[Episode] A perfectly good reason to panic.

"WHO DO YOU...”

”...THINK I AM?”

"And thanks a bunch for the loan. I'll be sure to return it before I leave." A tall and well-built man exited the ornamented building with a garnished sign swinging above the door that named it "Desert's Wealth Bank". A hot gust of wind blew the tattered black cloak behind his shoulders, flapping and whipping it as it would a flag.

Nanohana, one of the most popular entry points into the Alabasta Kingdom, was like an ant-hill: crowded and chaotic to an outsider, yet entirely organized and aligned to one practiced to it. The streets of the marketplace were bustling regardless of the time of day. The friendly faces walking past the man did not help the irritated expression on his face. He had not had an ideal journey from his previous stop to this port town.


The man in the black cloak and baggy pants walked shirtless along the desert shore-line, enjoying the salty breeze and the cool air of a dawning sun. His red-brown hair, which appeared almost orange in the morning’s hue, was swept back behind the ears, and barely flowed along with the wind. As he reached a craggy beach, he heard some high-pitched voices that almost sounded cute to his ears. ”Haaaiyaaaaaaaaa!” He had detected the presence of living beings in the vicinity from a ways off, however, he did not imagine the source to be what it was.

A seal-like creature, with a turtle-esque shell and a head that made it appear as if it wore a forest-camo toque, jumped out from behind a rock outcropping. The man had heard of these creatures, named “Kung Fu Dugongs”, who would challenge passers-by to duels. The man snorted, and then burst out laughing, as he watched the creature swing his fists swiftly in the air as a challenging gesture.

”Gahahahahahahaha! Isn’t it a bit early in the morning for you to be waylaying people?” The dugong babbled nonsensically, as if it were imitating human speech, and then suddenly leaped at the man. The man, still chuckling without end, simply held up his hand in front of him with his middle-finger folded under the thumb, then flicked it with enough of a jerk to create a sonic boom. If the noise itself weren’t enough to scare off the fighty creature, the middle finger’s flicking motion ended with its tip clapping against the dugong’s forehead, sending it flying at least thirty feet back into a wall of rock. The creature’s eyes hazed as it fell into the sand, unconscious.

The man grit his teeth and scratched his head in embarrassment. ”Oh crap. Sorry! Didn’t mean to hit you that hard.” Out of concern, he approached the little seal, only to be jumped on by hundreds of its comrades, who were likely hiding behind the tall sandpile. He had completely ignored their presence, and was taken aback by their sudden appearance. Tens of dugongs piled themselves on top of him, pinching and pulling on his clothes, hair, skin and just about everything. The man struggled for a while, trying to rip them off of him one at a time, but there was no end in sight.

”ENOUGH, YOU LITTLE SHITS!!!!” The man, clearly irked by the buggers, whipped his arms to his sides, causing all of the creatures to peel off of him and go flying in different directions around him. Fuming, he stomped off along the beach, leaving the dugongs to pick up after themselves.

He had heard from the stories of Kung Fu Dugongs, that anyone who defeated them would be seen as their master. The man had little time to serve such a cause, and did not wish to be any more belated than he already was.

As he heard the voices of the sturdy creatures, who were now chasing after him, he sprinted with a speed that left a large gust of wind, sand and pebbles flying in his wake.

The sun was just starting to peek from the horizon, when he reached the outskirts of Nanohana, the sun-beaten port town of Alabasta Kingdom. Just then, his hand felt the emptiness around his metallic belt, causing his eyes to open wide with surprise. ”Those… little…!” He did not know whether his coin purse had simply fallen off in the commotion earlier, or if one of them had swiped it intentionally. Either way, he had a use planned for that wealth, and needed to recover it one way or another.


As he walked along the street, he fondled the coin purse that he had just borrowed from an old acquaintance. The acquaintance was the owner of a local bank, and happily agreed to help out the man in his hour of need.

The man’s fingers lazily dropped away from the pouch, his thoughts wandering off to the events from earlier that morning. The frown on his face grew, but at the same time, a chuckle slipped from between his teeth, mocking his own carelessness. Lost in the plane of his thoughts, he accidentally bumped into a man, who apologized graciously. He returned the courtesy and bowed, ”My mistake, I wasn’t paying attention.”

He continued to make his way through the crowd, his fingers feeling the urge to caress the precious wealth that he had just borrowed. But, to his dismay, the fingers felt emptiness once again.

