Chapter 6: Bestest Of Friends

The next morning, as I was readying for a new day in this beautiful world, I found myself in front of the room's mirror. To say my physique was 'robust' had been an understatement on the part of Miss All Sunday. The figure reflected in the mirror before me seemed chiseled directly out of stone. There was not an ounce of fat on my entire body, and despite my being tall, I was not lanky. I wasn't bulky either; more of a flexible yet explosive intermediary point between the two.

My hair was black, short, and unkempt. My lazy eyes, on the other hand, were a deep brown. However, the most distinguishable feature on my face would be my big pouty lips.

'Huh, why do my lips gotta look like that? I look like a fish!' I inwardly raged and cursed at the angel who had taken such liberties with my appearance for no reason.

Quickly, I got dressed. I seized the opportunity last night before returning to the hotel late for a quick tour around the city. I also put some of the money left with me to good use, as I was now wearing some simple khakis and a light blue button-up.

To my surprise, as I exited my room, I found Miss All Sunday waiting in the hotel foyer.

"Mornin'", I casually greeted her while approaching from the side.

"Good morning, Albert. What a coincidence meeting you here… looking good, and what fine new clothes you are wearing". There was a slight sashay in her steps and playfulness in her tone as she began approaching me from her side, meeting me in the middle of the room.

I stopped walking, not smiling back at her, and looked her straight in the eyes as I spoke, "Okay, stop that. You told me you would no longer try to mislead me. Whatever favor you are here to cash in, I'll do it. No need to lay it on thick with the seduction act".

The woman pouted at my words, and I couldn't help but laugh aloud at her face.

After a while, however, she began chuckling softly as well.

'Good, she isn't too proud to laugh at herself. She is an interesting conversationalist too. If it weren't for the fact she is probably knee-deep in some criminal shit, I wouldn't mind getting to know her better.'

By the time we had both stopped laughing at her expense, we were already outside the hotel and about to board her alligator mount.

"Where are we going?" I queried.

"Just a bit outside the city. More privacy in the desert." The woman answered me matter-of-factly.

"You're not just gonna kill me and dump the body, right?" I dryly asked.

Amused, she eyed me from her seat beside me. "I couldn't kill you if I tried".

I smiled at her side profile as the ground began moving beneath us. "You know, you are my favorite person I know".

She scoffed, "I'm the only person you know".

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When we reached a fair point outside Rainbase, Miss All Sunday told me about her organization, Baroque Works, and that she would like me to take the role of an executive in its ranks as my favor to her.

"So, let me get this straight; you want me to join this criminal organization of yours until some unidentifiable point in the future, by which time, I will have been partly responsible for a staged civil war and probably tens of thousands of deaths?" I was a bit exasperated at what she had asked of me. I was walking around in circles, unable to remain sitting in one place.

"…Yes", the woman looked downward, seeming more and more like a child being scolded by their parent.

"And let me ask you this: I can tell you are not a bad person, so why are you part of this organization?" I looked at her sternly. "Don't answer. It's probably to keep yourself safe from something. You were all secretive about your past, after all".

"I..I..." she could not come up with a retribution.

"Let me put it this way for you. You are currently valuing the well-being and lives of an entire nation against what, like, two weeks of your safety until you'll have to move along anyways? You probably have a way of justifying this in your mind, but you shouldn't have to compromise your humanity for your safety."

The woman began sobbing wildly.

I softened my gaze a little and sat down in the sand beside her. The city of Rainbase could be seen in the distance as I offhandedly scanned our surroundings. Like that, we remained for a long while. She was silently crying, and I was looking out into the horizon.

"You know," I said, "I can still help you with this".

"Huh, why would you do that? Didn't you just name all the reasons you wouldn't help me? And weren't you sent by the government to stop Crocodile's actions anyways?" Her eyes were still red, but she looked at me fixedly as she asked.

Now it was my turn to be stupefied. 'Did she think I was an undercover agent the entire time? This explains a lot of her actions up until now. Maybe she is also wary of the world government herself, and that's why she was throwing Crocodile and Baroque Works into my line of sight'.

I smiled a bit and said, "I understand how it could seem that way, but I really am no agent or anything of the sort. I practice what I preach; no deceptions there. As for me wanting to help you, I just wanted you to recognize what you were doing; I never said I wouldn't aid you in sorting out this mess".

Her eyes began tearing up again. "Why?"

My smile grew even wider. "Didn't I tell you before? You are my favorite person I know."

She just laughed.

The woman and I then spent the next long while discussing our next plan of action. First, she explained to me how the World Government had been after her since she was a little kid, resulting in her becoming extremely jaded and opportunistic to keep herself out of harm's way.

Both of us agreed that despite it being vital for the woman's perceived safety, taking action against Crocodile's coup was necessary, if for nothing else than to sate her conscience. We would be doing this by having both of us work in Baroque Works at the same time, constantly going against the grain to hinder progress in the plans. When the right time arose, we would deal a swift blow to expose the organization and Crocodile once and for all.

"We have a deal." She concluded by reaching out for a handshake. "You'll be responsible for keeping me safe after this, though".

"…Fine. On one condition, however. You must tell me your real name". I gave her the ultimatum with a happy smile as I also reached out my hand, prompting her to take it.

She grinned back at me as she took my hand and shook it. "Name's Robin, Nico Robin".