#he told chopper; luffy gave me another goal

[assiraphales]

yet another case of zoro why are you looking at him like that. zoro. zoro. i'm waving my hand in your face. zoro look me in the eyes WHY ARE YOU LOOKING AT HIM LIKE THAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[anubislover]

“Welcome to the Heart Pirates, Nami-ya” Chapter 13: The Lesser Evil

Nami awoke slowly, her fogged brain sluggishly processing her strange surroundings. A high-pitched beeping noise. Low, muttered voices. Scratchy sheets against her skin and a stiff mattress beneath her back. Her eyes cracked open only to immediately shut again in pain from the blinding white light. She attempted to shield them but was startled to find her wrists bound with thick leather straps to a metal headboard.

Memories of Jinzo and the club snapped to the forefront of her mind. Had she been captured? Was this that creep’s brothel? Where was Ikkaku? Was she still bleeding out in the alley? Where was Law?!

Panicked and disoriented, she screamed and struggled helplessly until a pair of large, gloved hands firmly but gently grabbed her shoulders, pinning her down as Law’s hard face blocked out the bright light, allowing Nami to finally see.

“Nami-ya, calm down; you’re in my infirmary.”

“What?”

He neglected to answer as he inspected her eyes, his stern expression softening with relief. “No blue in the iris—looks like I got all of the drug out. Do you remember last night?”

“Of course I remember! Law, you need to get Ikkaku—”

“Right here, Nami,” a voice from one of the other beds groaned. The redhead breathed a deep sigh of relief when she saw Bepo unshackling the engineer before gingerly helping her sit up. There was an IV full of fluids hooked to her arm and she was in one of the Tang’s hospital gowns, but she was alive. “Neptune’s beard, I never want to see another martini again.”

Nausea bubbled in her stomach as Nami recalled Hypnotique and the state she’d had to leave the other woman in. “Those men…they didn’t—”

“They tried.” Penguin’s face was dark as he leaned against the wall. Tension and quiet rage radiated from every pore as he stared at his shipmate, latex gloves squeaking softly as he clenched and unclenched his hands. “We barely got there in time.”

“I was out of bullets, and Mandōreku had me pinned…” Ikkaku trailed off with a shudder.

“Penguin pulled him off you,” Law said quietly, though Nami could see the angry tic in his jaw as he ground his teeth and the way his tattooed knuckles were white with rage as he released the straps around her wrists. “Shot him point-blank in the family jewels.”

“Did you kill him?” Ikkaku asked, turning to the first mate.

“Not right away,” he replied coldly, the brim of his hat casting his eyes in shadow. “You’d lost a lot of blood and the uranos needed to be dealt with immediately, but once Law had you unconscious and in the infirmary, I took care of him.”

“Good. I only wish I could have done it myself,” she snarled. “Apparently, that son of a bitch was the one who spiked our drinks and supplied the drug in the first place.”

“If I’d known that, I’d have let him bleed out from the hole in his crotch instead of finishing him quickly,” Penguin growled. “I thought he was just a regular scumbag.”

“What’s important is that we got the drug out of you both in time,” Law cut in as he helped Nami sit up. “Uranos basically acts as a stimulant and aphrodisiac. If not treated quickly, it can cause enough brain damage to turn even the most level-headed person into a pleasure-addicted zombie. To say nothing of how much it fucks up your liver, kidneys, and reproductive organs.”

“At least your powers could get it out of us,” Nami stated, remembering how he’d managed to remove the birth control from her system.

“Yes, but given how many vital parts it effects and how fast it works, it takes a lot more concentration and energy than usual—especially since I couldn’t afford to treat you one at a time. I also find it’s easier when the patient’s unconscious; a slowed heart rate means the drug’s processed less quickly, plus it lessens the amount of distracting moaning and writhing from the patient. Not that it stops entirely,” he stated, nodding at the leather restraints.

She flushed. So that’s why he knocked her out. She could now clearly remember how she threw herself at him, practically begging him to fuck her. God, how humiliating! And to think she’d been so overwhelmed by need that she nearly hadn’t told Law about Ikkaku. If he hadn’t managed to trick the answer out of her…

“Thanks for getting us, Boss,” Ikkaku said, breaking the tense silence that fell upon the room.

Bepo gave her a faint smile as he rubbed her back, carefully avoiding scratching her with his claws. “Law’d never leave you two behind.”

“Jinzo didn’t think so,” she replied sourly, hands tightening into fists. “Planned on making Nami his star attraction, and he was going to hand me over to the bartender as a bonus for his ‘services’. Knew there was something off about that guy, especially when he wouldn’t get us water.”

“I’m sorry I left you alone with him,” Nami whispered guiltily, drawing her knees against her chest. Mandōreku had seemed so nice, but behind that charming smile had been utter scum. To think, she’d even encouraged her friend to give that creep a chance!

Ikkaku shook her head insistently. “Nami, I specifically told you to go to the bathroom because I had the feeling something was up, and I wanted you safely out of the way in case things turned violent. Which they did, and you ended up coming out and saving my ass anyway, so no harm, no foul.”

“What’s ‘foul’ is the fact that that bastard had enough uranos to spike the drinks of an entire bar,” Penguin snapped. Despite the girls being safe and sound, his scowl hadn’t eased up, and his posture still implied that he’d like to go out and kill something. But even though anger radiated off of him, he stayed put, not moving so much as an inch from his place by Ikkaku’s bed.

Gloved hand rubbing his goatee, Law nodded in agreement. “Uranos is extracted from a berry that only grows on a single island in the South Blue—Jinzo must have sunk a fortune into getting enough juice to dose a whole bar full of women. Just 15ml costs at least 50,000 belli.”

“If he got the shipment in recently, plus factoring in buying property, remodeling, paying his guards, and all his other expenses, no wonder he didn’t have the money to pay you and Drake,” Nami said, tallying up the rough costs of everything Jinzo had likely been spending in the past month.

Frown deepening, the surgeon looked at her in consideration. “He and Kimo-ya had always done well in the black market trade, but I guess with so many upstart pirates moving on to the New World to take advantage of the chaos, he wanted a fallback in case his normal clientele dried up. It’s not a bad plan, but he should never have tried to muscle in on Haiko-ya’s territory; she may be married to his partner, but she’s basically the unofficial ruler of Grimm’s nightlife.”

“Haiko’s that powerful?”

“She’s established quite the foothold over the past two years. Hiroshi once told me that, before she married Kimo-ya, Grimm was even worse; the dead bodies of whores were regularly found on street corners, drug lords ran rampant, you never knew if you were drinking alcohol or formaldehyde, and the slave trade was out of control. When Haiko-ya arrived, she used her influence to start cleaning things up. The first thing she did was reform the brothels; because of her, they’re now run like legitimate businesses with willing employees that are treated well.”

“Yeah? Jinzo seemed to have had other ideas,” Nami said softly. “He had us all drugged so he could cut down labor costs. No need to pay whores if they’re mindless sex slaves.”

Law scoffed. “Idiot. Women who take uranos have a life expectancy of a month, tops, and that’s still longer than men. Aside from the organ damage the drug can cause, being in a constant state of arousal like that typically results in dehydration, puts a massive strain on the heart, and when you’re only focused on fulfilling your sexual desires, basic human needs like eating and sleeping fall by the wayside. Most wither away to nothing.”

Penguin took off his hat to rub his forehead, scowl deepening. “So, even if he’d succeeded, once those girls died, he’d have to pay out again for a new batch of brain-fucked prostitutes.”

Nami shuddered at the thought. That could have been them. She would have died a mindless sex slave. Despite her life of servitude and the dangers she’d faced as a woman on the Grand Line, such a fate had never even occurred to her. Even when Absalom had kidnapped her and tried to marry her, she’d never even considered it—mainly because she’d been unconscious, but also because she never doubted that Sanji or Luffy or Zoro would save her. Those three always seemed to show up when she was in trouble. But Law…

She had far more faith in the Surgeon of Death than she used to, but it wasn’t the same instinctive trust that she had with her nakama—if she hadn’t gone looking for him, would he have shown up in time to get her and Ikkaku out of there? Luffy would drop everything if he even thought one of his friends was in trouble. Zoro, for all his terrible direction sense, never failed to stumble across her in the nick of time. Sanji had a sixth sense for women in danger. Even Usopp and Chopper, her fellow scaredy-cats, could be relied on to overcome their own fears if she were in trouble.

But Law had been on his own mission. The man had his own goals and priorities that wouldn’t always line up with hers. She couldn’t always rely on him to save her. She shouldn’t always rely on others.

Ignorant to the navigator’s inner turmoil, Law shook his head. “You’re assuming Haiko-ya would let him live that long. She already knew he was opening a brothel, so the second she caught even a whiff of uranos being used on the girls, she’d burn the place to the ground.”

“Unless…” Bepo began before stopping himself. “Sorry.”

“Unless what, Bepo?” Ikkaku asked curiously.

“Speak,” Law ordered, eyes narrowed.

The bear looked nervous as he twiddled his claws. “Well, what if Jinzo planned on getting Miss Haiko out of the way? With Mr. Kimo out of commission, it would be a lot easier for him to take over and drive her out. Or kill her. Or,” he swallowed harshly, “maybe even drug her and add her to the brothel.”

It made a sick amount of sense, and Nami watched Law’s gold eyes burn with understanding. “Haiko-ya probably suspected Jinzo was looking to take her out before his new business opened. That’s why she asked me to go after him last night.” Glare deepening, Law stalked towards the door, motioning for Penguin to follow. The first mate reluctantly left his post, tossing a concerned glance at Ikkaku before leaving the infirmary.

The room was filled with an uncomfortable silence until Nami uttered, “Bepo?”

“Yes, Nami?”

“What happened to the other girls? The ones in the club that were also drugged?”

Her fellow navigator seemed reluctant to answer, glancing around as if hoping someone would pop out to answer the unpleasant question for him. “Well…Captain’s primary concern was you two, but he did order us to sedate and deliver them to Miss Haiko. Once he was sure you would be alright, he went to see what he could do for them, but given how far gone most of them looked…” He bowed his head sadly. “I’m sorry.”

Nami bit her lip, tears welling up in her eyes as she stared down at the white tiled floor. Given all that she’d heard about the drug, she felt overwhelming pity for those girls. What would happen to them? What kind of lives could they expect? Did they have husbands or boyfriends or families? Would they ever know the girls’ fates? Were they better off not knowing?

“I’m so sorry, Nami,” Ikkaku murmured, catching her attention. The Heart Pirate looked utterly devastated, tears welling up in her dark eyes. “I was so, so stupid. I figured since Haiko’d been cleaning up the clubs and bars, it was safe to have a night out.”

“You couldn’t have known this would happen,” Nami replied weakly.

Bepo nodded emphatically as he pulled his crewmate into a tight hug. “Don’t blame yourself; even Law thought it was safe enough for you two to go out alone! New bars don’t open without Miss Haiko’s approval, after all. And with the way she’s been running things, it’s more dangerous to go out alone during the day than at night!”

“Really?” Nami asked, surprised.

“Oh yeah. Since Miss Haiko pretty much runs the island at night, she doesn’t get involved with things during the day. It’s the compromise she made with Mr. Kimo and Jinzo. So, slavers and stuff are still a problem while the sun’s up, but once things get dark, it’s a lot safer.”

“Kimo’s really ok with stuff like that?”

“Yeah,” Bepo said nervously, round ears drooping. “He may be more honorable than Jinzo, but he’s still pretty ruthless—wouldn’t be in the black market organ trade otherwise. Handing over control of the island at night to Miss Haiko was basically his wedding gift to her. Jinzo really hadn’t liked that—the red light district had been his domain.”

Frowning, Nami considered his words. Since arriving on Grimm, she’d assumed that Kimo was the lesser of the two evils between himself and Jinzo. But something wasn’t quite right; considering all the work that went into opening a new business, Jinzo must have been planning on starting the brothel for at least a month, if not two. Yet if Kimo had handed control of Grimm’s evening affairs over to Haiko, there was no way Jinzo would have dared disrespected his partner like that, right? And Kimo would have had to be completely stupid not to notice his partner muscling in on his wife’s territory.

Stupid, or in on it, Nami thought, eyes widening as she remembered her brief encounter with Haiko. The club owner had seemed pretty pissed about what had happened to her husband, but not nearly as distraught as one would expect from a woman whose beloved had been possibly assaulted by his long-time partner. And she’d been so quick to point the finger at Jinzo. More than eager to push a slighted Law in his direction. To step back and let someone else get their hands dirty.

It was all conjecture, and she had no proof, but Nami’s gut had told her when they first met that she was the kind of woman who could slit a man’s throat with a smile. And now her gut was saying Haiko was far more involved in this whole mess than she’d let on.

Lost in thought, Nami didn’t realize Law had returned until she heard a low, rapid thumping inches from her face. Looking up, she jumped back like a startled cat as she found herself staring at a beating heart in a translucent cube.

“What the hell is that?!” she screeched.

“I think that’s pretty obvious, Nami-ya; a heart. Specifically, Jinzo’s.”

“Why do you even have that?!”

Tossing the disembodied organ causally into the air and catching it with one hand, he replied, “Well, because I was a bit preoccupied with saving your life, I didn’t have the time to make that bastard suffer like I wanted to. So, I took his heart and handed the rest of him over to Drake-ya.” His grin was cruel and pleased, especially as the organ in his hand beat faster, clearly under some kind of distress. “When I explained the situation to him, he was more than happy to deliver justice in my stead. Especially since Haiko-ya agreed to pay him the money he’s owed, plus a bonus for taking care of this disgusting pest problem.”

“What’s Drake doing with him?” Ikkaku asked, glaring at the heart with cold determination.

“Torture. He promised to use every trick the Marines and his father ever taught him. Broken bones, waterboarding, hot pokers, acid in open wounds, bamboo shards under his nails—but he’s not allowed to kill him.” Gold eyes landed on Nami. “That’ll be my pleasure. Unless you’d like that honor for yourself?” he asked, offering the organ to the navigator like a macabre Valentine.

She gasped in horror. “I’m not killing anyone!”

“You sure? After what he did to you? Think about what would have happened, Nami-ya; he tried to make you a sex slave. He would have profited off your body and laughed as you served every sick scumbag willing to pay. You’d be used, abused, and at the mercy of men who’d only see you as a notch on their belts and a warm hole to fuck,” he sneered, grip on the fragile organ tightening unconsciously.

She shuddered. The picture Law painted wasn’t pretty. Just the thought of what she would have been reduced to made her want to vomit. She and Ikkaku and all those other girls…

Swallowing hard, Nami nervously met his cold eyes. “Law, did you manage to cure the other girls?” Bepo had been doubtful, but a small part of her prayed for a miracle from the doctor.

Law ran a hand through his dark hair. “Haiko-ya’s familiar with uranos—she had some anaphrodisiac on hand to hold back the effects, but not enough for everyone. Some I was able to fully cure. Others will likely be nymphomaniacs for the rest of their lives, but at least still have their higher reasoning intact. Several unfortunately succumbed to the permanent effect before I even got to them. And a few had been taking other drugs that didn’t play well with the addition of uranos and alcohol—needless to say, they died.”

Her throat tightened like a fist had wrapped around it. “Oh my god.”

Holding the rapidly-beating heart out towards her like a rose or box of chocolates, he asked coaxingly, “So, considering the number of lives Jinzo ruined tonight, are you sure you don’t want to give it a little squeeze?”

Fingers twitching, Nami was tempted to take him up on his offer. To grab that fragile organ and crush it between her fingers. To make Jinzo suffer in a way he never could have prepared for in the name of the women he’d been willing to use for his own ends.

But her conscience won out. She wasn’t a murderer. Maybe if it had been Arlong’s heart, she would have done it. This Fishman had spent nearly a decade pushing her to the breaking point. Hell, she’d tried to kill him at least a dozen different ways before resigning herself to the fragile glimmer of hope that he’d honor their deal and free her village.

She had no doubt that Jinzo was just as bad as Arlong, and he’d certainly wronged her and her friend, but as far as personal stakes went, Jinzo paled in comparison. So, even though he deserved it, she couldn’t bring herself to kill him in such a callous, ignoble way. Luffy would never approve. None of her nakama would. She didn’t give a damn about honor or fair fights, but killing him like this, when the man had no chance to fight back, was a slippery slope she didn’t want to go down.

Gingerly, Nami pushed Law’s hand away. “I’m sure. It just…I could never…”

The Surgeon of Death seemed disgruntled that she refused his macabre gift, but he got over it quickly. “Suit yourself. Ikkaku?”

The engineer seemed to consider it, but one look at Nami’s ashen face changed her mind. “Better take that somewhere else, Boss—I don’t give a shit what you do to that bastard, but Nami doesn’t need to see it.”

Law glanced at the woman in question before shrugging and tossing the heart onto an empty bed. Casually, he checked Ikkaku’s IV and stitches along her side as he said, “Fine. I should call Drake-ya first and see if he’s gotten bored of ripping chunks of flesh off of the bastard, anyway. Hate to interfere with his fun. Penguin’s getting your breakfast—eat up, then get dressed. The log pose has reset and we’re leaving Grimm no later than sunset. This visit has been an absolute shit show.” Satisfied with his engineer’s condition, Law retrieved Jinzo’s heart, tossing it up and down like a beanbag as he ordered, “If you have anything you wanted to pick up before we head off, this is your last chance—though you’re both wearing the uniforms. No arguments.”

“Fine by me,” Nami murmured, refusing to look at the vulnerable red organ.

Her chin was lifted gently, and she was forced to meet Law’s tired eyes. “Nami-ya, I promise the next island we land on will be much more relaxing. No black markets, drugs, or creepy psychopaths.”

“That…that sounds great, Law,” she replied uncomfortably.

“That’s it? No complaining? No demands for monetary compensation? No insults?” His frown deepened as he took a step back, taking care to keep Jinzo’s heart just out of her line of sight. “What’s on your mind, Nami-ya?

She worried her lip. Haiko was Law’s friend, or at least they were on good terms. Should she really risk inciting his anger by making accusations against her without proof?

Then again, Law was an intelligent man, and he knew the woman better than Nami did. If anyone could put her mind at ease and prove her theory right or wrong, it was him.

For better or worse, she’d trust his judgment.

Taking a deep, steadying breath, Nami asked, “Did Haiko ever tell you what kind of accident her husband was in?”

A dark blue eyebrow raised in bemusement. “No. We were a bit preoccupied with brainstorming ways of making Jinzo pay for his transgressions. I assume it was something pretty serious, though.”

“But she knows how good a doctor you are. You completely repaired Hiroshi’s hands. You can pull drugs and poison out of people and find out exactly what’s wrong with someone with your powers. Why wouldn’t she ask you to look Kimo over and see if you could help him?”

“Because—” Law paused, quickly realizing he had no answer. “That’s a very good question, Nami-ya.” Brow furrowing, he stood before her in deep thought for a few minutes, idly running his thumb over the heart in his hand. It continued to beat at a dizzying speed—Jinzo was terrified, in agony, or both.

Finally, with a dark glint in his golden eyes, the Dark Doctor stated, “I’ll look into it. As for you two; rest, eat, and be ready to set sail by tonight.”

“Aye-aye, Captain,” Ikkaku replied while Nami nodded mutely.

Without another word, Law stalked out of the infirmary, leaving the two women and the Mink alone.

Determined not to endure any more awkward silences, Bepo walked over to Nami, lifted her up like she weighed nothing, and carried her over to Ikkaku’s cot. The bear sat down and pulled both women onto his lap, hugging them close like they were a pair of dolls.

