Chapter 29: Take or Retreat.
—OoOoO—
The Florian Triangle was a sea shrouded in thick fog, even as the sun struggled to penetrate. Strong surface and underwater currents cause waves to fluctuate wildly, changing direction and volume over short periods. And amidst this wild sea, a small ship sailed calmly, unconcerned by the pounding waves that could capsize it.
"You promised not to step foot on Thiller Bark, didn't you, Kuma-san?" said a feminine voice coming from a small bat.
The flying mammal flapped its wings rapidly to circle a large, curly-haired man with a body packed with muscle.
"Stussy, you know I need to do something to report and look useful to the World Government," the man replied, his gaze unmoving from the silhouette of the giant ship.
"I know you just want to see Dragon-san's son, don't you? But if you get close, Maki-chan will definitely notice you with her Kenbunshoku," said the flying mammal.
Along with those words, hundreds of bats appeared from behind the fog and gathered around the bats that were flying around Kuma. They circle around at one point and merge with each other every second. In the end, these creatures formed a solid figure of a woman with short blonde hair, complete with pink dresses and a white robe.
Meanwhile, Kuma was closely observing the changes. Although his expression was blank, he was, deep down, impressed by the performance.
"I didn't know you could do that with your Devil Fruit," the burly man muttered, "I thought you didn't like using your powers."
"It's not that I don't like using my Devil Fruit powers. It's just that I have always thought exploring these powers wasn't needed, as my primary job is espionage, and I have been very busy to begin with."
Despite not being among the world's monsters, Stussy was actually a very powerful figure. Her fighting skills, sharpness and quick thinking, mastery of Haki, and raw strength beyond the average human were talents that have been inherent since her creation. Furthermore, because her method of spying involved establishing a vast underground network, she could quickly obtain information from all over the world without having to be there in person.
Therefore, for someone who prioritised efficiency and work optimisation, exploring the Devil Fruit's power was seldom a priority. However, that mindset was shattered in a single moment.
"At least, until I met Maki-chan, I never felt the need to continue to train this ability and honing my fighting skills."
"I heard you lost to her even though you actually won?" Kuma asked.
"Well, she had insanely impressive raw stats for a sixteen-year-old girl. Not just physically, but also in her perceptual and motor skills. Which means she had a very high level of synchronisation between her brain and nervous system."
The blonde woman exhaled, eyes closed. Her fight with Maki flashed through her mind, but a smile mixed with various emotions spread across her lips.
"I won because I used Bushoshoku. If my mastery were lower, my Haki might still have overwhelmed her raw power. However, because I had such high mastery, the harder she hit me with such raw power, she only ended up destroying her own arm."
"You seem quite fond of that girl, huh? Something you rarely see from you, who always lives for Doctor Vegapunk," Kuma replied dryly.
"Really?"
The blonde woman glanced at the much larger man. However, she didn't seem to intend to refute his statement.
Maki was a unique entity. If all of her investigations were correct, as there was no correlation or common thread to her first appearance, confirming her background, she might be someone who came from a completely different world. However, that speculation couldn't be confirmed. Or rather, it was a crazy theory, given the lack of evidence to support it. Therefore, the information Stussy gave the Five Elders was that she might be someone who came with Toki from Ancient Wano, as it was enough of a misdirection to distract them from focusing solely on Luffy.
"Though, I have to say that the incredible taste of her blood and the effects it gave me that I had never experienced before were the main reasons why I couldn't take my eyes off her," Stussy said.
"It's surprised me that you also gave that information to the Five Elders considering you're quite attracted to her."
"Well, I might be interested in the biological secrets of her body. Still, my priority is to keep them from making Luffy their sole primary target."
"But in the end, it will still make their group always be closely monitored," Kuma replied.
"It's better to have a closely monitored group than to have just one prominent figure. That way, at least risk control will be distributed, not pinned on a central figure."
With a blank expression, Kuma simply looked down on the woman upon hearing those excuses. Like, he looked down on her literally because of their stark height difference.
"Well, Kuma-san, back to the main topic," the blonde woman spoke again, "I'm asking you not to enter the island. Or rather, please don't beat them up. You know they don't stand a chance against you."
"I understand your situation, but I need to report something to the World Government. And I also came here to convey something to Moria."
