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"Good morning, Mr. Ikki."
Belo Betty wiped the sweat from her face with a towel, stepped off the treadmill with a smile, and walked over to him.
"The others are still resting in the bathhouse. Nobody else is up yet. I just have a habit of waking early, so I figured I'd get some exercise in at the gym," she said.
"You're really hardworking. Speaking of which, that's a rather tight-fitting workout outfit you've got on today. I half expected you to be exercising without any clothes on by now," Ikki said with a smile.
"If Captain Ikki still wants to see more of me, it's not like I can't take these off right now."
As she spoke, Belo Betty reached up and tugged at her collar. Ikki's eyes dropped despite himself, and for a moment it felt like some abyss was staring right back at him.
"Ahem. Let's get down to business. Belo Betty, has there been any word from the Revolutionary Army? About the Whitebeard Pirates," Ikki asked.
"Hehe, don't worry, Mr. Ikki. The leader already told me the Whitebeard Pirates have agreed to your terms."
"Really? That's wonderful."
Ikki nodded, satisfied. He hadn't gotten his hands on those famous swords yet, but he had Whitebeard's word now, and that was as good as having them already. The Murakumogiri and Vista's two swords, three famous blades in total, one of them a Supreme Grade Sword.
Just thinking about what those swords could bring him was enough to set his mind racing, already picturing what kind of Zanpakuto he might gain once they were in hand.
"Hey, Ikki, I did you a favor just now. Don't I get some kind of reward?" Belo Betty's voice pulled him back to the present.
"A reward? What did you have in mind?" Ikki raised an eyebrow.
"Hehe, well, it just so happens it's only the two of us here right now. How about something only two people can do together?" she said, tapping a finger against her lips with a smile.
"Morning exercise?"
"Somehow I doubt that's the kind of morning exercise you're thinking of."
"Perhaps. Who knows?"
Belo Betty's smile curled wider as her hand drifted slowly toward Ikki's groin. He caught her wrist before she got there.
"You know, you're not usually like this. Or have I just been misremembering you as more reserved than you actually are?" Ikki said, shaking his head.
"You've got the wrong idea, Lord Ikki. I'm only ever this casual with you," Belo Betty laughed. "Besides, a man as impressive as you was always going to attract plenty of attention. It's hardly strange that someone standing five foot ten would catch my eye. I'm not getting any younger, and I wouldn't mind finding a reliable shoulder to lean on."
She made no effort to hide the affection in her voice, though a fair share of that warmth had more to do with what Ikki's strength could do for the Revolutionary Army than anything else.
"If you're after a reliable shoulder, why not go find Dragon?" Ikki said.
"Dragon's reliable enough as leaders go, but he's already married, and marriage isn't something I'm looking for anyway. Besides, reliable or not, he's just not my type."
"Don't tell me I'm your type, then."
"As you can see, Miss Belo Betty, I'm quite the womanizer," Ikki said, laughing.
"And that's exactly the appeal. Being as openly and honestly a womanizer as you are, that's a kind of charm all its own," Belo Betty shot back without missing a beat.
'If you keep flattering me like that, I might start believing it,' Ikki thought.
He shook his head and pulled a bottle of S-grade life potion from his inventory.
"Alright, enough trying to seduce me. You did me a small favor just now, and I'm not the type to walk away without giving something back. Here, take this."
He tossed the S-grade life potion toward her. S-grade life potions were rare enough on their own, capable of pushing a partner already at S-rank physique toward SS-rank, but Ikki still had two bottles of level five life potions in reserve, so he was willing to part with one as a reward.
Belo Betty and the Revolutionary Army behind her had been eager to stay on good terms with him, and the feeling was mutual, especially now that he knew the World Government meant to discard him the moment he'd outlived his usefulness to them.
An organization built around tearing down the World Government was exactly the kind of ally he might need down the line, and Belo Betty had already done him more than one good turn. A bottle of life potion was a fair price for that.
"Oh, Mr. Ikki, where exactly are you throwing this?"
Belo Betty let out a startled little sound and looked away, cheeks coloring.
"Don't give me that. You let it drop straight into your top on purpose, didn't you? How is that my fault?" Ikki said, exasperated.
"I did no such thing. You're the one who threw it there. Besides, you don't need to make such a fuss about it. If you've already done it, why not just admit it boldly? I won't tell anyone," Belo Betty said, feigning bashfulness.
"Fine, then. Just give the potion back. I'm sure Viola and the others would put it to good use."
Ikki shook his head and held out his hand, feigning irritation.
"If you want it, why don't you come and take it yourself?"
Belo Betty pulled her collar open with one hand, chest thrust forward, showing off a good deal more than she had a moment ago. She was certain Ikki wouldn't dare reach in after it.
This time, she'd guessed wrong.
"Heh. You think I'm scared to take what's mine?" Ikki sneered, and before she could react, his hand was already inside her collar, closing around the S-grade life potion hidden against her skin.
"Wait, no!"
It was obvious he meant to pull it right back out. Belo Betty threw her arms across her chest and clamped down, trapping his hand exactly where it was.