Chapter 19

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Late in the afternoon, when the sun was setting over Rainbase, Jack stood on a certain rooftop. A beautiful, curvaceous woman-clad in a denim skirt and top-leather boots and a cowboy hat, was opposite him.

She scanned him from top to bottom, her brown eyes eventually meeting his own.

"You mean to say you tipped off our agents just so you could meet me?"

Jack nodded.

"That's right, Miss All-Sunday-… no, Nico Robin."

There was a moment's silence before Robin tossed her hair, looking at Jack with a smile.

"Well, this is interesting. Are you planning to switch sides? I noticed you got rid of that woman before coming here."

He shook his head.

"Just the opposite, actually."

Robin raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? I had somewhat of a good impression of you, but hearing that, I might rescind my opinion. Why would I ever betray the organization for a rag-tag crew of pirates?"

Jack walked closer until only an arm-length separated them. Then, he leaned forward slowly, bringing his lips next to her ear.

"I know Crocodile is searching for Pluton. Are you really willing to decipher the ponyglyph for him, letting the weapon fall into his hands?"

Robin's eyes widened, her body stiffening. All things considered, it was a rather subdued reaction, but that was probably because they were probably being watched.

"H-How-…?"

"It doesn't matter how I know. Your answer is what's important."

Robin didn't reply immediately. Thoughts churned behind her eyes, forced to consider his words.

Jack waited a moment before continuing.

"It's not my intention to pressure you, but you might not have a choice. If you refuse Crocodile's demand, he will kill you. You should know him well enough to understand I'm not lying."

Robin's lips twisted. It was clear that, if only for the sake of appearances, she wanted to refute. She just couldn't bring herself to do it.

Eventually, she sighed.

"What do you want from me?"

Jack rested a hand on her shoulder.

"Not much. I'm not expecting you to suddenly abandon Baroque Works. We're going to attack Rain Base soon. It'd be plenty if you helped us during a critical time."

Robin looked at him with astonishment.

"Are you sure you should be saying that to me? Don't you know who I am? Besides, we're still enemies."

Jack chuckled.

"I won't comment on your reputation, but I know you left Igaram alive back on Whiskey Peak. You're not a bad person."

Robin turned her head away, her expression growing complex.

"That's just… your wishful thinking. I just failed to kill him. That's all."

"Is that so? In any case, what's been said can't be unsaid. If my honesty backfires, I can only blame myself for trusting you."

"…"

It was clear Robin didn't know what to say. Their conversation had shaken her composure from the beginning until now.

Thinking of something, Jack raised a finger.

"Oh, but there's one more thing. I know Crocodile has rain powder. If you can somehow tip the marines off on where it's hidden, they'll be one step closer to putting him behind bars."

"You're bringing the marines into this-…?"

Robin was still speaking when Jack suddenly backed up, his expression twisting painfully. He touched his abdomen, revealing a splotch of blood on his palm.

"You twisted woman! You dare attack me?!"

He turned and ran, screaming at her over his shoulder.

"I definitely won't let you get away with this, you… devil child! I'll pay you back the humiliation I suffered today!"

Stunned, Robin watched him for a moment before she realized what was going on. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw members of Baroque Works approaching.

Thinking fast, she pointed at him, shouting a command.

"What are you doing? Capture him!"

Their eyes shifting from her to Jack's retreating figure, the thugs hesitated before leaping off the rooftops, chasing after him.

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The sun had already set when Jack returned to their hotel. He'd run in circles for a while, wanting to shake his pursuers before meeting up with the rest. As expected, the Straw Hats were still up waiting for him—a few, at least.

Quietly pushing open the door, he saw Luffy and Ace snoring away on one bed. Usopp was under the frame, his nose sticking out from the shadows. Turning to close the door, he came face-to-face with the girls, sitting under a blanket with their backs to the wall.

Vivi sighed with obvious relief.

"You're back. I was worried, since you were gone so long. Did everything go well?"

Jack nodded at her.

"I think so. With so many things stacked in our favor, tomorrow's raid is sure to succeed."

Nami harrumphed.

"At least you told us where you were going. I half-expected you to keep your plans to yourself."

Hesitating, Vivi glanced from him to the window, where Sanji stood on lookout. Zoro sat at his feet, sleeping in an upright posture.

"Still… are you sure it's a good idea? I don't know if that woman is trustworthy."

"It'll be fine. 'Ms. All-Sunday' isn't in a good position. Crocodile will backstab her eventually, and she knows that. Best to beat him to it."

Sanji listened to Jack's reply before grunting, an unlit cigarette sticking from the corner of his mouth.

"One day, you'll have to tell us how you know all of… this."

Jack chuckled.

"I'm tempted to say something like 'I don't have to tell you anything', but I understand your position. You still don't entirely trust me, right? But you'll find out soon enough."

Nami narrowed her eyes.

"It's your fault for being so-…"

"Please don't call me suspicious."

"…secretive."

She and Jack maintained eye-contact for a second before Nami huffed.

"Why 'soon enough'? Just say it now."

Jack seemed to consider it, stroking his chin.

"I could, but… it's less fun that way. I enjoy seeing you guys squirm."

If looks could kill, Nami's gaze would've made him drop dead then and there.

