On a certain afternoon, after assigning various documents to Pochi and giving instructions, I continued working on the renovation plans for Enies Lobby in my office.
The requests had been gathered and thoroughly reviewed. While the budget wouldn't cover fulfilling all of them, it should be possible to address a significant portion of the requests.
Budget allocation was already completed, and now the focus was on the actual implementation plan. Obviously, since the building would be unusable during the reconstruction, careful consideration was needed for the order of tasks if we were to rebuild the entire Enies Lobby.
To ensure that the overall operations wouldn't be disrupted, I was deciding on the sequence of tasks to tackle while maintaining balance. Lost in thought, I suddenly felt a presence and looked up.
At that moment, Tama landed on the balcony and after a quick bow, slipped through the window into the room.
"Well, well, excuse my intrusion."
"At least use the door."
"...I'll consider that positively and make a note."
That response seems to imply there's no intention to change...
"Well, never mind. Can you really slip through like that?"
"I can only do it if I can see where I'm going, so windows and bars are about the only option."
"Convenient as it is, it's still an ability that requires choosing the right situation."
Tama's abilities are quite varied and there are certainly many useful ones among them. However, most of these abilities are limited in terms of practical application, as she seems to excel more in small tricks.
While they can be highly useful in specific situations...
"So, what's the matter?"
"I've got a little report... it seems Sengoku is planning a joint training exercise between the Navy and CP."
"Unusual... and actually, I don't recall such a thing ever happening before."
"Yes, that's true. The Navy and CP have had a somewhat strained relationship for a while."
Collaboration between CP and the Navy is rare. While not openly hostile, there has been a certain distance between the two. However, if this could be improved, it would definitely be beneficial.
Considering that CP and the Navy have different strengths and weaknesses, collaborating based on the situation could be quite advantageous.
"...I understand the benefits, but what's Sengoku's purpose in this?"
"Most likely, he wants information about CP9 and Spandam. There are also higher-ups who have given instructions in this regard, and I've been keeping a lot hidden."
"I see. Tama, are you good with gathering information?"
"Yes. I've been doing it for a long time, so I'm skilled in information collection, manipulation, and concealment."
Well, among the ones I've seen so far, she probably makes the most decent spy. Of course, given the nature of CP as an intelligence agency, they are naturally good at information warfare, but considering CP9's focus on more direct tasks, her skills come across as quite fresh.
"Well, with that in mind, you might receive some instructions soon. Depending on the content, we might be able to let CP9 members gain combat experience against a skilled Haki user. Plus, if the relationship between CP and the Navy improves, that's a benefit. Let's consider taking it on."
"Understood. If I receive any further communication, I'll adjust accordingly."
"Sure, I'll leave it to you."
Considering her position, she probably has the decision-making power, but it's not worth the effort to correct her now that she treats me as her superior. With that thought, I turned my attention back to the documents in front of me and suddenly came up with a question.
"By the way, Tama."
"Yes, yes, I'm your Tama. What's up?"
"Do you hate the world?"
"Why the sudden question?"
"Is your madness directed at the world, a hatred or loathing? I'm just asking out of curiosity."
Tama, too, harbors a considerable madness, and it's clear that it takes the form of emotions like hatred and disgust directed at the world itself. Well, there's also a similar madness to Pochi, but that's not relevant right now.
"Well, that's a complicated question. To be honest, I don't hate the world, per se. I just really despise this world. I loathe everyone here, the strong and the weak alike, including myself."
"I see."
Tama speaks with a smile, and her words give off a sense of deep darkness. But well, since I just asked out of curiosity without any intention to pry further, I don't feel compelled to pursue it.
With that in mind, after a brief silence, Tama mumbled something, almost to herself.
"...It wasn't always like this. There was a time when I remembered my real name... a time when the world I saw was colorful and beautiful. But now, I can't even recall what that scenery looked like."
Saying it as if reminiscing, Tama then turned her gaze toward the window, lifting her face as if looking up at the blue sky, and continued speaking as if talking to herself.
"Over the long years, I've forgotten many things, but I still remember the changes in my emotions. At least, it was different back then. I thought I couldn't change the world, but I believed I could help save some people in my position... I couldn't eliminate all those who lamented, but I could reduce their numbers. That's what I thought and it was true. I'll just say it now since it's all in the past, but I did a lot of things that would have gotten me purged by the government if I had been found out. I secretly helped slaves escape from the Tenryubito..."