”Oh hell, not again!” He slapped his forehead and quickly turned around, knowing exactly when he may have lost that purse. In the distance, he noticed a wide-brimmed hat floating above the crowd. It was doubtlessly the man he had bumped into earlier, the one that most likely stole his pouch. ”HEY! You in the suit! Stop right there!”

His shout roared above the voices of the street, causing him to draw the attention of onlookers, who then began to search for the person who was the target of the man-in-black’s challenge.

"APOLOGIES, MAXWELL.”

”I'm sorry for having taken so long to reply to your post. I have now completed my character's techniques, along with all of the other stuff required for a complete character, and should now be able to post replies very quickly for the most part. Apologies for any inconvenience, and I hope you haven't lost interest in the thread.”

The gaze of the man-in-black pierced through the crowd, landing aggressively upon the man-in-the-suit’s. However, from his peripheral vision, and the obvious murmurings, he could tell that any confrontation with this audience may lead to unwanted results. The man had his own reasons to keep himself under the radar, and he could not risk losing that anonymity, even for a pouch of gold. But, he considered the consequences of losing that gold, and he could think of nothing decent. And so, he decided to change his approach.

Rather than accusing the man with his suspicions outright, he started walking towards him with a relaxed posture, doing his best to not raise any alarms among the spectators. ”Ah yes, you sir! I’d like to buy you a drink! I’m sure you’d love one!” He spoke these words to his target with an obviously fake smile, his irritation pouring through the corners of his lips, and his temples, as they twitched. However, to the busy audience, the show was over. No one wished to waste time on some idiot asking a stranger out for a drink. ”What a moron, drinking this time of the day,” said one of the passers-by, before he shook his head and walked on.

The man-in-black’s gaze remained fierce, and did not flinch away from the man in the suit. He wanted to be very clear of his suspicion towards him, allowing him no doubt as to his intentions of avenging himself. The man may have been playing the innocent, but the man-in-black had enough confidence in himself, that he would not allow the pouch to be stolen from under his nose, unless the thief had made actual contact with him as pretense. And since he had left the bank, only the man in the suit fit that description.

And so, he walked until he was standing right in front of the gentleman, if the gentleman had not moved. Towering above him with almost four feet of an advantage in height, he loomed over the moustached man, his fake smile showing teeth. ”Start walking,” he said under his breath, barely loud enough for the other man to hear him. If the man-in-the-suit were to obey, the man-in-black would start leading him from behind through the crowded street, nudging him if a turn was to be made.

His aim was to, indeed, go to a tavern. But, it was certainly not with the intention of buying the man a drink.

"WHO DO YOU...”

”...THINK I AM?”

The man-in-black’s steps remained heavy, tailing the man-in-the-suit with a determined gait, after having threatened him into a stroll. The man-in-black noticed the hesitation in the shorter man’s voice as he reluctantly marched ahead. But, fortunately enough, the man had not outright resisted, leading the man-in-black into a chase.

The man, strangely enough, managed to put a convincing smile on his face as he introduced himself. Though his aversion from eye contact was rather suspicious. But, that was no admission of guilt. Not that the man-in-black needed a confession, as he was bloody certain he had the right man.

To further the mind-games that the man-in-the-suit may have been playing, the man-in-black decided to put on a wide smile, this time more genuine and relaxed than the one he had when he'd invited his walking companion for "a drink". "Oh yes, Tony-san, we will make for great friends.” Not returning the courtesy of sharing a name, the man-in-black’s kind smile turned into a sly and mocking one.

Having heard the tale of the man-in-the-suit, Tony as he called himself, about how he was visiting a Marine Captain in Alabasta, the man-in-black burst out laughing, stopping dead in his tracks while keeping a firm grasp on Tony’s shoulder with his robotic hand. ”Gahahahaha! Your friend must be here on vacation then, Tony-san, seeing as how there are no Marine bases or outposts in Alabasta.”

The man-in-black had visited Nanohana many times before, and knew very well that the Navy and the World Government had very little influence in Alabasta, despite the Alabasta Kingdom being a member of the World Government. And one of the few reasons why he could walk around leisurely, without much concern for being recognized as an outlaw, was because Marines did not occupy the cities or the countryside. He did not wonder why. Water was scarce and dirt was plentiful in Alabasta, and that was enough reason for any normal man, woman or child to want to be as far away from the place, if they had not grown up in such misery.

