Alex shuffles around on the couch, awkwardly sitting between Benezia and Tereza, with nchi squeezed onto the rim next to Tereza.
This feels wrong....
“Stop moving,” Tereza says angrily. “It’s already tight enough.”
Fine! I’ll just ignore them.By now, I’m a little used to this... Why are these girls so thick... not that I dislike it, but the setting is rather inappropriate to focus on that. I don’t really feel comfortable yet, especially in public and around Benezia.
Princess Jewel is always close to her Soulmate. ❤️
Well... here is the one exception.
“You should get a larger couch, Mayor. This one is rather small,” Alex complains, unable to hold back.
Iceburg looks a little confused and thinks hard before replying, “Well... if this bothers you, we can go to a conference room. We usually use it to talk about large projects, but... is this really that important right now?”
“Hmmm,” Alex mutters, unable to decide what to do.
Suddenly, he feels everyone glaring at him. nchi leans forward with an amused look, Tereza presses against his shoulder, clearly annoyed, while Jewel doesn’t seem to care at all, lazily relaxing on his head.
Finally, Benezia offers a dry smile.
Feeling her disappointnt, Alex imdiately sobers up.
“...”
“Forget I said anything. Please go ahead, Mayor,” Alex says, trying to steer the conversation back on track.
“Well, Kokoro warned ... the things she’s writing sound a little far-fetched, but I’ve heard similar stories. I can’t imagine the Marines targeting ... why would they? I am not disloyal to the World Governnt. I might be independent, but I am not opposing them at all. She ntioned you’d be willing to support regardless. I must say, I’m baffled. Why would you, of all people, do that? You are wanted pirates with terrible reputations,” he points out, staring at them curiously.
“We’re not bad people! Honestly, all these bounties are fake and totally unjustified. It’s this damn sword and my Reputation that causes fear. People always assu the worst about . Also, little Jewel on my head does not eat people. She prefers to eat chicken, along with fish,” Alex says in a defensive manner.
Princess Jewel does not enjoy eating humans—their blood tastes too much like Iron.
... I keep forgetting she has killed people with her teeth. It’s a little scary if I think about it.
“To be totally honest though,” Alex continues, “we just want to stay here... without trouble. You’re the Mayor, right? And with no Marine base here on Water 7, you’re essentially the only law. I promise you, the only thing we want to do here is relax. We’re a little injured because we nearly got assassinated a few days ago. Probably by the sa people the Marines have recently hired... the very sa people we suspect may ambush you. There is really nothing for you to hesitate about. Just allow us to stay here and don’t target us. I promise you, you won’t regret it.”
Alex activates [Shepard’s Promise R2], tapping into the Paragon side, trying to sound as sincere as possible. “In return, we’ll promise to only hunt wanted Pirates and lay low. We’ll also protect the people of Water 7, who have been very kind to us this far. Our only goal is to earn money for now. In fact, you can even tell us if there are so pirates bothering you, or maybe give us information about criminals. We’ll gladly get rid of them. Perhaps we can cooperate. If you’re interested, we can also offer you protection, if you ever need it... for free.”
Alex suddenly realizes he’s been babbling for quite so ti and hadn’t really thought too much about what he was saying—just speaking from the heart.
“Benezia, is there anything I forgot?” Alex asks, looking a bit embarrassed.
“I think you’ve said a little too much. Let’s give the Mayor a chance to respond. Is that acceptable?” Benezia asks, looking sowhat amused.
“Yeah... I guess so,” Alex replies.
“You’re not in charge?” Iceburg wonders aloud. “I didn’t expect that the Butcher cares so much about his crew's opinion—perhaps the rumors are truly wrong.”
“We are a Team,” Alex replies. “Despite being an absolute genius, I like to discuss things... just to make sure I don’t fuck up.”
“...” Tereza glares at him. “Indeed... Mr. Genius.”
Iceberg laughs heartily. “Well, can’t say I dislike that mindset. It’s quite similar to my own. The really smart people know when to listen to others instead of making rash decisions on their own,” Iceburg replies with a nod. “I don’t see why I wouldn’t accept your offer. Please—if you’re interested in getting rid of criminals, I’m all for it. As for your protection, I’m a little hesitant to accept.”
