Dinner Date

This made things more complicated for Tanaka. Gild Tesoro still had plans for Harpin D. Cherry, so antagonizing her even with good reason could backfire spectacularly for him.

'Well, she can't really do any harm using a forge, can she?' Tanaka decided to leave her be for now.

Tanaka pulled out his den den mushi and called Gild Tesoro. "Tesoro-sama. Miss Harpin is in the foundry."

"... What is she doing there?" Tesoro's voice came back through the den den mushi after a moment of silence.

Tanaka looked to the giant foreman, who responded "Making armor from the looks of it… Tesoro-sama."

The foreman didn't like dealing directly with the big boss. He wasn't a polite person, especially towards those he held no respect whatsoever for, like Gild Tesoro. Still, it was expected of him for this job, so he'd play the game even if he disliked it.

"Armor…?" Tesoro pondered aloud. "What do you think of it, foreman?"

The foreman hesitated. The human woman was a blacksmith of far greater skill than his, which put her quite high on the list of people he respected the most in the world; maybe she would even surpass his own smithing master depending on the results of her current work. So he didn't want to throw her to the wolves, so to speak.

Fortunately his hesitancy to speak was viewed as thoughtfulness rather than insubordination.

"Better than me, Tesoro-sama." That's what the foreman settled on. A truthful statement that actually said very little in actuality; especially given Tesoro's lacking insight in the blacksmithing profession.

To Tesoro, the foreman was merely an oversized blacksmith with a bit of skill in the trade. Not the apprentice of the giant master smith who forged the weapons of the Giant Warrior Pirates who shook the world a century ago. Humans had such short memories, after all.

"Remind her not to be late to our dinner, Tanaka. Threaten her with the swordsman's life if you have to." *Gacha* He hung up.

Tanaka looked at Cherry with a confident expression.

"Hehehehehehehehehehehehehehehe~!"

Tanaka started to sweat, and not from the heat.

…

Twenty minutes later, cutting it close to make it to the "dinner date", Cherry finally finished her work. A wave of her hand snuffed the overbearing heta from the forge.

Now that they could see the suit of armor properly, it was undeniably beautiful whilst also giving an overbearing impression. Tanaka merely thought it to be a curiosity, but the giant foreman's eyes were sparkling like a child who received the best birthday present ever.

Cherry put her hand on the suit of armor and… it vanished. Gone in a poof, like it was never there to begin with.

This time, the foreman's eyes bulged and it was Tanaka's eyes that sparkled. Though the latter's eye sparkle was not from pure hearted fascination, but out of pure greed. This was one of the talents that Tesoro was after, and he was especially interested in knowing if it could be done for anyone and anything. Imagine the possibilities for smugglers alone!

Cherry's almost deranged gaze landed on Tanaka, who stiffened his posture in response. She marched over to him with a swaying gait which put him on guard and ready to use his devil fruit.

Cherry vanished from place and the next thing Tanaka knew, there was an arm around his shoulders. "Hey, buddy~ I'm not late yet am I~?"

Tanaka was just now thinking he might have underestimated the woman. "... No…"

"Great~" Cherry nodded. "Let's go then~"

They both stood there without moving.

"Are you going to let go of me?" Tanaka asked, annoyance clear in his tone as his arrogance started to creep back into his mood.

"You're gonna take us there, aren't ya? Let's go~! I'm hungry~!" Cherry said, still not moving or releasing him.

Tanaka swallowed his frustration with her blatant disrespect for using him as a taxi service. He seriously considered dropping her into the pit with the prisoners, but his sense of professionalism won out in the end.

*zoop*

They fell into the floor and sailed through the floors and walls at the highest speed that Tanaka could manage, in the hope that he could fluster her at least.

*pop*

They arrived in a reception room that made the rest of the gaudy decor of the ship look shabby by comparison.

*tip tap tip*

There was even a secretary in by the big fancy doors typing away at an impressively quiet typewriter, doing unknown busy work.

"Took your time, didn't ya?" Cherry wasn't flustered nor impressed. In fact, she was pretty certain she could have arrived sooner the normal way, let alone by blasting through the walls as she had intended before seeing that Tanaka had come to pick her up.

"..." Tanaka grimaced and knocked on the grand double doors before them. "Miss Harpin is here, Tesoro-sama."

"Send her in." Tesoro replied from the other side.

Tanaka opened the door and ushered her inside. Cherry frowned at him before giving him an obnoxious grin and stuffing a one thousand Beri bill into his coat pocket. "For your trouble."

Tanaka's eye twitched, but said nothing. The sooner he was away from her, the better. He shut the door behind her and silently celebrated the brief reprieve from her presence.

*poof*

Tanaka's suit disintegrated into a pile of lint around him, leaving him stark naked in Tesoro's reception room.

The sound of typing stopped as the secretary looked him dead in the eye, glanced down, back up again, then pretended not to notice him and continued her typing as the corners of her mouth fought valiantly to rise up against the oppression of their owner who was desperately trying not to laugh.

Tanaka's now uncovered bald head went bright red like a big, juicy tomato before sinking into the floor to hide the itty bitty object of his shame. A moment later, just his bright red head poked back out to shout/whisper at the secretary "You saw NOTHING!" in a venomous tone. He disappeared again and stayed gone this time.

"... Pfft~! So tiny~!"

…

"Ah, there she is! I'm glad to see that you're a woman who honors her debts!" Gild Tesoro stood to greet her.

The room was filled with marvels and curiosities clearly meant to serve as objects of interest to stoke conversation. This room was surprisingly tasteful given the reception room she just left.

"I see you got someone with decent taste to design this room~" Cherry spoke, her slightly slurred speech not missed by Tesoro.

Tesoro didn't mind that she was intoxicated. It would make her easier to manipulate and more open about what she desired most. She was a worthy investment, especially if he could draw her in willingly.

"Sit, sit!" Tesoro gestured to the circular dining table with a fine silk table cloth and a single candle lit in the center.

Cherry pulled out the chair and spun in around, sitting with her arms leaning on the backrest. Tesoro sat opposite to her, keeping his good manners regardless of her bad manners.

*clap clap*

Tesoro clapped his hands and a hidden side door opened in the walls, allowing several refined men and women in professional chefs' uniforms to carry in a veritable feast of the finest dining available in this world. Even royalty couldn't afford to eat such delicacies casually; some couldn't afford them at all.

Tesoor spread his hands arrogantly. "Enjoy-"

*STAB*

Cherry's fork thumped the table as she stabbed a perfectly cooked and seasoned filet mignon, before stuffing it into her face whole.