After breakfast, everyone had their own things to do.
Shining was writing a new song.
Brook went to the bar.
Perona and Hina went out shopping.
Kalifa returned to her room with something weighing on her mind.
A relatively simple Crystal Chandelier, fabric curtains, white walls, mirror frames, light fixtures, handles, and other furnishings or decorations featured champagne gold as their main accent color.
Overall, it was a European classic-style residence, similar to her private room on Enies Lobby.
Kalifa sat at her dressing table and faced herself in the mirror.
"...Whew..."
After a soft sigh and a few breaths of hesitation, she took out an encrypted Den Den Mushi and dialed.
"..."
The Den Den Mushi raised its head and stared somewhat blankly at Kalifa. The call did not connect.
This encrypted Den Den Mushi was for their team's internal use, not one issued by their superiors. Its line did not pass through Cipher Pol, connecting directly only to their own Den Den Mushi.
There were only two possible reasons the call had not connected.
Either the Den Den Mushi on the other end had been lost or damaged.
Or Lucci and the others did not want to drag her into this.
"...Idiots..."
She dialed several more times, with the same result each time.
Kalifa pressed her lips together and put the Den Den Mushi away.
Sunlight fell on a group photograph of the band on the table.
The photograph had been taken at Christmas. She, Shining, Perona, Brook, and Hina stood together in the studio's rehearsal room.
In the photograph, Kalifa wore a Santa girl outfit and stood beside Shining, holding a pair of drumsticks and smiling at the camera.
-Her smile in the photograph looked so natural.
Kalifa drew her gaze away from the photograph, stood up,