Rosinante left.
After all, the longer he stayed on Minion Island, the greater the risk of exposure.
Before the World Government learned the truth and reacted, he had to return to Marine Headquarters and first report to Sengoku "truthfully" to solidify this false case. Only after the truth was inevitably exposed could he distance himself from the matter.
This way, Law, who was at the Marine Academy, wouldn't be implicated.
If his father wasn't Sengoku, he would have already called Law and fled overnight.
His rich and dramatic life had long taught him that in the pirate world, background and affiliations matter.
Without connections, whether as a pirate or a Marine, it would be difficult to take even a single step.
---
As Rosinante disappeared from view, Tanaka flicked his hand, using his Devil Fruit ability to remove the cloth stuffed in Who's-Who's mouth.
"You win."
Moments ago, when his mouth was blocked, Who's-Who had watched everything unfold. Now, he no longer had his previous aggression.
His opponent was a kid, yet his tactics, scheming, strategy, and strength completely overwhelmed him.
Though he was still cursing Tanaka in his heart, he had to admit defeat.
Losing to such a monster was nothing to be ashamed of. Big Mom had been a monster as well when she was a kid.
She was still a monster.
"Kill me if you want, do as you please."
In the future, Who's-Who would become one of the Tobiroppo of the Beasts Pirates, and he did have some backbone.
"You immediately ask for death the moment you speak? That really puts me in a tough spot. I originally wanted to give you a chance to live."
"But now, it seems I can only send you on your way and give that chance to your three comrades instead."
Hearing this, Tanaka sighed lightly and reached for the Kusanagi Sword on his back.
"Wait. What did you just say? Chance to live?"
Who's-Who's face changed, and his composure from earlier vanished instantly.
Clearly, he did have some courage, but not much.
As for loyalty to the World Government, he had none at all.
Ever since he failed his mission to transport the Gum-Gum Fruit and had it stolen by Red-Haired Shanks, the World Government had thrown him into prison.
If not for the principle of "waste not," and the fact that Tanaka happened to be in the North Blue and found a use for CP9's combat strength, he would have been dead long ago.
He knew this well.
He was already a criminal with no chance of redemption, and he had failed his mission.
If he went back, he wouldn't just be imprisoned or awaiting execution—he would be executed on the spot.
He had always planned to escape if the mission failed, so of course, he wouldn't be loyal to the World Government.
"Depends on whether you cooperate."
Tanaka was unsurprised.
Even in a world full of heroes and kings, people like Whitebeard and Roger, who could laugh in the face of death, were extremely rare exceptions.
Ninety-nine percent of people were just as greedy and fearful of death as Buggy the Clown—only without his lucky Conqueror's Haki.
"What do you want me to do?"
He adjusted his mindset.
"I don't want you to do anything for me. I just want the techniques you know."
"No problem." Who's-Who agreed without hesitation.
The techniques he knew might be considered divine skills in the Four Blues and the first half of the Grand Line, but once in the New World?
They were nothing special.
At the end of the day, in the pirate world, whether it's martial arts or swordsmanship, everything existed to serve Haki.
Whether it was the world's strongest swordsman or a martial artist as powerful as Garp, if they did not know how to use Haki, a single Logia-type Devil Fruit user could render them completely powerless.
An even more bizarre Paramecia-type Devil Fruit ability could directly lead to their downfall.
For him, selling the techniques in exchange for his life came with no burden at all.
"That's the right attitude."
Tanaka was quite satisfied.
"Are you sure the techniques he gives you will be reliable?"
Just as Who's-Who was secretly celebrating his escape from death, Kalifa suddenly struck him from behind.
"What do you mean by this?!" Who's-Who's eyes widened in rage.
If he weren't already cut into pieces and lying helpless on the ground, he would have immediately gone for the kill against Kalifa.
"Then what do you think I should do?"
Watching the CP9 members turning against each other, Tanaka casually observed.
"If you let the three of us live, we will serve you."
No one chooses death when given the option to live.
Kalifa was no exception.
After realizing Tanaka's intentions, she, who had been prepared to die, suddenly found herself desperately wanting to live.
Just like Who's-Who, she was the same.
However, she was a bit greedier.
Rather than choosing between her own survival and loyalty to the World Government, she chose for both herself and her comrades to live together.
"Damn woman!" Who's-Who gritted his teeth.
Kalifa kept saying "three people" instead of four, clearly excluding him. That cold-blooded betrayal filled his eyes with murderous intent.
"No rush."
Tanaka remained indifferent to her plea to change allegiances. Instead, he summoned a shadow clone to pick up Who's-Who's severed head and take it elsewhere.
"Who explains the techniques most thoroughly? Who teaches them best? Then that person lives."
The moment those words were spoken, Who's-Who burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha! No one understands the Rokushiki techniques better than I do!"
"And you? You're just a weakling! You haven't even mastered the techniques yourself, yet you think you can teach others?"
He felt certain he had secured his survival.
He had always believed himself to be a genius.
Looking across all of CP9, aside from Rob Lucci, no one knew the techniques better than him.
"…"
Kalifa bit her lip lightly, not refuting his claim.
She knew he was telling the truth.
When it came to mastery of the techniques, not only was she inferior, but even if she, Blueno, and Jabra combined their knowledge, they still wouldn't match Who's-Who alone.
But knowing that—was she really willing to just hand over her chance of survival?
"Alright. Kalifa, you can start telling me about the techniques now."
After sending his shadow clone to interrogate Who's-Who separately, Tanaka gestured for Kalifa to speak.
However, her next words took him completely by surprise.