CP9's undercover mission is running out of time and they still haven't managed to find the location of Iceburg's hidden plans. Upon Kalifa making a discovery that explains why an intelligent, sexy woman isn't of any interest to Water 7's guarded mayor, Lucci takes on the role of seductor in a last ditch attempt at gaining Iceburg's trust through intimacy. Rated M for mature themes and eventual sex.
Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece, it belongs to Eiichiro Oda. However, the story belongs to me.
Author's note: Warning: This fanfiction contains yaoi, it will contain explicit sexual encounters over time and also lies/subterfuge between major characters.
The bright sun of Water 7 was powerfully hot that day. Lucci could feel it burning the backs of his shoulders and arms as he worked with his head down. The bustle and noise of Galley-La's main shipyard around him was as cacophonous as usual.
Lucci ignored it with disciplined focus. He was tree-nailing perfectly cut bilge strakes inside the hull of a newly built caravel frame. This was more than just smacking in wooden pegs; there was a real art to the angle and position of where the carpentry was secured. For example, putting the precise angling of the bulwark aside, if the ventilating air courses or lower deck supports were even a millimetre in the incorrect places there was a real risk of leaks, and ultimately total hull breach when on the open water.
Lucci's expertise however, was flawless in the execution at this particular stage of the build, as had been Kaku with keel mechanics before him. Later, Paulie and the deck team would raise the made-mast and balance out the rigging to a faultless degree of tension. The reputation of Galley-La company was second to none, and deservedly so.
Shipwrights busily hurried about, but Lucci hammered on within the caravel frame. He loved the smell of the freshly treated wood beneath his palms. It was both soft and rough. It would become the heart of a living, moving vessel that could carry people across great oceans.
Lucci felt the nervous energy of the approaching apprentice before seeing him by virtue of his neko neko no mi abilities. His heightened senses of leopard smell and hearing enabled him to know who was nearby to a certain extent. It was much dulled when he was in his original full human form, but it was still there. It sat and smoldered heavily in the pit of his core waiting for a chance to spring forth and kill. After many years of experience Lucci was now better able to control his anger and lust for violence but it still took a great deal of energy. After all, people were always so infuriating.
The young man awkwardly lingered nearby, clearly uncertain as to how to initiate a conversation with the much respected specialist. He shuffled a little to the side, trying to get a glimpse of Lucci's work for himself. The foremen were always a source of professional fascination as well as being local celebrities on the island.
Having no wish to be so closely observed, Lucci finished his current task with a harsh smack of his hammer and turned a piercing gaze on the young man to scrutinise him closely. Now he really looked, he could see that this apprentice was probably in his late teens. He still had some acne and a young round face. Despite this, he was already tanned and building up muscle on his shoulders from the shipwright training.
The lad had stumbled backwards in shock like a young buck suddenly caught in the headlights at the sudden attention.
Lucci arched a brow at him in silent question. What?
The young man stuttered, then after a moment thrust out the box of freshly smithed nails that he was holding.
Lucci's frown deepened in disapproval and took it, pulling one out to inspect it closely. He had been waiting for these.
When he had first joined Galley-la at the start of their mission he had been set to work at the furnace, hammering these very nails. That, however, had just been temporary before his real skill was noticed and he was elevated to a higher position.
Spinning the nail between his forefinger and thumb, he noted that the shape wasn't bad and it wasn't too thick at the base. Sometimes he missed the simple days at the anvil, sweating and flexing his arms as he made nail after nail in the thunderous heat. But mostly he didn't. That was apprentice work and he was too busy with complex ship architecture to bother with that kind of thing now.
Having completely ignored the young lurker as soon as he had approved the delivery, Lucci put a couple of nails between his lips for ease and carefully lined one up between his thumb and forefinger, testing the position. He searched his photographic memory of the blueprint for the precise dimensional calculations before committing the nail.
The apprentice hovered somewhat hopefully for a while but was soon met with an intense glare from the foreman.
Did these louts really have nothing better to do with their time than linger about? Lucci thought.
He really wasn't in the mood for mentoring.
