[One Piece] Trapped Bird

"Can I sit here?" Kuzan pushed up her round glasses with the back of her hand and looked up at the dead-eyed man standing before her. He yawned lazily, pulled out a chair as if her agreement were a foregone conclusion, and sat down across from her. "I'm on vacation. I'm not working overtime." "Please be with me." "...Huh?" Kuzan was thrown by the man's complete non sequitur. She stared blankly at the great pirate across from her, someone whose position made them sworn enemies. The words "What did you say?" had just reached her throat when they evaporated into thin air: she understood. Still, she wore the expression of someone faced with a joke whose punchline had completely escaped her. "...Are you serious?" In other words, she was playing dumb. Marco leaned back against the chair, one leg bent and an arm draped over the backrest. It was a classic pirate sitting posture. The idea that a pirate would sit up straight was laughable. His expression remained lazy and listless, as if he'd just made some casual greeting like, "Nice weather today," or "Have you eaten?" But his eyes were bright, completely unlike before. His burning gaze made Kuzan feel as if she might catch fire. Kuzan's heart sank. He was serious, and he was determined to get his way. At last, her expression turned a little more serious, too. "Allow me to give you a formal rejection." Marco's gaze dimmed for a moment. "Won't you consider it?" "There's nothing to consider." Kuzan let out a soft breath, and white ice rapidly spread from her fingertips. "Boom! Crash! Boom, boom!" A series of explosions went off one after another, shaking the earth three times over. Two figures flashed across the sky, one ahead of the other: blue flames in front, white ice behind. In their wake, the broken ruins still smoldered with fresh black smoke. "That is my answer." "If I beat you, you'll marry me?" His eyes lit up. "No." Kuzan's mouth twitched. "It means I'm rejecting you." One thing for all you lovely readers: I'm co-writing this story with my beloved author SUI Sui. I'm so over the moon that I feel I simply have to share the good news with everyone. Mwah!