Ochoku gripped the giant sword in his hand, seemingly ready to decapitate John at any moment.
Yet, the treasure had not truly appeared. The actions of CP0 caused Silver Axe to act prematurely. Many were tempted by Rocks' treasure, but for five years, it remained intact because no one could find it.
If they acted against John directly, they might not be able to obtain the treasure.
While they were at a standstill, the two from CP0 could no longer remain idle. Their plan was to have John and Silver Axe fight internally, but Ochoku's appearance disrupted the original balance.
CP0 is hailed as the "strongest shield of the Heavenly Celestial Dragon" and is the world's strongest intelligence agency.
The selection of CP0 members is also extremely rigorous. Mastery of Rokushiki is just the basic requirement; they must also unconditionally protect the Heavenly Celestial Dragons in thought and obey their and the World Government's commands.
The number of CP0 members is unknown. They typically conduct secret activities, investigating smuggling of arms worldwide, carrying out secret assassinations, and making secret deals with non-World Government affiliated countries or some pirates.
Their strength varies, but even the weakest can secure a foothold in the New World, serving as officers within those Great Pirate groups.
Originally, they were just blending in among John's subordinates, putting on a facade, but Ochoku's appearance threw their plans into disarray.
They wanted to face either an injured Silver Axe or John, not two pirates with bounties over a billion. An alliance between Ochoku and Silver Axe offered them no advantage.
CP0 is more adept at assassination, and in this dim environment, with Silver Axe and Ochoku focusing more on John, they ignored these remnants. Balancing the power might not be impossible, but someone moved faster than them.
"Falling Thunder!"
The night's weather was somewhat favorable. Although a few dark clouds dotted the sky, they did not obscure the moon, whose bright light still shone on the muddy lakebed.
But that was just a moment ago; a massive amount of lightning descended from the sky, launching an indiscriminate attack on the crowd below. Yet, the lightning mainly targeted Ochoku and Silver Axe.
Soon after, a giant dragon burst from the clouds, the fiery clouds bearing several figures as they stood in the night sky.
"Worororo! So many old acquaintances, right, you bastard seniors!"
Kaidou emphasized the words 'senior' with a particular tone. He was interested in the treasure but only as a secondary goal; his primary aim was the Plate of Arceus.
This point set them apart from the people below. They sought all the treasures of Rocks, while Kaidou sought the treasure from the ship in the past.
At this time, Arceus still could not sense the Plate's aura, so Kaidou needed information from John's mouth, not chasing the treasure after John's death.
Kaidou's sudden emergence once again altered the situation below, and his indiscriminate attack style didn't seem like a friendly greeting.
Calling them bastard seniors indicated that he had been on Rocks' ship. After transforming with the Zoan-type, some characteristics are retained, and combined with Kaidou's voice, his identity was no secret.
"Isn't this the ship's intern brat? Now, there's no woman to cover for you."
"Worororo, don't joke around. Even without Linlin, I could take all of you down, Bad Wind!"
A mass of wind blades swept down. Kaidou's AOE attack was manageable for people like Ochoku, who each had a way to counter it, but for their subordinates, it was utterly devastating.
The earlier lightning and current wind blades caused massive casualties among the pirates, particularly within the John Pirates. Already dealing with a combined assault from Silver Axe and Ochoku, Kaidou's attack led to significant losses among the John Pirates.
"You've acquired quite an ability, a Mythical Zoan? Have you formed an alliance with John? Quite brave."
"Don't talk nonsense. John just happens to have something I want."
"Kaidou! Team up with me to take down these two, and afterward, not to mention that thing, we can share Rocks' treasure evenly!"
Kaidou and Ochoku's conversation sparked the idea in John to win Kaidou over, but it was met with cold laughter.
"Don't be ridiculous. Would Captain John share his treasure with anyone? Worororo, are you trying to laugh me to death?" Not only Kaidou, but even Silver Axe and Ochoku joined in the laughter.
"John, look at your reputation— even an intern wouldn't trust your words. You'd better honestly hand over the treasure!"
"Do you two consider yourselves trustworthy? We're all the same. But since you all want the treasure, go ahead and see. Great Earth Flip Gate!"
From earlier, he had been employing his Fruit Ability, but this time the scale was much grander. Initially, he wanted to stall for time, and Kaidou's appearance happened to aid him.
The entire lakebed turned into a massive flip gate, starting to reverse and rotate, flinging everyone around. Beneath the turning gate, a glimpse of a special space was visible.
Ordinary people were powerless to resist in such an environment, falling into the pit below, while Ochoku, Silver Axe, and the CP0 people actively rushed over, seeing what they desired below.
"Kaidou!"
"I know, hold tight!" Watching the changes below, Kaidou also charged down with the fiery clouds; for someone who could fly, the underground environment wasn't that intimidating.
And John, the mastermind of all this, wore a strange smile as he fell into the pit.
.....
"Has this guy's Fruit Ability awakened?"
The entire inland lakebed had turned into a flip gate under John's power, which already fell within the awakening category. A Paramecia-type Devil Fruit, upon awakening, can influence the surrounding terrain. Yet, they still couldn't ascertain what fruit John had eaten.
Below the inland lake was an enormous underground cavern, hosting peculiar luminous plants, which filled the otherwise dark underground with a dim glow.
Moreover, beneath their feet wasn't stone or soil but a consistent layer of treasure. In other words, the entire volume of the inland lake's area was the treasure's total volume.
The underground space was vast. Kaidou could still fly in the air, while others, upon falling, were in utter disarray, leaving only the officers who remained conscious. Now, everyone's gaze was fixed on John.
"This is the treasure you all wanted, and it's also your burial ground. Everyone present, including Captain John, died here; I'm heading off to start a new life. Goodbye, fools!"
As he spoke, John planned to open a space gate to leave, but then, a strange energy enveloped him, causing an inexplicable surge of anger in his heart, dismissing the escape idea.
Dread Plate - Taunt, activated successfully.