The boy's cheeks reddened and he bowed before running off, finally leaving Lucci to his greatly desired solitude. Nearby, Hattori perched moodily in a strip of shade.
Water 7 was a tropical Grand Line day island, which meant there were very few times in the year where the weather was anything but bright. Today was particularly hot even by the usual standards. The little white pigeon was acting distantly to his silent master, resenting the hot, dryness of the shipyard. Whereas the shipwrights could remove their shirts and tie handkerchiefs around their heads, Hattori was unable to shed his downy outfit of soft feathers. Lucci sympathised with this, feeling much the same way about his own white tank which hid the full extent of the ugly scarring on his back.
Lucci paused to try and scratch the sulky bird's head but received a stern beak clicking by way of reprimand. As Hattori side-stepped Lucci's fingers with a tippy tap of his claws, a melodic voice rang out behind him.
"Ararara, looks like the happy couple has had an altercation!"
Lucci sighed lightly, instantly recognising Kaku's voice and strange idioms of speaking. It seemed like as soon as he got rid of one person, another came along to bother him.
Kaku had apparently chosen to remove his shirt at some point earlier in the heat of the day as it was hanging wantonly from where he had stuffed it into the hem of his trousers. His chest was completely bare, lean, muscular and tanned. Kaku was blessed with the genetics of a person that rarely got sunburnt. Lucky him. With his height and his frame he looked like a bronzed Adonis in the sunlight, and it hadn't gone unnoticed by the diehard fans that eagerly watched from the dock edge.
He flashed a large, charming smile in their direction from under his cap and waved.
Lucci had to resist the urge to make a noise of disgust, but otherwise didn't react. He had cultivated a reputation in Galley-La for being completely silent apart from by virtue of voice throwing and wasn't generally of the inclination to rise to Kaku's frivolities. By contrast, his fellow agent was clearly loving the attention. Theatrical creature that he was, he constantly sought out being in the limelight (much to Lucci's distaste). He seemed to revel in this happy-go-lucky local celebrity persona that was apparently quite popular.
The group of onlookers that had gathered at the dockyard fence called out and shouted to Kaku excitedly in response. Lucci noted without directly looking that it was mostly young girls. It always was. Lucci didn't approve of the general public being able to look into the shipyard but that was how Water 7 worked. It was probably a good thing that the work of the world-famous shipwrights was transparent but it was also really distracting to be constantly under surveillance. Especially by these fan types.
Kaku lifted his cap and wiped his brow where sweat had formed under the sun's relentless rays. His bright red hair reflected the bright light so well that it momentarily looked like his whole head was aflame.
"Phew, pretty warm out here, isn't it?" Came Kaku's cheap attempt at conversation.
Lucci continued to ignore him, becoming more aggravated by the second but Kaku remained unfazed by the cold reception.
"Why don't you disrobe, like the rest of us?"
Kaku smiled sweetly at Lucci, but his eyes flashed with mischief. He was obviously goading him. He knew very well that Lucci would never take his white tank top off, despite the fact it was drenched with sweat. The non-CP9 Galley-La workers knew he had some kind of scarring under there due to the fact they could see something through the thin white material, but none of them had seen it in the flesh (so to speak). They had just assumed he had had some accident at a young age. None of those hard-working, honest people would even begin to guess how he had really got them.
Obviously Kaku knew, though.
"Hroo hroo, what do you want Kaku?"
Hattori barely bothered to snap his beak to the rhythm of Lucci's speech in his overheated bird-brained angst, but nobody was looking that closely.
Kaku reared his chin and clicked his tongue with faux nonchalance.
"Oh, nothing really. You ought to speak with Kalifa, by the by. I believe she was looking to have a word with you?"
Lucci gritted his teeth, wanting to as always tell Kaku directly how annoying the way he talked was but dutifully maintained his cover.
When Lucci again didn't answer, Kaku continued without prompting.
"It seemed important. So I wouldn't delay if I were you."
At this point, Lucci finally looked up at Kaku and met his eye line. Something about the tone in his voice had revealed more than expected. It wasn't obvious but there were hints of sarcasm and jealousy.
So, she didn't tell you what it was about, did she Kaku?
