A cool, speckled night sky was dotted with a tapestry of stars; tonight, a profound silence enveloped the world.
After a full day of sailing, the Straw Hat Pirates had long since drifted into dreamland, save for a certain bespectacled man who was responsible for the night watch.
Sherlock lay back on a lounge chair, staring blankly up at the sky. His mind began to wander, and the eyes behind his lenses had completely lost focus.
The Sorcerer was a man who preferred quiet. Although he didn't mind joining Monkey D. Luffy and the rest of those goofballs for loud, lively banquets, he was still more accustomed to peacefully enjoying his solitude alone.
Because only during these moments of absolute silence could Sherlock properly ponder certain matters.
For instance, the development of his Devil Fruit abilities.
[Phasing]—this was the name Sherlock had given to the ability he comprehended during their time at G-8 Fortress.
This ability was incredibly similar to the elementalization of Logia users, right down to the exact same vulnerability to Armament Haki. However, compared to the effortless ease of Logia elementalization, the dizziness and nausea that followed Phasing were a massive pain in the neck.
(Perhaps with more practice, I'll be able to overcome that dizziness,) the bespectacled man thought to himself.
After several days of research, Sherlock had finally grasped the underlying mechanics of Phasing completely. Compared to a Mirror Entity, which turned the illusory into reality, this ability to transform the real into the illusory was indeed far more complex.
The so-called Phasing did not actually mean completely transforming one's body into an illusion; there was a spectrum between reality and illusion. Depending on the degree of Phasing, the ability could be divided into multiple categories.
If the degree of Phasing was less than 50%, although the dizziness would be greatly reduced, the body would still sustain damage from the outside world.
On the other hand, if the degree of Phasing exceeded 50%, though he would be immune to damage, he would no longer be able to control his projected mirror weapons.
Only by tuning his body to exactly 50% illusion—a delicate, balanced middle state of being half-real and half-illusory—could the Sorcerer freely utilize abilities like Mirror Entity while simultaneously rendering himself immune to external damage, existing like a flower in a mirror or the moon reflected in water.
Not only that, but Sherlock had also developed two new extension abilities derived from varying degrees of Phasing.
At 1% Phasing, the resulting dizziness was practically zero, meaning he could even maintain it indefinitely. Although it couldn't grant immunity to damage, the Sorcerer's body in this 1% state still retained certain characteristics of a mirror image.
For example, it could be controlled freely by Sherlock's mind, allowing him to levitate and fly through the air.
At 51% Phasing, the intensity of the dizziness was comparable to the side effects of Insamona; Sherlock had tried it once and never attempted it again. However, during that single attempt, the bespectacled man had faintly sensed a calling from another dimension.
(That feeling... it must be the Reverse World on the other side of the mirror,) Sherlock thought to himself. After all, at 51% Phasing, his body leaned further toward the inside of the mirror.
After being struck by Enel's lightning on Skypiea, the Sorcerer had subconsciously activated Phasing. His consciousness had accidentally slipped into the world within the mirror, where he encountered his own reflection.
According to what the mirror-Sherlock had said at the time, Sherlock should be able to step directly into the Reverse World while in that state.
(Once I enter the Mirror World, the location where I emerge should be changeable...)
An incredibly bold hypothesis formed in Sherlock's mind. However, because the Going Merry was too small and surrounded entirely by open sea, the bespectacled man was in no rush to test it.
(While this ability is exceptionally powerful, the dizziness caused by going over 50% Phasing is just too much... I'd better wait for Tony Tony Chopper's new medicine first.)
For the past few days, the reindeer doctor had been completely absorbed in studying the red apples brought back from Skypiea. From what the little reindeer had implied, a new medicine capable of effectively counteracting the side effects of Insamona would soon be ready.
(Even though Roronoa Zoro keeps warning me not to rely too heavily on external help, I have no choice right now...)
Recalling the profound helplessness he felt when facing Blackbeard, the humiliation of being "schooled" by the Enemy of Nature, and thinking of his elder sister far away in the New World, Sherlock clenched his right fist tightly. The deep black eyes behind his lenses narrowed slightly.
(...I must become stronger. I will become stronger by any means necessary!)
"Meow~"
Just then, a soft meow echoed from beneath Sherlock. The bespectacled man leaned over to look down, locking eyes with a pair of crimson cat eyes—beautiful and deeply mysterious.
"Bestie?" Sherlock let out a soft chuckle and scooped the little black cat into his arms. "Aren't you supposed to be cuddled up sleeping with Nami right now?"
The Straw Hat crew was quite friendly toward this adorable little creature. However, aside from showing affection to Nami, Nico Robin, and Sherlock, Bestie always maintained a cold, aloof attitude toward everyone else, barely giving them the time of day.
This deeply frustrated the curly-browed cook, who constantly whipped up a variety of delicious cat treats for her, leading him to grumble and call her an ungrateful ingrate.
Sherlock gently pressed the paw pads of Bestie. For some unknown reason, the Sorcerer suddenly found himself highly fascinated by the soft texture of the cat's paws.
After a few days of observation, the Sorcerer had discovered two distinct traits about this little black cat.
