Marco looks out of place in this simple family restaurant with his three-piece suit, expensive shoes, and equally expensive watch especially with Ann across him who's wearing simple jeans and a white shirt. Even so, he doesn't look like he minds the prying eyes of people with raised eyebrows as to what a man with his status is doing here.
"It's a nice place, yoi. Do you frequent here?"
"Yes, with Deuce and his family." She answered then called the waiter to tell him of their orders.
"So, when will you start?"
"On Monday. Blenheim's kind enough to also offer a job for Deuce."
"That's great to hear. At least with this, you won't be harassed by the customers in the bar, yoi."
"Do you always offer your help to those you are attracted to? I mean to this extent? Because if it's just a simple attraction, I don't think it's necessary to go the trouble of insisting on your offer."
Her bluntness took Marco aback, but when he looks at her eyes, he finds them to be filled with curiosity. And he likes it.
"I always provide help to those I think to deserve it. You're one of them, yoi. But to answer your question, no, I don't usually offer my help to the people I am attracted to. Only to you." He never broke his eye contact with her, telling her that he means it.
It's a surprise even to himself how persistent he is in impressing Ann. She's just something, a force that he cannot fathom.
"Hmm, you're not planning on making me your sugar baby, are you?"
That had Marco laughing.
"Alright, that's kinda rude. I may be older than you are but it doesn't mean I am that old to be your sugar daddy. You're not even the type to receive expensive gifts. I bet you're just going to throw it at my face, yoi."
"Oh yeah, I might just do that." They laugh for a while before the food arrived, then Ann started asking questions as carefully as she can. "So, why not tell me about yourself?"
"Curious about me, eh?"
"A little." No, not just a little. To be precise, she's curious about his relationship with Whitebeard.
"I don't want to bore you to death, but I'll start with introducing myself. Marco Newgate. Technically, I am an only child, but I have 14 foster siblings. It's a big and chaotic family. You met some of them, Thatch, Haruta, Blenheim, just to name a few, yoi."
Ann knows this for quite some time now, but she still nods, pretending to be interested in the new information Marco just said.
"14, huh. That's a lot."
"Yes, it is. And you?" Ann stops for a while, thinking how she should answer this. "You don't have to answer - "
"No, it's fine. You answered my question anyway. Well, I grew up in an orphanage. There are a lot of children older and younger than I do. We may all be orphans but it didn't hinder us in living the lives we want. Though it's not the best experience any child would want, it's okay. I lived."
"Do you have anyone you're particularly close with?"
"A few of them." She's referring to Luffia and Sab. "But they have their lives to live too, so lost of contact is natural." She shrugs it off, lying again.
Lies. Her life is full of them but she has no choice.
"How did you get to like vehicles?" Marco is kind enough not to press for what he thinks is a touchy subject, so Ann answers his questions. The conversation flowed naturally with the two of them exchanging their opinions about vehicles, their hobbies, and anything under the sun.
When Marco was telling her about his family, she paid attention to it, noting down some details that may come in handy one day. The details he's providing are merely familial experiences, nothing that can affect her plans entirely or contribute in a way, but it's fine. She can let the nature take its course. Insisting on asking about his family affairs will only result in suspicions and she cannot have that.
"You cannot cook, yoi?"
"Please, don't be insulting."
"No, no, I mean, I would have thought that you know how to cook since you live alone."
"I can't." The topic changes again. "I just set an egg on fire. I don't know why, but whenever I'm in a kitchen, I just, blow things up." That had Marco chuckling which Ann glared at him for.
"Alright, alright, sorry for laughing at you, but that's just hilarious. I will note that down and won't let you get near my kitchen, yoi."
"As if I'll go to your house." She snorts.
"Well, I could take you there."
"Is that an invitation? You're taking me home? You're a fast one, aren't you?" The topic is threading into dangerous territories now that can be translated into two ways. One, Marco's opening up to her to let her in his house, a sign that this undercover job is going too well for her. Two, a sexual connotation.
