"Who's there?" Bonney spun around, staring warily at Chrollo as he emerged from the shadows behind her. Her expression was grave.
When did this man get there? Why didn't I sense him at all?
"So, what do you say? Do you want to join us?" Chrollo's lips curled into a faint, enigmatic smile.
"You say you can help us escape?" Bonney's look was skeptical as her gaze flickered between the mysterious man and the heavily armed Marines waiting in the distance. She might have a massive appetite, but she wasn't stupid.
"You won't know unless we try, right?" Chrollo shrugged casually. "Besides, you're already out of options."
His gaze suddenly sharpened. "Moreover, it's not just the Marines who have arrived..."
"How do you know that?" Bonney asked, her distrust deepening.
Chrollo simply smiled. While wandering the town, he hadn't been idle. He had quietly released his "En."
His current aura capacity was staggering. While his "En" didn't span kilometers like Neferpitou's, covering a significant portion of this small town was no problem at all. By shifting his position, he had already detected several suspicious figures lurking in the shadows. These men wore white suits—not the open uniform of the Marines, and certainly not the ragged attire of pirates. There was only one possibility: the CP departments.
CP—Cipher Pol, the secret intelligence agency under the World Government's judicial branch, divided into nine units plus CP0. Though he didn't know which unit had arrived, it was clear that Jewelry Bonney's identity had alerted the spies. Chrollo looked at her with curiosity, wondering exactly which branch of the Celestial Dragons her biological father belonged to.
"You're saying CP members are on the island too?" Bonney looked genuinely shocked.
So, she does know about them... Chrollo thought. He gave a slight nod. "So, what is your answer?"
Hesitation clouded Bonney's face. Two Marine Captains were already a nightmare; if Cipher Pol was involved, she knew she stood no chance of escaping on her own.
But... who was she to merit such a welcoming committee? She was just a rookie pirate who had recently escaped a few hundred Marines. They shouldn't be sending this kind of firepower for her.
Looking at the confident man in front of her, she thought that maybe he really did have a way out. Maybe I'll pretend to join him for now, then back out and run later. Yeah, that's the plan! I'm going to be the woman who becomes Pirate Queen; I can't just bow down to a stranger!
She feigned hesitation. "What's in it for me if I join?"
Chrollo saw right through her little act. An eight-year-old child trying to play me? Once she was on the ship, she would be under his thumb.
"The benefits are many," Chrollo said, narrowing his eyes. "For starters, these people behind you won't have to die."
He looked past her to the burly fishermen, whose eyes still held a glimmer of goodness. "You don't seriously plan to roam the New World with this crew, do you? If you do, the only outcome is defeat, leaving you as the sole survivor. You'll end up getting them killed."
Bonney flinched. The men behind her weren't technically her "subordinates"—they were her father's friends. But even the strongest fisherman was still just a fisherman. Trying to turn them into New World pirates was indeed naive.
Seeing her resolve waver, Chrollo continued, "I can offer them protection. My ship needs shipwrights and laborers, and their builds are perfect for that kind of work."
"As for you," Chrollo's tone became serious as he looked her in the eye. "I will provide you with protection."
Bonney's internal monologue: I don't need your protection! I'm strong!
"I will make you even stronger."
Bonney's internal monologue: As if you could teach me! I'm only eight; just wait until I'm a teenager—the world won't know what hit it!
"I will lead you out of this crisis."
Bonney's internal monologue: ...
"And I will... lead you to Bartholomew Kuma."
Bonney's face went pale with shock. She couldn't help but cry out, "You've been investigating me?!!"
Chrollo didn't answer directly. He gave her a look full of hidden meaning and spoke slowly: "I can also help you... with your revenge."
"Regardless of the target's strength or background—even if they are the 'Gods' in the sky—we will help you hunt them."
Bonney's breath hitched. She tried to keep her face neutral, but a storm was raging in her mind. He knows! He actually knows!! He knows my true identity! That was her greatest secret.
"Who are you people, really?" she asked, her voice flat.
"Us?" Chrollo's lips tilted up. "We are the Spiders."
"Take what you want—that is our creed. Join us, and you are one of us. What you desire, we will help you achieve."
"We weave our web and wait patiently in the shadows... until the web is strong enough to hunt anything we desire. Even the world itself."
Looking at Chrollo's almost fanatical expression, Bonney found herself instinctively trusting this stranger.
"Do you provide food?" she asked, rolling up her sleeves and trying to look tough. "I eat a lot, you know."
Chrollo gave a light, genuine nod. Without her even realizing it, a small spark of fire had ignited in Bonney's eyes as she listened to him.
Chrollo turned his head and exhaled. His years of experience manipulating the Troupe had made him a master of psychological leverage. Combined with his knowledge of the "plot," fooling a little girl was like taking candy from a baby.
I'll lead her right into the web, he thought.
"But how are we supposed to escape this?" Bonney asked, still feeling uneasy. "Your crew isn't just you, is it?"
Chrollo shook his head slightly. "Of course not. In fact, I'm worried those idiots have already started making trouble. They aren't exactly the type to sit still."
"Let me see what they've got, then," Bonney said, a challenge in her voice.
"You will." Meeting the Marine combatants was always part of the plan; Chrollo wanted to see the level of HQ-tier fighters firsthand.
A faint red glow appeared in Chrollo's eyes as he raised a hand. An invisible ripple of energy pulsed outward.
"Spiders... time to work."
In the town, Uvogin—who was about to wreck a restaurant over a bill—Phinks—who was playing a boxing machine—and Machi's group all looked up simultaneously toward Chrollo's direction.
Bonney, standing right next to Chrollo, felt the invisible, crushing pressure of the pulse. She covered her mouth in shock.
"Is this... Observation Haki?!!"
---
The Spiders are converging! Would you like to see Uvogin crash through the Marine blockade, or should we see Smoker and Hina's reaction as they realize they aren't the only hunters on the island?