Ann stands up, sighing while her hand hovers over the doorknob. She braces herself as she finally opens it, disregarding any emotions that may be suspicious to the people outside. Pretending that she doesn't know any of them is her plan.
She walks to the exit, a little nervous when she finally found her voice to enter their conversation.
"Hi! How can I help?" She asked, as casually as she can, her eyes looked at the three people whom she considers her enemies. The first one had been a petite woman named Haruta, then her eyes landed on the tall red-haired man with a weird hairstyle. 'Thatch' she told herself, and finally, her eyes landed on a handsome blond-haired man.
Electric blue eyes meet her grey eyes. Ann already knows who this man is and shouldn't be too shocking to meet him in person, yet, she didn't expect that she will feel her heartbeat racing like this just by looking directly into his eyes.
'Must be because of my plans.' She told herself as she turns her gaze to Deuce.
"Their car stopped working all of a sudden, must be something with the engine. You might want to take a look." Deuce said.
"Sure. Whose car is this?" She faked a casual question to them.
"It's mine."
"Nice ride." She smiles at Thatch. "I'll take a look if you don't mind?"
"Go ahead."
"Thanks, uh, sorry forgot to introduce myself. Name's Ann."
"I am Thatch. This is Haruta and this is Marco." Ann only smiled and nodded at them before turning her attention to the car to see what is wrong with it.
While she's busy, the three Commanders of Whitebeard Mafia Group looked at each other, or precisely, they're looking at Marco who just rolled his eyes at them.
He was shocked to see the woman in this kind of building, much less work as a car mechanic. Her outfit is far different than the one she wore at the bar. She is not wearing any makeup and her clothes are simple, a tank top and faded jeans.
Marco's eyes never left her. He may not openly admit this, but he finds her presence an odd one, intriguing. There's something with her that he cannot explain.
Was it about the way her eyes sparked? Or was it because of her expressive and beautiful grey eyes? Marco is not sure, but he keeps this to himself, not selling anything to his siblings that will no doubt be used against him. They will tease him to no end, that's for sure.
"I don't have all the parts so if you want to use this car now, I'll patch it up, but you best have the parts I'll list down replaced as soon as possible." She turned to Thatch, telling him more details about the car. She seems knowledgeable in this area, which is pretty impressive.
"Sure. I can make do with that." Thatch smiles as he agreed to Ann without a doubt.
"Great. I'll go get my tools and work on this."
"I'll get it for you, Ann. One sec." Ann's hand twitches a little when she heard Deuce volunteering. There goes her momentary escape, now, she's left here with three Commanders from Whitebeard's group.
"We've seen you." Thatch broke the silence, referring to Ann. His casual and cheerful way of saying it didn't make Ann feel any better. It only made her more nervous but she didn't dare show such emotions.
"Seen me? Where?"
"In the bar and - ouch!" Haruta slapped Thatch on his back to make him stop talking.
"Sorry, that was rude of him."
"No, it's fine. I think he was talking about my part-time job at the bar." She shrugged it off, a little relieved. "You're a regular there? But I don't think I've seen you before."
"We just dropped by one time and it just so happens that you were performing. Great voice, by the way, enough to enchant a few people." Haruta snickers when Thatch emphasized the last word making Ann a little confused but she didn't think too much about it.
Marco is on the verge of smacking Thatch and Haruta.
"I see." Ann nodded, smiling awkwardly.
"Ah, sorry if that made you uncomfortable!" Thatch was quick to shake his hand in defense, fearing that she was offended.
"It's fine. At least you didn't come here acting like stalkers." Marco frowns a little when he heard her words.
"You have stalkers, yoi?" Ann is quite surprised to hear his baritone voice. Throughout the conversation, he had been silent, only paying attention to them.
"Well, in that kind of work, it wasn't unheard of. If they come here, I have Deuce with me. He'll beat them black and blue." Or I can do it myself, she wants to add but forced herself not to.
"Or you can throw your tools at them, just like that one time." Deuce came back just in time for him to hear the conversation.
"Have you told the manager in the bar about such incident, yoi?" Marco asks.
