6 6. Seventeen-Assassins

"A new mission?" A young boy questioned. He was above the average height of an adult in the world, he stood at 1.8 meters. His wild black hair held together by several hair ties(cover) and his piercing onyx eyes gazed at the paper in his hand. This boy was exactly Eiji.

Through meticulous and grueling training. His shoulders had widened considerably, and he developed rock hard muscles all over his body. Despite that, he had a lean figure that allowed for flexibility.

His style of clothing hadn't changed much, and still wore the same dark pants and shirts. The only difference, he let a black coat with red clouds imprinted on it hang from his shoulders like a marine captains uniform, and a single sword rested on his waist.

"That's right." An intimidating man smoked from his desk near the back wall. He stared him directly in the eye. "Her name is Nico Robin, and she's someone I would like to invest in. I want you to find her, and 'offer' her a place in our organization, understood?"

Crocodile needed to send one of his best man on this mission. Nico Robin was the key to all of his plans, so he couldn't accept failure. Without her, he may not be able to find what he needed. It was just his luck that news of her quickly spread underground as she entered the grand-line. The problem was, she had suddenly gone off the radar.

While this meant that no one else would be able to track her, potentially kill or seize her away from him. It also meant that she became harder to find, so it was a race of who got to her first. A race that he had to win.

Nico Robin, Devil child, and the only survivor of a buster call on O'hara. Her island was destroyed for knowing too much information, that could jeopardize the status the world government built in the hearts of their people. They island also contained people that knew how to read poneglyphs. Or at least, that's what Eiji knew of Nico robins origins anyway.

He nodded, fully understanding crocodiles intentions of sending him on this mission. But even if he didn't, Nico Robin was bound to join Baroque works in the forseeable future. "Is this an urgent mission?"

"That's right, I need you to find her as soon as possible. And if someone catches her first..." Crocodile puffed out a smoke that formed a knife. "Well, you know what to do."

"Understood. Am I safe to presume I will be going with Mr. White?"

Mr. white was the name of a close friend of Eijis who joined Baroque works alongside him. In fact, he was the only friend he had, his present life and past combined. The reason he was called Mr. White was because of his hair, the color of snow, that one could instantly spot in a crowd of people.

"Yes, you two have excellent efficiency after all."

Over the years, Eiji and Mr. White have taken on dozens of missions and each had a one hundred percent rate of success. They were people regarded highly in baroque works. Their names striked fear into the hearts of the millions and billions, they became known as the "Black and white demons."

Eiji folded the piece of paper, then slipped it into his pocket. He had seen all he needed to see. "Is that all?"

In response to Eijis question, crocodile took out another paper from underneath his desk. This one showed a man, in a weird get up, with two flamingos on his back.

"His name is bon clay," Crocodile said. "He's not as big as a priority as the devils child. Give him the same offer."

Eiji scrunched his eyes together. Another... interesting target, to say the least.

"One last thing. It seems a certain princess has been sticking her nose into places it doesn't belong." Crocodile glanced towards Eiji. He looked for any signs but found nothing. Eiji didn't so much as flinch, his gaze the same as always. "I've taken a liking to her, and will have her start off as a lower ranking member."

Eiji lifted a blank black mask that was strapped on just below his neck, and put it on his face. "If you're finished, I'd like to leave and begin my mission."

Crocodile waved his hand, and Eiji left the room. As he left, Daz Bonez made himself known coming out of the shadows of a corner in the luxurious room. "Are you sure this is a mission you can entrust to those two?" He stood directly behind crocodile, with his hand clasped behind his back like a soldier, his expression unreadable. His tone held distrust and a bit of questioning for Crocodile's ations.

"Yes, besides us they are the strongest members of the orginaztion." Crocodile rocked in his chair, reviewing everything he knew about Eiji from his memories.

Apparently, Eiji had been personally sought out by King Cobra, but refused whatever deal was made to him ten years ago. Fast forward a couple of years later, Eiji shows up at his doorstep and asks him to join baroque works. How, or where he got the information on his organization was unknown. And despite working with him for eight years, he didn't know much about the young boy. Except that he had been searching for a particular item in crocodiles possession. Some very "special" pair fo eyes.

"There's something he's hiding from us," Daz Bonez said. "I can feel it."

Crocodile agreed. Eiji showcased incredible strength, speed, and precision. But they could always tell he never fully used all the cards he had. And that was fine, every man had his secrets. There were few people that matched the strength of a warlord, so crocodile didn't have to worry much about him there.

"Whatever it is he feels the need to hide, it won't be long before I find out," crocodile said.