They were now standing in a more isolated street. The buildings around this bend were ill-maintained, and only shady folks lurked outdoors, sitting on broken porches and smoking heaven-knows-what in their makeshift pipes. The man-in-black continued in his snarky tone from earlier, ”Maybe we should invite your friend for a drink. You can tell him all about your new mate, but more importantly, about how you have been misbehaving.” The clever smirk disappeared from his face, replaced by an angry frown. He held out his right hand, while glaring violently at the well-dressed man, his grasp on the man's shoulder still firm. He was done playing games. He had somewhere to be, and time was as valuable as that bag of green. ”Or you can return my belongings, and we’ll let it go.”

The man-in-black had kept his robotic hand clamped on Tony's shoulder for two reasons. One was, as he would expect, to keep him from attempting escape, and the second was to keep him from transforming, if he had such power. The man-in-black's robotic finger-tips were made of sea prism stone, which would weaken a Devil Fruit user, and possibly disallow the use of his powers entirely. The hand on the shoulder was as much a test of Tony's powers, as it was an open denial of escape.

"WHO DO YOU...”

”...THINK I AM?”

There was little doubt in the man-in-black’s mind that Tony was trying to weasel his way out of a misused bluff. But, for a brief moment, the suited man had him nearly believing his claim of being a mere doctor, on an altruistic mission to save lives. It was interesting how his voice could tell such convincing lies, while his nervous expressions betrayed the truth behind every word he spewed out.

But, all it took was that one slip of the tongue. Any lingering hesitation that the man-in-black may have had, about possibly threatening an innocent man, was wiped completely. A satisfied smirk invaded his mouth, rejoicing his victory over the accusation. However, regardless of his success in catching the thief after-the-act, the man-in-black hoped to settle it peacefully. But the tone that Tony was taking after his blunder, only seemed to mimic compliance. As Tony’s hand slid into his pocket to retrieve his “gift”, the man-in-black’s eyes tracked it attentively. And the moment he noticed the butt of a pistol being unsheathed from behind the layer of his coat, the man-in-black’s right hand quickly swiped in between them, attempting to grab the pipe of the pistol in order to move its target off of his own body.

If he were to successfully divert the pistol’s aim, the man-in-black’s smirk would only widen. He would then go on to chuckle contemptuously, and shake his head. ”Oh you really shouldn’t have done that, Doctor Chopper. And I get the feeling you wouldn’t have, if only you knew my name.” But, the man-in-black did not care to disclose his identity. At least not to someone he so clearly could not trust. The man-in-black, with his right hand still firmly grasping at the pistol’s pipe, would now release Tony’s shoulder from his robotic arrest, and then quickly cock his left arm back, before launching it towards Tony’s face. However, he would pull his punch just enough to leave the man barely conscious, if it was to hit him.

[Laundry Day]

If the punch was landed successfully, it would send the smaller man flying and spinning vertically ten meters back along the thoroughfare, landing in the dirty sand in nothing but his undergarments. This attack would cause his clothes to strip themselves off of him as he jetted through the air. And then, the man-in-black would start walking towards the scattered clothes, emptying every pocket he could find in search of his valuables. And in this expedition, if he were to run into any other items, he would ponder over them while inquiring without expecting an answer, ”Does even a single one of these things belong to you? Or did you steal it all?”

"WHO DO YOU...”

”...THINK I AM?”

The man-in-black continued to rummage through the scattered items, squinting at the vials and syringes that had fallen unshattered, safely cushioned by the small dunes of sand. He eyed the feminine jewelry that lay, shining from the desert sand, frowning towards the bloody man. But, when his head had turned towards the thief, he was surprised to see the wound that he’d no doubt left him, already bandaged and on the mend. His eyebrows shot up, as he inquired curiously, ”So, you weren’t lying about the doctor bit, huh?” Just then, his eye caught on to the pouch of money that he had been searching for, recognizing it by the sigil of the Desert’s Wealth bank: a gold coin transforming into sand, or the other way around, as the bankers would have their clients believe.

A relieved smile revealed itself on his lips, as he sighed, shaking his head just barely. He squatted down to more closely examine the pouch, before turning his gaze towards Tony again. The smile of relief transformed into a smirk of triumph. ”Oh they’re your hard-earned belongings, are they? If you pick-pocketing me counts as hard work, then me punching you should count as harder work, no? I think I deserve to be paid for this hard work you put me through. And I’ll be charging you exactly two hundred and fifty thousand berries for it.” He said this while picking up the pouch off the sand, slapping off any residual grains of dirt that may have stuck to it, before tying it to his belt in its rightful place.

