Chapter 5
Tobitsu Island, Goto Archipelago, Grand Line
"It looks like I finally found the person I was looking for." A deep masculine voice booms from behind me, I turn around and see a towering man with huge muscles pushing against the uniform with a full-grown beard staring down at me, standing in the doorway with the light against his back contrasting the dark room we are in, I hear myself audibly gulp as I grasp for Jinsokuna-Unmei in my bag. 'This guy doesn't look like he'll go down easy! If I can just knock him off balance I can make a break for it.'
"I was just looking for an Executive!" The man charges at me attempting to tackle me, but from my crouching position I easily jump out of the way of the attack, my landing form however was not as perfect as the jump, I slip on one of the loose papers but luckily while the man was recovering I regain my balance and pull Jinsokuna-Unmei fully out my messenger bag.
"Woah Woah lady, I was not told that the executives knew to fight, this might be interesting!" He slightly backs away from me while I unsheath my weapon putting the scabbard back into my bag, I raise one eyebrow at what he says, 'Wait, is he not an employee who saw through my disguise?'
"You obviously aren't an employee here so who are you!" I pull my rapier out of the scabbard and point it at him and he just smiles in response. The man cracks his knuckles and rolls his neck, getting ready for the almost unavoidable fight, I feel a single droplet of sweat drip down my face and feel my mouth become dry, 'There's no way I can beat this guy without even knowing how to properly use this sword!' I feel my hand start to shake slightly but I bite back at my fear tightening my grip on the handle, 'Well it's not like I have a choice!'
"Hey, I guess I might as well tell you since it's not like you'll be making it out of this room alive, Rupel Hicks, you're final opponent." He stands there with a menacing smile with eyes that feel like they pierce right through me.
"Jeremy," I say back to him trying to not show my fear as he continues to stare me down.
"Gehahaha! Well, let us hope you'll be reborn with a better name in the next life!"
He charges at me like and I thrust forward with Jinsokuna-Unmei attempting to hit him, unlike an unstoppable force he appears as he has the agility to back him up, he twists his course last second stunning me, 'What the hell!' I hold my free arm in front of my face and close my eyes to brace for impact while I try to hopelessly deflect the fist with my rapier, by the luck of the gods I feel his fist connect with my rapier with a satisfying *SHING*.
He jumps away from me with a groan shaking his hand by the wrist while massaging it, "What the hell is that sword made of? Feels like I just punched a concrete wall!" He continues to caress his hand.
I use the extra time he gives to make a break for it, 'I got what I came for, now to get out of here now!' I run out of the darkroom into the familiar hallway running as fast as I can, I don't risk turning around but from the sound of boots slamming against the floor, I assume he is chasing me.
I turn left back into the main hallway and run back up the door I entered the casino from, I fumble with the doorknob for a second trying to open it, 'What the hell? Did he lock the door when I opened it?' I turn around for a split second and see the mountain of a man running at me.
I give up on the door and continue sprinting down the hallway and reach the end of it, 'Damn It! I can't turn back around without risking an attack from Rupel,' I look left and see the entrance to the casino floor, 'Guess that's my only option!' I run towards the double doors with Rupel right on my track.
I slam them open the doors with a shoulder bash and see a giant casino filled with all sorts of people hustling about, I swiftly push Jinsokuna-Unmei back into my bag without even putting her back into her scabbard as I don't have enough time without raising suspicion.
"Hold it right there Executive!" I hear Rupel shout from behind me, I turn around to try to avoid the oncoming attack. I don't even get a chance to dodge as I feel his fist connect with my right cheek.
I get sent flying from the attack before my brain can even register what happened, I feel my back crash against the nearby pillar, I slightly open my eyes, and the last thing I see before darkness is his face looking remorseful.
I rapidly gasp for air and fall down to my knees coughing, I pull my hand up to check my face for any injuries but all I feel is my cold skin, 'Well, now to NOT stop when someone trying to kill you says stop, at least he looked sorta sorry before I died, I'm guessing he thought I would've dodged.' I look around my surroundings to see where I was transported back to, I see the familiar hallway and when I look behind me I see the door to the employee lounge.
I raise back to my feet and reach into my bag pulling out Jinsokuna-Unmei with the belt connected to it, 'At this point, I don't even care if I look suspicious I just need to be able to defend myself at any time.' I feel the familiar weight of the blade and feel safer already.
