A new chapter at LAST dear readers! I'm happy that you're all enjoying it so far, and your GALD I'm happy right? That means a new chapter for ALL! So here IS said chapter go and enjoy yourselves with it! Cheers!
I'd also like to apologize in advance if anyone in this story is out of character…we ALL make mistakes and that's nothing to be ashamed of. We're human after all…NOT machines. Also, I'm going to try and be fair and use the Japanese/English names for things like Devil Fruits etc.
(By the way…all flames and flamers will be ignored thank-you. I'll make an exception for CONSTRUCTIVE reviews on what needs an adjustment or suggestions for other chapters/stories, for they are most welcome. Remember if you don't like my work then don't read or review it! NO-ONE is forcing you to! With the world the way it is now with all the CRAZINESS around us, all SOME people have to deal with it IS Fanfiction. When you FLAME a writer here instead of being suggestive or helpful it DISCOURAGES them, and good writers of fanfics are to be TREASURED and ENCOURAGED not ALIENATED or HATED.)
Disclaimer: I sadly DON'T own anything from One Piece, not the people OR the places (except my OWN characters, places and so on) they all belong to Funimation, Toei Animation, Fuji TV, Shueisha, Shonen Jump Manga and that genius Odo Eiichiro.
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PART SIX:
The Alabastian City of Rainbase was located deep in the country's northwest. With the small oasis town of Yuba to its south and Alabasta's capital city of Alubarna, along with the Sandora River, to the east. PEW was happy that he finally made it here at long last. Using his Geppo to cross the desert was tiering work under a harsh unforgiving sun, which was the only thing dominating the hot cloudless sky above him. Once or twice PEW had had to stop and take a break in the shade of some large sand dunes or the occasional rocky outcrop, to rehydrate himself with his hydration pack, before carrying on with his trip.
Now that he had arrived at Rainbase, PEW decided to walk the rest of the way through the streets to see his client. Continued use of his Geppo in such a crowded city would only draw unwanted attention to himself. As he walked, PEW took the time to look around the luxurious booming city with its many casino's and restaurants. There were people of all sorts going in and out of the buildings all going about their business. Some of the people were citizens of Alabasta, the rest were mostly travelers, visitors and tourists coming to see the sights and try their luck at the casinos.
The most impressive sight to see was the Rainbase Lake. It was in fact a very large oasis, outright resembling a lake located in the middle of Rainbase City itself. It was also the location of PEW's final destination, the Rain Dinners building, the city's biggest casino/restaurant and resort. The exterior of the Rain Dinners building was shaped like a large desert pyramid. There was a golden crocodile head at the top of the building and it was patterned in blue and gold. Going through the main entrance PEW found himself inside a well-lit and ornately decorated casino filled with gambling tables and slot machines. All were occupied by people eager to strike it big in cash be it slot machines, crap games, the roulette wheel, poker or blackjack.
Ignoring this noisy throng PEW made his way to the casino's front desk. Manning the desk was an average sized man, with wild white hair that resembled a crown and he had a tiny bit of hair on his upper lip. He was wearing a black suit over a purple shirt and a red bowtie. On his lapel was a gold badge with the name 'Ultraking' printed in big bold letters. Underneath this name was the title 'Rain Dinners Assistant Manager.'
"Welcome to the Rain Dinners hotel sir," Ultraking greeted PEW formally. "How may I help you today?"
"I'm here to see your boss," PEW replied airily as he leant casually against the desk. "I believe I'm expected, could you call him and tell him I've arrived?"
"Is that a fact sir?" Ultraking said calmly raising an eyebrow at this statement. "Who shall I say it is when he asks?"
"Just say it's 'The Informed One,'" PEW said to him mysteriously. "He'll understand."
Puzzled but obliged Ultraking moved off a short distance to a nearby Transponder Snail and dialed an internal number. PEW watched as the Assistant Manager had a brief conversation on the Transponder Snail before hanging up and returning to him.
"Well?" PEW asked with a smile.
"You have indeed been expected sir," Ultraking said in confirmation. "The Manager will be along shortly to see you, enjoy your stay here at Rain Dinners."
"Oh I certainly will," PEW said handing over several Berries as he did so. "I think that amount will be adequate enough for my stay here."
"Very good sir," Ultraking nodded taking the money before returning to his work.
For a moment or two PEW stood patiently waiting by the front desk until he was approached by the Rain Dinners Manager. She was a tall woman in her late 20's with tanned skin. The outfit she was wearing consisted of purple cowboy boots, a purple miniskirt, a separate corset covering her chest and completing her appearance was a white cowboy coat and purple cowboy hat. A bemused expression adorned the woman's face as she approached PEW, while her raven colored hair provided contrast to her pale blue eyes.
"Hello Miss All Sunday," PEW smiled politely at the approaching woman before giving her a slight bow. "As always," he went on taking his gloves off for her. "It's a pleasure to see you."
"Fu, fu, fu," Miss All Sunday laughed softly giving PEW a subtle grin. "The feeling is mutual PEW," she said offering him her hand. "You and I are a rare breed after all, we all have a constant passion for knowledge."
