Broken Faith

Observation 19: Preparing for war is more important than the war itself

The rain had stopped, but your head was still pounding. Perhaps it was inevitable that you would get a headache. Especially after the whirlwind of panicked emotions that had erupted inside your head. You reached your hand up to massage your temples. Grimacing a little at the sensation of dried blood on cloth as it scraped against your skin.

Everything had sorted itself out. Thankfully... and also quite miraculously. You weren't fully sure of the specifics yourself, pure indignant rage having blinded your judgement for longer than you were afraid to admit. There were snippets of clarity here and there, but the exact wording and positioning and actions were a blur to you. You had goaded Luffy. Then Franky did something to get rid of Kalifa's whip and vanished. Then Blueno had opened a door out of thin air- which you remembered quite well given the sheer shock of it- and everything was solved.

You and Robin had returned, walking back to CP9 on your own two feet. Franky had been taken back into custody. Sanji and Usopp had been left on the detached train car. Adrift in the storm.

"Are you alright Miss Saint."

The furrows in your brow deepened. "I am fine, thank you. My head has just been out of sorts ever since that ridiculousness. I would greatly appreciate not being talked to."

"My apologies," Kaku said without any hint of the sort as he leant against the haggard crack of what used to be a train door before Franky had ripped it off its hinges. "However you must realise that such a thing will be impossible after such an occurrence. We must ensure your safety, should we not?"

God his old fashioned speaking habits sent you up the wall sometimes! "Well my apologies for finding it odd that you are guarding your so-called 'prisoner' for their safety."

"I believe we are now long past the point of lying to ourselves," droned Blueno from the corner. "You have made your stance very clear, Miss Saint. Even under the guise of being a prisoner."

"And to what extent am I your 'prisoner'?" You arched a brow. A very... accusatory brow.

None of them responded. Not that you really expected them to, since this was something that couldn't be answered without them revealing their hand. You may have made a deal with them regarding Spandam's 'kidnapping' scheme... however your own actions over the past few days might have changed their minds somewhat.

They knew that you were not a mindless little fool like most of the World Nobles were of course. That knowledge was widely spread and you welcomed the fear that came with it in all actuality. The idiocy of the other Nobles were terrifying at times, sure, but having someone up there with power. With an actual desire to wield the golden dagger you'd been fortunate enough to be born with and use it to cut away anyone you felt unnecessary. That was what you were used to. But now...

Now they knew how volatile you were.

And if there was one thing more dangerous than an intelligent person in power, it was one who was mentally unstable. Even by the smallest amount.

So the lack of response by itself was enough to make you unsettled.

That combined with the large brooding figure staring holes into your back from directly behind you was enough to make you want to throw up.

You tried not to look at him but you could feel it. The scrutiny. The judgement. Even coming from that blasted pigeon! Part of you had wanted to at least try and sleep for the remainder of the night, knowing full well that you would need every scrap of rationality you could get when you finally had to face Spandam, but this constant tension was too much for you to take.