Lucci's interest was now peaked, so he stood up straight and stretched out his shoulders. If Kalifa had a reason to want to meet with him personally and had not divulged the exact reasons why to Kaku, it meant that it was mission sensitive information. Kaku had always hated being left out and was terrible at hiding it.
As the mission lead, Lucci had little sympathy. Kaku would know what he needed to know, when he needed to know it. It didn't do much for team bonding, but hell, that had never been part of the Cipher Pol manifesto.
Lucci looked around briefly, then turned back to a pouting Kaku.
"Where." He breathed almost silently, without moving his lips.
Kaku folded his arms somewhat childishly.
"The tile shed. Over there."
"I know where it is-" Lucci hissed as he stepped past Kaku, anxious to get there as soon as possible.
The mission was reaching the four year mark now, and they still hadn't directly pinpointed the location of the Pluton weapon blueprints. They had been following several threads but so far, nothing was concrete. Iceburg was a slippery character. If Kalifa had received new essential information from her infiltration as Iceburg's secretary then this was extremely crucial.
Kaku exhaled in frustration as Lucci passed.
"We're running out of time." He whispered.
"I know." Lucci breathed back at him.
He held his arm out for Hattori. The pigeon tried to ignore him for a short while but couldn't resist his beloved owner's call for long. He rippled his feathers and stretched out his wings, then pushed off in a glide to Lucci's forearm. From there, he hopped up to Lucci's shoulder.
Kaku dropped his crossed arms and grinned.
"Can't resist your wily charms though, can I now?"
He was talking to the bird.
Lucci furrowed his brow as the traitor Hattori allowed Kaku to inch his long forefinger between his chest feathers.
Soon after, Lucci strode with purpose towards the tile shed. Hattori shuffled about trying to turn on the spot but ended up accidentally digging his claws into his master's neck and shoulder with clumsy flaps of his wings.
When Lucci clenched his teeth together, his feathery companion nuzzled into his ear by way of recompense. Lucci relaxed his jaw a little. They both had reasons to be uptight today, he supposed, especially in the heat of the day. Like Kaku, Lucci also couldn't stay too angry when Hattori was around (as pathetic as the little pigeon sometimes was).
There were many of these storage buildings all over the shipyards. They housed materials or delivery points, and were rarely occupied apart from at very specific times. They were quite non-descript to look at and mostly went ignored by passing Galley-la workers.
Lucci knew that a new order was due today, and that Kalifa would need to confirm it with him at the delivery point. She had cleverly taken charge of shipment approvals quite early on in their tenure at Water 7. It was a brilliant alibi for the mayor's secretary to need to attend at the shipyard where she could easily have contact with them. The premise was perfect. Lucci was often quietly impressed with Kalifa's superior planning power.
He stepped into the tile house, and noted that she was already there, clipboard in hand and marking off a pile of goods that lay against the far wall. She didn't turn to look at him until he had closed the door behind them.
They stood and observed each other for a full moment, neither saying anything. Both knew how to act from this point onwards, slipping easily into their undercover protocol.
Lucci shut his eyes. The secretary waited patiently and unmoving, watching him expectantly.
Outside sound was muted in that shed-like warehouse. There were still the clunks and bangs from the dock machinery at work but what penetrated through the brickwork was dull, without echo.
After a while, Lucci's eyelids fluttered open again and he blinked away golden slit irises from under dark lashes. He had been scanning the immediate area with his zoan senses for anyone that might be within hearing range. When he did this, he let his body slip very slightly into his leopard zoan hybrid form to enhance his hearing and sense of smell, hence his eyes briefly taking on a different appearance.
"There is no-one nearby." He said softly.
He felt like he wanted to cough. It had been a long time since he had spoken properly. His throat felt heavy.
Lucci lifted Hattori up on two fingers to a nearby shelf, lingering until the bird stepped off with a ruffle of his feathers.
Kalifa nodded curtly and stepped forward. "Firstly, I should apologise for it taking this long."
Kalifa had bowed her head low, but the act of humility embarrassed Lucci so he did his best to ignore it.
"If you're going to apologise for something, you should explain what it is first." He said, drawing his arm back to his side.