Having retrieved his debt, he diverted his attention towards Tony’s newly discovered skills. He had set off towards Nanohana for a reason, and that money had been an important part of it. However, the man-in-black had now found himself a possible alternate means to solve his problem. He looked towards the man in his undergarments, who tried to wear his garb with false pride, even in his state. And having let this sorry image sink in, the man-in-black burst out laughing. ”Bahahahahaha! Put on your clothes, Doctor Tony. And tell me, do you only fix broken and bloody noses, or do you have any experience with exotic diseases as well?” The man-in-black had never been one to hold grudges. And after having avenged himself, it was all the more reason for him to move on from the fact that he had been slighted. He had found a man who may very well be the cure to his ailment, depending on his willingness.

He began to walk towards the injured man while picking up only his clothes, leaving any items that may have fallen on the sand to simply bask in the burning sunlight. He handed him his garments, nodding affirmatively, while waiting for the man to respond to his query.

"WHO DO YOU...”

”...THINK I AM?”

It had been a long journey to Alabasta from his previous stop, especially since he walked the entire way. Walking across half the world, even at his pace, can take quite a long time. And the weather and the dwellers of the sea did not always tolerate his intrusion. The reason why he had to abruptly end his stay in his previous location was due to an urgent call for help.

The man-in-black had returned to Alabasta to save a life. But, he did not have the ability to help in the manner that he would have liked to. The pouch of cash was not his first option. His initial choice had been to reach out to an old acquaintance, who had unparalleled skills in the medical field. However, circumstances did not avail him of that option, as he found out that the man he sought had already passed. All his other contacts in the medical profession were too far off for him to reach them in time. And even if he had, there was no certainty that he could convince them to accompany him. Hence, he had brought with him what little money he had in his pocket, which would be the fee for a local doctor.

He did not feel at all comfortable with this decision, as he knew very well that he had been contacted for external help. The money he had may not have been nearly enough for an advanced treatment, even from a local doctor. But, regardless, he hoped to convince one on behalf of the family he wished to help.

And now was his chance. He had met a man, though entirely dubious and untrustworthy, who was clearly a talented medic. The man-in-black may not have believed in fate as much as he would’ve liked to, but even he could not let a chance like this pass by. However, his main concern was how he would convince that man into helping him for nothing in return. The doctor was clearly a self-centered and egotistical man, judging by how arrogantly he spoke of his skills. Or perhaps it was well-earned pride. Either way, the man-in-black could not afford to make a half-hearted plea, if he was to ask for his help.

And so, his superior and snarky demeanor reversed entirely, as he dropped to his knees and bowed his head, slamming his forehead into the sand while his hand jammed the coin purse to his side. His tone in the words that followed was of a man that begged for life. But, it was not his own life that he was begging for. ”My name is Gray Starks. I’m not the carrier of this disease. Someone I cannot allow to die is the one who needs treatment. They don’t live far from here; only a few hours’ walk along the coast, in a village. If you really are as skilled as you say, and are willing to take a look, I promise to entirely forget this whole incident, and will even let you keep this money.” His voice shook just slightly, and his gaze remained fixed on the sand below him, as he questioned his own sanity for begging the same man for help who he had just punched in the face only minutes ago. But more than that, he questioned the wisdom of having revealed his identity, only hoping that four years had been long enough for his name to have faded from memory.

"WHO DO YOU...”

”...THINK I AM?”

There was very little Gray would plant his head in the dirt for; especially before a man whom he did not entirely respect. But, he was not the kind of person to hold back when he did indeed bow before someone. His sudden request was likely already pathetic enough for the man before him to overcome much of the dread Gray had imposed upon him earlier. There was no reason then, for Gray to try to maintain any sense of pride, which could wrongly come off as arrogance.

The honey-drenched words that came out of Doctor Tony’s mouth lacked a core in their sincerity, or so Gray felt from the man’s attitude. But, what Gray could not mistake was the slight hesitation he had spotted in the doctor’s response, when he had revealed his name. Gray was nearly certain the man, now back in his dusty suit, had recognized his name. And the greedy monkey seemed like the type who would use acquaintance with infamy to his advantage some day.

