L.O.J.S.H 229

"Well, maybe I'm here to start something with Silvers Rayleigh after all," I muttered out of pity more than anything else as I crossed my arms, staring Shakky in the eye. 

At the mention of her husband's name, Shakky didn't so much as bat an eyebrow, only smiling in response.

"Stop it, boy. Girls don't like a sore loser, you know?" Shakky replied, raising an eyebrow, her smile only growing deeper at my lame attempt to retort. 

"Fine, you win," I remarked with a sigh, raising my arms in surrender. 

"So, what did you come here to ask, boy? Not for a date, I hope. You're not my type," Shakky jokingly asked as she walked past the bar and sat on one of the couches new the window.

I turned to her, my face twitching in annoyance, and as much as I wanted to call her out on her age and say old hags are not my type either, I like my face the way it is, thank you very much. 

"You just thought of something rude, haven't you, boy?" Shakky asked, narrowing her eyes as she sent me a death glare, to which I shrugged and vehemently shook my head. 

Note to self; Women in this world are scary. 

"I want to know what's got the world government so worked up over me and what kind of ambush they're planning here for me..." I remarked with a sigh, wisely ignoring Shakky's question. 

"I don't know what the world government wants from you, boy," Shakky flatly replied, causing me to sigh, but I still waited for her to keep going having noticed the unsaid, but, at the end of her sentence.

"I know you first came to their attention because of your signing... and then they SSG got word about that metallic arm of yours..." Shakky explained while gesturing towards my prosthetic limb. 

"I know that much," I said, nodding at her.

"But that isn't nearly enough for them to send out six vice admirals after you, but they suddenly did, out of nowhere..." Shakky said, taking a drag from her cigarette. 

"Do you understand what I'm saying, boy?" Shakky asked as she exhaled a cloud of smoke. "Why did the world government wait until you reached Alabasta before ambushing you when they could have done it when you crossed the reverse mountain with a much higher chance of success?" she added, sending me a meaningful glance. 

"Whatever the reason or reasons for the world government change of heart... it's something you did on Drum island or something that came to light during your stay there..." Shakky explained as she threw her cigarette into the ground and stomped it, twisting her heel.

That makes sense. We found out about Doc's origins in the Drum Kingdom. But that's not enough to warrant such a reaction, and it doesn't explain how the world government knows.

"It looks like you might have an idea about what I said," Shakky said with an approving nod as she lit up another cigarette. "And finally, considering that even I don't know why the world government suddenly reconsidered your threat level..." she concluded, shrugging her shoulders. 

"I'd choose my next words very carefully if I were you," I coldly remarked as I immediately stood up, sending Shakky a death glare that dared her to say that again. 

I wasn't nearly as clever as Shakky, but I understood what she was about to say, and I absolutely didn't want to hear that one of my crewmates could be a spy or a traitor.

I knew for a fact that having a spy would explain everything. It would explain how the world government would know about Doc's origin. It would explain why they would suddenly ambush me at Alabasta. 

Doc's Lunarian origin might not be good enough to rouse the world government interest for such a reaction, but combine that with Law's devil fruit, my cybernetics, me flaunting my future knowledge, and my crew's overall strength and growth.

Not to mention all the information a spy in my crew would know about the others and me, and that's more than enough reason for the sudden ambush.

But I don't believe it. No. I refuse to believe it. 

"Don't get worked up over nothing, boy," Shakky said, unphased by my sudden outburst. "It's only a possibility, nothing more, but you know your shipmates better than me..." she added in a disarming tone, to which I sighed and deflated into my seat.

"I'm sorry for snapping at you," I said, taking a deep breath to calm myself. "My crewmates are all I have, and it's impossible for me to accept such an idea," I added, awkwardly scratching my head.

"Don't worry about it, boy. But it's a good thing you came into your senses when you did," Shakky said, flicking the ash off her cigarette. "I would have hated to cave in that handsome face of yours with the Bar's specialty," she jokingly added with a light chuckle, to which I replied with one of my own, albeit a bitter one.

I sighed, my expression growing dazed as the gears in my mind turned, desperately trying to come up with another explanation.

"That said, there's something else you should know..." Shakky remarked, snapping me out of the daze I was about to dive into headfirst to brood about the situation.

"What is it?" I asked as I turned to Shakky, giving her my attention, hoping that her words would hold the key to my dilemma. 

"It might be unrelated, but... I've heard about an unknown woman who suddenly appeared in Mary Geoise while you and your shipmates were on Drum island..." Shakky said, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"Apparently, the woman can create portals and teleport through them..." she concluded, trailing off at the end of her sentence and going quiet to let me process her words.

"A woman capable of creating portals? I fought a bounty hunter who could create portals at the twin capes..." I remarked, tilting my head as I tried to remember said bounty hunter. 

"But that person was definitely a man..." I added, shaking my head with a frown. 

"I don't know about that. All I can say is the bounty hunter's circumstances are surprisingly similar to yours," Shakky said, shrugging her shoulders. 

"They came out of nowhere and made a name for themselves, and their origins are still unknown," she added, waving a hand to the side, to which my expression immediately darkened. 

'Is this the hunted drawback at work...? I kinda forgot about the damned thing, but it definitely matches...' 

I don't know if it was mere logic or my subconscious mind desperately refusing to believe one of my crewmates was a spy. But I had already decided that everything was the portal guy's fault after hearing Shakky's words, and no one else could tell me otherwise.

"I see. Then what about the Archipelago? What is the world the government planning to do here?" I asked, deciding to change the subject after reaching the conclusion that made the most sense to me.

"Why knows? But if they could send six vice admirals after you, what's to stop them from sending an admiral next?" Shakky carelessly replied in a matter-of-fact tone.

I wish I could say Shakky's words surprised me, but part of me already knew it. 

I sighed as I rummaged through my backpack, taking most of the money there. I presented the money to Shakky, to which she raised an eyebrow.

"Just a little something to help with Rayleigh's gambling debts as thanks for the information," I said, trying to mess with Shakky one last time, but she merely smiled and said nothing. 

"I now know what to do," I added, bowing deeply towards Shakky as I turned to the door. 

"You look like you're about to do something stupid, boy..." Shakky said without so much as bothering to glance at the money. "Don't be too reckless..." she added, faintly smiling. 

"I'm not going to do something stupid," I replied as I reached for the door and opened it. 

"I'm going to do something incredibly stupid."