"Not the one you're thinking, okay? I mean, it's an invitation so I can show you how to cook, yoi."
"Wait, you know how to cook?"
"Of course, yoi. Not to brag, but even Thatch approves of the dishes I cook. It's an open invitation when you're comfortable with it."
'Just how much of a gentleman can you be?' Ann thinks to herself. The way he looks at her made her feel so conscious, the blue eyes that almost sucks her into his pace, his expressions, his smiles. It all made her heart tremble a little because never in her life did someone do this for her. Yes, she's been on a few dates, but all of them were nothing but a facade so she can get a job done. Most men will try to coerce her to a sexual deed right off the bat, not even bothering to ask her opinion about it.
But not Marco. He's letting her decide on this which makes things a little complicated.
"Maybe some other time. But thanks for that."
"Anytime. Also..." He trails off. "You won't mind a different kind of invitation right?"
"A date?" She asks.
"Yes. You might find this a little straightforward, but I think now's my chance, yoi. Unless you find me as a boring company to spend a few hours with?"
"No, you've been a wonderful company. I enjoyed it. And sure, I don't mind." Marco's smile is wide when she gave her answer and so does she.
But their minds are in different directions with Ann's being on the account of deceit and inevitably, a betrayal.
===XXX===XXX===XXX===
'This is dangerous,' is what she keeps telling herself a thousand times ever since she set foot on the territory of Apoo and his group.
"What do you intend to do?" She asks Kidd who's beside her.
"Kill him." He answers without hesitation, eyes are filled with killing intent that made her shiver even though it is not directed to her.
"You don't intend to walk up-front and shoot him to death, do you?"
"If I can do that, I will. An easy death is not what he deserves. He deserves far worse than be quickly killed." Kidd will never forget Apoo's face when he was laughing at the red-haired man while being taken away by the police officers to be sent to prison.
And he's reminded of that time when Sab was right beside Apoo, on their side, and played the biggest part in his imprisonment.
"Fine. As soon as this operation is over, our deal is over." Sab wants to get away from him. Every second that she spends with him, she feels like her cover will be blown to bits. With the amount of hatred he feels for her, she does not doubt he will pull the trigger and shoot her to death.
"Sure, as soon as I kill Apoo. Once that is done, I can accompany you to the branch and the officials responsible for the slave trade in the Southern parts."
"You do not need to accompany me. The Revolutionary will take care of it." She cannot afford to be with him more than necessary.
Kidd only stares at Blue before signaling Killer to start the raid. Given what his goals are, this is no simple raid, this is more of an ambush that they planned with the upper echelons of Kidd's group - his most trusted members.
Spies are still common within groups. Given Kidd's past experiences, trusting the people with whom he barely has interaction is impossible.
"They have guards, four in front, two at the back. There's no way to sneak inside." Sab aka Blue whispered. They are at an alley not too far away from the base. Killer scouted this area for the past few days so they can familiarize themselves with the layout of the area.
"You know a lot, huh?" Kidd eyes Blue suspiciously.
"We've been in this area, it is natural for us to know which groups the World Government had contact with."
Despite the answer, Kidd ignores Blue and proceeds as planned. Wire and heat are on standby to kill the guards at the back of the building. With a nod from Kidd, they proceed, pulling the triggers from their guns, shooting the guards one at a time.
There's no sound because the guns had silencers attached to them.
"Easy," Kidd mutters as he walks to the entrance, stepping on the corpses as he goes.
Seeing this, Sab shivers a little. For the first time, she witnessed how cruel Kidd can be when he wants to. This is not the side that she's used to. Yes, she knows that Kidd's hands are not clean, they have been dirtied by the blood of his enemies, but witnessing it surprised her. His eyes glanced at the corpses for a second, filled with disdain, disgust, and hatred.
Enemies will always be enemies in his eyes. They will be trampled on and only death is waiting for them in his hands.
Sab sighs again, wondering if she will experience the same situation in Kidd, just like the guards in Apoo's base.