When the doctor accepted Gray’s request, despite adding a term to the proposed contract, Gray happily raised his head, a genuine smile painted on his relieved face. He did not provide a shred of resistance when the doctor retrieved the coin purse from his hold, but he had little doubt that the man would fabricate an excuse to charge him a fortune in “additional costs”, as the wealth within that purse was likely not nearly enough for the man who oozed ambition and avarice. But, that did not matter to him, as long as the doctor had the ability to save the life that he was indebted to. Gray then rose from the dirt, grains of sand stubbornly clinging to his forehead. He wiped the dirt above his brows with the back of his right arm, before flicking the sand away. And then, after slapping his hands together twice to be rid of the remaining dirt, he offered a reaffirming handshake with his fleshy-hand to seal the deal. ”I will be eternally grateful for your services, and I promise to make it worth your while, if you manage to succeed in this endeavor.”

Regardless of whether the doctor would accept the handshake, Gray would then reverse his direction, beginning the trek towards their new destination. As they would exit the dirty neighborhood, Gray would hear some doors closing, making him wonder if anyone in the vicinity had eavesdropped on the revelation of his identity. But, even if they had, Gray did not give any credence to their ability of making this fact known to the world without the world believing it to be fiction.

As the pair would now plow slowly through the crowded outskirts of Nanohana, Gray would initiate small talk with his companion. ”So, Doctor Chopper, what did you really come to Nanohana for?” A slight mocking smirk had returned to his face, thoroughly suspecting the man’s story about him visiting a vacationing marine.

"WHO DO YOU...”

”...THINK I AM?”

No matter how hard the doctor tried to sound sincere regarding his altruistic motives for being in Alabasta, Gray could not swallow a word of it without suspecting its authenticity. And he did not veil his doubts with pleasantries, even if it would have been wiser to shower the doctor with flattery in order to solicit his unrestrained services. ”Gahahaha. I don’t think I’ve ever been pick-pocketed before by a man who was on such a selfless mission.”

He looked towards Tony with a calm smile on his face, accented with a gaze that oozed sarcasm. ”It’s an insult to your own being when you pretend to be someone you’re not. Own up to your faults, Doctor Chopper. Very few people are truly so selfless in this world, and those who are, often meet unfortunate ends. I’m sure you value your life too much to meet such an end.” His voice betrayed signs of a threat, even if he didn’t intend to make it so. This threat however, did not originate from him. It was more a warning to the deceptive doctor, on behalf of the entire world. Most of those whom Gray had known to have used deception as a close ally, had perished in the most gruesome ordeals, had they not the strength to face them head-on.

As they shuffled through the streets, Gray paid mind to every slight movement that the doctor made outside of his expectations, still doubtful of his promise. However, he maintained a nonchalant posture, not allowing his watchful eye to become obvious. The black cloak he wore over his shoulders flapped and fluttered behind him like a flag, as another strong gust of wind blew over the city, bringing an unexpected noise along with it.

”Purupurupurupurupuru. Purupuru-kaccha” It was a transponder snail that accessorized his robotic arm, appearing from within its containment inside the arm at the press of a button. ”Gray-san! Gray-san! It’s my mama, she just vomited blood. Where are you?!” Gray’s brows furrowed tightly into a frown, and his teeth grit hard against each other, showing a frustrated scowl. He yelled out in response, not caring if it disturbed the neighboring citizens. ”Hold on Ojas! I’ve got a great doctor with me that’ll know what to do. Just stay by her side for a few more hours. We’re on our way from Nanohana now!” The transponder snail then retreated back into his arm, leaving no signs of its existence. Gray now frantically glanced around his surroundings, before his eyes stopped on a pair of saddled camels, hitched to a water trough outside of an ornamented rug shop. He turned to Tony and forced a smile, his concern still apparent. ”Since you’re no stranger to theft, how about becoming my partner-in-crime?” Without waiting for a response, he sprinted to the camels and lead them quickly by their bridles after unhitching them. The camels bleated and stomped in retaliation at first, but a firm glare from Gray’s eyes tamed them almost entirely, causing them to obediently canter after him.

He handed the reins of one of the camels, with a creamy brown coat and drool hanging from its mouth, to Tony, while he climbed on top of the other. The quickness with which he hijacked the camels drew the attention of passers-by, doubtlessly spawning suspicion in their minds. However, he ignored the reactions of anyone around him. Whether the doctor would accept the reins without hesitation or not, he would then jump onto his camel, who wore a droopy green shade of a coat, and had entirely unfocused eyes. He then kicked off, whipping the reins, while digging his heels lightly into the large animal’s side. The camel rushed through the crowd, splitting it in half as it moaned and stumbled incoherently through the sandy streets of Nanohana. Gray aimed to approach the docks to the south, before turning east towards the village, deciding to follow the more beaten path this time.

"WHO DO YOU...”

”...THINK I AM?”