"Nah, it's fine. It wasn't too much that it's getting out of hand." She brushed it off before taking the stuff Deuce brought back so she can start working on the car.
"But - "
"I said it's fine." That came harsher than she wants it to, deliberately subjecting herself to self-criticism in her head. It also surprised Marco when she raised her voice a little.
"That's bad. We don't want any of the bar's employees to be subjected to such treatment." Haruta explained. "Marco owns the bar, so we're just worried."
"Oh." Ann feigned ignorance to this matter, thanking Haruta for mentioning this fact which she used as a scapegoat to get herself back on track. "I didn't know that. But yeah, it's fine. No need to worry." She brushed it off then continued working on the car.
Marco didn't say anything after that, leaving her to concentrate on whatever she's doing.
Thatch took this time to sideglance at Marco, wiggling his eyebrows at him.
She worked on the car for a record time before she told Thatch what she did and advised him on what he should do afterward. The red-haired man got behind the driver's seat, started the engine to test it out.
"It's good for now. Just get the parts replaced." Ann said, her hands are now stained with grimes which she never minded.
"Sure thing!" The two of them went inside the shop so he can settle the payment for her labor. Inside, he tried to ask more questions about her. "It's rare to see someone so well-versed about cars like that, more so in a remote place like this." He started.
"I just like it, I guess."
"We will drop by in the bar one of these days. We hope we get to see you there! The last time was fun! Bay was telling us you are their star singer. I didn't think we will get to see you here, and as a car mechanic at that! Whew!"
Ann felt a little uncomfortable at how friendly this man is, but if she will become defensive, they might start to notice the awkwardness in her behavior.
"A little unexpected?"
"Yes! When we first saw you, we didn't think you are doing this kind of job. You just don't look like it. You look like you're into fashion or something." That made Ann scoff a little before changing the topic. She told Thatch about the price which he paid almost instantly, tipping her more than any of her customers ever did.
They all left, waving and thanking her and Deuce. She nodded at them before her eyes landed on Marco's at the same time his gaze landed on hers. For a moment, none of them tried to break it off. There was so much in his eyes that she can't figure out. Is he suspicious of her? This is her biggest worry.
In the end, she needs to break off her gaze when Deuce called her over to discuss the car he's working on. Ann can only follow him as she asks a few things but even when conversing with Deuce, she felt distracted, as if a force is pulling her in to look back at Marco's direction again. This time, he's already in his car which just started to leave.
"Interesting."
"W-What?" Ann asks.
"So interesting of you and him." Deuce has this wry smile on his face while his eyes are telling Ann something she cannot decipher.
"Him? Who?"
"The blond dude."
"I don't know where you're getting into this."
"Hmm, okay. Let's just say that sparks were flying, even though it is subtle." He winks at her before resuming his work, confusing Ann.
What does he mean about this?
===XXX===XXX===XXX===
"I heard you've taken an interest in this woman from the bar..." As soon as he heard the context, Marco groaned, a little tired of hearing this for two days now. He expected his siblings or more like his fellow Commanders to bug him about it, but not Pops.
The tall, well-muscled man in front of him is none other than the leader of Whitebeard Mafia Group, Edward Newgate. A man feared by many, who still holds influence after all these years.
To everyone else in the streets, he's nothing but ruthless, cruel, powerful, but to their Mafia Group, he's their father, their family, their home.
"Pops..." Marco warned.
"Yes, son? I am just stating I heard about it and have been meaning to ask you about the woman that Thatch and Haruta never shut up about." His eyes are soft, teasing Marco like any father out there would. He's having so much fun teasing Marco.
"When will I stop hearing about this? I don't even know what all of you want me to do, yoi."
"Give it a go?" Whitebeard guessed, chuckling to himself when he saw his son roll his eyes. "It's been a long time, son. Why not give it a chance? You can get to know each other."
"I think she has someone else already." He answered, thinking about the man she was with back in the car repair shop. "Let's just not talk about it,yoi."
Whitebeard didn't push for more and changed the topic. This time, it was about the return of the infamous Eustass Kidd from imprisonment.
"There's no doubt they will start snooping into Kaido's territories or Apoo's." Marco commented. "That grudge cannot easily be forgiven, yoi." He said as a side comment. Everyone in the streets knew what was going on, after all, betrayals always happen.