"We'll go in and you will come with me. No way will I let you leave this place until I get what I came here for."
"Do not worry. I said I will accompany you." Blue said, following Kidd in the base. They might have killed the guards at the back gate, but it doesn't mean there are no guards at the door. Wire and Heat took care of them with ease, surveying the area as they go along.
Instead of using the door, they found an open window on the left side of the building. Heat will be staying at the back door, waiting for the others while Killer, Kidd, Wire, and Blue will go inside.
Inside, they found themselves in a storage room, filled with bags of powder, probably drugs that Apoo's group will be smuggling. There are boxes filled with firearms and grenades.
"Heh~ Not bad, eh," Kidd whispered while looking at the pile of goods that will be of benefit to him. Killer was about to answer when they heard someone at the door, inserting a key and turning the doorknob open. Alarmed, the four of them quickly find spots to hide.
If they are going to be discovered now, they will be surrounded even before they get to kill Apoo.
"Boss needs that box." One man said.
"Where will we take this?" Another man questioned. Their voices are getting louder in their ears, signaling that they are just right behind them where Kidd and Blue are hiding.
"Upstairs. He's in his room. He'll need these supplies for tomorrow - " Before the man can say anything, Kidd is quick to snap the man's head, instantly killing him.
"You - WE'RE - " Before he can continue, the poor man finds himself in a state of shock, a bullet on his head, then he fell on the floor with a loud thud, and the blood staining the pathway.
"Shouting will only lead you to death," Kidd tells the corpse lying on his feet. "Let's move." He tells his men, taking his gun off his hips.
"Wait. You can't just barge in there. You don't even know how many men there are." Blue voices out.
"Scared?"
"No, but it's ridiculous. You think walking in there, killing all men you come across will lead you to your goal." Revolutionary Army's operations are nothing like this. They won't move against a base or anyone unless they have at least 90% of information - the CCTV cameras, possible escape routes, how many men they will face, anything that can determine the success of their plans.
"There are security cameras inside the building, that's for sure. They might have that installed and any capture will be sent over somewhere else. If, in a chance that they managed to escape, they can use that against you and send you to prison again."
The mention of prison had Kidd growling at Blue. It's a sore subject after all.
Kidd is about to protest when Killer answered.
"He's right. We can't get careless."
"Fine!" His answer is reluctant. "What do you suggest? Wait here till Apoo arrives?"
"No. Scout the perimeters first. I need to find a cable, preferably their - " Blue trails off, eyes darting towards the wall where there's a hanging ethernet cable. "You know what, give me a moment." She walks towards the ethernet cable before taking out a device and directly connects it.
"What are you doing?" Kidd is curious, following his accomplice.
"Hacking. I need to get a hold of the CCTV camera database they have. Hopefully, this cable is still working." She presses a few buttons on the device then, it lights up. "Great."
As soon as it's connected, she dials someone's number on her phone.
"Yes, what do you need - "
"I connected my device to an unknown network. Find out the CCTV camera's database now."
"What the heck? You're calling me to boss me around? Just like that? And where are you anyway?" The person on the other side of the line is Koala, her friend, and subordinate in the Revolutionary Army.
"Doesn't matter. Just do it now."
"You're not doing anything reckless, are you?"
"No. Just do it."
"Fine! Fine! Give me 10 minutes." The line went silent, before Koala came back, shouting profanities at Sab. "What the fuck, Sab?! What the fuck are you doing there?"
"Did you get hold of the database?"
"I did, but what the fuck are you doing there? That's not where you should be!"
"I'll explain later, okay? Just point the data of CCTV capture to an encrypted database, make sure no one can access it. If you cut it off, it will just alarm them." Sab says.
"I know that! You owe me an explanation for this recklessness!"
Sab doesn't answer but just cuts off the line. She will explain this to Koala later and if she's being honest, she doesn't want to.
"We're good to go."
"Is that how you operate?" Kidd asks, raising an eyebrow. "No wonder you are all slippery."
