One Piece
At the dining table, Sanji set down his wine glass. Little March's words reminded him of fairy tales he'd read as a child, but her reasoning was even more absurd than those stories: "In Little March's eyes, how does Luocha selling a Stellaron sound like selling matches on the street?"
"But isn't Luocha a merchant?" Luffy, who was busy devouring his food, suddenly asked.
Usopp, sitting nearby, shook his head. "Merchant is obviously just a cover he uses when he's out and about. Without some powerful backing, how could an ordinary person get their hands on something as destructive as a Stellaron?"
"Oh… but Luocha doesn't seem like a bad guy?" Luffy said, chewing on a chicken leg. "How do I put it? He gives off a vibe that's…"
Luffy struggled to find the right words, but Zoro, sitting across the table, calmly picked up the thread: "…He's too calm."
"Just from that oddly styled sword of his, I can tell it's not a blade designed for killing. If it were meant solely for slaughter, that sword's killing efficiency would be too low."
Zoro took a big swig from his sake cup. "And can a Lord Ravager really do business with people so calmly? Even if she's hiding her identity with a disguise, for an Emanator, killing an ordinary person and stealing a Stellaron would be easy, wouldn't it?"
Recalling the battle in Scalegorge Waterscape between Phantylia and Jing Yuan's group, Zoro felt a chill down his spine just sensing a hint of her aura from the Celestial Screen. It was hard to imagine Phantylia, who could nearly take down a general single-handedly, sitting down peacefully to trade for a Stellaron.
["Please, I'm begging you, just let me see your boss!" Luocha switched to an even more submissive tone.]
["I'm begging you, please, just make an exception!"]
[Welt (Fake) tilted his head arrogantly, his tone carrying a hint of disdain and mockery: "Plenty of people beg me every day. Should I make exceptions for all of them?"]
[March 7th: "Looks like this tactic isn't working."]
[Stelle quietly wiped her sweat: "Is this really how Luocha is?"]
[Welt shook his head: "The Luocha I know would never beg anyone."]
Teyvat
——
Mondstadt, Knights of Favonius.
"Eh? Why isn't this working, Brother Kaeya?" Inside the acting Grand Master's office, Klee looked at Kaeya with confusion. She often used similar pleas, and they almost always worked.
"Well, it's simple," Kaeya said with a slight smile, pointing to the Dodoco plush hanging behind Klee.
"Dodoco's magic helps Little Klee, but Brother Luocha doesn't have a Dodoco, so it doesn't work for him."
"Oh, I see!" Klee instinctively hugged her Dodoco plush tighter. "But I could lend Dodoco to Brother Luocha first, and he can give it back to Klee after the magic works!"
"Uh… Little Klee, let's not do that."
Kaeya wiped the sweat from his brow. A Stellaron wasn't something you could sell easily with a bit of pleading and Dodoco's magic, was it?
[After handing over the torn page, Welt (Fake)'s eyes widened instantly.]
["This is… the secret code?" Welt (Fake)'s tone shifted abruptly, his gaze now carrying a touch of clear respect. "It really is you. Please wait a moment; I'll go get the boss."]
["Take your time, I'm not in a hurry," Luocha said, pleased with his respectful attitude.]
[March 7th: "Pu'er took the page with the secret code and went to notify his boss. Soon after, he saw a majestic figure approaching."]
["Hmm… let me take a look at the goods, pa."]
[Luocha opened his eyes upon hearing this, but after scanning the area twice, he saw no one. Finally, he realized the voice was coming from near his feet.]
[The rumored boss… was none other than Pom-Pom!]
[What a… grand and majestic figure!]
["Such a cute boss…" Stelle couldn't hold back a chuckle.]
"Pfft, this boss, this boss… hahahahaha!"
Kiana laughed so hard she could barely breathe, collapsing onto her seat, unable to sit up straight. "And what's with this name? Star Taro Bobo? Isn't that a bubble tea name?"
"Bubble tea is still tea, isn't it? It's reasonable for the Tea Society's boss to be bubble tea," Bronya explained calmly from the side.
"…Oh, right."
But Bronya was curious: "Why isn't the boss Himeko? Doesn't Himeko seem more majestic?"
"Miss Himeko is just Uncle Yang's colleague! If it was really Himeko, it'd feel so out of place!" Kiana raised a finger. "Only someone as cute as Pom-Pom could be Uncle Yang's boss! March 7th is a genius!"
[March 7th scratched her head, looking a bit aggrieved: "When I thought of Uncle Yang's boss, Pom-Pom was the only one who came to mind…"]
[Welt (Fake) cleared his throat nearby, saying seriously: "This is our boss, Star Taro Bobo. Hurry and show him the goods for inspection."]
["One hand delivers the money, the other the goods. You don't need me to explain such simple rules, do you?" Luocha said sternly, arms crossed.]
[Pom-Pom's peripheral vision glanced at Welt (Fake): "Pu'er, give him the money, pa. So, are you willing to hand over the goods now, pa?"]
[Luocha extended both hands forward, and the angle of the Celestial Screen conveniently obscured the traded item.]
["Be careful, this thing is very dangerous. Farewell."]
[With that, Luocha turned to leave.]
["Indeed, we won't meet again, pa. Pu'er, take him out, pa," Pom-Pom said with the demeanor of a mastermind, issuing the order coldly. As the perspective zoomed out, the figure that was just Welt transformed in an instant into… a Golden Automaton!]
["I thought the deal went smoothly."]
["You sold me something so dangerous, we're basically accomplices now, pa. To keep the secret, I'm afraid you'll have to stay silent forever, pa."]
——
Gintama
"That makes so much sense… no, wait, it makes no sense at all!" Shinpachi's eyes widened as he started to rant. "How does a living person turn into a Golden Automaton in the blink of an eye?! That's way too abrupt!"
"What's unreasonable about it? It's perfectly reasonable," Gintoki said, lying on the tatami mat, picking his nose and flicking it forward with his finger. "Don't you see this kind of setup in cartoons all the time? Robots disguised as humans?"
"There's no buildup at all!" Shinpachi couldn't comprehend it. "And is it really okay for such a cute character to say lines like that? This is turning into some kind of twisted children's show! Wouldn't it make more sense if the boss was Kafka instead?!"
"…Kafka, huh," Gintoki mused for a moment. "It'd fit her character perfectly… but because it fits too well, it feels out of place in Little March's story. Let's just drop it."