“Actually, Bane, you could just join Baroque Works.”
“Me?”
Bane’s expression turned strange.
“Join you?”
Seeing that he hadn’t immediately rejected the idea, Mr. 11 perked up.
“Baroque Works is always looking for capable people. With your strength, you could easily become one of our top agents.”
“If that happens, what happened here becomes a minor issue. No one will care how Mr. 9 or the others died.”
Mr. 11 hurried to continue.
“The benefits are excellent, too. Senior agents have plenty of freedom. We’re usually only called in when something particularly difficult or important comes up.”
Bane rubbed his chin.
“Baroque Works…”
Now that Krieg was dead, Bane really did need to think about where to go next.
And unlike Mr. 11, he already knew who stood at the top of Baroque Works.
One of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
Sir Crocodile.
Making Crocodile his next Big Brother?
The idea wasn’t bad.
Crocodile had strength.
He had ambition.
More importantly, he was cautious and calculating, the type who preferred to plan carefully before making a move.
There was only one obvious drawback.
Crocodile didn’t trust his subordinates easily.
For most people, that would be a problem.
For Bane?
It was practically perfect.
A naturally suspicious Big Brother would make controlling the Trust Value much easier.
He could keep it high enough to benefit from the training bonus without letting it spiral toward dangerous levels too quickly.
The more Bane thought about it, the better Crocodile seemed as a long-term choice.
“Who’s your president?”
Mr. 11 stiffened slightly.
“I want to speak with him personally,” Bane continued.
Mr. 11 answered cautiously.
“I’m not important enough to know who the president really is.”
“And even if I did, the president is extremely secretive. I doubt he’d agree to meet you directly.”
Bane wasn’t surprised.
“Then who’s the highest-ranking person you can contact?”
“There’s an emergency Den Den Mushi in the hidden base here.”
Mr. 11 hesitated.
“It should be able to reach the vice president, although we’ve never actually used it.”
Bane raised an eyebrow.
“Vice president?”
He looked interested.
“Man or woman? Have you met them?”
Mr. 11 nodded quickly.
“The vice president appeared sometime last year. Her codename is Miss All Sunday.”
“That’s about all I know.”
He paused, then added with obvious enthusiasm,
“I did see her once, though.”
“And?”
Mr. 11’s expression became almost dreamy.
“She’s beautiful. Extremely beautiful.”
At Bane’s request, Mr. 11 briefly described her appearance and clothing.
Bane’s suspicions were confirmed almost immediately.
Nico Robin.
Then there was nothing left to consider.
Baroque Works it was.
…
Mr. 11 led Bane to Whiskey Peak’s hidden Baroque Works base.
They entered the basement, where an emergency Den Den Mushi sat on a table.
“I’ll contact her now.” This story is hosted at g.com.
Despite the late hour, the call connected without much delay.
The Den Den Mushi’s features shifted.
A calm female voice came through.
“This is Miss All Sunday. What requires an emergency report?”
Mr. 11 immediately straightened his posture despite the fact that she wasn’t physically present.
“Vice President, this is Whiskey Peak. Officer Agent Mr. 11 speaking. There’s an urgent matter I need to report.”
“Go ahead.”
Mr. 11 opened his mouth.
Then—
Thud.
He collapsed onto the floor with a muffled grunt.
Bane casually stepped over him and picked up the receiver.
“Hello.”
Silence.
Bane smiled.
“Am I speaking to the Devil Child?”
The other end went completely quiet.
Robin had not expected to hear that name.
More importantly, she had no idea who was speaking.
Her thoughts immediately began moving.
Could it be the Marines?
Someone from the World Government?
Someone connected to Ohara?
“Hello?”
Bane tapped the receiver lightly.
“Still there?”
No response.
“Did you fall asleep?”
He waited another moment.
“If you’re not going to answer, I’ll just leave.”
Robin’s eyes narrowed.
Leave?
Leave to do what?
Report her?