"Not as crude as what you were about to do." She says, snorting at the ridiculousness of barging into the base without so much as plans.
"You're not the one leading this operation - "
"But I am part of it and whether you like it or not, my life is at stake. Can't walk to my death following your lead like a headless chicken when I know you're doing something reckless." It's getting to her nerves that Kidd never thought about the possibilities of this operation failing and how it may affect him or his group.
There are factors which they simply cannot rely on brute strength alone. Sometimes, when moving against enemies, they must use their brains and have contingency plans.
"Somehow, you're starting to piss me off. Your smart comebacks remind me of someone I want to kill." Kidd steps closer to Blue, glaring. "But fine, you have your point. Now, it's time to get this business done." He said, walking past Blue followed by his men.
Sab was taken aback by his remarks. That had been close for her. She almost forgets that she is not here as Sab, but as Blue. For a second, she was reminded of their banters when they were still together.
With a sigh, she follows them, readying herself for a bloodbath that she's about to witness.
===XXX===XXX===XXX===
"Those idiots are taking too long." Apoo was bopping his head to the loud music coming from his headphones as he speaks, referring to the men he sent to get some supplies from their supply room.
A minute later, he takes it off, blinking a few times.
"It's too quiet."
"Huh?" One of his men wonders what their boss is talking about.
"There would normally be footsteps or at least clatters from the ground floor, but it's too quiet." He frowns, not liking what his intuition is saying. He knows his men. They are loud, boisterous even when doing simple errands. Why is it that he cannot hear anything from them? Not even a small sound?
"They might be messing around. I'll take a look." One of his trusted men says, volunteering to go downstairs. He has his gun ready in case something happens.
As soon as the door shuts close, Apoo signals one of his men to lock the door. Their eyes are on the window, overlooking the hallway outside of the main room of the base.
Not even five minutes passed, they heard gunshots from below.
"We're under attack." Apoo's voice is still as calm as ever as if he's expecting this. "Check the security cameras. See who it is." He directs his orders to the person behind the computer.
"It's Kidd and his men."
"Hah! Bold of him to attack me. Does he think he can get rid of me that easily? Have the men from the front attack Kidd and his men."
"Boss, I just discovered, they are killed."
"What?!" Now he shows a shocked expression, panicking a little.
"Shit. How did he get the information of this base?" Apoo immediately had his gun ready, waiting for Kidd to arrive on the second floor. He's standing by the window, surrounded by his men and ready to escape at any given time.
"Boss! There are four of them inside the building. You won't believe who it is they are working with."
"Who?"
"Someone from Revolutionary Army."
"Huh?!" Apoo thinks for a moment. Did the Revolutionary Army sniff out the location of the base? And why the hell would Eustass Kidd be working with them? As far as Apoo is concerned, they have not done any major deals with the World Government that will warrant the Revolutionary Army to act against their group. Given how they are connected with Kaido's group, the Revolutionary Army will be an idiot to initiate a grudge that may result in a war against an Emperor.
So why?
Even if he's racking his brains, he has no time to think about it at all. He's expecting an attack from Kidd one of these days, he just didn't think it will be this soon, much less an attack with a big shot from Revolutionary Army.
Apoo knows Kidd. He's a hot-blooded idiot of a leader. He will confront Apoo in a direct assault which Apoo can defend and with his men here, there's nothing to worry about if it's going to end up with an exchange of gunshots.
"We'll leave this place. Get the data of the CCTV camera. We will use that against Kidd. Hah! Serving in a prison cell for two years is not enough for him, huh? Now, I can use that to press charges. That should put him to prison for good."
"Boss..." The person in charge of the computer is shaking in fear. "I can't."
"What do you mean you can't?"
"You can't access the data, much less save the recording."
"The fuck?!" Apoo is about to rage when he sees the newcomers arrive, standing in front of the see-through glass windows. "Ahh, if it isn't our dear friend, Kidd."