“You had us all worried,” he whimpered, rubbing his muzzle against Ikkaku’s tangled hair. After six hours and all the craziness that had ensued during that time, the dark strands were regaining their natural curl. “I thought we were going to lose you.”

Despite the stress and trauma she’d endured over the past few days, Nami couldn’t help but feel the need to reassure the sweet bear. “We’re ok, Bepo. You guys got to us just in time,” she promised, patting his soft fur comfortingly.

“We knew you’d never let us down,” Ikkaku agreed, smiling softly at the way the Mink nuzzled her.

“But what if we hadn’t—”

“If you’re worried, next time you’re coming with us on Ladies’ Night,” she offered.

“Yeah,” Nami chimed in. “No one would dare mess with us if we had our fierce Mink bodyguard with us!”

“I don’t think you’re getting a choice on the whole ‘bodyguard’ thing,” Bepo admitted. “Law was a wreck. Pretty sure he’s not going to let either of you off the ship for a while without either him or a whole entourage for protection. Sorry.”

As much as Nami wanted to be annoyed at this, she couldn’t blame the dark captain for such a precaution. Grimm had taught her that, if she wanted to get through the rest of the year in one piece, she was going to have to adapt to her situation better. Life with the Straw Hats had made her forget just how much danger a woman faced.

Ikkaku had said she was lucky to have kept her virginity for so long—that she had the chance to choose who to give her first time to—but she hadn’t fully realized just how lucky. Absalom, Jinzo, Harpin—she could have been raped by any one of them. And though she was fortunate enough to have powerful people looking after her, she needed to be better prepared to defend herself in the future. As it was, she was a liability, and she couldn’t always count on others to rescue her.

Resting her head against Bepo’s furry neck, she made a decision. “Hey, Ikkaku?”

“Yeah?”

“Think you could take a look at my Clima-Tact later? Maybe see if there’s a way to bulk up its attacks, or give me some tips on how to utilize it better? I…I don’t want you to feel like I’d be in the way of a fight again.” Usopp would probably freak that she’d let someone other than him mess around with his invention, but Nami was sure he’d understand that it was for the sake of survival.

“I didn’t exactly think you’d be in the way,” Ikkaku replied, though there was a hint of hesitation in her tone. “I just didn’t want you getting hurt. I mean, if it turned out Mandōreku had a gun, I couldn’t risk him shooting you.”

“I get it, but if I’m going to stand a chance in the New World, I need to up my game. I’m never going to be a great fighter like Luffy or Sanji-kun, but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t try to get stronger.”

The engineer smiled sympathetically. “Then sure, I’ll look at it. Honestly, I’ve been dying to study that thing for a while but didn’t want to overstep.”

“I appreciate it,” Nami said. She meant it, too; Ikkaku might have been blunt and a bit pushy at times, but it was good to hear that she really did respect Nami’s boundaries.

“If you want some combat training, I can teach you a few of my moves,” Bepo offered, turning to rub his fuzzy cheek against her forehead affectionately.

“That’d probably be a good idea. Law said it was time to start some combat training, but I’ve been avoiding it. Guess it’s time to bite the bullet.”

“You want to learn to catch a bullet with your teeth?!” the Mink asked, shocked. “Not even Law can do that!”

Neither Ikkaku nor Nami bothered to correct him. Not that they could have; both women were laughing too hard.

XXX

Several hours later, Nami, Law, Jean Bart, Shachi, Ikkaku, and Penguin were loading the last of the supplies onto the submarine. The two women weren’t really in any condition to do any heavy lifting, but Nami was determined to spend as much time outside as she could before they submerged, as she had no idea when she’d get the chance to enjoy fresh air again. Ikkaku had decided to keep her company while the men did most of the work, and Law had agreed to let them lounge on the docks as it allowed him to supervise the men and watch over the women at the same time.

Normally, Nami would be on edge from his scrutiny, but she barely noticed as she was more interested in the amount of attention Penguin was giving them. Or rather, Ikkaku. The first mate had come up with practically every excuse under the sun to come over to check on them, mostly under the guise of ensuring his crewmate didn’t do anything to pull her stiches.

“I swear, he thinks I’m an invalid,” Ikkaku scoffed as Penguin scuttled off to help Shachi load up the supplies for the greenhouse Clione had ordered. “I’m not going to tear my stiches getting a drink.”

“Give the guy a break—he was freaking out when he realized you were in danger last night,” Nami replied, sipping her tea as she reclined in her deck chair. Penguin had insisted on fetching them some from the galley to ward off the gloomy island’s chill. It was definitely appreciated; a thick fog had settled over the Fall island since mid-morning and, combined with the chilly ocean spray, even the normally warm navigator was getting goosebumps.

“I guess. He’s a good guy like that,” she acquiesced with a small, affectionate smile. “He’s always looking after the crew. Speaking of, how’re you holding up in the uniform? You’re not getting overheated again, are you?”

The navigator gave the beige jumpsuit she’d once again been saddled with a brief scowl. “I’m fine—just trying to think of ways to make this damn thing palatable without Law freaking out.”

“Maybe we could modify it or something—make you a custom version. So long as it’s got the Heart Pirate emblem on it, I’m sure Law wouldn’t mind if we made it a bit sexier,” she said with a suggestive wink. “Especially if he gets to parade you about like his very own mikan arm-candy.”

Before Nami could tell her off for such an absurd suggestion, the man in question approached as if sensing the girls were talking about him. “And how are the two princesses doing?” he asked, tone teasing as he leaned Kikoku against his shoulder. “Has Penguin started feeding you grapes and offering foot massages?”

“Sadly, not yet,” Ikkaku snickered. “Need something, Boss?”

“I’m going to go run an errand. I won’t be gone long, but until I get back, stay close to the ship.”

The two women shrugged. Law had been popping out to run various errands all day; at this point, none of the Heart Pirates gave it much thought anymore.

“Don’t worry,” Nami replied, waving away his concern as she sipped her tea. “If I never set foot on Grimm’s shores again, I’ll be a happy woman. The docks are as far as I plan to go.”

“Good to hear it. Anything you two want me to pick up while I’m out?”

“Being awful magnanimous there, Boss,” Ikkaku drawled, an eyebrow raising suspiciously. “You trying to butter us up? Bribe us?”

He gave an insincere, too-wide smile. “Maybe I just feel like spoiling my two most beautiful subordinates.”

“And now I know you’re up to something. Well, if you insist on buying our silence, you can get me a huge box of gourmet chocolates or something,” she quipped, smirking up at her captain challengingly.

“Make that two boxes,” Nami giggled. “One for each of us. And a case of the most expensive sake the island sells.”

Law rolled his eyes, exasperated. “Greedy wench. Should have known you wouldn’t settle for a coffee or something.”

“If you don’t like it, I take cash, too.”

“Speaking of, you still owe me—”

“Nope!” she cut him off. “You said I could pay you back in cash, or with a kiss. And guess what, oh Surgeon of Death? I distinctly recall kissing you last night.”

“Under the influence of a sex drug.”

“You never specified the circumstances of the kiss. As far as I’m concerned, we’re even.”

Law let out an annoyed tch, and it took Nami a ridiculous amount of willpower to keep from commenting on the fact that the infamous Supernova was basically pouting. “Fine. I should be back in a half-hour. If I’m not, avenge my death.”

“Will do, Boss,” Ikkaku replied as she reclined in her seat, unbothered by the concept of her captain’s grisly demise. Not that she had reason to be—word had quickly spread about what had happened to Jinzo, so even if any of his former subordinates wanted revenge, only the truly stupid would risk their boss’ fate.

A blue bubble encased him and Law vanished before their eyes. Not wasting any time, the engineer turned to her companion. “So, you kissed him, huh?”

Nami scowled half-heartedly at her. “Because of the uranos.”

“Sure, sure,” Ikkaku chuckled but didn’t press the topic any further. It was good that she was feeling comfortable enough to make the occasional joke about last night’s debacle, but Nami could tell she didn’t wish to dwell on it longer than needed. There was a moment of comfortable silence between them before Ikkaku sighed. “Damn, now that he’s mentioned it, I kinda do want that foot massage. I’m getting a little cold, too; I’m gonna see if I can talk Penguin into giving one inside. You in?”

“Nah, I’m good. I think I’ll stay here and enjoy the fresh air a little longer. Go treat yourself!” she laughed, shooing the engineer away.

Normally, Nami rarely said no to a free foot massage, but she had the sneaking suspicion that Penguin wouldn’t mind doting on just Ikkaku for a while. With all his hovering, concern, and fury towards her attacker, Nami was beginning to theorize that the first mate might just have a burgeoning crush on the beautiful engineer. And even if she was completely off-base, Ikkaku deserved a little extra pampering after the night she’d had.

As Ikkaku meandered back into the sub, Nami wandered over to the edge of the pier, giving Jean Bart and Shachi a reassuring wave when they made to get up from where they were resting atop a stack of crates. Making sure to stay in their line of sight and within shouting distance, she stood there for several peaceful moments and relished the feel of the ocean spray on her face. She hoped the journey to the next island wasn’t too long—Grimm was damp and chilly and grey and an overall miserable experience, but she certainly hadn’t been bored.

“You seem to be doing well.”

Nami whirled around to find herself face-to-chest with Drake. Instinctively, her hand went to her Clima-Tact—Law had practically strapped it to her leg himself, though she doubted she’d risk leaving the submarine without it again.

Drake looked down at her critically, blue eyes lingering briefly upon the Heart Pirate insignia on her breast pocket before snapping back up to her face, a faint blush rising to his cheeks as he realized exactly where he’d been staring. He coughed into his fist awkwardly, waiting a moment for his composure to return. “I heard you ran amuck of some uranos. I suppose it’s a good thing you had Trafalgar for a temporary captain. I loathe the man, but his medical skills are beyond compare,” he spat as if giving Law even the slightest bit of praise filled his mouth with a foul taste.

“Y-yeah, he really came through for me,” Nami said nervously, fingers twitching above her batons.

Drake noticed her disquiet and took a half-step back, putting a respectable amount of distance between them. “I’m not here to kidnap you, Miss Nami—especially not with your companions ready to attack if I so much as blink at you wrong.”

Her anxiety eased up at the reminder. Glancing at her shipmates over her shoulder, she noticed Shachi glaring daggers at the rival captain through his sunglasses as he polished his rifle. Next to him, Jean Bart cracked his knuckles meaningfully. Confidence returning with the knowledge that she had good people watching her back, she returned her attention to Drake, hand retreating from her weapon to rest elegantly on her hip. “Smart man, though if abduction’s not on the agenda, why are you here?”

“Partially to check up on you. I was concerned Trafalgar would want to take advantage of you in your drug-addled state.”

“Law would never!” she snapped, instantly offended on the Dark Doctor’s behalf. The man may have been a sadistic, flirty bastard, but she instinctively knew he had never considered using her like Jinzo had intended. After all, she’d basically offered herself up on a silver platter, and when he’d kissed her back, it had been for the sake of distracting her. Law was a lot of terrible things, but “rapist” was not among them.

Holding up his hands in surrender, Drake raised an eyebrow at her outburst. “You’ve certainly changed your tune. Just two days ago you told me you didn’t even like him and literally begged me to help you strip off his uniform. I’d hoped you’d be smart enough not to fall for his seduction techniques so easily.”

“I haven’t fallen for anything—I’ve just realized that, even if he is a creepy asshole, he’s at least got enough honor to keep me safe from other scumbags. He’s the lesser of the evils out there.” Biting her lip, she reluctantly brought up, “By the way, I heard that you’re the one who…took care of Jinzo.”

With a nonchalant shrug he replied, “Normally, doing anything that benefits Trafalgar turns my stomach, but I was willing to make an exception in this case. The lesser of the evils and whatnot. That, and Haiko offered me a rather impressive sum of belli in exchange. I certainly wasn’t going to turn down that kind of deal—especially when I found out what Jinzo had done.”

“You…said he owed you a lot of money for something. What was it?” she asked, not sure she wanted to know the answer.

Piercing blue eyes narrowed as he crossed his arms. “You’re not accusing me of selling him uranos, are you?”

“Jinzo did sink a small fortune into getting his hands on enough to drug a whole bar. Maybe it wasn’t the only thing you sold him, but you did say he owed you 600 million belli,” she countered, though her heart wasn’t in it. Drake may have been a dangerous Supernova and attempted kidnapper but considering how he’d seemed rather shy around unclothed women, she highly doubted that he’d supply a drug that would turn girls into sex-slaves. Still, it didn’t hurt to check.

His answering glower put doubt into that thought, though. “Miss Nami, I understand you’ve been through a traumatic ordeal, and thus I’ll humor your idiotic accusation—no,” he stated, voice barely more than a deep, threatening growl. “What he and Kimo owed me money for was a job they requested assistance on, plus I had raided a merchant ship full of uncut diamonds, platinum, and silk. And considering how you relieved Jinzo of his cash, even if I did bring in the uranos, do you really think I’d hand it over without getting paid?”

Ice water ran though her veins at his tone. Drake was deeply offended at her allegation. She couldn’t blame him—despite the near-abduction, he’d been remarkably courteous to her since they’d first met. Besides that, even if he wasn’t a Marine anymore, it was clear he was far more honorable than most pirates. But every man had his limits, and if she didn’t lighten the mood fast, she might end up sharing Jinzo’s fate. Backing up a half-step and holding out her hands as if to calm down an angry beast, Nami simpered, “Hey, I’m sorry! You’re right—it was stupid of me to think you had anything to do with this. I-I’ve been through a lot over the past couple days and wasn’t thinking straight!”

Drake took a deep breath, and the tension eased from his shoulders as his hands fell to his sides. Behind her, Nami could hear the safety of a gun clicking, and she suspected her bodyguards had something to do with his new calm. “I may be a pirate, Miss Nami, but I don’t care for my honor being questioned.”

“I’ll remember that.”

His stern expression softened at her obvious fear. A large hand rubbed the back of his neck with a hint of embarrassment. “I confess, though, I do now feel a bit guilty for even considering selling you to that madman. Uranos is nasty business—rumor has it that the Navy briefly considered using it as a form of torture for female pirates in Impel Down, but Sengoku shot it down.”

Bile burned the back of her throat at the mere thought. “Dare I ask who proposed that option?”

“I believe you robbed his mansion last month.”

A disgusted shudder wracked her body. Of course that perverted psychopath would suggest such a thing. Considering Harpin’s low view of women and shady dealings, she wouldn’t have been surprised if he suggested it so he could get his hands on some for his own depraved use.

“God, the Navy employs the sickest people,” she groused. “How can they even look at themselves in the mirror?”

“People will go to quite the extremes in the name of Justice,” Drake answered, tilting his head down so his face was cast in shadow. “You can’t always stop evil by playing by the rules.”

Nami bit her lip. She probably shouldn’t be discussing such things with a former Rear-Admiral. Even if he had no love for his former leaders, she doubted such a conversation would go anywhere pleasant. She was trying to keep the mood light, after all. “Right. So, where are you heading next? Off to the New World?”

“No, not yet. It’s still too chaotic on the other side. Perhaps in a few months, when the waves of idiots looking to make a name for themselves have all killed each other. If I hope to stand out, I can’t just be another voice screaming for attention.”

“Not the worst plan in the world, I guess.” In fact, it was pretty similar to Law’s. Perhaps all North Blue pirates were this pragmatic—it seemed they were the only ones willing to wait for the best moment to strike instead of recklessly rushing into certain death.

“So glad you approve,” he replied sarcastically, though there was an amused tilt to his lips. “I may also be staying on this side for the sake of enjoying Paradise while it’s unusually peaceful—it’s almost like a vacation.”

Just like that, the rest of the tension between them dissolved like sugar in hot tea, and Nami found herself able to relax. Drake was an intimidating man, especially when he was angry, but like Law, he didn’t seem the type to cause trouble unless he could gain from it. Especially not with the Heart Pirates so close by.

That in mind, Nami gave him a small smile, intent of staying in his good graces. “By the way, thank you for…what you did to Jinzo. I’m sure getting payback on my behalf wasn’t a factor in your decision, but it’s good to have the peace of mind knowing he won’t be coming after me again.” Death and torture were never things she’d be able to condone, but it seemed smarter to praise Drake rather than condemn him.

Broad shoulders lifted in a mild shrug, but the large captain seemed pleased enough at her gratitude. “Honestly, while it wasn’t at the top of my list of reasons, when I was informed that he’d drugged you, it did help sway my decision. I thought perhaps my act of chivalry might help you see sense and convince you to join me instead of Trafalgar.”

A wry smile curled her lips and she jutted out her hip as she replied sassily, “Torturing a guy isn’t a great way to earn a lady’s affections, though points for creativity.”

Drake blushed slightly at the mild teasing in her tone, pulling the brim of his hat a bit further down to hide it the damning tinge of pink. “Perhaps not my preferred way to win you over, but I work with what I have.”

Intent on keeping the mood light, she teased, “Well, Captain Drake, how would you prefer to ‘win me over’, as you put it? A shopping trip? Candlelit dinner? A long stroll on the beach under the stars?”

“I’d rather appeal to your sense of reason—you’re an intelligent woman from what I’ve seen, and surely by this point Trafalgar would have shown you his true colors. While he might not be the absolute worst piece of scum sailing the ocean, you’re better off without him. That insane bastard will bring you nothing but trouble.”

Part of her appreciated the fact that Drake seemed even the slightest bit concerned for her safety—it was always good to have allies, after all. “Law’s a little unhinged, I’ll admit, but still far from the worst captain I’ve ever served under. He’s loyal and protective of his crew, and I guess that includes me now. That, and I have this sneaking suspicion that you only want me because I’m his.” She blinked before smacking her forehead with her palm, cheeks burning bright red. “That didn’t come out right.”

Drake let out a faint chuckle as he closed the distance between them with a few casual steps. “Whether or not you meant it that way, you’re not wrong. Considering all the times he’s gone out of his way just to screw me over, I wouldn’t mind the chance for some payback.” He leaned in, his voice a seductive growl in her ear as he continued, “And what better way to do it than to steal away the woman he clearly plans to fuck?”

“Wha—”

“Back it up there, Drake,” Shachi snapped as he audibly clicked the safety of his gun off again, raising the rifle meaningfully. “We cut you some slack when you badmouthed the boss, but trying to seduce our Cat Thief is a big no-no.”

Nami shivered as a puff of Drake’s hot breath danced against her neck when he scoffed. “Oh? Don’t you have faith in her loyalty to your captain? Or do you think she’d be so easily seduced?”

“Like you said, Miss Nami’s a smart woman,” Jean Bart replied, once more cracking his knuckles, ready to fight. “Smart enough not to fall for such an obvious ploy from a guy who tried to kidnap her just two days ago.”

“Then you boys have no reason to worry.” His attention returned to the woman in question when he felt her small hand lightly press against his torso. “So, what will it be, Miss Nami? Surely such a gorgeous, intelligent woman knows she deserves a better captain than an unhinged scoundrel like Trafalgar. Someone like me. Perhaps I could convince you over a bottle of wine in my cabin.”

Memories of the fantasy she’d shared with Ikkaku about how she’d seduce Drake popped into her head. She certainly hadn’t imagined he’d try to beat her to the punch like this. But while his attempt was admirable, the execution was unrefined. He had the proximity and the low, coaxing tone down, but he wasn’t even trying to touch her. He was smart to compliment her looks and intelligence, but he wasn’t quite making her feel wanted. Or maybe she’d just gotten used to Law’s much more patient, methodical approach. In fact, she couldn’t help but wonder if Drake was trying to imitate him but wasn’t quite comfortable enough to commit.

And too bad for him, when a Cat Thief like her sensed weakness, she took advantage.

“Hmm, I admit it’s a tempting offer,” Nami cooed, playfully running her fingers along the fur trim of his bolero. Large brown eyes gazed up at him through long lashes as she continued, “Having the famous X Drake so interested in little old me is certainly doing wonders for my ego. And what woman wouldn’t want to serve under such a big, strong, handsome captain?” For extra measure, she blew a light stream of air against the bare skin of his sternum as she drew a little heart on his prominent abdominal muscles.

Drake’s face turned the same shade as his hair, prompting Nami to laugh and drop the act, stepping away from him. “Unfortunately, I’m pretty sure that if I ran off with one of his rivals, Law wouldn’t take too kindly to it. But I’ll keep it in mind.”

Growling faintly in annoyance at how easily she’d gotten under his skin, Drake sought to compose himself by dusting off imaginary dirt from his sleeves. “Hmph. Well, in case you do come to your senses, just know the offer expires when I leave for the New World.”

“Fair. Now, unless you were looking to say goodbye to Law…” she trailed off, suggestively wagging her eyebrows.

Any composure Drake might have regained fell away instantly. “It was bad enough dealing with that smarmy bastard over the phone,” he snapped, ears burning brightly. Given what she knew of their interactions, Nami could guess that call had been utterly dripping with Law’s smug, suggestive flirtations. No wonder Drake had waited until he was gone to approach her. “All I have to say to him is ‘burn in Hell’!”

“Well, unless you plan on telling him that yourself, you should get going—he’s due back any minute,” she warned with a teasing smile. She’d never admit it out loud, but Law had been right—the best way to deal with Drake was to lean into the sexual tension to knock him off balance.

“Fine,” he growled, shoving his hands into his pockets and marching away with his head held deceptively high. “One last bit of advice, Miss Nami—I know it’s inevitable, but at least make him work for it before you sleep with him.”

Her jaw dropped in shock and outrage. “You—I’m not going to sleep with that jerk!”

“That’s the spirit,” he replied dryly over his shoulder, his large silhouette fading into the fog.

Once the former Marine was out of sight, Shachi was at her side, leaning his elbow on her shoulder. “You ok, Nami?”

The red haired thief was grateful for the cool air, as it helped her blush fade more quickly. “Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks for having my back.”

“No problem. Glad we didn’t have to fight him, though. I hate to say it, but Drake’s got a higher bounty than Law for a good reason—guy turns into a total monster during a fight.”

“Literally or figuratively?”

“Yes.”

“Of course,” she sighed. Not that she was surprised—she’d seen his hand become a green scaled claw back in the alley, and she’d heard rumors that he could transform into carnivorous dinosaur of some kind. “How long until we plan on leaving?”

“Probably no more than an hour,” Jean Bart replied, hoisting up one of the larger supply crates. “Why? Need to get anything before we go?”

A cat-like smirk curled her lips as she fanned herself with a wad of cash. “Nah. I’d just rather we be on our way before Drake realizes he’s missing a few thousand belli.”

Shachi immediately doubled over laughing. “Holy fuck! When did you pull that off?!”

“When you two were distracting him with your chivalrous display,” she said evenly, tucking the money into her breast pocket. Even if Drake did realize his wallet was suddenly empty, there was no chance he’d dare let his hand go anywhere near her cleavage.

“Seems you three are having fun,” Law said, appearing like a specter from the thick fog, Room dissipating around him. “What did I miss?”

“Just Miss Nami picking Drake’s pocket,” Jean Bart said with a chuckle, picking up the crate of sake that had appeared with his captain and hauling it towards the submarine.

“Dumbass tried to seduce her and got robbed for his troubles,” Shachi explained gleefully, though it was replaced with a low grunt as two massive boxes of assorted gourmet chocolate were dropped into his arms. He let out another oof as Kikoku unceremoniously landed on top of them.

“Drake-ya tried to seduce you?” the captain asked Nami, lips curling into a smirk. “Without my permission? I’m not sure if I should be pissed at him or proud.”

“Does he need your permission to seduce me?” Nami scoffed lightly. “Maybe I should have gone with him; having an actual gentleman for a captain would make a nice change.”

“I’m surprised he didn’t try to appeal to your desire for a more flattering uniform.”

“Wait, they have better uniforms? Drake, come back!” she called mockingly, making a show of trying to run off in the older captain’s direction.

Chuckling, Law caught her arm and pulled her back against him. “Shachi, bring those boxes to the girls’ room and check the cargo hold to make sure we have all the provisions we need.”

“Aye-aye, Captain,” Shachi replied, already halfway to the sub. He knew Law was just giving him busywork to get some alone time with the beautiful thief, but he wasn’t going to argue—if Law wanted to, he could easily just Shambles him to the other side of the island to get rid of him.

The Dark Doctor didn’t get to enjoy that alone time for long, though, as his second mate was quickly replaced by a second redhead, though this one was far more beautiful and curvaceous.

“Hello Law,” Haiko purred, her ruby lips curled upwards in a satisfied smile. In stark contrast to the sexy silver dress she’d preformed in, today she wore a smart black blazer with a tight pencil skirt, though her generous cleavage was tactically on display. “Your work last night was exemplary. I’m going to have to think of new VIP perks to give you. Maybe have Hiroshi write another song.”

Nami tensed at the appearance of the seductive club owner. She still had no idea what was up with her—if Haiko could be fully trusted. Law had said he’d look into it, but had he? Or had he just said that to appease his suspicious shipmate?

“Thank you, Haiko-ya,” Law replied casually, though it didn’t escape Nami’s notice that he placed himself deliberately between the two women. “How are Jinzo’s victims?”

The assured smile fell slightly. “I sent the ones you cured home to their families. The dead will hopefully be identified and given proper burials.”

“And the nymphos?”

“A few are going to try and return to their normal lives. The others…I’ve offered them employment at one of my brothels—if they’re going to crave sex for the rest of their lives, they might as well get paid for it. And at least with me they’ll be safe.”

“Very generous of you.”

Though she waved off the comment, Nami could see the subtle stiffness in her posture—as if she were an actress not entirely comfortable with the character she had to portray. “It’s the least I can do. If I’d taken care of Jinzo earlier, none of this would have happened.”

“I can’t argue with that. Though he must have done a great job covering his tracks to keep both you and Kimo-ya from realizing he intended to muscle in on your territory. What will happen to the black market trade now?”

Her easy confidence returned—when it came to talking business, Haiko was clearly in her element. “Well, since I’ll have my hands full keeping that from imploding, I’m entrusting Oscar with running the red light district. Hiroshi can manage Ruby 8 until things settle down. I admit, since so many of your peers have run off to the New World, the black market’s taken a bit of a dip in profits.”

“And with fewer pirates around, the island’s entertainment and legitimate businesses must have been more accessible to citizens and other visitors.”

“All the more reason to clean this town up, I suppose.”

“Kimo-ya won’t be happy about that,” Law said casually, studying his nails.

She shrugged, though her red lips turned in a subtle frown. “My husband’s a crime lord—to him, rampant rape, drugs, and murder meant that his clientele were happy. But when such a thing is the norm, it’s only a matter of time before you fall victim to it yourself.”

“Of course. It’s easy to rule the underworld when everyone else is a good, law-abiding citizen.”

Seductive smirk returning to her face, Haiko playfully stroked Law’s goatee. “Oh, don’t worry, Dr. Heart Stealer; you’ll still have a place to sell of your ill-gotten goods, and after last night, you can expect VIP treatment at any of Grimm’s fine establishments.”

The Surgeon of Death flashed a devilish smirk. “Good to hear. And without the risk of drugging, rape, and kidnapping, maybe next time we visit, Nami-ya will be able to actually enjoy herself.”

Pulling her hand away from Law’s face, Haiko turned to Nami, green eyes apologetic. “Yes, I heard you were one of the girls Jinzo’s goons drugged. It’s good to see you’re doing well. No one hurt you, did they?”

“I’m fine,” Nami replied, shifting uncomfortably. Though her concern over the thief’s welfare felt sincere, she still wasn’t sure if the island’s new Queenpin had a hand in the island’s drastic power shift, or if she was just taking advantage of the opportunity she’d been presented with her husband and Jinzo’s removal. Her goals at least appeared admirable.

“If you’re ever back in Grimm, you’re welcome at Ruby 8 anytime. In fact, next visit your meals and drinks are on the house.”

Law stepped between them again, and for a brief moment, Nami felt him run a reassuring hand over her back. “Perhaps by that point, Kimo-ya will have recovered—we can make it a double date.”

“Oh, I doubt that,” Haiko stated, a nearly imperceptible tightness in her jaw. “My medical staff says that with the damage he suffered, even if he does wake up, he’ll be confined to his bed for the rest of his life. He took a tremendous fall down the stairs and broke his neck, you see.”

“Was that before or after he was stabbed in the liver?”

Green eyes narrowed. “Excuse me?”

This time, Law blatantly pushed Nami behind him, looming dangerously over the older businesswoman as they stared each other down. “Well, since I seemed to be in the habit of doing you favors, I thought I’d add to my good karma and stop by your house to see if I could do anything to heal your beloved husband. He certainly has a broken neck, and the bruises and cracked skull line up with your story, but that stab wound sticks out like a sore thumb.”

Haiko’s stone-cold expression would put a professional poker player’s to shame. “Well, the fall did break a few steps—perhaps he landed on a sharp piece of wood.”

Law’s own face was just as unreadable. “No, the size and shape clearly indicate that it was a knife. A small one that a lady could easily hide under her dress. I also noticed that your home doesn’t have any stairs.”

Her expression hardened, a fierce green fire flickering in her eyes. “Are you accusing me of harming my husband, Captain Trafalgar?”

“Haiko-ya, you’re a woman I genuinely admire—you’re cunning and determined, yet you still have standards higher than most of the criminal underworld. You’ve come a long way from that underground gin joint you started in the North Blue. You’ve spent years cleaning up the brothels and bars on Grimm; I’d certainly be upset to find my husband was conspiring to undo all of my hard work simply because he couldn’t adapt to the changing times.”

Nami held her breath as she and Law awaited her answer. This was the moment of truth.

“That’s quite the theory you have,” Haiko replied coolly, crossing her arms and raising an auburn eyebrow. The anger in her gaze dimmed down into a tranquil simmer. “Do you have any proof?”

“Nothing physical, nor do I really care—if you stabbed Kimo, I have no doubt it was well-deserved. Perhaps it was even an accident, or in self-defense.”

“Or perhaps you’re just making baseless accusations.”

“Haiko-ya, it doesn’t matter to me what really happened. If anything, I imagine you’ll be a better business partner than either of them. I simply don’t appreciate being used and lied to.”

When she gave no reply, Law gave Nami a meaningful look, gold eyes flicking down to her Clima-Tact before holding her gaze intently. “Nami-ya, why don’t you disappear for a bit? I think this is a conversation Haiko-ya and I should have without an audience.”

Catching on, she nodded, ducking inside the Polar Tang just out of sight. While Law distracted the club owner by leading her towards the edge of the pier, Nami quickly cast her Mirage Tempo, rendering herself invisible so she could sneak back over, footsteps silent as a cat’s paws. For extra measure, she crouched behind a nearby crate, peaking her head over the top so she could watch the duo’s interactions.

Law casually slung his arm over Haiko’s narrow shoulders, dropping his voice so only Nami could eavesdrop. “Look, I know power struggles are common in the underworld, and innocents getting caught in the middle happens. However, this little spat hurt two of my subordinates. I’m sure you understand that, if something like this were to happen again, I’d take it upon myself to wipe out both sides of the conflict in revenge, correct?”

The redhead stiffened. “Of course, Law.”

“Good. Because I respect your reasons—Kimo and Jinzo betrayed you. Tried to undo all your hard work because their own profits were down. Potentially even planned to slip you a little uranos out of spite. But I won’t stand for someone else’s grudge putting my crew in danger. Nor do I tolerate being used—if you want me to kill someone for you in the future, I expect you to be straight with me instead of treating me like a pawn.”

For a moment, Haiko stood in silence, staring out at the churning waves as they slapped against the pier. Finally, she spoke, voice tight and minutely vulnerable. “A few nights ago…Kimo came to Ruby 8 with a few of his thugs after closing. We argued about him helping Jinzo open a brothel under my nose—he said if I didn’t give the red light district back, he’d burn my club to the ground and put me to work as one of the whores.”

“Is that when you stabbed him?” Law asked, tone even and calm.

“Of course. Oscar and the band overheard the commotion and took care of the thugs while I ran, but Kimo followed me to the top of the stairs…”

“Well, that lines up with what Hiroshi told me. I appreciate your honesty.”

“You questioned Hiroshi?” she asked, angered at the musician’s betrayal.

“You forget—he owes me. I guess he also figured I’d be more lenient with you if I knew how you’d been backed into a corner.” Law paused, letting the tension between them simmer before he admitted, “He was right. Kimo deserved what you gave him, and if I hear he’s tragically succumbed to his wounds, well, I won’t shed any tears.”

Haiko sighed, shoulders sagging in relief. “I wanted to trust you, but you had a profitable partnership with Kimo. I couldn’t be sure whose side you’d be on—I just knew it wouldn’t be Jinzo’s.”

“A common enemy is a good hook for an alliance—I just hope you plan to be more honest with me if you intend on maintaining our partnership.”

“Of course.”

A shadow fell across his eyes as he turned the woman so she fully faced him. “Did you know about the uranos shipment?”

“No. Nor was I aware that Venus would be used to distribute it,” Haiko explained, looking him straight in the eye. “The owner was new but on the level; he had my full permission to host a Ladies Night to attract customers. When I went to confront him this morning, I found his body—he’s been dead for at least a few days.”

Nodding at her answer, Law’s somber expression relaxed. “Good. Because not telling me about Kimo and Jinzo’s betrayal is forgivable. Not warning me about the uranos…”

“I am truly sorry your girlfriend and engineer were subjected to that.”

Nami had to physically slap a hand over her mouth to keep from screaming “I’m not his girlfriend!” She doubted Haiko would appreciate it if she found out she was being spied on, and Law would be pissed that she’d ruined his plan.

Perhaps he could feel her rage, because Nami caught Law’s amber eyes glance in her general direction before returning to Haiko. “Pretty words aren’t the kind of apology I’m interested in. I expect compensation.”

Haiko’s confident, naturally seductive grim returned as she leaned in, running a finger along the Heart Pirate insignia on his sweatshirt. “Oh? And what exactly did you have in mind?”

“I’m sure you’ve already thought of something—I doubt you would have come all this way just to say goodbye.”

“That I have; in fact, it’s exactly why I came down here. Two weeks ago, a man named Dira tried to sell Kimo and Jinzo some items. Most of it was junk, but there were a few things that stood out. One of them was a lovely white vase.”

“Are you seriously offering me a vase as reparations for Nami-ya and Ikkaku nearly becoming sex slaves?” he sneered, eyes narrowing in offense. Nami bristled in solidarity. She didn’t care how drop-dead gorgeous Haiko was; unless said vase was made of platinum and filled to the brim with belli and gems, she’d kick the older woman’s ass for being so cheap!

“Oh, no—the vase isn’t even here!” Haiko replied, smile never wavering despite the anger radiating from the Dark Doctor. “Once he realized what it was made from, Kimo turned it down and told the man to take his wares elsewhere.”

“And what, pray tell, was it made of?” Law asked sarcastically, patience wearing thin.

Her manicured hands reached up to smooth out the wrinkles in his sweatshirt. “At first, they thought it was marble or alabaster, but upon closer inspection, Jinzo realized that the white was just paint. It took a little arm-twisting, but Dira admitted that the vase originated from a certain tragic island in the North Blue.”

That immediately caught the surgeon’s attention, and the full focus of those golden eyes was fixated on the club owner. The hostility vanished, replaced by cool intent. “Where did he go?”

“Atifakuto. None of us wanted something coated in Amber Lead, of course, but I remembered you once mentioning that you had an interest in such items. In fact, I even have an eternal pose to the island—I took my last vacation there.” Reaching into her generous cleavage, she pulled out the hourglass-shaped device. As she handed it to the pirate captain, she fluttered her long lashes sweetly. “So, am I forgiven?”

“…for the most part. You’d better not be playing me, Haiko-ya,” Law replied, studying the magnetic compass intently, looking for anything that might give away whether or not it was fake.

“I think I’ve learned my lesson about leading on The Surgeon of Death. You did me a favor, so I’m returning in kind.” Standing up on her tip-toes, she brushed a kiss to his jaw. “I do hope you visit again soon. And treat that Cat Thief of yours right—maybe it’s the red hair, but she reminds me of myself at that age.”

“Unscrupulous and greedy?” he asked, taking her hand and pressing his own farewell kiss to her knuckles.

“And a magnet for dangerous men,” she purred as she flounced away. “Safe travels, Captain Trafalgar. Always a pleasure doing business with you.”

When the new Queenpin of Grimm was out of sight, Nami dropped her illusion, jogging over to Law. “Well, that was…quite the conversation.” Part of her was relieved—Haiko had done some shady things, but she couldn’t fault her reasons. Another part was flattered. She was a dangerous, stunning, formidable woman—someone Nami could certainly admire and wouldn’t mind becoming someday. Though, she hoped she’d manage to avoid marrying someone who’d betray her.

And one tiny, sneaky part of her burned with irrational jealousy over the fact that Haiko had kissed him. It shouldn’t matter—Law was obnoxious and arrogant and certainly not someone she had any intention of kissing when not under duress. But for some reason, she had been really tempted to use her Cyclone Tempo to knock her into the water.

“That it was. Seems a trip to Atifakuto is in order,” Law said lowly, the brim of his hat casting a shadow across his eyes as his tips twisted in a sullen frown.

Nami’s brow furrowed. She knew Law had some kind of interest in Amber Lead, but why would he want to hunt some down? “Is that our next destination?”

He rubbed his goatee in brooding thought as his eyes fixated on the delicate needle pointing towards the horizon. Nami could practically see the wheels in his head turning, an internal argument raging in his mind. His body was as stiff as a cadaver’s, the tendons in his neck straining as he held in whatever powerful emotions he was feeling.

Finally, he shoved the eternal pose into his pocket and answered, “Not yet. I promised you the next island we landed on would be far more relaxing, and I need time to plan, anyway. But don’t expect a long vacation; I can’t let the trail grow cold.”

She sighed in relief. After the horrors of Grimm, she was in desperate need of a breather. Especially if they ended up going after an artifact from Flevance; she’d only heard tragic stories about that place. How they’d once been prosperous and highly-renowned, until the whole country had come down with a horrible, incurable disease. A disease that, if Law was to be believed, hadn’t been as contagious as the World Government had claimed.

Before she could ask any questions, Law pressed his hand between her shoulders, gently but insistently leading her towards the Polar Tang. The darkness in his expression had faded significantly, and his sly smirk was back in place. It felt phony, though—like a mask. “By the way, I appreciate you staying close. Considering what she did to her husband, I half expected Haiko-ya to stab me and push me off the pier.”

“Yeah, I figured you only wanted me there so I could save your ass,” she snipped, though her heart wasn’t quite in it. Law had berated Haiko about being honest with him, yet it felt like he was putting up a front with her. Sure, it wasn’t quite the same—Haiko had been using him, while Law seemed to be just keeping his thoughts to himself—but the slight hypocrisy grated at her.

At the same time, she couldn’t entirely fault him for it. Their relationship and sense of trust in each other had certainly improved over the past twenty-four hours, but she couldn’t blame him for not enlightening her to his troubled thoughts. She only hoped he’d confide in Penguin or Bepo.

“The singular pitfall of wielding the awesome power of a Devil Fruit—water is your nemesis,” he replied sourly.

“Then why’d you lead her so close to the dock’s edge?”

“To make her feel less threatened. Her husband attacked in her own bar. Ruby 8 is as much home to her as the Tang is to us. People value that illusion of safety; when it’s compromised, especially by someone we should trust, it can turn someone into a skittish, feral animal.”

“Ah. Yeah, makes sense,” she replied as they stepped through the submarine door. He definitely had a point—if she’d been attacked on the Thousand Sunny, a place she’d always felt safe and secure in, she’d probably be on-edge for months. “It was still a risky move, though.”

“But a calculated one. Did you really think I’d accuse a woman as cunning and dangerous as her without a plan, or at least a basic understanding of how her mind works?” he asked, dark blue eyebrow raised in annoyance.

“No, but are you confident enough in that understanding to guarantee she’s not sending us to our deaths?”

“Another reason to take a slight detour and recover our strength before heading to Atifakuto,” he said nonchalantly, smirk becoming darker but more genuine. “I’m not particularly worried, though. Haiko and I think alike in many ways; she values long-term planning. She knows she only has one shot at killing me, so she wouldn’t risk it all on a scheme she threw together in a day. She’d wait until I least expected it, even if it took years, all the while carefully moving the pieces into place. And when she struck, she’d get the outcome she wanted no matter how the cards fell.”

“Do you…have someone you’re planning to kill?” Nami asked, a hint of nervousness bleeding into her voice. “Because you sound like you’re speaking from experience.”

“No one you’ve met, and no one you’d miss,” he said vaguely, his hand finally moving from her back so he could climb down the ladder to the next level. “You should worry more about getting stronger and preparing for the New World; Bepo tells me you’re finally ready to start combat training.”

“Let’s just say Grimm’s been a bit of an eye-opener,” she replied, carefully climbing down after him. Her heeled sandals made a reverberating clank as she stepped down onto the metal floor. “Luffy can’t risk me being a liability—if I can’t handle myself in Paradise, I’ll stand no chance on the other side of the Red Line.”

“Exactly why I’m willing to train you—I’d hate to have put in all that effort into saving Mugiwara just for his crew to bring him down.”

Nami glared at him, but he ignored her all the way to his quarters. Upon realizing she’d followed him, his eyebrow arched upwards again, though this time in amusement. “Were you looking for something, Nami-ya? A private tour of the captain’s bedroom, maybe?”

She blushed slightly at his suggestive tone but held her ground. “You gave me crap about keeping secrets from you, and yet you spew out the most irritating non-answers when I ask you a simple question. Your hypocrisy is infuriating.”

“I gave you crap about keeping secrets relevant to your well-being,” he countered easily, slipping inside his room. “Your tenure as a Heart Pirate will be long done by the time I enact my revenge, so it’s nothing you need to worry your pretty little head over, sweetheart.”

Before she could reply or even get a good look at the inside of his quarters, he shut the door in her face.

Staring at the steel barrier, Nami felt her stomach twist uncomfortably.

She trusted Law. She knew he was sincere in his desire to help her train for the New World. That he would protect her until she returned to Weatheria at the end of the year.

She also trusted her gut, and it was screaming that he had ulterior motives. That this generosity, along with his rescue of Luffy, had something to do with some long-term plan.

Trafalgar Law was the lesser evil now, but how long until that changed?

[danwhobrowses]

One Piece: Mini-Theory Mashups (Part 2)

So the Manga chapter took a week off, so there’s not much theorycrafting right now…so, I’m just gonna throw in a bunch of mini theories I have for the future of the OP Story. This is Part 2, so look to a previous post for part 1 - here

I will be discussing Manga Spoilers so please read up to Chapter 958 First

Continuing on from my prior theories, let’s hit you with a big one Ace was Kaido’s Nakama First No, no, lean back in! Hear me out. Wano currently focuses partly on Ace’s promise to O-Tama, a sweet child who is everyone’s daughter. However, the first thing in the anime you see of ace is this image

A clear-back Ace. Meaning that he’s not a part of Whitebeard’s crew right now. He may be hotheaded our Ace, but he’s not stupid, he wouldn’t have just challenged Whitebeard after hitting 100 million. There’s more though, Kaido seems to have a codename convention of naming his ranks after playing cards; King, Queen, Jack and Numbers. Doflamingo (Kaido’s Joker) also had a habit of dividing his ranks into the four card suits (Corazon, Trebol, Diamante and Pica). So what was Ace captain of before Whitebeard? The Spade Pirates. It can’t be a huge coincidence that Ace’s goggles also has Smiles, no, I think the focus on Ace in Wano is more than just Tama and that Kaido’s ace was Ace himself, a shocking revelation which’d reveal a different dimension to Ace’s character. Zoro’s Hidden Eye is a Hawk Eye It may be a little Sharingan-y, but I think a symbol of Sword Mastery could also be the hawk eyes, which is why Mihawk is the World’s Strongest. Why I think it’s scarred shut though is because there’s a physical toll that Zoro knows he needs to train around. This isn’t like Enma (a sword I’m still unsure I want replacing Shusui) where he can just force it back, Zoro’s Hawk Eye is probably his last resort, but we’ve never pushed him to that stage yet. Five Captains will Stand against Kaido and Big Mom When we knew that Luffy was taking Kaido in Wano, we immediately thought back to Sabaody, the scene of the ‘Three Captains’; Luffy, Kid and Law working alongside one another in a fight. While that is a great callback if it’s used, I think it could be bigger. There’s a much larger threat in the fact that it’s Kaido and Big Mom now, maybe we need more backup. That’s where the Five captains come in, and the theory comes from a line said by Shakky.

Now it could just be that those 4 make up the Top 5 with Luffy, but to mention Drake and Hawkins still tells us that they are worth our attention. I’m not gonna believe that it’s coincidence that all five are currently in Wano either, Kid may say he’s done with Alliances but he sees something in Luffy he’s too stubborn to admit, Law already knows that you can’t stop Luffy’s momentum since he told Doflamingo that, that leaves Drake and Hawkins. In Part 1 I theorized that Hawkins was a prisoner, we also know that Drake is a spy for the Marines and that the two seem on good terms, it wouldn’t be too out there to think that Drake released Law, saved Hawkins and decides to Work with Luffy to take out Kaido the same way Smoker (who along with Tashigi I hope comes to Wano, I say it all the time but I still believe in it) did for Punk Hazard. Hawkins is another unique subject though, he is a man of odds so that implies he wouldn’t take a long shot with Luffy, but nothing he’s actually done feels like it was there to stop Luffy - rather it seems he was more interested in learning the plan, only resorting to violence when absolutely necessary. Hawkins probably sees how much Luffy defies the odds, and maybe for once he’ll finally make a gamble. Zoro has Conqueror’s Haki Not quite useful for a swordsman, but Zoro definitely gives off an aura that make people terrified of him. We saw it with Monet and with Urashima, the latter completely frozen as Zoro struck. This points to similar effects we know of an untrained Conqueror’s Haki. I’m open for it to be something else, maybe even a lesser extent of it, but there is something unusual with Zoro’s aura that’s neither armament or observation, so by elimination our only theory can be that it’s Conqueror’s. Usopp will be trained by Dr Vegapunk Vegapunk is a cryptid in One Piece right now, we only mention him but we’ve never properly seen him. The marines are very possessive of him too, so when we finally meet Vegapunk, we’re gonna get a lot of interaction. What makes me believe that Usopp will get training is that Vegapunk’s specialty seems to be invention, something Usopp is also very prolific at. It’ll probably also make Franky jealous which is a little recurring thing. Usopp’s success with the Clima-tact could also spark Vegapunk’s curiosity in the sniper, since he failed to finish his own research in Climate Control. This may also lead to further revelations to Vegapunk’s mystery. The Crew will visit the Lvneel Kingdom One character people would enjoy to see more of is Lvneel, the kingdom Noland came from. Noland made a small cameo in Dressrosa to remind us of him, so there must be something else relative to Noland that the Straw Hats will need to deal with, even if it’s clearing that he wasn’t a liar. This could be where the popular theory of Usopp being Noland’s descendant gets used. The World Government gave Roger his Incurable Disease, and they will try it with Luffy Biological warfare has not been a staple of the WG granted, but the Ope Ope no Mi was a treasure hidden by Marejois, a Devil Fruit capable of treating diseases better than any human. Add onto the mythical sakura leaves Chopper had been told about and it’s possible that the WG are withholding the ability to cure diseases because they can use diseases to destroy things; white lead disease for instance, despite many doctors there was a huge misconception of the disease, why? Maybe because the WG didn’t want it to be treated. This is what leads me into thinking that Roger’s undisclosed disease was something the WG gave him to try and stop him, causing Roger to live on borrowed time. This may also be why Kaido - the WG’s biggest opposition - have also looked to biological warfare through Queen’s diseases, to keep our minds aware of it, what we should also be aware of though is that Chopper easily treated it, so maybe when the WG infect an already poison-resistant Luffy, it will fall to Chopper to achieve his goal of being able to cure any disease.

And that’s all I have, until other theories come to mind, but that’s it for today. As with Part 1 feel free to expand on this for other theory videos/posts, I’m sure more digging can be found.

[neverwatchedonepiece]

635-637: "The Fateful Reunion! Bellamy the Hyena!", "A Super Rookie! Bartolomeo the Cannibal!" and "Big Names Duke it Out! The Heated Block B Battle!"

Luffy’s entire experience of Dressrosa so far.

If I had two words to sum up these episodes, they would be: new characters.

New characters everywhere. 

And, if @mrkashkiet​ is right, some of them should not be immediately written off as battle fodder. I have done my best to keep track of all the new names  and faces (let’s face it, Dressrosa has not yet descended into HxH War of Succession level madness). 

But I think I have a better handle on the competitors now. Who knew paying close attention would work wonders?

Oh, and I forgot to mention that the influx of new characters is not limited to the Colosseum.

Trafalgar Law: Supplier of Tea and Shade

Yes.

It is the return of Cipher Pol. Except this time, the World Government have unleashed the Big Guns.

The Caesar Handover Team (Law, Robin, Usopp and Caesar) had camped at a pavement cafe near the Long Bridge they must cross to reach Green Bit. They were indulging in a bit of recon because the bridge, to put it mildly, was in a state of disrepair.

A rickey, rusting wreck is what I want to say.

A conveniently chatty waiter was only too happy to furnish them with intel. Apparently, people used to freely cross the bridge two-hundred years ago, but an influx of fighting fish ruined everything. The people tried to reinforce the bridge with iron but it never worked. Yes, people still try to cross. The waiter himself knew people who’d made the attempt. But no one ever came back. (I bet the Smile factory is on Green Bit.)

Caesar and Usopp were not keen on making the crossing. Law told them to pipe down and pulled the “we’re here now, anyway” card. The lack of unrest in Dressrosa was what worried Law. (Sanji noticed that too.) Their king had abdicated suddenly. Why was everyone so calm?

Then something awesome happened.

Robin saw something out the corner of her eye. She cringed, pulled her hat down further over her face. Caesar caught on too.

Three sinister, white-robed, masked people walked down the street like ghosts. They were heading in the direction of the bridge.

It was CP0. According to Robin, they are even deadlier that CP9 and are charged with only the highest level intelligence missions. “When they’re on the move,” Robin said, “nothing good happens.”

Except plot, Robin. Good plot happens.

I mean, come on! First Fujitora is hanging about, supposedly to deal with all the pirates in the Colosseum. Now CP0 have crawled out of the woodwork but they are lurking about the bridge. They are all in on something. They must know or suspect something is going on in Dressrosa. I’ll bet they have intel Luffy and Law don’t.

I wonder if Fujitora wants Luffy to draw out Doflamingo (or at least the proof something is going on). He definitely knows Luffy is behind the beard and he let Luffy go. Why? The plot chickenz.

Zoro , Sanji and Kinemon: Technically All Chasing After Precious Things

Elsewhere on Dressrosa, Zoro, Sanji and Kinemon have all gone their separate, chaotic ways.

Zoro has finally laid hands on Shusui again, but - and I cannot believe I am saying this - a small, thieving, invisible creature *was* behind the disappearance of Zoro’s belongings. And they referred to Zoro as a “human”, which means... I mean, are we really talking fairies here? Why do they need to steal stuff? Are they raising funds for Doflamingo? I have no idea what’s going on.  I am at the point of tin-foil hat speculation so I’ll quit before the hat is fully on.

Sanji managed to take out a sniper sixteen metres above ground with one kick. Why the need for a sniper kicking spree? He was being targeted while walking with Violet. I am still suspicious of her. I think she’s in on the whole thing and she is only just beginning to realise that, uh oh, she’s snared a really strong fighter, how do we get out of this one?

Also, Kinemon found himself surrounded by chuckling thugs who threw Kanjuuro’s location in his face. They recognised him by the “top-knot-shaped hat” (lmao). There was a, “If you don’t cooperate, we will kill you and your friend,” moment. Not super interested in this plot point, but looking forward to seeing how Oda weaves it into the wider storyline. 

Meanwhile, on The Event Horizon Sunny...

A portal has opened to another dimension.

In the grand scheme of things, everyone who went to Dressrosa got the better end of the bargain because this... this is some weird shit.

(Plus, there was another Momonosuke clue. While Momo was playing at being shogun (and Brook refused, saying he “Only takes orders from Luffy-san”) Dr Chopper observed Momo’s behaviour. Apparently, Momo is putting up a good front, disguising some sort of trauma. What happened to him a Punk Hazard could be a good bet. Maybe there was something else we didn’t get to see.)

Bellamy Is A New Man! Sort of...

Back at the Colosseum, the main event was underway: Block B’s battle! We still haven’t reached the end of it yet but that’s because a lot was happening backstage.

The action picked up where it left off. Luffy’s reunion with Bellamy did not go quite as I expected - in a good way. A lot has happened since Luffy kicked Bellamy’s ass at Jaya. For one, after ridiculing Luffy for his ambition to visit Skypeia, Bellamy made his own trip. He lost his crew in the attempt (I think?) but brought back a huge golden souvenir, which he presented to Doflamingo. 

I didn’t quite understand his connection with Doflamingo before. I figured he was part of Doflamingo’s crew and worked exclusively for him. But it turns out Bellamy had his own crew? Maybe they were allied with/working for Doflamingo?

At any rate, since he returned from Skypeia, Bellamy has become a changed man. He has obsessively worked for Doflamingo - who was Bellamy’s pirate hero since he was a kid - in hopes of being promoted to an executive post in the Donquixote family. 

That is why he entered the Battle Royale. Not to win the Mera Mera fruit, but for a promotion.

I have the funniest feeling he won’t be getting it.

His spring power is cool, though. Luffy was right. He’s definitely become stronger. The way he took out Abdullah and Jeet was pretty stylish. I also like the character development Bellamy has undergone. Oda has morphed him from a loathsome, one-dimensional mook into someone with ambition who will do anything to achieve his goals. Nice.

Bartolomeo

Now, this guy was a surprise.

When Oda introduced Maynard last episode, I never thought for a minute that the badass Marine who held a knife to a pirate’s throat and took him out so easily would become instant fodder in the very next installment.

That’ll teach me for trying to predict Oda’s intentions.

Bartolomeo acts like an Edgy Edgerson (that’s a bit of an understatement, to be honest) but he does look out for his crew, as all good captains should. The guy who was murked last time by Maynard was part of his crew. Unfortunately for Maynard, Bartolomeo is the revenge type. Maynard was left crumpled in a bloody heap. It was interesting that Maynard had planned to take part in the competition. Was it for intel or were the Marines seriously thinking they were in with a shot at the Mera Mera fruit?

Bartolomeo is also one of the rookies Cavendish loathes. When the commentator introduced him, we learned it only took Bartolomeo a year to become (in)famous in the New World. Apparently, he roasted a crew of pirates and broadcast the footage and bombed some innocent civilians. As you do. He also won the coveted spot of #1 Most Annoying Pirate Who Should Just Go Away (lmao).

This was backed up by the crowd. They booed him like a pantomime villain and pelted him with trash. The bomb prank did nothing to salvage the tatters of his public image. Even Dagama was like, “They hate you so much, brat.”

But Bartolomeo didn’t care. He is super edgy. “Don’t even want them to like me.” (If he met Eustass Kidd, the amount of Edge would reach critical mass and cause some sort of singularity).

I have the feeling Bartolomeo will win this fight.

Why?

He has barely lifted a finger the entire time. When the gong was struck, he lay down like Slaking, took a nap. Then he woke up, pissed in the moat (lmao) and somehow took out Hack the Fishman Karate Master with little effort. He must be a fruit user. I wonder what his power is?

It’s testament to how One Piece stretches the limits of your morality when you find yourself laughing and cheering for a guy who literally roasted his rivals and broadcast the footage over the OP equivalent of YouTube.

And the Award for Most Hostile Leading Question Goes To...

While the fighting was underway, Luffy and Cavendish watched from a balcony. Cavendish gave Lucy the low-down on who the most likely winners would be. Apart from Bartolomeo and Bellamy, there was Elizabello II, his tactician Dagama, Ricky (a mysterious Gladiator), Blue Gilly from the Longarm Tribe, Tank Lepant of Dressrosa, Abdullah and Jeet, and Hack (a Fishman Karate specialist and fan of Jimbei).

Elizabello II, Dagama and Tank teamed up with a cadre of random fodders to protect Elizabello. It turns out Liz has a King’s Punch ability that can take out entire fortresses. The only thing is, it takes ages for it to power up and he can only use it once a day. They must want the Mera Mera Fruit badly, as the restrictions of the King Punch make it pretty damned useless in this context. Even if he did get through to the next round, he might be one-on-one against Jesus Burgess. Burgess does not need to wait an hour to power up a punch. Even if it’s four fighters all in the ring together (I bet Luffy will team up with Rebecca), I don’t see Burgess helping him out.

Blue Gilly is a kick fighter with oddly hypnotic knee pads.

Ricky is a mystery. He is a gladiator other fighters have never seen but some random in the crowd claims he might have once - a warrior who fought with no shield.

The Middle Eastern trope fighters Abdullah and Jeet were taken out by Bellamy, Hack was defeated by Bartolomeo.

All very exciting. I love a Battle Royale.

But most of the action was taking place backstage.

While Luffy and Cavendish watched the battle, a hulking, craggy, mountainous figure approached. I knew he was big because Toei had given him the “Big Guy Clown Shoes” sound effect they use for guys like Moria and Kuma. He had the number 12 tattooed on his forehead. It was Don Chinjao.

He stood beside Luffy and Cavendish and said, “Hey, lovely view we’ve got here. Btw, how is Garp-san doing?”

Luffy, the honest soul, never saw the trap coming. “You know grandpa?”

Uh oh.

Well, the situation escalated hilariously quickly after that.

“Garp was like a real demon to us pirates back then. My wound still hasn’t healed, you know. I need you to pay for what your grandpa did to me. If I’d heard about Garp’s son, Dragon, sooner, you would never have been born.”

Ooft. That’s a heavy grudge.

Of course, Cavendish was like, “WHAT? YOU ARE LUFFY!”

And poor Luffy was still desperately clinging to his Lucy disguise, wondering why everyone was blaming him for things that really were not his fault. “no, really, i misheard. i am lucy, honest.”

“YOU DON’T MISHEAR YOUR OWN NAME!!”

Now both Cavendish and Don Chinjao were steamed. They ended up in a skirmish where Cavendish’s Shiny Sparkly Sword, Durandal, was shown off (to be fair, it does look awesome) and the endurance of Chinjao’s Mighty Skull was tested. Neither were going all out, which was nice.

At any rate, Luffy is now hanging from a window ledge. His promise to Franky is not working out well so far. 

