When Boer returned to Bernia from Marineford, his Superhuman Perception had already spread across the entire city like an invisible net. The familiar streets, buildings, crowds-and the interior of the Earl's Estate Residence.
Then his heart suddenly clenched.
Elena's magnetic field had grown faint and distorted, like a candle flickering in the wind. At the core of that body lurked an unfamiliar, nauseating life-form-white and writhing, like a maggot infesting the inside of a fruit.
Boer's breathing stopped for an instant.
His nails dug deep into his palms, the pain pulling him back from the brink of fury to reason. I can't lose control now. I can't alert them.
He turned, his figure becoming a blur under the propulsion of his magnetic field, sweeping over the buildings above the port and heading straight for the Steel Club at the other end of the city.
Ignoring the staff's greetings along the way, he went straight to the basement.
Pale yellow lamps cast wavering light and shadows on the walls. The smell of paper and ink filled the air, all kinds of history books sat neatly on the shelves, and the faint vibration of the ventilation fan seemed eternal.
Nico Robin lay on the sofa with her eyes closed, her hands folded over her abdomen. Within his Superhuman Perception, Robin's duplicates were simultaneously processing documents in the meeting room upstairs.
She noticed immediately when Boer pushed open the basement door.
Robin opened her eyes, a trace of surprise flashing through them in the dim light. She sat up, smoothly tucked her loose black hair behind her ear, then picked up the velvet cushion on the sofa and rested her chin lightly on it.
"Mr. Boer." Her voice was soft. "What did Marine Headquarters... say?"
Boer did not answer immediately. He dragged over