Chapter 5: Chapter 5: An Uphill Battle
[Robin POV]
'What a scary person. He looked like he was able to see through me the entire time'.
I was on my way back to Rainbase from Nanohana to report back to Crocodile in person because of some troubling news about the apparent betrayal of Mr. 3, when I suddenly saw him sprawled out naked in the sand. At first, I had only thought it to be a dehydrated person stuck in the desert. However, part out of morbid curiosity, and part out of a desire to help, I decided to pause my journey to check up on the naked man.
Imagine my surprise when he started speaking out of the blue when I approached him. His name was Albert, and he somehow managed to convince me he was suffering from memory loss.
'Thinking back, that was way too convenient an excuse, especially considering he has devil fruit powers. There is no way a person like him would just sprout up out of nowhere precisely now when Crocodile is so close to finalizing his coup. Fuck I'm so stupid; he even made me spill some things about the poneglyphs and my identity. Could he be a government agent?' I harshly reprimanded myself as I watched his back recede into the cheap hotel where I had booked him a room for the time being.
My mind returned to my job as Miss All Sunday as I made my way towards the pyramid-themed casino serving as Crocodile's base of operations.
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When I entered the enormous office, I could immediately tell Crocodile was not in a pleasant mood. He stood with his back to the entrance, absentmindedly looking out the window, a large puff of smoke occasionally rising from his imposing figure. I steeled myself and put on my business smile as I sat myself down on one of his comfortable sofa chairs.
I took a silent breath and began in my usual playful tone, "So, I heard Mr. 3 double-crossed you".
"He is of no significance", he said in an apathetic tone. "I have sent Mr. 2 to eliminate him. The real problem is that we have lost the location of Princess Vivi Nefertari".
I put on a thoughtful expression. "Hm… we will have to forward the timetable for your takeover quite a bit. We can't allow her to reach Alabasta before the commencement of the civil war."
"I know. However, we will need more hands. We have lost contact with Miss Goldenweek, -Valentine, and Mr. 5, not to mention the situation with Mr. 3.…" Crocodile paused for a moment before he spoke again. "… Do you know anyone trustworthy who could take up the mantle?"
A person suddenly appeared in my mind.
'Albert is definitely not trustworthy at all. In fact, there is a significant chance he is a danger to the entire operation. On the other hand, if he really is an undercover government agent, it would be in my best interest to make him focus on Crocodile's plans instead of my identity. If he aims to ruin Baroque Work's project anyways, it wouldn't be hard for me to make an escape while he engages the organization. If I'm lucky, I might even be able to take a peek at the poneglyph on my way out'.
I couldn't help but smile a little more genuinely as I answered Crocodile.
"I think I know just the right person for the job".
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[Albert POV]
"Hmm... I guess I am pretty tall in this world", I spoke aloud when I reached the privacy of my hotel room.
I didn't notice it before I reached the city because of the lack of references in the desert. I had been about a head taller than Miss All Sunday when I met her. I did not think much about it at the time; however, I failed to consider that she, too, was very tall for a woman. If I had to estimate, my total height was about 2 meters.
'She left me some money on her way out – very charitable of her, hah. I guess that favor I owe her increased in real estate value when I showed her my powers. All in all, she was a pretty interesting person; I wonder if she was a known character in the story of One Piece.' I continued thinking a bit about my interactions with the mysterious woman.
Soon, however, I found myself lying in the hotel bed, contemplating what I should do with this second chance at life of mine.
It was a sobering thought that my entire past life essentially amounted to nothing but a reroll. Sure, I had some regrets and an especially bad conscience about leaving Mr. Pebbles behind. If I got the chance, I would probably take the opportunity to do things differently this time around, but I had no strong inclination to seek out such troubles specifically.
'What is to say the next time I die, I won't just have to start over once again? If that is the case, what is even the point in trying to live a fulfilling life?'
In my musings, I couldn't help but liken my situation to Albert Camus' take on the myth of Sisyphus. In the myth, Sisyphus, a king, is condemned to endlessly roll a boulder uphill, only for it to roll back down when he reaches the top of the hill. Camus argues that one must imagine Sisyphus happy because the meaningless struggle itself is enough to make him content with his predicament.
It was an absurd idea that one could be happy by acknowledging the futility of their actions, yet, in defiance, doing them anyways. However, the more I followed this train of thought, I couldn't help but agree with Camus' sentiment more and more.
'That's it! This is my purpose. From one Albert to another, I will realize your will with this second chance of mine. I will live my life in acknowledgment of its meaninglessness, just for the sake of living it".
With that thought, I audibly sighed, sensing the anxiousness I didn't know I had, leaving my body. I felt completely at ease for the first time since I died, and I smiled as I finally closed my eyes and dozed off.
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