The next night arrived quickly for Swiss. He slept most of the day.
"Right, you bitches ready?"
Swiss smiled at his companions, eyes gleaming through his sunglasses.
He had donned a white shirt in place of his usual flower-patterned one.
He rolled up his sleeves and had the top buttons undone, exposing sharp collar bones.
The newly acquired pirate coat was never absent from his outfits now, always draped over his shoulders.
The others didn't offer tonight the respect that the Royal Jam garnered from them.
Raito wore his OG ninja outfit, dark green flak jacket and all.
Grit wore his same gear as usual. His hardy dark equipment belt rested comfortably on his waist. Swiss joked that he looked like a Popsicle with the hilt of the Demon Slayer poking up to the sky like that.
Joka wore his same jester regalia, only now he wore knee pads he bought the other day over his pants.
"Trololol, soyboy over here is gonna fuck the DJ" Swiss could not resist the low-hanging fruit, though Joka did not understand anyhow.
Jinzo was dressed smartly in what he always wore. His typical black suit pants. Shoes were polished as always.
He, too, had his white sleeves rolled up, his suit jacket draped on his shoulders. His thin black tie was smooth as silk.
In his hands was a large and dusty book that would be better described as a tome.
Swiss was pleased. When he and his companions set off come dawn, they should all be wearing what they are most comfortable in.
He couldn't help but laugh at how they all were low-key like anime characters that always wore the same shit.
'Perhaps I should don the Doflamingo pink feathers to spice things up?' he joked to himself.
'Or the Mr. 2 Swan Ballet outfit?'
Joka stepped forward.
His face looked like it had a faint layer of makeup. On one cheek, he painted a red number '7' in the font you would see in the casinos.
On the other, he had a red heart like you would see on playing cards.
"You all go on ahead. I have one last errand to run. +" Joka told them.
"Fair enough. You remember the location?" Swiss already knew the answer.
Joka simply nodded.
"Yosh! Let's get this party started!"
They all strode out from the docks, walking alongside each other in true badass One Piece form. Their fabrics flowed in the breeze.
Once off the docks, Joka took a turn and went his separate way.
The way Joka walked didn't give off the impression that he had 'one last errand to run'.
Instead, it just looked like he was walking around doing nothing. A smug smirk gave him an air of calm and cool as if he was privy to a joke no one else understood.
If his past behavior were an indicator of the future, then what Joka was doing could only mean one thing.
He was looking for a fight.
Skulking in the shadows, jumping between rooftops, blending between crowds.
Sagasu Kuso and Silverbang Axel had become professional stalkers over the course of their time following Joka.
"All part of the plan." They both said to each other.
Indeed, Kimagure Joka's route had become uniform as of late. The two boys knew where he would be and at what time.
This sort of stuff was the norm for Silverbang Axel. But the way Sagasu Kuso took to it had managed to impress the young assassin.
It was Sagasu Kuso who figured out Joka's walking patterns.
Sagasu Kuso who put forward predictions and theories regarding Joka's mode of operations.
Sagasu Kuso who provided enough initiative for the two of them.
It made Silverbang Axel realize that hunting and assassination are one and the same.
This was evident in how Sagasu Kuso had managed to develop killer skills naturally in the forest, the very same that had been drilled into Axel since he could walk.
Whenever Axel would give praise, Kuso would disarm it with humility.
This only served to agitate Axel, though he would never admit it.
He hated how 'naturally' talented Kuso was. The thought of Kuso reaching even a fraction of his potential made the hair stand on Axel's neck.
That being said, Sagasu Kuso was lucky to have his new friend.
Axel was the brains and logic, the preventer of emotional decisions, and the champion of the cerebral.
Kuso was the heart and fire. The eyes that saw things as they were, without judgment being clouded by thought. The instinctual movements that guide the way.
The duo had come to have extensive knowledge of Joka's habits and walking routes.
They had been the same lately. Allowing the boys to plan out different ambushes depending on the location Joka happened to stop.
They were confident they could land their punches, no matter what kind of variable was introduced.
The route was simple. Joka would walk around Baigon's south-central with the hopes of encountering some opponents. The slums were usually the most game to put up a fight.
If Joka failed to find anyone there, he would move on to bars that were known pirate hot spots and antagonize people there until someone took exception.
Everything Joka did was aligning with the boy's predictions.
"He's heading to spot 23. That's our best bet. The terrain there is perfect." Silverbang Axel asserted.
"Mmm! Let's run on ahead and wait!"
Spot 23 was a junction where five streets poured into a quiet intersection.
The hub of pirates drinking could be heard from the nearby taverns. Those on the street were staggering as they walked.
It had plenty of buildings, and the interconnection of the five streets offered numerous angles to hide behind. It was a place that offered privacy while also guaranteeing some drunken fool would cross Joka's path.
So they waited.
And waited.
But Joka just stood there in the middle of that intersection, a hand placed on his hip, a calm smile that took no effort to maintain.
Silverbang Axel was the first to sniff out that something was wrong. 'What is he doing?'
The boys were in separate hiding spots. Axel on the roof, Kuso in the shadows. They exchanged awkward glances.
'Fuck!' Silverbang Axel cursed, 'We should have learned basic sign language codes for situations like these!'
Silverbang Axel felt a bead of sweat. It was not him that he worried about-
'I hope that idiot doesn't do anything stupid!'
Meanwhile, Sagasu Kuso could barely contain himself. He had never seen Joka just stand still like this.
It was like he was waiting for something.
And then it came.
An old lady walked Joka's way, holding a paper bag of groceries and her grandson nipping at her ankles, no more than four years of age.
"Eh?" Silverbang Axel gasped silently.
They had noticed this old lady leaving her home in the morning and coming back come nightfall. It fell along Joka's route, after all.
The boys chalked it up to a granny living alone and raising her grandson by herself. In fact, they had come to respect the granny. She became a recurring character among the list of faces they had noticed.
At the sight of the granny and her grandchild, Joka's eyes immediately slanted. "Kukuku, there you are. *"
Joka straightened his fingers, turning his hand into a sharp blade.
"!" Sagasu Kuso had seen Joka do this enough times to know what it meant.
'He's going to kill the family!'
Sagasu Kuso looked up to Axel in a panic. 'This was not part of the plan. *What do we do?'
Axel knew the answer. But how could he communicate it without exposing both their positions? The young assassin tried leading by example.
He did nothing.
Sagasu Kuso gulped, but there was no saliva. He felt his throat tighten with anxiety. Could he even scream to them if he wanted to?
The trajectory of the old lady and her grandson was a collision course toward Joka. Damn that old crone, is her eyesight as gone as her knee joints?
Things went silent. The old lady bumped into Kimagure Joka's chest.
An apple fell out of her brown bag, rolling to Joka's feet.
Joka picked the apple up, holding it between his thumb and index finger, licking his lips with a devilish grin.
The grandson watched as Joka made for a stab at his grandmother's throat.
"NOOOOOOOOO!"
Until finally, a voice called out.
Prompting Joka to stop.
Mere inches away from drawing blood.
[ssyffix: lets get rdy 2 rumbleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee]