The Calendar of the Sea Circle, 1511
Northern Sea, Kingdom of Lubnir
A young man with an attractive appearance walked down a dark, deserted alley. His short black hair was neatly combed back, and on his face were stylish dark green glasses in the shape of a frog mirror. He was wearing a long black coat, a dark green striped T-shirt, black pants and leather shoes. As he was about to reach the exit of the alley, a characteristic "bru-bru-bru" sound came from his pocket.
"Well, well..." he sighed, slightly irritated, and, reluctantly leaning against the peeling wall, he took the clamshell phone out of his pocket with a serious expression on his face.
Click.
- Bastard Sonicv! What the hell are you doing there, you good-for-nothing? - As soon as the connection was established, the clam phone took on an angry expression and screamed so loudly that it seemed like spittle was about to spray onto his face.
Sonic tilted his head in disgust, replying with a grin:
- Hey, don't get so worked up, Chief Spandine.
"Matters like murders must remain secret. Besides, I am an elite member of CP9, and my identity must not be revealed. Naturally, I need time to study the area." With these words, he looked at the busy street in front of him with a carefree expression.
The Kingdom of Lubnir was a famous and powerful state on the Northern Sea. The legendary "Lair " Mont Blanc Noland was from here. More than 400 years ago, the King of Lubnir organized a fleet to search for the golden land that Mont Blanc Noland spoke of. Under his leadership, they set out from the Northern Sea and reached the island of Jaya in the first part of the Grand line , which speaks of the power of the kingdom at that time.
If it were not for the confidence in the power of his kingdom, could the king have risked setting out across the ocean on the Great Road in search of the golden land?
Although the age of pirates has left its mark, and Lubnir is no longer as strong as it once was, it still remains a prosperous state, rare for the North Sea.
The street in front of Sonic was ten meters wide, paved with gray-white stone slabs. Several carriages could easily pass along it at the same time. The buildings on both sides did not look shabby: they were built of red or blue brick, and the facades were decorated with signs, from old wooden ones to modern neon ones. There was an abundance of goods all around.
Even the passers-by looked well-fed and healthy, which testified to the wealth of the country.
- Nonsense! Stop talking nonsense! - At this moment, Spandine, the commander of CP9, who was far away in Enis Lobby, was furious. He shouted into the phone: - You are the strongest in CP9 for the past 800 years! The entire organization has no one equal to you! And you, the owner of the Paramecia ability «Of the Scythe», can kill an old helpless noble with a wave of your hand! The rescue ship has been waiting for a week, are you trying to stall for time again? Or have you gotten carried away with gambling and women again?
"Don't do that, Chief Spandine. According to the information I've gathered, Count Holland Avant goes to the stables outside the city every Tuesday. Better to wait and catch him there than to try to get into his guarded estate."
- So you were at the casino again and got carried away by women?
- You are slandering, Chief Spandine! - Sonic, without changing his expression, raised his hand with slight irritation and scratched his ear with his little finger, continuing calmly: - Without evidence, I can sue you for slander!
- Stop fooling around! - Spandine continued to shout on the other end of the line: - You better take care of this old Holland Avant as soon as possible! I have an urgent and important task for you!
"Speaking of which, you really do know how to summon people…" Before Sonic could finish, his gaze narrowed and his expression became more serious.
An old man with gray hair appeared on the street. His wrinkled face was decorated with a slight smile. He was dressed in a blue waistcoat, white trousers and black boots – a complete set of riding gear, decorated with a gold border. In his hand he held an eighty-centimeter whip, and under him was a tall white horse.
He was followed by twelve knights in metal armor, armed with spears.
An escort of classical knights - such luxury was only available to the Celestial Dragons in the sacred land of Marijoa and some old-fashioned nobles.
This was the object of Sonic's assassination - Count Holland Avant!
Count Holland Avant, a nobleman of the kingdom of Lubnir, celebrated his 65th birthday this year. His only daughter married a wealthy merchant from the "White City" Flevance ten years ago. However, three years ago, the kingdom of Flevance was surrounded by neighboring states due to an epidemic of the contagious disease "Amber lead " and destroyed. The noble's daughter, who did not want to leave her husband, who was suffering from this disease, died with him that same night.
For unknown reasons, Holland Avant seems to have gained access to some classified information about the "Amber lead" and has been actively seeking the truth about it ever since. He has publicly stated that the demise of the "White City" of Frevance was due to the mistakes of the world government. After several useless warnings, the world government finally dispatched CP9 agents to eliminate him.
- By the way, Sir Spandam, the target has appeared. Wait for me a minute.
- Deal with him quickly!
- Five seconds!
Sonic looked tense, holding the phone in his left hand, and walked towards the entrance of the alley. He then glanced at the target, who was slowly moving towards the middle of the street. Slowly raising his right hand, he put his fingers together like a blade, and swung it forward.
- Kamaitachi!!!
A whistle of air rang out in the silence. His fruit's ability compressed the air in front of him, forming an invisible blade of wind.
- Hm?!
On the street, several knights guarding the count heard a strange sound and turned around.
Pfft——
At that moment, the body of Count Holland Avant froze, his head suddenly flew up, and bright red blood gushed out like a fountain.
- Ah—!
- Count!
- He was killed!
- ...
The screams instantly filled the street, and the calm turned into chaos. Seeing the headless body of the count fall from the white horse to the ground, Sonic confirmed that the target had been eliminated. Without looking back, he turned around and disappeared into a dark alley.
- It's done, Chief Spandam!
- Yes, you really are "Kamaitachi" from CP9. As always, effective!
- Thanks for the compliment. What's the next task?
- Return to the ship, and then head to the Grand Line...
The voices gradually died down, and Sonic's figure completely disappeared into the darkness of the alley.