"It's about the capture of Fire Fist Ace, isn't it?" Stussy replied quickly, "The World Government needs to expedite and strengthen their defence protocols to deal with Whitebeard on the day Ace is to be executed. After all, his existence is nothing more than a small fish to bait a much bigger fish."
"If you know that far already, you should also understand that I cannot let Moria be killed here."
"They won't kill him," Stussy argued firmly, but maintained her composure.
"And on what basis do you believe that? In that group, aren't there Roronoa Zoro and Zen'in Maki who wouldn't hesitate to kill their opponents on the spot?"
"I won't deny that those two wouldn't hesitate to get their hands dirty. However, I don't think they'd be stupid enough to kill him, considering they just came out of Ennies Lobby and didn't want to attract the world's attention."
Stussy paused in her words to take a moment to catch her breath.
"The Florian Triangle is a closed ocean. Even Morgan's network wouldn't be able to reach this place. In other words, the Straw Hats wouldn't gain any exposure from this fight, and there would be no burden for the world to know about it. However, the narrative would change if they killed Moria."
This time, Kuma stared straight into Stussy's eyes, which glistened with unwavering determination. Although they hadn't spent much time together, as fellow humans deeply bonded through Doctor Vegapunk, he knew Stussy quite well. She was a rational, effective, and efficient woman. Every action she took was based on data, calculations, and a multi-layered plan. Therefore, seeing the young woman risk something on the unpredictable behaviour of humans was a new sight for him.
"This body of yours is just a clone made from bunch of bats, and is a derivative of your Devil Fruit power, isn't it?" the man asked.
To which, Stussy just nodded slowly.
"But this body has no combat power whatsoever, and only serves as a means of communication and intelligence," the blonde woman added, "Even a blow from a normal, untrained human can destroy this body. And when that happens, the information this body receives will immediately return to my original body."
"What a handy ability," said Kuma.
"Well, it's nothing compared to the destructive power of your powers, and how fast you can travel, Kuma-san."
Without responding to those words, Kuma turned his gaze back to the giant ship.
"You said you told Nico Robin your plan after you killed Spandam, right?"
"Yes, I did. And considering Maki-chan's frame of thinking, she probably also realised that I wasn't really aiming for Nico Robin from the start because she knew I could beat her if I wanted to," Stussy replied calmly.
"Then, if they really won't kill Moria, use Nico Robin and Zenin Maki to persuade their comrades to leave immediately after they're done with him. If they haven't left after three or four hours, I'll go after them."
The man paused his words to look Stussy in the eye again.
"That's the least I can do. Beyond that, I won't accept any compromises."
"Four hours… huh? Fair enough," Stussy replied with a sigh.
—OoOoO—
Maki, with Chopper on her head, and Nami stood on one of the towers that survived the Ancient Giant's rampage. She observed two battlefields unfolding simultaneously on the island-sized ship. On one side, the enraged Ancient Giant's appearance was unmistakable. On the other side of the ship, Luffy was also seen fiercely fighting Gecko Moria, who had somehow become several times larger than before.
"You don't have to worry about Luffy, Maki-chan. Not now, at least," Nami said as if she knew what Maki was thinking, "Before we returned to the Thousand Sunny, we met with Lola's group first to let them know that they had to get as close as possible to Luffy's location to carry out the plan."
"If that's the case, then, we'll beat that giant as fast as possible and head to Luffy's place," replied the ponytailed girl.
Maki then narrowed her eyes, trying to pinpoint the crucial locations to take down the giant.
"Ussop is hiding with his giant slingshot? So, our plan is to pry open the creature's mouth, and then let him shoot salt into it?"
"You can see Usopp from here? That's crazy," Chopper said, using his hands as binoculars to look in the direction Maki was looking.
"Well, I was able to find it mostly because of Kenbunshoku."
"But that means you can also see him directly from a distance, right? Would users of that ability also have eyes as sharp as yours?"
There was a difference between discovering and being able to see. Simply put, Kenbunshoku was a radar. While radar could detect an object, that didn't mean the person using it could immediately see or locate it.
"Who knows? But I'll try asking if I meet another Kenbunshoku user," Maki replied to Chopper's question just now.
Without any intention of wasting any more time with small talk, Maki turned her gaze to the orange-haired girl.
"Okay, I have a plan. Nami, are you coming with me or waiting here?"
