In the somewhat empty space, two figures—one tall, one short—stood facing each other. The taller of the two was trembling slightly.
As the saying goes, the greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment.
Sherlock experienced the profound truth of this saying today.
He opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but no words came out. His transparent lenses reflected a stark, white glare, concealing the look in his eyes.
"Hey, hey, hey! Don't look so disappointed, okay? So what if she's flat-chested?"
Rear Admiral Alan stopped smiling. She really hadn't expected the Sorcerer to have such a massive reaction upon hearing this piece of news.
"That's not the reason..." Sherlock pressed a hand to his forehead, his face darkening. "This is what you called top-secret intelligence?"
"Is... Is this not secret enough?!"
Alan's amber right eye widened into a perfect circle as she countered loudly, "Do you think anyone else in the entire Grand Line besides me has ever felt her chest?"
Sherlock was temporarily struck dumb. Put that way, it actually was a highly classified piece of information!
"But even though they aren't big, they still feel pretty good..."
Rear Admiral Alan extended her hand, her pale, delicate fingers curving into a claw-like shape as she squeezed the empty air, a look of reminiscence washing over her face. "Besides, I haven't seen her in years. Who's to say she hasn't had a second growth spurt? Hehehe, so you can rest easy, you little pervert~"
"This is completely idiotic..."
Having finally calmed his nerves, Sherlock let out a long exhale of breath. He really didn't want to discuss this "gentlemanly" topic with this unscrupulous little thing any longer.
"If you have nothing else to share, then I will be taking my leave."
Sherlock gently pushed up his glasses. "I presume you won't go back on your word."
This twin-tailed lolita Marine was truly bizarre, so much so that even the spectacled man couldn't be entirely sure what her true alignment was.
"Ah la la, you can rest assured about that. I promised your companion that I'd let you leave this place, so I absolutely won't stand in your way."
Alan waved her hand dismissively and continued, "But Sherlock, did you know? There are three types of people I detest the most."
"The first are big-breasted women. The second are people who give me orders randomly. And the third..." Alan's tone gradually dropped, her long, mismatched black-and-white twin tails swaying without any wind, looking exceptionally ethereal.
"...Are those who try to scheme against me!"
"!" A sudden sense of danger flared in Sherlock's mind. His pupils contracted sharply, and without a moment's hesitation, he activated his Devil Fruit ability.
—Mirage!
—Finger Pistol!
Almost the exact millisecond Sherlock dodged, accompanied by the sharp screech of tearing air, a pale, delicate finger struck like a bolt of lightning, piercing right through the illusion the Sorcerer had left behind!
"Oh? An illusion? What a fascinating Fruit ability."
Watching the illusion slowly dissipate before her, Rear Admiral Alan retracted her finger. She turned her head toward the Sorcerer, who had manifested his form once again, and said with a chuckle, "To think you could predict my attack in advance. It seems your Observation Haki has grown quite a bit stronger since Alabasta."
The Sorcerer's face was as grim as still water. Judging by the sheer ferocity of that single finger strike, he had no doubt that if he hadn't dodged in time, he would have been done for.
"What exactly are you trying to do?" Sherlock frowned. He suddenly felt that this little creature's level of eccentricity was catching up to a certain turkey-bastard wearing a flamboyant pink feather coat.
"Hehehe, I just suddenly felt like teaching you a lesson on a whim."
Alan's large amber eyes narrowed slightly. A wildly manic smile spread across her delicate, porcelain-doll face, creating an incredibly jarring yet cute contrast.
"And while I'm at it, I'll test her precious little brother's current strength on behalf of your sister. Don't worry, I won't actively use my Fruit ability."
—Shave!
The moment the words left her mouth, Rear Admiral Alan's petite figure vanished from the spot once more. Her movement speed was so fast that even Sherlock's Observation Haki temporarily lost track of her.
"This..." Sherlock froze. This was the first time he had ever encountered such a situation since awakening his Observation Haki.
—Tempest Kick! Two crescent-white slashes crossed into an 'X', hacking down fiercely toward the Sorcerer from above.
Right around the same time that a certain expired twin-tailed lolita was wiping the floor with the Sorcerer.
Inside the Navarone Fortress Control Room.
"Honestly, why isn't Rear Admiral Alan picking up her Den Den Mushi?"
Vice Admiral Jonathan had completely shed his usual lazy demeanor. He hung up the Den Den Mushi, his face as dark as storm clouds.
"Though I ought to trust her as a natural enemy, she is... just far too unreliable."
"Vice Admiral, what should we do now?" Jonathan's adjutant asked cautiously. "Also, regarding Rear Admiral Fred..."
The adjutant swallowed hard. He had deeply wished just moments ago that his ears were playing tricks on him.
"It's obvious. That idiot mistook the Straw Hat crew for the helpers he invited, and the Straw Hats simply played along with his scheme to use him."
Vice Admiral Jonathan pressed a hand to his forehead. Although he had previously realized that the Black Crow harbored ulterior motives, he truly hadn't expected the man to have the guts to hire people for a fake prison break. What was even more infuriating was that, due to Fred's various blunders, the fake jailbreak was well on its way to becoming reality!
"I wanted to play with you all a bit longer, but it seems we've run out of time."
After stroking his mustache and contemplating for a moment, Jonathan barked orders to his adjutant, "Leave the Straw Hat crew alone for now. As long as we hold out until nine o'clock, they won't be able to escape this fortress anyway."
"Increase the personnel searching the central island prison. We must ensure Crocodile isn't broken out. Then, send men to apprehend Rear Admiral Fred and the Sweeper squad. If they resist..."
The bearded Vice Admiral hesitated for a split second, a sudden, cold gleam flashing through his eyes as he continued, "...kill them on sight!"
On the other side, in the inner sea of the G-8 Fortress, a cargo ship was sailing slowly across the horizon. Judging by the ship's appearance, it was precisely the fruit-laden vessel Miss Goldenweek and her two companions had used to infiltrate the fortress.
"It looks like those Marines don't have the time to inspect a suspicious cargo ship like this anymore." Watching the Marine warships pass them by and recede into the distance, Mr. 5 let out a long sigh of relief.
"Those Marines have more important things to worry about. Who would care about nobodies like us?"
Miss Goldenweek twirled her beloved parasol, a faint trace of cheerfulness bleeding into her tone. "Hehehe, we'll be able to escape this place very soon!"
Hearing this, Mr. 4 and Miss Merry Christmas nodded in unison, their previously taut nerves beginning to unwind.
"How could it be that easy?" Paula leaned against the wall, shaking her head as she puffed on a pipe she had dug out from somewhere.
"Setting aside how we're going to open the main gates of this fortress, have you all forgotten?"
Exhaling a frustrated ring of smoke, Miss Doublefinger continued, "Straw Hat Luffy is lost. Their captain isn't even on the ship. Do you think that pirate crew will just leave without him? Don't forget, we're all grasshoppers tied to the same string right now!"
"..." The Baroque Works assassins fell into a collective silence.
"Come to think of it, how on Earth did we lose to them back then? They clearly have such an idiotic captain." The Mole-Mole Fruit user, currently enjoying a massage from Mr. 4, muttered in a low voice.
"Uh, could it be that we were actually the bigger idiots?" Mr. 5 offered absentmindedly while picking his nose.
Silence. The atmosphere in the cabin instantly became incredibly awkward.
The assassins looked at each other, blinked, and then collectively turned their heads away, acting as if they didn't know this booger-flicking bomb man at all.
At the same time, looking at the Straw Hat crew who was burdened with such a disastrously troublesome captain, these former enemies couldn't help but feel a faint surge of sympathy in their hearts.
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