The pirates sat and forgot, and they really believed the nine truths and one lie.

It was time for everyone in the shop to leave.

Those who were determined to pay the price have already obtained what they craved.

As for those who remained indifferent and whose intentions were unfathomable, the shop owner was too lazy to waste any more words on them. You couldn't squeeze a single penny out of a real miser.

"Push open this door," the shopkeeper gestured casually, raising his hand.

"No matter which direction you go, you will eventually leave this crevice and return to where you came from."

As soon as he finished speaking, several black business cards floated silently in front of everyone, with dark gold patterns flowing along their edges and the name of the pawnshop, No. 8, written in the center.

"The business card of Pawnshop No. 8 is proof of your return. Keep it safe or give it to someone else. I welcome you to bring in new customers."

"Now, return to your own world and face the great waves of the times."

The shop owner didn't make any farewell gesture, but silently left and returned to the room inside. The people left in the shop could only leave on their own and dared not steal anything from the shop.

The CP9 members took the lead, with Rob Lucci and Kaku at the front, and Ada silently following behind.

This brief reunion and subsequent separation from her brother Allen left Ada's mind in turmoil.

The path Allen chose was so heavy that he had to bear it all alone. Ida was powerless to dissuade him, yet unwilling to remain merely a bystander. Torn between contradiction and confusion, she longed only to escape from all that was suffocating.

After taking a few steps, Kaku couldn't help but lower his voice and ask the most practical question: "Lucci, after we go back, will we continue to be secret agents?"

He is outspoken, and the power of the Ancient Zoan Devil Fruit within him is subtly changing his body and mindset.

As for Lucci, who was already more talented and now possessed the power of a Mythical Zoan, his strength had increased to an immeasurable level.

To choose to remain subordinate to the World Government would be beyond loyalty; it would be downright foolish.

Lucci paused almost imperceptibly, as if waiting for Ada to catch up.

He didn't answer Kaku immediately, but instead tilted his head slightly, his gaze sweeping over Ada's pale face before returning to the empty path ahead.

"Although I was raised by the World Government from childhood, the things I did for the Celestial Dragons and the people I killed over the years can be considered as repaying that debt of gratitude. We no longer owe them anything."

His tone of relief was as if he were declaring to his two companions behind him, "The road ahead is now ours to walk."

Upon hearing this, Ada's eyelashes, which had been hanging down, trembled slightly.

She truly did not want to return to the Holy Land of Mary Geoise, nor did she want to face her adoptive father again.

A career as a secret agent that lasts too long can numb one to bloodshed, lies, and missions.

Perhaps staying away from all this trouble, away from the shadow of the Celestial Dragons, finding a corner where one can breathe freely, and trying to live a normal life would be a good choice.

She nodded slightly without saying a word, but her tense shoulders seemed to relax a little.

The CP9 trio quickly disappeared into the dim light behind the door.

The remaining pirates in the shop also left one after another, choosing different directions from CP9. Pirates naturally disdain to associate with the Celestial Dragons' lackeys.

The moment he stepped out of the pawnshop, the familiar power derived from the Devil Fruit surged back into his body like a tidal wave.

That feeling of freedom and abundant energy brought a long-lost sense of ease to everyone, from the inside out.

Having undergone a brain upgrade, Capone Becky seems to have developed a severely disproportionate body. With his head enlarged and his lower limbs relatively short, he now walks in a rather comical and inconvenient manner.

He had to use the power of the Castle-Castle Fruit to temporarily transform his lower body into a castle, moving in a slow and somewhat clumsy manner.

"Are we really going to cause trouble for the Five Elders next?"

Hawkins was intently fiddling with the brand-new deck of divination cards in his hand, which contained unknown powers. His fingertips traced the cards, trying to establish a new connection with them.

Capone Becky, a seasoned gangster, has become more aware of his own shortcomings after his brain upgrade.

Some situations do require strong allies to face together. He looked at Eustace Kidd and asked, "Does our alliance still stand?"

Kidd's signature irritable expression remained unchanged, but his gaze was fixed on Monkey D. Luffy, who was walking on the other side, silent since he came out, shrouded in a low-pressure atmosphere.

"Hey Straw Hat Kid, if our alliance still stands, I'll go with you to Marineford!"

A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes: "I want to personally take Zefa's head to avenge my dead crew members, and incidentally, to help you share some of the pressure on the front lines."

Luffy seemed not to hear him at all. His injuries had mostly healed, but his mind was clearly occupied by something else.

He simply lowered his head, silently clutching the jade box containing the Soul-Saving Pill tightly to his chest, and walked forward with heavy but firm steps, ignoring the conversations around him.

Allen walked silently a little behind, watching Luffy's back with a complicated look in his eyes. He could see very clearly that the boy under the straw hat had no thoughts about the pirate alliance at all.

Ace's name has probably filled every corner of his mind, leaving no room for anything else. Luffy has never experienced what true loss is in all his life.

"So, will he agree or not?" Kidd frowned and turned to Capone Becky beside him.

Capone Bege closed his eyes slightly, his telepathic abilities subtly extending as he tried to detect Luffy's emotional fluctuations. A moment later, he opened his eyes.

Big Head shook his head and said in a low voice, "Let's talk about it when we get out. This kid isn't thinking about us at all right now. There's probably still a long way to go before we can discuss the alliance."

Two groups of people, CP9 and the pirates, walked from the shop entrance in different directions, yet they seemed to eventually converge on the same exit.

Their figures gradually lengthened and faded in the hazy light and shadow.

Behind them, the No. 8 pawnshop, that ancient building that seemed to have existed since time immemorial, began to blur in outline as they moved further away.

Until one moment, someone subconsciously looked back and found the path they had come from was empty.

The wooden door through which people once passed, along with the entire pawnshop, has completely vanished, as if it had never existed in this crack of time and space.

Only the cold business card in their hand remained as a reminder that everything they had experienced was not an illusion.

Keep this business card close to your body; they'll come back someday.