"Eh, what do you mean? I can stay here if I want?"
"Well, that thing's the worst matchup for you," Maki replied, staring back at the Ancient Giant. "He's basically a living corpse. His nervous system's dead. Even if you could send him millions of volts of electricity, it wouldn't be able to shock him, and the heat wouldn't be enough to burn him."
Maki closed her eyes and sighed. Her words did come off as harsh. However, as a jujutsu sorcerer who had fought against a wide variety of opponents countless times, she understood that benching someone with a poor matchup was better than being an extra burden.
"While it may seem like your existence is irrelevant, that's only because you're in the wrong field. Instead, your abilities would be far more useful against Moria."
"I understand," Nami said with a soft sigh, "No. In fact, I should be grateful that I don't have to fight that terrifying giant, right?"
Even though those were the words that came out of her mouth, the expression on her face said otherwise. The smile that had looked forced had a hint of disappointment that wracked her insides, but she didn't have any defence to keep it relevant, because she was that weak.
Seeing that made Maki feel a little pity, even though her expression remained dull. After all, she had been in that position herself. She understood all too well how it felt to be crushed by that sense of helplessness. However, she couldn't offer the girl any words of support. Not only was time running out, but sometimes, some people simply didn't want to hear those kind words.
"Then, I'll stay with Nami. We'll either march to Luffy's place, or regroup with Lola."
"I think that's a good idea, but could you take Shusui with you for me?" Maki said, handing over the black katana.
At which, Nami and Chopper immediately stepped back simultaneously.
"Eh? That thing won't curse us or anything like that, right?" The fawn squeaked.
"Not sure, but I think it won't? Normally, those cursed swords won't have any effect unless you take them out of their scabbards."
The explanation didn't help ease their fears at all. However, Nami, with slightly trembling hands, still reached for the black katana while Chopper hid behind her legs.
"Why don't you just take it with you, anyway?" asked the orange-haired girl.
"I don't have a belt to hold the sword around my waist. If I use Shusui and Ganesha at the same time, I won't have a place to keep this scabbard."
"Then, how about we just carry intstead?" Chopper asked.
Maki lowered her gaze to stare at the fawn. Convincing them to take Shusui with them seemed like it would take time, and she hated to keep wasting it.
"Fine," Maki said with a sigh.
Without a word, she immediately drew the black katana from its sheath and emitted a terrifying effect from its blade.
'Are you seriously want us to carry something that seems can devour our souls?' Nami thought with a broken smile.
Maki weighed the two types of swords in her hands.
Ganesha, formerly known as Funkfreed, was one meter long and had a slightly heavier weight distribution at the bottom due to its tusk guard. However, that wasn't a big deal for someone like Maki. Meanwhile, like most katana, Shusui had an ideal weight distribution. In fact, just by looking at it, she could tell that the blade was much sturdier than a katana from Earth, but there was no difference in weight distribution. It meant the katana was likely forged from metal ore not found on Earth.
"Alright, if you've nothing else to say, I'll be going first."
However, before she actually left, she tilted her head slightly to look at the figure who had been silent all this time.
"Brook, you go with them. The plan is to feed Luffy a hundred shadows, right? Your knowledge will definitely be very helpful there."
As if understanding the subtle meaning Maki wanted to convey, the skeleton immediately bowed, his hands on his chest, like a gentleman in the Middle Ages.
"Don't worry, you can count on me."
Maki nodded at the reply.
"Thanks."
Without waiting for another response from her interlocutor, Maki leapt into the air and kicked off the air to swiftly manoeuvre toward the Ancient Giant. In mere seconds, she had closed the five-hundred-meter distance.
Maki spun the katana in her left hand, holding it in a reverse grip. She continued gliding through the air, attempting to brute force her way through the thick, long hair covering his back. With both swords raised parallel to her sides, Maki immediately spun her body and delivered a rotational slash targeting the back of the creature's neck.
"GRAAAHH!!!"
The creature roared loudly as it felt a piece of its skin being ripped off. That single roar sent a powerful wave of air pressure in all directions. Worse yet, Maki, with her extremely keen hearing, immediately felt pain in her ears and head.
'Shit, I should've known that playing around and trying out Levi's moves was a stupid odea,' the girl thought.