The incoherence in the camel’s sprint had entirely been overlooked by Gray as they hurried clumsily through the afternoon market traffic. His eyes and humour were instead drawn by another’s lack of coordination. As the doctor was hilariously dragged through the roasting dirt, he couldn’t help but let out a roaring guffaw, his eyes darting between the bungling rider and the pedestrians in front of him. But, he was noticeably impressed to see the doctor quickly reverse his predicament by invading a proper stance and deftly adjusting himself in the ill-mannered saddle.

As they exited the market, the camel’s quick-paced canter matured into a full gallop, piers of the docks whizzing by to their right as their heading honed sharply towards the east. As their path now lacked many obstacles, his head turned halfway towards his tail as he spoke. ”Allow me to at least name you a few symptoms of your patient that I’ve been informed of.” He tilted his head, spitting out a few ends of his hair that the wind blew into his mouth whilst speaking. ”When the child first contacted me, he had claimed his mother had fainted suddenly, and had noticed her skin yellowing slightly. Later, they also noticed swelling of her legs, and occasional pain when urinating.” He sighed as his expression turned grim. ”I’d seen similar symptoms before in a friend of mine many years ago. But, I couldn’t save him in time. I can’t let that happen with this woman, Tony. Don’t pull any punches when treating her; I’ll know if you do.” His gaze turned into a firm glare, before he turned it forward again, kicking his heels into the sloppy camel as it stumbled along the deepening sand.

The camel, this whole time, had been leaving a trail of saliva in the air as its tongue hung out of its mouth gawkily. It mooed and grunted pointlessly, as if only for the sake of making noise. But, it never resisted Gray’s prodding as he hurried it across the desolate dunes that they were now entering. The coast remained close to their right, but with enough distance for the parching heat to defeat the pleasant breeze of the sea.

After an interim of silence, where he may have been paying attention to any preliminary theories the doctor might’ve had, he recalled their previous conversation, responding to Tony’s final words before they were interrupted. His eyes remained fixated forward, his confession targeting his companion regardless. ”You are right, y’know. No one is the hero of their own story. The world doesn’t care to see your attitude towards it before dealing its will. Most of us live a meaningless existence, running from one plate of food to another.” He turned his head again towards him, and smiled slightly. ”But, you could say I’m one of those fools who’d rather starve than steal another man’s plate. My conscience seems to have a bigger appetite.” He would likely sound hypocritical to the cynical doctor, and that impression would not entirely be false. After all, he was a criminal far removed from being a true altruist, considering his own past nefarious deeds.


”We found him.” A tall and heavily robed man spoke rigidly into a transponder snail which had a metallic jaw and a piece of cloth across its left eye. His voice was muffled only slightly by the pig-faced mask he wore. His sharp eyes almost shined through the eye-holes in the mask. A smooth yet commanding voice responded through the snail. ”What’s his status?” The pig-faced man responded firmly. ”We spotted him just as he was bowing his head and offering a pouch, which looked like it contained money, to a man in a suit. We have reason to believe that the man was Richard Maxwell. A big-time surgeon, who was supposedly driven out for malpractice. He has a bounty of 74 million. Could be useful.”


The responding voice retained its authoritative nature. ”Capture the man without alerting the Conqueror. Do not engage Starks if you can avoid it. If you have no choice but to fight him, you stall him while Snake gets the other one. We need more information of his current status. If this doctor is a contact of his, find out what he knows. Dispose of him afterwards. Understood?” The robed man nodded obediently as he responded. ”Got it. We’ll rendezvous with Bear at the ship once we’ve captured the target and immediately set sail. I’ll contact you then.”

The pig-faced man turned to another robed man who wore a snake hood, shorter and much thinner than himself. The smaller man had stood beside him for the entire long-distance conversation. They simply nodded to each other and quickly vanished from their location, presumably chasing after their objective.

"WHO DO YOU...”

”...THINK I AM?”

The hot desert wind blew sand along their path, quickly removing traces of their trail behind them as their footsteps faded from sight. ”Don’t patronize me, doctor.” Gray’s voice had regained much of its mocking and superior attitude. ”I may be a fool, but I’m certainly not misguided about what your views might be of the world. You don’t have to pretend to respect my thoughts just because you want my money.” He laughed snarkily at his own comment, being fully aware of his condescension.

