บท 34: Chapter 35: Desert Shadows and Dangerous Plans
The ships landed at a seaport on one of the islands near the Kingdom of Alabasta. Josh and his group disembarked, taking in their surroundings. With Gem, the bomb man, and Melissa, the gasoline woman, Josh felt his chances against Crocodile were significantly better.
As usual, Gem was busy picking at his nose, a habit that annoyed Josh to no end.
Melissa stretched, her new outfit on display—blue shorts and a short T-shirt with a slit across the chest. Mikita, on the other hand, wore a very short dress, sleeveless but covered by a blue jacket. Gem remained in his long black coat, which he left open over a brown shirt and black pants.
The desert heat was brutal, much like Alabasta. In these conditions, it was wiser to wear long clothes for protection from the sun and sand. The desert wasn't like a beach where one could strip down for comfort.
"Back to the desert again," Josh muttered, feeling the sun's heat slap him in the face.
"I'm not affected by this," Gem said matter-of-factly.
"Strange," Melissa commented. "You should be more worried about me. If it gets too hot, I might catch fire, and everything around me will burn."
"But not you?" Josh asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I've never been crazy enough to test that," Melissa replied, making it clear she wasn't about to experiment.
"Whatever," Josh said. "Let's get moving and discuss the plan."
Gem leapt off the boat and landed on the ground, looking around. "So, what's the plan?"
The first step was to find a hotel and rest. Unsurprisingly, Gem ended up paying for the food and lodging. After eating his fill to replenish his Healing Factor, Josh gathered the group to explain the next phase.
"We're going to annoy Crocodile until he comes out personally. Then I'll handle him," Josh said, withholding the details of his plan for now.
"You're crazy," Melissa said, though she wasn't shocked. Given the nature of Josh's sadistic girlfriend, Melissa figured only someone crazier would date a woman like that.
Josh turned to Mikita. "Go outside and scout from the sky. Let me know if anyone's nearby."
Without hesitation, Mikita leaned in and kissed Josh on the lips before floating out of the window with her umbrella.
"Eww…" Gem rolled his eyes, while Melissa laughed.
"The kiss was good," Josh said, grinning. "And your opinion doesn't matter."
"Who asked you?" Gem snorted.
Melissa smirked. "You probably think it's good because you've never kissed anyone else."
Josh raised his eyebrows at her teasing. "Who knows?"
Gem interjected, "Seems like her punch didn't teach you a lesson." He referred to the fact that Mikita had punched Melissa hard enough to send her flying across the island a few days ago.
Melissa blushed, taking a step back and placing a hand on her chest. "No need to bring that up. I was just testing if our leader was loyal."
Josh leaned back, sighing. This type of woman wasn't unfamiliar to him. In his world, some women would hook up with their friends' boyfriends, only to claim they were just testing their loyalty when, in truth, they wanted something else.
'I hated my internship,' Josh thought with a frown.
Gem and Melissa gave him suspicious looks, which Josh avoided by glancing out the window.
His heart nearly leapt out of his chest when he saw Mikita floating by with an ugly expression on her face. He panicked, thinking she had overheard everything. 'I need to explain that it was just a joke!'
No one wanted a misunderstanding with a sadistic battle-loving blonde.
"Crisis!" Mikita yelled, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Galdino and Marianne are waiting for us on the beach, setting a trap. Our cover's blown."
Josh let out a relieved sigh. "Good, thank God."
"What? What do you mean, good?" Mikita asked, grabbing his shirt and shaking him. "They found us! They're planning to attack!"
"I know," Josh said calmly. "That's why I sent you to scout. Now, did they see you?"
"No…" Mikita shook her head. "I was floating from a really high distance."
Josh turned to Gem. "Galdino and Marianne are waiting for us. The Baroque Works know we're alive."
Gem shrugged. "You were there when I made my false report, and then you threw my Den Den Mushi."
"Which means I'm fucked, too. The boss knows I've betrayed him now," Gem added.
"True," Josh agreed. "Mikita, what are they doing?"
Mikita explained what she had seen—Galdino, aka Mr. 3, was setting up an ambush for them.
It was clear that Baroque Works knew about both Gem and Melissa's betrayal now.
"Honey, I don't know what I'd do without you," Josh said, taking Mikita's hand. 'Probably just figuring out another plan.'
Mikita smiled and nodded, blushing slightly as she felt the strength of his grip.
"Let's just fuck them up on the way," she said with excitement.
"Alright."
-x-X-x-
On their way to Alabasta, Josh decided to change course and dock at a small island he had spotted earlier. It was an isolated place, chosen so they wouldn't fall for any of the traps Mr. 3 had likely set.
It made sense that Mr. 3 wouldn't attack them at sea—no Devil Fruit user would risk that, especially not with Josh, who had the power to blow up ships or burn them down.
"Remind me again how your ability works," Josh asked Melissa as they rested.
"I can produce gasoline from any part of my body. Even my breath can be turned into gasoline. Anything I touch gets covered in it," Melissa explained, holding out her hand as a small amount of gasoline floated in the air.
"And that helps me," Gem added, blowing a small explosion from his mouth. The gasoline in the air caught fire, creating a larger blast.
"I see," Josh said. He raised his voice for anyone listening. "Alright, guys, let's rest here!"
Then, lowering his voice so only his group could hear, he added, "And do it according to the plan."
Josh knew Mr. 3 well enough to understand his reliance on strategy rather than raw strength. They had shared a drink once, along with Daz Bonez, Zala, and Marianne, so Josh had firsthand knowledge of how cunning Mr. 3 could be.
"Nothing personal. We're all professionals," Josh muttered to himself, recalling that night.
As they settled down to prepare camp, waiting for Mr. 3 to make his move, a shadow appeared on the ground nearby.
It was the shadow of a man. Above it, the number three loomed large.
"Let's begin," the shadow said as it started to move.
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