Maki immediately flipped her body with the upper leg, then kicked it to manoeuvre downward. Just before she hit the ground, she did a small somersault, so she landed smoothly on her feet, though a crack appeared in the ground.
"Maki-chan!"
The girl in the ponytail immediately turned and saw Sanji running towards her.
"Nami-san was supposed to go after you. Did you two cross paths?" the blonde boy asked.
"We did. She was with Chopper and Brook, but I asked them to regroup with Lola's group or something. It'd be safer for those two, especially since Brook is strong enough to protect them."
"It's good that Nami-san is in a safer place," Sanji replied with a sigh of relief, "Though, this creature isn't as dangerous as I thought. Even though he's possessed by Marimo's shadow, his abilities aren't as strong as him."
"I've got some plans. But before that, is there anything I need to pay attention to?" Maki asked.
Her gaze remained fixed on the Ancient Giant, whose attention was focused on Zoro and Franky, who were circling him to attack from various sides.
"Not much, actually. He's just big and strong, but his movements are slow and unagile. Furthermore, while he possesses some sword-less techniques, his movements are rather sloppy, yet the damage he deals is no joke."
"Figures. A creature like him might be more suited to Luffy's character, who causes chaos in every fight."
Sanji nodded slowly before his gaze fell on the katana in his left hand, which was emitting an unusual aura. However, before he could ask that, Maki's words preceded him.
"Alright. Can you and Franky bait him for a while? I'll pry his mouth open with Zoro."
Sanji immediately nodded to the request without further questioning the plan's details. He was completely invested in whatever Maki had in mind because that's how much trust he had.
"But before that, could you throw me into the giant's stomach? That should be enough to get its attention," the curly-browed man said.
"Sure thing."
Maki placed her cutlass sword on the ground and extended her right hand to Sanji.
"Are you ready?"
"If you don't mind," the blonde boy replied.
Sanji was actually a little hesitant to accept the offer. Although he loved women and had an obsession with peeking at them naked, he knew that Maki was different from other women. Considering her everyday, covered-up style of dress, the idea of touching her made him a little uncomfortable. After all, when it came to clothing, Maki and Robin had quite significant differences, even though both were quite moderate. While Robin didn't mind wearing slightly revealing clothing, he had never seen Maki show more skin than her arms.
"Don't worry. I might be disgusted if a pervert touches me, but I'm not that old-fashioned to refuse to touch a man for no reason," Maki explained as if she knew what Sanji was thinking, "Besides, I also respect you enough for not looking at me with a perverted gaze like you did to Robin-san and Nami."
"Thank you for your generosity, Maki-chan," Sanji said sincerely as he accepted the outstretched hand.
"Don't sweat it."
Maki gripped Sanji's hand tightly as she immediately planted her left foot on the ground to act as a pivot and support. With a grin etched on her face, she spun his body three times to apply centrifugal force to Sanji. Once the accumulated momentum reached its peak, Maki immediately released her grip and threw him toward the Ancient Giant.
Sanji's right leg was straight forward, with his left leg bent back. His body was slightly leaned back, with his hands positioned to reduce air friction. With high speed and efficient aerodynamics, the air around him seems to be penetrated as if the boy were trying to break through an invisible barrier. With the friction between himself and the air, his right leg lights up with bright red flames.
"Fire Bullet Shoot!"
In the blink of an eye, a loud bang, followed by an explosion, echoed through the air as Sanji's kick struck the monster's stomach. Despite having no active nervous system, which would have prevented him from feeling any pain, the contraction of his muscles as something struck his stomach made him reflexively let out a groan with his mouth wide open.
"No, not yet," Ussop muttered with his large slingshot ready to take aim.
Meanwhile, Maki was seen running around the creature at a moderate pace. Her head tilted upwards, trying to find the right angle to attack. But as she shifted her gaze to the surrounding surface, her eyes met Zoro's, who was in the distance.
She immediately pointed at the green-haired boy with her finger, then pointed to the sky, and then to her cheek. It was like a signal she wanted to convey to him.
'I don't really understand, but it seems like she wants me to do this.'
The swordsman immediately ran towards a tree and climbed it easily with one jump. And at the highest part of the tree, Zoro gathered all his strength into his legs, then pushed his body upwards with full force.
