As Alex, Benezia, and Tereza make their way toward the luxurious Rain Dinners, Alex can't help but say, "I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders."
Princess Jewel disagrees. Soulmate is still carrying his big sword. Princess Jewel disagrees.
"Nono," Alex says, "it's a figure of speech! I was joking about all the meat we gave away."
What kind of figure? Is it a Peasant figure?
"No... look," Alex tries to argue, then glances at Tereza, who simply shakes her head and shrugs. "Never mind! You don't need to say it. Fine. Jewel, you're getting a little too naughty for my taste."
❤️ Princess Jewel is obedient and cute, Soulmate. She would never behave naughtily.
"..."
"..."
Slightly irritated, Alex—followed by the others—arrives at the large open plaza and lays eyes on the impressive pyramid-shaped building before them. Without hesitation, they head toward the entrance.
As they walk, a few people glance their way, but no one stops them.
"Want to hear a German anti-joke?" Alex asks. "A human, a bat, an Asari, and a spider walk into a bar..."
Tereza shakes her head, ignoring his joke. "Let's go inside..."
"I do not comprehend..." Benezia mutters, frowning.
Princess Jewel wants to hear the rest of the joke.
"That was the joke," Tereza barks. "German humor sucks!"
I think that one was pretty funny...
Despite their unusual appearance, to Alex's big surprise, they have no trouble getting inside. Several staff members greet them politely as they pass through.
"Where are we headed?" Tereza asks. "We were just told to come here."
"Usually we should head to the bar," Alex replies. "If you're waiting for someone or expecting someone, you go to the bar. At least people do that in movies."
"We might as well do as he says," Benezia agrees.
Passing by rows of slot machines, roulette tables, and various card games hosted by the staff, Alex confidently leads the way to the large bar and immediately sits down on an empty stool directly opposite the barkeeper.
"Give me your house special—something fruity that isn't bitter," Alex says as he settles in. "And something meaty for my pet!"
"Your taste is really bad, Alex," Tereza comments. "I'll take the same."
"If it's bad... why are you copying me?" Alex retorts.
Tereza giggles. "It's not bad on its own, but men shouldn't order things like that. What about you, Benezia?"
Stereotypes...
"I'll take the same—however, spare me your immature banter," Benezia states, eyeing the bar with curiosity.
The barkeeper looks at them, slightly hesitant. "I... I don't serve meaty drinks, but I can get you some actual meat. As for the drinks, I'll do my best to accommodate your tastes."
The bartender quickly gets to work, and to Jewel's delight, returns with a large plate of various pre-prepared cuts of meat for the group, along with their seemingly high-quality, freshly mixed drinks.
Alex, feeling hungry himself, grabs one of the local specialties One Piece has to offer—a huge piece of meat still on the bone.
"You actually intend to eat that?" Tereza wonders. "With Menchi's dishes in our inventory, I wouldn't even dream of touching it... so how is it?"
Princess Jewel is bored. This meat is not very tasty. She requires food that is as tasty as the one Royal Head Chef Menchi prepares.
"Meh... it's way too dry and too fatty. Maybe because it's not fresh, the taste isn't as good as I'd hoped for," Alex replies as he munches down on the meat. "The drink is great, though!"
"I'm very sorry our dishes are not to your liking... Mr. 6!" a voice suddenly echoes from behind.
Alex slowly turns around and locks eyes with Miss All Sunday. His gaze immediately drops to her outfit—a skimpy, purple, cleavage-exposing corset paired with a very short matching miniskirt. She wears white high-heeled boots, a white fur-lined coat, and a white hat, giving her the appearance of a stylish, seductive cowgirl.
Purple and white, what an interesting combination. This is probably one of One Piece's most iconic outfits. She looks really hot. She has the same style as Benezia—cold and strict, while at the same time exposing their tits. I'll never understand the reasoning. Are they secretly exhibitionists?
"Please... my ladies and gentleman, follow me," she says calmly, revealing a polite, business-like smile.
Taking his drink with him, Alex follows alongside Tereza and Benezia as they trail behind her, heading toward the backrooms of the massive casino hall. On the way, Alex empties the drink before placing the glass on a random slot machine.
They ascend a set of stairs and finally arrive in a large, immaculately tidy office that clearly belongs to Miss All Sunday.
She gestures toward a large couch and says, "Sit down, Mr. 6, Miss Judgement Day. You as well, Billions Agent," looking at each of them in turn.
She's less impressive than Princess Jewel thought. This peasant's eyes are closed. The peasant is merely forcing herself to act a certain way. Princess Jewel recommends going with the plan created for emergencies. This silly Peasant also made the crucial mistake of welcoming Soulmate alone.
"Interesting," Benezia says playfully. "It looks like I'll be making my move after all."
What?! Jewel... tell her to drop the bullshit! What are you saying? That's way too risky!
Princess Jewel thinks Benezia should go ahead. Soulmate and the others planned for a case like this, right?
