In case it wasn't glaringly obvious from the stuff I've reblogged in the past few days but I'm suffering from Rob Lucci brainrot, so I'll continue that and make a whole post talking about some thoughts I've had related to his and Kaku's future in the world government.
So, it seems like Kaku's and Lucci's view of the world government might actually, finally change. Lucci looked absolutely shocked when he saw (I think it was) Marcus Mars in his fuckoff big monster form. Then he, after he gave a full and comprehensive report on everything going on and after a whole life successfully serving the world government as one of their most infamous figures, simply asked Mars to even try and spare Kaku just for it to be disregarded. And that is the second time the world government completely disregarded him and his fellow agents despite literally having dedicated their life to the government and being some of its strongest figures.
Now, this technically is nothing new to them. I doubt that they didn't know they were seen as expendable losses if the worst happens even back in Enies Lobby but I doubt that experience didn't change them at all as people. CP9 helped gather the funds to pay for Lucci's treatment and then they went out to town and had fun together. While they were definitely a tight knit group beforehand I think it's safe to say that they weren't that close before the buster call and two of them getting severely injured.
Which is slowly bringing me to my point: CP0, specifically Kaku and Lucci going forward. Lots of people, me included, see a potential for them finally opening their eyes properly and potentially leaving the world government. Lucci showed obvious care for Kaku which got immediately shot down. Kaku has always been interested in the world around him and even mourned being properly fired from the Galley-la. In the picture we have of him as a kid he even has a model ship, implying he has had an interest in ship building. When they arrived in Egghead he was very excited about all the advanced technology around him. When Stussy asked if she was allowed to free him he had some pretty emotional facial expressions too.
Here's my prediction on what's going to happen to them, maybe not directly after the arc but in the future: I believe Kaku will leave the world government, maybe with Stussy or maybe under other circumstances, but Lucci will not.
Let me explain why I think that. As I mentioned earlier, Kaku has had interests outside of his job and emotions towards other people. He always put his job first but he doesn't shy away from enjoying himself. His ties to the world outside of the government are pretty prominent and I think him seeing the Gorosei as the monsters they really are might be the final nail in the coffin for him. Additionally, he and Stussy were friends and she absolutely does not need to help him but still does. He has a free spirit. Him freely jumping around buildings is among the very first things we see of him. So I definitely see a possibility of him breaking through his conditioning and taking the first steps for himself.
Lucci on the other hand has none of that. He has relationships with his fellow agents, both with Kaku and to some lesser extent with Jabura as we briefly see at the start of Enies Lobby. Them getting into petty fights seems to be a regular occurance and a habit Lucci willingly indulges in. I don't think it's far off to say that Lucci was seen as a de facto leader of CP9 with him being almost twice as strong as Kaku and Jabura (according to the power scaling they briefly used during that arc) so if he wanted to shut down Jabura's shit talking he absolutely could've but he never did which leads me to believe they are (or at least were) close in their own way. Also, he has Hattori, his pet bird that has miniature versions of Lucci's own outfits. A pet bird owned by someone with a cat zoan. And Hattori still loyally stays at Lucci's side through everything. I don't think I need to elaborate more.
But that's where his social relations end, just like the things he cares about. The way he presents himself is incredibly stoic and untouchable. Back in water 7 and Enies Lobby he stood out as cold hearted and tough even among the other agents due to his personality. Everyone else had their own quirks but he was dead serious, no nonsense the entire time with very few exceptions when he was with the other agents. Even in the beginning stages of his fight with Luffy he only talked in order to discourage him. It wasn't a conversation like there were in the other fights. The only things that override his blatant disregard for almost everything around him are his pride and his bloodlust. Chopper warned the strawhats about Lucci when he transformed because he has a carnivorous zoan which give users a thirst for blood and violence. He jeopardized Robin's transfer on purpose by letting Luffy find him by allowing Chimney to leave so she would tell Luffy where the underwater passage was just so he could fight him, most likely with the intention of killing him. The most recent example of him going out of his way to fight is on Egghead where he immediately threw away any rules and protocol to have another fight with Luffy (the anime did an amazing job with the fight holy shit). There we literally see how his devil fruit take over, his eyes whitening and he even runs on all fours. And he was having a great time! For me it's hard to remember and put together mentally that him in his zoan form and him in his human form are identical people. The awakening might fuck with his mind a little bit like it does with Luffy but if he minded that at all he wouldn't be nearly as ready to use it. As for his pride, I don't quite remember a lot of examples and the few I do remember are quite blurry but one example I have (that I hope I remember correctly) was when CP9 encountered Ussop in Water 7 on his own. Ussop bravely shittalked them and Lucci was definitely not happy about it.