The boy wanted to find Maki as he leapt into the air. However, before he could even look around, the girl arrived first with her Moonwalk technique. Without further ado, she immediately grabbed his leg. Just like she did to Sanji, Maki spun around three times before throwing Zoro at the creature.
'I see. So, this is the plan, huh?'
With a sword in his mouth, Zoro quickly linked the hilts of his two swords together to form a certain angle. With a swift rotational motion, he spun the swords, making them look like propellers, sucking in everything in their path, and brutally chopping them apart.
"Santoryu Ogi: Senzen Sakai!"
Zoro shot at high speed, and his sharp and rough slash immediately tore the Ancient Giant's entire left cheek without mercy.
Maki smiled faintly at the fleeting scene. As if not wanting to lose, she immediately retrieved the katana she had been holding in her mouth just before she threw Zoro.
"Ain't no way I'm gonna let him take the spotlight."
With a grin and a gleam in her eyes, Maki stomped her foot in the air forcefully. Her right arm extended to the side, parallel to her crossed left arm.
"Ganesha, make your blade bigger when you slash that cheek later."
As if responding to its master's command, the blade of the cutlass sword swayed slightly in the air.
With a large target and relatively slow movements, Maki managed to land Shusui, the black katana, right on the Ancient Giant's cheek. Following closely behind as a second slash, Ganesha appeared to enlarge as if he were about to transform into his elephant form, but was limited to the blade becoming the size of a trunk.
Despite possessing Zoro's physical strength, Maki couldn't unleash energy slashes like the green-haired boy. It meant that the damage caused by her slashes always had a depth equal to the length of the blade, against a normal-sized human, which might be more than enough. However, against a creature hundreds of meters tall, a one-meter-deep slash would be nothing more than a simple scratch.
However, regardless of appearance or race, the cheeks would always have relatively thinner and more delicate skin and muscles than the rest of the body. Therefore, when Maki used Shusui to penetrate the first layer of the monster's cheek, she would execute a second slash with Ganesha, which could enlarge the blade to the size of a trunk larger than an African elephant's.
With those two double slashes, the Ancient Giant's right cheek was exposed. Combined with the two slashes on either side, the massive jaw immediately collapsed, following gravity as the muscles supporting it gave way.
Robin, who was watching from a distance, immediately understood what she needed to do.
"Dos Manos."
Along with the chant, two large hands immediately appeared around the Ancient Giant's neck.
"Hold."
The two artificial arms immediately pulled down and locked the creature's jaws, fully exposing its mouth. And just two seconds later, a sack of salt shot out and entered the massive mouth.
Robin then closed the jaw using her clone's hand, and everyone there stopped just to see what reaction the giant would give.
"Does it work?" Maki muttered.
A black bubble began to form in the creature's mouth. In an instant, it rose into the air, then flew straight up and shot toward Zoro's body, sinking right under his feet.
"Huh? It's really back."
"Oh, shit! Why did we have to catch your shadow first? Why not mine?" Sanji complained as he approached the green-haired boy.
"Just accept it. Anyway, a weakling like you is only fit for a third-rate zombie."
"By your logic, the fact that we were able to capture your shadow first is proof that you're weaker, no?" Sanji replied without giving in.
Which made Zoro furrow his brows.
"Huh? What did you say?"
However, before the blonde boy could reply, another voice interrupted them.
"Come on, guys. Can't you guys just stop fighting for a minute?"
They turned to see Usopp approaching, carrying a large slingshot on his shoulder. Robin, Maki, and Franky were also walking behind him.
"But man, I thought this fight was going to be harder," the blue-haired man joked, "I mean, sure we had a hard time, but I was imagining something catastrophic."
Everyone would probably agree that Maki's arrival brought significant changes, including her aerial manoeuvrability. However, that didn't mean they weren't doing a good job before she arrived. The fact that no one suffered any serious injuries alone was proof that they've been fighting pretty well.
"That's because we knew what it took to win and we follow the plan with discipline," Maki said casually, "We knew those zombies are immune to pain. We were facing creatures of that size with that trait, and at a disadvantage in terms of brute force and overwhelming strength. If we fought in those domains, we'd definitely be crushed to a pulp."
"Yeah. And I think we had a slight advantage because he couldn't manifest Zoro's full power," Usopp said as he stared at the giant, lifeless body.
Maki took a deep breath to steady her racing heart.
