The last time we saw CP9 pre-timeskip, they were betrayed by the World Government, and so they decided to turn traitor.
As you know, this didn't last. Lucci and Kaku rejoined Cipher Pol and (If Film Red is anything to go by) so did Kalifa and Blueno. It's never explicitly said why they did this, but Kaku's dialogue here seems to suggest a pretty straightforward reason:
They're assassins. They just can't find other work and had to rejoin Cipher Pol because no one else was looking to hire assassin. Certainly an uncharacteristically down-to-earth reason for a series like One Piece, but it what it is I suppose.
Now with that being said, it doesn't seem like Lucci and Kaku are going to be antagonists going forward. Lucci and Kaku were introduced as antagonists at the start of the arc, but as you know bigger shit went down which forced them to ally with the Strawhats.
Right now, Lucci and Kaku are getting the "frenemy" treatment, where they're still at odds with the crew but work together for a common goal. It's what Crocodile, Buggy, and Mr 3 got in Marineford. It's what Caesar and Judge got in Wholecake Island. It's what Kidd and Killer got in Wano. So on and so forth
In One Piece, once an antagonist gets this treatment they pretty much never go back to being antagonists. Crocodile got similar treatment in Marineford, and he never became an antagonist for Luffy again. Hell, while Crocodile was at least still portrayed as a very serious character during Marineford, Lucci and Kaku are actually participating in gags with Luffy and Zoro.
This would never happen if the story wanted us to view Lucci and Kaku as future threats for the Strawhats. Chapter 1076 is literally titled "Old Friends" in reference to Lucci and Kaku. They're clearly not gonna be future antagonists. One Piece has never written villains as being buddy-buddy with the crew (Even if they're being a petty bitch about it like Lucci is rn)
It doesn't seem like Lucci and Kaku are gonna be staying in Cipher Pol. It's highly unlikely that they're gonna continue being antagonists after Egghead, and then staying with the World Government would put them in opposition to the Strawhats. So then, where does that leave them? The reason they rejoined the World Government was (Seemingly) so that they could find work, but who else is offering openings for assassins?
Well, we were recently introduced to a faction which fits the bill
Unlike previous Emperor crews like the Whitebeard Pirates, the Big Mom Pirates, or the Beast Pirates, the Cross Guild is first and foremost a business.
The Cross Guild is a business organized by Crocodile and built on the backbone of Buggy's pre-existing mercenary enterprise, with Mihawk providing additional power. While the Big Mom Pirates were about creating and running a totalitarian state and the Beast Pirates were about exploiting Wano's resources to fund a giant war against the world, the Cross Guild is about making money.
The Cross Guild is 100% the kind of group that would offer the kinds of jobs that Lucci and Kaku are looking for. And since it definitely doesn't seem like they'll be staying in Cipher Pol, the Cross Guild is probably the most likely option for them at this point. Maybe we'll even see the rest of CP9 with them when they join
As you know, this didn't last. Lucci and Kaku rejoined Cipher Pol and (If Film Red is anything to go by) so did Kalifa and Blueno. It's never explicitly said why they did this, but Kaku's dialogue here seems to suggest a pretty straightforward reason:
They're assassins. They just can't find other work and had to rejoin Cipher Pol because no one else was looking to hire assassin. Certainly an uncharacteristically down-to-earth reason for a series like One Piece, but it what it is I suppose.
Now with that being said, it doesn't seem like Lucci and Kaku are going to be antagonists going forward. Lucci and Kaku were introduced as antagonists at the start of the arc, but as you know bigger shit went down which forced them to ally with the Strawhats.
Right now, Lucci and Kaku are getting the "frenemy" treatment, where they're still at odds with the crew but work together for a common goal. It's what Crocodile, Buggy, and Mr 3 got in Marineford. It's what Caesar and Judge got in Wholecake Island. It's what Kidd and Killer got in Wano. So on and so forth
In One Piece, once an antagonist gets this treatment they pretty much never go back to being antagonists. Crocodile got similar treatment in Marineford, and he never became an antagonist for Luffy again. Hell, while Crocodile was at least still portrayed as a very serious character during Marineford, Lucci and Kaku are actually participating in gags with Luffy and Zoro.
It doesn't seem like Lucci and Kaku are gonna be staying in Cipher Pol. It's highly unlikely that they're gonna continue being antagonists after Egghead, and then staying with the World Government would put them in opposition to the Strawhats. So then, where does that leave them? The reason they rejoined the World Government was (Seemingly) so that they could find work, but who else is offering openings for assassins?
Well, we were recently introduced to a faction which fits the bill
Unlike previous Emperor crews like the Whitebeard Pirates, the Big Mom Pirates, or the Beast Pirates, the Cross Guild is first and foremost a business.
The Cross Guild is 100% the kind of group that would offer the kinds of jobs that Lucci and Kaku are looking for. And since it definitely doesn't seem like they'll be staying in Cipher Pol, the Cross Guild is probably the most likely option for them at this point. Maybe we'll even see the rest of CP9 with them when they join