"..."
"Some of the things were quite dangerous, like walking on a tightrope, but it was fulfilling. The scenery that awaited me after those actions felt precious... At least, I think I believed that at the time."
Tama turned her gaze from the window back to me and wore a somewhat sad smile.
"...Living a long time isn't always a good thing. It makes you realize things you would've been better off not knowing, or you notice things that were actually better off not being realized... Gradually, and very gradually, the colors in the scenery I saw with my eyes started to fade away."
I don't know how many years Tama has lived as an immortal, but it's certainly much longer than me. That's because she's likely experienced despair once already.
She isn't the type whose screws have come loose as a result of embracing madness, like me and Pochi. Tama is a kind of lunatic whose heart has been broken, leaving only madness.
"And then, I had a thought one day. 'Why was I desperately trying to protect such ugly creatures?' That's when things changed quickly. The world lost its colors, became distorted... What was once precious, even my own name... I forgot them all. All that remained was this intense loathing for the twisted and ugly world."
"..."
"Still, I clung on. Remembering the precious scenes I once felt, I struggled... But before I knew it, even those scenes, even the things I cherished, even my own name... I forgot them all. What remained was this disgust for the distorted and ugly world."
"I see. Well, I guess living a long time might lead to that."
After hearing my words while looking at the documents, Tama wore a momentarily puzzled expression, then chuckled with a somewhat amused smile.
"Hehehe, I actually like that side of Spandam. Is that so? Do you also have such thoughts sometimes?"
"Well, there's a chance I might end up with similar thoughts eventually."
"Hahaha, if Spandam ever starts thinking like me, the world would be doomed. If I had the power to destroy the world, I probably would have done so."
"True... but well, you don't possess the power to destroy the world, and since the world is still intact and you're alive... since you've changed once, there's a possibility your thoughts could change again."
"Yes, that's true. I've been feeling that lately."
With a smile on her face, Tama seemed to find something quite amusing. Her demeanor was completely different from the broken smile she had a moment ago.
For better or worse, she seems to be enjoying the current situation... I can sense that strength from her, and personally, I find it commendable.
As I was thinking this, I heard a knock, and Pochi returned.
"Captain, I'm back."
"Ah, welcome back. Thanks for your efforts."
As I responded to Pochi, Tama approached Pochi with a cheerful smile on her face.
"Oh, Chelsea-chan! I'm intruding~"
"Huh? Oh, yes. Um... nice to meet you?"
"Oh, I guess you can't recognize me in this form. It's me, Maria, the Commander of CP0."
"Commander Maria!?"
"Yeah. Oh, but when I'm in this form, Spandam gave me the name Tama, so I prefer to be called that."
Of course, Pochi, who is under my guidance, knows Tama... the face of CP0's Commander. They also have some interaction. By the way, Tama's real name as the Commander is Maria, but she uses it as an alias.
After Tama's explanation, Pochi nodded in agreement and then, while staring intently into Tama's eyes, spoke with a cheerful expression, playfully swaying her hair from side to side.
"U-Um, I haven't really talked to you much before, Tama-san, but... now that I'm seeing you like this, I have this strange feeling that we could become really good friends!"
"How coincidental. I've actually been thinking for a while now that Chelsea-chan and I would definitely get along."
For some reason, there seems to be a connection between them, and both of them appeared to be enjoying the interaction. Well, I won't say where the similarity lies, but there might be some shared traits.
With that thought, I put away the documents in my hand and spoke up.
"...Tama, if you have time, you should have dinner. Pochi, can you prepare dinner for three?"
"No problem! We usually prepare for Lilith's sudden visits, so we have enough ingredients and utensils."
"Huh? Is it okay for me to come to your house, Spandam-san?"
"Oh, by the way, I wanted to ask, Tama... you've been with the World Government for a long time, right? Are there any confidential information or secrets that I'm not aware of?"
"I know a lot, you know?"
"If I were to ask you to tell me?"
"As you wish, my lord, is how it feels."
Seeing Tama playfully laugh, I also smiled. She's skilled in information warfare, and she possesses a wealth of hidden information held by the World Government.
Furthermore, the kind of madness similar to Pochi's, occasionally hidden but also apparent... that kind of sentiment, like devotion... I might have found a more valuable asset than I thought.
***
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