Ahhh, that was a good tinkle.

[genogenocrazycatman]

Stillwater - Chapter 8

Stillwater [Archive of Our Own, FanFiction.Net, Mibba]

Characters: Original Female Character, Monkey D. Luffy, Rorona Zoro, Vinsmoke Sanji, Nami, Usopp, Tony Tony Chopper, Nefeltari Vivi

***

"We build as only children know to build

We made a way where there's a will

No slowing down or standing still

Innocent and reckless

"How did we get so old and never notice

How did we gain the world and lose the moment

Rise and fall, the tide surrounds us

And drowns us all"

-Hands Like Houses

***

“Unbelievable,” I muttered, now alone in the jungle.

Not surprisingly, we had come across a dinosaur, another t-rex from the looks of it. I had delivered on my promise. I had engaged it and beaten it. I hadn’t killed it. It wasn’t like it had done anything to me. It was just looking for something to eat. Regardless, it wasn’t a threat anymore.

That didn’t really matter though, because the cowardly duo had bolted the second they saw it. I had been keeping track of them by their screams, but those faded as the distance between them and myself grew. I had no clue where either of them were by this point.

“Nami! Usopp!” I called, receiving nothing in reply. ‘Idiots.’

Our goal was to track down Luffy and the others. Nami and Usopp were capable, scared, but capable, and I was sure that they would be able to track down our captain. That meant if I found Luffy, I’d probably find them as well. I had a general idea of, where he was.

I returned to my earlier thoughts. If I focused, I could probably pinpoint his location. I still wasn’t sure if that was the route I wanted to go. His presence shouldn’t have even been a blimp on my radar to begin with.  Zoro and that damn cursed blade of his shouldn’t have either. Was my control slipping? If so, then my ability to focus was probably shot. The other option was that Zoro and Luffy were a lot more special than I thought. If that was the case and they were really that strong, then it was likely that trying to focus on them was going to knock me on my ass.

I let out an irritated groan. It was frustrating.

I took a second to lean against a tree and think. Finding Luffy would be easier, if I wasn’t doing it by myself. With that, I made my decision. I closed my eyes, and concentrated on the aura that Sandai Kitetsu gave off. Feeling what little of it had slipped through what I thought were my impenetrable mental defenses was nothing compared to now. It was thirst like I had never felt before. Immediately, my mouth and throat went bone dry. It was distracting, consuming my thoughts. It was enough to drive a weaker soul mad. I blinked my eyes trying to focus, trying to stem the feeling once more. Not entirely. I still needed to find it. I clamped down on that channel, just enough that it was manageable and followed the feeling, trudging through the jungle.

I was not meant for the damn jungle, at least not one so dense, and I had to be especially careful, because of my leg. The last thing we needed was for me to strand myself. It took me a lot longer than I would have liked to get to Zoro, but I managed.

He wasn’t alone. Nami and Vivi were there too. All three of them were standing on what looked like a massive birthday cake. It had multiple tiers. The top was a spinning bowl-like structure with candles all around the edge.

Broggy was laid out on the ground, nearby. A weird white substance was coming from the cake thing, floating through the air in the clearing and accumulating on Nami, Zoro, Vivi and Broggy.

I reached from behind the tree that I was leaning against and touched it, rubbing it between my fingers.

“Wax?” Then it clicked. “Damn it,” I swore.

Luffy was there as well, firing off attacks, but not hitting anything other than a red mark on the ground.

“What were you aiming at?” Zoro yelled pissed off.

“I just can’t let you break it,” the little girl said. “Mr. 3-“

“Baroque Works,” I grumbled.

Of course they had followed us. It wasn’t surprising. Ms. All-Sunday, Nico Robin , whatever the hell she was going by knew we were coming this way. It was the only way we could go with the log.

“-Wouldn’t be happy about that at all.”

“What’d you do?” Luffy asked.

“During a bullfight, a bull can’t control his urge to attack the red cape. Likewise, you can’t attack anything other than the circle. That’s what I did.”

‘So she uses colors to control people.’

“AHHHHHHHHH! OKAY THAT DOES IT! I’M MAD NOW! GUM GUM BAZOOKA!” Luffy stretched his arms back and shot them forward, but instead of hitting the cake thing, he hit the circle again and with very little force.

This was not how I wanted this day to go. I could take her. She was just a little girl. I had the physical advantage. I was pretty sure that I was immune to her paint power too. I thought I had gotten away from the crew’s questioning, but this was going to start it all over again.

I stepped into the clearing.

“You’ve got some real talent there with that paint brush,” I commended the girl.  “Captain here’s screwed with you around. I guess that means I have to get rid of you.”

“Mira!” Nami yelled in relief.

I broke the trap. “I’ll take the girl? You get them free?” I asked.

Luffy snickered and shot me a grin. “You got it, Mimi.”

I nodded at him, and turned my attention back to the girl. “I never much understood art,” I admitted. “I’ve always performed audio to visuals.” I stalked towards the girl.

Luffy geared up for an attack.

“We’ll mix the laughter yellow on your back with a little sadness blue to make the last colors trap, tranquil green,” she said, swinging her brush and sending the color flying towards Luffy.

I stepped in front of the blue paint.

“Mira, don’t,” Zoro barked at me.

The seal it me, which was better than Luffy. I looked down at the color on my shirt and started laughing.

“Oh no!” Vivi cried.

“Damn it! Now Mira’s down.”

“See I told you, you should’ve posed, but you wouldn’t listen,” Zoro chirped at the girls. “Now, it’s too late you’re gonna die like that.”

“No need to worry about poses yet,” I said, looking up.

“Your eyes!” Nami cried out.

I ignored it. We could discus my eyes and everything else later. I protected mine, and if that meant that I had to reveal some of my secrets or punch a kid in the face, I was more than willing to do so. I charged the girl, cocking my fist back and thrusting it towards her face.

She let out a wail, falling out of the way. She quickly scrambled up ducked under my next swing, taking a brush and running it across Luffy’s back. The color on it blended with the one on her brush as she hurriedly made a seal.

Luffy hit the ground.

“Tranquil green,” she sputtered.

“Sneaky brat.”

“This is nice grass,” Luffy said, settling into it on his stomach.

I looked over at Vivi and the others. They were completely covered. Clearly, they had to be my priority. I went after it, but was knocked on my ass by Usopp and Vivi’s duck, who came flying out of the jungle with two people that I had never seen before on their asses. I assumed they were more Baroque Works agents.

“Shit.”

I had to get them out. I couldn’t hit it without worrying about hitting them. Zoro would probably survive the hit, but not the others. I didn’t have and fresh water on me, and now I was too far away from the river to use water. Even if I did, I wasn’t precise enough to cut the wax and not them. If anything, I’d tear through their flesh with the water pressure, or wouldn’t use enough and only harden the wax.

“Special attack exploding star!”

The two agents were still on Usopp’s tail. The one fired off a gun. The shot hit Usopp and exploded on contact. Usopp’s shot nailed Luffy.

“What an idiot. He attacked his own friend.”

“Usopp!” I called.

“Did- Did Luffy snap out of it?” he asked.

Luffy, free of the trap stood up. “Yeah. I’m good now.”

“You guys are the idiots,” I fired back at the Baroque Works morons.

Luffy rose up too. “I’m tired of your stupid paints. You’re through. I’m not going to let you hurt anymore of my friends. Now I’m really mad!” he growled out.

The guy that had fired at Usopp started laughing. “Oh. You’re mad are you? Look at your friends. Being mad won’t do them any good.”

“Oh yes it will! They’re still alive!”

I nodded in agreement. I could feel Zoro. How long they were going to remain that way was still up in the air. We had to move quickly.

“Are they now? Look again. All they need is some of Ms. Goldenweek’s paint and they’ll be perfect wax statues. Face it. You’re too late to save them.  They’re gone and you know it.”

Something started knocking down trees. It was big, its steps shaking the ground, the sound of them rumbling throughout the island.

“Mr. Five is right about that. You’re friends are finished, because you were too late to help them and now it’s your turn to die,” a high pitched male voice said.

Finally, the trees on the edge of the clearing fell, revealing a guy in a massive suit made of wax.  “I’m guess he’s the wax one,” I said, eyes on the flame on his head.

“Uh huh.”

“It’s time for candle champion,” Mr. Three declared.

“What the heck is that?” Luffy voiced my thoughts.

Five answered us. “That thing. That’s what he used one time to take someone down with a forty-two million berry bounty.”

“That’s Mr. 3’s greatest work of art,” his partner added.

“Time to use your talents, Ms. Goldenweek. I need a very special paint job for my armor. And don’t forget to be artistic.”

“After that can I take a break?” the brat asked.

“Why yes. You can go get some tea. I prefer that you’d stay out of this. When I’m in this armor I’m nearly impervious to harm. This suit is nearly as hard as iron. It may be made of wax, but it fits like a glove, and it’s impossible for anyone to pierce, and you don’t stand a chance against it. This artwork is flawless!”

“Wow that’s so cool!”

I rolled my eyes. “Now is not the time to be impressed.”

Usopp echoed my sentiments. “Fight!”

Luffy went after the candle guy, while I headed towards the three wax figures. I needed to stop that thing. They needed air.

“Just where do you think you’re going?” the chick with the umbrella asked. “Five-hundred kilogram drop. She swung her leg around and hit me in the face, her heavy calf pinning me to the ground, crushing my throat.

I struggled to breathe. If it wasn’t for the ground giving beneath me, no doubt my skull wouldn’ve been crushed. That startled me. I was nearly killed by a human. It had been a long time since man had presented an actual threat to me. Then again, I hadn’t expected anything like this in Paradise. Admittedly, I hadn’t taken any of these threats too seriously, a mistake on my part. While they may have paled in comparison to the threat that was always lingering over my head, they were still worth acknowledging.

Heavy or not, the limb was still made of flesh. I opened my mouth and sank my teeth into her leg.

She cried out in pain, leg lifting, giving me a chance to break free.

“Fire! We need to use fire! It’s just wax it’ll melt,” Usopp explained.

His observation was confirmed by the brat.

Before I would land a hit on her, she floated away, lightening herself so that she could be lifted by her umbrella.

Five fired at Usopp, who looked to use an exploding star to melt the wax off of the others.  “When we say that you don’t stand a chance, it’s best to believe us.”

“Exactly. Thousand kilogram drop!” I barely rolled out of the way. The impact of her landing, created a huge crater. She floated up out of it over to Usopp and Carue.

The duck took off, something in its mouth. He was fired upon by Five.

Blondie sat on Usopp. She was increasing her weight, crushing Usopp.

“I’ve had enough of you,” I grumbled, swinging my leg around and cracking her in the back of her head, causing her to fall forwards off of Usopp.

My leg, having held up surprisingly well throughout everything finally gave out on me, causing me to fall. My good leg was still draped over her back.

“You okay?” I asked, Usopp.

“Yeah,” he said.

Luffy came running towards the wax thing, dragging Three by his hair.

“That tiny little flame isn’t gonna work quickly enough,” Usopp said to Luffy. “The rope that Carue has, light that on fire.”

“A rope, how is that supposed to help us?”

“Just trust me on this. I covered the whole thing in oil.”

“Alright everyone, it’s time to wake up.”

“Usopp, you’re a genius, but this is gonna suck.”

Usopp grunted in agreement.

Luffy lit the rope and the entire thing burst into flames.

Three panicked and ran, cursing Luffy, taking the little brat with him.

“Damn it! How dare you mock Baroque Works agents!” Five yelled.

Blondie had snuck away when everything went up in flames. She came crashing down on my chest, knocking the wind out of me, while kicking Usopp.

“That’s it! Playtime’s really over now! I’m gonna crush your stupid little necks!” She flew up into the air. “Ten thousand kilogram guillotine!” She went into a split, one leg positioned over Usopp’s neck, the other over mine.

I couldn’t get out of there, still gasping for breath, trying to re-inflate my lungs. Even if I could’ve crawled out of the way, I wasn’t going to be able to get Usopp out of there. I wasn’t just gonna leave him to die.

Vivi and Nami jumped out of the flames, each of them wielding their respective weapons. The pair knocked Blondie off of her flight path, away from Usopp and myself, and knocked her out.

“That was really hot,” Nami said, “Couldn’t you have thought of another plan?”

“You’re being a little picky here, don’t you think? Aren’t you at least a little bit grateful?” Usopp  asked, standing up.

“You have a point there. Thanks.”

“It’s amazing. I can’t believe, we’re actually alive,” Vivi said.

“Hmmm,” I hummed.

“Got out of the wax, did ya? Well, I’ve had enough. We simply cannot afford for you to screw up our mission anymore.”

“Hey, Mr. Five! Special attack, exploding star!”

Usopp fired another shot off at Five, who simply swallowed it.

“You fool. Haven’t you figured out that you’re pathetic explosives don’t affect me at all. They’re nothing to an exploding man.”

I finally sat up, having regained my breath.

Five started to sweat, face turning red. I chucked at his misfortune.

“I’m sorry. I told a little lie. That wasn’t an exploding star. That was my special tabasco star.”

Usopp laughed as Five suffered. “I had to learn how effective that was the hard way.”

“Damn you, stupid pirate! I refuse to let you make a mockery of me!”

Usopp squeaked in fear, realizing that provoking him wasn’t the brightest idea. He tried to run, but Five caught up and grabbed a hold of him quickly.

Vivi and Nami took a defensive stance, ready to protect Usopp.

I attempted to stand and failed. “I can’t walk right now, so can you just hurry up and take care of this, so we can head back to the ship?” I asked.

The flames, swirled, as the air feeding them was manipulated by the swift movements of three blades.

“Flaming, oni giri!”

Zoro emerged from the flames, commanding the fire enveloping his body as if it was his own, looking truly like a demon, rising from the depths of hell. His movements sliced Five of course, but setting him on fire as well.

“You know these flaming swords aren’t too bad,” he said.

“How in the hell do you carry that thing?” I asked, glaring at Sandai Kitetsu. Remembering how it felt, the flames that licked at my skin were nothing compared to that sword.

“Curse starting to scare you?” he teased.

“That curse should kill you,” I told him. “I used it to find you. I thought it was going to kill me.”

Broggy, free of the wax got up.

“Hey there. Glad to see you made it out alive,” Zoro said.

“Yeah.”

Broggy looked over at his fallen comrade sadly.

“Master?”

Usopp seemed to snap Broggy out of this thoughts. “Now, it seems that there are only two foes left.”

“Luffy can handle them,” I said.

The others all made noises of agreement.

“Zoro, we need to stitch you up,” I said, noting the gashes in his legs. I didn’t get how he was even standing.

“I think you’re stitches need redone as well,” Vivi said.

“Probably,” I looked down at the red spot on my thigh. “We need to find an island with a store. I need clothes.”

“I can lend you some until we get to a store,” Nami offered.

“Don’t do it,” Zoro said. “She’ll charge you out the ass.”

Vivi walked over to me and helped me up, supporting me, so that I could stand up.

Luffy returned, confirming that Baroque Works was gone for now, and that at the moment, we were safe.

With the threat gone, Broggy could finally take in the result of his duel. It didn’t matter that they had spent a century fighting. They were friends, brothers in arms at one point. They had sailed the seas together. Broggy had won, but he had also lost. He was alone now, at least until he returned to Elbaf.

The giant sat down, the weight of his victory crashing down on him, and began to cry. His wails were loud, painfully so. Tears poured down around us like rain. It was heartbreaking to watch.

That heaviness vanished, when Dorry sat up, shocking all of us.

“Dorry! You’re alive!” Broggy exclaimed.

“I must’ve lost consciousness,” he said. He was still heavily wounded, and his breathing was labored.

“How are you still alive?”

“The weapons, the saved me,” Dorry answered.

I nodded in understanding. It made sense. Even with the proper tools to take care of them. It was impossible for the average weapon could survive a hundred years of dueling. The weapons were dull, better suited for bludgeoning than blades at this point.

“It’s a miracle really,” Usopp said.

Broggy pulled Dorry into a tight embrace.

“Broggy, will you let go? I’m a little sore here.”

“I’m sorry. I’m so glad you’re still alive, Dorry. It’s amazing.”

“Oh come on. This isn’t a miracle. The fact that those weapons are even in tact after a century of fighting is the miraculous part. They should be scrap by now. I’m surprised they lasted this long.”

“What a day this was! Thank you, god of Elbaf for this wonderful day!”

“Oh is that true Broggy? You think that fighting me while I was injured, cutting me down and knocking me out was all wonderful?”

“Don’t be an idiot, Dorry. That’s not what I’m saying and you know it.” He hit Dorry in the shoulder.

“Would you keep your hands off my wounds?” Dorry asked, chuckling and hitting Broggy in the chest.

The pair threw light blows back and forth, steadily increasing in power.

“You try doing that again and see how far you get!”

“Yeah I can take you down in a heartbeat!”

The two giants were in each other’s faces ready to go once more.

“You two are ready to fight already?!” Nami called out.

I shook my head at their antics. “YO!” I called up at them. “How about we all take care of ourselves and then you can brawl? Usopp’s got burns. Luffy’s got burns. I got burns. I need stitches. I don’t know what Zoro did, but he needs them too. Sanji’s still missing.”

“She’s right,” Vivi agreed.

We headed back to camp, after sending Usopp and Luffy to grab supplies. Once they did, I went to work patching everyone up. Broggy took care of Dorry. I stitched up Zoro’s legs, berating him the entire time for his stupid idea.

I then fixed up my leg, happy to see that it wasn’t as bad as I had anticipated. Nami and Vivi helped everyone apply salve to their burns. Usopp ad Luffy continued to questioned Broggy and Dorry about everything their lives as pirates, their bounties, while munching on snacks that they had found. They ended up wrestling on the ground, while Zoro and Nami pondered what to do about the pose.

“All of you helped to save us from those other guys. If we can, we’d really like to return the favor,” Broggy said.

“Well maybe you guys can do something about our log pose, so that we won’t be stuck here.”

“Negative,” I said from my spot in the grass.

“I’m afraid the log pose is the one thing we can’t help you with.”

“Waaaa ha ha! Nami my sweet! Vivi my love! Mira my dear! And all the rest of you.”

I looked up at Sanji, happy to see that he was okay.

“Hey Sanji,” Luffy greeted.

“You’re all alive. I’m so happy.”

I snorted, watching as he bumbled towards Vivi and Nami. He quickly sobered up from his love drunk buzz, when he saw Dorry and Broggy.

“What the hell is going on? And is one of you Mr. Three?”

“Luffy kicked Three’s ass,” I explained. “They’re Dorry and Broggy.”

“How do you know about Mr. Three anyway?” Nami asked.

Sanji’s eyes nearly popped out of his head, when they landed on Nami, who was still in her bra. “Whoa! Nami, you look absolutely amazing in that outfit.”

Nami balled up a fist. “Say that again,” she threatened.

“Now Nami, if you stand around dressed like that all day, you’ll catch cold. Here. Take my coat.” Sanji handed her his jacket.

“Oh. Thank you.”

“And they say chivalry is dead,” I chirped.

Sanji sat down on one of the logs we were using as a bench. “So I just finished talking to that Mr. Zero guy over a transponder snail.”

“Mr. Zero?!”

“Yeah. That guy. I was talking to him in this weird hide out place I found in the jungle. He thought I was some guy called Mr. Three and I thought it would be a good idea to let him believe it, and since I had him on the line I went ahead and told him that we were all dead.”

“So he thinks he doesn’t have to send people after us anymore,” Vivi realized.

I smirked. “Clever boy.”

“So you mean we’re finally free of people chasing us now that we can’t go anywhere anyway? Oh that is just perfect.”

