Contact

Inside Tsuru's warship, Doflamingo lay in a dimly lit cell wearing shackles. Suddenly, he grinned and said:

"Fufufufufu...

"Instead of going to sleep in the middle of the night, you came here to watch me, old lady. Are you afraid of having nightmares?"

As he spoke, he looked toward a spot outside the cell, where a lean figure sat.

"It can't be helped. The older I get, the less sleep I need."

Tsuru's gentle voice carried a trace of chill as she calmly sipped her tea.

"Rather than disturb those young people who rarely get a chance to relax, I'd rather come see how miserable you look. At least it'll help me sleep soundly."

Doflamingo sneered. "Old lady, you seem quite pleased with yourself."

Tsuru's tone remained even. "We'll reach Impel Down soon. Have you decided who will come save you?"

Doflamingo shrugged and shifted into a more comfortable position.

"Then you'll have to let me contact the outside world first."

"Didn't you make contact already?"

Tsuru raised her head and stared at Doflamingo. A damaged Den Den Mushi appeared in her hand.

"Don't tell me someone else planted this Den Den Mushi on you."

Doflamingo tilted his head toward Tsuru, the mockery at the corner of his mouth deepening.

"Fufufufu... Old lady, as the Marines' Chief Staff Officer, don't be so petty.

"It's just a Den Den Mushi. Why are you so nervous?

"If you found a few more, wouldn't you get scared into having a heart attack?"

Tsuru paid no mind to Doflamingo's provocation and merely shrugged.

"It can't be helped. I'm old, and I don't handle things outside the plan very well."

Doflamingo gave a derisive snort, closed his eyes, and said nothing more.

Tsuru took a light sip of tea, her expression serene as though their conversation had never happened.

Meanwhile, high in the sky, Kane once again dove down from above the clouds with Robin in his arms.

Feeling Robin gradually run out of strength in his embrace, Kane flew straight back to their cabin and gently soothed her.

Yet even though Robin had no strength left, she still clung to Kane greedily and refused to let him pull away.

Kane smiled indulgently and held Robin as they lay down.

"Did you have fun?"

"Mhm!"

"I'll take you flying again tomorrow night."

"Mhm~"

"Go to sleep."

"Don't sneak away."

"Okay, I won't."

"Hehe~"

"Be good. Close your eyes and sleep."

Robin obediently closed her eyes. The blissful smile on her face was so deep it could not be dissolved, and before long, she fell asleep.

Kane looked at Robin's smiling face and thoughtfully tucked in her blanket.

Suddenly, as if she had dreamed of something, Robin's brow furrowed slightly, and the arm wrapped around Kane tightened sharply.

A moment later, as though she sensed Kane's presence, her smile immediately returned, and her arm loosened a little.

Kane quietly watched Robin. As the strange floral fragrance from her body seeped into his lungs, his heart became utterly calm.

Perhaps because she had eaten the Flower-Flower Fruit, Robin always gave off a floral scent, and those fragrances changed with her emotions.

Whenever Robin missed him, she gave off the scent of osmanthus. Whenever Kane returned from going out, he would always smell osmanthus filling the room.

Whenever Robin pressed herself against him without any barriers between them, she gave off the scent of roses, and Kane's blankets would become steeped in that fragrance.

When their passion peaked, Robin was like a blooming tuberose, every drop of sweat like floral dew saturated with fragrance.

But now, Robin gave off the scent of fresh grass mixed with the sweetness of apples. It was the scent of chamomile, capable of swiftly calming Kane's restless heart.

Strangely, though, Robin seemed completely unaware that she could emit floral fragrances. When Kane told her, she even thought he was teasing her to make her happy.

I copied the Flower-Flower Fruit...

Could I be giving off a floral scent too?

Probably not. Cuckoo never mentioned it...

With those doubts in mind, Kane drifted into a deep sleep.

The next morning, sunlight from outside the window fell across Robin's tightly shut eyes, waking her from a pleasant dream.

She did not open her eyes right away. Only after confirming that Kane had indeed kept his promise and had not secretly slipped away did she open them with a smile.

Kane's sharply sculpted profile was the first thing she saw. Robin found his hard, clearly defined features especially captivating; once her gaze landed on them, she could not look away.

As if sensing Robin's gaze, Kane opened his eyes. Their eyes met, and smiles appeared on both their faces at once.

Suddenly, as if Robin noticed something, her face flushed bright red, and her gaze at Kane carried a hint of warning.

"Be gentle."

"...Mhm."

When the refreshed Kane arrived on deck, Hina directly tossed him a plate of pastries and said irritably:

"Monet made these for you!"

Kane caught them in a fluster, kept only one for himself, and fed all the rest to the charging Baby-5 and Kujaku.

"If you keep frowning all the time, you'll grow old."

Kane perched Baby-5 on his shoulders, wrapped an arm around Hina's shoulders, and shook her twice like a close brother.

Hina raised a brow and shot him a glare, but then she caught a faint scent. Instinctively, she took another sniff. It was a pleasant fruity fragrance.

Fruit-scented perfume?

No, it really smells like fruit.

It smells kind of nice...

Hina was startled by her own thoughts and waved Kane's arm away.

Kane simply smiled without caring. He dodged Kujaku's pounce in a flash, casually grabbed her by the back of the neck, and tossed her aside.

"I hate Kane!"

Kujaku shouted and pounced again.

Baby-5 happily rested her chin atop Kane's head, watching with great interest. Just as she covered her mouth and giggled, she noticed Kane secretly stick out his foot while dodging sideways.

Caught off guard, Kujaku stumbled over it. Just as she was about to fall flat on her face, a pair of large hands suddenly slipped beneath her arms, steadily lifted her up, and gently set her down.

Kujaku turned to look, and her face immediately lit up. Her eyes were filled with heart-shaped stars.

"Kane is the best~"

"Stay away from me, pervert."

"No way! Let me smell you!"

"Like hell I will!"

Kane's refusal only stirred Kujaku's ferocity, and she lunged at him with a noisy cry.

Watching the two fool around, Hina felt a wave of irritation. After a flicker of hesitation in her eyes, she reached out and blocked Kujaku from Kane.

Unable to stop herself, Kujaku charged straight ahead, only to smoothly pass through Hina's arm. Yet a heavy ring of iron bars suddenly appeared around her body, binding her tightly.

"No fooling around on Hina's ship!"

Seeing Kujaku sprawled on the ground in shock, Hina felt thoroughly satisfied. Deliberately avoiding Kane's gaze, she strode away.

"I hate Hina!"

Kujaku struggled desperately but could not break free from the iron bars binding her. She shouted at Hina's retreating back, pouted, and sulked.

Kane watched with a grin. Just as he comfortably stretched, the lookout's warning rang out from above.

"Alert! A pirate ship has appeared at four o'clock!"

Kane's expression immediately turned serious. It was time to work.