An investment that seems doomed before it even begins...
But Robin wasn't willing to give up just yet.
She silently watched in the direction where Maude had left, pulling up her collar to cover her mouth and chin.
It had been more than a day since the Warlord meeting ended. At any moment now, Crocodile would arrive at the Sabaody Archipelago to rendezvous with her before they departed directly for Alabasta.
Strictly speaking, she didn't have much time left.
"Before Crocodile returns…"
Robin's eyes flickered as she first raised her collar higher and then pulled her hat's brim lower, casting her face into shadow.
After standing still for a few seconds, she lightly leaped onto the street, deliberately weaving through the buildings before heading in the direction Maude had gone.
If only Maude had made things clear before he left, she wouldn't have to take this risk to approach him again.
Thinking of this, Robin felt somewhat frustrated.
After all, she had already revealed valuable intelligence first. Even if he didn't want to offer a reward, would it have been so hard to at least state things clearly before walking away?
Frustration aside, Robin still wanted to give it one more shot.
Regardless of whether this matter succeeded or not, she needed to get a complete answer from Maude.
Before leaving the shopping district, Robin cast a final glance at the street, now soaked in blood and littered with corpses.
That was Maude's handiwork.
As for the mad dog that had been relentlessly ramming into Sharlia's palace earlier, even though it suddenly stopped, it was still gunned down in a fit of rage by Sharlia herself.
The timing of the dog's stop coincided precisely with Maude's departure.
Clearly, this was also Maude's doing.
Robin, knowing full well his nature, wasn't surprised.
As she observed the increasingly chaotic street, a cacophony of voices filled her ears—crowds whispering about an attack on a Celestial Dragon, a spark poised to ignite a raging fire.
But none of this concerned her.
...
"Yohoho…!"
Brook's feet barely touched the ground as he dashed toward the Grove 13, where Shakky's Rip-Off Bar was located.
He hadn't been of much help earlier.
So at the very least, he needed to inform Rayleigh and Shakky as quickly as possible.
With their capabilities, they might be able to assist Maude.
Driven by this thought, Brook paid no mind to anything else, increasing his speed to a frenzy.
As he raced through the streets, the wind he generated sent the skirts of many women billowing up.
Yet, Brook had no time to admire the alluring sights he had always longed for—his only thought was to reach the Grove 13 as fast as possible.
"Whoosh~~!"
Further down the street, a man wearing wooden clogs and clad in embarrassingly outdated fashion—Tokikake—was fortunate enough to witness the "beautiful" scene Brook had unintentionally created.
Unable to help himself, he let out a few whistles, looking every bit the lecherous middle-aged man.
Standing nearby, Sentomaru, carrying his massive double-bladed axe, shook his head slightly.
What an idiot.
Sentomaru had long grown accustomed to Tokikake's antics, so he didn't even bother to comment.
Meanwhile, Gion paid no attention to Tokikake's lecherous behavior. Her sharp gaze was locked onto the rapidly fleeing Brook.
An afro and a skeleton body.
Those two distinct features alone allowed Gion to identify him instantly.
Marine officer Wolfrat, draped in a navy coat, stepped beside Gion and calmly reported, "According to the intelligence division, this skeleton man is a new member of the Maude Pirates. As for his past identity and background, they have yet to be fully confirmed."
"Hmm."
Gion gave a slight nod. While observing Brook's movements, she drew her renowned blade, Konpira.
Hearing the sound of her unsheathing her sword, Tokikake instinctively restrained himself, glancing sideways at the blade in her hands.
In an instant, he understood Gion's intentions.
"Momousagi-chan, let me handle—"
Tokikake volunteered to take down Brook, but before he could finish his sentence, Gion had already swung her sword, unleashing a deep crimson slash toward the distant Brook.
"Ahh, just a second too late."
Tokikake scratched his forehead, watching as the blood-red slash streaked toward Brook, who had just dashed out of the street.
Poor skeleton.
He mused silently.
...
Beyond the street, in an open area.
Brook, mid-sprint, suddenly sensed danger.
Glancing sideways, he saw a deep crimson slash brimming with menace flying straight toward him.
"Who—?!"
Brook's eyes widened in shock. There was no time to dodge. In a desperate bid, he executed his fastest sword-drawing technique, Requiem Basso—Dash Attack!
Drawing his blade, he struck!
His cane sword lashed out like a bolt of lightning, colliding directly with the crimson slash.
Boom!
The crimson slash burst apart like a balloon pricked by Brook's sword.
The raw, destructive energy contained within it erupted violently, engulfing Brook in a powerful explosion.
In the distance, Gion halted her blade's momentum and strode forward, closing in on the smoke-shrouded Brook, whose fate remained uncertain.
"As expected from the woman I admire, that was decisively done. But… that skeleton has some skill."
Tokikake first admired Gion's alluring curves, then his eyes gleamed red as he focused on the smoke cloud.
Through his Observation Haki, he could still sense Brook's presence.
In other words, even though Gion hadn't held back in her attack, she hadn't been able to instantly kill the skeleton.
This indicated that he was no mere weakling.
But…
Tokikake shifted his gaze back to Gion, particularly to the enticing curve of her hips beneath her Marine coat.
Still, nothing beats the sight of a goddess!
Grinning, he chuckled to himself.
Sentomaru and Wolfrat followed closely behind Gion.
"Uncle Tokikake, you're drooling," Sentomaru casually remarked as they passed him.
"Huh?"
Hearing the remark, Tokikake quickly wiped his lips, realizing he had indeed been drooling.
"I just can't help myself. Momousagi-chan's charm is simply irresistible!"
After cleaning up, Tokikake sighed in admiration.
Seeing the rest of the squad pulling ahead, he quickly used Shave to catch up, flashing forward to walk alongside Gion.
"Cough, cough! That was close!"
From within the dissipating smoke, Brook's voice rang out, filled with lingering fear.
"That really gave my heart a scare—though I don't have a heart, yohohoho…!"
Even after narrowly escaping death, his eccentric optimism remained undeterred.
The approaching Marines, led by Gion, naturally heard his laughter.
"He can still joke?"
Wolfrat was slightly taken aback.
If he were in the skeleton's position, he'd be worried sick about how to escape.
Tokikake smirked at the clearing smoke. "Interesting."
As the dust settled, the Marines finally got a clear look at Brook.
His appearance was exactly as described in the intelligence reports.
Brook, too, saw the approaching Marines, his jaw hanging open.
"Actually… I'm a good person."
Clang! Click!
In response, swords were drawn and guns were raised in unison.
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