his grip around her waist, making her uncomfortable.
She wriggled instinctively, but Kaito ignored it and leaned in closer, whispering by her ear,
"You really are a useful secretary. I'm getting a little too used to having you around."
The sensation of his breath in her ear made Kalifa's body jolt like she'd been shocked. She hadn't expected Kaito to be so unpredictable.
She'd heard he had some sort of relationship with Vice Admiral Gion—wasn't he worried she'd report this?
Wait—Gion!
"You're not afraid I'll tell Vice Admiral Gion about this?!"
Kaito froze at the name, then chuckled and shook his head. Without changing position, he whispered back in her ear,
"Why would I be afraid? Gion is my person. There's nothing I can't say to her. But you? If I were to 'take' you, the World Government might actually be pleased. That way, they'd have leverage over me, wouldn't they?"
"Y-You're insane. That kind of thinking is dangerous!"
Kalifa was completely rattled now.
She knew Kaito wasn't wrong—if offering her body meant securing leverage over someone like him, someone with such terrifying potential, the World Government would have gift-wrapped her and delivered her to him already.
The only reason they hadn't was because top-tier Marine officers were usually cold and uninterested in that sort of thing. The World Government had never even considered going down that route.
After struggling uselessly in Kaito's arms, Kalifa's fishnet-clad legs tensed as she prepared to unleash a Rankyaku.
As a top-tier World Government agent, she'd long since mastered the Rokushiki. She was confident that even if she couldn't injure Kaito, she could at least use the move to break free.
But just as she was about to act, Modis on Kaito's shoulder let out a sharp, piercing cry.
The cat leapt into the air, body low, eyes glowing with black flame and locked squarely onto Kalifa. The sheer danger in her gaze was overwhelming.
Gulp.
Kalifa swallowed hard, abandoning the idea immediately. She went limp and slumped back into Kaito's lap.
She had no doubt that if she dared to fire off a Rankyaku, Kaito's cat would turn her into an ice sculpture on the spot. She'd end up just like Jerry.
Seeing that Kalifa had gone still, Kaito lost interest in teasing her further. He let go of her waist and allowed her to stand up.
She was an adorable secretary, sure—but there was a limit to the fun.
Kalifa quickly got to her feet, straightened her wrinkled clothes, and tried to glare at Kaito. But the moment she locked eyes with Modis, she flinched and looked away.
"I'm going back to work," she muttered, then fled the office.
All that was left in the chair was Kaito, smiling with amusement.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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