'Alright, I need to either talk my way out of that situation or just be able to get in and out before he gets a chance to block my exits.' I start running directly towards the file room and find myself to be getting winded faster than normal, 'That's odd, I haven't done much today besides sit in a bar looking for someone dumb enough to give me easy access into the casino.' I shake away my thoughts to focus on the more relevant situation which is finding the file for Yoshita again, I make my way back to the office wing and find the door to the file room easily.
I fumble with the keys for a second before managing to unlock the door, I rush in directly towards the terminated employee's file cabinet. I find his file again and hastily run out the door, 'Nice! Now I can get out bef-' I don't get to finish my thought as right when I turn the corner I see Rupel walking down the hallway towards me and behind him is my escape route he must've just locked, 'Damn, wasn't fast enough.' Rupel smiles when I enter his vision.
"Well well well, look what we have here." He goes through the same process of cracking his knuckles and rolling his neck as he did last time and I unsheath my rapier and point it at him before he can make a move.
"Listen, Rupel, I can help you, just don't act so hastily." He pauses for a second with confusion written in his face.
"How the hell do you know my name!" Rupel charges me exactly like last time and I dodge to the side without much space to spare in the enclosed hallway.
"Listen to me, I can help you! I'm sure you were told that all the executives didn't know how to fight and I'm not an exception to that, I'm in disguise!" I tighten my stance getting ready for the next attack, 'If he doesn't stop attacking I'm sure I'll end up dying like last time!' Rupel pauses with his attacks when I say this, seemingly lost in thought.
"If you're not apart of this bastardly excuse of a casino then who are you and where are you getting this information from." Rupel puts down his fists and I let go of a breath I didn't know I was holding.
"I can't tell you where I'm getting this information but I can assure you that if you're against the casino you are my ally, my name is Alani, Alani Reed," I tell him as I resheathe my rapier.
"Hm, a person of many mysteries, Don't try anything stupid and we will get along." Rupel walks up to me and holds out his hand to shake, I take his hand with my own and firmly shake it.
"Alright, I've spared your life so now you're going to use the power you hold as a fake executive in our favor." Rupel turns his back on me and walks down the hallway towards the casino floor I saw briefly before my death, I jog a little bit to catch up to him before slowing down to his pace once caught up.
"What exactly do you want me to do for you, Rupel." I ask him while slightly pulling the file of Yoshita out of my bag, 'With this in my possession I really don't need anything else out of this casino, but eh I guess it's good to make friends with people who actually understand what's happening in this archipelago.'
I take a closer look at Yoshita's face and he looks like the most stereotypical mob boss, he has short hair with a large scar going from his forehead to his left cheek.
"We are going to the CEO's office to get rid of some unsavory information he has against me." Rupel spouts, walking with speed down the hallway, 'Did I somehow already get caught up with the mob on my first mission?' I sigh at my internal thoughts before continuing to follow behind Rupel in silence.
We get to the double doors separating the casino from this employee wing and Rupel opens the doors with his allowing me to see into the vast casino, a giant bar in the center of the floor, my jaw almost drops with the view. 'Isn't this supposed to be the relatively poor island? There has to be some fuckery happening for this to exist near the city of Donguri.'
Rupel and I walk through the casino going towards where I can only assume would be the CEO's office, it gets annoying fast with drunk people constantly bumping into me and occasionally seeing the distraught people who might've just lost their life savings with the looks on their faces.
"Continue following me until we get to the staircase, there will be a guard there and he will ask for your employee number, it should be on the back of your nametag, if you give them it, we should be home free," Rupel whispers into my ear and I nod in response. I pull out Jeremy's nametag I threw haphazardly into my messenger bag in the changing room and turn it around, '520658, got it." I make sure to connect it to the front of my sweater this time.
We make it in front of the staircase and just like Rupel said there is a guard sitting at a desk with a clipboard on it with a cup of coffee, the guard has large bags under his eye and wild unkempt hair. I look up from me and in the wall I see some glass looking over the casino, 'That must be the CEO's office.'
"What do you need." The guard says, half asleep while looking at me.
"We have an undisclosed meeting in the CEO's office, let me and my colleague through," I say to him in a harsh voice, he doesn't even flinch at my actions as if used to that behavior.
