After the soldiers finished taking care of the battlefield, Chiga ordered the whole team to leave.
On the way back, Kalifa kept a hesitant expression until she followed Chiga back to the previous office.
Helping Chiga take off his suit and hang it up, Kalifa slowly walked behind him and instinctively started massaging his shoulders.
Closing his eyes and enjoying the massage, Chiga thought to himself, No wonder the bosses back on Earth liked having secretaries, especially beautiful and young ones. This life is truly decadent.
Opening his eyes slightly, Chiga saw Kalifa staring at him. When she noticed he was looking back, she quickly turned away. Amused, he said:
"If you have something to ask, do it now. Opportunity doesn't come twice."
Kalifa hesitated for a moment before asking:
"I heard that Lord Chiga defeated a lieutenant general during the year-end assessment and earned a mythical Zoan-type Devil Fruit. May I ask... have you not eaten it yet?"
So the intel from the World Government really is fast, Chiga thought. Well, that's to be expected. A mythical Zoan fruit is extremely rare, especially for someone newly recruited like me. Thinking for a second, he came up with a reason and replied:
"Well, I didn't eat it. I gave it to my pet cat. It's the one on my shoulder. You saw it earlier."
Chiga tilted his head toward Medis on his right shoulder and added, "By the way, its name is Medis."
Kalifa examined Medis again with a serious look, secretly nodding. That explains the cat's unusual combat ability—it must be from the mythical Zoan fruit.
But then she thought, What is Uchiha Chiga thinking? A mythical Zoan fruit could be worth a fortune or win battles at sea—and he gave it to his cat?!
Still, she couldn't help but glance at Medis with envy.
Chiga noticed Kalifa's gaze and figured she probably hadn't eaten a Devil Fruit yet. Casually, he said:
"You haven't eaten a Devil Fruit yet, right? Be a good secretary. If I get any extras in the future, I might reward you with one."
He deliberately emphasized the word "I." Kalifa, of course, understood what he meant. It was a tacit agreement between the two that she was sent by the World Government to keep an eye on him.
Still, she didn't take his offer too seriously. A Devil Fruit alone wasn't enough to make her betray the World Government.
Chiga also knew it was a stretch to buy loyalty with just a fruit. Still, he was testing the waters. The fact that she didn't resist too strongly meant her loyalty had its limits—and that made her all the more useful. Chiga was already somewhat reluctant to let her go.
Touching the Rinnegan in his right eye, Chiga thought:
"I only need one more Devil Fruit to awaken the third tomoe in my right Rinnegan. I have a feeling it'll be a game changer. I need to move fast."
---
Thinking about this, Chiga raised his head and said to Kalifa, who was still massaging him:
"Do you know any channels to get Devil Fruits—preferably ones with specific abilities?"
Kalifa was momentarily stunned, then remembered that Chiga had given his fruit to his cat. So, he hadn't eaten a Devil Fruit himself yet?
Being a professional, she quickly responded:
"Devil Fruits sometimes appear in auctions in Area 1 of the Sabaody Archipelago, but most of the time those are slave auctions."
Auctions? Chiga recalled that Luffy's group had also been at such an auction when they first came to Sabaody. They even made a scene, beat up a Celestial Dragon, and caused a stir that forced Admiral Kizaru to intervene.
That must be the place. And if the Celestial Dragons like to attend, there's bound to be something worth getting. Chiga nodded and said:
"Alright, arrange it. You'll come with me to Area 1 tomorrow. Let's try our luck."
"Yes."
Kalifa bowed slightly, stopped massaging him, and started preparing auction details and the next day's itinerary.
But just as she stepped out from behind the chair and walked past him, Chiga suddenly pulled her into his arms, catching her off-guard. She ended up sitting on his lap without resisting at first.
As a girl, she quickly realized what happened. Flushing with embarrassment and anger, she glared at Chiga and snapped:
"Let me go! This is harassment, Colonel Chiga!"
Chiga looked at her with a half-smile. As she regained her composure, the grip around her waist tightened slightly, making Kalifa squirm uncomfortably in his arms.
But Chiga leaned close to her ear and said softly:
"You're a very useful secretary. I honestly don't think I could function without you."
The whisper sent a shiver through Kalifa. She hadn't expected Chiga to be so... unorthodox. She had heard rumors about his relationship with Vice Admiral Gion. Was he really unafraid of getting reported?
Right—Gion!
"Aren't you afraid I'll tell Vice Admiral Gion?"
At the mention of Gion, Chiga paused, then chuckled and kept holding her close as he said into her ear:
"Why would I be afraid? Gion is mine—there's nothing she doesn't already know. But what about you? If I 'take' you, the World Government might be very pleased. So really, it's you holding the risk, not me."
"You... you're crazy! That's dangerous thinking!"
Kalifa panicked. She knew Chiga was right. If she traded her body for influence over someone with such potential—who might become top-tier naval combat power—the World Government might actually endorse it. They might even gift-wrap her and hand her over to Uchiha Chiga willingly.
---
The only reason they hadn't done it yet was because very few top-level naval combatants were ever this approachable. Most were ice-cold and indifferent. The idea never even crossed the World Government's mind.
Even in the Uchiha clan, few were like Chiga. After all, Chiga's soul was from Earth.
Realizing she couldn't break free from his grasp, Kalifa's legs—wrapped in fishnet stockings—tensed up. She prepared to use one of the Navy's Six Powers techniques.
As a senior agent of the World Government, she was proficient in Rokushiki. Even if her Rankyaku (Tempest Kick) couldn't hurt Chiga, she could at least break free.
But just as she was about to strike, Medis, still perched on Chiga's shoulder, let out a sharp hiss and leapt into the air. With its body arched, eyes gleaming with black flames, it locked onto Kalifa with deadly intent.
Gulp. Kalifa swallowed hard and immediately dropped the idea. She obediently sat back on Chiga's lap.
She had no doubt that if she so much as twitched, Chiga's cat would freeze her solid in an instant—just like what happened to Jerry.
Seeing Kalifa behave, Chiga let her go. He didn't want to tease his lovely secretary too much. Once was enough.
Kalifa stood up quickly and fixed her clothes. She wanted to glare at him, but the warning look in Medis' eyes made her hesitate. She left in a hurry, only throwing back one sentence as she fled the office, leaving Chiga grinning in his chair.
---
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