The reason I recapped this was to show that we have not once seen him be interested and happy in anything but murdering. And when he isn't doing that, he puts on a stoic face. (hell, he even puts it on while murdering, trying to appear to be much more civilized than his urges and instincts make him) Unlike Kaku, he does not have any more. The world government has him on a leash, ans they point him in the direction of their targets, his prey, for him to go hunt and kill just for him to come back and repeat the cycle. I think Kaku, after Zoro defeated him and received the message that he was fired, even said that being an assassin doesn't exactly have a lot of skills transferable to other professions. But for Lucci that's all he has and it's all that he wants. He has learned other skills of course but those he uses as tools for his disguises and nothing more. He does not fit into anything in else the world. He would have absolutely no idea of what to do and why and how if the world government was to disappear suddenly. Lucci's being is entirely dependent on the government. Unlike basically everyone else working for the government he isn't limited by its restrictions and assigned roles, they are the things that let him be himself in the first place. They give him structure and a healthy amount of restraint.
And that is not to mention his pride. He was one of the, if not the youngest Cipher Pol agent in history at just 13 and has ruthlessly worked for them his entire life. It's the organisation that justifies and permits him his preferred way of living and in return he swore undying loyalty. He'd be too prideful and stoic to abandon ship even after seeing the Gorosei for what they truly are, I think. His stoicism might he used to cover up his bloodlust when he's working but it's also part of him as a person.
Additionally, he has scars in the form of the world government logo burned into his back. They were caused by cannon balls, injuries endured while on a mission for the world government where he killed 500 hostages, showing the messed up justice he gladly follows without question. He is literally brand marked with the ruthlessness of the government that he is a walking embodiment of.
That being said, Lucci isn't an idiot either and his current experiences on Egghead will change how he sees the government. He cares about a few things, one of which might go directly against the government in the near future. I think that he will end up acknowledging that the world government might not be as just as he thought for a long time and might even acknowledge its faults but he will remain by its side. I also think that he might be the one that lets Kaku go if Kaku ends up switching sides. I also think he will know that he's going down with a sinking ship much earlier than everyone else working for the government, be it the navy, cipher pol, or the gorosei.
My predictions for Lucci's end or conclusion in the story are either that he'll be killed or severely injured for helping Kaku (and maybe Stussy) out of government imprisonment and letting them go. Not immediately since he's skilled enough to not make it obvious but someone, somehow would find out and report it. Or the other thing I could see for him, that he will be one of the figures standing in Luffy's on his way to beat Im-sama just for him to be happily beaten in one hit. I'm not sure if it would be better for his character to die or to stay alive. Both of these ends would have their justifications and degree of satisfaction. Him dying would be a fitting end because, aside from the gorosei and Im-sama himself, he is the worst the government has to offer. Unlike the Celestial Dragons he knows about basic morality and friendship on a human level and still decides that these things are of no matter to him. He wasn't raised to believe that he was inherently and absolutely above others, it's a choice he made for himself. Him living would be fitting to complete his change in view on the government, which he only stayed with out of principle if my interpretation comes true, and free him out of their cold and soulless grip. Having it taken from him could force a change of perspective on him he wouldn't have gotten if he had left out of his own will. It could be the first step to him actually becoming more human, not just as a disguise but because of a forced change of perspective.
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