He had known too many men who had gone as low as licking his boots simply to take advantage of his status. Such was the curse of the strong. But, the experiences were certainly not in vain, as they had practiced him with seeing the distinction between pretentious and genuine sympathy. In this case, the man who had stolen from him, and likely many others, had lied and attempted to cheat him; it was absurd to even consider the possibility that a single punch had changed the man’s beliefs. Gray knew well enough the price he would be asked to pay for his medical services would be far more valuable than the efforts or resources his services would require. But, the value of the life he meant to save would likely not be outmatched by whatever demands the doctor might make.

As the camels waded forward through the smothering wind, Gray’s eyes flashed to their feet. Sounds of sifting sand became more evident as he pulled on the reins, beckoning the senseless animal to stop. ”Shit.” Before the sand beneath them sank into the ground through a murky hole, he managed to murmur something that spared them the fall that awaited them, instead leaving them standing on thin air, or at least that’s how it would appear to anyone unfamiliar with Gray’s abilities.

[Pressure Basket]

He rubbed his forehead in disappointment of his own lack of awareness as he shook his head just slightly. ”Didn’t think they’d caught up to me here.” He spoke of the ominous “they” as if he half-expected the doctor to follow along his train of thought. The camels didn’t seem to panic despite the lack of tangible footing, likely hallucinating conditions far more forgiving in their drunken stupor. He turned to the doctor and smiled casually. ”You may want to leap off to solid ground before you fall into unreachable depths.”

Following his own advice, Gray leaped off onto the edge of the deepening hole, hoping the doctor would follow suit.

As they did so, a viper-hooded man emerged from within the sand, slithering out as if he were truly serpentine. He clapped his hands in mocking admiration as he stood a good 50 metres away from them, while another man roared from behind them, standing opposite to the snake-masked man. The second one was bigger, wearing a pig-like mask and a brown robe that fluttered with the wind. ”You were supposed to wait for my signal!” The comment clearly targeted the first mysterious stranger, but caused the snake-like man to only chuckle under his breath wryly. ”Still wouldn’t have worked.”

Gray was almost certain of the identity of these men, and he did not waste any time declaring his knowledge to the interrupting assailants. ”I’d have thought Cipher Pol would’ve sent someone more imposing after me.” The serpent-headed man spoke sharply to counter Gray’s remark. ”Who cares about you? We’re after him.” He smirked arrogantly as his finger pointed towards the doctor, whether he had been standing on the shifting ground, or still mounted on the dazed camel.

"WHO DO YOU...”

”...THINK I AM?”

Gray’s eyes lit up curiously at the snakey opponent’s response. And at the mention of “negotiations” from the cowering doctor, Gray betrayed an arrogant smirk. ”You know what? Under normal circumstances, I’d be happy to surrender him to you without any prompting whatsoever.” Gray’s feet shifted slightly, causing their two robed opponents to flinch and assume a combative posture swiftly. ”But, right now, I need him. Why don’t you come back to play once I’m done with him?” Gray knew it was more of a rhetorical suggestion than an effective one. And it was only confirmed when the pig-faced man suddenly leapt at him.

Realizing that the doctor may still be hiding closely behind him, Gray mumbled almost jokingly towards his hatted companion. ”I suppose you’re getting the slimy one. Do try to survive, doctor. Don’t count on my help.” Having said that, he supposedly vanished from Tony’s proximity, intercepting Pigface mid-air. His open palm grasped onto the mask tightly as he carried the large man back through his own momentum, landing in the sand while slamming the back of his head into the sand. Pigface let out a yelp in pain, his mask cracking and then shattering into pieces under Gray’s grip, leaving a battered and bloody face behind.

Crimson blood trailed from down his nostrils into his shallow beard as he picked himself back up rather quickly. The man pressed his thumb against his nose and blew out his nostrils one at a time, seemingly showing off his resilience to his foe. Gray was curious to see how the doctor fared against the snake, his eyes ping-ponging back between him and his own opponent. He had bet on the doctor’s endurance and capacity to survive, after having seen him so quickly recover from one of his heavier punches. And his senses told him that the lanky spy would be a fitting test for his abilities. However, he couldn’t let the fight last longer than a few minutes, being pressed for time. He entirely intended to interrupt if the doctor were in trouble, but he couldn’t share this knowledge in hopes that the doctor would show him his full combat potential.

When his gaze was in the phase of shifting towards the other fight, Pigface took the opportunity to kick the air, throwing a splitting ranged slash. ”Rankyaku!” He coughed violently after his attack, missing Gray’s movements as he easily stepped out of the way of the relatively slow attack. It was clear to Gray that his opponent only hoped to stall and distract him, rather than beat him outright, but he was doing a pis-poor job at it. He would’ve expected the man to engage him in some controversial debate, or an argument that was less violent and disadvantageous for him. He voiced his concern for his opponent, shaking his head simultaneously. ”You need to go back to basics, spy. And if this is how Cipher Pol teaches you to distract your opponents, it isn’t as intelligent an intelligence agency as I thought it was.”

