This certainly could not go on. Lucci frowned faintly, arms crossed as he glanced to Jyabura. It made strategic sense, he supposed… They needed Kaku inside with them because of his reach combined with his strength and the other two of their most powerful were needed to protect the entrances so they would not be disturbed while taking care of the new equipment. He had even been the one to organize this arrangement, so he shouldn't have any complaints.

But that was before he had to bare through this smell… Every Zoan among them could detect this odor, and he, for one, was feeling somewhat antsy from it. Kaku was in a different, basically sealed off room, and Jyabura had used his jacket collar to at least dull it. He, though, had to set an example of being a leader and the strongest, and thus had forced himself to stand, nose uncovered and clear, and give no reaction.

Holding in exactly what this alluring scent was doing was becoming increasingly difficult. If it where Kaku standing guard with him, this would have been simple to resolve. He couldn't pull the other out, now, though, making this excessively frustrating. Lucci let out a silent huff, standing up fully from his slight lean against the wall.

"I'm going to check to make sure there are no other openings to this area." The Wolf Zoan gave a faint snort, but didn't object, almost waving the other off.

"Be careful, ya' damn spotted fleabag," his comrade grunted, adjusting his jacket to block more of the smell. "And if ya' can find some way to get rid'a that smell, do it fast."

Lucci barely listened to the final comments, knowing their sentiments well enough. He was Rob Lucci; he wouldn't get caught by these low-ranking Marine foot soldiers. On silent feet, the carnivorous Zoan prowled along and let his mind whirl to dissect this scent that was driving him up a wall with aggressive energy.

It was a sweet smell, one he knew he had smelled, before. Kalifa smelled like this, sometimes. Not this strongly and as mindnumbingly, but the scent could be found on her and her clothing at least once a month. This smell was different, though, but only slightly when not including its strength. Something was boosting it, blasting this tantalizing odor all through this area of the base. Whatever it was, it was getting stronger, now.

The leopard Zoan paced the stretch of hallway where the smell was strongest, trying to pinpoint the right door without having to come up to and open them. All this smelling was making his slacks feel a little too uncomfortable, and Lucci knew he had to take care of this now. Self-assured in his choice of door, it took but a moment to shove it open with a low, almost inaudible growl.

In one breath, the smell filled his nostrils, and Lucci could not help but gasp and draw in more of it. It was so thickly clinging to the air in here that his head swam for what felt like just a few moments. That short amount of time was apparently enough or his body to make some decisions without his head, and his inner leopard had taken full control of it.

There was something warm and softly squirming beneath him, red fabric wrapped around it like a hood and a sling mixed together, keeping it in place and rather hard to identify. There was a spot on what Lucci assumed to be the neck were the fabric was torn, teeth marks showing who was the likely cause as he licked his lips and tasted the soft tang of someone else's blood. He licked at the bite, feeling the body below tensing faintly as this continued. He hadn't known his body was able to undress and get down to business so quickly…

Three times in a row, Lucci let the pressure build and release like tides crashing on the shore, ignoring everything else. The pale and quivering body underneath him had, after the first wave, resigned fully to him, relaxing and only giving the faintest pants from behind the velvet hood. Finally gaining enough of himself back to pause, the former government agent glanced around this room and took in more details.

It was warm and dimly lit, making the sweaty air feel all the more cloying and at home. There wasn't much in here at all; there were access panels to the vents, likely why the smell was broadcasted so far, and not even a Mushi to keep watch on the occupant. Furniture was minimal, as well, if a basic and rickety chair even counted. It seemed this room was just for one thing, and one thing alone. Good thing that was exactly what he was doing, then.

Humming an a way that sounded more like a purr, the leopard Zoan leaned back down, lightly running a finger over the bite he had left. The skin stretched over this captive was very pale, but the body seemed far too healthy for it to be from illness. His fingers, ever so lightly, moved over the only distinguishing feature they couldn't cover up; a tattoo that almost ran all the way about his upper thigh. He wasn't sure what it was of, but the fierce-looking creature had to have some meaning if they traditional style and precise details were to be believed.

After one more wave of heat, Lucci deemed the scent to have died down enough to leave the man be. As he redressed, he looked over the damage he had done before humming and leaving the room. He returned with water and a rag from a nearby supplies closet. It would do not good to leave any evidence that he had ever been here in this place. No one had called on their Den-Den Mushis while he had been busy, so no one knew they were here, yet. They were going to keep it that way.

The body would wiggle and the muffled voice grunt, but he was willing to be cleaned, if not begging for it. It must not happen often, then. Either way, the Zoan obliged, rubbing every patch of uncovered skin down after cleaning up what he had first intended to. He may be less likely to try and squeal on someone being in here with him at a time where there was supposed to be no one if he gave the other something like this for motivation.

Satisfied, Lucci left the room for the final time, closing the door neatly behind him. It was exactly as he had left it, so he had confidence that he was done with interacting with that man for as long as either of them lived. The halls smelled much less tempting, as well, a fact that pleased him to no end. Now, their mission could continue with not hindrances…

"What?"

Kalifa looked up from the report on the nearby base's activities, brow quirking as she adjusted her glasses. "That is their exact wording, according to Kaku. 'The specimen has been impregnated by an unknown donor. Fetus is developed to a stage where we are certain it is 5 weeks old. Paternity tests will not be performed until a more developed stage, and until such a time, the specimen is being released to ensure stress does not trigger any undesirable outcomes.'"

"And why is this relevant?" Lucci hummed, holding in the small sense of realization and dread that was brewing in the pit of his stomach.

"We were at this exact base at the approximate time where this child was conceived. Though it may be coincidence, this is still top Navy research on the effects of Devil Fruits on genetics and hereditary traits. These results will be very important to our future movements."

The leader of the former CP9 wasn't fully listening, anymore. Too many things were falling into place inside his head. He stroked Hattori, who was sitting contently on his shoulder, trying to make sure this idea that was forming was the most likely solution. The implications alone of this could change their whole strategy when approaching this problem, even team structure, and to force such changes for no reason could doom them. His comrades were discussing, now. He did not catch every word, but Lucci recognized the deep drone of Blueno, Jyabura's barking voice, and Kumadori's exaggerated shouts that drowned out Kaku's politer tones.

"Enough." Though he had not raised his voice very much, the room became quiet, once again, waiting for Lucci to continue. He felt their eyes on him, different emotions playing across each face. "We will find this specimen. As painlessly as possible, we will take them into our custody until the child is born. We will decide during that span of time what to do with them afterwards, but they will not stay in the World Government's hands."

He could feel the shock and the beginnings of argument and questions threat through the air, but he gave them no time. "The smell, if you remember it, Jayabura and Kaku, was that of the specimen's ovulation. They desired for something to impregnate it. As Zoans, we could smell it. The only way to be rid of the smell without waiting is to replace the unfertilized egg with one that will grow and change into exactly what they were hoping for. No one will touch my offspring and use it as they will. Understood?"