Chapter 182 - Chapter 184

Amell was sitting inside his office and overlooking the weekly reports coming in from the Gotei commanders. Valerie, he had placed on his knee, and he let her play with his finger while he was doing his duties as the emperor of the Gotei, much to his own displeasure. For many decades, he had been an emperor and towards the desk-side of that job, he felt nothing but abhorrence. From a single moment of carelessness, Valerie shifted her own weight accidentally and fell off his knee. As she was falling some deep-rooted reflexes seemed to activate and she did a little flip in the air and landed steadily on her two feet, only to immediately afterwards fall down on her butt. Amell could have caught her at any time during her little fall, but when he saw what she did, he stopped himself from intervening. "Look at you. A natural-born fighter is what I say." Amell picked up his daughter and placed her on his knee again.

"My little angel is growing up so fast."

********************************

In the kingdom of Alabasta, Robin and Minerva had made quite a comfortable home for themselves. Robin also had a comfortable position inside Baroque Works. She didn't agree with Crocodiles ideas and his way of doing things, but that man had Amell's backing so apparently he was good for something. Minerva, on the other hand, had a little simpler job than Robin. All she was there for was to monitor Crocodile and protect Robin, a job she was very good at, and something she loved doing since she loved seeing Robin mature and grow more powerful by each passing week.

"Why did you invite me here?" Robin with her hooded cloak covering her body and half of her face looked around at the tattooed skinheads sitting spread out around the bar. Minerva who did not care to conceal her female form shot Robin a curious gaze. "To discuss Crocodile, of course. Also, I was very thirsty." Her smug smile perfectly reflected her playful mood and she signalled the cold-blooded-looking bartender with her index and middle finger.

"I'm not thirsty!" Robin glanced at the bartender that was pouring two drinks into mugs and placing them on the bear-stained wooden tray that sat on the counter. "Don't be ridiculous, you can't talk business without some alcohol in your body. Didn't your grandpa teach you anything at all?" Minerva gave her a disapproving look before throwing her feet up on the round table and leaned back on her chair. "You're going to invite certain trouble if you keep acting like that!" Robin pulled a little on her hood as she felt those hungry gazes burn into her body. Her naturally seductive voice coupled with the natural curves that her cloak was unable to hide had already attracted the interest of the rough-looking men sitting around the bar.

"I do invite it!" Minerva looked at the table over her shoulder and caught the sneaky gazes of the men sitting around the broken-down table. "You want me? How about you grow some balls and come and get me!" Her provocation worked wonders as the last thing you should do is insult a man, especially in this place.

"You don't know what you're asking for, little lady!" A quick kick from the leading man and the chair behind him went flying across the room. The floor creaked under their heavy steps as they approached and slowly surrounded the table where Robin and Minerva sat comfortably. The confidence of the leader wavered slightly after seeing how calm Minerva was. Why would a lady with such nice proportions and with a face that could pierce the heart of every red-blooded man not be afraid?

"I highly suggest you not to do this, gentlemen. There is no fighting allowed inside the walls of this bar, and starting this endeavour will garner you nothing but loses." After years at sea, and many more years with Crocodile, Robin had an eye for zeroing out the small percentage of scumbags that were capable of rational thoughts. "Abandon your current path and you might live to see tomorrow." Her words struck deep with the leader of the ruffians, but not so much with his crew.

"Shut up, Bitch! You will pleasure me tonight!" The man stood diagonally behind Robin to the left side of her left-side shoulder. He made a quick and drunken attempt to pull down the black silken hood covering her face. Instead of managing to grab hold of the hood, a large, sweaty and warm-blooded hand took hold on the man's wrist. The bartender stood beside the man with his beer-stained try resting comfortably on the palm of his hand. "No fighting allowed!"

"Let go of me, old man!" The stoic expression on the face of the elderly bartender hardened and he tilted his head to the side to dodge the incoming fist of the drunken youngster. Despite how he was balancing the beer tray, he did not spill one drop. When the fist went flying by his face he grabbed the youngster by the throat, and through a forceful pull he brought the boy's head down to meet his knee close and personal. Blood went flying and so did one of the youngster's teeth. As he fell down, Minerva pushed off against the table and did a small. concise and accurate mid-air flip. She landed between the two men behind her, one was the somewhat rational leader while the other one was a nervous-looking kid, not any older than eighteen. "Boo!" She delivered a quick backhanded slap to the kid making him fly across the room and smash into the bar counter in the front of the room.

"Minerva! That's enough now, don't you think?" The princess of the Gotei came forward with a harsher tone than before, the old bartender placed the mug at the table in front of her in an orderly manner. "You heard her! Get out, all of you!" He yelled in his raspy, smoke-infused voice while glaring around at the men still left in the bar.

"What's with you, Old man? We ain't done nothing," A couple of kids sitting a few tables away in this dimly lit basement room were enjoying the show, that was until they were asked to leave. "You either leave now. or you'll leave in ten minutes with no balls attached to your third leg!" He looked around the room, and his words began to take effect. Everyone started to leave, though not willingly so the old man got many death stares that he simply dismissed.

"Thanks," Robin glanced up and looked at him as her beautiful eyes pierced through the darkness of the overdrawn hood. The bandit leader ran off to get the kid Minverva had almost killed with a simply backhanded slap. His crew followed closely behind, but not before looking at her one last time and committing her to memory.

"Erh, a bunch of dumbass kids. If you hadn't started it, they would have. Those boys are young and hot-blooded, they have a hard time keeping their dicks inside their pants when they see even the lowest levels of beauty." He gave Minerva her drink and walked back to the bar.

"And what about you? Wouldn't you like to throw me in bed and dominate me?" If the youngsters that just left the bar saw how Minerva was licking her lisp towards the old man they might have lost control. She waited for a sizable reaction, but she got none from him.

"You're a beautiful lady, young girl, but in my old age I've learned that I would much rather share the bed with my fellow man instead." He smiled like an old fox as he stood leaning against the counter as he was looking at them.

"I did not see that coming!" Minerva chuckled and Robin simply kept her silence.

"Few ever do!"

"I would imagine so!" Minerva drank half the content of the mug in one go. She slammed it down on the table and released a loud burp. "So, you have the report from HQ?" She looked at the old man and he nodded.

"Apparently phase one is done. When your finale evaluation of Crocodile comes in, the Gotei and Lord Amell can start to move for real!"

"Shouldn't be too long now. That sandman shows some real promise, and a surprising amount of loyalty towards us." She drank the last of her beer and laughed quietly to herself. "The future is looking bright now, I can't wait until I get to see the stupid expressions on those elders faces when they realise that they lost before the fight even started."

"Indeed, it will be fun to see!" He said and joined in on the laughter.

------------------------------------

End