While Ben was with Emeraude, BM and Rubis headed out back to Simon`s base. BM held Rubis as they flew towards the base. They could see a bright light in the distance.
As they drew nearer, a scene of devastation unfolded before them. The heavy artillery fire from the King Canon Mark II in combination with the blast from their guns and Lexie, laid waste to the base. A massive fire raged, its fierce flames engulfing several buildings in an infernal blaze. The air was thick with the acrid scent of smoke, and the crackling of the flames resonated through the air.
The once-sturdy structures now lay in ruin, with broken buildings and debris scattered across the ground. Parts of walls crumbled, revealing the skeletal remains of what were once complete buildings. The ground itself bore witness to the chaos, littered with the remnants of shattered windows, fallen bricks, and other debris.
"The base is gone," Rubis stated.
"It is. We don't have much time to get in and out," BM concurred.
"Agreed, Niphtal's lab is over there," Rubis pointed out.
BM nodded and flew towards a building which had looked like it got hit by a shell. The roof had a massive gaping hole. BM entered through the hole and landed in the building. The place was a mess. There was exposed wiring sparked sporadically, casting an eerie glow in the dimly lit area. A slick liquid spilled across the floor. The air was thick with the scent of burnt materials.
Wrenches, screwdrivers, and other implements lay scattered on the ground.
"This place is a mess," Rubis said as she looked around.
"It has seen better days," BM said and added, "Our labs are kept in a better condition."
"Speaking of labs, you came from one," Rubis said.
"I was born there," BM replied.
"On Clockwork?" Rubis asked.
As they were speaking, a support beam collapsed. "Let's find what we came here for," Rubis said.
BM nodded. She looked around and saw various parts of the robots being assembled. There were some missing its arm. There were others which were missing its legs. Rubis walked around and went to the back of the room where there was a double sided door.
"We were not allowed in this building at all but me and Emeraude would sneak in sometimes. This area was usually guarded," Rubis said.
"My lord said, you are allowed everywhere," BM said.
"He did," Rubis said. She smiled thinking about him. He was nothing special but he was nice. He made her sisters happy. She thought maybe he was special for making three of them happy.
She snapped out of her thoughts. "Ben gave us this keycard," Rubis said, holding up the access card. However, BM displayed her sheer strength, and punched the door. The weakened structure crumbled instantly, the door breaking away.
"Wow," Rubis remarked.
"Let's go," BM said, flashing a confident smile at Rubis as they proceeded through the now-open entrance.
They entered the room. It was dimly lit. In front of them they saw a large robot about 20ft tall, adorned in a palette of soft pinks and blues. It featured a gracefully pink chest and a flat head with two large square pink eyes. The pupils were red. It had large teeth tucked away behind a closed mouth which looked like it had lipstick on its lips. The broad chest had tubes on them resembling nipples. The back of the robot had two holes pointing downwards and had fins on parts of his body. Some of the fins resembled handles. Its right hand was a large pink sword. Its left hand was a large cannon. Silver shoulder joints added a gleaming touch of sophistication, while the lower half, resembling stylish pink pants.
"Pau Ra Pa," BM said.
"It is amazing," Rubis said.
"She is amazing and much better than those robots," BM said.
"Yes, she is," Rubis confirmed.
Approaching the robot, they began an inspection of where the pen drive might go. BM flew up around her head. Meanwhile, Rubis went to examine the legs and feet. During her inspection, Rubis noticed there were wires connected to the robot. She followed the cables back to a nearby table. The table had a device resembling a laptop. The screen was illuminated. Rubis had seen these before, from her mother. She did miss her. She saw the laptop had a hole on the side. She got the pen drive out and inspected it. She placed it next to the hole in the laptop. Rubis then inserted the pen drive into the hole.
The screen which was blue turned pink. There were numbers going crazy on the screen. Rubis looked at the screen. She thought something was running, like a software she thought. The numbers stopped. The laptop went blank.
Pau Ra Pa red eyes glowed brighter. BM flew a little back. Pau Ra Pa moved her head around. She then moved her sword up and down. Pau Ra Pa moved her cannon up. It moved it back down.
"Wow," Rubis said. She looked in amaze.
BM looked at Pau Ra Pa. "You will serve my lord Ben and the Love Pirates," BM ordered. Pau Ra Pa nodded.
"Rubis, we got what we came here for," BM said.
"Yes, we have," Rubis said. She disconnected the laptop and carried it with her.
"Rubis, you can hold on to one of the handles," BM suggested.
Rubis nodded and she jumped onto the handles on the back.
"Follow me," BM said, talking to Pau Ra Pa. Pau Ra Pa nodded. The two holes in the back started to make noise and a flame could be seen. She started to lift into the air and fly upwards. Rubis held on tight as the robot flew. BM flew up. The both smashed the ceiling and flew into the sky, heading back to the Miss Love Duck.