It just so happens that Eustass Kidd was careless when it comes to the details of the alliance he formed with Apoo's party.
"Giving them a hand if they will come knocking won't be a problem for us." Whitebeard is very clear on whom they should side with this affair. Kaido will never miss an opportunity to mess with Whitebeard and vice versa. A war between Emperors is not likely to happen unless a personal grudge is triggered, but it doesn't mean they cannot move to mess with the other.
An advantage is always a grasping point to any Mafia Groups out there.
"Yes, after all, we have some common grounds with him." Marco agrees. As for how Eustass Kidd will handle any information handed over to him, that's up for him to decide.
===XXX===XXX===XXX===
"Where is she?" Kidd's voice resonated in his members' ears, making them look at their leader. A few seconds passed by, none said anything, trying to discern who he was referring to, but they soon realized that he never talked about anyone else aside from her.
"We've tracked her movements. She never left the mainland." Wire answered.
Mainland refers to the city where the Headquarters of the World Government is. That is the most dangerous city for any Mafia Groups out there. No one will dare to mess in that city unless they want to be killed. That place is full of crouching dragons, ready to pounce on anyone they can.
Kidd didn't respond, focusing on wiping his gun using a white cloth, staining it with droplets of blood.
They just came back from ambushing one of Kaido's group. A week after he came back, they started operating again, targeting their enemies relentlessly. This will undoubtedly trigger a war against one of the Emperors, that is if they will know who killed their men.
Kidd and his group members killed a group of 10 people from Kaido's side, leaving no traces of evidence that will point out that it was them. As much as he wants to taunt Kaido, he cannot. Finding his footing in the streets after two years will not be an easy feat for him, not when so much has changed over the past two years, but it doesn't mean he will halt his revenge.
He's just getting started.
"I will go out alone tomorrow." He said, alarming Killer.
"Where are you going?"
"Where else?" The evil smirk on his face sent shivers to all of his trusted members. They cannot help but worry about the plans Kidd has in his mind.
"Kidd, that's mainland. You can't be thinking of killing her in there, are you?" Killer was warning Kidd not to be reckless. He knew too well that his hatred for Sab is immeasurable. He's afraid that Kidd will be reckless in his decisions.
"I won't give her an easy death that could compromise my return. I'll just greet her."
And with that, he left all of them to ponder on what he meant.
===XXX===XXX===XXX===
Sab is having a bad day after successive reports of murders in the South area of Grandline, it was a group from Kaido's side.
Her mind instantly takes her to a red-haired man, no seeds of doubt are in her mind that it was he who took care of those people.
"If we file another lawsuit against Eustass for murdering them, how will the case progress? Can you send him to prison again?" She clenches the fist on her lap while looking at Apoo's eyes. He's here in the office of Celestial Law Firm for a consultation.
Ever since winning the case against Eustass Kidd 2 years ago, their group had been a constant client in this office. It annoys Sab to no end, but she must keep her professionalism and swallow the anger building in her guts.
"If there is sufficient evidence that you can provide against him. With his recent release from the prison after proving that he's innocent, the judge may not be too keen on a rashly provided evidence."
"What do you suggest?"
"Mr. Apoo, I am a lawyer. I am here to provide you the best guidance I can on cases that you are consulting us with. If you do not have any evidence, the law firm will not be accepting the terms and conditions you will provide. Also, may I ask at what grounds do you plan on accusing him of?" Sab almost lost her composure, annoyed that Apoo and Kaido are treating this law office as a mere consultation firm for their illegal activities.
This Law Office is indeed no saint. She's been here long enough to know that the lawyers have assisted Mafia Groups, even going as far as to fake pieces of evidence.
Not just them, but also the juries.
'Corruption as its finest', she disdains to herself. People have lost their morales over a few millions they can earn from assisting a Mafia Group.
Well, she's no saint either, that she will not pretend to be, not when she's actively doing illegal activities herself. The only difference is that she's doing it for vengeance, not for money.
"Still as difficult as always, Attorney." He smiles at her, eyes reflecting nothing but devious thoughts, of lusts that disgusted her.
