@nullefy
"Explaining why collaborating against The Guild is the best solution would just be telling you what you already know. Will you agree to this?"
His words were hollow. It sounded scripted to him, and in a way, it was. Engaging with his enemies in this manner was outside of his realm of comfort. He was exhausted with being several steps behind. The Agency responded to times of crisis in rapid-fire movements, but only when chaos was already running its course around them. Changing tactics for the sake of those around him was necessary. He needed to work harder.
Oda pulled his shoulders back as he took a single step forward. "An ambush that focuses on their assets would eliminate the majority of the threats The Guild poses," he pressed.
The majority of his problems outside of The Guild seemed to begin and end with the Boss of the Port Mafia. Orchestrating this secret meeting between himself and the mafia boss stemmed from concerns Oda had that were entirely outside of their problems with The Guild. Would Oda admit those intentions out loud? Of course not.
This could be his only opportunity to understand this enigma. An enigma that referred to himself as his friend in another life, gave him a nickname despite being an enemy, provided random encouragement towards his writing career, and admitted to having difficulty facing off against an enemy without his assistance. Nothing in that first exchange made any sense to him. Oda thought he was better off not knowing what any of it meant. But as time passed, that initial encounter gradually haunted Oda in ways indescribable. He despised the tightness in his chest every time he recalled it.
"The things you talked about in the bar..." Oda trailed off, clearly uncertain of himself and the challenge he was about to bring to the table. Shifting his gaze elsewhere, Oda folded his arms. "If all of what you said before is true, then this shouldn't be a problem for you, right?"
