Chapter 297: The Advancing Group
Vivi felt a surge of anger.
Her expression tightened, but she forced herself not to respond.
Anyone would be irritated after being criticized so casually, yet she knew arguing with Axel would accomplish nothing. He had a mouth and could say whatever he pleased.
And even if she wanted to make him stop, she would first need the strength to do so.
So Vivi chose silence.
Axel glanced at her once, then lost interest.
The room fell quiet.
It did not stay that way for long.
"Is your room always this lively?" Axel asked.
Vivi immediately understood what he meant.
Someone was outside.
Uninvited guests.
She was not particularly surprised.
Even after applying heavy makeup and deliberately adopting the cold demeanor expected of Miss Wednesday, Vivi's appearance still attracted unwanted attention from time to time.
Fortunately, most people in Whiskey Peak were too occupied with surviving, earning money, and climbing the ranks of Baroque Works to bother her often.
Still, trouble occasionally came looking for her.
Vivi placed one hand near her chest.
She was not clutching herself in fear.
Her weapons were concealed there.
Whatever happened next, she had no intention of leaving her safety entirely in someone else's hands.
Bang!
The already battered door exploded inward.
Its old wooden frame finally surrendered as several men forced their way into the room.
The door crashed onto the floor.
A group of rough-looking bounty hunters entered.
There was nothing particularly distinctive about them.
Plain faces.
Cheap clothes.
The sort of men who would disappear into a crowd and be forgotten moments later.
What stood out were the long-barreled rifles in their hands.
In Whiskey Peak, armed men barging directly into someone's room in the middle of the night hardly required an introduction.
They were bounty hunters.
Vivi's gaze hardened.
Whatever their exact intentions were, nothing about this visit looked friendly.
Nisibi entered behind them and looked around the room.
"Now that's an expression."
He glanced toward Les.
"I think I finally understand why you were willing to spend so much."
Les looked irritated.
"Didn't you say you were going to deal with that curly-haired guy?"
"Why are you here instead?"
Nisibi shrugged.
"He's already been dealt with."
Les frowned.
"Dealt with?"
His skepticism was obvious.
If an Intermediate Agent of Baroque Works were that easy to eliminate, Les would never have needed Nisibi's help in the first place.
Nisibi chuckled.
"I didn't say I killed him."
"Tricking someone is much easier than killing them."
"There are plenty of ways to lure a person away."
Then he tilted his head toward Vivi.
"Besides, shouldn't you be paying attention to what's in front of you?"
"Tch."
Les clicked his tongue and looked toward Vivi.
His gaze lingered.
The colder her expression became, the more fascinated he seemed.
Vivi found the attention unpleasant, but this was hardly the time to concern herself with that.
She glanced toward Axel.
He was still lying on the bed.
Relaxed.
Unconcerned.
Apparently with no intention of helping.
Vivi cursed him silently.
What kind of person watched armed men break into a girl's room and continued lying there as though none of it concerned him?
And after taking over her bed, no less.
Her brief glance did not escape the bounty hunters.
Nisibi immediately noticed.
"Oh?"
He grinned at Les.
"Looks like Miss Wednesday trusts the pretty boy more than she trusts you."
Les's face darkened.
He raised his rifle without warning.
Bang!
The shot cracked through the room.
The bullet streaked past Axel's cheek and buried itself in the wooden headboard beside him.
Everyone paused.
Even Nisibi looked surprised.
They had not expected Les to fire so quickly.
Vivi's eyes widened for an entirely different reason.
These idiots had absolutely no idea what they were provoking.
"Les!"
Nisibi lowered his voice sharply.
"Try not to shoot."
"If you bring half the town running over here, this becomes a lot more troublesome."
What they were doing was hardly unheard of among the bounty hunters of Whiskey Peak, but that did not mean people tolerated open disorder.
There were rules here.
Loose ones, perhaps, but rules nonetheless.
"I know."
Les sounded almost regretful.
In truth, the shot had not been simple impulsiveness.
A moment earlier, he had noticed the way some of Nisibi's men were watching him.
Not like allies.
Like prey.
And Les knew Baroque Works well enough to understand what that meant.
The bullet had been a warning.
His marksmanship was not something to underestimate.
If anyone tried to take advantage of him, they would pay for it.
Axel, meanwhile, had not moved at all.
Nisibi looked at him strangely.
"What's wrong with that guy?"
"Did the gunshot scare him stiff?"
"Forget him," another man said.
"As long as he doesn't interfere, he's irrelevant."
Les nodded.
He had no interest in what happened to the white-haired youth.
With that settled, the group focused on Vivi.
"Miss Wednesday," one of them said, "we'd like you to come with us."
He smiled.
"Cooperate, and nobody needs to get hurt."
Vivi gave a bitter smile.
As though she would simply agree.
Still, she did not reject them outright.
The room was cramped.
Several rifles were aimed in her direction.
Even with her combat experience, avoiding gunfire in such a confined space would be difficult.
She glanced toward Axel again.
Perhaps he would finally intervene.
Nothing.
He still looked completely indifferent.
From the bounty hunters' perspective, he appeared to have been frightened motionless by Les's warning shot.
Vivi sighed.
"Fine."
"I'll go with you."
Nisibi smiled.
"That's the smart choice."
Vivi had no intention of actually surrendering.
She only needed to get outside.
Once they were somewhere with enough room to move, dealing with them would be far easier.
Unfortunately, Nisibi was more cautious than she had hoped.
"But before we leave," he continued, "we'll have to make sure you're not carrying anything dangerous."
Vivi's expression changed slightly.
Nisibi gestured toward the men around him.
"Hands where we can see them."
"Then we'll restrain you and check for weapons."
He gave her a knowing smile.
"You are a Baroque Works agent, after all."
"We'd have to be idiots to escort you around while you're still armed."
Vivi's plan immediately became more difficult.
They were experienced.
They knew exactly how dangerous another bounty hunter could be once given the smallest opening.
Her hand shifted closer to the weapon concealed near her chest.
The Peacock Slashers.
With a movement of her little finger, she could send the bladed weapons spinning into action.
If they tried to restrain her, she would have no choice but to fight inside the room.
Then a voice interrupted them.
"Wait."
Everyone turned.
Vivi stared at Axel.
He had finally spoken.
For the first time since the men entered, hope flickered across her face.
Was he actually going to help?
Perhaps he was not quite as indifferent as she had believed.
At the very least, after occupying her room and eating her food, maybe he possessed some basic sense of obligation.
And if he was willing to intervene for something this small...
Perhaps convincing him to help Alabasta was not completely impossible.
....
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