Meanwhile Ben, on the Miss Love Duck, had walked to 2R2. He opened the door and sat on the chair. He turned on the screen. He moved the dial and tried to contact the Clockwork Island Lab. "Come on," Ben muttered. He had not seen his three girls in a little while.
The screen was static. All of a sudden it went clear and Ben saw three beautiful girls on the other side. He saw his brown girl, Amelia, Isla, her red hair girl and Zara, dark hair girl. They all had smiles on their faces and looked excited.
"Hi Girls," Ben said.
"Hi, Ben," Isla greeted with a warm smile.
"Hello, Mr. Ben," Amelia chimed in, her voice polite and friendly.
"Hey, Ben," Zara said with a casual wave, expressing a laid-back familiarity.
"How are you all doing?" Ben asked.
"We are doing fine," Isla replied.
"Some are waiting eagerly for your call," Zara teased.
"I am sorry girls, there is alot going on right now," Ben replied.
"No need to apologise Mr. Ben," Amelia said.
"You don't need to call me Mr," Ben countered with a casual smile.
"She might want to call you more," Zara teased, a mischievous glint in her eye.
"Zara, you promised," Amelia reminded, her tone holding a hint of reproach.
"Zara, she is right," Isla added, giving her a strong look.
"I won't," Zara said.
Ben thought there was something going on however he did not want to pursue too much.
"Anyway, it's good to see you all, I have two A.S.S Model blueprints and an upgrade," Ben said.
The girls smiled. "This will be exciting," Isla said.
"I can't wait to work on this," Zara added. Amelia nodded.
(Sweetie Redeem Blueprints for A.S.S Model N.T, Blueprints for A.S.S Model P.R and A.S.S Blueprint Eyes upgrade )
[Here you go.]
(Thank you Sweetie.)
Ben thought he heard her giggle like a schoolgirl again. Ben held his hands out and three blueprints appeared. He got up and walked to the scanner. He scanned all the blueprints. He sat back down.
"Okay I have sent it over to you all," Ben explained.
"Thank you, Ben. We'll get to work on it," Amelia expressed her eagerness.
"Don't push it. Your health is important to me," Ben insisted.
"We will make sure, she won't," Isla assured Ben.
"Thank you. We have two scientists who will support us in our other labs now," Ben shared.
The girls' faces lit up with enthusiasm. "That is great," Isla exclaimed.
"We can finally get more done," Zara added with excitement.
"They have been approved by Sumi," Ben added.
"That is really good," Amelia said.
"They will support the Partia lab for now, so the A.S.S can get devil fruit powers," Ben explained.
"Which devil fruits did we have again?" Zara questioned.
"We spoke about this and we would only give devil fruits which the crew does not have. The blood samples which we have acquired are for the Mera Mera no Mi, Moku Moku no Mi, Pasa Pasa no Mi and Suna Suna no Mi," Ben explained.
"You have been busy," Amelia remarked.
"So once NT and PR have been created, we give them the wings upgrade. Then we will send them to the Parita lab for devil fruit upgrades," Zara said.
"Yes, I plan for BM to get the Moku Moku no Mi. PR to get the Mera Mera no Mi and NT to get the Suna Suna no Mi," Ben said.
Amelia, Isla and Zara nodded. "What about HQ?" Isla asked.
"She said she wants a special devil fruit," Ben replied.
"The A.S.S Models are very interesting," Amelia noted.
"I wonder which one she is looking for," Isla wondered.
"There is another blueprint I want to give to you," Ben shared. Ben realised he had redeemed the blueprints and gave it to BM. She might have put it in the Weapon`s Room.
"Let me get it, I will be back," Ben said as he got up and left the room. As he opened the door, Ben collided with Rubis. The sudden impact caused Rubis to stumble, but Ben acted swiftly, catching her in his hands before she could fall.
Caught in a moment of unexpected closeness, they found themselves gazing into each other's eyes.
"Ben, you could help me up," Rubis requested, her tone a playful blend of teasing and genuine need.
"Sorry, I love your ruby eyes. I could stare into them," Ben complimented with a gentle smile.
Rubis' heart skipped a beat. "My lord, Rubis has found and activated Pau Ra Pa. She is now safely stored next to Lexie within the Miss Love Duck," BM said.
"She deserves a reward my lord," BM added. Ben pulled Rubis up. Rubis stumbled again and landed on Ben`s chest.
"I got you," Ben said as he wrapped his arms around her.
"BM, could you scan the blueprints for Shushibaruba and send them to the girls on Clockwork Island and send my apologies to them. I will make it up to them," Ben said.
BM nodded. "Yes my lord," BM replied.
"But Ben," Rubis tried to say. Ben lifted Rubis into arm`s in the princess position. Her heartbeat was still beating fast.
"You are daring," Rubis said. BM walked off to get the blueprint.
"Can we use your room? I want to show you how much I care for you on this crew," Ben said. Rubis nodded.
"Bold," Rubis giggled.