"You're insufferable."

"Instead of 'insufferable', I prefer the term-…"

"I don't care what you prefer!"

From the sidelines, Vivi watched as the two stared each other down. She raised a hand to her mouth, her giggles like tinkling bells.

"I'm going to miss this…"

Nami's expression turned slightly melancholic.

"Don't say that. After everything is over, you can come with us. I'm sure Luffy won't mind-… no, he'll probably ask you himself!"

Vivi thought about it before shaking her head.

"Coming back to Alabasta after a long time, I realized my country needs me more than ever. As their princess, I can't just ignore the plight of the people."

She was quiet for a moment.

"The scars Crocodile inflicted on this land… will take a long time to heal."

Near the window, Sanji scratched the back of his head.

"…well, it's getting late. You ladies should consider getting some sleep. I'm sure you'll feel better too, Vivi-chan."

Vivi nodded.

"Maybe you're right. Again, I'm sorry for dragging everyone into this, but I'll be counting on you all tomorrow-…"

Before she could finish, Nami put a hand on her head, pushing Vivi below their shared blanket.

"Don't talk so much! Just go to sleep."

"In that case, I think I'll do the same. It's been a long day-…"

"Huh? Don't joke around, Jack. You're keeping watch after me."

Jack looked at Sanji, dissatisfaction clear on his face.

"Can't Zoro do it first?"

"He goes after you. We agreed on it before you returned."

"Don't I get a say in this?"

"No. We outvoted you two-to-one."

Jack's expression twisted.

"I suddenly feel like I don't like democracy that much anymore…"

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Jack departed from Rainbase, hours before sunrise. His destination—the capital city of Alubarna. He planned to deal with Crocodile's ace-in-the-hole himself, and wouldn't be participating in the raid.

There was simply no way the Straw Hats would lose—backed-up by Ace, Smoker and Robin. Vivi had also taken on the role of revealing the Baroque Works agents' abilities. Jack could've done it himself, but, well… he didn't want to cultivate an impression of omniscience—not any more than he already had.

He'd already snuck over the walls when afternoon came. It wasn't too difficult to find the city's clocktower, even from a distance. It was easily the tallest structure aside from the royal palace.

Arriving at the building's front door, he crushed the lock in his hands, letting himself in. With the evacuation on-going—on account of the rebel army's impending attack—many places were deserted.

He slowly ascended the stairs, the soles of his boots thumping against the stone. His Kenbunshoku expanded outward in a dome, confirming the presence of two people at the top—Mr. 7 and Ms. Father's-Day.

On his way there, he ran through the whole situation in his head, making sure he hadn't missed anything. All that was left after this was informing Chaka of the bomb's location. It was practically impossible to smuggle out of the city, and destroying it ran the risk of a premature detonation.

It was a minute or two before he reached the top. He only needed to get rid of these two grunts. He extended his hand, pushing against the steel door.

'Seimei Kikan.'

Like in his fight against Ace, the muscles of his arm swelled, bulging with veins. The metal groaned under the force, holding for a long moment before the wall cracked, the stone shattering into large chunks.

The door went flying, crashing into the opposite end of the room, and alerting the two agents.

"See, Ms. Father's-Day! I told you someone was coming, but you didn't listen to me!"

"Don't be such a worry-wart, Mr. 7. As long as we deal with him, there won't be a problem-…!"

Before the woman could finish speaking, Jack vanished from where he stood.

'Soru.'

The next second, he appeared in front of them, his enlarged fist smashing into Mr. 7's chest. There was a gristly sound, like breaking bones and rupturing organs, before the greasy-looking man went flying. He struck the wall like a hurled egg, spraying blood and mucus over the floor.

Ms. Father's-Day was already retreating, aiming her weapon at Jack's back. She screeched hysterically.

"You-…! How dare you kill my partner! Do you think Crocodile-sama will let you get away with this-…?!"

Her finger was still curling around the trigger when Jack's hand closed around her own, splintering her fingerbones. The weapon fired, harmlessly ricocheting off his chest as if the bullet were made of rubber.

"Aaargh…!"

Ignoring her cries, Jack tightened his grip, heaving her above his head. He brought her down with force, twisting her mid-air so her skull struck the ground first. Her bones cracked and her teeth shattered, but she wasn't dead yet. He whipped her up and down a few times until her neck bent at an unnatural angle, and her face reduced to a grotesque mass of flesh.

Bending down, he wiped his hands on the twitching corpse's clothes, watching as a pool of blood slowly expanded under its ruined head. He didn't feel any guilt—not only because he'd killed people before. Goofy as they looked, Mr. 7 and Ms. Father's-Day were more than willing to watch the entire city and its population go up in smoke.

When he was done, he straightened. He couldn't remember where the real king Cobra was hidden, but since they had Robin on their side, it wasn't a big deal. All that remained was for the Straw Hats to defeat Crocodile. As for what happened after that, well… he hadn't thought about it yet.

Ace's situation bothered him, but no matter how he wracked his brains, he couldn't think of a solution. Maybe he'd just beat him up again. As long as he physically couldn't leave…

Whistling to himself, Jack went back the way he came. A pair of glassy eyes, unblinking eyes watched him go—belonging to the recently deceased Mr. 7.

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