Come after her personally?
Calm down.
First, she needed to determine who this person was and exactly how much he knew.
“Who are you?”
Her voice remained controlled.
“And what did you do to Mr. 11?”
“My name is Bane.”
He leaned casually against the table.
“You can just call me Bane.”
“And don’t worry about Mr. 11. He’s alive. He’ll wake up eventually.”
Bane glanced at the unconscious man.
“I simply decided there are certain things he doesn’t need to hear.”
A brief pause.
“Wouldn’t you agree, Miss Robin?”
Robin’s expression hardened.
So it wasn’t a coincidence.
Whoever this man was, he knew exactly who he was speaking to.
“Sorry,” she replied calmly.
“You have the wrong person.”
“I’m Miss All Sunday.”
“Of course.”
Bane nodded.
“A professional alias.”
Robin was momentarily speechless.
“Bane, was it?”
Her tone cooled.
“If your intention is to provoke Baroque Works, then congratulations. You’ve succeeded.”
“But you may not enjoy the consequences.”
Bane smiled.
“For example?”
He paused.
“Crocodile coming to kill me?”
Silence again.
This time, Robin’s unease deepened considerably.
Yet this stranger knew both her identity and his.
How?
Who was he?
And how much more did he know?
Robin felt dangerously exposed.
For a moment, the urge to end the call and disappear crossed her mind.
But where would she go this time?
She had spent years running.
If this man knew enough to find her through Baroque Works, simply disappearing again might not solve anything.
“You seem to know quite a lot.”
Robin’s voice had become quieter.
“Who exactly are you?”
“And what do you want?”
“Me?”
Bane thought about it.
“Just someone looking for his next destination.”
He smiled.
“How about a deal, Miss All Sunday?”
“I want to join Baroque Works.”
“But I need someone with enough authority to recommend me.”
Robin said nothing.
“In exchange,” Bane continued, “I’ll selectively forget some of the things I know.”
“And as a bonus…”
His smile widened.
“I’ll tell you the exact location of a Poneglyph.”
Robin’s expression changed.
Bane let the silence linger for a moment.
“After all, I’m sure you’d rather your real identity remain a secret.”
“Wouldn’t you, Devil Child?”
Bane was extremely pleased with himself.
As far as threats went, he thought he’d delivered that one beautifully.
Robin, however, had fallen into deep thought.
There was no question that Bane had another motive for wanting to join Baroque Works.
No one who knew this much simply wandered into the organization by accident.
Could she tell Crocodile everything?
Possibly.
But Bane knew Crocodile’s identity already.
If he dared threaten her so openly despite that, he probably had precautions in place.
Escalating the situation immediately could end badly for everyone involved.
On the other hand, accepting his proposal meant bringing a dangerous unknown directly into Baroque Works.
A threat she didn’t understand.
A potential disaster sitting right beside her.
But perhaps that was still preferable.
If Bane remained outside the organization, Robin would have no idea what he was doing or who he was speaking to.
If she brought him inside, at least she could keep him close and watch him.
And there was another possibility.
Perhaps she wasn’t his real target at all.
If Bane’s true objective involved Crocodile…
Then his presence might eventually benefit her.
After considering it carefully, Robin made her decision.
“All right.”
Bane’s smile widened.
“I’ll accept your deal.”
“Excellent.”
“But,” Robin continued, “I’ll need time to arrange this properly.”
“You might want to arrange it quickly.”
Robin’s eyes narrowed.
“Why?”
Bane glanced toward the basement stairs.
“Because I caused a fairly large incident at Whiskey Peak tonight.”
He paused.
“And killed a few of your senior agents.”
“…”
Robin closed her eyes for a moment and took a slow breath.
“I understand.”
“I’ll handle it.”
Her voice sharpened.
“But until then, don’t cause any more trouble.”
Bane sounded almost offended.
“Don’t worry.”
“Once we’ve spent a little more time together, you’ll realize I’m a very kind person.”