"I can say the same to you. If there is nothing else, I believed, you can go now."
"Have you ever considered working for us? The salary here could be a good one for you, but you know what they say, there's something better."
"Work for you?"
"Yes. Or more precisely, with a corporate company like Kaido's. I am sure you've heard of them. Influence, money, power, you name it. That's not what this Law Firm can provide. Your intellect is wasted here."
"I've sent several Mafia Members to prison for years now since I started working here. There's nothing in this world that can give me as much satisfaction when I win my cases. I don't think what you're offering me can compare to that." She answered.
"Such a shame, but the offer still stands. You can always knock on our doors whenever." He said, smirking at her before leaving, sounding so sure that she will change her mind.
'You are not entirely wrong though. I will come knocking at your doors sooner or later.' She said to herself.
After hours of spending in her office, she decided that it is time to leave. She plans to meet Koala, her best friend, at a nearby restaurant for dinner, so she didn't take her car with her, opting to walk instead.
The streets are busy, cars are honking, drivers steadily running out of patience due to the traffic in this city, or the mainland as what everyone in the underground refers to. She stands there in front of the crosswalk, waiting for the signal so she can go to the other side.
When it turns green, she started walking along with other working individuals when she chanced upon a man walking from the opposite side. She stops in the middle of the crosswalk, people passing by her.
Sab freezes there when the man she has not seen for two years is now walking closer to where she is. The same man she loved and betrayed. The hatred in his eyes never disappeared. But when will it disappear? She knows that it will never happen, not until she's dead.
The burning hatred in her eyes made her shiver in sadness. With guilt engulfing her heart, she looked away, started walking, hoping to get past him.
Unfortunately, that didn't happen. A hand instantly grabbed her arm, preventing her from walking forward. She looks up only to find the red-haired man right beside her.
The warmth of his hand is familiar yet foreign to her. It's not the same as the one before. It radiates coldness, hatred, vengeance.
"You're going to die by my hands." He leans a little to whisper it to her ear before finally letting go.
Sab didn't have time to ponder on what happened, she just walked forward, reaching the other side just in time for the signal to go back to red.
At this time, Eustass Kidd is now on the opposite side as well, hands are on his pants pockets while looking at her.
It's been two years since they saw each other and seeing her again awakened so many emotions inside Kidd.
Seeing the frightened look in her eyes, he can't help but feel triumphant. Sab has all the reasons to be frightened because as soon as he's done dealing with Apoo, she will be his next target, this he promised himself.
As he stares into her eyes, more emotions poured into him, memories they shared. The happy memories are still fresh in his mind, but instead of making him sad, it made him angrier at her.
There's no turning back now. There's no going back at all.
===XXX===XXX===XXX===
Luffia finds herself eating merrily while Zoro is in front of her. She's wearing a loose t-shirt and faded jeans, something that Zoro is not used to seeing because she usually wears a tank top paired with a sleeveless cardigan, but he didn't pay attention to her clothes at all, brushing it off as something Luffia just randomly pulled out of her closet.
What he didn't know is that she chose the loose t-shirt to hide the bandages on her arm, a wound she sustained while fighting him a few nights ago.
"What have you been up to these days?" Luffia casually asks before taking another mouthful of food.
"Nothing much." Zoro shrugs, brushing off the question, refusing to provide any information.
Luffia didn't say anything but just continued to eat her fill, after all, it's Zoro's treat, again. Whenever they go out, it was usually his treat, letting her order whatever she wants, spoiling her rotten.
"Oh! Oh! Oh! Did you know? Did you know?"
"Know what?"
"I heard in the bar! There's fighting! Fighting! Shishishi!" She excitedly laughs, making Zoro wary of what she meant. "They're placing money to know who's going to win! I want to watch!" Zoro's eyebrow twitches in annoyance after hearing what Luffia said. She must have heard the regulars talking about a fighting arena match.
"Where was this?"
"Hmm, I don't know, but they said somewhere near the bar?" She answered. Honestly speaking, she didn't know where exactly it was because the fight is not arranged by her group, although she can ask her members to look into it if necessary.