***************************************************

Rain Dinners is a casino, restaurant, and resort directly owned by crocodile in rainbase. It is the largest building in the city, and was in the shape of a pyramid, with a golden crocodile statue at the top. The current manager of the casino was Daz Bonez but would later be Miss. All Sunday also known as Nico Robin, in the couple of years to come.

The building was extravagant and luxurious. It was a very popular tourists attraction, and served as the main base of baroque works operations.

Leaning on the walls of said building, was a man with a white mask and messy white hair. His attire consisted of baggy night colored pants, a tight shirt underneath a black haori, and geta sandals. On his waist were two katanas inside black and white sheaths.

He felt the winds caress his shirt to his left. Opening his deep oceanic eyes he spotted Eiji. "You've gotta stop doing that man. Can't you just say something like normal people?"

Eiji shrugged and pulled out the papers he had stuffed in his pocket. "Our next targets."

Tilting his head, Mr. white-Vergil took the papers and examined them. Not long after looking at the first one, his mouth went wide and his brows shot up. "Wow~ she's a beauty. It's a pity we have to kill her."

"Not kill. Capture," Eiji corrected.

"Oh? What makes her so different from our usual targets?" On most of the missions they had been sent to, they were never allowed to leave their targets alive. And the few times they did have to capture someone, it was because they had something crocodile needed or wanted. Of course, they didn't kill innocent people. That was a line they wouldn't cross.

Eiji pointed to the paper Vergil held in his hands. "Read more and you'll find out."

Some seconds later Vergil ripped both of the papers to shreds. He memorized everything on both targets so there was no use for them anymore. "I see, this must be related to 'his' project Utopia."

"Yeah." Eiji nodded. "We'll depart tomorrow towards whiskey peak, that was the last place she was seen."

Nico Robin had been on the run for 10 plus years now. Her whole life she had been evading pirates and marines, so trying to locate her, would be a fools errand. However if it was one thing Vergil knew about Eiji, it's that he was a hunter who always caught his prey. No matter how fast or cunning they were.

"Say Eiji..." Vergil stared his partner in the eye.

"Hm?"

"How long will we keep doing this? We've both reached bottlenecks in our training, and that 'Haki' technique you've mentioned, hasn't been going so well either."

Over the years, Eiji mastered many techniques, many which were related to assassination and even the rokushiki. He became a master in all of them. But no matter what, he just couldn't seem to awaken any of the forms of Haki. Which was a surprise since he figured observation haki would come to him easily because of his sharingan.

"We need to go out and see more of the world! Involve ourselves in life threatening battles!" Vergil threw his hands in the air as he let the hot rays of the sun bask his figure. "That's the only way I feel like we'll be able to improve again."

Vergil was right, Eiji knew that. But crocodile possibly had something in his possessions related to him. If he could confirm that they were the items he was looking for, and get them, his boost in power would be monstrous.

Seeing his partner stay quite, almost as if contemplating something. Vergil continued, "Whatever, I know there's probably a good reason you haven't left yet knowing your personality. Ill be right behind you wherever you are, you know that right?"

Eiji nodded but did a mental sigh. Maybe it was time for him to move on, for all he knows crocodile might not even have what he was looking for. But if he did move on, that would mean he spent years of wasting his time.

They treaded the bustling streets of rainbase. Their steps not making a single sound as they hit the the ground. The very basics of assassination.

Their gazes were set on a large rectangular building that housed multiple patients. Some were ill, and others had mental disorders. Basically, it was a hospital. It's interiors were clean and organized, but still couldn't compare to the ones on earth. Which was expected.

The went inside stealthily. No one had even registered their presence as they neared a room on the last floor, clear at the end of the hallway.

"You think he's awake this time around?" Vergil asked. He twisted the door knob, and opened the door. In the spacious room was an old man at least nine feet, rested on a bed with tubes on his chest, arms, and nose.

"Have you brats no manners?" The old mans eyes slowly opened. His eyes were a deadly gray, and his white hairs were sprawled all over the pillow. Despite his worn out figure he still gave off a dangerous vibe. One of a seasoned killer.

"Long time no see sensei!" Vergil said. "You're not looking to healthy though. Ehehehe."

"Why don't you come and see, if I'm really healthy or not." The old mans glare lowered the rooms temperature by a couple of degrees.

A chill went down Vergil's back as he remembered the beating he took a couple of years ago. "Scary~"

The old mans gaze switched from Vergil to Eiji who stood behind him, watching the brief interaction they just had. But he also seemed to be lost in his own thoughts.

"So... why are you children here?"