"I'm concerned that we've made a grave error." She replied in her usual monotone, straightening back up to face him.
Lucci exhaled impatiently. "With what?"
"My positioning. I found this today, in his desk."
Kalifa pulled out a thin publication from her clipboard, and held it out for Lucci to take.
He took it, rotated it with a flourish and scanned it quickly.
"Huh. A gentleman's magazine?"
Kalifa nodded shortly. "A discerning one."
Lucci arched one shapely brow at her in question and thumbed through the pages. It was an extremely sophisticated periodical but there was no doubt about it, it was aimed at men who were-
"He prefers other men." Kalifa stated decisively.
"And there is no way he could just be curious?" Lucci questioned as he turned another page. " Or likes expensive watches…"
Kalifa sighed heavily and leant back against the tiles that were behind her. For a brief moment she looked like the original CP9 agent, not the uptight blonde secretary that lashed out on a whim. Lucci often missed the laid back, witty woman she had been back at Enies Lobby. They were all different people here. Kaku was the only one that seemed to be embracing life undercover most fully. He had always been the most socially talented. Every day was exhausting to the rest of them.
"I brought you a sample, but there are more. The only reason I found out was because I almost caught him reading one when I brought him some impromptu coffee. He keeps them in the bottom right drawer of his desk."
"And he won't notice that you took this one?"
Kalifa gave Lucci a stern look that clearly said, are you really asking me that question?
Lucci nodded. "So, our intel was incorrect."
There had been a lot of discussion as to who they should post in the role of secretary for the mayor of Water 7, as it was the position that had the most potential for trust (and sexual exploitation). Ultimately, they had decided that a gorgeous, intelligent blonde woman had been the best choice given Iceburg's lack of history on record.
Lucci shook his head with frustration. "Did it really take us four years to figure this out?"
Kalifa shrugged. "He's quite charming and flirtatious as well as very private, so it was hard to see past the façade. I've wondered for quite a while now, but have only just been able to pinpoint actual evidence."
"Even so, what do we do about it? He's never had any partner that we've been able to locate, or any general apparent interest in anybody."
"He holds his cards very closely to his chest, that's for sure. But, Lucci-" Kalifa sighed heavily. "I think even if he was straight and I bared my chest and declared my undying love for him, he would still politely decline. It might be time for another approach."
Lucci closed the gentleman's magazine and held it back out for Kalifa to take. "Do you still think the intimate approach is a good way to get intel?"
Kalifa looked to the side, choosing her words carefully. "It's not my place to suggest what we should do, but at this point, our time is limited. Whereas he clearly doesn't sleep around (that we know of), it's going to take trust on that level to get past the barrier. Just… not that directly."
The comment about time running out was almost identical to what Kaku had said earlier.
Lucci set his jaw, not allowing any kind of anxiety to show.
"Have you approached Kaku about this?"
Kalifa pushed herself up from where she had been leaning on the tiles . "No. You're the mission lead."
Lucci nodded. "Fine. Kaku or I am in a position to make an attempt from that point of view. Kaku is clearly better suited-"
"-perhaps in boldness but let's not forget that he's barely just become an adult. Even between yourself and Iceburg there is a considerable age gap."
"Let's also not forget," Lucci retorted stonily, "that since we have only just made this particular revelation that we are in no position to act like we know his other preferences. Besides, I don't speak. Don't you think that would be an issue in establishing intimate trust?"
Kalifa gave a short, terse shrug. "That seems exactly the kind of curious oddity that would intrigue him, don't you think?"
Lucci narrowed his eyes and gave Kalifa a disapproving look. She matched it with cool indifference.
Finally he let up and let out a light sigh, his lashes fluttering shut with resignation.
"Fine. The October festival of masks is next week. He usually lets go a bit and drinks. I will make a judgement call as to whether it would be appropriate to approach at that time. But just remember that it may well jeopardise my position as foreman if it goes badly."
"I think we all know what is at stake Lucci." Kalifa allowed a small smile to curl at her lips. "...want to keep the magazine for inspiration?"
Lucci scowled. "Go and put it back. And not a word to the others."