Chapter 74: Relationship Issues

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Chapter 74: Relationship Issues

***

Max treated his 'prisoners' very kindly and kept blind-sighting the old Admiral and making it seem like Ain wasn't his goal at all.

As the days passed by, Max's intentions stayed as unclear as always to others.

No one else other than him knew what he was planning, and for some strange reason, Zephyr didn't seem bothered by it. The old man was still bedridden, unlike his opponent he didn't have a Zoan fruit to help with his recovery, enhance endurance and vitality. 

***

In a newly built restaurant, Raynare and Ain were eating lunch, sitting on the same table even though there were other empty tables around them. They looked at each other with expressionless faces. The tension between them was so thick that one could cut it with a knife. 

"So, I heard that you and Max have been spending more and more time together…" Raynare came in with a big opener to the conversation, getting straight to the point. "Is there any truth to that rumor?"

Ain frowned, "You just came and sat down at my table out of nowhere and now you ask this?"

"Answer the question," one again, Ray's ability to stay on the topic was impeccable.

Compared to Max, Ain was nothing more than a novice at changing the flow of the conversation. So in Raynare's eyes who had to deal with him on a regular bases, Ain was like a child, easy to read.

"The answer is that I just spend time with the commanding superior and try to establish a diplomatic relationship between our groups with a common goal in mind," Ain explained as if she was reciting an essay, her voice not showing any emotion she might feel.

But Raynare on the other hand became even more suspicious and narrowed her eyes. "Do by 'improving diplomatic relations' you mean get on your knees and suck him off?"

Ain looked bewildered at the other woman's words. How could someone so pretty and gentle looking like Raynare be so crude? "No, I didn't do anything like that. I have only met the man."

"So you mean that there is a possibility of something like that happening in the future?" Raynare questioned, her look now seemed like that of a hawk gazing at its prey.

'Damn, it feels like no matter what I say will be seen in a negative light by her.' Contemplated Ain, her face staying neutral, not showing anything to her new "friend". 

"I would say no, but sometimes situations develop on their own and there will always be a possibility of me doing something with Max. Though all of that is unlikely." Said Raynare, and then she added.

"To me, it just seems like you don't trust Max to be loyal in your relationship."

Raynare being a woman was an open secret now, so everyone knew. Plus with this interrogation, Ain could see that the crow-woman was in love and possibly in a relationship with her superior.

By twisting her words, she had turned the tables on Raynare and pointed all of the faults to her being insecure and not trusting Max. 

**

What neither of the women knew, that on the roof of the restaurant was Reiju, she had a cold drink in her hand as she heard the drama below unfold.

Unlike the two bickering women, she didn't feel like getting into an argument over this. So she was waiting for them to leave so she could get some lunch. 

Also, Reiju couldn't help but notice Raynare's behavior, she was like a kitten scratching any female who got too close to Max. She found it cute and amusing how such a dangerous person could be so carefree and display a wide array of emotions. 

Raynare was somewhat of an enigma, she could be the kindest woman who would help the elderly cross the road and carry their bags. Next, she would massacre a whole family on Max's orders and didn't even see her deeds as bad, because all of this fit under her lover's grand plan.

Suddenly Reiju felt a gust of wind and looked around, feeling that the weather was a little strange. Then as she turned around she noticed Max had sat down next to her with two trays of food in his hand. He offered it to her. "You should learn Soru to high levels, it makes you move faster than the eye can see. Plus due to their high emotional state, neither of them notice small and dampened presences that mean them no harm."

"Teaching your possible future assassin something like this… you are being reckless," Reiju chuckled. She still remembered the deal that Max had made with her, she would have to bear him a child if her assassination failed. 

"A woman after my heart?" He pointed at the blood-pumping organ in his chest. "Damn, who knew you were after me."

"This flirting is what makes Raynare anxious," the pink-haired woman chided him. "Every woman you talk to will feel something if you say things like these."

"Oh? So I can make a woman swoon for me by just saying things?" But Max wasn't having any of it and saw this as a compliment. 

"I meant feel, not lust after you, they will mostly feel anger, frustration, annoyance, and intent to kill," she explained, only a slight twitch of her eyes being any indication of the annoyance she felt.

"Frustration?" Max asked with a coy look, the rest of her sentence had gone into one ear and came out of the other. "So they are frustrated because they can't handle my raw presence?"

"You really have a way of seeing things in a positive light," she sighed, in the end giving up on winning an argument against him.

"The world is bad, cruel, and ugly out there," he said dramatically. "I just like to see the beauty in it."

*purupurupurupurupuru*

Suddenly their conversation was interrupted by a loud ringing noise from Max's suit. He pulled out his transponder snail and sighed, opening it. "Hello~ Max here~"

"Boss-man, there is this guy standing on a small piece of wood, slowly floating towards the shore." Negan's voice came through.

"...." Max was quiet at this for a couple of seconds, he then sarcastically said. "Do you need me to come and wipe your behind too? Take care of it yourself."

Though he said that, Reiju noticed the look in his eyes sharpen like a knife. He immediately recognized the possible danger and believed his friend. Though the reply said otherwise, they had both recognized the risk of the situation. Especially Max, since he knew men like that were possibly badass and very strong, for all he knew that could be a bored Mihawk.

Plus what was included in the Manga was only just 20% of the One Piece world, that was what the creator himself had said. So this could be some unknown strong guy for all Max knew.

"The thing is that he has cut our ships into ten slices as easy as steak," said Negan, a little trace of panic was very apparent in his voice. "Yet none of our soldiers are dead..."

Now, this would make other people calm, since the man wasn't a killer. But to Max this meant even more bad news because the man wasn't your usual psychotic killer, instead, he was calm and calculated. Maybe he could see that killing soldiers wouldn't change anything, instead cutting off the snake's head might be smarter.

'Damn, the New World really is a place that sucks!'

Max complained internally, before hanging up and using <Geppo> to fly off. Leaving a calm-looking Reiju behind.

**

On the shores of the island, Negan was standing on the sand as he observed the cloaked man standing perfectly balanced on top of some driftwood. 

"That looks damn cool," he complimented before his body morphed into lightning and went for the attack.

*Bzzzzzt*

In an instant, he was before the man, the cloaked man had his saber sword out already.

Suddenly, an invisible force pushed Negan away harshly and slammed him into the shore.

BOOOOOOOM!!!

A huge explosion rang out and the lighting man winced, his body slowly taking back its physical form. "Damn it! What the hell was that?"

To hit him so accurately, the attack undoubtedly was imbued with Haki. But from what Negan sensed… the cloaked man held himself back. "Should have listened to the doctor and stayed some more in bed. This is killing me."

From his fight against Zed, he wasn't healed either, so Negan as a Logia still had some injuries inflicted by the old Admiral. 

This time, Negan contemplated giving up or running away, the opponent was way above his league. But instead, he smirked and got up. "Damn, did giving up just cross my mind? I have really grown softer these days."

Seeing him stand up, the cloaked man sighed. "Your honor isn't worth your life." 

"Honor? I don't give a shìt about it!" Negan yelled out. "We are all gonna die one day, better not die a pusšy at least."

*sigh* the man sighed and landed on the beach, casually walking past Negan, whose eyes suddenly rolled in the back of his head and foam came out of his mouth.

"This generation is something else," said the cloaked man amusingly. "Now I just gotta go and kill that guy and this whole mess should be over."

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A/N: Negan isn't the kind of person who would be knocked out by a normal Conqueror's Haki. Anyway, I won't say any more as I don't wanna spoil the cloaked man's identity.