Alyssia’s Choice

Alyssia was able to take in some views of the surroundings for the first time.

There was a wide variety of fancy looking buildings and even a part of the land that was set aside for people to stand on as it moved on its own.

Everything was overly luxurious and told many stories about how the Celestial Dragons had blown most of their Heavenly Tribute on so many unnecessary things.

Alyssia scanned the area with her Observation Haki and found that there were hidden secrets beneath all the beauty and luxury.

Even a small moving walkway needed to be powered by something or had to have some sort of force to move it regularly.

The cruelty going on underneath was very grim and it told a tiny fraction of the cruel methods the Celestial Dragons used in their everyday lives.

The people underground must have rarely gotten breaks and been fed but kept on using their own bodies to keep the walkway moving at all times.

If they slacked off or fell ill then they would be beaten or whipped severely.

It was just a tiny portion of where the Celestial Dragons lived so there had to be many more places that had similar acts taking place.

In other places, even more vulgar acts were performed on helpless victims who could not fight back or protect themselves which continued on until they were broken down completely or died.

The face of Alyssia remained emotionless as she observed the closest things around her using her Observation Haki.

She did not show it on her face but she was feeling very disgusted about how people were suffering like that on a daily basis.

She continued following until she was lead towards a building closer to the opposite side of the Red Line.

The person leading the way announced. "Alyssia Lucine is here!"

The door was pushed open and Alyssia was shown inside by a Marine until she was taken to a room where a tall man was waiting.

The man in front of her was familiar but also strangely unfamiliar at the same time due to her only seeing him properly up close rather than looking at him on screen or paper.

The man in front of her was incredibly tall and relatively slim.

He was of middle age with a moderate amount of wrinkles on his face, short curly black hair, and a very thin beard.

He was dressed in an outfit consisting of a yellow striped suit with a Marine coat draped over his shoulders like a cape, with his arms not in its sleeves.

It was Kizaru who Alyssia had come to meet who sat opposite her with a relaxed grin on his face while speaking slowly. "Yes. Hello so we finally meet in person. Please sit."

Alyssia sat opposite him displaying her calmness when faced with one of the current Admirals of the Marines.

They were a force to be reckoned with and could not be taken lightly yet Alyssia was able to sit opposite Kizaru while matching the calmness of her opponents who masked his feelings and intentions well beneath his relaxed smile.

Kizaru began to speak since Alyssia maintained her silence and was getting settled into her seat. "You must have had some other offers from others during this time. I wonder what made you decide to accept this invitation over those?"

Alyssia resisted rolling her eyes in front of him sarcastically as she thought to herself. 'Hah! You must be joking? Just one of those invitations is just asking to have everything I have built be torn down or to have a possibility of being swallowed up.

It is too much trouble and you already know all of this already so why bother asking? Do not rub it in like this.. it makes you look very arrogant.'

Out of all of the possibilities, there was only one that could allow her to continue as she was doing in the present while gaining some opportunities for herself while providing a small layer of comfort to allow her to continue with her future plans.

Alyssia stared at him in silence for a little time before speaking. "You must be joking. How could I ever side with no good criminals? Of course I would consider this offer above all of those. It is only right that I have come here."

Alyssia turned her flattering skill up as she started her attack to weaken his vigilance against her.

No matter who offered her some form of deal, the current rulers of the world were those that had the most control over most of the islands and seas while being able to act within the laws they had built.

Alyssia and everything she had built up still worked within that framework and system, so long as they remained in power, they were the best power to lean on.

Going anywhere else was just asking for trouble and rejecting the offer given to her was like asking for a target in her back much bigger than what had been plotted against the White Storm so far.

Kizaru countered right away. "Oh yes.. I thought that you were against the idea of cooperating?"

Alyssia waved while maintaining her calm smile. "Of course I have my reservations and beliefs like anyone is entitled to but I am still the head of a large company that relies on the decisions I make.

I have to think about everyone else's futures too and I have many relying on me so I cannot let my beliefs get in the way. It is not that I am against cooperation but I am against the idea of joining up completely into a power structure like the Marines."

Her meaning was that the hierarchy and other aspects of the Marines were not suited to her and she was not the type of person that would work well in such an environment especially when she may not always agree with each person's orders and sense of justice.

There were also details strongly stating that while she did have her own views on how the Marines did handle some things in ways she disliked and how it had problems, she still had to think about others underneath her before she put her own wants and needs first.

It made her seem responsible for those beneath her and that she was willing to make some sacrifices if it was to the benefit of not just herself but also those beneath her.

Her explanation was enough to explain why she had accepted the deal while so boldly denying Sengoku previously but also shamelessly not mentioning the true reasons why she had accepted.

Kizaru already knew the answer so why would she give him the satisfaction of giving telling him he was correct?

Kizaru felt like he was listening to someone that was sacrificing themselves for the greater good but still maintained his relaxed smile. "We should go over the contract now."

Alyssia flashed a business smile in response. "Of course, of course!"