"Fuck you!" Kidd curses, pointing his gun, shooting it at the glasses. "Shit." He mutters when he realized that the glass is bulletproof. "Open that door."
"The moment we open it, they will fire shots at us. There's too many of them!" Killer said.
"Hahaha! You can't open that door even though you want to. It's designed to keep shit like you where you are." Apoo laughs. there are small holes in the window that allows his voice to reach through the hallway where Kidd and his men are.
"I'm not afraid of you shooting us. That is if you will have time to do so before I split your skulls open, Apoo!" To prove his point, Kidd fired his gun at the doorknob, kicking the door open, but it didn't budge. Seems like Apoo is expecting their arrival.
"I told you, you can't open it. You can try till dawn. Works for me since by that time, you will be surrounded and then... bang! Killed." The manic grin from Apoo's face makes Kidd fume in anger. "And you might want to remain where you are. Unless you want your little lover killed."
"Lover? I don't think I ever have one." Kidd scoffs. He knows who Apoo is talking about because he only has one lover that lasted for quite a while, someone he truly loved - Sab.
"Oh? You're not afraid I will kill her?"
"How can you kill her when you're here?"
"I can just press this." Apoo takes out a remote controller with a red button in the middle. "You see, we kept tabs on that bitch. One wrong move from you, I can just press the button and that signals the bomb in her apartment. Ah, she must be sleeping now, then boom! She's gonna be killed."
Hearing this, Sab wants to roll her eyes at them. As if she would let herself be killed just like that. With the enemies she obtained after being a lawyer, she knows there are a few of them that are after her. That apartment serves as nothing more than a facade for her.
But if they planted a bomb in that apartment, she's afraid that the innocent people living in the same building will be caught in the explosion.
"Fuck these people." She mutters under her breath.
"Go ahead." Kidd suddenly says. "Do you think I care if you kill her or not? I want to kill her myself, but if you're going to do me a favor, go ahead. Press it, and see if I care."
Hearing this, Sab's heart beats in pain. To hear it from Kidd, again and again, serves as a knife, stabbing her heart several times.
Apoo is silent for a while before laughing like a madman.
"HAHAHA! Great! Then here!" Without hesitation, he presses the button with no qualms. "With that, we're leaving now. Watch out for the news of her death!" Apoo signals his men to follow him as they jump off the window.
"Shit! Downstairs!" Kidd and his men run as fast as they can to catch up to Apoo and his men. But as soon as they are outside, Apoo and his group are already inside their cars, sprinting away from the base. "Fuck!"
Even though they shot the cars speeding away, its windows are bullet-proof, not letting the bullets pass through.
"Damn it!" Kidd kicks the wall nearby. "We're getting them for this. Blow this place up. Make sure none of their precious items are left. Burn it to ashes."
Sab can only shake her head as he watches this unfold, expecting that somehow, this will not go as Kidd expects it to be. He didn't account for an escape plan that Apoo and his men might have. Now, they slipped away, leaving them in the dust.
"I am leaving. This operation is done. I've brought you here as promised."
"Go ahead. Meet me in our base three days from now. I'll serve the end of the deal." Kidd dismisses Blue without regard, watching the mysterious person leave as they get to work to burn the building to the ground right after they got the valuable items from the room they were in.
"Kidd..." Killer calls out. They just finished getting some of Apoo's items. They're not worth much, but it's still valuable enough for them to consider getting it. Any additional firearms are welcome after all.
"What?" His irritation didn't subside at all.
"That button." He says. "What if it's true that they planted a bomb in her apartment?"
Kidd is silent, not daring to answer.
"Then, she's dead. That's it."
"And you're okay with it?"
"What's with you? The moment I stepped out of that jail, I promised myself I will kill her. If she got killed because of that, then great! That only saves me the effort of killing her myself!" His voice is filled with spite, anger, and frustration.
But deep down, his heart is palpitating, nervous about that bomb that Apoo was claiming.
'If she's dead, then she's dead. No need to get worried' is what he told himself, but his heart speaks otherwise, and he will never admit it.