While Lucci and his team were having their secret strategy meeting...
On the other side of town, Ren Takashi was following Kalifa through the exhibition hangar.
She had just shown him a few ships, but he wasn't impressed.
They were all odd, misshapen prototypes — nothing that screamed quality or craftsmanship.
They were completely beneath his standards.
Next, Kalifa led him and the others towards the completed ship warehouse.
'Kalifa,' Ren said flatly, 'I hope you don't plan on wasting any more of my time.'
'I only came to the Galley-La Company because I believed in your reputation as shipwrights.'
This island was legendary.
Eight hundred years ago, the legendary battleship Pluton was said to have been built by craftsmen from here.
Even the Pirate King Gol D. Roger's ship was forged by this island's shipbuilders.
That's why Ren had come here — to tap into that legacy.
Other places could build ships. But none of them had the history.
This city had built legendary weapons. He wouldn't accept anything less.
"Haha, of course."
'I promise you'll be satisfied.'
'Let's check a few more warehouses,' said Kalifa, flashing a diplomatic smile. She could tell that Ren wasn't pleased.
Over the next ten minutes, they inspected various completed ships.
Some were better than the earlier models, but still far from what Ren had in mind.
Kalifa was starting to panic internally, unsure what to do next.
Then Ren suddenly stopped and pointed.
'Huh... What about that warehouse?'
Kalifa's heart skipped a beat.
That warehouse.
Her expression faltered.
'Why don't you show me what's inside that one?' Ren asked casually.
Kalifa stumbled over her words. 'That... that warehouse isn't... I don't have clearance to open it.'
Of course she knew exactly what was inside.
It was something she absolutely couldn't let Ren see.
Even as a government agent, there were some things she couldn't do.
But Ren wasn't convinced by her excuses.
His sharp eyes had noticed her hesitation. She was hiding something.
"If it's locked up so tightly, it must be valuable."
The warehouse had an enormous iron padlock unlike any of the others.
Before Kalifa could say more, Ren stepped forward and ripped the lock clean off with vampiric strength.
He turned back with a smirk.
"Relax.
'If it's just the cost of a padlock, tell your boss Iceburg I'll cover it.'
Kalifa froze.
That carefree smile, coming from someone she couldn't read or resist, sent a chill down her spine.
Not even when facing her CP9 squad captain, Lucci, had she felt such pressure.
She didn't dare speak up again.
Besides, if she tried to stop him physically, her cover might be blown.
Ren wasn't doing this just out of curiosity.
His supernatural instincts told him that there was something special about this warehouse.
The moment the doors opened—
— a huge vessel loomed in the shadows.
Before Ren could comment, Perona flicked the light switch excitedly.
The entire interior lit up.
What they saw made everyone gasp.
"Whoa! There really is something amazing here!"
'This is way better than the others!'
'So this is the legendary craftsmanship of Water 7? The government certainly doesn't cut corners!"
Perona, Sadie and Domino were all in awe.
Before them stood a massive, pure white battleship, glimmering like a fallen heavenly crown.
Instead of a beast, its figurehead was a majestic twenty-winged angel, sculpted from moonstone.
Its feathers were traced in molten gold, casting a radiant glow like flowing magma.
Nine golden decks rose in layers, their railings inlaid with multicoloured shell from Skypiea.
Even the mainmast had been crafted from a 800-year-old Adam Tree.
The hull was lined with seastone to repel sea kings.
It was nothing short of extravagant.
Adam trees — some of the rarest and toughest wood in the world — were priceless. A single log could fetch two hundred million Beli on the black market.
According to the original history, both Roger's Oro Jackson and the Thousand Sunny were made from Adam wood.
Ren had originally planned to get some and build a ship from scratch.
Now?
He might not need to.
Why bother when a masterpiece already sat before him?
'So this was what you were hiding.'
'No wonder,' Ren chuckled.
His instincts had been spot on.
Kalifa hesitated.
'That ship...' she finally admitted. '...is called the White Pearl.'
"It was commissioned by the Celestial Dragon family, the Figarland clan."
"It's technically complete, but it hasn't been delivered yet."
There are still a few adjustments left to make.'
Ren's smile faded.
Figarland.
He knew that name all too well.
Decades ago, during the so-called 'Celestial Dragon Hunting Games', the Figarland family had been the stars of the slaughter.
It was one of them who had killed his father, the King of Atlanta.
Just thinking about it made Ren's blood boil.
One day, he would return the favour by hosting a new hunting game.
This time, however, the prey would be them.
Celestial Dragons.
'I think we've seen enough,' Kalifa suggested carefully.
'This is a restricted dock. We shouldn't linger."
'No rush,' Ren replied casually, walking up the ship's gangway.
'They won't show up now anyway.'
He ordered Perona and the others to keep watch.
If Lucci and his team arrived, he wanted to be notified.
Kalifa hesitated, then followed him aboard.
As a Galley-La executive or a CP9 agent, she had to be present.
Once aboard, Ren walked slowly through the ship, admiring every detail.
It didn't feel like a ship; it felt like a floating palace.
'Impressive,' he said.
'You spared no expense. A real royal cruiser."
Kalifa nodded stiffly. 'The craftsmen built it to match the Figarland clan's exact specifications.'
'Honestly, I didn't have much say in the design.'
Crystal lamp posts, each holding a live bioluminescent jellyfish in a glass dome, lined the deck every five paces.
At the rear was a mobile palace moulded from red tree resin from the Sabaody Archipelago. Rainbow-hued bubbles shimmered across its translucent walls.
The carpet glowed like pearls. Twelve golden-masked statue servants held incense burners encrusted with pink South Sea diamonds.
Eventually, they reached the master suite.
It was magnificent — and perfect.
'This is exactly what I need.'
With a few tweaks to the design, this ship will suit me just fine.'
Kalifa froze.
'But... Lord Ren, I told you... this ship belongs to the Figarland family!'
It's scheduled for delivery to Mariejois!"
If you take it, I... I can't explain it to the Celestial Dragons!"
As a CP9 agent, she was panicking.
She couldn't refuse Ren, but she also couldn't let him take the ship.
'I... I'll speak to our craftsmen,' she offered. 'We can start building you a replica — something similar, if not better.'
She needed time.
She had to stall.
Once she had regrouped with Lucci later, they could figure out what to do.
But Ren wasn't convinced.
'Kalifa,' he said. 'Shipbuilding isn't like jumping in bed. You can't expect results in a few hours."
'And besides...'
'If you're worried about getting in trouble with the old fossils at the World Government...'
'You could always come with me on this ship.'
"Come with me. Leave all that behind.'
His gaze darkened.
'Or would you rather I start revealing your secrets, CP9 agent Kalifa?'
Kalifa's expression cracked.
"What are you saying?"
'I don't know what CP9 is.'
You must have me confused with someone else."
'I've worked at Galley-La for years. I'm not a secret agent."
She kept a straight face — decades of training kept her calm.
But inside?
She was shaken.
They had never met before. And yet he knew her identity?
How?
Ren continued.
'Your father was Rasky, a CP9 agent.'
You've got an older sister in CP8; her name's Alpha."
'You've been embedded here in Water 7 for five years, working with Iceburg to get the blueprints for the ancient weapon Pluton.'
"Still think I don't know who you really are?"
Kalifa took a step back, her heart pounding.
Ren's next words hit her like a hammer.
'You wouldn't want your cover blown, would you?'
'You wouldn't want your sister punished by the World Government because you failed, would you?'
He smiled coldly.
—