As soon as Alex hears the name 'Mr. 0', he immediately tenses up, unsure how to respond.
Deciding to play it cool, he simply replies, "Understood. Should I proceed with my report?"
"Yes... my sources tell me the entire capital is in chaos. Apparently, you are responsible for it. Before waiting for my reports, I am giving you the chance to explain what happened," he says—never raising his voice once.
Alex shrugs, then decides to tell the truth, explaining the situation in his own words, carefully emphasizing a few key details—especially that the soldiers were already surveying the weapon shop and the mysterious people Jewel spotted, before fleeing.
He then hands the Den Den Mushi over to Benezia, who takes only thirty seconds to summarize her mission before handing it back to him.
Thinking for a moment—and remembering that Crocodile loathes wasting time and small talk—Alex decides to end the report rather quickly. "That's all. We're currently in the air, leaving the scene, since the whole city is looking for us. While our identities may have been leaked, there's no real connection established yet between our new codenames. The only ones who know are some people in Whiskey Peak... and, of course, yourself and Miss All Sunday."
"You took down the two head guards alone?" Mr. 0 asks, showing a tiny hint of surprise.
"Yes," Alex replies. "Frankly, they weren't worth talking about. Two of the lowest-tier Zoan Devil Fruit users. Their fruits were decent—especially the Falcon's, with its surveillance potential and utility—but they couldn't keep up with me. If I'd fought them with my partner or my pet, the fight would've ended in under a minute. I hope I didn't disrupt your plans. I admit... things got pretty chaotic."
"No problem," Mr. 0 replies coolly. "We sent a message to the people who plan on betraying us, though I would have preferred if only the people the message was intended for got the message, not the entire city. I am more concerned about the unknown individuals you mentioned. If they had the confidence to go after you, they might be problematic and affect my plans. I'll be giving you new orders in a few days. I need to think of a suitable mission for you and your partner. Until then, I order you not to get involved in any more scandals. Where are you headed? The organisation has multiple hideouts in the kingdom."
Alex glances at Benezia, uncertain if he should answer truthfully—but she responds first.
"We're heading to Nanohana. It's rumoured to be a busy port town of some renown. We can also leave the island if you'd prefer."
"Stay on Sandy Island. If it's Nanohana, you won't need a hideout. I may require your services sooner than you think. Be ready for calls. Once the chaos dies down and I've analysed the situation, you'll receive your next orders from Miss All Sunday. In any case, you're stronger and more competent than I'd hoped. If you keep this up, you'll have the highest positions in the new Utopia I'm building. Once Operation Utopia is completed, you'll be rewarded for your efforts. Especially you, Miss Judgement Day. While Mr. 6 is undoubtedly an immensely powerful fighter, I get the impression that not only are you equally strong, but also cunning, intelligent, and resourceful. You remind me a little of my partner... but lately, I'm developing some doubts. After this is over, your position might be something that will surprise you."
Benezia looks mildly disgusted, but replies calmly and politely, "I am ready for any job."
"Good. Lay low, and do your best on your next mission as well," Mr. 0 says, before hanging up.
"Well," Alex mutters, "that could've gone worse. I thought he wanted to take over the kingdom and would be all pissed off."
"Loyal subjects to the Kingdom, like the two head guards, are obstacles in his way," Benezia explains. "They would have never joined or even accepted Crocodile, regardless of the circumstances. We also sent a strong warning to anyone opposing Baroque works, and gave him the news about the players, so it looks like he considers this a huge success. Especially since we've drawn attention to ourselves. His goals and aims must remain in the shadows, so a distraction like the one we... or more specifically you, or to be even more specific, the little one has caused, is a welcome surprise for him."
Why is Princess Jewel still being blamed?
"Of course," Benezia continues, ignoring Jewel's question entirely, "once things are under control, we might become liabilities, and he can't afford to be connected with us. A king can't work with known criminals. It's questionable what Crocodile's plans for the original Officer and Frontier agents were. Perhaps he wanted to dispose of them, or use them as a secret force. That doesn't have to concern us. We just need to focus on our mission. We will only remain in the organisation for the second Main Quest... after that we'll dispose of him, not the other way around."