"I see you are an executive, just give me your ID number and I'll let you through." He says in response.
"520658," I tell him and he looks down at his clipboard, scanning for the number before he pauses.
"Jeremy, right? Here I'll let you through." He gets up and unlocks the gate leading to the staircase letting Rupel and me go up the stairs.
"Nice thinking Alani, now I just need the file and we'll be gone before anyone notices we aren't employees." Rupel chuckles and we make it to the door at the top of the stairs, leading to his office.
I open the door and see an empty office with a bunch of filing cabinets and an office desk with a small flower pot in the center of it looking down at the casino floor.
"Bingo, just wait here until I find the file and after that our partnership will be over for now, but I won't forget this Alani." He hands me a folded-up paper, I unfold it and there is a number on it. "Call this Den-Den Mushi number and I will help you out with whatever is in my power to do." I put the piece of paper in my bag as he walks away from me to go look for his file.
I walk towards the giant glass wall that is looking down at the casino, 'Halfway done with finding Yoshita, now all I need to do is find him and take him down, which is easier said than done.' I reflect on my thoughts before I hear a file cabinet slam behind me, I turn around and see Rupel holding a file which is presumably what he needs.
"Alright, I got what I came for, you obviously aren't in disguise just for fun so why are you here." He asks m as holds the door open for me, I thank him and walk through it and he follows me down the staircase.
"Someone that needs to be taken down is a former employee here, I needed to find him and a file here might have my answers, I already got this file and was just leaving when you found me," I say to him while making it as cryptic as possible in order to not reveal anything.
"Heh, keeps your secrets then woman, I guess I'm lucky I found you when I did." I open the steel gate from behind and walk through it with the guard stationed there not even batting me an eye.
"This is where we split up Alani, remember if you need my help I am in your debt," Rupel says to me and I nod, not wanting to stay here for any longer than needed.
"Try not to get caught on the way out Rupel, see ya," I say to him, once he walks away I go towards the front entrance of the casino to get out to the main street faster, I put my hands in the pockets of the uniform and feel something paper like in the right hand, I pull it out and see 20,000 belli! I bust out laughing at the realization, 'Poor Jeremy, he got knocked out in an alleyway and robbed out of 20,000 belli, well with this money I can rent a room in an Inn for a day to get some rest.'
I walk out the front of The Golden Crown and I look into the sky. It looks like I was only in the casino for about an hour since when I entered the casino it was around twilight and it's around dusk now.
I walk down the road until I see a rustic little Inn on the corner about three blocks down from The Golden Crown, I read the sign and it's called Kreali City Inn.
I enter the Kreali City Inn and see an old woman at the reception desk, she looks up from her newspaper once she sees me, I walk up to the desk, "Hello Ma'am, how much would a room for one night be."
"8000 belli for each night you stay here." She says simply and I hand over the money, she counts it out in front of me before she opens a drawer in the desk and pulls out a key with room number 11 on it, she tosses it to me and I catch it with ease. She then proceeds to put the belli in the register.
"Go down the left hallway behind me and you are the last room on the left." She tells me before going back to reading her newspaper, 'Wow that was fast, if only it was this fast to get rooms nowadays.'
I follow her directions and go down the hallway, it is well decorated with flower pots and picture frames filled with beautiful pictures lining the room, I get to the end of the hallway and look to the left and there enough I see room 11, I hold out the key the woman gave me and unlock the door.
The room is small in a cozy way, I take a deep breath of air before collapsing on the bed in front of me, I didn't realize how tired I was, the last time I felt this way was the first night here when I died to the plant monster in the forest, 'My ability must be the thing making me tired, I guess ripping through spacetime tires you out huh.' I chuckle to myself.
I sit up from the bed and take off my messenger bag, pulling it over my head. I then pull the black sweater over my head also and unbutton the dress shirt combined with the uniform, I take off the dress shoes and toss them on the ground next to the shirt and sweater. I then take off my belt with Jinsokuna-Unmei on it and carefully place her next to the bed making sure I can unsheathe it just in case.
My slacks come off last and go on the floor with the rest of the uniform, I'm just down to my underwear before I realize I don't have pajamas, 'Well I guess these will have to do.' I pull myself into bed and pull the covers over my body, It doesn't take long for me to fall asleep with my exhaustion.