"Okay, I'm gonna go to Luffy's place. Any of you want a ride?"
The thought of being carried by Maki excited Sanji. However, he quickly banished it when he remembered their earlier conversation. As such, the blonde boy kept his mouth shut.
"If you don't mind taking me, I would be happy to accept your offer," said the woman with long black hair.
"Are you sure, Robin-san? Don't you want to take a breather first? Didn't summoning those two giant hands take a toll of your stamina?" Maki asked.
Robin shook her head slowly, making her black mane sway slightly along with the movement of her head.
"I'm fine. I still have some energy left, and I was planning on trying to push my limits slowly."
"Okay, I understand," Maki said, offering her back to Robin. "But my hands are already full with swords. So, can you just put your arm around my back?"
Without being asked a second time, the woman immediately hugged the girl from behind.
"Well then, I'll wait for you at the next stop."
With that greeting, Maki immediately leapt high into the air and shot towards where Luffy and Moria were fighting. Robin narrowed her eyes, shielding them from the strong winds as Maki carried her through the air. However, it was a short journey, perhaps only a few seconds. After that, they landed in a building that resembled an old, abandoned church.
"It's not too far from the main castle," Robin muttered.
Her gaze fell on Moria, who was much larger than he should have been. However, what surprised her was Luffy, whose body expanded and his skin turned dark blue.
"Is that the power of a hundred shadows?" Maki whispered to herself.
Moria seemed overwhelmed by Luffy, who, oddly enough, fought aggressively and efficiently in this mode, using a sword as his primary weapon. Every attack Luffy delivered seemed to force the man to spit out a shadow or two from his mouth.
"I thought so, but I didn't expect him to turn into a blue ogre," Robin replied, then turned her attention to Maki, "Are you not going to help him? I thought you would jump straight into battle."
"Well, that's the intention. However, seeing how he dominates the fight, I don't think he need more help. Besides, the others will be here soon."
Maki still found it strange to see Luffy fighting so well and so efficiently. It wasn't that he was a bad fighter. However, every time he fought, it always resulted in chaos or ear-splitting screams.
"Besides, there's something I wanna make sure of."
Maki immediately turned around at those words. Her brows furrowed sharply, and her face hardened.
"Come out! I know you're hiding!" the girl said.
This caused Robin to immediately widen her eyes and stare in the same direction as Maki. However, she found nothing. She looked around for anything unusual, but to no avail.
"Is someone following us?" asked the woman with long black hair.
"I couldn't sense any other humans, but I did see a swarm of bats before we landed," Maki replied, gazing up at the trees shrouded in darkness. "That might seem normal. But does it make sense to see such a large number of bats outside their nest?"
Whether it was a coincidence or not, just as Maki had said those words, a strong wind blew, rustling the leaves and branches of the trees. Simultaneously, a bat emerged from its hiding place, followed by hundreds of others.
"I expect nothing less from you, Maki-chan."
A voice echoed from the crowd of flying mammals, and it immediately made the otherworldly girl raise her guard.
"Stussy?" Robin muttered.
"Long time no see, Nico Robin. Although it wasn't that long, actually."
The bats immediately gathered, forming a physical shape in which only the upper part was visible, while the lower part appeared as a group of bats coming in and out of their nest.
"I was pretty sure that my clone self in this mode would have the same weak presence as a normal animal," Stussy continued, "However, I forgot that you are a true superhuman, Maki-chan. It seems I slightly underestimated your vision."
"Cut that crap. What're you doing here?" Maki demanded.
The girl glanced at Robin, who was standing next to her. Although initially surprised, her expression softened. There was no sign of hostility etched on her face. Although Robin was relatively unreactive, she would still display a tense reaction when faced with a stronger entity or when under pressure. That expression had always appeared during their time in Skypiea, Ennies Lobby, and when she announced that the opponent they would face was Gecko Moria.
In other words, given the woman with long black hair's calm expression, it could be concluded that the blonde woman's appearance wasn't a threat.
'Which doesn't make sense if she doesn't see her as a threat,' Maki thought, 'In Ennies Lobby, I could only get rid of her with desperate methods. Even if it was a clone, there's no telling what she'll do next.'
