Chapter 176

Author's Note: come on people don't be shy! I didn't get any questions for Johnny and the crew yesterday! Hit me up with anything you could think no matter how ridiculous or serious!

..............

Marines keep sinking to new lows every day these days..." the owner of the voice said, strutting to stand in between the vice admirals in front of me as they gave them a wide berth due to shock and confusion more than anything else.

"You ok, kid?" the man asked, turning his head to look back at me with a wide grin, his broad, rotund figure casting a shadow over me, and I nodded with a confused expression.

"Lucky Roux..." Momonga said with a frown, snapping out of his surprise at the sudden appearance of a yonko's confidant, seemingly out of nowhere.

"What is a crewmate of Red Hair Shanks is doing here?" vice admiral Dalmatian asked, his gaze alternating between Lucky Roux and myself as the former stood in front of me.

"Never mind that," vice admiral Momonga interrupted from the side, a cautious look on his face as he glared at Lucky Roux. "We're currently on a mission, and we don't have time to deal with the likes of you," he added, waving his hand to the side.

"Leave immediately, and we will not pursue you. We'll view you as a hindrance to our mission and deal with you accordingly otherwise!" Momonga concluded, threateningly reaching for his sword.

"I honestly don't care one bit what kind of business you people have here, and under whose orders you're moving..." Lucky Roux remarked in a careless tone, stuffing the piece of meat in his hand into his mouth in its entirety as he trailed off.

He then proceeded to loudly chew the piece of meat, swallowing it, as I chuckled at the vice admirals patiently waiting for him to finish eating and complete his sentence.

"But I owe this kid a favor, so you can't take him!" Lucky Roux declared after swallowing the meat in his mouth, burping loudly and picking his teeth as the vice admirals' expressions all turned ugly, stunned speechless for a second.

"Now then, kid. Let's get you out of here," Lucky Roux remarked as he turned to face me, unmindful of the vice admirals preparing to lunge at him as he clutched my tank top vest.

"Hold on to that fancy sword of yours," he added, making my eyes go wide as he threw me into the air as Laffite flew from above, catching me and heading towards the Black Pearl at top speed.

"After him!" vice admiral Onigumo exclaimed, jumping into the air as he intended to pursue me. But he was quickly sent back crashing into the ground as a grinning lucky Roux suddenly appeared in front of him, punching him down.

"I'll have you guys play with me for a while," Lucky Roux said with a smirk as he landed on the ground, looking down on Onigumo, who stood up with a scowl.

"That should help me digest all that meat and clear some space for desert," Lucky Roux added with a laugh as the vice admirals all lunged at him with scowls on their faces.

...

"I'm sorry, captain, but it looks you'll still be stuck with taking care of the crew for a while longer..." Laffite remarked with a smile as he flew towards the Black Pearl, carrying me over his shoulder while maneuvering mid-air to dodge whatever the marines threw at us.

"And here I was hoping to take a break from Wilson's shenanigans..." I replied with a bitter chuckle, shaking my head. "Thanks for not leaving, buddy, even though you should have..." I added, sighing with an expression that was a mixture of reproach and gratitude.

"Well, it did work out well in the end, and I'm more than ready to take any punishment you deem fit for my insubordination once we're in the clear," Laffite replied, carelessly shrugging his shoulders.

...

"Look! Laffite and the captain are back!" Elly exclaimed as we neared the Black Pearl and landed on the deck. I nodded at her as I got off Laffite's shoulder on wobbly feet.

"There's a lot I'd like to say, but I'm a little under the weather right now..." I said, looking at my crewmates as they gathered around me.

"So it will have to wait..." I added, shaking my head as I turned to make my way towards the captain's quarters under my crewmates' concerned gazes.

"What? I'll be fine. This much is nothing," I added with a smile as I reached for the door. "It's nothing some good shut-eye won't fix," I concluded as I made my way inside and closed the door behind me.

My legs almost gave out as soon as I did so, and I had to lean on my knees to stop myself from falling face-first into the floor.

I made my way towards a drawer, retrieving a vial of purple liquid. I then opened the door to my private room, throwing myself into the bed as I gulped the poison, feeling my wounds disappear while sapping away what little fumes that kept running as my vision turned dark.

...

Inside Laboon's stomach

Crocus sat on his favorite garden chair, leisurely reading a book. He raised an eyebrow as he heard the ringing of his personal transponder snail, prompting him to put away his book as he picked up the call.

"Hey Crocus," Lucky roux's voice came from the other side, cheery as ever as the snail's voice changed into his likeness.

"Hello, Roux," Crocus greeted back with a smile on his face. "Do you need something?" he asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Not really. I just wanted to tell you I covered for the kid just like you asked," Lucky Roux replied from the other side in a hesitant tone, seemingly skeptical about something.

"Oh? They made a move already?" Crocus asked with a frown, eyebrows furrowed. "What happened?" he asked again, pausing as he waited for Lucky Roux to explain.

"You tell me," Lucky Roux replied in an amused tone. "There were six vice admirals after the kid..." he added, exasperation in his voice, and Crocus could imagine his eyes twitching as he said that.

"When you asked Shanks to keep someone here to protect a new friend of yours, none of us expected we'll be going against six vice admirals," Lucky Roux complained, his tone reproachful.

"Neither was I," Crocus replied with a sigh, shaking his head. "But it looks like I've underestimated the severity of the situation..." he added in a troubled, concerned tone.

"Just what the hell is going on, Crocus?" Lucky Roux asked. "Just what does the world government want from the kid so badly that they'd send six vice admirals...?" he added, confusion audible in his tone more than ever.

"It's a long story that would be better-shared face to face..." Crocus replied in a tired tone. "And I'm not sure it's even mine to share..." he added, shaking his head.

"I'll talk to Shanks about it when I see him again," Crocus remarked in a resolute tone. "Give my thanks to the brat, and tell him I owe him one, until then..."