She studied up a lot. I don't know why, but whenever she talks about these issues, I can only shake my head in disbelief. Probably the most well-known and respected Asari Matriarch discussing the politics of One Piece, even acting as a subordinate of Crocodile. It's kinda funny if you think about it that way. Well... it's all a means to an end. Let's make the best of it.
"True!" Alex says with a bright smile. "Let's do our job and use the few days we have left to earn some money. Any ideas?"
Princess Jewel has come up with another brilliant idea that will be worthy of her royal status!
"Anyone?" Alex asks.
"I'll pass," Tereza says in her deep bat voice.
"Since no one wants to speak up, I'll go ahead," Benezia says.
Princess Jewel spoke up!!
Benezia turns around, her blue eyes meeting Jewel's red ones head-on. "Fishing using explosives is not something that's consistent with the idea of 'laying low,' little one. You're also getting a little predictable. By now, I can accurately guess what you have to offer."
Princess Jewel is just suggesting the most beneficial and logical options. Benezia can't even begin to comprehend the genius of Princess Jewel's ideas; she can merely blink at the outer edge, without seeing the larger picture!
"Step 1," Alex suddenly says. "Fish using explosives."
"Step 2," he continues.
Finally, he says, "Step 3, profit!"
See! Soulmate gets it. Benezia should really listen to Princess Jewel and learn from her genius plans. She is merely the newest member and hasn't earned her place yet.
"I'm beginning to see why we're always in trouble with barely a minute to rest," Benezia notes. "Without your LUK stat, you would've long died."
"Let's relax for a few days then," Alex sighs. "As much as it pains me, I have no better idea than Jewel's. Although let's try to avoid the explosives. Maybe we should focus on selling the stolen weapons. Since it's a port city and there's a lot of trade happening, we can just claim we imported them. Maybe Tereza has to take charge, since our faces are well-known."
Princess Jewel's face is world-famous!
"As the demon spider," Alex adds, "which isn't something to be proud of."
"I'll take care of it," Tereza says.
"I'll think of something for us to do," Benezia adds, before admitting, "just to avoid doing anything the little one suggests. We may be the luckiest group around, but everyone's luck runs out... one way or another. History has proven this fact again and again, and I know more about History than hundreds of humans combined."
"True," Alex says. "The question is if we can achieve our goals and quit while we're ahead... or if we lose it all."
"Only one way to find out," Benezia says, smiling. "It's suddenly becoming a lot more fun."
Just a few hours after leaving Alubarna, Tereza reaches Nanohana, the sky still dark, as it's still the middle of the night. Despite that, some parts of the city are bright as day, with countless lights shining.
"Wow," Alex comments. "It's honestly a pretty awesome town. A little smaller than Alubarna, but way bigger than Rain Base. This is without a doubt a huge-ass city—look at all the lights, even at night!"
"What a keen observation," Benezia says in a dry voice.
"..."
Can't I get a little excited? It's the damn world of One Piece, and this city looks incredible at night!
Soulmate... Princess Jewel thinks Soulmate has no other choice. It's come to this situation, and consequences are unavoidable. The arrogant Matriarch thinks she is soooooo smart. Soulmate has to put her in her place.
"Huh?!" Alex says instinctively.
Soulmate! You mustn't speak. Princess Jewel's plan must remain a secret.
What plan?! Jewel, honestly, stop it! I don't even want to know.
Princess Jewel's plan is quite simple, yet astonishingly effective. This Asari has committed treason by making fun of Princess Jewel, even daring to mock her! Soulmate still needs her, but otherwise, such an offense deserves a capital punishment! Since that isn't an option, Soulmate and Princess Jewel must use other means to rectify the situation. To make Benezia more subservient and less annoying, Soulmate should just visit her at night and make his mov—
"What the?!" Alex says, getting annoyed. "Do you want to kill me?" Grabbing Jewel from his head, he continues bickering with her, clearly disagreeing with her plan.
"Children..." Benezia finally says. "We are wanted fugitives. I expect you to behave yourselves. Little one, your stunt with the fire was dangerous enough. Keep your ideas to yourself. Alex, put her in her place—at least when it's appropriate."
Soulmate should put her in her place!
"Let's just... sleep," Alex mutters, looking defeated, the air softly caressing his face, making him close his eyes.
So comfortable...
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