During that fight, Maki always felt that Stussy could defeat her at any time. However, the opposite was true. She simply accepted everything she was given, even when she toyed with it. This was completely out of character for her as an elite agent. Furthermore, she was the one who killed Spandam. Although she claimed it was due to a difference in perspective, no one knew whether it was true or just a lie.
'No, there's one person who knows. The only person who was there, and witnessed Spandam being killed.'
Maki turned to Robin, who was still maintaining a calm attitude.
"Robin-san, of we're assuming for the worst scenario and she has the same fighting prowess as her real body, you still think she's not hostile, don't you?"
"You have probably already begun to notice the oddities. So, there is no reason to keep you in the dark," Robin sighed, closing her eyes for a moment, "I am still not sure how much of what she is saying is true. However, it seems she is a spy who infiltrated Cipher Pol and rose to the highest ranks. And apparently, someone she serves wants me alive."
"Huh? She's what?!" Maki pointed at the clone made from a mass of bats, "I mean, isn't Cipher Pol supposed to be the most secretive spy organisation?"
"Now you understand how great I am, right, Maki-chan? I'm the only outsider who has managed to infiltrate the innermost circles of the World Government," Stussy said, boasting to herself.
"The only outsider? Why are your criteria so specific? It's as if insiders have risen to high positions, but they're actually working for outsiders," Maki quipped.
Which made Stussy chuckle a bit.
"Oh, you're really a quick-witted, aren't you, Maki-chan?"
"Can we cut the small talk?" Robin interrupted the intermezzo, "If you went to the trouble of sending your clone here, that means you have something to say, right?"
Stussy didn't answer the question immediately. She stared at the two women before her, then shifted her gaze to Luffy, who was on the verge of victory.
"Can you guys leave right after defeating Moria?" the blonde woman asked, looking back at them.
"Why?" Maki replied with a question.
"One of the Shichibukai members, Bartholomew Kuma, is on his way here."
"Bartholomew… Kuma, you say?" Robin said in a trembling voice.
Maki immediately looked at the woman with long black hair with one eyebrow raised.
"You know him, Robin-san? Judging by your reaction, is he really that strong?"
"Just like the other Shichibukai members, I've never met him in person," Robin replied after taking a deep breath, "However, I know for certain that he's one of the three strongest members. Even Crocodile is no match for him."
Maki remembered that name. It was often mentioned whenever they talked about how Robin came to join the crew. Crocodile was incredibly powerful, but too arrogant to finish his fights quickly, even though he had no interest in playing around with his opponents. It was for that reason that Luffy was able to defeat him.
And now, another figure who even Robin herself believed someone far stronger than Crocodile was coming?
"I'm glad you're quick to understand the situation. It saves me from wasting time explaining how dangerous that man is."
Stussy then turned her gaze to Maki.
"Dear Maki-chan, I know a musclehead like you might never think of running from an enemy. However, know your priorities and avoid unnecessary fights. Otherwise, you'll never reach your goal."
Those words made Maki furrow her brows. The woman's words sounded as if she knew what she was aiming for and what she was searching for on her journey.
On the other hand, Stussy knew Kuma probably wouldn't kill the newbie pirates. After all, despite the tyrannical title attached to his name, he was a gentle soul at heart, a true pacifist who didn't fit into this era. However, she didn't know how much of "Kuma" remained in him, and she didn't know when the trigger in his head would snap.
"Well then, I've said what I needed to say. See ya."
Simultaneously, Stussy's body disintegrated into hundreds of bats that flew haphazardly into the sky. And just after the woman's departure, a roar of victory echoed in the misty darkness behind her, signalling the end of the long battle.
—To Be Continued—
Author Note: Hey friends, how are you all? It feels like it's already March, huh? Well, I hope you're having a productive year.
If you found this chapter a little underwhelming, I don't blame you. As I said at the beginning of the arc, I wanted to speed things up. In fact, if Shusui and Ryuma weren't there, I probably would have cut this arc off-screen. Why? Honestly, this is my least favourite arc.
That said, I couldn't bring myself to write this arc half-heartedly. As for Oars vs the squad, it was really short because, in my opinion, I didn't see any reason to drag this fight out. Not only did we have Maki giving us the aerial advantage, but I didn't want to make these characters look foolish by challenging someone who clearly had the upper hand in raw physical strength with fists and sword, without aiming for his weakness.
Well, that's all from me. I hope you enjoyed this story, and I hope to see you again.