"You flatter me," PEW said gently taking Miss All Sunday's hand in his own and kissing it. Then he had to fight off the urge to wince as his migraine came back with a vengeance. "Now then," he said with an effort. "I think you'd better take me to see your boss before he gets impatient, we can talk later."
"Indeed," Miss All Sunday said smirking withdrawing her hand. "Just follow me."
"I'm surprised to see you came alone to greet me," PEW said to Miss All Sunday as the two of them made their way to the rear of the casino. "I would have thought Mr Decimal would have come with you, he is supposed to be the bodyguard for the leaders of Baroque Works. Or is he with Mr 0?"
"I'm afraid that Mr Decimal is no longer with us," Miss All Sunday replied suddenly looking sad. "He and Mr 0 had a falling out and it eventually resulted in him getting killed by Mr 0."
"Did he now?" PEW said raising an eyebrow. "Dare I ask just what said falling out was about?"
"It might be best if you ask Mr 0 about that," Miss All Sunday said simply.
"I see," PEW nodded in understanding. 'However,' he thought privately to himself. 'I hardly have the heart to tell her or Mr 0, that it takes a heck of a lot to kill a guy like the former Mr Decimal. Maybe I shouldn't tell them that he's alive, well and using his skills as an independent guy for hire like myself. It might makes things worse if I do.'
PEW continued to follow Miss All Sunday to the rear of the Rain Dinners Casino and down a marble corridor with a sign marked 'VIP' sitting right in the center with an arrow pointing left. Next to that sign was another sign marked 'PIRATES' with another arrow pointing to the right, leading off to a smaller sub corridor.
"What's that in aid of?" PEW asked his hostess as they passed the sign.
"We've been having a few minor…problems," Miss All Sunday said to PEW with a mysterious smirk. "Mr 0 will explain when you see him. That," she went on indicating the sign. "Is a little…welcoming invitation fu, fu, fu."
"I got it," PEW nodded in understanding.
By now the duo had reached the end of the corridor which led to a flight of marble stairs. Going down the stairs PEW and Miss All Sunday found themselves several stories below the main building and emerged into the vast basement of Rain Dinners. At the far end of the blue stone room there was a huge row of arched curtained windows that took up an entire wall. The windows showed the viewer a perfect look at the depths of Rainbase Lake along with the creatures that lived within the lake. For as PEW and Miss All Sunday watched they saw the massive form of one of the lake's inhabitants swim by the window.
The creature in question was a giant crocodile with a banana shaped growth on the top of its head. It was because of this strange looking growth the creature was referred to as a Bananawani or Banana Gator. PEW knew that creatures like this were so strong and fierce that they even preyed on Sea Kings, so his client had them around for certain reasons. However, PEW didn't have to guess just what sort of reasons they were, it was fairly obvious when it came to his client.
"Ah," a deeply relaxed voice suddenly spoke up. "Welcome PEW, I see that you finally made it."
The owner of the voice was sitting casually in a comfortable armchair just opposite the windows, with one leg crossed over the other smoking a cigar. He was a tall man with a wide chest, broad shoulders, muscular arms and legs with a thick neck. He had pale greyish skin and nape-length black hair which was kept neatly slicked back. There was a long stitched scar at the bridge of the man's nose which stretched across his face. Where his left hand should have been was a large golden hook, but PEW knew that was not just for decoration.
The man's eyes were deep-set and heavy lidded, while his eyebrows were thin and characteristically drawn upwards in the middle, making his expression a feeling of condescension and distrust. He was wearing a bright orange, black striped button up vest over a long sleeved peach suit, along with a blue scarf, dark brown suit pants, and polished black shoes with golden buckles. Completing the man's outfit was a long, thick, dark grey pelted fur coat draped over his shoulders like a cape.
"Yes I got your message Mr 0," PEW replied with a polite bow. "It took me a little while but I managed to make it."
"That's good," Mr 0 nodded puffing on his cigar. "Because the operation will start at the stroke of noon 2 days from now, which reminds me," he said turning his attention to Miss All Sunday. "Have you completed all the arrangements?"
"Yes," Miss All Sunday nodded in confirmation. "Everything's in place. We have 150 Billions who are standing by in Nanohana," she informed to her boss. "I've also called Mr 2 back here," she went on. "It appears he failed utterly in his assignment to capture and kill Mr 3. The Officer Agents have been instructed to gather tonight at 8 o'clock, they're meeting at 'The Spider's Café.'"
"Yes," Mr 0 said thoughtfully as he nodded in approval at the report. "Very good."
"As its already past 5 o'clock," Miss All Sunday said glancing at a nearby wall clock. "I would imagine that the Officer Agents will begin gathering at the Café any minute now."
"What's all this I hear about Mr 2 failing to capture and kill Mr 3?" PEW spoke up. "Did I miss something?"
"It's a long story," Mr 0 said dismissively to PEW. "Which Miss All Sunday will fill you in on later. Meanwhile my dear would you go and prepare the VIP suite for our guest? As he's going to be here for the next two days he might as well enjoy himself."