“You should reconsider your stance,” Benezia says forcefully. “The people that might be targeting you are not to be underestimated. I know so of you shipwrights are quite formidable yourself, but they don’t stand a chance against them. What do you think would happen in the case of your demise? Water 7 would spiral into chaos. Most likely, the Marines—assisted by the World Governnt—would install a mole as Mayor and undo all the progress you’ve worked so hard to achieve. Do you really want to take that risk?”
“...”
Iceburg waits a mont, his eyes dimming as he lowers his head.
“Please... do what you can,” he finally says. “However, I can’t openly hire you. That would taunt the Marines and cause a commotion. I’ll find a way to contact you if I’m in trouble. How can I reach you?”
Benezia smiles. “Did you know there’s a criminal organisation, one trying to take over an entire country, that’s openly operating within your city?”
“What?!” Iceburg yells, startled. “That can’t be!”
Benezia proceeds to reveal how Baroque Works operates, laying everything out in a long, detailed explanation. She only stops once everything has been said. “Do not take any action for now, or our cover will be blown. Just focus on your safety. The ti to act will co soon enough.”
“I... I see. I’ll send soone to your place if I need you. Sadly, I don’t have any money to offer. The city is already in a dire situation. The upcoming Aqua Laguna, which is set to arrive in a month or two, will be devastating. All our resources are being funneled into preparing the city for the consequences. We need to secure our city or the damage will be fatal. The only reward I can offer you is this: I’ll instruct my employees and the businesses here to buy anything you offer—including ships, parts, or materials. Should you be able to acquire ships, I know a few people who can repair and repurpose them. It’s quite a lucrative business, and while I usually don’t condone that sort of thing... if it’s wanted pirates, you’re free to operate however you wish.”
Let try sothing.
“Any leads?” Alex asks. “I’ve heard about this particular organisation called the Franky Family. They seem to be notorious criminals. Can you tell anything about them?”
“I... I have a request,” Iceburg pleads worriedly. “Please ignore them. As far as I know, Franky is lying low—it looks like he lost a bet. The chances of him troubling you are low. Please focus on wanted criminals only. The Franky Family doesn’t even have a bounty, and I really don’t want you targeting them... even though they do have a presence in this city.”
Fine...
“No problem,” Alex replies. “If you’ve got information, you know where we’re staying.”
“I’ll tell Kalifa to refer you to soone. She’ll reach out to him and inform him about you. If I have news or if you need help, feel free to contact the person she refers you to. I’ll also make sure you don’t have any problems moving around the city—at least not from us. I can’t promise anything when it cos to other pirates,” Iceburg explains.
“Great,” Alex says.
That went rather well... not bad at all.
Have we forgotten anything? This is all a little much to take in... but I think we did everything that needed to be done.
It’s best to avoid ntioning CP9 and the four spies they have planted in the city. At least for now. We have already revealed too much.
Anyway, he hasn’t openly hired us as bodyguards, but he’s more or less giving us open access to the city. Also, if anything does happen, he said he’ll get in touch.
More importantly, we can openly hunt other pirates, and he’ll even offer to buy their ships. That’s great. Looks like he’s going all out to support us. Kokoro really helped us out here.
“Any other ideas on how to make so money?” Tereza asks. “We want to buy sothing...” she quickly adds. “It’s really important!”
“I’m delighted to hear that you don’t intend to engage in robberies inside my city,” Iceburg says dryly.
“Well, bounties are definitely the easiest way to earn money—especially for people like you. Maybe so folks will need bodyguards. You can also fish and sell the catch to rchants in our markets. The city needs a huge amount of food, and we export various products too. If you’re willing to travel, there might be even more options available. It all depends on your circumstances. That said, I do have one suggestion for you in particular.”
Alex watches as Iceburg takes out a few bounty posters and hands them over.
“These are so of the worst pirates I know,” he says grimly. “They’ve been a blight on these waters. They’re so-called Super Rookies... and they’ve been particularly brutal.”
Alex stares at the bounties in shock, instantly recognizing so of the people depicted on them.
Really?!
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