"Luffia, those fights are dangerous. You shouldn't be watching or involving yourself with that kind of environment."
"How dangerous for me?" She tilts her head, eyes are innocent, like children, making Zoro sigh.
"Very dangerous."
"But I want to see what that was. Can we go see it together? Just one time!" She clasped her hands together while looking at Zoro with a pleading look in her eyes that he can't seem to say no to.
"Luffia..."
"But I want to go there with you... Please..." Zoro didn't think it will become like this. He should have known that Luffia will one day encounter things that involve the underground world. This, he cannot prevent nor control.
"That place is dangerous." For someone who's seen fighting arenas, Zoro knows how dangerous that place is, especially for him who's been hunting Mafia Groups nonstop. His name is nothing but a nuisance to the Mafia members attending such an event.
Even if that is the case, it didn't prevent him from attending fighting arenas as an audience and a fighter. He may be a Mafia Hunter but it doesn't mean that he doesn't have contacts with any Mafia Groups. He is just not affiliated with them but there are groups that he refuses to hunt. For example, Kidd Eustass. He and Zoro have been acquaintances for quite some time, far off from being friends, but there's a level of respect between them.
Such irony to be a Mafia Hunter and be acquaintances with them at the same time, but Zoro finds it in himself to care less.
"But I want to see it with you!" Luffia reasons out, insisting on what she wants. In reality, she's been in this kind of arena fights, even organized a few of them. It's just that she wants to see an arena fight with Zoro.
"Fine! Fine! But I will get to decide where and when!"
"Yay!" Luffia almost jumped out of her seat to hug Zoro but she finds her right arm throbbing in pain when she raised her arms. 'Damnit' she shouted in her mind while slowly lowering her raised arm. "Hehe." A faint chuckle came from her, hiding the pain she felt because of her stupidity.
Zoro was only confused for a few moments before disregarding her behavior.
After eating, the two of them strolled in the area, with Luffia buying a few necessities she needs. As soon as she's done, Zoro took her back to her apartment. He was about to leave when he heard footsteps from the nearby alley in her apartment, his head snaps, and his eyes almost went wide when he recognized who that was.
He gets off his motorbike to approach the man standing beside Luffia's apartment building, a frown evident on his face.
"What are you doing here?" He asks, suspicious of the man.
"You know damn well that you cannot tell anyone about the mission." Kaku said.
"When have I ever told anyone about the mission?"
"Good. I am just reminding you in case your tongue slips and you tell anyone. Be careful because anyone who will find out about the mission will have to be dealt with." Kaku emphasized the last few words in his sentence, sending a warning to Zoro. "You may be leading this hunt, but do not forget that we are part of the same team and part of the organization employing you."
This made Zoro sigh. The warning is as clear as the day.
"I know." He answers. "Do not worry, I'm always careful in not involving anyone in my affairs."
"Good to hear - argh!" He didn't finish his sentence because Zoro's hand grabbed his throat before slamming him on the wall with a loud thud. Kaku tried to peel Zoro's hand off his throat but he can't. The sheer amount of strength is unbelievable even to someone like Kaku who's been trained for years.
"But! If I find any of you threatening Luffia or using her against me - " he drags his words as he applied more force to prove his point. "- you will regret it. No one touches her. You understand?"
Kaku had a hard time looking Zoro in the eyes, but when he did, he can finally see the demon in him, the same demon feared by many in the streets. He reluctantly nods.
"Hmph!" Zoro threw him on the ground, finally letting him go. He didn't say a single word to Kaku but his mind is in turmoil, a little worried about what these people may do to Luffia.
A slight regret finally overtakes his emotions, thinking that he may have been rash in accepting this deal with the World Government. They've been trying to recruit him for the last couple of years and some may have let him off, but others will try to use any advantage possible to reel him into doing their bidding.
He will not be a puppet and if they will try any underhanded methods to get to him, he will not hesitate to become their enemy.
Now, what he needs is to finish this deal as soon as possible. All he needs to do now is to kill Strawhat.
===XXX===XXX===XXX===
AN: Yes, finally finished the chapter. Was very busy and holidays are coming up. Hope you all will enjoy the upcoming holidays!