In the dim underground secret passage, there was suddenly a rapid sound of footsteps - "knock, knock, knock." Three figures were running forward at a rapid pace. The bronze oil lamps hanging on the walls emitted a weak light, and they were only placed every ten meters, which made the shadows of the three people on the walls seem especially long and narrow.
This secret passage was located about fifteen meters below the Frankish Castle. CP5 agent Mack led Sonic and Who's who down a spiral staircase with dozens of steps until they found themselves in a secret tunnel.
Fortunately, when Frank Jeff ordered the construction of this tunnel, he had a quick escape in mind, so there were no traps or obstacles. The entire passage was paved with stone bricks, the floor was level, and the width was about three meters, and the height was five. This allowed Sonic and his companions to pursue quickly.
Soon they turned the corner. Whos who looked into the darkness of the endless tunnel and couldn't help but ask:
- We've already run about a kilometer... Where does this tunnel lead?
- As far as I know, it's about two kilometers long, but where exactly, I'm not sure. We've only gone halfway.
Hearing mack's answer, Whos who grimaced in displeasure and muttered:
This guy is so afraid of death that he built such a long tunnel.
- Quiet! - Sonic stopped him sharply, frowning. - I hear something... Is that the sound of water? Is there an underground river here?
- What? I don't hear anything! - Who's who was surprised and, imitating Sonic, listened. But, except for their steps, nothing could be heard in the tunnel. - Maybe you misheard?
- Shut up if you can't hear! You can't hear, but that doesn't mean I can't hear! - Sonic got angry.
He spread his "Haki Observation" like invisible radar waves, collecting all the sounds around and creating a three-dimensional image in the brain.
- Yes, this tunnel leads to an underground river! - he said firmly after a moment. - Let's speed up! I suspect Frank Jeff will try to swim away on this river!
"Moon Step!" Sonic shouted as he pushed off the ground. His body shot out like an arrow, and a white trail flashed under his feet.
"Wow, that's a way to speed up!" Whos who exclaimed, his eyes widening in surprise.
"Commander Sonic is truly the famous 'Kamaitachi of CP9'!" Mack said admiringly. "You are such a master of the 'Six Styles: Moon Step' technique. It's amazing!"
Whos who frowned and exhaled loudly. Then he shouted:
- Shave! - and disappeared on the spot, appearing ten meters ahead in the blink of an eye.
He used the Six Styles: Shave technique to keep up with Sonic.
Now both of them, using their techniques, rushed forward as if competing, and quickly disappeared from Mack's sight.
But their method proved effective. Within a few seconds, the sound of running water could be clearly heard ahead. This time, Who's who heard it too.
- Faster, move, lift everything!
- Speed up, don't slow down!
- Stop chatting!
Soon Sonic noticed how the shadows of people trembled in the dim light ahead, and the sound of water was now mixed with voices, as if someone was rushing something.
The passage became brighter and brighter. When Sonic ran forward, a huge underground cave opened up in front of him. There was an underground river more than ten meters wide flowing there. The water was transparent, and it was rushing somewhere into the distance.
Torches burned on the walls of the cave, illuminating the space. There were cracks in the ceiling, through which sunlight penetrated, becoming the main source of light in this cave.
- Who's there? - a loud cry rang out.
The echo spread throughout the cave, repeating: "Who, who, who..."
There was a simple wooden dock by the river, where more than a dozen people were diligently carrying heavy boxes to a small boat moored at the pier.
However, there was a tall, thin, dark-skinned man among them who always remained on guard. He noticed Sonic's appearance almost immediately and issued a warning.
The man had a long, horse-like face. He had a necklace of animal teeth around his neck and was wearing a blue denim vest, brown cropped pants and black sandals. He was about three meters tall.
At this moment, Who's who also came out of the secret passage and found himself in this huge underground cave.
His chest heaved, his breathing slightly rapid. He first looked at Sonic next to him with an uneasy expression in his eyes, then shifted his gaze to the group of people opposite him and tried to regulate his breathing.
"'Loyal Dog' Amanu..." Sonic said slowly, gesturing towards the tall man with the horse face. "He is Frank Jeff's personal bodyguard, he has a bounty of 60 million Bailey. He has helped Frank Jeff escape the CP organization many times. He has killed one CP9 reserve agent and over thirty CP agents.
"It doesn't matter who he is. The main thing is that the person we want to arrest is here!" Whos who exhaled and focused his gaze on the fat man in the group opposite.
The big fat man was wearing a bright red and green checked shirt, with a red, grey and green mohawk on his head. He had orange sunglasses on his face, a gold bracelet on his right wrist, and rings with precious stones on each finger of his left hand.
This was the very man the World Government had long wanted to get their hands on - Frank Jeff, the leader of the Frank Group, the owner of the Paramecia Ink Fruit ability, and a "money printing machine" with a bounty of 98 million Bailey!
In fact, sixteen years ago Frank Jeff was a famous young artist in the Western Blue Sea. He was famous for his landscapes and portraits, which attracted the attention of many noble ladies.
Of course, he wasn't as fat then as he is now.
But such popularity was not always for the better, especially when those who admired him were young married ladies.
As the saying goes, "If you walk on water often enough, you'll get wet someday."
During one of the "private" drawing sessions, Frank Jeff was accidentally discovered by the husband of one of the ladies.
Unexpectedly, instead of killing him, the man forced him to join his team and demanded that he draw a fake Pele that would look like the real thing.
Thus Frank Jeff first encountered the counterfeiting business, as if Pandora had opened a box symbolizing human catastrophe.
It was also the first time he realized that his drawing skills could bring him more than just fame.
As his skill grew and he accidentally ate a Paramecia Ink Fruit, the bills he drew became more and more realistic, which also raised his status within the gang.
Later, a fight broke out within his team due to a power struggle, and most of the members died from mutual destruction.
Frank Jeff was lucky to escape, but his inner desire did not fade. On the contrary, he felt liberated. He gathered some of his old teammates and founded his own Frank Group.
Later, with the advent of the era of great pirates, Frank's Group received an additional impetus for development.
In the chaos of the sea world, money and desires intertwined. Counterfeit Baileys, almost indistinguishable from the real thing, were distributed around the world without restriction. Frank's group gradually became the largest organization in the world for producing counterfeit banknotes.
From that moment on, Frank's Group became a thorn in the side of the World Government, which tried its best to get rid of Frank Jeff.