The CP9 agents who had been undercover at Iceburg’s side for years gathered to discuss the situation. Ultimately, they concluded that the crisis had spiraled beyond their control. Their only option was to report the intel to the World Government and let the high-ranking officials decide.

In the end, CP9 decided that Kalifa would return to the office to observe the situation and attempt to stall for time, while Rob Lucci and the others reported to the Government as quickly as possible.

They had no intention of engaging Aranea in combat.

It was simple: she was a Logia-type. Lucci, the strongest among them, had only barely touched the threshold of Haki, and even that had grown rusty during his years working as a shipwright. He was simply no match for a Logia user like Aranea.

About ten minutes later, Kalifa returned to the office with a tray, placing a cold drink in front of Aranea.

"Notifying the Marines won’t help you, you know," Aranea said casually as she accepted the drink.

In her eyes, Kalifa had undoubtedly gone to alert the Marines. Kalifa’s pupils flickered slightly, but she said nothing, moving back to stand by Iceburg’s side.

Iceburg, meanwhile, had no intention of resting. He sat at his desk in stony silence. Robin stood frozen in place, unsure of what to do, feeling like an outcast to both sides.

After draining half the glass, Aranea looked at Iceburg. "Are you stalling because you’re waiting for the Captain to arrive? It won’t be long now."

"I’ve already told you, I don’t have any blueprints," Iceburg insisted, stubborn as a mule.

Aranea shrugged. "Say whatever you want. I’ve already tried to look at this from your perspective and help you out."

...

"What? You mean that guy Iceburg really has the blueprints?"

Spandam, the Chief of CP9, wore a leather mask and a crazed, greedy expression. After hearing the report from Lucci and the others, he was ecstatic, already envisioning his future as a top-ranking Government official.

Immediately, Spandam waved his arms and barked, "Then what are you waiting for?! Go seize Iceburg and the blueprints for Pluton right now!"

A look of deep disgust flashed across Lucci’s face, but his professional discipline kept him calm. "We have Nico Robin and the Logia user Aranea to deal with. They won’t be easy to handle. Furthermore, Alucard of the Yonko is currently closing in on Water 7. Forcing a seizure right now is not a good idea."

"So you’re saying we should give up on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?!" 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Spandam’s face contorted. "It’s confirmed the blueprints are in Iceburg’s hands. You should take them before the Immortals get here and hand them over to me for the World Government!"

This man is completely insane... Lucci and Kaku thought privately as they watched Spandam’s hysterics.

"Understood," Lucci replied flatly. He turned and left with Kaku and Blueno.

After using Blueno’s fruit ability to exit their secret base, Kaku couldn’t help but ask, "Lucci, are we really going to follow that idiot’s orders and seize the blueprints by force?"

"He may be an idiot, but he is still our superior." Lucci continued walking toward the shipyard. "We will report this to Marine Headquarters under the guise of ordinary citizens to grab their attention and bring in Marine reinforcements."

"The Marines? But the friction between the Marines and the Government is deep right now. Bringing them in..." Kaku frowned. As an organization directly under the Government, bringing in the Marines didn’t make sense from any angle.

"It’s for the success of the mission. Besides..." Lucci’s eyes turned cold. "I’m not stupid enough to stake my life on a piece of trash like Spandam."

Thanks to Lucci and Kaku’s actions, Marine Headquarters soon learned that Nico Robin and Aranea Highwind had appeared in Water 7.

The Marines were not fully briefed on the Government’s secret CP9 operation to investigate Pluton; they had only heard rumors of Rob Lucci’s past exploits.

The presence of Immortal Pirates crew members at the Government’s primary shipyard was a major red flag. Furthermore, hearing that Alucard was on his way, the Marines immediately dispatched five warships from Headquarters. Vice Admirals Onigumo, Lacroix of the Giant Squad, Bastille, Momonga, and Dalmatian were ordered to lead the fleet.

Simultaneously, they called in Admiral Aokiji, who happened to be nearby with nothing to do. They had to figure out what the Immortals were up to before Alucard arrived.

On the other side, the Government received the news as well.

The high-ranking officials concluded that Alucard must have learned about the blueprints from Nico Robin, the "Devil Child" who could read Poneglyphs. They cursed her name.

However, they soon received word of the Marine deployment. The Government officials were livid. Those Marine bastards had deployed a massive force without waiting for orders or even filing a report. Were they trying to start a rebellion?

A rebellion was unlikely, but the rift between the Marines and the Government was undeniably growing.

Ultimately, the Government ordered the Marines to surround Water 7 and focus solely on intercepting Alucard. The internal investigation would be handled by the Government’s agents.

Sengoku thought it over; there was no need to directly oppose the Government, so he agreed. However, he gave Aokiji and the Vice Admirals a specific order: if they found themselves outmatched by Alucard, they were to retreat. There was no need for a fight to the death.

Compared to Alucard, who was rushing from the New World, the Marines and Government agents reached Water 7 much faster.

When countless Government agents in black suits swarmed into Iceburg’s office, Aranea sighed, twirling a lock of her blonde hair around her finger. "Does it really have to come to this?"

Aranea stood up and drew the gun-lance from her back. She stood with her back to Iceburg and said, "Because of your indecision, Iceburg-san, I’m afraid Water 7 is about to become a river of blood."