The bleeding man remained composed and seemingly unfazed by the taunt, standing his ground as he suddenly thrust his index fingers forward and back in rapid succession multiple times, launching invisible bullets at Gray. ”Shi-machine-gan.” The quick-fire bullets only slightly grazed Gray’s fleshy arm as he dodged to his right and then sprinted towards his opponent. Before his bullets could track him down, Gray was already standing behind the man, which caused him to leap away to maintain their distance. Gray made no attempts to stop him, now having a more clear view of the doctor’s fight.

"WHO DO YOU...”

”...THINK I AM?”

With an ever-vigilant eye on the other fight, Gray continued to toy with his notably slower challenger. That is, until Pigface decided to go all-out. His movements suddenly became sharper and more self-aware, and his fists turned into a solid black, clearly indicating the secret behind his sudden improvement. But, as many of Gray’s former comrades and enemies would attest, Gray was no stranger to haki. In fact, if there ever was a master of haki, Gray could’ve been it.

Even with his renewed strength and speed, he was still lagging behind Gray’s movements, his punches, kicks and finger-stabs falling just short as Gray dodged them with ease. He had also taken note of Pigface’s attempts to maneuver around Gray to keep him from facing his hesitant companion as he almost clumsily survived against his foe. However, his advantage in both quickness and resilience had prevented Pigface from executing his tactics successfully.

It was clear that the doctor had drawn the short straw, being pitted against an opponent with an interesting devil fruit power. Gray had been actively analyzing the possibilities of the serpentine man’s powers. From his countless experiences with devil fruits, he had realized that almost every devil fruit had a fundamental ability of creation, control, or both. From what he had seen of this devil fruit user, there were three options that he could entertain. First: the man could control sand, allowing him to split it into deep chasms. However, this very specialized and underwhelming tactic would be a poor use of such a versatile power. So, the second option: the ability to dig. This could also be ruled out, considering the fact that the Snake didn’t seem to be performing any sort of digging motions. And as such, the final and most likely possibility was that he simply had the ability to create holes at will. More often than not, Paramecia devil fruits had a very simple theme. His own ability to control pressure was a prime example. All it did was control the pressure of gaseous fluids around him. In this case, it could be as simple as the ability to create holes in objects at will.

Gray parried an incoming chop from Pigface’s arm with his own robotic one, pushing him back afterwards with a very soft flick on his chest with his fleshy finger. He continued to investigate and interpret Snake-man’s abilities, now moving onto the extensiveness of his powers. If Gray was right about his power, it would explain why he was facing Pigface rather than the one with devil fruit powers. It was highly unlikely that Cipher Pol agents had engaged him in combat without prior knowledge of his devil fruit abilities. It would be entirely useless for Snake-man to create holes on the ground against an opponent that could essentially walk on air. This also suggested that he did not possess the ability to create holes on people, or else he would still have had more of a fighting chance against Gray. And thus, it was likely that Snake-man’s goal was to use his powers to trap Tony, who seemed more susceptible to his attacks. And Pigface’s attempts at distracting maneuvers only seemed to verify that theory.

Regardless of these conjectures, both of the Cipher Pol agents were far too slow and light-weighted to put up an extended fight against him in serious combat. And so, he could not rule out the possibility of their heavy hitters standing by if their initial plans were to fail. And this was the only reason why Gray had not ended the fight the moment it started using his overwhelming haki. It would be very sloppy work for Cipher Pol to send two comparatively weak agents to confront someone of his confirmed abilities.

Gray’s eagle eyes and his distance between the other fight and his own opponent had allowed him to view the movements of all three combatants clearly. Amused by the whack-a-snake game that the doctor was playing with his opponent, he laughed rambunctiously, irritating his opponent into more hasty and desperate attacks. While fending off Pigface's attempts at seeking his full attention, he maintained a close eye on the doctor’s chances of survival. He was confident enough in his own abilities that he was certain he would be able to interfere at the last possible moment, if the doctor was put in an unsurvivable situation. And so, when the doctor's opponent had him by his throat, he waited. He waited to see if Tony would pull another trick out of his hat (or his pocket) to save himself, or if he was doomed without help.