Fine... if she's confident... she can do it, but ask her if she knows what she's do—
Soulmate gave his blessings.❤️
No... I didn't say that... well, whatever.
"Whatever do you mean, Miss Judgement Day?" Miss All Sunday asks, her eyes narrowing as they settle on Benezia.
"Nothing, child. Please go ahead," Benezia replies calmly, briefly snickering.
Confused, and seemingly a little irritated, Miss All Sunday raises her voice slightly. "This organization has a clear structure and hierarchy. Every single member is expected to follow it. The ones at the bottom obey those above them—especially someone like me, who is at the top. I expect to be treated with the respect my position entitles me to. Is that clear?" Her eyes drift toward Alex.
"Hey, I didn't even say anything..." Alex mumbles, feeling aggrieved by the unfair call-out.
"Aren't you the former captain?" Miss All Sunday asks. "Or are you just the trophy head, and your partner is the one giving orders?"
"Usually, we just follow whims... Lately, Jewel is the one giving orders, strangely enough." Alex explains.
"What are you even saying, Mr. 6? Jewel is your pet, isn't it? It has a large bounty on its head for its vicious killings... where did you even leave it?" she asks, a bit uneasy now.
Alex smiles and points toward his head, prompting her to glance up and finally spot Jewel. Despite the flicker of fear that briefly flashes in her eyes, she keeps her composure and says, "It looks like you are indeed someone special... and so is your pet. Anyway, I expect obedience. Do not test me. Now—are you ready to hear your mission?"
"Sure. You said we can pick the one we like?" Alex asks.
"You can pick the order," she responds. "That should be more than enough. You can view it as a little reward for your earlier mission."
So the reward for our hard work is that we get to choose our next unpaid job. I don't get this logic. In fact, I don't even understand who would willingly join this stupid organization in the first place.
"Now, Mr. 6, I give you the option of spying on the Rebel Army," Miss All Sunday explains, before continuing swiftly. "This kind of mission requires finesse—not brute force. Or, if you're interested in simpler but equally important assignments, I have a list of key targets I need eliminated. Some are from the Kingdom army, some are Rebels, and some are private individuals. Lastly, we need more resources. You can choose whichever mission suits you best. All of them are long-term, and the first step is investigation. Take your pick, Mr. 6—what will it be?"
"Well... they all sound decent," Alex replies. "But don't you have a list? I'd prefer something more challenging."
"These are the missions for the Arabasta sector," Miss All Sunday replies instantly. "I am losing my patience...."
"So maybe there are missions for other islands? Our strength is our combat power and our mobility," Alex explains.
Come on... we have a flyer with us! Don't give us that kind of crap mission.
"I gave you a choice between three missions! Agents are supposed to obey orders, so I'll ask you again—what will you focus on?" Miss All Sunday says, staring straight into Alex's eyes.
"Allow me to respond," Benezia interjects, before jabbing her hand forward and pulling Miss All Sunday's neck into her grip using biotics. In the same motion, she draws her Asari sword and holds it at her throat.
"Nico Robin," Benezia says coldly. "Use your Devil Fruit ability and you'll die."
"W...w..." Robin stutters—her calm demeanor cracking for the first time.
What the?! She really said it!
"You gave us three choices," Benezia continues, her voice emotionless. "I'm afraid I can only give you two in return. Die... or close your eyes. You have three seconds. One. Two. Thre—"
Alex and Tereza, visibly tense, exchange a glance as Nico Robin, exactly as Benezia demanded, closes her eyes.
Princess Jewel told you this is a weak person pretending to be strong. This person has no backbone.
If she has no backbone, then how can she stand up straight, huh, Jewel? Now I beat you with your own weapon.
Soulmate. This is a serious situation; silly jokes are not appropriate!
This spider... I swear... but she's right. What is Benezia thinking? We said this path was only to be used if we were certain of the outcome—or in a desperate situation.
"I'll tell you what will happen, my fearful child," Benezia says. "As I appreciate your taste in clothes, I'll be quite generous. Your identity will remain completely anonymous. We won't interfere with Baroque Works' plans. We also promise not to make any moves against Crocodile. We know more than you think, and we have allies everywhere. We do not plan on doing a thing to you. However... should you try to betray us or inform your boss about this, we have numerous allies who will tell him that we were working for you and that you gave us all the information."
She smiles, then adds, "We'll also inform the Marines, and we have a contact working for the World Economy Newspaper—a direct subordinate of Big News Morgans."
Benezia chuckles softly.
"Hehe... you see? The consequences of crossing us are dire. However, if you simply do your part, nothing bad will happen. Instead, we'll work hard for you and fulfill missions like obedient little agents, securing your position even more."
Nico Robin, now pale and sweating, tries her best to stay composed.
"What... do you want me to do?" she asks quietly.
Benezia steps back, removes her hand from Robin's neck, and calmly resheathes her sword.
"Simple," she says. "Give me the list of all available missions. If I can't find something suitable, you'll make something up—and we'll decide our own mission. Now."
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