"My pleasure," Miss All Sunday smiled politely giving her boss and PEW a charming smile. "I'll be right back."
The two men waited in patient silence for a moment or two until Miss All Sunday had finally gone before they started speaking again.
"I assume I can use your real name for a while now that we're alone Crocodile?" PEW asked his client calmly.
"By all means," Crocodile said in approval. "You are many things PEW, the main thing being that you are a mystery to all, which of course is your business. However…you are also an Information Dealer, a keeper of secrets, informer, blackmailer, helper, assistant and a keeper of your word when it comes to whatever your clients want of you. No matter who they are."
"Which includes one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea," PEW finished off for him.
"Precisely," Crocodile smiled. "You kept your word to me for the last four years, and because of that all my clever planning is finally ready to bear fruit."
"Glad to hear it," PEW said dryly. "So do I get the rest of my money? We agreed on 81,000,000 Berries, your former bounty, for my services. Remember you said I could have the first half up front."
"Which I did pay you," Crocodile pointed out. "So you will get the rest of the money. All I ask is that you wait for 2 more days and then you will get the rest of your payment."
"Any particular reason?" PEW asked casually.
"There are two reasons actually," Crocodile corrected him. "The first reason is that I am making history here and I need a couple of witnesses to record it."
"You have Miss All Sunday for that."
"That's the second reason I need you to hang around," Crocodile said stubbing out his cigar in a nearby ashtray. "Given Miss All Sunday's past…I'd like you around to confirm or correct any mistakes she may happen to make."
"You don't trust her do you? You think she might lie or betray you."
"I just want another skilled person around to recheck and confirm her discoveries when the time comes," Crocodile corrected PEW as he produced a new cigar. "Experts of all sorts have been known to get things wrong," he went on placing the cigar in his mouth. "It's why they have other 'colleagues' isn't it? To check up on their findings," he said producing a lighter and lighting up his cigar.
"Oh very well," PEW sighed realizing that Crocodile did have a point. "I guess I can wait for 2 days around here, so long as you answer one question for me."
"What is it?"
"I was told you and Mr Decimal had a bit of a falling out resulting in you having to kill him. Can I ask what happened?"
"Mr Decimal?" Crocodile sneered at the mention of that code name. "He actually came to me and told me flat out that I was wasting my time here in Alabasta! That I was wrong! He'd been "checking a few things out that proved it too," so he said! Huh!" he said shaking his head. "I made him a member of Baroque Works a personal bodyguard as it were and he had the nerve to challenge my wisdom as well as leadership."
"He challenged you to a duel?" PEW asked in surprise.
"The fool said if he beat me he would run Baroque Works with Miss All Sunday and I could have his position, due to the…circumstances he made me aware of…thanks to you."
"I see…" PEW said slowly. "So what happened?"
"What do you think happened?" Crocodile replied sarcastically. "He wanted a duel in the desert, where I have an advantage! I eventually won the duel by stabbing him in the chest with my hook and that was the end of him."
'So Mr Decimal never told Crocodile about his Devil Fruit powers huh?' PEW thought to himself. 'Oh well perhaps that's for the best. He obviously didn't want to continue wasting his time here anymore like Crocodile is doing now.'
"That's a pity," PEW chose to say instead. "He was a rare person, not easily intimidated by the 'all powerful' be they Pirate, Marine or Warlord."
"That is sadly true," Crocodile nodded in agreement.
The thoughtful silence that followed that conversation was suddenly ended by the return of Miss All Sunday. "The VIP suite is all ready for PEW now Mr 0 sir," she reported evenly.
"Excellent," Crocodile said in approval. "See that PEW enjoys himself for the next few days."
"Fu, fu, fu," Miss All Sunday softly laughed at this suggestion. "But of course Mr 0, this way," she said to PEW indicating him to follow her back up the stairs.
"Well now that I'm here," PEW said to Miss All Sunday as they both made their way back up to the Rain Dinners casino. "How about a few drinks, dinner and some civilized conversation? No doubt that has been an extremely rare thing for you lately?
"You have no idea," Miss All Sunday smiled. "So I couldn't agree more."
At this she was telling the truth, for PEW's presence to her felt warm and at times vaguely familiar. Almost like a time long forgotten to her, but not quite.
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So dear readers PEW has made it to Rain Dinners at Rainbase and will be hanging around, at Crocodile's instance of course, to see how his plans work out. You'll find out just what PEW's involvement with Baroque Works is next chapter, he'll have an audience with the Straw Hats when that happens!
As for just what PEW's story is with Miss All Sunday aka Nico Robin that will be revealed in future chapters too. The origins of the mysterious and absent 'Mr Decimal' will be revealed in a future story sometime after this one too, but these things take time remember. So in the meantime read and review like always and see you next update! Good Health, Clear Body, Strong Mind!
Also please remember once again, if you don't like my work then don't read or review it! NO-ONE, is forcing you to! See you soon!