"Alright, here's the plan," Te began, his voice steady and filled with purpose. "First, we need to figure out who this mysterious strong person is. Once we have that intel, the rest of the plan will fall into place."
Koby, Lila, and Ronin exchanged glances, their faces perfectly deadpan. Each of them silently weighed the implications of Te's words.
"That's it?" Lila asked, raising an eyebrow, her tone laced with disbelief.
"That plan is completely half-baked," Koby complained, arms crossed in frustration. "You can't just 'figure it out' and expect everything to fall into place. There's no backup, no contingencies. What if this person is stronger than we think?"
Te held up a hand, a grin forming on his face as he responded with his usual confidence. "Hey, sometimes you just need to dive in. Plans are overrated when you're as awesome as we are."
"Yeah, no," Ronin said, rubbing the back of his neck, clearly skeptical about Te's plan.
Te raised an eyebrow, not fazed by the doubt. "Look, depending on who it is, depends if we're even able to rescue this girl or not."
Lila folded her arms, leaning against the wall with a critical gaze. "Why are we even risking ourselves to rescue this girl anyway? We don't even know her."
Te's expression hardened for a moment, but he quickly masked it with a calm tone. "Her father, Kuma, did my mother a huge favor back in the day."
Ronin's eyes widened in shock. "Your mother knew the Warlord Kuma?"
Te quickly waved him off, forcing a smile. "That's not important right now. What matters is that we're already involved. If this person is strong, it's not something we can back out of."
Lila narrowed her eyes, clearly not convinced. "So, this is all personal for you, huh?"
Te met her gaze with a serious look, the weight of his words carrying more than he let on. "You could say that."
Koby, who had been quiet until now, added, "This person is extremely strong and most definitely has Observation Haki. They'll instantly realize if someone strong approaches them, like me or Te. So it has to be either one of you." He pointed at Lila and Ronin.
Ronin gave a half-smile, raising an eyebrow. "Rock, Paper, Scissors?"
Lila's lips curled up into a mischievous grin. "Rock, Paper, Scissors," she repeated, her tone playful but with a hint of seriousness behind it.
Te watched them for a moment, a slight chuckle escaping his lips. "You two are going to leave this to chance?" He shook his head in disbelief but didn't protest.
Koby, looking slightly exasperated but willing to play along, leaned against the wall. "It's either that or we keep talking in circles. Besides, I'm pretty sure Lila's got the better shot at this."
Lila flicked her hair over her shoulder, a confident smirk playing on her lips. "Alright, let's do this."
The two of them stood facing each other, hands in the ready position, as they prepared for the age-old decision-making game.
"On three," Lila said, her fingers twitching slightly in anticipation.
"One, two, three!" they both shouted, their hands shooting forward.
Lila revealed "scissors," while Ronin showed "rock."
Lila sighed dramatically, slumping her shoulders in defeat. "I knew it."
" Alright, Lila you just need to get close enough to see if an old man or not, if it's an old man run for your life you cannot win that fight and he will kill you instantly," Koby warned.
" Do you know him," lila asked.
" No, but my mother told me stories about this group of old men who are strong. it's just a warning." koby said.
Lila raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued but slightly annoyed. "An old man, huh? Sounds a bit far-fetched, don't you think?"
Koby's expression turned serious, his eyes narrowing slightly as he spoke. "I wish I were joking, but trust me. There are old men out there who are dangerous. Stronger than most of us could ever hope to be." He glanced over at Te, who nodded in agreement, adding weight to Koby's words.
"Alright, alright," Lila said, rolling her eyes but holding back a smirk. "I'll be careful. You're not getting rid of me that easily."
Te chuckled softly. "Don't underestimate the old ones, Lila. They have a way of making you regret it."
"Great," she replied, a hint of sarcasm in her voice. "Now I've got to worry about the ancient ones trying to kill me."
Koby gave her a sharp, serious look. "It's not about worrying, it's about knowing your limits. An old man like that could break you without even trying. Just be smart. Get in, get out, and don't take unnecessary risks."
Lila met his gaze, understanding the weight of what Koby was saying. There was something in his tone that told her he wasn't exaggerating. "Fine. But I'm not going to be afraid of some old man, alright? Just give me the signal, and I'll go."
Te smirked. "That's the spirit. Just remember, we're depending on you to figure out who's who. Once we know the threat, we can handle it. But if it's an old man, we'll be out of there faster than you can blink."
"Got it," Lila said with a determined nod, brushing off any hesitation. She had faced dangerous opponents before, and while an old man was an odd concern, she wasn't going to back down from the task.
As she walked toward the area where the mysterious strong person was last seen, she felt the weight of the responsibility on her shoulders, but her mind stayed sharp. It wasn't the first time she'd had to talk her way through a tense situation, and it wouldn't be the last. Whatever was out there, she could handle it. Or at least, that's what she told herself.
Koby and Te watched her go, exchanging a quick look. "I hope she knows what she's doing," Koby muttered.
"She'll be fine," Te replied, though his voice held a hint of uncertainty. "But I'll be keeping an eye out, just in case."
Ronin, who had been silent through most of the exchange, suddenly spoke up. "We'll be ready for whatever happens. She's got this."