“Better than being sitting ducks with an endless number of agents coming after us,” I offered.

“We can’t go? Why? Or is there still something that we need to take care of here? That’s a real shame after I managed to get a hold of this thing.”

He pulled an eternal pose out of his pocket.

“Cheeky boy.” My grin widened.

Everyone else’s jaws fell slack in shock.

“An eternal pose to Alabasta! Alright!” Luffy cheered, the others joining in.

“Thank you Sanji! I was getting really worried!” Vivi pulled Sanji into a hug.

“Now now it was all my pleasure. I’m just glad I could make you happy.”

I chuckled at his dopey grin, letting him have his moment. He earned it.

“Here.” Zoro extended a hand to help me up.

“You nearly cut your feet off, take it easy,” I said, getting up on my own.

“Whatever. Suit yourself.”

He and Sanji started in on each other about their hunting contest once more.

“Boys.”

“Giant old guys, it’s been a lot of fun, but we have to go,” Luffy said to Dorry and Broggy.

“Of course. Right. We can tell you need to get going.”

“It’s too bad that you have to leave so soon. I hope you get to your homeland in time,” Dorry said to Vivi.

“Me too. Thank you.”

“It was nice meeting you,” I said, waving as I walked off with Luffy and Nami.

“Is your leg alright?” Nami asked.

“I’ll be fine,” I said.

“Mira, my dear,” Sanji sang, picking me up.  “I’ll make sure you get back to the Merry without aggravating your injury.”

“Sanji, I can- You know what. Never mind. Sanji, walk me through a soufflé what’s the process?”

We made it back to the Merry with no incidents. Every one cleaned themselves up, showering, changing the works. When I came back out on deck, Sanji and Zoro were arguing over who had caught the bigger beast, Nami yelling at them for their arguing.

The anchor was lifted, the sail unfurled. I grinned as everyone bickered and squabbled as we made it down the river out to sea. We reached the mouth of the river. Dorry and Broggy stood on either side of it, the pair looking out at the ocean.

“Hey, look at that. It’s the giants. They must’ve come to say goodbye.”

“A great danger still lies ahead of you,” Broggy warned us.

“It is an obstacle that has always been here, trying to prevent people from reaching the next island. Every one of you fought like true warriors, trying to protect the pride of our duel,” Dorry added.

“And because you were willing to do that, no matter what enemy you may face-“

“We will never let them destroy your pride friends.”

“You must have faith in what we say. Go straight. No matter what happens keep going straight. Understand?”

“Yeah. Got it,” Luffy answered.

“What was that about?”  Zoro asked.

“Yeah, I don’t understand.”

“No matter what happens keep going straight,” Luffy reiterated.

“Is that an order, Captain?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“You heard him,” I said to the others.

We sailed out to sea.

“This is goodbye.”

“Until we meet again one day.”

“Absolutely.”

“Look over there!” Nami pointed out, where something massive was surfacing.

“Hello, Island Eater,” Dorry greeted the creature.

“You will open the path! In the name of Elbaf you will open it!”

“Island Eater?” I questioned.

I looked behind us. The two giants raised their weapons.

The creature finally broke through the water, and to say that we were all shocked was an understatement.

“That is a gold fish,” I said, not believing what I was saying, despite the proof in front of my very eyes.

“Usopp, what are you doing? Go inside and work the rudder or else we’re going to be eaten.”

“Yeah, but we have to go straight ahead. Isn’t that right, Luffy?”

Luffy hummed in affirmation.

“Don’t be a moron, Luffy. This isn’t going to be anything like what happened with Laboon,” Nami yelled.

“Yeah, I know. Now calm down. Here.  I’ll even let you have the last rice cracker.”

“I don’t want the last rice cracker! If we don’t turn around right now, that thing is going to eat us!”

“Nami, just give it up,” Zoro said.

Nami gave up, eating the rice cracker and crying.

“Luffy, you really sure we can trust those little pals of yours?” Sanji questioned.

“Little,” I scoffed.

“Yep.”

“Are we really going straight into that beast’s belly?”

“Uh huh. It’s too late to turned now,” Nami cried.

We headed forward, the light disappearing as we entered the gold fish’s cavernous mouth. I leaned against the railing, trying to figure out what Broggy and Dorry’s move was going to be. I ignored the others.

The darkness was disrupted by a blue and red light. It ripped through the gold fish, allowing us to sail out the other side.

Nami and Vivi both collapsed on the deck, relief taking over.

“I thought we were going to die,” Vivi said.

“Me too,” Nami whined.

“Better get used to it,” I chimed, heading inside.

***

Notes:

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[petite-neko]

Dissentient - 7

Fanfiction: Dissentient Story Summary: Trafalgar Law wasn’t a lot of things. But the one thing he most definitely was, was a man in denial. But you’d never hear him say that. Instead, he’d just blame that damned Strawhat. Characters: Zoro, Luffy, Law Pairing: Eventual LawLu Rating: T Warnings: Swearing, angst, alcohol use, canon typical violence, mentions of suicide A/N: YOU NEED TO READ THIS STORY FIRST.

Here’s the double update! By the way, just a heads up: There are numerous 12.5. Literally. Otherwise I’d give you guys a thirty page update. So this is the first of the 12.5 series xD

Previous story || Read on Ao3

Part 6 || Part 7: 12.5.1 Alone || Part 8

Zou was most certainly something else. While he knew the basis of what it was, everything that Bepo had told them was, well, not much. He didn’t remember much of Zou.

Thankfully it was not what the rumours played it out to be, and while things had been rocky and hectic, it was, at least alright. Sure, the cook was missing, and more drama with the Strawhats and their debate with Big Mom (who the fuck did that, by the way?) but they could take a break. At least relatively.

And to say he was relieved to see his crew, well that would be an understatement. (Which surprised him quite a bit. He had been prepared to never see them again. He tried to cut the bonds he held for them internally, and this… longing he had for them was something he had not expected.)

And something told him that his crew knew this. They had been prepared for the worst but hoped for the best.

Despite his efforts, his crew mattered to him, and he did care for them.

(It only reminded him about Luffy and how he pointed out that his crew wasn’t with him and that he had been alone…)

(Luffy, huh?)

Of course his crew assaulted him with questions about Dressrosa, and the alliance with the Strawhats, and what it all meant.

“Let me go introduce you to them…”

.xxx.

To say it was strange not having Luffy at his side, well… that would be admitting the truth.

Before, he knew he had grown so accustomed to Luffy being at his side, he never noticed it anymore, but now…?

Trafalgar Law almost missed it.

Almost.

But it seemed Luffy was respecting the fact that his crew missed him and wanted to catch up with him. Hell, even his crewmates looked at his arm before rebandaging it. They may not be doctors, but they knew enough from assisting him with surgeries.

The stitches itched, but Law knew he would have to leave them in for awhile longer. He didn’t need to scan the area to know that. (Even though he did on a daily basis to investigate the healing progress.)

He glanced over to Luffy to see him laughing and eating with the Minks and enjoying himself. His crew was babbling on around him, hanging off of him before he would shrug them off. He was tempted to just lean against Bepo to stop the idiots from continuing, but at the same time, he somewhat missed their antics, even annoying as they were.

Instead, he decided that he would just grab something. (While moving himself was a rather pointless waste of energy since he could have very well just shambled the stuff over to him it was nice to have a little break from his crew, even if momentary.)

And for some reason, it seemed that his own movement was a cue for Zoro to waltz right over to him. There were silent greeting nods when their gazes met, and it was followed by more silence. At least, until Zoro decided to open his damned mouth:

“Were you planning on leaving Dressrosa alive?”

At those words, Law flinched. He hadn’t been expecting that conclusion so quickly, but he supposed just who was he kidding? No matter the kinship that had formed between the two of them over the course of the week, that warning that Zoro gave him back on the Sunny still stood. And, it didn’t take much for one to figure that out after he said what he had said…

(In fact, it was practically asking to be asked this.)

But Trafalgar Law told the truth after all. Perhaps sometimes he would bend it to suit his needs, but now was not the time for that. And there was just something in the way that Zoro was looking at him right now…

“No, I wasn’t.”

Again, Law should have been expecting that reaction, but when it came to the Strawhats, Trafalgar Law was not doing things that Trafalgar Law should do. (Or doing things that he shouldn’t do, for that matter)

Zoro punched him.

Law hissed in pain, bringing his hand up to his face as the burning sensation took over. His uninjured eye opened as he glowered at the other. Fuck, that hurt! Nothing was broken but he most definitely was going to have a shiner in the morning…

It had gone silent.

Oh, people noticed…

Law saw his crew’s reaction – shit they weren’t going to take this lightly were they? Damn fools. (Too emotionally invested, see?)

But, thank god it was Luffy who came up first. That it was Luffy who protested and scolded his crewmate for doing something he didn’t approve of. Because then a war wasn’t going to break out…

(Well, not that Law had any concerns controlling his crew but…)

“Oi! What the hell Zoro!?” The young captain was grabbing the offending hand, and those dark eyes…

Law was glad he had never been on the receiving end of that look.

(He had looked at Doflamingo like that…)

“What the fuck did you punch Torao for?!”

Certainly, yes Law was relieved that Luffy had stepped in (it had made his crew step down, and dissuaded their assumption that the Strawhats were rebelling against the alliance) he could only sigh at it. Luffy was angry, and he really shouldn’t be. If anything it should be he who was angry but... he didn’t blame Zoro. (Well, he supposed Luffy could be annoyed at the insubordination, but Luffy probably didn’t even realise that consciously) Zoro had all the reason in the world to want to punch him after being told… And, well if Law had any objection to being hit, he should have said something else. (Law knew the ramifications of his actions now and yeah, he probably deserved it.)

So, Law reached up with his right hand and placed it on Luffy’s arm gently. “Mugiwara-ya, relax. I… deserved it. I don’t fault him.”

He squeezed it reassuringly, but Luffy shook his head, turning to Law.

“Bullshit.” And then Luffy looked over to the party, eyes focusing in on something before he called out. “Oi! Chopper! Come look at Torao!”

“Aye, aye Captain!” Came the reply.

…God dammit!

And the small creature bobbed on over to him, clambering up to poke and prod at his injured face.

“No, really ahk Tony-ya, I’m fine!” He protested. “Just get me some ice! Nothing’s broken, well except for some blood vessels maybe. But there’s some swelling – ice dammit!”

But the reindeer was having none of it, fussing over him and just annoying the tender area, and in the background he could hear Luffy yelling at Zoro, and–

“STOP!”

Law sighed after the outburst and thankfully everybody did stop and now Luffy was looking at him.

“Mugiwara-ya, I’ll explain – just get me some ice I’ll be fine – I’m a doctor too!” He argued and glared at Chopper when he tried to protest.

God, the Strawhats were going to drive him mad.

Finally, the reindeer heeded his advice and ran to get the ice, although promising to do a more thorough check-up later. Luffy was… angrily pouting and Zoro just leaning against a damn tree as if he just didn’t get into an argument with his captain over punching their ally.

Idiots. Idiots everywhere.

And everybody was still staring at them.

Finally when Chopper delivered the ice he took it, and Luffy’s arm, and just… walked away from the party.

“O-Oi, where are we going Torao?”

Luffy sounded nervous and reluctant as he looked back at the party. Probably concerned about missing out on food or some stupid shit like that.

Law exhaled again, but tugged Luffy along.

“I’d rather not have to explain myself to everybody. As long as you’re satisfied, I’m certain they’ll be satisfied.”

He didn’t want everybody knowing that he had given up on life. That he tried to sacrifice it just to fulfil another’s goals…

Not to his crew. Hell, even Zoro, but… there just was something there. It was in Zoro’s eyes. (He could see the fury beneath them) And there was that delicate ground between him and Zoro too that he didn’t want to break. Somehow, he felt that Zoro just… deserved to know.

And Luffy… Gods, he didn’t even know if he wanted Luffy to know…

(But here he was, going to tell him anyway.)

When Law applied the ice to his face, he hissed a little. It was too cold, but he already knew that it would feel better shortly. He found himself a fallen tree to sit down on as well, feeling secluded enough to start.

And he sighed.

Luffy found himself a spot in front of him on the ground, just kneeling there. It was unusually quiet before the other captain had leaned in a little and gently moved the bag of ice to look at his eye. The hands were soft, the touch feather light.

“…You sure he didn’t break anything?”

Mugiwara-ya. Luffy. The boy was so concerned. (He always had been…)

Law could feel that familiar tug on the corners of his lips.

“Aside from a few blood vessels, yeah I’m sure. It was a light punch. He was angry, but not that angry at me.” And back to the topic at hand.

That. This… it always kept happening around him. Around this young man who carried the D stronger than any other he had known. That tug. Those urges that normally never happened otherwise. That… that something…

Those soft hands dropped to his lap, and the boy sat down, fidgeting. Why? Why did that make him only want to smile more?

(He replaced the ice to his eye and shuddered a little at the renewed cold sensation to get rid of that urge.)

“So… why was he angry?”

As he thought back to it, Law felt himself sigh again. Why was Zoro angry?

Because, Mugiwara-ya, he was only looking out for you. Because he didn’t want you to lose another person you cared about. Because I didn’t give a damn about any of that. Because I was prepared to die since I had achieved my life’s goal and had nothing left to live for.

Of course, he couldn’t bring himself to say that. To explain it all. To watch that concerned face contort into something he didn’t like. (Again. Again. This kept fucking happening.) So he summarised it, like he always did. Simplified it. Luffy understood simplicity, didn’t he?

“Because… I said something… because I planned to hurt you. Because I lied to you.”

And when those kind, dark eyes widened in disbelief, well Luffy understood him, even if he didn’t want to. “No! Torao isn’t like that!”

Luffy always saw the best in people, didn’t he? He wanted to believe people were better than they actually were. (This. Yes, this was why he didn’t scream out to Luffy in frustration. This was why he didn’t try and shatter those beliefs.) And even if Luffy understood, he wouldn’t accept it.

So Law listened to those urges from earlier and he smiled. (The smile didn’t feel right though. It didn’t satisfy the urge properly. Probably because there was a disheartened tone to it.) He smiled and he shook his head.

He supposed he could explain it in a bit more depth.

“I suppose that’s dumbing it down and not exactly what happened but…”

That’s the gist of it.

He didn’t get the chance to finish his sentence however. Luffy, being Luffy, just wouldn’t accept that his ally was anything but good. That his ally didn’t deserve that punch.

“Torao! You told me you weren’t going to betray me!”

Oh, the innocence…

“That was, and still is, the truth Mugiwara-ya.” He said, moving a little. “At least from the initial intentions of the alliance. But, then again, it’s obvious we have very different opinions on what an alliance means.” Pit Kaido and Doflamingo against one another following the plan he derived. And if he died in the process, well there were always prices to pay in war, right? Nowhere did he say that they were going to defeat Kaido together. Just that he had a plan. A plan that involved Doflamingo. And that, that was all that mattered to him. To Luffy’s perspective though…

“In my terms, no, I was not going to betray you. But in your terms? Probably what I was doing, or well, planning to do was the ultimate betrayal.”

Well, at least he had Luffy’s attention now and the boy wasn’t interrupting him anymore. No, his head was tilted in confusion and curiosity.

“Huh?”

Dressrosa. Doflamingo. Death.

Those were the differences. And that was why Zoro was mad at him. He didn’t blame the guy, no he didn’t. The swordsman was even warming up to him recently too. They had been building that bridge between them, and learning to trust one another…

Law tilted his head up and closed his other eye. He could hear the nature around them. Hear the party going on without them. And he could hear Luffy fidgeting again.

Patient, the boy was being so patient for him. It almost made him feel bad for his earlier intentions.

But he was a different man then, wasn’t he? A man with no purpose. A man driven solely by revenge.

Surprising, how much one could change over the course of a week…

He inhaled deeply. Decidedly. Yes, Luffy, of all people, deserved to know the truth. (It was his fault after all, rescuing him he way he did.)

“I was never planning on leaving Dressrosa.”

Alive.

(But didn’t they essentially mean the same thing?)

“Huh? Why? That’s where Mingo was. And how can we fight Kaido if you’re there?”

God, this child…

Maybe he should just start from the beginning? No, Luffy wasn’t good with stories. He was already being so patient as it was with him, it was only a matter of time before it broke.

“I wasn’t planning on fighting Kaido.”

“But you said–!”

(See?)

Law held up his hand to shush the other and continued. “I said to you the purpose of our alliance was to bring down Kaido. And getting rid of his artificial devil fruits while simultaneously getting him to face Doflamingo was all intended to do just that. Because then Kaido would be weakened, his forces weaker… creating him open to a challenge, correct?”

At least Luffy had calmed down after his outburst and was quiet again. When Law paused to ensure that Luffy had taken in all the information, he received a nod.

So he continued again.

“And, so we went to Dressrosa. If everything had gone to plan you would have left Dressrosa to Zou with your team intact, the factory destroyed, and Doflamingo on the run from both Kaido and Fujitora. And I? Well, I was the bait Mugiwara-ya, and the bait doesn’t always get away.”

“I don’t get what this has to do with Zoro punching you…” Luffy whined.

A whine? What? Was paying attention that cumbersome that he objected doing so if he didn’t see the immediate results of his patience?

(…Who was he kidding? He was dealing with Luffy for crying out loud!)

Law couldn’t help but make a sound of annoyance. Because Luffy still didn’t get it despite him spelling it out for the guy. Not leaving, bait, not getting away, what Doflamingo did to him…

“For fuck sakes Mugiwara-ya, I’m trying to say I planned to die on Dressrosa to ensure things went to plan!” Law all but screamed out in frustration, both hands moving out, ice leaving his face.

There. Right there. And it hurt like he thought it would.

The way Luffy’s eyes went wide. The concern. Denial. Fear.

It sure looked like betrayal.

“No! Torao can’t die!”

Law could only sigh – how many times was that now? – and force his face to look neutral.

“And that was why your swordsman punched me. He found that out and confronted me on it.”

Luffy brought his knees up and sniffled. He was fucking pouting again!

“…Why does Torao wanna die?”

The question hurt, and Law glanced to the side. “…It’s not that.” And it wasn’t, but it still hurt to hear it. “It’s… complicated. It’s more of a lack of a reason to live…”

“But your nakama!”

What was it with Luffy and interrupting him damnit?

“They can survive without me.”

“What about me?”

“…You never entered the equation Mugiwara-ya.”

There finally was silence.

Did those words hurt the small captain?

(But it was the truth. Luffy’s reaction to his death didn’t matter because Trafalgar Law wasn’t supposed to matter.)

Law sighed, feeling a bit calmer after that and brought the ice bag back up to his face. (He barely noticed it now, the skin had gotten quite cold.)

“I… I was willing to do anything to make Doflamingo pay, Mugiwara-ya. Even if it meant sacrificing my life. It was the only thing I lived for after – after Cora-san…” Law took a shuddering breath, feeling the emotions again and it was becoming hard again. Vengeance was won but still it hurt…

“Was he the guy Mingo killed?”

And while Luffy had seemed to finally find his voice once more, it was subdued. Less insistent this time. Had he noticed the sound he made?

Law could only nod. Unlike Luffy, he didn’t trust his voice right now…

“I understand wanting to make him pay but… why die for it?”

Luffy could be rather observant at times, couldn’t he? And understanding and… there was a lot under that exterior of his that nobody noticed but…

Luffy didn’t understand this. No, he couldn’t. He didn’t. Not that burning desire within him. Not the desperation. Not the emptiness. He had been broken. Was broken again.

(Is still?)

