Chapter 108: Nightmare come true?

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"Byakuya-sama, just now..." Lucci asked, puzzled. 

Although Lucci hadn't sensed Robin's surveillance, he had noticed Byakuya's sudden action without any attempt to hide it. 

Byakuya chuckled softly, "We've already been discovered. It won't be long before they all come out."

Feeling anxious, Vivi asked, "Shouldn't we hide first? They're really strong."

"No need," Byakuya replied confidently. "We'll just wait for them here. If they all come out, it'll save me the trouble of hunting them down one by one." 

Hearing Byakuya's assured tone, Vivi's unease began to fade. After all, with Byakuya's strength, they did not need to hide or sneak around. 

A direct approach would be much simpler. 

Meanwhile, inside Sandora, Robin was unsure about the man's identity in the black mask, but she recognized Vivi and Bell standing beside Byakuya. 

Vivi was the princess of Alabasta, and Bell was the deputy commander of the royal guard—two of the kingdom's most important figures. 

Robin quickly deduced that they were likely here to seek revenge on Crocodile. Without wasting any time, she rushed to the casino to find Crocodile.

As Robin bursts through the doors, Crocodile asks in surprise, "So, you've already found traces of that group?"

"Found them? There's nothing to find! They're right at our doorstep!" Robin replied, panic evident in her voice. 

"If I'm not mistaken, the ones responsible for killing the members at Whisky Peak are now at Sandora's entrance."

"What!" Crocodile almost jumped out of his chair. These people dared to come directly to the doorstep of a Warlord of the Sea. 

Did they think he was easy prey? Though Crocodile was furious, he didn't lose his composure. 

If they dared to confront him head-on, they must either be well-prepared or highly confident in their strength. 

The unknown nature of their identities and intentions made Crocodile reconsider his approach. 

Instead of going out himself, he told Robin, "Gather all the members inside Sandora and call back all the officers from outside."

"Yes!" Robin quickly contacted the officers outside using a Den Den Mushi, instructing them to return immediately and ordered all the members in Sandora to gather at the casino entrance.

While chaos reigned inside Sandora, Byakuya calmly pulled a large, luxurious tent from his system space and set it up just outside the city. 

The tent had comfortable lounge chairs, soft blankets, and various rare fruits, perfect for the desert environment. 

These were items Byakuya had stored in his system space, where time had no effect, so there was no worry about food spoiling. 

Since they had time to kill while waiting for Crocodile to gather his forces, Byakuya decided to make himself comfortable rather than wait idly.

Seeing Byakuya pull out so many things simultaneously as if performing magic, Bruno muttered, "Byakuya-sama, is your Devil Fruit power related to space?"

Byakuya didn't hide the truth, replying, "You could say that. But it's not particularly useful, just handy for storing things."

"Come on, sit down and eat. Don't just stand there gawking."

Setting up a tent and eating fruit right at the enemy's doorstep—are you here to fight or to have a picnic? 

Though Bell acknowledged Byakuya's great strength, he couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy.

After all, crocodiles are challenging opponents to deal with. 

"Um... I think I'll patrol outside, just in case that sly Crocodile tries anything," Bell said. 

Byakuya didn't stop him; with Bell gone, it would be easier for him to enjoy his food. After all, Bell had never seen Byakuya's true face. 

Nearby, Lucci and Bruno also felt that setting camp at the enemy's doorstep was too outrageous. 

They requested that Bell join them in guarding the entrance in case Crocodile tried to escape.

As the three left, Byakuya scoffed, "Tch, they don't know how to enjoy life." 

With Just Byakuya and Vivi left in the tent, the atmosphere gradually became more intimate. 

Byakuya picked up a fruit that resembled an apple and handed it to Vivi. 

"I bought this on the Sabaody Archipelago. I don't know what it's called, but it tastes pretty good. You should try it."

"Thank you~," Vivi said, her face flushing as her fingers accidentally brushed against Byakuya's when she took the fruit. 

For a moment, she even started thinking about what to name their future children. 

Little did Byakuya know that this young girl, despite her age, had quite the imagination. He continued eating his fruit, oblivious to her thoughts.

Meanwhile, Crocodile sat upright in his chair, a cigar between his lips, repeatedly asking, "When will they be back?"

"Fortunately, they didn't go far. They should all be back by tomorrow," one of his subordinates replied. 

Hearing that his men would return by the next day, Crocodile felt more at ease. Most of the people in Sandora had gathered at the casino entrance. 

He planned to lead them out and care for the intruders at the gate as soon as his men returned.

Thinking of this, Crocodile asked, "By the way, are the people at the entrance making any moves? They're just letting us gather our forces?"

"Uh..." The person questioned looked at Crocodile awkwardly and said, "They've set up a tent at the entrance. It seems like... they're having a party inside."

"A party?" Crocodile was dumbfounded. What kind of strategy is this? 

Instead of stopping him from gathering his forces and attacking while he's at his weakest, they set up a tent at his doorstep and started a party. 

They're just letting him gather his scattered subordinates? Are they out of their minds? 

This situation only had two possible explanations: either the enemy was foolish, or they were intentionally doing this, waiting for Crocodile to gather all his men so they could eliminate them all at once.

Although Crocodile prided himself on invincibility in the first half of the Grand Line, the enemy's actions made him deeply uneasy. 

Crocodile fell into thought, wondering if he should make some additional preparations. 

...

The next day, Byakuya suddenly woke up from his sleep, his eyes wide open as he muttered with lingering fear, 

"That scared me! I dream that a woman was trying to rape me. That's just ridiculous."

"It must be because too many women have been eyeing me lately. Even someone as strong as me can break out in a cold sweat from that!" 

He reflected on recent times when women like Tashigi, Ain, Kalifa, and Vivi surrounded him. No wonder he was having such dreams!

Just as Byakuya was lost in thought, a slender, snow-white leg suddenly draped across his abdomen, and a delicate arm wrapped around his neck. 

Turning his head, Byakuya realized Vivi was practically asleep while hugging his body. 

Startled, he exclaimed, "What the—? So it wasn't just a dream!"

<End Chapter>

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