The Fallen Angel And The Demon In Green

Chapter 25: Corporate Curtain Falls

"No problem."

Gatcha

"I believe we've upheld our end of the bargain," Robin stated, her polished demeanour a testament to her experience in dealings with the underworld's most formidable figures.

Luffy sprang forward, his perpetual grin now bearing a menacing glint as he addressed their contact, "Now, call your boss, Douchman."

"It's Doush'e Lam," the emissary begrudgingly corrected, his disgust thinly veiled. He retrieved a small transponder from his suit and initiated the call. "Boss," he began, prompting the Straw Hat crew to lean in, eagerly anticipating the conversation.

Coughing discreetly, the emissary retreated toward the kitchen door for privacy. As the door clicked shut, Luffy immediately turned to Nami, his impatience palpable. "Can we go get Zoro and Iris now?" "So hasty," Usopp commented, used to his captain's impatient nature.

"They are just a couple miles east." Nami, calmed him down, "I've made sure that the marines can't see us, but we are not letting them out of sight."

"C'mon," the rubber-man whined, "We haven't had a fight in a while."

As Usopp facepalmed himself, clearly unamused by the imminent fight, and Luffy's obvious disregard for the risk of the situation, Sanji praised the red-head, as per usual, "Nami-chuan is an excellent navigator! I'm stunned by your beauty my love!"

The chitchat came to a halt when the emissary from the bank, and Robin's old contact from her years with Crocodile, stepped in the room again.

"Mr. Medici is grateful for your service," The man stated, hiding his transponder in his pocket once again.

"And?" Robin, continued.

"He will fulfil his part of the deal, of course." With that, the man seemed to have ended the conversation.

Nami was already walking towards him while sporting her sweetest smile and a convincing, "Can we add just a little something to the deal?" when Robin shacked his hand, cutting her off.

"Good to do business with you," The archaeologist offered. When Douchman accepted her hand, Robin tugged him towards her a bit, a little habit she used when a polite threat was in order. "Send my regards to the Medici's. And remind them of how easy it would be for me to destroy their empire if they cross this crew."

Startled, the man widened his eyes, nodded rapidly, and tried to cover his eagerness to rush to the door. Before leaving, however, he turned to the pirates with a final message, "To be clear, Medici Incorporated has never associated with folk of your kind. And never will. This has never happened."

"Sure, man!" Franky assured him in a mocking tone while the others had similar reactions.

Before the emissary could escape the tense atmosphere in the kitchen, Brook clasped his shoulder with bony fingers that could have given anyone a fright. "Allow us to accompany you to your ship, Mr. Doush'e Lam," the skeleton suggested, gesturing with his other hand toward Sanji, who was lighting a cigarette.

The man gulped but didn't have other option but to agree. The straw-hats were, in his opinion, the same kind of dirt as all the other pirates, but on top of that, they could be really scary. Unfortunately, his opinions don't hold any value when doing business.

Serving as the emissary to such a powerful figure as Mr. Medici occasionally necessitated making clandestine arrangements. While he believed morals had no place in building an empire, the risks of dealing with certain individuals who bore grudges against his boss were always present. And, while his legs suddenly felt shaky, he confirmed that this was clearly one of those dangerous deals.