“I told you. I… I had no reason to live.” His life meant nothing. “I was already a dead man walking, but… I wanted to fulfill Cora-san’s will… I had to. He gave it all up. For me. So I could live…”

“Then maybe you should keep living! Since he wanted you to live so badly!”

This damn kid!

“I-arg! It’s not that simple Mugiwara-ya!”

“Is too!”

…He just had to get used to this too, didn’t he?

He groaned. “What Cora-san wanted was for me to have a chance at life! Not for me to live! There’s a difference!”

Why? Why was he even arguing this? It was a moot point and not what he originally came here to do. (That was already achieved!) And he wasn’t like that anymore.

(Luffy asked. Luffy argued. And, as always, Law just reacted.)

“I was sick. I was dying. At thirteen years old I only had months left to life. And Cora-san, he… he took me from hospital to hospital. Doctor to doctor… trying to save me. Trying to restore the hope in me: a boy who hated the world for what it had done to him. But… in doing so he sacrificed his own goals in life: to see Doflamingo stopped. And Doflamingo found out. He killed Cora-san because I fucked up and–”

That was not a sob. What was not a sob! Trafalgar Law did not sob! Damnit he said too much and – fuck – why did it still hurt?

“Torao…?”

There was a hand on his good arm, squeezing tightly.

“You don’t have to talk about it. This… this is what keeps you up at night, isn’t it? This is why you can’t sleep. Why you stayed up with me when I dreamed of Ace. You’re still bleeding, aren’t you?”

Law dropped the bag of ice and just covered his face with his hands. He tried. Tried so hard not to let Vergo’s words get the better of him. But, they did. And maybe, part of him felt that the only way he could atone for it was to die fulfilling Cora-san’s dream.

“He saved me, but I made him pay for it with his life. Maybe I did want to die a little bit. I… I never felt like my life meant anything. That I was expendable. I was supposed to die in my home town along with everybody else. I was supposed to die of the poison the government allowed to happen to me. I was supposed to die with Cora-san in the bird cage all those years ago. I felt like I didn’t matter. That if I died, as long as Doflamingo paid, nothing else mattered. That I at least accomplished something useful in my life.”

“Torao, shut up.”

The statement was so… blunt it made him just stare at the other who was once more squatting in front of him on the moss, that angry, pouting expression on his face.

“If it weren’t for you, I’d be dead right now.” Luffy grabbed one of his hands, and bringing both of their hands to the scar on his chest. “If it weren’t for you, I, and my nakama might all be statues on Punk… whatever. If it weren’t for you I couldn’t have taken down Mingo.” Then those dark eyes met his and the intensity of the emotions there was overwhelming.

“So don’t say your life is meaningless! Don’t throw away your life so easily!”

Law’s hand slipped away, himself too mesmerised by those eyes to keep it up, and Luffy’s grip had loosened.

He couldn’t decipher the emotions there…

It had been Luffy, not him, who broke the eye contact. But not before Law recognised some of those emotions.

Sadness. Loneliness. Sorrow.

His eyes were downcast, and the hand that had previously held his tightened at his chest, as if clutching at something.

“If… If Torao dies…” Luffy bit his lip. “It just hurts thinking about it. Hurts like Ace, but not the same. Hurts like thinking about my nakama dying, but different. I don’t want another scar Torao, so you can’t die.”

The scene before him was painful. Oh so painful, but something else too… All Law could do was stare. Stare at this man who had been giving him a reason. A reason to live. To hope.

What was this?

“You need to live Torao. You need to! I won’t let you die.”

“I know.”

(Why? Why did he know?)

“Then why! Why did you plan to die!”

Luffy was so upset… there were tears in the corners of his eyes… the torn emotion in his voice. The way his face was set…

Luffy was reacting like this at the prospect of him dying…

“Because back then I didn’t know.”

“You were alone. See? Being alone is scary, isn’t it?”

Yes, Trafalgar Law had been alone.

But now? As he looked at the trembling figure that was Luffy, he realised that no, he wasn’t.

He had Luffy.

[neverwatchedonepiece]

619: "Running Wild! Invincible General Franky!"

Pirate King, eh?

You know what? I’m almost apprehensive to leave Punk Hazard behind.

It was such a fun arc and ticked lots of my personal boxes (Caesar is absolutely awful and a treasure of a villain, I have decided). This apprehension is only because I don’t know what’s coming next. Judging by the plot threads Oda has set up so far, it’s fingers crossed I’ll enjoy Dressrosa as much as Punk Hazard.

This episode seemed to be split in two: the fond farewell to the arc and looking forward to the next. In one particular scene, both merged very effectively.

And Now, We Wait.

The Strawhats waiting for Usopp, Chopper and Brook was definitely a tying up of loose ends. The final piece of the puzzle of Punk Hazard is complete. Now, they only need to escape.

I love this shot. While the others were clambering onto Law’s truck, desperate to escape the lab caving in about them, Luffy and the other Strawhats calmly sat facing the door, unwilling to give up hope until all hope was lost. Because Luffy waited, they all stood by him and did the same. ;_;

The Strawhats definitely have Usopp to thank for guiding Chopper and Brook to safety. “50 meters to go! The Gate is closing. Slide in!” The gas really was gaining at that point but Brook kept everyone’s spirits up. “It’s only over when you give up.”

Chopper, Mocha and the G5 guys burst through first, followed by a very narrow scrape through by Brook and (frozen) Kinemon! Luffy was relieved. You could see the sweat beads on his forehead. But he never gave up hope and his faith in his crew paid off. (But it always helps to have someone like Usopp around, so credit where it is due.)

Another clue that the Strawhats might actually capture Caesar is that Usopp retrieved the cuffs from the Minions. They were so grateful for what Usopp had done for them that they fought to hand over their cuffs. 

The only slightly bad thing was that Brook accidentally let slip that Kinemon had been caught by the gas right in front of his kid.

Don’t think Momonosuke will be happy his dad is dead.

Is he dead, though? The other minions and G5 guys were left behind but why would Brook bother to bring Kinemon, if he couldn’t be revived? Unless it’ll be an honourable samurai funeral situation... ;_;

Actual Knife Energy

Meanwhile, outside at the Sunny, the Mega Mecha Air Battle between Franky and the Baby 5/Buffalo team was definitely looking to the future (specifically, the future battles and rivalries between Doflamingo and the Strawhat pirates).

As Baby 5 and Buffalo retreated from Franky’s firestorm of laser bullets, they hovered at a safe distance and had a “wtf is that?” moment. An old kung-fu movie style sequence of increasing close ups followed (I laughed). Then, without warning, Franky unleashed a General Left.

Baby 5 and Buffalo were sent reeling again. It was interesting they recognised Franky’s “pacifista” weapons straight away, and that they briefly considered Franky was one of Caesar’s inventions before realising Caesar has no interest in “human” weapons. I guess Caesar’s more a biochem kind of guy.

Well, whatever Franky was, Baby 5 said, if it wanted a fight...

She fired a ton of bullets in Franky’s general direction and thought she’d got him until the smoke cleared and a flash of glowing yellow cyborg eyes said, “Nope. Not even close.”

Then Franky injected a bit of humour into the firefight. Dat General Shield that was way too small. Dat Boomerang! xD

His dumb delaying tactics annoyed Baby 5 into changing form. Now, I am guessing Baby 5 and Buffalo have eaten those types of fruits that let you transform into objects (kind of the opposite of Funkfreed). Would those be Zoan fruits, or something else?

At any rate, their teamwork is pretty good. Buffalo knows how to support Baby 5 and set up her attacks. She transformed into a blade first (Espada Girl), then a missile (Missile Girl). It’s just a shame they’re up against Franky because he is armed to the teeth. Literally. Like, I would not be surprised if Franky has weaponised his teeth.

What probably threw Baby 5 and Buffalo was when they accused Franky of not letting them recover Caesar. Buffalo reminded Baby 5 that Doflamingo said “immediately” regarding Caesar’s recovery. (That itself is interesting. It shows Doflamingo’s orders are not to be defied.) Baby 5 transformed into a missile and yelled, “We’ll take Caesar with us!” and Franky was like, “Wtf are you talking about Caesar?”

I had an “uh oh” moment. Franky just wants to defend Sunny. Baby 5 and Buffalo want to recover Caesar. There is a tiny danger that all three will have a chat and agree to let everyone get what they want with no further conflict. Then Caesar will have escaped. Franky knows what Caesar did to the Strawhats, so I don’t think it’ll happen. But there is always a chance!

And speaking of Caesar...

The Centre of Alllllll the Trouble

I wonder if this guy knows just how much trouble he’s caused? I wonder if he knows his knowledge alone can turn the OPverse upside down? That Doflamingo sent two members of his team to retrieve him and was willing to sacrifice Monet and Vergo to do so makes it blindingly obvious.

Considering how egotistical Caesar is, he probably knows fine well and absolutely loves it.

Well, I say that. As of 619, he has no idea Doflamingo has sent anyone to rescue him. He’s currently flat out and convinced he’s going to die. 

But, Caesar cannot stop being Caesar. He felt about in his coat pockets, found Smoker’s heart in a box and decided to enact some scorched earth, nuclear revenge. I mean, if he’s gonna die, right?

The scary thing about Caesar is the sheer glee he feels whenever he does something awful. “I’ll take Smoker to hell with me!” he whispered. “It’s a shame I can’t watch him die. He’ll open his eyes, vomit blood and suffocate in no time. I’m excited just imagining it!”

Okay, Caesar. You do you.

He’s also the kind of guy who keeps shanks on his person. Holding it above the heart, he grinned and said, “It’ll cause fear and panic in all those he’s with.”

That’s Caesar in a nutshell. He develops biochem weapons. He’s a serial killer. He loves causing fear and panic. Punk Hazard really was a paradise for him and he manipulated everyone else around him into believing it too.

I don’t think Smoker will die. Mostly because Law is around and he might be able to fix any heart-stabbin’ antics with his Room Plus Medical Powers.

Still, I wonder what will be next for Caesar? If he goes back to Doflamingo, it’ll be business as usual, I guess. If Luffy and Law succeed... what the hell will they do with him? Luffy hates him. Will Law take him on?

I have no idea. It could go any way, really. I suppose it depends on how devoted Caesar is to Doflamingo. Whether Caesar is willing to go down with Doflamingo (I’m assuming this’ll happen because Doflamingo is a villain and Whole Cake Island comes after Dressrosa.)

RIP, Monet and Vergo

This sequence of scenes was very cool. Lots of beautiful art too.  The most interesting thing here was Monet and Vergo’s devotion to Doflamingo. That they were willing to die to help accomplish his goals. Doflamingo must either have some hellish power, hellish charisma or a hellish combination of both.

The action briefly cut to Dressrosa, where Doflamingo was taking a call from Monet. He couldn’t believe she was alive. (Neither could I. How she recovered from being halved is still a mystery.) She told him Vergo had been beaten. Caesar too. Doflamingo said not to worry. Baby 5 and Buffalo had been sent to retrieve Caesar.

Notice the lack of “and also retrieve you and Vergo.” Monet did notice... and she was fine with it.

“Oh, that’s good to hear,” she said.

Doflamingo apologised. “It’s all because of my misjudgement. I feel bad for you all but I want to make sure to wipe out all those squirts now.” 

Translated: I feel bad that you and Vergo are gonna die but I need this thing done.

He wanted Monet to push Caesar’s Big Red Button, the Big Damned Bomb that was also responsible for leveling Punk Hazard. “With just the push of a button, there will be only one survivor on that island and that is Caesar.”

Jeez. That’s harsh. He just straight up told her.

“You don’t have to say anything, Joker,” Monet answered. “I was just going to do that, anyway. I’m right in front of the triggering device. The explosion will ruin the tanker. You’re gonna lose a tanker. Is that okay?”

“I need you to perish along with everything else.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

What the actual? Monet, this is your LIFE and you are worried about this guy’s TANKER? Doflamingo has crazy control over these people. The scariest thing is that it is not just fear. These people admire him as much as the Strawhats admire Luffy. 

And the weirdest thing? Doflamingo seems to want to claim the Pirate King title.

That’s only Monet’s word, but why would she lie about something like that?

I always thought Doflamingo was dismissive about all the Old/New Era stuff. Now I’m wondering what his deal is.

Doflamingo at least had the grace to call Vergo for one last chat. Vergo was still in bits strung along the railing (it’s kinda gruesome, when you think about it.) He apologised to Vergo, said he had known him for the longest time and thanked him for all his work. Vergo smiled (in fractions). Like Monet, he was totally fine about dying, as long as Doflamingo said the right words.

Then, just before the island went KABOOM, Toei inserted a quick series of flashbacks. The G5 guys who sacrificed themselves with the thumbs up, the kids, the minions, Vergo, Monet, all the Strawhats, Law, Smoker, Tashigi, even Doflamingo perched on his window seat in Dressrosa pinching the bridge of his nose like, “Gawd this was a disaster...”

Now I think about it, it really was. Punk Hazard was a proper death-fest. Caesar gleefully murdered minions left, right and centre, he experimented on kids and nuked an entire island. Doflamingo is asking people to die for him. G5s sacrificed themselves. Though no one on the level of Whitebeard and Ace died, a lot of people bit the big one on Punk Hazard and it was worse in a way because at least in Marineford, they were all fighting for something. In Punk Hazard, people just died because Caesar/Doflamingo’s business.

Everyone’s fighting to survive right now.

Except Luffy. He’s riding a truck through a rapidly collapsing tunnel.

That’s his idea of a great day out.

Bye, Punk Hazard! It’s been an absolute pleasure.

[neverwatchedonepiece]

594-595: "Formed! Luffy and Law's Pirate Alliance!" and "Capture M! the Pirate Alliance's Operation Launches!"

After seeing what the Strawhats are really like and realising what he’s got himself into, Law has longing visions of the apocalypse.

That look on Law’s face.

You all know the one I’m talking about.

The one that started as a sweatdrop and morphed into a full-blown look of: I deeply regret this but am in way too deep to back out now.

I watched that scene three times. Pure gold.

If You Keep Telling Everyone About Our Plan, Maybe

So I think I misjudged Trafalgar Law.

Maybe.

Still not one-hundred percent certain Law does not have another hidden agenda but... I am about seventy percent on board with the fact he has good intentions. At the moment. Like Robin said, pirate alliances are marked by betrayal, so this could change in future. (But I don’t want it to. I like Law as a good-ish guy.)

Like Nami, I was also was not expecting Luffy to accept so quickly. Maybe at the end of the arc, I thought. Have no idea why I even entertained that daft idea. This is Luffy we’re talking about. 

Law sold it as best he could without giving Oda’s entire plot away. “I’m not saying we can beat the Yonko right away. There is a chance, if we do it step by step. What do you say?”

Luffy’s daft but not an idiot. He asked Law to which Yonko he was referring. I’m guessing that was important because I honestly can’t see Luffy going against Shanks unless something really serious puts something between them. I was pretty damned interested in Law’s answer, so when Oda used that favourite trop of his: a sudden howling blizzard carried away Law’s voice, I laughed like a drain and cursed Oda and his teasing ways.

Fine. I get it. I won’t know at least until after this arc.

I also liked Luffy’s reasons for accepting Law’s offer of alliance. One, it sounded like fun. Two, he thought Tra-guy was a good guy. And three, even if he wasn’t, he had his Strawhats, who had spent the last two years training to become stronger (with the implication they could kick Law’s ass if the misbehaved).

This totally won over the Strawhats. They sort of melted into a puddle of giggling, flattered, enraged goo. Law was standing there staring like, “Wtf are these people?”

Still, as a gesture of goodwill, he unshambled all those who were able to be restored to their bodies. I am guessing is because of plot. Chopper and Franky are back to normal (Chopper had to leave with Law for a reconnaissance mission to Caesar’s lab). However, Nami and Sanji are now inhabiting each others’ bodies (because Sanji was not nearby to be restored to his own. I’m guessing you’ve got to be in Law’s Room).

Law was also not keen on the experiment kids. They were a pain. A liability. Forget about them. He’d heard from Caesar they’d been drugged. Chopper and Nami protested. They knew about the drug. They had already decided to take the kids back to their families. Law revealed the World Government have been trying to turn people into giants for hundreds of years. Why? In order to manufacture soldiers to increase their military might.

Apparently, Caesar wants to perfect the process first and outsmart Vegapunk and the World Government. (Okay, so Caesar is not still working for the WG after all. Is he that wealthy he can fund himself or is another faction bankrolling him? Maybe the Yonko Law is talking about defeating?)

Law was still unconvinced helping the kids was a good idea. “Are you willing to stay here alone?” he asked Nami.

Luffy, the Best Captain, jumped in. He would not leave anyone behind. If Nami and Chopper wanted to help the kids, he was fine with that. Sanji felt responsible for the Samurai Guy too. So Luffy would stay with them.

Usopp was so funny here. He leaned over Luffy’s shoulder and gave Law some Strawhat Context. “You think an alliance is a cooperative relationship just for some common goal, don’t you?” 

Um... yes, Law answered.

Ha. Well Luffy’s idea was different. It’s like being friends to him. And if Law was thinking of taking control, it would not be that easy. Once Luffy feels sure about something He Will Not Back Down. His selfishness, Usopp said, was as formidable as a Yonko. (”That must he hard,” Luffy said. xD)

At that point, I think Law reached his Strawhat Saturation Point. These people were like freaking aliens to him. But whatever. He’d agreed to an alliance. So he laid out his plan of action. While the rest of the Strawhats took care of the samurai, he would go research the drug behind Caesar’s back. He needed the Strawhats’ doctor. Chopper was strapped to his hat. xD

Then, when that was clearly undignified, his back.

Before Law left, he issued a warning. Caesar wanted the Strawhats and the G-5 Unit dead. Until Caesar gets what he wants, he will not stop attacking. If any info leaked about him being on Punk Hazard, Caesar would lose his perfect hiding place. This is high stakes stuff for Caesar. He will fight tooth-and-nail to win. Not only that, he is a Logia type Gas Gas Fruit user who owns weapons of mass destruction with a 300 million bounty. Law cautioned anyone who couldn’t use haki to stay away from him.

Useful intel to have, to be honest. Thanks, Law.

And it was thanks to the conversation that I now know Zoro and Sanji can also use Haki. Did I miss that or is that completely new thing?

After that, came the part of the episode that was my Absolute Favourite. I definitely did not see this coming. Before Law left with Chopper, Luffy said, “So we’re gonna kidnap the Master, right?”

“Not for any money,” Law said. “To raise havoc.”

Despite the Strawhats asking, he would not tell them what lay ahead before they even successfully kidnapped Caesar. Focus on the job at hand. He would spill all later. Then said, rather ominously, “When we get Caesar Clown, things will move whether you like it or not.”

Ooooooooooooooh....

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH.

Now this is a juicy nugget of plot. I also do not think this has ever happened in One Piece: defeating the arc villain in order to kidnap him, use him as a catalyst and trigger some nefarious skullduggery in the New World with a view to taken down a Yonko.

Caesar Clown must be really something. I guess if he is an inventor and purveyor of weapons of mass destruction, his services will be in demand within certain sections of the OPverse. 

This is cool. I was a bit miffed when I realised this arc would end quickly as it has been great so far. You guys were right. This is an intro arc that seems to lead on to bigger things involving Trafalgar Law’s crazy idea.

Also, I cannot wait for Chopper to lay eyes on Caesar Clown for the first time. Chopper is gonna have to exercise some wicked self-control to not smack him for mistreating those kids. Chopper also asked Law an interesting question: if Law was so strong and could reach Caesar Clown that easily (because Law had just Roomed himself round to the lab’s back door), why could he capture Caesar himself?

Law deflected, as he always does. “I cannot because of a problem I have. That’s why I need help from you guys.”

