Chapter 141: Leisure
After a few days of indulging in Xenovia's body, Vahn restored the flow of time to normal and decided to join her in the gym, modeling a black and grey compression shirt and shorts as he leg-pressed ten tonnes with only moderate difficulty. Xenovia performed deep squats using 500kg weights nearby, but Vahn's focus was largely on the six semi-transparent windows hovering before him, each depicting an ongoing conversation.
Unsurprisingly, the predicament Nami and the Straw Hats were in hadn't been resolved by his choosing to intervene, rescue Robin, and eliminate Rob Lucci. The entire reason she had chosen to cooperate with CP-9 was that they had threatened to utilize an island-destroying Buster Call on the Straw Hats, annihilating Water 7 and massacring tens of thousands in the process. Fortunately, they had yet to follow through on that threat, largely because Vahn had stolen the Golden Den Den Mushi used to invoke it, but now a veritable fleet of Marines was congregating on the island, and the Straw Hats lacked both a ship and the pretense necessary for their canon shipwright, Franky, to join their crew.
'What a mess...' thought Vahn, putting a little too much strength into his legs, causing the press to break and the weight to crash heavily and very loudly to the ground.
"Is something the matter...?" asked Xenovia, carefully setting down her own weights before wiping her brow with a towel, her shapely and well-trained body barely veiled by a pair of navy-blue, spat-like shorts and a sports bra.
"It's nothing too serious," responded Vahn, exhaling exasperatedly from his nose as he appended, "I'm just reminded that actions invariably have consequences..."
"If there's anything I can do, you need only give the order," said Xenovia, her expression and tone exuding resolution.
"Yes, I'm well aware..." responded Vahn, gesturing for Xenovia to come closer before patting his lap, prompting her to straddle and observe him silently. Then, as she understood that there were times when Vahn just wanted a woman to sit on his lap as he gathered his thoughts, she closed her eyes and remained completely silent.
As Xenovia assumed, Vahn wasn't in the mood to have sex, but caressing her sides and staring at her navel helped him think. The simplest solution to the Straw Hats' problem was to provide them with a ship. He had even prepared one in advance, so the real issue was Franky. The man wasn't just the Straw Hats shipwright but one of their main combatants. Without him, there was no chance Luffy and Co could successfully sail the Grand Line.
'I should trust Luffy's fate and ability to form connections...worst-case scenario; I can intervene after they're separated at Saboady. Assuming that even happens...' thought Vahn, casually pulling up Xenovia's bra to expose her large, perfectly shaped breasts before drawing her forward so that they enveloped his face. Fondling her butt felt even better when she was wearing spats, so he spent several minutes doing so until...
[Nami and Nico Robin have entered the Crimson Palace]
Receiving the same notification, Xenovia sat up and looked to the gym's entrance, remarking, "We have guests..." in a relaxed tone that belied her moderate annoyance.