Chapter 10: Mr. Blue Sky

[POV Albert]

Robin had been unnaturally quiet in the hours since I returned with Crocodile. She was not an inconvenience in any way; on the contrary, she dutifully did every task I asked of her as if it was an order. Gone were the genuine smiles at my jokes and her vain yet amusing attempts at subterfuge and powerplays.

I frowned and thought to myself, 'I guess I'll have to give her the talk about expectations. I don't want her to think I just took the place of Crocodile, and she'll have to follow my every lead in exchange for keeping her safe. If anything, I want the opposite; I want to follow her lead'.

However, all that would have to wait as the time had come for me to make the calls to the royals and Marines. Robin was already in hiding, and the sun was about to rise above the horizon. I was sitting alone in a comfortable chair in Crocodile's enormous private office. Before me, on a small sofa table, were three sleeping Den Den Mushi, one, a direct contact line to King Cobra Nefertari, and the other set to call the nearest Marine office. The purpose of the last snail was to record the conversation in case anyone would try to silence the king or me for the convenience of the World Government.

Without another moment of hesitation, I activated the two snails at the same time. Within a few seconds, both Den Den Mushi opened their eyes, the recipients on the other sides waiting for me to talk.

I composed myself and calmly spoke. "Greetings, King Cobra Nefertari, it is an honor; and greetings, naval base 061. You are currently on a three-way call due to the gravity of the situation. You may address me as Mr. Blue Sky, and I have arranged this meeting to discuss the actions of one Sir Crocodile, Warlord of the Sea…".

After the brief introduction, I explained Crocodile's plans to instigate a civil war through the distribution of Dance Powder, ultimately taking the throne for himself. I described the intricacies of the Baroque Works organization and how I had joined it, only to discover the truth, then gather the evidence, and make this call. Finally, I made sure to mention how Crocodile was no longer a threat as he was held captive at Rainbase under my supervision.

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After the conversation had ended, everything happened extremely quickly. The first to arrive were the marines. They seemed very content with being able to apprehend what they considered just another pirate, though one given leeway to act without repercussions by the World Government.

I did not get the chance to meet the royals directly, as they had enough on their plate at the moment. I was, however, invited to attend a feast in the palace in the capital city of Alubarna the following week.

Despite the Marines wanting me to stay in order to relay vital information to the case building on Crocodile, I managed to make a covert escape from the casino building.

'Too much trouble talking to cops,' I thought as I found myself strolling down the sunny streets of Rainbase. It was about time for me to meet up with Robin again, anyways.

The musically inclined person that I was, I could not help but liken my current situation to the lyrics of a song I once loved listening to. Smiling at my reminiscence, I began playing the song in my head.

[Sun is shinin' in the sky

There ain't a cloud in sight

It's stopped rainin' everybody's in the play

And don't you know

It's a beautiful new day]

As I traversed the roads, I observed the faces of people who might've been in harm's way had Crocodile's plans succeeded. Knowing my actions positively affected people around me was a weirdly powerful feeling.

[Runnin' down the avenue

See how the sun shines brightly in the city

On the streets where once was pity

Mr. Blue Sky is living here today]

Feelings were interesting facets of what makes us human. I had feelings, and while I knew they didn't amount to anything in the grand scheme of things, I still acted upon them because it was a part of life. In that sense, I was no different from the people around me, whom my actions may have unknowingly saved.

[Mr. Blue Sky please tell us why

You had to hide away for so long

Where did we go wrong?]

Almost having reached my destination, I considered my relationship with Robin. Now that she was free, I wanted to help her realize her humanity – help her feel. Closing in on our arranged meeting point, I failed to suppress a genuine smile as I saw her standing with a frown and crossed arms outside the hotel entrance.

[Hey you with the pretty face

Welcome to the human race

A celebration, Mr. Blue Sky's up there waitin'

And today is the day we've waited for]

'Okay, time to nip this in the bud', I decided on my course of action as I stopped right in front of the former vice president of Baroque Works.

"Sup, Robin. We need to talk". There was no malice nor harshness in my tone as I spoke. I wanted her to know we would be discussing something serious; however, nothing for her to worry about.

She lowered her gaze and bowed slightly as she answered, "Understood. We can talk in my hotel suite if you wish".

Somewhat exasperated at her formal disposition, I simply nodded and followed her to her lodgings. We walked together through the lobby and up the stairs in complete silence.

"So, what seems to be the matter?" Robin broke the tension once we entered her room. She remained standing while I took a seat on the small sofa set.

I composed myself by taking a deep breath, after which I pointed my finger directly at her face. "'What is the matter,' you ask? It's you. You are the matter".