A problem? Must be a pretty big problem. 

And by the way, where are your crew, Law?

I am making myself suspicious again.

I need to just believe in Law, like Luffy does. Because the arc villain is making a move.

And That Move Is Called Smiley

Smiley.

Cannot get over that. xD

Caesar, you crack me up. 

He’s probably one of those deranged scientist types who give their hellbeast creations adorable names. Everyone flees from the tentacled abomination that is Mr Binky Sparkle-Pants. Everyone knows Candy Smoochy Schmoo will devour your soul.

This one is called Smiley. Smiley is a sentient, hill-sized conglomeration of incredibly toxic waste left over from the chemical explosion four years ago. Caesar gleefully explain to Monet that when he escaped custody and returned to Punk Hazard about three years back, he did not purify the island of the poison gas (*the* only good deed he had left to his name!) I mean, why would anyone do such a wasteful thing? All that poison lying around? That H2S gas he had invented that killed everything on the island in second? It’s Free Real Estate, right?

What he did was (probably) use his Gas Gas Fruit (thanks for the confirmation, Law!) to gather all the leftover poison gas and compress it into a monster, which he secured in a vault on the burning half of the island.

And he called it Smiley. xD

I guess Caesar has a sense of humour?

At any rate, this squamous behemoth was unleashed by the gang of unfortunate fodders who were trying to break into a vault at the end of the last episode. I knew they’d meet a sticky end. I just didn’t know how sticky. 

They tried to call their wonderful Master to report they were being killed by a poisonous monster. 

Sympathy? In MY Laboratory? Get the FUCK OUTTA HERE!

But Caesar was in the lab, heard the DDM, was all like, “ugggggh, so needy!” He told his main minion not to pick up the call. Why? The fodders would just be screaming “Help, a monster is killing us! Save us!” How annoying, right?

And you know what else was annoying? The amount of visitors. Ugh. So many. Caesar seems to work in euphemism a lot because all he said was, “You can stop gathering test subjects now. We have enough.”

I’m guessing that’s code for “these freeloading Strawhats and Marines have overstayed their welcome. Time to die!” He had a jolly good lol to himself while Monet studied quietly in a corner (she must have learned to block out the cackling by now or she would get zero work done).

Caesar’s knowledge of how to manipulate human nature was summed up when he said, “People tend to forget tragedies in no time!” That is harsh but true. He knew sooner or later what happened in Punk Hazard would be forgotten by the majority, leaving him free to practice his wicked experiments with impunity.

He really is a piece of work, eh?

As of now, Smiley is currently oozing towards Caesar’s lab. Zoro, Sanji and Brook saw it approach on the horizon. 

They found Kinemon, by the way! His torso fell into the lake and sank like a rock because he’s a Devil Fruit user. Because of that, the rest of his parts became super weak and he almost froze to death. If Zoro hadn’t found him, he’d be dead. At least he’s finally grateful for the Strawhats’ help. I wonder what he’ll say when he finds out they’re working with Law, the guy who slashed him up? I wonder what Zoro, Sanji and Brook will say when they find out Luffy’s working with Law?”

It won’t be a secret for long, they way Luffy’s going on. xD

NO, WE DON’T HAVE A SECRET PLAN AT ALL. WHY DO YOU ASK?

While Law was sneaking round the back door with Chopper and Smoker and his crew were battling to seize Caesar’s ship, Luffy had a Big Idea. Back at the camp, he whispered to Robin and Franky, the Strawhats who would go with him. (I’m assuming Nami and Usopp are guarding the kids and waiting for Zoro, Sanji Brook and Samurai to return.)

Smoker was having a tough time. Fighting in someone else’s body was difficult. Poor Tashigi kept turning to smoke at random and couldn’t turn back. (You know what? If this wasn’t such a serious situation, it’d be well fun to have a go in a Devil Fruit User’s body!)

Then Luffy arrived with a literal BANG! He cannoned into the snow right at the front door of Caesar’s Lab and roared, “SHOW YOURSELF, MASTER! WE WILL KICK YOUR ASS AND KIDNAP YOU!”

I swear the impact from Law’s facepalm was heard as far as Raftel.

Trip Advisor Review: Punk Hazard

“Arrived on island. Was welcomed warmly by hotel proprietor. Accommodation was clinically austere but the bar was well-stocked. Woke up one morning and I was a centaur. Not pleased. Proprietor maintains he has no recollection of how this happened. Only other guest remains tight-lipped. Refused refund. One star. Would not recommend.”

[genogenocrazycatman]

Stillwater - Chapter 14

Stillwater [Archive of Our Own, FanFiction.Net, Mibba]

Characters: Original Female Character, Monkey D. Luffy, Rorona Zoro, Vinsmoke Sanji, Nami, Usopp, Tony Tony Chopper, Nefeltari Vivi

"We build as only children know to build

We made a way where there's a will

No slowing down or standing still

Innocent and reckless

"How did we get so old and never notice

How did we gain the world and lose the moment

Rise and fall, the tide surrounds us

And drowns us all"

-Hands Like Houses

***

“What in the world was that?” I asked, pausing my polishing of the furniture, when I felt the ship suddenly rock.

“Luffy, what else,” Nami said, standing in the door way of our shared room. “Looks good.” She nodded towards the bar. “Smells good too.”

“Not a bad polish,” I said, looking at the container, “But I’m sure that I could probably make my own from the peels of your tangerines, if you start saving them for me.”

“Really?”

“Yeah totally. People have been using lemon and orange oils to polish furniture for years. I don’t see why tangerine wouldn’t work.”

“Huh. I’ll have to start keeping them for you then. I’m gathering everyone up for a quick crew meeting, you good to head on up or do you need a minute?”

“Nah. I’m good. I’ll finish up later.”

I set my stuff down and followed Nami out. “The boys were all hanging out on the aft deck. Nami went back to get them. Vivi was already standing on the main deck. I plopped down on the ground, sitting crisscross and resting my head in my hand.

“Hey, listen up you guys. We’ll be landing at Alabasta soon, and this is no time to be joking around. Like a pack of hyenas. Come on.”

“Yes ma’am,” The boys all grumbled, save for Chopper, who hadn’t suffered through enough bossy Nami to be properly put off.

“So what is Alabasta then?” he asked as they descended the stairs.

“It’s the country, where Vivi’s father rules,” Nami explained.

“Yeah, except there’s this guy named Crocodile, who’s trying to take over the country right now,” Usopp elaborated.

“And Crocodile’s one of the seven war lords of the sea,” Sanji added.

“Who are those guys?”

“Government sanctioned pirates,” I answered.

“The government actually supports pirates?”

“In exchange for doing the governments bidding, and bringing in other pirates, they get to do whatever else they want without fear of the marines.”

“Pretty weird, huh?”

“I’m really looking forward to meeting this Crocodile guy.”

Luffy was the only one. I had never run into any of the war lords. I considered myself lucky that way. The last thing I needed or wanted was anyone associated with the government having knowledge of me or my family. It was bad enough that three of the four emperors did. While they were significantly more powerful than any of the war lords, they were focused solely on their own agendas, none of which included me anymore.

“Crocodile is considered a hero back home. He helps get rid of the pirates, who attack Alabasta. However, his good deeds only appear good on the surface. He is an evil man. In truth, he’s manipulating the citizens of Alabasta to bring about a civil war, so that he can take over the country. No one has realized what Crocodile’s doing yet, not the people, not even my father,” Vivi explained.

I had to give to Crocodile. It was a smart plan. Crocodile would be lauded as a hero, if he successful took over. The man, who brought an end to Alabasta’s civil war. Someone that the people would want to , appearing as a hero, while secretly

“Right. This should be fun. All we have to do is beat up that Crocosilde guy.”

“Yes, but order to do that, we have to avert the civil war in Alabasta and get Baroque Works out of the picture.”

“Baroque Works?” Chopper asked.

“Oh yeah. You don’t know anything about them either. To be honest, I don’t completely understand what’s going on with them myself. They have a really complicated system of agents, bosses and partners.”

“The system is actually pretty simple...”

I followed Vivi’s explanation of the organization, which led to the realization that all of the high-ranking officials were one their way to Alabasta too, as well as many of the 2,000 foot soldiers. Not that averting a civil war was ever going to be easy, but it was getting increasingly more complicated. Luffy’s only concern was Crocodile, which was to be expected. If only, it was only that simple.

“Well first thing’s first. We have to get to Alabasta, but that doesn’t mean you get to mess around until then. Use the next couple of days to get ready.”

We all nodded and voiced our agreement.

“Hey, Mimi?”

“Yeah, Luffy?”

“Since Nami’s all better, does this mean you’ll tell everyone that you’re a vampire?”

Had I been sitting in a chair, I probably would’ve fallen out of it. I wouldn’t really expect anything less from Luffy, but still.

Sanji reacted quickly, making up for my lack of reaction. “Luffy, how dare you insinuate that our lovely Mira is a vampire?! I should kick your teeth down your throat for just suggesting such a thing!”

“A vampire?!” Chopper and Usopp yelled, terrified at the prospect.

“Guys there’s no such thing as vampires. I told you to stop screwing around, Luffy,” Nami scolded.

Unlike the others, Zoro and Vivi had caught on yo my distress. The pair both looked at me. Vivi was concerned, her soft gaze filled with worry. Zoro narrowed his eyes, his gaze wary.

“Mimi,” Luffy whined, two goose eggs on his head, one from Nami and one from Sanji. “You said after Nami got better.”

I should’ve said after Alabasta. That would’ve been smarter.

Luffy was looking at me with a slight pout and those big eyes. It wasn’t a puppy dog pout, but it was close enough for me to cave. ‘Damn it.’ I didn’t think I would ever be immune to a puppy dog pout. I had tried and tried to build up a tolerance to it, but still big eyes and pouty lips usually got me to cave or yell for Cal, so that she could deal with it, but she wasn’t here right now.

“I did,” I said, dragging my hand down my face. “And I thought we agreed that I wasn’t a vampire?”

I had tried figuring out how it was that I was going to go about this. Sure, Luffy believed me right off the bat, but it was Luffy. He was more concerned about Chopper being a magical transforming reindeer than a doctor, a chance to have the devil’s daughter on board, even better. Sanji said he believed me. It sure felt like he did, but maybe that was just part of his nature. After all, Sanji was looking for something that many didn’t think exist, the All Blue. Not that it was a direct correlation, but it seemed that Sanji was more open to the impossible.

“Wait what?” Nami asked, turning to look at me.

Everyone was looking at me.

Sanji, sighed lighting another cigarette and taking a drag.

“Mira, what’s Luffy talking about?” Vivi asked.

“Well, I’m not a vampire, if that helps,” I started. “But I’m not human either.” I gave them a second to take that in.

“You look human,” Chopper said. He sniffed. “You smell human, mostly.”

“Mostly?” Usopp asked.

“She kind of smells like the ocean.”

“I’m still here,” I reminded them, causing the pair to look at me again.

“Is this some kind of joke?” Zoro asked.

“That must be it! You really had us going, Mira!” Usopp slapped his thigh.

“She’s not joking,” Sanji said.

Usopp’s face twisted into a look of confusion.

“You’re in on it, Shit Cook?”

“There’s nothing to be in on,” I interjected, before Sanji and Zoro could start fighting. “Look. Here’s the deal. Many of the legends that people talk about are based in some type of reality. They might have been distorted over time, but there’s usually a shred of truth at their core. I say this, because you’re not going to believe, what I’m about to say. Not at first. Maybe not ever. I can’t change that. I’m not really looking to, but I made a promise to Luffy, so here we go. I’m the daughter of the sea devil.”

I got blank stares. I just kept going. They were going to catch up or sit there in disbelief. If it was the latter, then I could just leave them there stunned and deal with it later.

“And I do mean the sea devil. I’m not just using that phrase to call him an asshole.” ‘Although he is an absolute fucking asshole.’ “It’s through my blood, through him, that I can move water like I do. It’s an ability I was born with. I never ate a devil fruit. The reason why I don’t go into the water is because I can’t use my powers on or when I’m in salt water. And while I’m not immortal like he is, I’m very old and very hard to kill.”

“Isn’t it cool?” Luffy giggled.

“That’s impossible,” Vivi said.

I shrugged. I knew what I was saying was true, but I still felt stupid. It was like telling your older sibling that you were afraid of the monster in your closet, only to have them tell you that, “Monsters aren’t real,” and, “You’re a wuss.”  This was a terrible idea. Who the hell just ran around telling people that their the devil’s child?

The air got heavy. Even if they thought I was full of shit, it was clear that I didn’t think so. They were trying to figure out how to deal with the situation. What do you do, when you think your crewmate is starting to lose it?

“Let’s say you really are the sea devil’s daughter. How’d you end up in Logue Town?” Usopp asked. “Wouldn’t you be in like his evil lair or whatever?”

“I washed up there,” I answered honestly.

“Washed up?”

I groaned, my pride taking a hit. “I picked a fight with him, and got my ass kicked, again. He launched me out to sea, and used the currents to beach me at Logue Town.”

“Picked a fight?”

“Our relationship is complicated.”

“How complicated?” Vivi asked. She didn’t seem to believe me, but she also didn’t seem to think that I was totally out of my mind.

“I’ve been trying to kill him for decades now with little to no success.”

“You can’t be serious,” Nami said, seeming to be firmly on the “she’s lost it” side of things. She was annoyed, which wasn’t really surprising. She was concerned about getting Vivi to Alabasta first for foremost. Distracting everybody from their goal for such a stupid sounding confession was bound to piss her off. “The Sea Devil? Really? That’s farfetched, even for Usopp.”

“Yeah, Mira. Can you prove it?” Usopp asked.

“I can prove that I’m not human.” I closed my eyes. When I opened them, my irises, which were a medium shade of grey lighten to a shade of silver that was almost glowing, and my pupils were now rectangular.

Usopp screamed, grabbing onto Chopper, who was shaking.

Nami’s eyes were wide as were Vivi’s. “Back in Little Garden?”

I nodded. I closed them, returning to them to their previous state. “I don’t look human, naturally. The same power that allows me to manipulate water, allows me to change my appearance, so that I can blend in with humans. In Little Garden, I shifted my eyes back, so that that girl’s traps didn’t work on me, since I see things differently.”

“If you are telling the truth, that means you’ve been lying to us from the beginning,” Zoro pointed out. His voice was hard. “In which case, why should we trust you now? How do we know that you’re not a threat?”

I looked over at him. His arms were crossed over his chest. He believed me. He wouldn’t be upset like he was otherwise.

“I have been,” I confirmed. “And you shouldn’t, because you don’t. You don’t know basically anything about me. You know some of my skills, cooking, cleaning, sewing, fighting. You know I’m strong and that I heal quick. You have no idea, where I came from, or what I can do? I never told you, who my father is or that my very presence puts you in danger. That storm that hit us right before Whisky Peak, that was my father’s doing. He doesn’t seem to be fond of the idea of me joining a pirate crew, and there are others out there, who want me dead. Keeping me around is foolish.”

“So you’d leave willingly?”

“No one’s leaving,” Luffy said, matching Zoro’s seriousness.

Zoro’s gaze shifted from me to Luffy. “You’ve already made a decision?”

Luffy nodded.

I think it was finally settling in on the others that what I was saying was true. Luffy believing me was one thing, but Zoro was another. They also had to come to grasp with the realization that they knew very little about me. I had listened to them tell stories about their homes. I had eve asked questions, but had offered up little in return.

“Mira’s a part of this crew. It doesn’t matter, who her dad is. She’s our stewardess. I’m not changing my mind.”

Zoro said nothing, standing up and walking off.

I sighed, leaning my head back against the Merry and closing my eyes.

Sanji patted my shoulder and stood up.

“Don’t even think about it,” I said, opening one eye to look at him. “He’s allowed to be mad, and you’re not going to give him shit for it.” Sanji looked ready to protest.

“Sanji, I’m kind of hungry. Do we have any pudding?” Nami asked.

“I’ll go make some right now, Nami-swan!” Sanji said, rushing towards the kitchen, Nami following behind.

The mention of food, returned Luffy to his usual cheerful energetic self. “Sanji can you make pudding with meat?”  He chased after the love struck cook.

Wait! I’ll come with you!” Usopp cried, afraid of being left with me.

That left Vivi and Chopper. Chopper seemed frozen, where he was.

“Mira.”

I looked at Vivi.

“Thanks for telling us,” she said, giving me a small smile. “I know that was hard for you. I don’t know what I believe, but I know that you’re good people, and that’s the important part. I’m sure the others will realize that, even Mr. Bushido.”

I gave her a smile in return.

She stood up and headed inside.

The only one left was Chopper. I felt so bad. Hey welcome to your new home. I’m the daughter of evil incarnate. “You don’t have to stay,” I told him. “It’s okay that you keep your distance. I won’t take it personally. I know you’re scared.”

“No. It’s okay,” he said, sounding the exact opposite. He slowly walked over, taking the spot next to me. I kept my eyes on him, but didn’t interrupt him. “Can I ask you some questions?”

“Sure. I can’t promise I’ll have an answer, but I’ll try.”

“I just- I was gonna ask you guys about your medical histories anyways, so that I have a good background for when I need to treat you, but considering you’re not human, I want to get yours first. I need to know what’s different about you, so that if something goes wrong I can treat you properly.”

I smiled down at him. He was terrified, but still was making sure that he could perform his job to the best of his abilities. “You’re very serious about your work. It’s an admirable.”

“Complimenting me won’t make me happy,” he said.

“Uh huh. Sure. Well… First off, you don’t have to worry much about me. I have advanced healing capabilities and regeneration abilities.”

“Really?!” he asked, sounding amazed.

“Yep.”

“That’s amazing. How does it work? Do you know what this could mean for the medical community? How did it originate? Wait! I need a note book and a pen. I need to document this as part of your history.”

I chuckled at the reindeer. He was so cute, and so excitable.

I stood up. “Come on. Let’s head down to the girl’s room. I’ll fill you in. I can’t tell you much about my parents. My mother died, when I was a toddler, and I don’t know much about my father aside from him being a bastard. Cal would be better at this than me.  It’s going to be a lot, if you want to know about injuries though.”

“You’ve had a lot of injuries?” he asked concerned.

“I’ve got advanced healing and regeneration, a tendency to do really dumb stuff and a lot of time. Yeah. I’ve had a lot.”

***

Notes: I don't really like how this turned out. Initially, I wanted to give the sea devil's back story in this too but that was a bit much, especially, because some of them are still struggling with whether or not they even believe what it is that Mira's saying.So just a brief rundown:-Luffy believes her and is excited to have a "not" vampire on the ship.-Zoro's believes her and is pissed, but Luffy's already made a decision, so there isn't anything that he can do about it.-Sanji believes her and is fine with everything.-Usopp's on the fence, and he's scared.-Chopper's believes her and is scared, but has a job to do.-Vivi's confused, but believes that Mira is a good person.-Nami is on the fence, but is more concerned with getting Vivi to Alabasta than anything else, so she'll deal with it later.Also I mentioned that Mira disguises herself as a human and can't use her powers on salt water or when she's in it, and I'll explain that more later, but once again, there are things that I think people are going to be curious about immediately.1.) Oda said that devil fruit users are weak to all water, not just sea water.-She didn't eat a devil fruit. Additionally, this is my fanfic. I'll destroy cannon if I please. If you don't like it, don't read it.2.) Does she get weak in water?-Powerless? Yes. Physically weak? No.3.) Can Mira disguise herself as anything?-Nope. Basically, there's her natural form and then her human one. That's it. She can change the human one's appearance, but not just willy-nilly. It takes time, so she doesn't do it often.Thanks for reading. See yinz next time.

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