The first was laziness. She was an absolute couch potato of a cat, spending the vast majority of her day sleeping on the deck. In the exact words of their idiot captain: "Just like Zoro..."
The second trait was her cleverness. Many times, Bestie's behavior didn't seem like that of a cat at all.
If Luffy hadn't accidentally flung her into the ocean once, only for her to swim back up to the Going Merry on her own, Sherlock would have seriously suspected that she was actually a Zoan-type Devil Fruit user in disguise.
"Since you're so smart, your owner must be someone extraordinary too. Wait, don't tell me your owner is..."
A petite figure with asymmetrical black and white twintails suddenly flashed through the Sorcerer's mind, and his expression instantly became peculiar.
A cool night breeze swept past, rustling Sherlock's black hair, which looked as though it had been streaked with highlights. He sniffed lightly, catching a familiar floral scent drifting on the wind, and a flicker of surprise passed through his eyes.
Tap, tap, tap...
Accompanied by soft footsteps, a slender, elegantly seductive figure slowly walked up to the Sorcerer's side and settled into the adjacent lounge chair.
The moment she sat down, the little black cat in Sherlock's arms immediately bolted downward and leaped into the newcomer's embrace.
"Fufufu... It seems this little one still prefers me a bit more, Sherlock." Nico Robin let out a soft giggle as she stroked Bestie's small head.
The intellectual beauty's laughter was incredibly melodious, ringing out clear and pleasant like silver wind chimes.
"It's so late, shouldn't you be asleep? Did you come out here to talk to me about something?" Unmoved, Sherlock gently adjusted his glasses and asked in a calm tone.
"It's not that I have something to discuss with you, but rather, you have something to discuss with me, right?" Robin's lips curled up in an elegant smile.
"I'm highly sensitive to my surroundings. These past few days, you've been looking at me—intentionally or otherwise. Is there something you want to ask me, but just don't know how to bring up?"
Robin wasn't actually someone who liked to pry, but when it came to Sherlock, her "male confidant," she hoped they could be a little more candid with each other.
(What a clever woman...)
Sherlock thought to himself. He stared into Robin's beautiful, deep blue-black eyes for a long moment before letting out a soft sigh.
"A deal? With Rear Admiral Alan?"
Robin's brow furrowed slightly. "Have you misunderstood something, Sherlock? I didn't even run into her back in Navarone."
"Is that so? I hope I'm just overthinking it then." Sherlock pushed up his glasses. Judging by the subtle micro-expressions of the sly woman just now, the Sorcerer could tell that Robin wasn't lying.
(But if it wasn't Robin, then who else would have the leverage to strike a deal with that eccentric Marine?)
The major reason the Straw Hat Pirates had managed to escape G-8 Fortress successfully was that the Enemy of Nature had intentionally let them slide again—and the reason for that leniency was precisely that deal.
Shaking his head, Sherlock set the issue aside for the moment and looked seriously at the sly woman.
"Robin, I am well aware of the kind of trouble hanging over your head, just as you know my true identity. In a sense, the two of us are actually two 'time bombs' planted right inside the Straw Hat Pirates."
Sherlock touched a strand of silver hair on his head. Shimmering under the moonlight, the striking silver exuded a soft, mist-like luster, exceptionally beautiful.
"One day, we will bring utter disaster upon this crew."
"..." Listening to Sherlock's calm words, the smile gradually faded from Robin's face, replaced by a serious expression.
"But even so, that idiot who yells about becoming the Pirate King all day long wouldn't care less. I'm sure you already know exactly what kind of person Luffy is."
"So?" Robin asked, puzzled, unable to fathom what the bespectacled man was driving at.
"So, all you need to do right now is stay quietly on this little ship." Staring up at the twinkling stars in the sky, Sherlock murmured softly, "Even if the sky comes crashing down in the future, your comrades will face it together with you, won't they?"
(Comrades...)
Hearing that familiar yet foreign word, Robin's heart shuddered violently. She froze for a long moment, then suddenly burst into laughter.
"Haha, hahahaha..."
"Hey, what are you laughing at? Was what I just said really that funny?" Glancing at the intellectual beauty who was shaking with laughter, Sherlock couldn't help but furrow his brow.
"No... that's not it." Robin composed herself. "I was just thinking, the reason you said all this to me..."
The sly woman's eyes burned brightly as she gazed at the Sorcerer, a trace of playfulness flashing across her stunningly beautiful face.
"...Are you worrying about me, Sherlock?"
Hearing this, Sherlock, who was still looking up at the starry sky, froze.
"You're overthinking it. I'm just afraid that a foolish woman like you will end up doing something so incredibly stupid that it leaves everyone completely exasperated."
"It's getting late and the night air is chilly. Hurry up and get back to sleep." With that, the bespectacled man stood up and walked toward the cabins without looking back.
(A foolish woman? Is that what you really think of me, Sherlock?)
Sensing Sherlock's figure gradually receding into the distance, Robin's face still bore a charming smile. She lifted the little black cat in her arms up to her eyes, stared into its eerie, blood-red feline eyes, and whispered softly:
"Do you think he's being a tsundere, Bestie?"
"Meow~" The little black cat let out an ambiguous cry.
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