Kapitel 22: Chapter 23: Dangerous Games with the Demon Child
Josh crouched low, ready to use Shave at any moment.
In front of him stood one of his most dangerous, yet favorite characters: the Demon Child, Robin, also known as Ms. All Sunday, the female partner of Crocodile.
Standing at 188 cm, the tanned woman patted her long, straight hair and smirked while scanning Josh with her piercing blue eyes.
"Well, we have a bad boy here. Mr. 7," she said with a teasing smile.
Josh half-closed his eyes.
The woman in front of him was strong enough to take down a squad of royal soldiers on her own, which meant she could easily crack his neck if she tried.
There was no doubt she could break Josh's bones without effort.
Although she wasn't fully loyal to Crocodile, her choices now might not align with those in the canon.
"What are you talking about?" Josh said with a shrug. "I see one man and two women here. No boys."
"Fufufu..." Robin jumped down from the building and landed in front of Josh, who didn't even flinch. Staring at him, she asked, "Do you know who I am?"
"Someone strong enough," Josh replied, raising an eyebrow.
'Why did they have to make them so tall?' Josh thought as he lifted his head slightly to meet her gaze.
'Alright, worst case scenario, I kick her where it counts and run away with Mikita. If I'm fast enough, she won't be able to activate her Devil Fruit in time.'
It was a risky thought. In the anime, she could grab an eagle man mid-air and take him down. But Josh had to play his cards right.
"Hmm… your eyes show wariness. How am I supposed to trust you?" Robin put her hand under his chin.
Mikita was about to say something, but Josh extended his hand, signaling her to stop.
"How am I supposed to know? You just appeared. I can only assume you're an ally since you know my code name." Josh took a step back, scanning her from toe to head.
He paused slightly as he passed her curvy hips and chest before continuing, "I've never seen you before. Besides Doublefinger, you don't look weaker than anyone. Are you the boss's partner, Mr. 0?"
"Well, you're smart despite your young age." Robin placed her hand on her chest, just inside the slit of her short jacket. "I'm Miss All Sunday. What's your name and purpose?"
"You're the boss's partner; you already know my name," Josh said, sitting down. "My purpose is simple: I want to get my payment."
"Strange. The fact that the princess returned, and you casually mentioned her to the guards, who somehow knew about this deal... It's a little suspicious."
Josh resisted the urge to bite his lip.
He remembered her ability: she could create copies of her body parts, including ears, and place them anywhere. She had probably been spying on them.
However, his previous mentor had taught him that their job required maintaining a poker face. Bullshitting your way out was part of the job.
"I was just teasing them." Josh shrugged. "Mr. 3 uses strategies, and so do I."
Robin smiled and half-closed her eyes. "I'm no expert in mathematics, but what are the chances of that being true?"
"You never played the lottery?" Josh raised an eyebrow.
"I have."
"Did you win?"
"I'm not that lucky."
"Just keep trying. You might win one day."
Robin shook her head. "Enough jokes."
Crossing her arms, a swarm of arms appeared around Mikita and Josh, planted on their bodies.
Josh tried to use Shave, but he immediately fell and rolled a bit. Looking ahead, he frowned as arms were tying up his legs.
"Come on! You surprised me," Robin teased with a small laugh.
"What did you do to him, you Sunday's bitch!" Mikita increased her weight, but Robin conjured enough arms to keep her restrained.
"That hurts my feelings," Robin said gently, looking at them.
She turned her gaze to Josh, who stood up with his arms raised, hands open.
"Fine, fine, you won't believe anything I say." Josh drew a confident smile. "Time for the truth."
A good lawyer, when caught, plays poker.
"So, what's your real purpose?" Robin asked.
"My real purpose? I wanted to draw you out. I heard you were quite pretty, and I was curious. I must say, I'm not disappointed," Josh replied.
Mikita almost shot Josh a glare, but she knew he was just bluffing.
Robin chuckled. "Thanks. But I'm a proud single woman and intend to stay that way. Now, your last chance—tell me the truth."
"Fine, Robin," Josh said casually.
Robin flinched. She hadn't given her real name, but Josh said it like it was common knowledge.
"I'm someone like you," Josh said, crossing his arms before resting his hands on his hips.
"What do you mean? How do you know me?" Robin asked, now visibly curious. It was possible Josh had seen an old wanted poster, but his ability to deduce she was Crocodile's partner troubled her.
Josh hadn't been born yet when her poster was issued.
Josh continued, "You're here to find the right opportunity to stab Crocodile in the back. I'll tell you now: next year, you'll learn his weakness is water."
Robin's eyes widened.
Josh didn't just know her name—he knew her intentions with Crocodile.
"Who are you? Are you after my head?"
Josh confidently pocketed his hands, ignoring the arms still able to snap his neck, and strolled around.
He had her right where he wanted.
With Robin flinching, Josh knew he had won this round.
"My name's Josh. My girlfriend calls me Joshy, so you can't use that pet name." He walked toward her slowly. "As for my background, don't bother asking. I know as little as you. But I know you by many names: Demon Child, Archaeologist, Robin. In the end, you're just being used by Crocodile to help him find the legendary ancient weapons. Am I wrong, Nico?"
Josh's calm demeanor silenced the moment.
Robin's breath hitched. "How do you know that?"
"You're not the only one who reads history or links the strings around them."
Josh looked at a passing cloud before returning his gaze to Robin, whose eyes remained locked on him.
"We might have started off on the wrong foot. Nice to meet you, Nico Robin. I have the same goal as you."
Josh smiled.
He grabbed an arm that had appeared on his shoulder, brought it to his mouth, and kissed it. Robin, startled, stepped back, causing the arm to vanish.
Josh casually sat down near a weapon box while Robin continued to scan him, intrigued.
Robin crossed her arms. A chair made of hands appeared beneath her, and she sat facing Josh.
Leaning forward, she asked, "You've got my attention, young man. What motivates you?"
"The mission," Josh thought.
Robin could see regret flicker across his face.
Josh seemed conflicted, as if he didn't want to be involved in this in the first place.
"My conscience," Josh admitted truthfully. He was carrying out this mission to deliver weapons, but he didn't want real people to die because of him.
Robin, who had spent her life in the underworld since childhood, could tell when someone was lying.
Josh, young and seemingly inexperienced, didn't appear to be lying.
Seeing the regret on his face stirred some sympathy within her—perhaps because her situation in Baroque Works wasn't much different.
But she didn't let that show.
'Well, my internship didn't go to waste. Welcome to law school, where even the best body language readers get tricked,' Josh thought smugly.
Deception was his craft.
Josh then forced a small smile, a smile capable of drawing sympathy from anyone.
"Who would've thought Mr. 7 was such a cute boy. Let me play with your cheeks," Robin teased.
"Thanks," Josh mumbled, scratching his nose.
"You're calling my boy cute?" Mikita growled, still struggling against the arms. First Zala, now Ms. All Sunday—everyone was flirting with Josh.
"Just stating the facts." Robin glanced at Mikita before turning back to Josh. "I have a few questions, though. Like… how do you know what I'm doing? Do you have a Devil Fruit that reads minds?"
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein