Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The Gold Roger bar was as empty as it had always been. You sat absentmindedly on one of the least damaged barstools near the counter holding a worn bounty poster.

'Wanted-Dead or Alive-Missy Sai-200,000,000 belly'

The picture, however, was what you were most interested in. The young teenage girl in the photo grinned gleefully over her bare shoulder, showing off the prominent black ink etched on her skin. You ran your thumb over the black lines.

A scythe.

Your brow tightened momentarily as you pinged a nail off your glass. "Huh, guess she really does look like me," you mumbled.

"For god's sake, are you still hung up about that, Missy ," Captain Smoker brought down his empty bottle with a slam.

"Oh shut it, Captain ." You let the yellowing paper fall through your fingers to rest among more of its kind on the floor. "Course I am. It's just that no matter what I do, wearing sleeveless tops and whatever, people will always try to arrest me. They just go 'hey, this person hasn't shown up for the last six years and is probably dead in a hole somewhere, but naaah, she must be this random bartender we found who looks vaguely similar'." Raising your glass, you rolled your eyes, "I mean come on, some idiotic marine made a fantastic effort to send me to Impel Down…”

Smoker grimaced, waving a smoke finger over to the shelves of bottles, "We’ve gone over that. It was better for me to be suspicious and you come out innocent than letting that monster escape through my clutches. Everything was resolved when you showed me your arm-."

“Okay now excuse me, I showed you ? Now correct me if I’m wrong here, but you literally tore my sleeve off. And I mean literally. You are the reason I started to wear short sleeves in the first place." Drumming your fingers against the bar table, you winked, "Have to say though, you really can be forceful with a woman if you want to be. I’m impressed.”

“It’s my job to be forceful.” He narrowed his eyes as he recalled his smoke, bottle in tow, “Gender doesn’t play into the matter.”

"Yeah yeah, all I’m hearing are excuses."

"(y/n)..." Smoker groaned, “ I have enough of that from Tashigi...”

You let your head thump onto on the bar, “It’s not like it’s my fault half the town now think that we’re together or something.”

“Well it is your fault that they’re making such a big deal out of it. The number of times I’ve found you on a roof or in someone else’s tree of all things and have had to chase you off.”

“Okay in my defence trees are comfy. How people can sleep cooped up in buildings is beyond me. Gimme open space any day.”

“...Right. But even Tashigi seems to think of us as a couple.”

You recoiled, “Uuugh. No no no no and no! I’m going to have to have a few words with her, ‘cause this is just not on, no offence Smokey but it just feels wrong .”

“None taken, but good luck getting through to her,” Smoker shuddered, “She’s a romantic, and a fool at that. Thinks since you’re the only person I’m ‘remotely polite to’, whatever that means, then I must like you in some way.”

“Well you’ve gotta admit, she has a point. BUT,” You raised a finger to silence his open mouth, “We both know you’re married to your job, and couldn’t possibly have any unnecessary feelings for anyone. So we’re good.”

He pinched his nose, inhaling sharply, “How the hell do I put up with you…”

“Daaw, you love me really.”

Snorting derisively, he uncorked the bottle and raised it to his lips, “Why of course, that’s what the entire town thinks.”

“Hang on a sec,” You leant over eagerly, “Is that a smile?!”

“N-no!”

“Oh my Kruuuh-GOD, it is! It’s a miracle, Captain Smoker is showing actual HAPPINESS!” Bouncing off your seat, you dashed to behind the bar, clapping your hands together, “Now this calls for a party, we need to let the entire town know to set a date.”

“Missy…”

You stretched up to grab a bottle, “Should we have the Navy Rum in honour of your bad taste in alcohol? I could use it in my special daiquiri to try and make it drinkable. Oh, but I also do a mean martini…”

“Just stop.”

“We need to ring up, Sen-goat-ku was it? This needs to be a national holiday. Plus I’m sure that he’d want to know too...”

You bit your lip as Smoker aggressively threw down some money and practically flew past the saloon doors and under the curtain. You waited for a bit, counting to fifty before letting the impending giggles finally spill out.

"You're a wicked woman, (y/n)." The bar owner growled as he shuffled in from the back room with his skull.

"I have no idea what you’re talking about." You skipped over to one of the tables and turned down the two chairs on the table, turning them to face each other across the table. "It’s not my fault he can’t handle some light fun." Sliding over the bar, you gestured to the shelves of your precious alcohol. "What'll it be, sir?"

Raoul gently sat the skull by one chair. His fingers lingered over the large stab wound as he grinned toothily back at you. "I think some of the Clement today. How much did he tip us this time?"

"Some of the '42 Rum? And,” You whistled lowly as you counted the belly notes between your fingers, “It’s a record, 500,000 belly."

"Eh, why not," Raoul chuckled as you retrieved the bottle and poured three glasses, "Now that’s a happy cabbage.”

“A what now?”

“Never you mind brat. You keep the cash, I think you’ll need it more than I will.”

“A ‘happy cabbage’ is old fashioned slang for a ‘tidy sum’. Typically of money.”

You raised an eyebrow, deciding to ignore the tiny voice, "Really? If you’re sure, then don’t mind if I do.”

Raoul was staring at you in confusion as you bought over two glasses, placing one in front of him and the other in front of the skull.

Tilting your head, you groaned, "What?"

"I was meaning to ask, when did you bring out the milk from the back to put in the fridge?"

Sauntering back to your barstool where your drink was waiting, you grinned, "Earlier today. One of my gut feelings, so I think we'll need it." You had barely sat down when the clock outside struck 11.

"To a happy retirement." The old bartender raised his glass to you and the skull.

"To finding a new place to live 'cause someone’s kicking me out," Grimacing, you raised your own in return and you both downed your glasses.

Giggling, you put down the glass, "Man that’s good booze. Can you handle another one, old man?"

"Mind who you're talking to, brat. But we might as well start using all this up. Bring some of the same over here."

Refilling your glass, you tossed a bottle towards him without turning. A muted clink told you that Raoul actually caught it, "Nice catch old man."

"I still have it in me, y'know."

Back on your stool, you both sat drinking your rum slowly, reminiscing on old times. Occasionally you pinged your nail against the glass or drummed your fingers against the counter in an odd rhythm. Anything to break the suffocating wave of memories. Those, you had far too many of.

This near silent period continued for an hour, until you heard footsteps approach.

The old man’s knuckles whitened as they gripped his glass.

Almost immediately, you cocked your head to the side to listen. It took a moment to get an accurate read on the footsteps. "Very light, wearing sandals. I'd say about late teens but don't quote me on that. Definitely not the Captain," you murmured, and the old man relaxed a little. But only a little. 

Soon enough a youngish boy pushed past the saloon doors into the bar. You gave him a quick once-over before returning to your drink. Black hair, prominent scar under left eye, red top, blue shorts and most noticeably a straw hat with a red ribbon. To your smugness, he was in his late teens.

‘Ha! Not rusty at all.’

The ever present voice in your head sniffed in disdain, “It is hardly as if we have been sitting around for the past six years doing no training whatsoever.”

The boy looked around the bar before walking in. It was almost like he didn’t register the dust, eyes sparkling as if he instead had entered a treasure trove. His head whipped between you and the old man before he finally decided on Raoul, "Uh...Excuse me, do you work here? The sign hanging outside says this place is called 'The Gold Roger'. How'd it get that name?"

“It’s him.”

You set down your glass, ‘About damn time.’

Raoul glared at him, unimpressed with the newcomer, "Scram.” He cursed under his breath as the boy merely cocked his head to the side, "You should leave. This isn't a place for unaccompanied children.”

"Besides," You swirled your drink, an absent minded smile on your face, "we've actually just closed up shop for good."

"You're going under?"

Raoul grimaced at the word, "We're not ‘going under’. I've decided to shut it down myself. I'm retiring."

"And kicking me out," You pouted, splaying a hard on your chest and holding the back of your hand against your forehead mockingly, "Oh the humanity! Poor little me!

"Don't try and make us pity you, brat. I've seen you sleep in a damn tree more times than I've seen you sleep in the bar."

Rolling your eyes, you raised your glass, "Still don’t see a problem with that.”

Straw Hat walked hesitantly over to take the seat next to you, "Sorry, I just wanted to know about the name. See, I'm looking for the execution platform, but I'm lost. Could you tell me the way? Wait, what the heck is that?" Abruptly leaning forwards on the stool, his eyes grew to twice their size, "Woah, it's a huge skull! That's so cool!"

You smiled wistfully as Raoul's eyes momentarily regained their old twinkle, "Killer Giant. One of the most feared villains to ever haunt the waters of the Grand Line." He clinked his glass against the one in front of the skull. "He sent hundreds of pirates to their deaths over the course of his life."

Sneaking a glance at the boy, you could tell he was already enraptured.

The old man smirked, "But it only took Gold Roger a single blow to put the behemoth down for good."

"Gold Roger killed him?"

And with that single well timed question Raoul had more life in him than you had ever seen in him before. He animatedly launched off into his precious stories, barely pausing for breath as the excited boy besides you inched over further to the edge of his seat.

But then he stopped. Raoul put down his glass, "Killer Giant was a terrible waste of human flesh anyway, but he proclaimed with his dying breath," the old man leaned over the table, pointing a finger towards the boy, "'Gold Roger, I take my hat off to you. You will forever be...the King...of the pirates'."

You smirked, ‘You have to give it to him, the way he tells them is always entertaining .’

“Agreed. A true bartender so to speak. Even if these tales are not wholly accurate.”

‘Mello you’re such a spoilsport.’

The boy squealed, "Awesome! Tell me more!"

The old man began listing more pirates, many powerful and ruthless men that had attacked the seas. 'No one had ever equalled them in battle' and so on. He topped up his glass and raised it. Straw Hat looked like he was about to explode in anticipation.

"But not Gold Roger."

"Yeah?" The boy clenched his fists in awe.

Raoul gave a satisfied sigh, "Nobody ever wants to hear my stories these days."

You twisted around to face him properly, "Hey, I love your stories."

"You could recite my stories perfectly after I told them to you ONCE, (y/n)," The old man sipped from his glass, "The suspense was never there after that."

Raising your own glass to your lips, you giggled, "I guess you have a point, old man."

The boy looked at both of you in confusion, "But I want to hear them," Bouncing up and down on the stool, he turned to Raoul, "Keep talking."

"Now, don't rush me." Smirking, the bartender swirled his drink, "Now Gold Roger...in those days, I s'pose even now, he's the only man I've known not afraid of entering the Grand Line. Back then the Grand Line was a mysterious place…"

Now this part you had heard far too many times to count. Sipping your drink, you let Raoul's raspy voice wash over you. 'The Grand Line…'   Your grip on the glass tightened. 'Caspar… Moko… I will see you again.'  

“I’ll make sure of it, Missy.”

You gave a wry smile. 

The old man put down his glass, "There are no true pirates left, that's why I'm closing down."

"I'm going to the Grand Line."

Raoul stared at him in shock.

"Really kid?" Smirking, you cradled your head in your hands. "You seem pretty sure of yourself there."

"Hell yeah! Gold Roger's so cool! He's exactly how a pirate's supposed to be! That's why I'm here. To go to the Grand Line, get my hands on the One Piece and then be king of the pirates"

You whistled lowly as the old man's eyes widened, "Those are some pretty big words, kid."

Straw Hat shrugged, "I only said what I meant."

Sniggering, you flicked him in the forehead. The texture was odd, but you didn't think too much of it, "I don't know why, but I've decided that I like you." You faced Raoul as he shuffled in your direction, "I think you should wait for a bit to close the bar, old man."

"I think you're right. In that case, let's have a drink. I haven't been in this good a mood in quite some time, since someone came here."

You pouted, "Rude," and downed the rest of the glass.

"Um...I don't drink alcohol."

The barkeep snickered, "Typical (y/n). Knowing what people need before they do themselves. Alright, then how about this." He poured three glasses of milk and passed them to both of you, "Let's raise our glasses together. To the eternal king of the pirates."

"Shishi! To the king of the pirates!"

"Yeah I guess. To the king of the pirates or whatever."

The three of you clinked your glasses together and drank deeply.

"You were looking for the execution platform, right?" you asked, hopping off the barstool "I can show you where to go."

"Really?" He sprung down, "That'd be awesome, thanks."

"Yeah you can go, we have no customers anyways so there's no point in hanging around here. Not that you were going to check with me anyway..." The barkeep rubbed his glasses, before mumbling softly as you exited the bar, "...I hope you enjoy yourself out there, Missy."

Glancing over your shoulder, you smirked slightly before ducking under the curtain.

"So your name is Monkey D Luffy, huh?"

The boy's head whipped back from ogling the barbeque stand on the corner. "Yup. And the old man called you Mis-?"

"Call me (y/n) for now. Might change my mind later."

He looked at you strangely, "Do you change your name often?"

You giggled, "Nah, that name was just an old nickname, that's all." Sighing in relief, you glanced at the boy. He marched forwards next to you, eyes eagerly exploring the bustling main street. Probably looking for more food, that was clear already. "Are you really going to travel to the Grand Line?"

"Yup!"

You chuckled at his sure answer, "How many people do you have in your pirate crew so far?"

"You know I'm a pirate?!" He seemed shocked, then his eyes sparkled. "Are you a magician?"

"...You're looking for the One Piece. So duh."

"Oh yeah." Luffy merrily  swung his arms as he skipped along. "We only have four other crewmates, but they're super tough," he grinned, "Zoro has cool swords, Usopp tells funny stories and Sanji cooks good meat."

You cocked your head, "That's only three. What about the other one?"

A shadow crossed Luffy's face, "Nami's scary. She won't let me touch her money."

"Sounds like a fun bunch,” you giggled.

“That definitely matches your definition of fun.”

Pouting, you flicked your shoulder out of habit.

Luffy stopped dead in the middle of the street, and you looked up, "One execution platform, as promised."

"This is where they executed the king of the pirates," He gulped, head craning up and up. You were amazed that his neck wasn't sore. "The place where the greatest pirate who ever lived, died. And the place where the great pirate age began."

Raising an eyebrow at his dramatic tone, you shoved your hands in your pockets, "Sooo why did you want to come here again?"

"I wanna see exactly what he saw before then, before he died," he swung his arms around in circles. "Well, here goes!"

You raised an eyebrow, "You doing okay up there?"

"Yup just fine," he grinned down as he slowly slid down the metal pole. His lack of climbing ability was starting to draw a crowd.

Luffy flailed a bit and you groaned, "I'm coming up." You scaled the execution platform with ease, and soon enough you were perched on a girder slightly above Straw Hat. "I swear that you have the wrong surname. You are nothing like a monkey."

He looked up at you in awe, "Woah, that was fast. Awesome!!"

You sweatdropped, "Focus on the climbing, Luffy, instead of me." You looked down as you could hear a hush in the murmuring, and stiffened slightly.

"Hey. You, kid," Smoker's eyes narrowed, "(y/n)."

‘Shit.’

“Agreed. That tone of voice-“

‘Mello...just shut up.’

Luffy continued to climb, "I'm kinda busy right now, can it wait a minute?"

Smoker, who wasn’t the waiting type at best, looked like he was about to burst a vein, "(y/n)," he growled, pointing down.

Wincing, you sighed and leapt  down, rolling when you hit the floor, "What? You need something Captain?”

"Awwww...Is he your Captain?" The boy slowly sliding down the pole looked a little upset.

"Nah, I just call him that."

"Shishishi, good!" He beamed.

Smoker's eyes narrowed to slits as he kept facing Straw Hat, "(y/n), go and wait in my office right now."

"But Smo-"

He glared.

Sucking in a breath to calm your nerves, you scratched the back of your neck, "It was nice to meet you, Luffy.”

"Huh?" The distraught boy flailed his limbs around as he tried to figure out how to get down, "Wait up! I wanna ask you something!"

Sulking off, you waved a hand absentmindedly, "Oh don’t worry. We’re gonna meet again, if I'm not brutally killed by the 'oh so great and powerful one' first."

Another piercing glare bored into your back.

"Yeah, yeah...I'm going already...Don't get your cigars in a twist..."

"Stupid Captain, he never lets me have any fun," you pouted. Arms behind your head, you sauntered through the base in the complete opposite direction to Smoker's office. Turning a corner, the two marines on patrol raised their hands in greeting.

"Well if it isn't (y/n)!"

You mock saluted, “Yo, Barr and Jon! How’re you doing, guys?”

Jon snorted derisively, "What did you do to make Captain Smoker mad this time?"

"Need help getting to his office?" Barr raised an eyebrow, "You don't seem to be going the right way..."

Eyes widening, you swiftly marched past them, "Nah, I'm good thanks. I've been here enough times by now. He just asked me to collect something from the someplace, that's all."

“Hold it, (y/n).” Jon quickly clamped a hand down on your shoulder. “Like we really believe you’re not gonna run off after being spotted in the base.”

You giggled nervously. 

Barr groaned, his rifle shifting to the side as he held his head in his hands, “Like seriously, you’ve pulled this on us four times this week alone.”

“And it’s only Wednesday…”

“Bu…uh...but,” you attempted to snatch the words out of the air, “but angry Smoker…”

The two marines exchanged a sympathetic look.

“Yeah, we know. But he’s going to be even angrier if we just let you go.” Jon smiled apologetically as he steered you towards the dreaded office, “I’m sorry (y/n)... but we’ve got to do this.”

A movement told you that Barr had swiftly grabbed your other side. You were trapped.

You sighed, “Fine…” and reluctantly allowed yourself to be frogmarched by the two marines down the maze of corridors.

Turning the next corner, you glanced down to see a yellow sign saying 'Caution, cleaning in progress!'. Further down the corridor you could see a green haired man, who in your eyes looked like he should be doing anything other than mopping floors.

"Crap, this is going to take the whole damn day. Unless..." he picked up two more mops from the pile in the corner and placed one between his teeth.

Your eyes widened in recognition, 'why is he here?' .

'Pirate Hunter' Zoro made quick work of the floor as he swiped back and forth with all three mops. Those blue tiles had never sparkled more. He smirked, proud of his handiwork, "Three mop technique worked like a charm."

'He can't be serious, right?'

“It appears that he is, Missy.”

‘Oh dear Kronos…’

Jon and Barr gasped and rushed towards the intruder, "Hey you! Just what do you think you're doing?"

As he turned to face them, Barr whimpered. "It's Zoro the pirate hunter..."

"WHY ARE YOU CLEANING!?"

'Ah yes. Cleaning. The ultimate sin.'

“Oh do be quiet.”

"Intel says you teamed up with Monkey D Luffy's crew."

You raised an eyebrow. So this was the Zoro Luffy was talking about. 

The marines reached for their swords, "Drop the mop!"

"I...I genuinely can't believe this."

'I think it suits him.'

"Of course you would."

The swordsman quickly spun around and slapped Jon and Barr with the wooden handles of the mops. Faces twisted in identical expressions of bemusement they collapsed to the floor without so much as raising their guns.

Zoro spat out the mops, tossing them casually to the side, and scowled, "I just cleaned that."

That was the final straw. Snickers devoured you, shoulders heaving as you clapped your hands  mockingly, "I know Luffy said that you had 'cool swords' or whatever, but your three mop technique is...is… It's something else."

His eyes narrowed to slits, finally turning towards you. "How do you know Luffy?"

"Oh he burst into our bar saying he was going to be king of the pirates before getting caught climbing the execution platform."

"That sounds like him alright..." He swore under his breath as he scribbled a memo and threw down some belly notes on top of one of the marines, "That idiot…"

"You did me a favour actually. Those two weren't going to leave my side until Smoker comes back, and that wasn't going to be pretty," You held out a hand, "(y/n)."

He shook it tentatively, "Zoro."

"Oh I know," Smirking, you tilted your head to the side, "You know, you could quit piracy and take up cleaning. I'm sure the circus will just love you. You keep the stage clean and provide a good show. It’s a win win.”

He froze, a vein bulging in his forehead, "Think you're something special, do you?"

"Oh you have no idea, Mop-boy." 

"What did you call me?!"

Ignoring the outburst, you pointed to the lone sword on his hip, "If I remember correctly you use three swords yeah? You used three mops after all. They broken or something?"

The scowl vanished .

"I'll take that as a yes," Kicking aside Jon's limp arm, you gestured for Zoro to follow you, "Come on, I'll take you to a shop."

"Huh?" He crossed his arms, "As if that’s gonna happen. I barely know you-" Turning on his heel, he stalked off- "and you really expect me to trust you after you just insulted me?"

"Oh lighten up. I thought it was a compliment," you pouted.

"It wasn't a compliment and you know it."

"Fine. Be like that. Still, I'd recommend that you follow me."

Huffing, he stopped walking. "Well?" He raised an eyebrow, "Go on then."

"Well first of all, if you're looking for the exit to this place you're heading in the wrong direction. Only thing down there is hell. Otherwise known as Smoker's office."

He spun around with a beet red face and marched towards you.

Strike one. Smirking, you waved a second finger at him. "Second, from my observations your sense of direction sucks. Majorly."

"It's...not that bad."

Strike two. "Not to mention I've lived here for just under 4 years, which is just a teensy weensy bit longer than you have.” You smiled innocently, "Convinced yet?"

Strike three.

Growling, he pinched his nose, "Ok… you have a point."

You raised an eyebrow nonchalantly.

"Fine...several points." Zoro stretched his arms above his head, "So take me to this sword place you know."

"Sure, and we should be quick about it. I was supposed to be at Smoker's office by now, let alone the fact you wiped out a patrol..."

"Please don't call him that-"

"...Mop-boy."

"Why do I even try?"

"STOP CALLING ME THAT!"

"Not a chance! It suits you."

"LIKE HELL IT DOES!"

It took over an hour to get to a shop right around the corner. As soon as the store was in sight, you rounded on the oblivious swordsman, "How the hell can someone get lost that many times when they are FOLLOWING SOMEONE."

"I was taking a shortcut," he grumbled defensively.

You blinked. A shortcut. In a place he didn't know. Did he seriously think you were going to buy that? You couldn't deal with this. "I'm going back to the Gold Roger. I need a drink."

Zoro's face lit up, "I might join you. I'm always up for booze."

"...what about the swords?"

"I-I meant later!”

"Oh suuure. My mistake…" You turned away from the shop and started to walk off before you felt a familiar twinge in your temple.

Plaza.

You frowned, "Actually you should probably head to the plaza after this. Someone should be able to point it out to you, Mop-boy. I'm planning to head there after I sort out one last thing."

"I told you not to call me that!"

"I'm serious. Go to the plaza, or you'll regret it."

He froze, "Okay I will. But...why?"

You waved over your shoulder without looking back, "Call it a gut feeling."

"Am I ever going to get back to the Gold Roger?" you groaned, slowing down to avoid a commotion that took up the entire street. "Oi," you turned to one of the townsfolk, an elderly woman who was always up to date with the latest gossip. "Is this a festival or something? Since I don't remember anything happening today."

"Apparently it's a war between chefs," she grinned toothlessly, shushing you so she could hear.

"A war between chefs huh…"

"We should make a detour. It isn't worth pushing past these people."

'Oh come on, I'm curious.' You effortlessly scrambled up a drainpipe to perch on a shop awning.

Perhaps you were right to. It was an interesting situation indeed.There seemed to be some flamenco dancers in the eye of the storm of people; two men with strange heads and a woman. 

You winced. She could have been pretty, but boy did she need to sort out her hair. Underbrushing and hairspray never went well together.

Caught in the centre of their ‘act’, stood a dumbfounded blond with his back to you. 

"You are beauty itself!" 

Hang on, maybe he was part of the act too. But by the face of the startled woman she hadn't expected this either. Groaning, you hid your face in your hands.

‘I didn’t think people like that actually existed…’

“He could at least raise his standards.”

"It is my greatest dream come true! Yes, beauty has come searching for meee~."

You winced. One of the cringiest transponder radio sitcoms was playing out before your very eyes. It was painful to watch. Although not completely useless. You did pick up some useful bits of information, such as Flirty was known as one of the best cooks in the East Blue.

As well as the destructive power of frying pans.

The woman, Carmen, pointed a finger at Eyebrows,"Now I challenge yooouuu, Sanji."

Flirty took a tentative step back. You couldn't blame him.

“Missy,” Mello hummed, “I believe Sanji was the name of a member of Straw-hat’s crew.”

You grimaced, ‘Well that’s just great…’

"If you dare bring your spices to the marketplace cooking competition at one this afternoon, you will be minced! Like garlic before heated oil! In a pan! HO~hohohoho~" Carmen started spinning on one leg at such an amazing speed that to the casual observer, it probably looked like she was actually taking off from the ground like a tornado. That is, to the casual observer. You merely grimaced as the idiotic woman instead got dizzy and fainted. Squeaking, her two minions continued to scream out her pathetic challenge as they carried her away.

The crowd blinked a couple of times incredulously, shrugged, and then went about their daily lives. 

You sweatdropped as you swung down just behind the motionless blond, "Talk about anticlimactic..."

Sanji ogled in the direction that they left in with (you did a double take) hearts in his eyes, "Ah...finally. A woman with a passion like mine."

Noting the impressively curly eyebrows, you tapped him on the shoulder, "So, it’s Sanji right?"

"Yeah…" He didn’t even turn, a line of smoke puffing out of his cigarette.

Your brow tightened momentarily, ‘He can’t be one of the-‘

“He is. Bone structure and distinctive eyebrows, along with a name that is near identical with their naming patterns. It’s almost certain.”

You grimaced, before schooling your features into a wide smile, "Are you going to compete in that competition or what?"

"Huh?” He smirked, finally moving to glance over his shoulder, “Oh, nah. I don't participate in conte..."

You groaned as he stared at you, eyes once again morphing into hearts. 

“Such a curious phenomenon. I wonder if it's an unusual disease or something…”

‘Shut it.’

"Waaah! Yet another beautif-"

Holding out a hand, you glared at him, "Not a chance. You need to improve your flirt-game before you can try that with me."

"Okaaaaaaaaaaay~"

You sighed, pinching the bridge of your nose in disdain, "Look, you’re a part of Luffy's crew, right? You ‘cook good meat’ or something?"

At once the hearts disappeared, and a suspicious but curious look appeared on Sanji's face as he began appraising you differently, “What do you know about Luffy."

You paraphrased what happened earlier. 

"So you met Moss-head, huh? And that sure does sound like the captain." He puffed out a line of smoke, "Yeah I'm in his crew, so what do you want?”

"Just to say that firstly you should probably compete in that cooking contest if you’re a cook. The prize is usually a rare fish that should be found in other Blues. And even if you don't enter, the fish market down there is quite a sight. Well worth a-" You paused and poked your head as your temple throbbed. 'Well Mello...it appears that you really are right. We haven’t been this active for years.'

“No need to sound so surprised, I am always correct.”

"What the hell is an Elephant Blue-fin Tuna Fish anyways..."

The cook's eyes widened, "What did you just say?”

"I said that out loud? Damn…" Wincing from the headache, you shrugged, "Elephant Blue-fin Tuna, I think. That's a special fish, judging by your reaction, right?"

Nodding, he enthusiastically grasped your hands, "It's sometimes called the Gem of the Ocean, and is often known as a miracle food, but it's found in the South Blue so many cooks here have never seen it."

"Then it's probably the grand prize in the cooking contest,” you mumbled as you gingerly detached yourself. 

He laughed almost too quickly, "Didn't you hear me? It's found in the South Blue, it can't be here," Still smiling, his eyes narrowed, "It can't."

“I don’t see why not.” You shrugged, "We're in Loguetown, you realise. Because we're so close to the entrance to the Grand Line, the currents round here get messed up and we get lots of fish from other Blues. Ask the fishermen down at the market, they'll probably explain it better."

Sanji stood there in shock.

Sighing, you raised an eyebrow, "Look, if you don't believe me, and I think you really should, then let's go. I'll take you to the market, it isn't far." You giggled slightly, rolling your eyes "I guess I'll play tour guide just for today."

He frowned, "I'm not really sure if I believe you or not yet. It's...a little much to take in so I will gladly take up your offer uh…" Sanji cocked his head to the side, "I've just realised that you haven't given me your name, mademoiselle." Bowing elegantly, he smiled up at you, "It seems a little unfair considering that you know mine, chérie."

Rolling your eyes, you braced yourself for what was to come, "(y/n)."

"Aaaaah (y/n)-chwan! The name of an angel~" The cook had hearts in his eyes again, and was so agitated that he looked like he was a tornado.

'Definitely an unusual disease .' You grimaced as you sauntered towards the market while Sanji babbled aimlessly about your 'beauty' or something equally dumb next to you.

“At least he is harmless.”

You snorted. 

"Hey is that what I think it is?" You were raised out of your thoughts with a cry from the docks.

Smirking, you raised up an arm in front of Sanji. He ceased his complimenting, raising an eyebrow. You just held a finger to your lips and motioned to the docks. 

"No way! Is that…"

"IT'S AN ELEPHANT BLUE-FIN TUNA!"

The cook's cigarette slowly fell from his mouth, "No way…"

"Well this is going to be the grand prize in the cooking contest, for sure."

Eyes widening mockingly, you clapped your hands to your face, "Oh wooow! No waaay! It looks like I was right. Who'd have thought, huh?" You turned to Sanji, "So you entering that contest now or what?"

“That was a tad excessive.”

You stuck out your tongue. 

Sanji slowly span around to gape at you, "How did you…"

Raising a hand to shield yourself, you glanced up at the sun. It was almost one o’clock, "If you want to enter, you should probably get a move on. Entry closes soon."

He nodded as if dazed and started to sprint towards the market place with a childlike grin on his face.

"Oh-" you cupped your hands to yell after him- "forgot to say, after the competition you should head over to the plaza. I have a feeling that something's about to go down at some point after the contest."

He waved without looking back, "Got it. I do hope to see you again soon, (y/n)-chwan!"

You grinned until he was out of sight, before letting your face darken. 'What was a Vinsmoke of all people doing here?’

“In addition, he is on that boy’s crew.”

You dipped your head before smiling, ‘That smile though...He really doesn’t act like one of them, does he.’

“I suppose not…” Mello sighed, or at least a sigh echoed through your thoughts, “The world would be in a far better state if his entire family acted the same.”

Finally turning back towards the Gold Roger, you dipped your head in agreement. You look at the cloudless sky and your temple throbbed again, 'Damn, not again.' You grinned, 'I guess that just means today's the day you finally come back, huh Mello?'  

He hummed, “About time too. I hope you do not take offence, Missy, but I really miss being a physical object.”

You stretched your arms above your head and giggled loudly, "Anyhow, I guess there's going to be one hell of a storm today."

After you sorted out everything with Raoul and stowed your belongings into what you thought was Luffy’s ship, you started to sprint towards the plaza. You were late. You just knew it. And after you had warned everyone too...

Your suspicions were answered as hordes of people scrambled towards you screaming about pirates in the plaza. "Here we go!" You started to dash through them, dodging the occasional flailing limb. Finally emerging from the throng, you stood staring up at the execution platform once more and took in the chaos that surrounded it.

Luffy, it seemed, had finally made his way to the top of the platform. However, he didn’t seem as joyful as you would have expected. A fact possibly caused by the stocks that encircled his neck and wrists.

Ah. 

Ignoring the circus rejects that were currently ‘threatening’ (if you could call those circus tricks threatening) the stragglers of the civilian stampede, you instead tried to pick out those in command. In an unruly mob like this all you needed to do was take out the leader. It was a tried and tested method that had served you well so many times before.

It wasn't hard. There were only two people out there who held themselves with the right amount of arrogance; a man with a large red nose, and a slim woman who had evidently taken good care of her skin. You wracked your brains for old bounty posters that carpeted the Roger. Identifying Buggy was easy, that nose was a dead giveaway, but it took quite a bit of time to put your finger on Alvida. 

'Has she gone on a diet?' You whistled with unexpected respect. ‘Good for her. She needed to lose some weight. I might ask her what she did.’

"You don't need to go on a diet, Missy."

Trying to be as inconspicuous as possible, you slowly made your way through the hostages and towards the platform. All the while, you kept an ear out to listen. Listen for the right moment to make a move.

"To all of my followers,” Buggy stretched out his arms and laughed maniacally, “the hundreds of billions of them around the world. We will now super flashily begin the public execution."

‘Oh he’s a monologuer. That makes our job easier.’

“Precisely. That enables us to bide our time and formulate a plan to get the boy ou-.”

“Yo, Luffy!"

“MISSY ARE YOU INSANE!? I SAID TO BIDE OUR TIME!”

‘Eh,’ you shrugged, ‘I got bored.’

"BORED?!"

"Huh," Luffy snapped his head towards you as you sauntered our onto the open, "Oh hey it's you, (y/n)!" He grinned, "See, I got up to the top. Told you I could!"

You opened your mouth to reply only to be halted by cold metal being rammed against your head. 

"Not another step, missy."

"Man it’s been a while since I heard someone other than Smokey or the old man call me that." You cracked your neck, sighing wistfully, "I'm going to have to get used to it again." Within the blink of an eye you whipped out your daggers from their hip pouches and jammed a hilt between the eyes of the pirate behind you. You watched satisfied as he collapsed on the floor, tossing a dagger in the air and deftly catching it, "Shouldn't exactly be hard."

The pirates openly gaped. Luffy was the first to react, "Awesome! You're really strong!"

"Well duh.” Tilting your head up at him, you placed a hand on your hip “So how about you just ask me already. It's written all over your face."

He sniggered, "You really are magic! So cool!" He closed his eyes, in a fake deliberation. "I have decided," he cried, "you're going to be a part of my crew."

“Well that is a quite the declaration”

‘As if we were going to say no,’ you pointed a dagger at him, "Count me in, Cap!"

Luffy looked ecstatic for someone in his situation, "Wahoooooooooo! We got a new crewmate!"

"If you are quite finished," Buggy growled, reappearing on top of the platform in...bits…

‘Devil fruit?’

“Devil fruit.”

 "I will flashily execute Straw-Hat Luffy after my men are done with you, you shameless woman." The madman cackled maniacally. "Today is the day that the world learns to fear Buggy the Clown."

"Oh I’m not so sure about that,” you hummed, foot slinking back into a familiar stance, “You don’t know who you’re up against. I guess it wouldn’t really matter if you did. You’re all gonna get owned, flashily .”

Chapter Text

"Oh I’m not so sure about that,” you hummed, foot sweeping back into a familiar stance, “You don’t know who you’re up against. I guess it wouldn’t really matter if you did. You’re all gonna get owned, flashily .”

Buggy glared at you, “HEY! THA-THAT’S MY CATCHPHRASE! I AM THE FLASHY ONE HERE!” Coughing gently into his palm, he swiftly gestured to the pirates below him, “Men-”

“Hang on a minute, Buggy. I think I’ll handle this,” Alvida sauntered forward, “If I want Luffy to be mine and mine alone, no pretty female crewmates allowed.”

Luffy raised an eyebrow, “Uuuuh...What’s that supposed to mean?”

Giggling, you twirled a dagger round a finger, “Daaw, I wanted a challenge…”

Alvida merely smiled, a sickly sweet thing that made you want to vomit, “I don’t really know what you could do against me, girly, but you’re welcome to try.”

“Missy, her skin is reflecting light in a peculiar manner.”

You gritted your teeth, “You have a devil fruit, don’t you.”

She giggled, “Why yes, I ate the smooth-smooth fruit.” She posed provocatively, making her pirate companions as well as some members of the crowd catcall with glee, “It makes my skin gloriously smooth, so smooth that anything just slips off.” Alvida placed a hand on her face, “And most importantly, it made me perfect! It got rid of my freckles!”

"...I think it did a little more than that."

‘Plan?’

“Not yet, I require more information. Make her continue to talk.”

“Now’s not the time to zone out, little girl,” Alvida purred, gripping her mace, “Someone could get hurt.” She quickly swung her mace down. You calmly took a step to the side and it missed you completely. 

“And who would that be?”

“That remains to be said,” She swung her mace again and you moved out of the way in the same manner. Again. 

“Well, for the record, all you’re doing is a whole lot of missing.” An arched horizontal stroke followed, which you ducked without trouble.

A vein bulged, “Just...keep...still…” she grunted in between swings.

“How about no.”

“Ahem.”

‘Oh right, sorry.’

You cocked your head questioningly to the side, “Sooo, I’ve been wondering something. How can you hold that mace of yours? If your entire body is as delightfully smooth as you say it is, surely it should slip out of your grasp.”

Alvida grinned as she smashed down with her mace once more, “The palms of my hands are different to the rest of my gorgeous body. They are still silky smooth, but not so much that I can’t hold things.”

‘I think I have a plan.’

Mello thought it over, “Excellent, that was going to be my suggestion as we-" He froze, "Oh no."

“Ooooooh, that makes sense,” you mused from the other side of the crater, “Plus you have that weird circular thing on the end of the mace I suppose.” 

“Missy…”

Giggling, you crouched down, “Devil fruits are so weird.” In almost a blur, you cut through the straps of Alvida’s sandals and snatched them up.

“Please just listen…”

She collapsed onto the floor, aggravated, “And what exactly did that accomplish?” Her question was soon answered as she attempted to stand. “You clever bitch,” she growled, as she slid back down to the floor, no traction between her ‘gloriously smooth’ skin and the paving. 

“Missy!”

“As I said,” you shrugged, dangling her sandals in front of her nose, “devil fruits are weird. But hey, I’ll take the compliment for the moment.” 

“Excuse me…?”

“(y/n)...” Luffy was looking down at you with stars in his eyes, “That was… so cool!”

“MISSY!”

‘Okay, what is it?’ Grimacing, you felt the wind whip your loose strands of hair with an increased vigour. ‘Looks like that storm’s here.’ 

It was then that the first shockwave of pain hit you.

You gasped, clutching a hand to your chest, ‘Already?!’

Mello sighed, “I tried to warn you. Your adrenaline levels dramatically increased, meaning-“

‘You’re coming back early.’ Your vision went out of focus momentarily. Is this going to be as bad as getting rid of it?’

“...”

‘Shit.’

Buggy cursed, “So you weren’t all talk. I seriously didn’t expect you to beat Alvida...This changes things.”

“It changes nothing,” you giggled, but even to you it sounded breathless and weak, “Imma still gonna...kick your ass.”

‘When the floor stops swimming.’

You slashed almost drunkenly at the person who had come up behind you. It was sloppy, and you were inwardly appalled at yourself, but at least you hit him.

“Oh?” Buggy sneered, disconnecting his head to leer right in your face, “It looks like someone’s getting tired.”

Quickly wiping your sweaty forehead with the back of your hand, you moved to slice the very convenient red target. Aiming was getting harder, so something as large as the scarlet nose was appreciated. 

The head somersaulted to the side, “Uh uh uh,” it jeered, “That’s a little rude.”

You snickered, “I try my best.”

“Hmm…” The garish red lips curled into a smile, “I like you. You’ve got spunk, kid. So I, the ever benevolent Buggy, am willing to give you a second chance. All you have to-“

“Not a chance.”

He blinked at you, “I...I’m sorry?”

You raised a weakened eyebrow, “I said ‘not a chance’, you dumbass. I’m not gonna join your crew.”

“I...but...how...HOW DID YOU KNOW?!”

“Oi!” Luffy yelled, “You can’t take my crew mates. I found her first!”

Buggy gritted his teeth, “You see…he’s a complete moron. You’ll do a lot better with me as your captain…”

“Thanks but no thanks.” Leaning forwards, you flicked his large red nose, “Circus freak in drag has never been a good look for me. I have my pride after all.”

“Oh,” Buggy growled, “So that’s how it is, is it?” His head flew back and rejoined his neck, “Just remember that I gave you an out.”

Two goons snatched your daggers out of your grasp and quickly wrestled you to the ground. You tried to resist, but just could not find the strength.

‘This is so humiliating.’

Unsheathing a cutlass, the enraged clown brandished it menacingly by Luffy’s neck, “I think after I flashily execute Monkey D Luffy for the crime of being stuck up and making me angry, I will execute you as well for your insolence.”

“Waaaah!!!” Luffy wailed, “WHAT DO YOU MEAN I’M GETTING EXECUTED?!”

“YOU JUST REALISED THAT?”

You would have laughed, but by now you had most of your energy focused on breathing properly. Your entire left side spontaneously ignited into metaphorical flames. 

“I’m so sorry. Really I am. Please spare my life,” Straw Hat deadpanned.

“WHY WOULD I SPARE YOUR LIFE?” Checking his composure once more, Buggy quickly exchanged any surprise for his preferred mocking, “Any last words to your crewmate before you die? She won’t have long left herself, but it’s the thought that counts.”

Luffy’s eyes met yours. You grinned with clenched teeth, beads of sweat trailing down your forehead. His jaw twitched.

“Oh, cat got your tongue?” The clown slammed his foot on Luffy’s head, “That’s alright. Stay quiet or say a few words it doesn’t matter, you’re both still gonna die.”

“LISTEN!” the boy yelled.

And you did. You listened with baited breath. Everyone did.

“I’M THE MAN WHO WILL BE KING OF THE PIRATES!”

At first there was silence, then murmurs rippled around the plaza. You giggled, even though each laugh was a stab to the gut. ‘Oh it’s definitely him.’

Mello groaned.

Buggy, to your surprise, didn’t seem at all worried at the outburst, “We’re finally getting to the best part of the show,” he sniggered, “Bye bye now!”

“Stop the execution!”

Even though you had met them once, you still recognised their voices.

“NOW!”

‘Took them long enough.’

“Sanji! Zoro!”

Zoro smirked, “Luffy you idiot. Guess all that fooling around caught up with ya.”

“Hey guys! Shishi!”

You heard a smack, and at once the force pinning you down vanished.

Sanji offered out his hand to pull you up, “Are you alright, mademoiselle?”

“Peachy,” you mumbled as you used all of your strength to stand yourself on your feet once more.

“Hang on...” You recoiled as a cool hand touched your forehead. “You’re burning up! And you’re really clammy too!”

You grimaced. “I’m fine.” Shoving him away, you slowly shuffled to where your daggers had been discarded. Or at least tried to. Your legs quickly gave out after only one step, which you were secretly relieved about.

It wasn’t fun to walk on flaming knives.

“Like hell you're fine!”

“He is correct, Missy. If we attempt to fight in this state it is guaranteed your body will hold out.”

“I’m not important right now!” You snarled, not really certain who you were answering. “We need to get Luffy down from there.”

“She’s got a point.” Zoro muttered, stepping behind the cook. He frowned up at the platform, “Our captain’s about to get executed. We don’t have time for anything else.”

“But-“

You glared at him, “Go. I’m fine, it’s not anything I can’t deal with. He needs you.”

Sanji reluctantly chomped down on his cigarette, “Fine. But I’m moving you out of the way first.”

Zoro shook his head, “No time. She’s gonna have to fend for herself.”

Buggy’s grin doubled in size, “So you made it Zoro, but you’re just a little bit too late.” He raised his cutlass above his head, preparing to swing.

The two male straw-hats stiffened, “We’ve gotta bring down the platform.”

Alvida sat herself up as best as she could from on the floor, “Ok boys, gettem!”

Zoro and Sanji instantly sprang into action, sprinting towards the oncoming hordes of badly dressed circus performers and meeting them head on. Anyone who attempted to attack the duo was decimated instantly. And yet more of Buggy’s underlings swept to take their place. 

“Hey look, this one’s still here.”

‘Shit.’

A cluster of goons wisely decided that fighting either Zoro or Sanji was generally a ‘bad idea’, and so had focused on the enemy who offered the least resistance. 

You.

Sucking in a ragged breath, you considered your options. Could you fight? You tried twitching a finger and instantly bit your tongue to stop the onslaught of curses. Probably not. Could you escape? See above answer. Could you talk your way out-?

“Not in the slightest.”

‘Oi!’

“It’s true. You lack any ability to fabricate the truth.”

Conceding his point, you gulped. What else could you do? The goons were fast approaching, brandishing their weapons gleefully. 

You couldn’t think of anything else. 

‘We’re screwed.’  

A tendril of smoke swiftly wrapped around the ankles of your attackers. With a single fluid movement, and many cries of alarm, you watched them flail around upside down in midair.

‘I know that technique…’

Some of the smoke trailed towards you, lilting to the side as if asking for an invitation. 

Pausing momentarily, you thought about it. It wasn’t like you had much of a choice. You dipped your head. 

The smoke cautiously wove around your body, slowing or changing direction whenever it felt you flinch. Which, to your chagrin, was quite often. Eventually, you felt yourself get carefully lifted from the ground and carried to the side of the plaza. After setting you down as gently as it could, the smoke vanished as swiftly as it had appeared, confident it had left you safely out of harm's way.

You stared blankly at the ongoing violence, ‘Smoker...He’s not going to take the fact that I'm now a pirate well, is he...’

Mello didn’t reply, knowing it wasn’t really a question. 

A maniacal laugh drew your attention, “Not even the great Zoro can stop me now. There’s nothing you three can do. It’s the end for your captain!”

“BASTARD!”

Using the nearby walls as a prop, you hobbled to your feet, grimacing at Buggy.

“Zoro! Sanji! (y/n)! Usopp! Nami! Sorry,” Monkey D Luffy grinned, “but I’m dead.”

Buggy swung down the cutlass.

And it all seemed to go in slow motion from there.

You could only stand still as a literal pillar of lightning struck the execution platform. All the sounds of combat vanished, but you didn’t know if that was because you tuned them out in order to catch the fizzle of tiny sparks as they pinged off the metal structure… 

‘OH SHIT METAL?!’

As if to prove your point, a once sturdy beam snapped, echoing clangs around the entire city as bounced all the way down to the cobblestones. As it rocked with the wind on the ground, you became immediately more aware of the rhythm of your heart beat, your breathing, your throbbing in your side. And the sudden rush of blue heat as the execution platform of Gold Roger became engulfed in flames. You sank to your knees, the image of a figure silhouetted at the top of the pyre burned into your memory for good.

‘He can’t be…’

“He isn’t… Most likely...We are unable to tell…”

A sudden scalding wetness fell on your cheeks, but you weren’t at all surprised. You had predicted a storm after all. About time it showed up. Without so much as a rumble of thunder the rain intensified, a drizzle morphing into a torrential downpour within a matter of seconds.

‘Hot!’

The additional force of the raindrops proved too much for the execution platform. Wheezing its last breath, it slowly collapsed in on itself in a cloud of dust and sand.

A flash of yellow and red caught your eye. The straw hat was easy to pick out against the dark clouds as it gently floated through the air. Only to be caught in a tanned hand.

“I’m still alive.” Luffy grinned, placing his hat back onto his head, “That’s nice.”

The rain drummed against the stone cobbles.

You slumped backwards, only wincing as your back relaxed against the wall behind you. Sitting like that for a moment, you found that you too were grinning. Chest heaving with suppressed giggles, you shook your head limply, “I dunno what we were expecting really...Why were we so worried…”

“Missy…” Mello smiled weakly, or at least as much as a voice can smile, “I...have no answer to that.”

“-stop talking nonsense.”

Your ears perked up at the approaching noise.

Zoro had grabbed Luffy’s arm, dragging him towards the exit next to you, “We gotta get out of this town.”

“Are you alright mademoiselle?” Sanji knelt down next to you. Somewhere in the chaos he had lost his cigarette, and he didn’t really look the same without it, “You didn’t strain yourself getting here, did you?”

Wiggling your fingers experimentally, you shrugged, “Well I don’t feel like I’m being crushed by a building, dipped in acid and skewered by billions of red hot pokers anymore. I think I’m good to go.”

His face fell.

“I was being sarcastic,” you rolled your eyes as you got to your feet.

“No! We genui-”

You threatened to flick your shoulder.

Mello silenced himself.

Zoro grunted, “Good. Thanks for your help around town, but...” His eyes narrowed as the white uniform of the marines filled the plaza, “we need to get going.” 

“Right,” You smirked, getting to your feet, “It’d suck if we got caught now, being pirates and all.”

Sanji and Zoro blinked at you.

“Uh...Is something wrong?”

“(y/n)’s coming too!” Luffy sniggered, wriggling out of Zoro’s grasp. “She’s our new crew mate!”

Sanji’s smile doubled in size, “SHE IS?!”

Zoro smacked him over the head without turning, “Fine. Welcome to the crew. We need to get outta here.” He eyed you suspiciously, “You can’t run.”

You bristled, “Of course I ca-”

“No. You can’t.” Sanji declared, gently wrapping his arms around the small of your back and under your knees. Before almost tossing you into the air as he attempted to lift you into a lift. Thankfully, he managed to catch hold of you before you went flying, but in your state you really didn’t appreciate being thrown at all. “My apologies…” He mumbled incredulously as you glared at him, “But how much do you weigh?”

“Not the time.” Zoro growled, giving the cook a slap across the back, making you wince, “Unless you want to deal with them.”

Glancing over Sanji’s shoulder, you privately agreed. It didn’t really matter how many of Buggy’s men survived the attack; most of the survivors were heading your way. And boy did they look pissed.

“Ah. Shit.”

Your three new crew mates shared the sentiment, and promptly sprinted in the opposite direction...into a line of marines, gun barrels raised. Your eyes flicked up and down the row. The combination of the uniform peaked caps and the heavy rain made it hard to identify anyone in the masses. Your heart sank.

“Stop right there, pirates,” one of them yelled, “and release the hostage!”

Sanji’s arms tightened around you, “If you think for a second that I am willingly going to let go of a sexy woman in my arms-” the marine found his jaw being struck with an elegant black shoe- “YOU HAVE A SCREW LOOSE!”

You groaned.

Wordlessly, Zoro sliced through half of the remaining marines as if they were butter. Luffy snickered, throwing his arms behind and stretching…

‘HANG ON A SECOND, STRETCHING?!’

The boy’s arms snapped back and forth in rapid succession, creating an impression of multiple limbs that quickly decimated the remaining men in the barricade.

Ignoring the yells of marine reinforcements as your crew mates continued on their way, you giggled at Luffy, “So that’s what’s up with your skin! You’re a devil fruit user.”

He grinned, stretching out his jaw to the side an inhuman amount, “Yup, I ate the gum-gum fruit. Imma rubber man!” Letting go, it snapped to its regular position.

“They called you a hostage and not a pirate...” Zoro mused as his foot entered yet another puddle.

“I guess they hadn’t arrived at the plaza early enough.” You shuddered, “For now I think we’d better keep it that way. Take a left here, you’ll get to where you moored your ship faster.”

They all gaped. Sanji flicked his only visible eye down at you, his fringe long since plastered to his skin by the rain, “You know where we left the Merry?”

You deadpanned, “What other ship in the harbour has a pirate flag with a straw hat?”

“OOOOOOOH you’re magic!” Luffy decidedly thumped his fist onto his palm, “You will be our magician.”

“Not magic, Cap. Just observant. Oh, right here.”

Sanji frowned as they rounded the corner, “For once I will have to agree with the moron. You predicted the Elephant Blue-fin Tuna…”

“Plus you seemed to know that something was going to happen in the plaza, way before we did.” Zoro hummed in agreement, before narrowing his eyes at you, “You’re hiding something, aren’t you?”

“Well,” you giggled nervously, eyes flicking to your left shoulder, “I’ll tell you on the Merry. Some things...are best said in private.”

The swordsman raised an eyebrow, before turning back and giving a curt nod of agreement.

Sanji out of nowhere skipped into the air, “Oh wow, who is that!?”

You grimaced at the figure ahead, heart sinking, “Someone who we really don’t need to run into right now.”

Tashigi had evidently been waiting for some time. Her deep blue hair stuck to her face almost at random, some strands even being glued to her dripping glasses. She didn’t seem to mind though. Her eyes focused on nothing else but the green haired swordsman at your side.

He tensed.

“I didn’t know you were Zoro,” A dead voice murmured amidst the rain, causing you to try and lean forwards to catch what she was actually saying, “and a pirate as well.” Her knuckles tightened around her sword hilt, “You lied. You’re just another liar!”

Sanji made to say something. You elbowed him in the chest.

Walking forwards, the swordsman ignored your interaction, “You never asked me what my name was, so I never lied, did I.”

She gritted her teeth, “You know there is no way I’d let you leave town with such a legendary sword. Give it to me! The Wado Ichimonji! Right now!”

“Come and get it.”

You didn’t even need to see his face to know that he was smirking.

Tapping Sanji’s shoulder, you motioned to the docks, “We need to get going.”

“B-but he can’t fight a woma-”

“I would think very carefully before answering that question if I were you.”

Luffy nodded blankly.

Tashigi growled in agreement, “This is a fight between the two of us. I don’t need any help, so back off.”

“You heard her.” Zoro turned, slowly unsheathing his swords, “Get outta here.”

“If we don’t keep moving they’ll catch us before we get to the Grand Line, Cap.”

That snapped Luffy out of it. “Really? Then let’s go!” He dashed off, Sanji soon following behind.

“Oh, (y/n).” Tashigi grabbed your arm as Sanji passed her. “Don’t worry. Captain Smoker’s going to get you back. He really isn’t happy that you were taken, so just hang on a little longer.” She smiled kindly, but with a sparkle in her eye that made your skin crawl as she let you go, “He’s the angriest I’ve ever seen him. He cares about you a lot, so take good care of him.”

A vein bulged, “FOR THE LAST TIME, WE’RE NOT DATING!” You screamed as Sanji continued to catch up with Luffy.

And then she was out of earshot. You groaned, “Why does no one ever believe me…”

“So you’re not seeing anyone?”

“No. But don’t sound so hopeful.”

Sanji wilted, before running straight into Luffy’s back, “What is it now?!”

“What?” Wiggling out of Sanji’s hold, you sat up and leaned around Luffy’s jacket, “I can’t see…” Your jaw tensed.

‘What do we do?’ You groaned, as Captain Smoker got off his Billower Bike.

Mello was silent for a bit, “You know we had to face him eventually.”

“Straw Hat Luffy. You’re finally here.” His eyes flicked towards you, “(y/n).”

Oh that tone of voice did not sound good.

“Release her.”

You blinked, ‘Hang on, what?’

“There’s no way I’m letting go of (y/n)-chwan, you bastard.” Sanji snarled, feet sliding into a combat stance.

Smoker frowned, “Taking advantage of an injured woman as a hostage. Typical pirates.”

“Oh she’s not a hostage,” Luffy said, tilting his head, “She’s our crew mate and friend.”

“As if I believe you.”

You quickly wiggled out of Sanji’s grip and moved to stand beside them.

“(y/n)-chan…”

“It’s cool,” You rolled out the cricks in your neck experimentally, “I’m a lot better than I was earlier.”

Some of the tension left Smoker’s shoulders, “Right, (y/n), now if you just come over here-”

“Sorry, but no.” Your hands made for your side pouches. Empty. Cursing under your breath, you remembered the underlings from earlier. ‘Guess that leaves us no choice.’

His eyes narrowed, “You don’t mean to tell me...” He trailed off, biting harder on his cigars. “You can’t be a pirate, (y/n).”

“Huh? Whaddya mean she can’t be a pirate?” Luffy glared at the marine captain, “No one ‘can’t’ be a pirate if they really want to be one.”

Sanji grimaced, “That’s for sure.”

“And I already decided she’s on my crew! And she said yeah! So she’s a pirate now whether you like it or not. It’s her choice!”

“You guys make a break for it,” you muttered, “I’ll hold him off.”

Luffy’s eyes flared, “He’s pissed me off! I wanna fight him!” He punched his hand, “Anyone who says someone can’t be a pirate deserves to get his ass beaten!”

“You really don’t expect me to just sit to the side when a lady is about to get harmed again , do you? Because if so I’m offended.”

You bit your lip, “I ne...I need to do this.”

“I think the ideal question is can we do this.”

Sucking in a breath, you gripped the sleeve of your jacket, ‘We have to. He deserves an answer.’ Before you could change your mind, you slid your bomber jacket off your shoulders and balled it up in your hands. This left the majority of your torso bare to the elements, with only a black tank top for any kind of protection. Not that you needed it anyways.

Sanji gulped, “I...I see. This...changes things...”

You twitched, but not from the sensation of the raindrops on your bare skin. You gripped the rain slickened leather tighter, knowing there was no going back.

“It’s alright to be sca-”

“I’m not scared.” You gritted your teeth, “Like hell I’m scared .” Sucking in a breath, you tossed your jacket to Sanji. Without looking to see if he caught it, you took a shaky but determined step towards Smoker.

“I don’t understand.” The cook called out from behind, “It’s a tattoo, it’s meant to be permanent. And I swear you didn’t have that...that...THING earlier.”

You rolled your eyes, “So it turns out having a tattoo is a pretty big no-go for trying to hide your identity. Especially one as distinctive as mine. So I just...put it away for a while.” Wincing, you glared at your shoulder, “Hurt like a bitch bringing it back though.”

“I don’t follow...”

A giggle escaped your lips, “Yeah, I guess I wasn’t expecting you to anyways. So do you trust me now when I say I can handle this myself?”

A pause, “Fine. But if he so much as harms a hair on your head, he’s gonna have hell to pay!” Shoving your jacket under his arm, Sanji shot the Marine Captain one final glare before dashing away once more into the rain.

Smoker’s brow tightened momentarily as the blond head was quickly swallowed up by the darkness.

“I take it you’re not leaving, Cap?”

Luffy said nothing, letting the stream of rain falling from his hat be your answer.

“I see.”

“Missy Sai.” Smoker growled, “That’s who you are.”

Your jaw clenched, before you forced a smile onto your face, “Tell me, Smoker. As someone who prides themselves on capturing every criminal who passes through Loguetown, how does it feel to have one of the worst of all sitting right under your nose for three years.”

He grimaced.

“Is it humiliating? Shameful? Humbling?” You took a step forwards, slowly raising your left arm, “Or are you angry instead? I guess I would be, if I were you.”

Smoker clenched his fists.

You giggled, “I don’t really know what I was expecting anyways. I...was always an odd one.” Breathing out, you closed your eyes, “Come forth...Mellontas.”

Although you were expecting it, you still were surprised when your arm convulsed. Using your right arm to stop the shaking, you grimaced as a metallic taste filled your mouth. You’d bit your tongue. A flash of light and a nostalgic weight in your hand told you that you had succeeded. You flickered open your eyes.

A long black handle stretched almost the length of your entire body, before curving seamlessly into a simple blade. You ran your hands over the smooth metal. Plain, but practical. Like he always had been.

The metal hummed, “Aaaah...Freedom at last!”

Doing a couple of strikes experimentally, your lips curled into a smile, “It’s been a while...”

“So. You’ve made your choice.”

Cocking your head to the side, you swung Mello onto your shoulders, “Well what do you think? It’s kinda obvious.”

Smoker grimaced, drawing his jitte, “Do you have any idea what you’re doing?”

“Oh I do.” You sauntered forwards and smiled your most sickening smile, “That is why I need to fight you...right?”

Chapter Text

“So. You’ve made your choice.”

Cocking your head to the side, you swung Mello onto your shoulders, “Well what do you think? It’s kinda obvious.”

Smoker grimaced, drawing his jitte, “Do you have any idea what you’re doing?”

“Oh I do.” You sauntered forwards and smiled your most sickening smile, “That is why I need to fight you...right?”

His eyes narrowed, “If that’s what it’ll take to knock some sense into you.”

“Woooh!” An arm stretched over to poke the scythe, “That’s so coooool! What sorta sword is that?”

Flicking your captain’s fingers off Mello, you shot him an inquiring glance, “Mind if I take first shot? I need to wrap up this last loose end before I can properly join the crew.”

Luffy snapped back his arm, “Sure! As long as I can beat his ass after.”

“I think I can leave some for you.”

“(y-)...(y/n).” Smoker motioned with his jitte, “Think about this for a moment…”

“Oh c’mon!” You snickered, cocking your head towards him, Did you really think I was your friend .” You barked out a coarse laugh, “That’s adorable.”

“Missy...What are you trying to achieve, riling him up like that?” Mello scoffed, “You cannot possibly…” He groaned, “Oh what am I saying, of course you think it’s a good idea...”

Gritting his teeth as best he could around the cigar, Smoker's grip tightened around his weapon.

“Well,” You waved your hand vaguely in the air, “Friends, acquaintances, what’s the difference really. Either way you look at it I was using you. And what a convenient tool you were...” Stretching your lips up in what you hoped was a smirk, you kept moving forwards until you stood right in front of him, “Because who would possibly expect the friend of a marine to be one of the world’s biggest monsters.”

Smoker said nothing.

“I’m an assassin, darling.” You stretched up and bopped him on the nose, “Manipulation is part of the game.”

He inclined his head, “Is that really how you feel?”

You didn’t want to answer that. Swinging Mello off your shoulders, you swung upwards towards his jaw.

“I see.” He stepped back, leaving you to counterbalance your own attack.

“That was sloppy.”

Sucking in a breath, you tried to focus, ‘Four years remember? Cut me some slack.’ This time you attempted an under-leg sweep.

“That wasn’t what I meant, and you know it.”

Smoker used his jitte to spin the blade over him.

“You plagiarised that speech word for word from a transponder sitcom.”

You gritted your teeth as you used the new leverage to aim a kick at his gut, ‘So what if I did? It’s a good speech.’

“It’s clichéd.” The kick connected with a solid thunk.

Smoker remained unphased. Grabbing your leg, he tossed you gently aside.

Using your free hand, you nimbly flipped sideways to right yourself, “You’re not taking me seriously, Smoker.”

“Let’s be honest, who would after that speech.”

“SHUDDUP!”

Smoker raised an eyebrow, “I haven’t even said my piece yet.”

“Oh.” You’d said that out loud. Your face flushed, turning away.

Giving Smoker a large opening to trap Mello’s handle in his jitte. The two weapons met with a clang, the spurs of Smoker’s either side of your own.

You grimaced, struggling against the hold feebly, even though deep down you knew you were no match in strength for a 6 foot 10 marine.

“But yes, that was sloppy.” Mello tsked, “What’s gotten into you? You’re not focusing on this fight like you normally would. Snap out of it!”

Smoker stormed forwards, driving you backwards until your back hit something solid. You were trapped.

You bit your lip, ‘I could never get anything past you.’

The metal heated up in your hands, “No! Do you have any idea how foolish you’re be-”

Smoker twisted his wrist, disarming you in one smooth action.

Your oldest friend, no, your oldest companion clattered to the ground to rest in a dingy puddle.

‘It’s quiet.’ You blinked, not quite registering anything else, ‘Why’s it quiet? Mello?’

He wasn’t there. The usual hum or sarcastic remark just wasn’t there anymore. You trembled, and would have collapsed if Smoker hadn’t pinned you to the wall. Although this was what you’d planned, you had forgotten how uncomfortable this void was.

Forgotten...or blocked out…

Something trickled down your cheek. Something that wasn’t rain water.

“Now, I’m going to have you try something you’ve never done before,” Smoker growled, “Listen.”

Your eyebrow twitched, but you said nothing.

He took this as an opportunity to continue on, “I came to this town three years ago.”

“Uuuh...Already knew that…”

Smoker glared at you.

“Fine...shutting up now.”

“As I was saying, I came to this town three years ago. I had just finished training, and it was my first assignment as a Captain. Needless to say, I was expected to do a satisfactory job. Therefore,” he glowered, “when I saw a young girl sleeping in a tree almost as soon as I set foot into the harbour, I thought that perhaps some form of correction should be in order.”

“For the last time, what the hell is wrong with trees ?!”

“ What the hell is wrong with YOU ?!” He sighed. “Just let me finish…”

You pouted, “But listening is boring.” You couldn’t see out of your left eye now; something murky and black covered it all.

“How old are you?”

“Uuuuh...21, you know that.”

“Then try and act like it, instead of like a child!”

“But that’s boring.”

Shaking his head, Smoker chuckled, “Of course it is...But please, I need to say this.”

Your ears were filling up with something goopy, and a thin line escaped your nose.

‘I wonder why he hasn’t commented on it, right Mello?’

Oh, right. Mello was lying in a puddle a couple of meters away.

Watching black rivulets dribble down your face. You wondered why Smoker hadn’t noticed, before noticing the bright lamp behind you. Shadow enveloped your whole face. He must think it was just the rain.

You guessed you had about 15 minutes left, so you gave in, “Fine. I’ll listen.”

“Thank you.” He closed his eyes, and sucked in a breath, “So I try and go up to this girl, to tell her that those trees were the property of the state and were not for...sleeping in. But as I got closer, I got a good look at her face, her hair. It was outdated, but she looked just like the bounty poster for one of the most famous assassins to have ever existed.”

It was so, so hard to not wisecrack back at him. ‘He’s practically asking for it.’

“I went to grab her, but she slipped away in the crowd.”

‘I mean...why’s he telling me all this…? I was there for Kronos’ sake.’

“I chased after her for a week, but she always managed to barely escape my grasp. Always. Just like an assassin.”

You stiffened. Mello had told you not to try and make it subtle…but it was as Smoker said. Your listening skills left something to be desired.

“So the day I finally caught her, I was overjoyed. I had apprehended one of the biggest murderers of all time. I just needed to check for the tattoo on her arm. But she was wearing a long sleeved shirt...”

“It was my favourite shirt you jerk!” You hissed, “And you completely ruined it!”

He coughed, “Yes. Uhh...my apologies for that.”

You tried to laugh, but it came out as more of a huffed shrug, “‘s fine. You bought me a drink, so we’re even.”

“Yeah, you showed me the Gold Roger. It still had customers back then, if I remember correctly.” Smoker shook his head, “But I was impressed by this girl. If she wasn’t an assassin, like I thought, she could make a good marine.”

“Sorry, but being a Marine dog isn’t for me.”

He snorted, “You said that back then too.”

The black liquid filled your mouth as you smiled. The lovely taste of iron. “Yeah...I remember.”

10 minutes.

“Do you remember what you said when I asked you why?”

It was impossible to forget. You grimaced, “‘I don’t like being on a leash’.”

Smoker sighed, and the hands digging into your shoulders weakened slightly. “I’m still not sure quite what you mean, but I know you definitely believe what you’re saying. You hate marines, that much was clear. But there lay the inconsistency.”

You raised an eyebrow.

“You hated marines, but you carried yourself like one. No one else goes through that sort of training, and no one else moves to a fighting stance like that apart from someone trained in the marines. I once accidentally saw you practice some marine drills as well, which cemented the doubt. There you were. An existing oxymoron.”

Grimacing, you tried to raise your head, “So what? I could’ve been an ex-marine.”

“I checked the databases. No marine with your name and appearance has ever been enrolled.”

You fell silent.

“So,” Smoker growled, “I wanted to figure out why. So I kept going to that dingy bar just so I could try and figure this girl out.” He moved closer, and lifted you higher off the ground so the two of you were at eye level. “I never managed my mission, but I found something else. A friend.”

Jaw hanging open, you ignored the trails of viscous liquid dripping from each corner. A friend. He really considered you as a friend.

“And I found out that she couldn’t lie to save her life.”

Oh.

He groaned, taking a hand off you to pinch his nose. Your shoulder slumped down without the support keeping it up, “And seriously? Did you expect me to buy that ridiculous speech earlier.”

You could practically hear Mello cackling.

“I’m not an idiot…(y-)...(y/n). I know why you’re trying to do here. Why you’re deliberately trying to make me angry.”

That was the second time he’d stumbled over your name.

“Assassins, apart from you it seems, are known for their cunning. It would make sense that they could deceive even me to hide their identities. But again, we have an anomaly. How are you an assassin? And more importantly, why?”

You didn’t answer him, letting the rain wash down your face and soak into your skin. It felt like all your secrets were being swept to the surface in that very moment, and you weren’t sure you liked it.

Scratch that, you hated it.

But it needed to be done.

“My life was never mine to begin with.”

Smoker took a step back, and you slid down the wall to rest in a puddle. You were wet enough as it was; you didn’t mind.

“In this world...people get used. Toyed with. That’s how I became an assassin, I wasn’t shown another option.” You sighed wistfully, “I honestly can’t give more than that. If I did, well, you might have half a mind to become a pirate yourself.”

Aggravated teeth gnawed deeper into two cigars, “The hell…?”

“Ohara.” You raised to stare right at him, light finally falling on your face, “Find the truth behind Ohara. And Nico Robin. Then you might have a small glimpse of what your precious World Government is like. And why they hate me.”

Smoker recoiled as you coughed up more of the black liquid. Liquid dribbled out of your right eye.

That meant 5 minutes left, and you were already a little light headed. But you’d get through this. Mello needed to nag you afterwards, after all.

“(y/n)!” Luffy shrieked, clenching his fists. You’d almost forgotten he was there, “What’s happened to your face?!”

“Can I just say-thank you, Smoker” You smiled, and instantly regretted it, “For being my first real friend. That meant a lot. Like, a lot a lot. Especially in the early days. The day you showed up, actually, I was so... so close to shutting down completely. But you stayed and actually talked to me. You asked if I wanted to be a marine. You actually wanted to know about what I wanted . And when I told you how I felt, you wanted to know why.”

He said nothing, just a dark blur at this point.

You barked out a small laugh, “Kronos that sounds terrible, me making my first friend at 19, but it’s true. You were the first person to ask any of those things. To ask me how I felt. What I liked, what I hated. Hell, at one point you even asked what I thought about the weather. You wanted to know me for me . Sure, it might have been for your ‘investigation’, but I…” Your voice hitched as you coughed up more black liquid, “I don’t think I can ever repay you for that.”

“(y/n)! What’s happening, are you sick?!”

You ignored him, “I owe you so much, Smoker. These past 3 years I can confidently say were some of the best in my life. And without that time, I...I...might not be here right now.” You grinned weakly, “So thank you. Thank you so much Smokey, for everything. You’re one of the only decent marines, lemme tell you that. It was because of you that my dream kept going.”

You sucked in a breath. Lips curling into a smile, you tilted your head back to let the rain fall on your face.

“Y’know...I’ve found after being a barhand for 4 years, I quite like it. Managing the drinks and all; it's fun. So that’s my dream,” your eyes sparkled dimly, “to open my own bar. But it’s bigger than that. I want to prove to the world that I don’t belong in the box it’s put me in. I want to show that I can do whatever I want. And if anyone has a problem with that, then screw them !” You giggled, “I don’t care what they think anymore.”

The rain plinked into the puddle beside you. It was hard to distinguish between puddle and pavement at this point. How long had it been since it had started to rain?

Speaking of time…

“Right,” you finally looked down at yourself and the abundance of black liquid on and around you, “It’s about time I stop bleeding out. Cap, can you pass Mello over here please.”

Smoker did a double take, “That black stuff is your blood ?!”

“Yup. One of the pros of being a literal monster is that your blood is a funky colour.” You tried to move, but just slumped over. “Caaap...the scythe”

“You mean this?” Luffy cocked his head to the side looking slightly guilty. While you were monologuing, he had walked over to Mellontas, and was poking it suspiciously. 

You sighed, but with a smile, “Just give it here.” The blade smashed into the building just to the side of your head. “Thanks.” You placed a hand on the shaft, and Mellontas became black lines once more on your skin. You cricked your neck, the only movement you could manage, “Man, that feels better. I almost died...”

“Missy…”

Giggling, you slumped back against the wall, ‘Man it’s good to hear you again…’

“Oh really?” He growled, “Because I am not certain you won’t after I’m through with you.”

‘Ah...Shit…’

“BECAUSE WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?! I MEAN, YOU ADMITTED IT YOURSELF, YOU ALMOST DIED !? SO WHAT IF-”

“So.” You tried your hardest to ignore the mental screaming going on as Smoker pinched his nose, “you conveniently forgot that you bleed black blood,” he pointedly remarked, “and also that you bleed this much when you let go of your scythe…Which you could have bought up as soon as I knocked it-.”

“Him. Mello gets a bit tetchy whenever anyone calls him an it.”

“TETCHY?! I’LL SHOW YOU TETCHY!”

“Knocked...him...away from you. But instead of bringing it up and not losing all this blood, you just...stay quiet?”

You pouted, “I was in a dramatic moment, and kinda...went with it.”

“IT WAS FOR A DRAMATIC EFFECT?!” Smoker grabbed you by the shoulders, shaking you rapidly, “YOU COULD HAVE DIED OF BLOOD LOSS AND YOU WERE HAVING ‘A DRAMATIC MOMENT’?!”

“I CONCUR!”

“Smoker...can’t breathe...Cigar smoke...”

He let go.

Dropping to the floor, you sucked in mouthfuls of fresh, clean air. “Look, I’m not dead, so it’s fine. Even if I can’t move for about 20 minutes.”

“Even if you can’t move…” Groaning, he turned his back to you before sighing, “Well, I honestly can’t say I’m all that surprised come to think of it. You’ve been known to lack brain cells."

You stuck your tongue out.

Smoker shrugged it off, “Just...one last thing. Is (y/n)-”

Nodding, you smiled up at him, “That’s my real name. I think you can understand why I’m done with fake names by this point.”

“I can understand that.” He sighed, “I’m glad you’ve managed to live a-” he coughed- “ relatively crime free life so far.”

You smirked.

“However I cannot condone piracy. Since you’re conveniently unable to move, I just have to deal with Straw Hat. You can't go out to sea without a Captain now can you?”

It would be a lie to say you didn’t see this coming, but you’d thought you’d be able to actually do something about it. Like being able to move.

“AND WHO’S FAULT IS THAT?!”

‘Look I’m sorry! You’re giving me a headache!’

“A RIGHTLY DESERVED HEADACHE! YOU TRY WATCHING YOUR CHARGE BLEED OUT WHEN YOU’RE SITTING USELESS IN A PUDDLE!”

‘Fine, fine I get it.”

Luffy slowly got to his feet, rainwater dripping down the brim of his hat, “Sorry, but I’m going to enter the Grand Line. And (y/n)’s coming with me.” He turned to face Smoker, grinning confidently, “Then I’ll become king of the pirates with her and our friends at my side.”

“Enough talk,” Smoker now had a goal he could seriously work towards-and he evidently relished it. Letting his arms dissolve into smoke, he completely enveloped Luffy and thrust him into the air.

Luffy snatched at his bindings aggressively, but the smoke dissipated in his hands. He blinked, surprised, “What’s...what’s happening?”

Smoker, being the pillar of politeness that he was, briefly explained the basic mechanics of the plume-plume fruit. Before slamming Luffy to the ground.

“Cap!” You gritted your teeth, very very frustrated that you couldn’t do anything. You felt very useless.

"You're using 'very' far too many times. Try some other terms instead."

You snorted, 'So you've forgiven me enough to give me grammar lessons.'

"Incorrect. This is your punishment, I know full well how much you despise grammar."

“I am obligated by my position to turn Missy Sai in. I hope you realise that (y/n). I don’t want to, but I have to. But I’m sure that if you’re reasonable then you can get an acquittal-”

“You kidding?!” You snarled, “If you turn me in, I’m dead . And you know it! They’re not gonna let me leave Impel Down alive. Oh scratch that, they’d have a party where my execution’s the main event!”

“You’re exaggerating.”

“GUM-GUM GATLING!” Many elongated fists shot towards Smoker.

You would have face-palmed if you could just raise your arms. Mello mentally did.

“Aw crap that’s really gross,” Luffy complained as his arm got stuck halfway through the marine’s face.

He turned to the boy impassively, managing to glare with only one eye. Damn, logia types were annoying, “My turn now. Smoke screen.” The hazy white deftly smashed Luffy into the wall above your head.

“Ok...Gum-gum pistol?” Luffy gulped as his punch, instead of connecting with Smoker’s chest, parted him completely in two.

The marine’s eyes narrowed as the rest of his face filled in, “Don’t you see? You’ve gotta go through me to get to the Grand Line.”

That was a line you’d suggested. You found it hilarious.

But it wasn’t so funny now as Smoker grabbed onto your new captain, “I told you...” he soared into the air, taking Luffy with him, before diving rapidly into the ground on top of him. He sniffed, “You’re not worth 30 million bellies.”

Luffy squirmed, his face getting a very good view of cobblestones and dirt.

“Heh,” Smoker reached for his jitte, “It seems your luck’s run out.” But as his hand gripped the handle, something held him back.

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” the cloaked figure rasped.

Your eyes widened as you saw a glimpse of his face during a flash of lightning, “T-target number one!”

He’d appeared out of nowhere. You’d blinked and there he was.

“Hey, what’s going on? Who’s that?” Luffy squirmed, completely unaware of the situation. Smoker dug his head further into the ground.

“How nice,” Smoker glared at Dragon, “now the government can have your head.”

The cloaked head inclined towards you, “I take it you’re (y/n). Moko told me you were residing here.”

“Moko?!” You sagged in relief, “So he’s with you…”

He chuckled grimly, before turning back to Smoker, “As for you, the world is still waiting for our answer.”

‘Well that’s ominous.’

As if waiting for the command, the sky turned an eerie shade of pea green.

“Yes. Ominous is definitely the appropriate word.”

Out of nowhere, a massive gust of wind picked up. And picked you up. Judging by the sound of screaming to your right and the cursing to your left you weren’t the only one. It was impossible to tell where you were being taken, the streets rocketed by too fast for you to get your bearings, but your journey was halted by your face's sudden collision with a wall. Your nose crunched.

“Ow.”

The fast air left you pinned in midair momentarily, but as suddenly as the wind started, it vanished into the torrential rain. Groaning, you slid down the wall onto a pile of debris, wiggling your nose experimentally.

Yup, that was broken.

Luffy sat up instantly. Stupid rubber abilities. “Uuuuh...Can someone tell me what happened?”

A blond head of hair emerged under some smashed up wood, and a green one smashed through some solid stone. Sanji and Zoro grimaced with the effort, but were otherwise unscathed.

Smoker was nowhere to be seen.

Something shifted from underneath you, and you found yourself thrown to the side as another person came up for air.

‘That’s an impressive nose.’

“Agreed. Judging by the fact he knows these people, we can safely assume this is Usopp.” Mello was still angry with you it seemed. He deliberately kept your head full of an uncomfortable hum that made it difficult to concentrate.

“-uffy!”

That came from the sea. If you squinted, you could just about make out the Merry (you thought they called it the Merry anyway) being tossed by some monstrous waves.

Luffy snapped to attention, “Nami!”

Sanji cursed frantically, “We gotta go-the ship will be gone soon.”

“Uuuuuh...bit of help here please…”

Usopp finally realised that he’d dislodged a person, and glanced towards you. He promptly gave a high pitched screech worthy of a soprano.

You raised an eyebrow, “What?”

Mello sighed “You do realise that you still have blood dripping out of every facial orifice?” 

‘Oh yeah I’d forgotten about that…’

“And that your nose is broken.”

‘...yup.’

“And that your blood is a different colour to that of humans.”

‘Yeah yeah, rub it in.’

A pair of arms scooped underneath you, “I’ll ask what in hell’s name happened to you later.” Sanji growled, turning towards their ship, “But right now, we need to get moving.”

“Right.”

All at once everyone took off along the shore, following the Merry in it’s manic journey.

Everyone...apart from Luffy.

Glancing over Sanji’s shoulder, you watched him wind up both arms experimentally. Your temple thrummed. Grin stretching from ear to ear, you giggled, “This looks fun!”

“I’m sorry, what was that?” Sanji turned to see what had got you so excited. He stopped in his tracks, “Luffy don’t you dare! We have an injured lady here!”

Luffy leapt up to grab hold of an iron railing, letting his momentum stretch out his body. His very rubber body. “GUM-GUM…”

“WHAT! NO! HE CAN’T!”

A sigh. “I’m not gonna like this.”

Your giggles intensified.

“Oi...you guys...what’s this woman doing he-?”

“ROCKEEET!”

Sanji’s grip on you tightened as a red and yellow blur fired towards you, knocking everyone over the waves and towards the little boat. Various shrieks and yells filled the air as the ground vanished from underneath, until you were caught  by a red and white striped sail and collapsed to the deck. You were pinned down, completely unable to move with Luffy’s foot on your face, Zoro’s chest on your legs and Sanji’s head on your back.

“Guys! You’re here!” A young girl with brown eyes and orange hair (Nami probably) scrambled forwards, relieved to see the rest of her crew. As you stirred, she raised an eyebrow, “Uh...who are you?”

Still giggling, you instantly shoved off all the groaning males and stuck out a hand. “Oh I’m (y/n).” You grinned, “And I guess I’m a part of the crew now.”

"Of course you are...Damn it Luffy." The girl gave your hand a brisk squeeze, "I'm Nami, the navigator around here. Something about you seems oddly familiar, but we'll do introductions later once we're out of this mess. Can you find your way around a ship?"

"Uh…kinda? I can sail, but I've never been on a caravel before." You both lurched to the side as a wave rolled under your feet.

She groaned, "I guess that's better than most of these idiots. What are your specialties?"

You blinked, "I'm good with booze I guess…"

"No not that sorta thing; what can you be doing right now that is useful? Do I have to spell myself out for everyone on this ship?"

"Oh!" You tapped your chin for a moment, "I was mostly used for surveillance I guess."

She clapped her hands together, "Great. You can go keep look out for us. That's important in a storm like this. Fair warning though, it's getting pretty choppy up there so you're gonna have to hold on."

You sprung to your feet, getting drenched in the process, "Yes ma'am!"

As you turned away, you felt her eyes linger on your back. But when you turned over your shoulder, she averted her gaze back towards slapping awake her companions.

Right. You weren't wearing your jacket. That was a big give away. But that really didn't matter right now, you'd planned to tell them anyways. Nami was right though; better do that after not getting capsized.

"Uuaaah~!" Luffy gurgled, being swung into the side, "It feels like the ship's gonna turn over!"

You scoffed. This was nothing; for Kronos' sake you were still standing. In a really bad storm you would be long overboard.

"Missy, there's a light to your left."

Turning, your smile grew on your face, "YO! EVERYONE! I CAN SEE THE GUIDING LIGHT! SLIGHT ADJUSTMENT OFF THE PORT BOW!"

"Thanks, I see it now!" Nami grinned, "You heard the lady people, let's move!"

"Uh," Usopp cocked his head as Zoro and Sanji raced each other to the helm, "what's the guiding light?"

"It's a lighthouse," you replied, swinging to the deck, "it points towards the entrance to the Grand Line."

"The Grand Line is over there?" Luffy breathed as he stared gleefully towards the light while the bow centered itself.

"What now?"

Usopp gulped, hugging the mast for dear life, "But are we really gonna go in a storm like this?"

"Perfect weather for it," Zoro chuckled as he stepped outside.

You giggled, "You can say that again, Mop-boy."

"Alright!" Sanji kicked open a door, a barrel swung over his shoulder, "Let's have a little launching ceremony to mark the importance of our voyage!" Setting it down on the deck, he placed his shoe on top, "To find the All Blue!"

A humble sandal joined him, "To become King of the Pirates!"

"To be the greatest swordsman!" a dark green boot chimed in, slamming down on the barrel.

The next to tap down was a stylish gladiator sandal, "To draw a map of the world!"

"I-I'm…" The brown shoe trembled for a little, before settling down beside the others, "To become a brave warrior of the sea!"

The five of them looked at you expectantly. Or was it warily, in some it was hard to tell."

You waved your arms in front of you, "Oh no I wouldn't dare. I've...I've hardly joined your crew after all, and this seems...uh...like a personal thing…"

Luffy grinned wider, "C'mon! Get over here already!"

Right then. Sucking in a breath, you set your own foot on the barrel. What was your dream? You wanted to open a bar, sure, but was that really what you wanted?

"To...to make a world where everyone is accepted!"

As soon as you said it, it felt right. Strictly speaking, it was a lot broader than all the other's, and probably a lot harder to achieve. But like Kronos you'd let that stop you. And as you took in the five other people around that tiny barrel, you had a gut feeling that these people would help you do it.

"And when have we ever been wrong, Missy?"

You smiled to yourself as everyone raised their leg, 'Never.'

"AYE!"

Crunch!

Chapter Text

The storm had passed. It took some time before everyone wasn't plastered to the deck, too tired to move their limbs. You'd never felt more alive, or part of a team . You were in a team! A proper team! You resisted the urge to squeal. This was so much fun!

"So your name is Saioney (y/n), huh,"

You nodded enthusiastically.

"I see…" Usopp placed his hand on his chin in seriousness. "It is very strange that you have never heard of the great captain Usopp." He nodded, "Yes very strange indeed."

An elongated arm hit him on the head, "I'm the captain, stupid!"

You giggled as you reclined back against the railing. "Is it always this fun here?"

Silence.

Sighing, you took in the murderous faces of the three 'maturer' members of the crew. "I guess I couldn't put this off forever…"

A shing of an unsheathed blade was the only warning you got before cool metal got pressed against your neck, "Talk." His eyes narrowed, "Or you die."

Raising your hands, you felt your face fall slack. Sure, you didn't become best of friends earlier but you'd thought that there would be some sort of connection at least...

Luffy swung off Merry's head, "Uuuh, Zoro? What are you doing?"

"Y'know, Sanji-" Nami flicked her eyes towards the cook- "I'm surprised you're not objecting to this."

"Oi, guys, let's not be too rash…" 

Sanji bit his lip, "As much as it pains me to say this about such a lovely woman, she is a threat. I was told stories about her as a kid."

You raised an eyebrow, "Word gets around fast."

"We…I was told that…" He sucked in a breath, "that she wasn't... human ."

You snapped your head away. You couldn't meet his eyes. They looked so hopeful; pleading for you to deny it.

A claim you just couldn't make.

The flat of the blade dug into your skin. If it went any further, you'd be in an even deeper hole than you already were, "You've got some explaining to do, Missy ."

"Wait…um…" Usopp when you say Missy…uh… you don't mean.. THE Missy, yeah?"

Nami took in your face for a bit. "I thought…" Her voice wavered, "I hoped ...that tattoo was fake...oh god...we're gonna…we're gonna..." Meeting your eyes, she hastily retreated back into the furthest corner she could.

"Right," you smiled at Usopp, straining a little as he flinched, "I...guess I can understand why you're freaked..." Your shoulders fell, "It's not that much of a surprise really. I look just like that stupid wanted poster." You ignored Mello's comforting touch as you huddled in on yourself, "I have a reputation after all."

"Oh yeah," Luffy sat down on the deck and started picking his nose, "that smoke-guy called you that. So who is this Missy person?"

The rest of his crew stared at him.

Nami dipped her head, never dropping eye contact with you "Missy Sai was...is...a famous freelance assassin from the Grand Line with a bounty of 200 million bellies when she was just 15. She, uh, killed whoever, and whenever she wanted, seemingly at random. Entire islands of people were killed because of her. She disappeared years ago though, everyone thought she had died ." She fumbled with her fingers, "I, hah, I seriously that you’d painted that thing earlier. Maybe you were a fan or something...Not the real deal..."

You shuddered, "I really hope I don't have fans...I don't deserve fans."

"Well then," Nami crossed her arms, "you really have some explaining to do."

You nodded in resignation, "I...I am the assassin known as Missy Sai. BUT-" you raised a finger before Zoro skewered you-"I was not a freelance one. I was used to get rid of people my...uh...'guardians' thought would revolt against them."

“They used you as a hired scapegoat?”

“Basically, yeah.”

"Hang on a sec,” Usopp groaned, waving his hand dismissively, “are you seriously trying to tell us someone used a 15 year old girl-"

"A 5 year old," Sanji piped up. He shrugged when the rest stared at him, "What? That's how old I was told she was when she started."

"Okay then… A 5 YEAR OLD to do their dirty work." He collapsed onto the deck to scratch his nose in thought, "That makes no sense. Surely someone older would be better at doing that sorta thing."

"Yeah," Nami chipped in, "Plus that doesn't really explain why you left. You were being paid and taken care of, why did you decide to vanish?"

"I wasn't really being paid… or taken care of for that matter..." You trailed off, not really certain what came next. 

'Should I tell them?'

"If you feel you can trust them."

'They could become targets…'

"And you already are one" Mello sighed, "You need people you can trust explicitly. As much as I may disagree with your unruly desire to come out of hiding, ultimately it is your decision. If you trust them, tell them. For if you truly wish to be a part of their crew, they have a right to know." He paused, “They deserve to know just how much trouble you have thrown them into.”

You bit your lip.

They looked at you expectantly.

"Now," You sucked in a cool breath, "I want you to trust me.”

“Ha!” Nami scoffed. “Trust?! If you trusted us at the very beginning, you’d have told us who you were all the way back at Loguetown.”

You had already opened your mouth to respond as Sanji shook his head, “I think our reaction here is precisely why she didn’t. Not to mention we had a typhoon to get through, which the mademoiselle helped us with might I add. If she told us then, we would have panicked and focused on her instead of getting out of the storm.” He paused, watching the implications sink into his more mentally agile crew mates.

Luffy shrugged it off, “She had a dream didn’t she? And it didn’t seem that bad.”

“She-she could have lied-“

“It wasn’t a lie.” Zoro frowned, grip tightening on his blade, “She seemed to care about it. As much as any of us care about ours.”

Nami fell silent, “Sorry, uh, Mis-“

(y/n). It’s (y/n). And there’s no need to apologise, Nami,” you shrugged, “I’ve pretty much always been used to a lack of trust, so it’s no big deal. But I’m begging you to trust me on this one." You raised your head, steeling yourself the best you could under the circumstances, "To have me on your crew is to directly defy the World Government. Are you willing to accept that."

'They won't they won't they won't they won't they won't...'

"Shishishi, who cares about the world government anyways? We're pirates. They already hate us."

Zoro stepped back, calm demeanour breaking with a twitch at the corner of his smirk, "He...he has a point."

"But why should we?!" Nami cried, throwing her arms out, "How the hell can we even trust you?!"

Sanji blew out a line of smoke, "She tried to save Luffy at the Piazza. She even warned us that something was going to happen there."

"She...directed me to a sword shop." Zoro ran a finger down the two new swords strapped to his hip.

"Yeah, she even fought Smokey!" Luffy cocked his head to the side. "She almost died then. She was hurting." His voice lowered, "A lot."

Zoro thought for a moment, "She almost died multiple times for us. And hasn't done anything to directly harm us." Turning to Luffy, he inclined his head, "What do you say, Cap? She trustworthy?"

"Yup."

You gaped at his surefire answer.

"Oh?" You could feel Mello grinning, "It appears that you may not be wholly delusional, Missy."

You felt too dumbstruck to retaliate.

Zoro narrowed his eyes, "You sure?"

He nodded blankly, "Yeah. She's a good person, and one of our crew mates. What else is there?”

"I see," He sheathed his blade, "Well then, guess that's that." He stepped away to give you some space, "Go right ahead, Missy."

"WHAT!?"

You raised an eyebrow, choosing to ignore the rekindling hope in your gut, "Are you sure? Since this stuff's pretty bad and the World Government sure as hell doesn't want word being given out lightly."

Usopp puffed out his chest, legs quivering faster than the sail had done in the storm, "I...uh...am a brave warrior of the sea... I...I can take the puny world government any day."

Nami laughed weakly, "Luffy seems to have already decided that you aren't that bad..." She walked over and placed a hand on your shoulder, "I guess that means that we should trust you. It's fine…" Her palm became clammy and moist, "...we can take on the world government…maybe... "

You smiled broadly, "That really means a lot. Thanks guys." You got off the railing and sat on the deck. "This is information no one other than the government, me and my brothers know...Unless my brothers told other people...I dunno..."

"Have you heard about the ancient weapons?"

They all shook their heads.

"Okay..." you sighed. "I honestly don't know much about them myself. Kinda hoping that someone out there know more. Basically they are a series of weapons will incredible destructive power built in the blank century, a period of time where we know nothing about."

"If you don't know much about them, why bring them up?" Zoro frowned.

"Because…”

‘Here goes.’

“Because...I am one..." You tapped your back, "Me and Mellontas-”

“Mellontas and I. Remember your grammar lessons Missy.”

“-make up one third of the ancient weapon Kronos, an ancient weapon only known about by the government."

Sanji's eyes widened, "You're a weapon?"

"Weapon is a bit subjective anyway." You gestured to his legs, "These could be called weapons just as easily given your fighting style. Martial arts have existed for centuries after all. It's only more recently that people associate weapons with swords and guns and stuff. Mello has a personality and a consciousness just like us and people still tend to call him a weapon."

“A consciousness?!” Usopp moaned, “My head’s spinning!”

"But if those weapons were made in the blank century as you say," Nami scratched her head, "doesn't that make you well over 900 years old?"

Giggling nervously you scratched the back of your neck, "I’m pretty certain I'm only 21. Since I remember being born and all…” That got a few raised eyebrows, so you quickly moved on, “Dunno how old Mello is though, I never really asked…"

“And why should you. It’s rude! Give me one good reason why I should tell you!"

'Aaaand that's why I never asked.'

Usopp momentarily stopped scratching his head, "So how are you an ancient weapon if you're only slightly older than us?"

Your lip twitched, "My blood."

"Your...blood?"

"I see," Nami tapped her chin, "It's hereditary. Passed down through the generations."

"Oh yeah, after smoke-guy hit you, you had that weird black liquid stuff dripping out of you!"

You sighed, "Cap...that was my blood."

"Lemme get this straight," Usopp motioned, "That black stuff on your face...was your blood."

"Yes."

"YOU BLEED BLACK BLOOD?!"

"But this isn't passed down through every single generation, Nami," you continued on, ignoring all the questioning looks, "It only happens when a set of triplets are born."

Zoro scratched his chin, "You did mention you had brothers…"

"Yeah, that's them."

"Are you sure this is true? You’re not on anything? It kinda sounds like some sort of messed up fairy tale," Nami groaned, holding her head in her hands.

You barked out a laugh, rolling your eyes, "It kinda is really. After the kids are born, black lines appear on their skin to form the three weapons; Parelthon the blowgun of past, Enestos the crossbow of present and Mellontas the scythe of future."

"Ha...hang on a second..." She tapped her fist down in realisation, "Because you were born with Mellontas on your back, you got the third of Kronos that is allocated to the future. So..."

Raising an eyebrow, you gestured to the two older members of the crew, "You guys were actually pretty close earlier."

"No way…" Sanji's face both fell and lit up at the same time, "That's...that's crazy…"

Zoro paled, "Oh come on. You really can't see the future...that's impossible."

"Got it in one," you grinned.

"NO FREAKING WAY!" You recoiled as Usopp and Luffy's faces appeared far too close for comfort, "THAT'S SO COOL!"

Nami pounded both of them on the head, motioning for you to continue

"It's not that great really." You mused. "I can't actively control what I see. Like, at all. Most of the time a word just pops into my head, occasionally an image. I also can't tell how far into the future something happens, or necessarily where." You tapped your chin, "Subconsciously I can always see what happens to me two or three seconds into the future, and that rises to about ten seconds when my adrenaline goes up. That’s pretty useful for dodging stuff."

"YOU'RE SO AMAZING (Y/N)-CHWAN~<3"

"So what does this have to do with the World Government?" Zoro frowned. Ever the level head wasn’t he.

You looked down at the deck, "Kronos for some reason is the only ancient weapon the World Government knows the precise location of. The people on my island knew that, and sent my brothers away as soon as we were born." You shrugged. "If someone gathered the three components, we could probably wipe out the entire Grand Line or even the world." Tapping your shoulder, you let your face fall, "Mello thinks that's why Kronos is an organic weapon, so that we can decide what we do for ourselves. Have ‘agency’, whatever that means."

"And that didn't happen to you? How did they get hold of you"

You wrinkled your nose, "My birth got a little problematic. I wasn’t really aware of it, but by the time I was ready to leave the government had already found out that Kronos had been reborn. They sent vice admirals to my island and ordered the islanders to give me to them. When my people refused…" Your voice hitched, "Can we please change the subject. I...don't want to remember this."

Zoro tensed, not meeting your eyes. Shoving your head down, you couldn't tell how the others felt. You weren't sure you wanted to know.

"You...you remember that long ago?"

You tapped the black lines on your shoulder as a reply. You didn't trust yourself to speak.

"What did they do with you?" Luffy's voice was barely louder than a whisper, but still managed to pierce through the tense atmosphere like a knife.

You sucked in a breath, "They...they locked me up in a dark room somewhere. Alone. Kronos it was quiet, no one ever talked to me. I think...they were afraid. That or disgusted by me. I probably...no, I would definitely have gone mad if I didn't have Mello to talk to. They all thought I was mad, talking to the little voice inside my head. But what else could I do? I hate silence. It's too-" you bit your lip. "When I turned 3, and was able to walk and talk and stuff, they sent me to join one of their intelligence branches where I was told that I was born to kill for the government. I was on the 'side of justice'," you laughed sarcastically. “As if I hadn’t seen what they did to my homeland.”

"I was told that the people on my home island were criminals for hiding us for so long, and that they’d deserved to die. Mello told me it wasn't right. Hell, it didn't feel right, but hey. I was 3 years old, how was I supposed to know what justice was. I only found out for certain that I was being used when I was 15 by sheer coincidence. Coincidence !" You sighed, running a hand through your hair, "If it wasn't for a simple coincidence, I would never have got the guts to run away. I wound up in Loguetown and well, here I am," you gestured at them, smiling. Even to you, the smile felt fake and stiff, so you dropped it, "Here I am..."

No one said anything, and you really didn't want to make eye contact. This was awkward enough as it was. They'd kick you off the ship as soon as they reached the next island. They didn't need a person like you on their crew.

A true monster. A freak. 

"I'LL KILL THOSE BASTARDS!"

You raised your head groggily.

"I knew that there were some corrupt members of the marines," Sanji crushed his cigarette in half, eyes narrowed to tiny slits, "but treating a lady like that is despicable."

"That story is all too familiar..." Nami shuddered despite herself. "No one should ever have to go through that." Her face fell, and Usopp placed a hand on her shoulder, "No one..."

Zoro grimaced, "I'm impressed you managed to remain as bright as you are with a past like that."

You giggled, "Well yeah, I sorta surprised at that myself, but thanks to Mello I managed to find some comfort and happiness. If I didn't have him, I don't even want to think about what might have happened."

"I want to talk to them."

Your eyes widened, 'You sure?'

"I want. To talk to them."

'Okay okay.' You scratched your cheek, "Uuuuh...Mello wants to talk to you guys."

Usopp's jaw dropped, "I know you said he has a consciousness and all, which I find very hard to believe… BUT HE CAN TALK?"

Mello snarled.

"Only through me. He can speak to me in my head all the time, but he needs a body to talk to anyone else. Gimme a mo." You shut your eyes. Focused on your breathing. In, out. In, out.

In, out.

Completely black eyes opened. The first thing 'you' did was punch yourself in the face, hard.

"You really are quite the fool, Missy. That was for almost bleeding out right in front of me," Mello growled.

'Yeah, my bad. Sorry.'

"Sorry is insufficient!" He sighed, cricking 'his' neck experimentally, "Although...it has been far too long for me to have a humanoid body. I might just insist on staying like this one day." His tone lowered, "Perhaps then, you will think twice before fruitlessly endangering your life."

'Oi! I said sorry already.'

The black eyes surveyed the crew with disgust, "So you are the ragtag crew that Missy has decided to entrust herself with. I am Mellontas, wielder of all time yet to come. Missy has permission to call me Mello, however you do not. To you, I am Mellontas only." Mello pointed a finger at Luffy, "Boy, this woman has just poured her heart and soul out to you as her Captain, much to my disdain. She has a dream that has become a vital part of her essence. A dream that I would do anything to see her complete." His lip curled up into a snarl, "If you ever decide to use her and hurt her because of her status as an ancient weapon, or if you make a mockery of her dream, I will not hesitate to hunt you down and make you suffer for the rest of time."

The rest of the crew gulped.

Luffy laughed, "Now why would I do that? (y/n)'s funny. Plus she's super awesome." His eyes darkened, "If anyone tries to hurt my nakama, I will make them pay."

"You said it!" Sanji clenched his fist in the air, "If anyone so much as touches Nami-swan or (y/n)-chwan, they're gonna have to go through me first!"

The corner of Mello's mouth twitched.

"I...uuuuuh...am the brave captain Usopp! I will let them...hic...fear my wrath!"

Zoro merely dipped his head, a hand on his swords.

Nami gave a thumbs up, "Bout time we had another lady around here anyways."

A great weight lifted from your chest. 

Mello tsked, not expecting quite the positive reaction, "It seems for now I can leave her in good hands. But make no mistake, I will be keeping an eye on her."  Dark eyes narrowed to slits, "Always."

He closed your eyes, letting your consciousnesses go back to their rightful places. You grinned widely despite yourself. "Heh, sorry about that guys. He can be a bit... intense occasionally"

Nami chuckled drearily, "No worries."

You stood up, "I bought my things onto the ship way before we left, so don't worry about clothing and stuff." You pointed at the tangerine trees, "Who's are those by the way?"

"Mine. It's 400 belly per tangerine."

You recoiled. "Jeez that's expensive..."Jumping into a tree, you uncovered your boxes of valuables, including your spare pair of daggers. "I was actually wondering if I could sleep in them, if you don't mind. I prefer to be outside, plus I can act on watch because of Mello, who doesn't need to sleep. Ever."

Nami thought about it.

"I will guard those trees from Cap free of charge."

"You have a deal."

"HEY!"

You grinned, and tossed a bottle to Zoro, "Since you couldn't drink with me at the Roger, Mop-boy, I bought some with me. There's more where that came from." You sniggered, "I practically stole most of the store from under Raoul's nose."

He smirked as he caught it one handed, turning his wrist so he could read the label, "Nice! Maybe I can finally have a decent drink with someone on this boat."

He raised the bottle before a high kick could shatter it, "YOU ARE NOT CORRUPTING (y/n)-CHWAN WITH YOUR FILTHY DRINKING METHODS, MOSS-HEAD!"

Your dagger sank into the woodwork behind him, "No destroying the booze! That's good stuff!"

Sanji deflated, meaning that he fumbled with the second bottle that hurtled his direction.

"I'm afraid when it comes to cooking spirits, I'm not the best. This was very highly recommended by the local chefs, but they're kinda idiots so I dunno how great it is."

"AW (y/n)-CHWAN YOU WERE THINKING OF ME~<3"

"Bleh!" You shuddered as you swung down, "Throwing up inside!"

Nami elbowed you and winked, "I dunno, you might not be so bad after all.”

You laughed, "That's what I hope!"

"Nami, shouldn't we've got to the Grand Line already?"

"Well what did you think? We just left Loguetown two days ago." The navigator sighed, "It'll take some time before we get there. Just be patient."

"Kay! Shishishi"

You hummed, enjoying the balmy wind upon your face now that the hard part was done. It was nice. Especially hearing the daily bustle of ship activity. It beat Smokey chasing you round Loguetown any day. Even if it was a little noisy.

"Oi, I see a flock of birds starboard."

"Are you sure?" Luffy looked up from his seat on Merry's head. You’d learnt the hard way not to sit on that. And received a quick salt bath to boot.

"Yeah, and they're surrounding something. I can't quite make it out, but it's big. I wonder what it is?"

Resigning yourself to the fact that you weren’t going to get any sleep, you swang down and joined everyone on the deck. "Could be a fish?"

"Maybe..." Usopp adjusted his goggles, "or...a small boat, a barrel, I dunno."

Sanji shielded his eyes from the glare as he shouted up, "I've heard that it's common for sea birds to flock above fish and even trail them."

"It is?"

"That's right," Sanji grinned, "sounds like lunch to me."

"You said it!" Luffy stretched back his arm, "Gum-gum grab!" His arm shot off towards the flock,

You laughed, "Very impressive."

Sanji sidled closet to you, "He’s not nearly the most impressive on this crew, mademoiselle~"

“Thanks for the compliment.”

"I caught it!" Luffy grinned, "Now come here!" His arm started to retract. "It feels pretty big!"

You pointed at Zoro, "Does Mop-boy always sleep this long?"

Sanji puffed out a line of smoke, "That Moss-head is always slacking off. Pay him no heed, (y/n) my love."

"The only thing you love about me is my gender.”

His face fell, "(y/n)-chwan, that just isn’t true..." His head snapped up as a shadow grew ever closer, "Hey Luffy...You're reeling in too fast you're gonna-" Grabbing your hand he shoved you to the deck, just in time for a the rubber arm to pass right over you. 

You groaned, rubbing you throbbing head, “Thanks for that.”

"Don't mention it."

Zoro hasn’t been so lucky.

Luffy retracted his arm, watching blankly as the retreating figure of the swordsman dropped into the sea. "Oh. Sorry."

"DUMBASS!" Sanji screamed.

"I'll get Mop-boy," you offered, "it's a nice day for a swim." Rolling your shoulders, you dove off the Merry and quickly returned with an unconscious swordsman.

"So what was it?" you asked as you climbed over the railing, squeezing out some of the excess water from your hair.

The others were all crowding round Luffy's catch. "It's a little girl," Nami called out.

"Damn, I was starting to get hungry."

"I CAN COOK YOU SOMETHING (y/n)-CHWAN~<3"

"Ooooh Sanji, cook some meat!"

"JUST FOR (y/n)-CHWAN, YOU GLUTTON!"

Nami put a hand on her chin, "But why would someone leave a child out in the middle of the ocean like that...it makes no sense..."

You paused in your movement, “It’s the ocean, Nami. Very little makes sense out here.”

"What is this?" Pouring, you eyed the little thing on the plate warily. “Is it edible?”

Sanji scoffed, "Of course it is edible, what sort of shitty cook do you take me for? That, mademoiselle, is a key-lime tart. For you I used the finest limes, and sweetened it with my never ending love for you~!"

"Sanji, where's mine?"

"Shut up and wait, you idiot!"

Grasping your fork, you prodded it. It jiggled. You grimaced.

Nami tapped your back, “Trust me, it’s good.”

Mustering  up the courage, you jammed a tiny piece into your mouth before you could think twice.

'What is this flavour?' 

Mello groaned, "...I believe it is sugar, Missy…"

"I love sugar," you said in revelation.

Sanji raised a curly eyebrow as he was stirring the pot, "Wait...have you never had sugar before?"

You shook your head as you shovelled down the rest of the tart, "I was always told that things with sugar in like sweets and puddings tasted disgusting."

Usopp looked horrified, "You have had a monsterous childhood."

"Tell me about it."

Nami placed her head in her hands, "Well who told you that, (y/n)?"

A sickly smile on your face, you turned to glare at your shoulder. 

"I do not see why you are blaming me for this."

'You deprived me of this wonderful substance for all this time. Come on.’

"Do you realise just how bad it is for your health! You have no idea how damaging sugar can be! You should be thanking me!”

"Mello apparently has an acquired taste…"

A thump drew your attention. 

"A-a-a-ah!" The girl held her head, "That hurt!"

Eying the unmoving figure of Usopp, you were surprised it didn’t hurt more.

Nami smiled, "You're awake." The girl turned to her. "That was quicker than I expected. Don't worry, you're alright now."

"Nothing that some grub won't cure. I'm cooking some soup if you're hungry."

She grinned, "Lucky!"

You merrily scooped up the rest of your dessert before moving to the sink to wash up the plate.

“No!” Sanji whipped it out of your hands, “I am not letting a lovely lady do menial chores.”

“But it was for me…”

“No buts!” He directed you back to the bench and forced you to sit down, “Just sit back and relax, my dear.”

You waited until he’d moved back before standing. Yeah, as if that was going to happen. You cocked your head towards the girl, “You shipwrecked? In that case, you really are lucky." You grinned, "What's your name?"

She bristled, "Before asking a stranger questions, it's polite to give them your name first."

You giggled, "I like her!”

Nami winked, "Good point! I'm Nami, and she’s (y/n)."

"Yo!"

"The chef cooking that delicious smelling soup is Sanji"

"Hi."

Nami gestured to the brooding swordsman. He had not taken being fished out of the sea well. Especially by you. "That's Zoro. Despite his scowl, he's a good guy."

"Shut up!"

You snorted as you sat down next to him with a bottle of rum and a glass. He frowned as you poured yourself a glass and handed him the rest of the bottle.

"You know me too well for just two days."

You rolled your eyes, "You're an easy read."

Smirking, he reluctantly took the bottle. Holding it out, the two of you clinked the glass together.

"Stop flirting with (y/n)-chwan, you stupid marimo!"

"She's the one flirting with me, pervy cook!"

You giggled. "Can you make me another pudding, Flirty"

"OKAY (y/n)-CHWAN~! JUST AFTER THIS~"

Nami continued as if nothing happened, "And you've already met the one lying unconscious on the floor, that's Usopp." He twitched, and the girl smiled sheepishly.

"And I'm Luffy," He grinned, "and I'm the captain of this pirate ship."

"Oh well that lasted longer than I thought," you sighed, swirling your drink.

"It's to be expected."

You rolled your eyes, raising your glass in a mock toast, 'Amen to that…'

The girl looked horrified, "WHAT! PIRATES?!"

"That's right and we're on our way to the Grand Line."

Nami looked confused, "What's wrong?"

Luffy raised an eyebrow, "She isn't moving."

You took a sip, "Well what did you expect. Pirates are normally scary, unlike you brainless idiots." Zoro tried to punch your head, but you dodged with ease.

"So what are we supposed to do with her?" He took a swig from the bottle.

Luffy looked confused, "I dunno. I'll have to think it over. I can deal with this tomorrow."

"Wait...Luffy? Thinking? I haven't been on this crew for a day and things are going wrong." You dodged a rubber fist as the others roared with laughter.

Smirking, you turned triumphantly to the side. It wasn’t as if you needed to see him to dodge him. That was when you saw it.

Around the girl's neck hung a necklace. A simple one, made of a piece of string and a pendant. But that pendant...you just couldn't put a finger on what it was.

You cocked your head, 'Any ideas?'

"Some sort of claw perhaps?"

'It looks old.'  You eyed the tell tale marks of polishing around the base, 'And loved.'

"I'm afraid I would not be able to tell you more, Missy."

Luffy's second punch sailed into your cheek, but you barely registered it. The pendant glinted in the light through the portholes. Someone would call that ominous, someone else would call it hopeful. You didn't know what to think, but you could tell there was a headache brewing.

'I have a funny feeling about this…'

"You were the one who wanted adventure. It appears your first one is already upon us..."

Chapter Text

“GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”

You blinked open a sleep-laden eye.

‘My guess is that Luffy got caught in the mousetrap right in front of that girl again.’

“Agreed. Sanji can handle it, so just go back to sleep, Missy.”

'Eh, no point.' Groaning, you swang out of the tree, ‘Sunrise is in an hour, so it isn’t as if I’d get any more sleep.’

Stalking to the crows nest, you felt a tap on your shoulder. Your hands shot to your daggers.

"Geez, it's only me," Nami grimaced, thunking you on the head. 

You winced, rubbing your newly forming lump. How she trained herself to hit that hard was a mystery. "Sorry. Instincts."

She sighed, "Shouldn't you see us coming or something? You're a psychic."

"It doesn't exactly work like that…"

"Whatever. Going to check up on Apis?"

It wasn’t as if you had anything better to do. At her beckoning, you tiptoed towards the galley. A tiny sliver of light shone out from the ajar door, the bright gold illuminating two more figures.

You sniggered, "So there are things that can wake you up, Mop-boy, I'm impressed."

"Shut it."

"Oh stop it guys," Usopp sighed, peering into the nearby porthole, "Sanji's finally getting through to Apis; it'd be ruined if you start fighting."

Nami looked in next to him, shoulders sagging, "Oh that's good. I was worried when she didn't eat anything earlier."

"No one can resist Sanji's cooking for long," Usopp muttered.

As if summoned, three stomachs growled. And three faces flushed with embarrassment.

"This is what happens if you only eat sweets and nothing substantial, Missy."

'I'm sorry, okay?'

"You're not sorry."

'Yeah...I'm not…'

Nami rolled her eyes, "You idiots…"

"Luffy ate our share. Like usual."

"Guess that means we have to go in," Zoro grunted, pushing off from where he had leant against the wall.

"Oh fine," she groaned, "We'll go in, but don't just mob Sanji for food okay? You'll scare Apis. Got it?"

The three of you nodded. Non of you wanted to defy her of all people.

"Good. Now follow my lead." She pushed open the door, grinning from ear to ear. “It's good to see that you’re finally smiling, Apis.”

Sanji jumped, shooting to his feet. “Nami-swan, (y/n)-chwan.”

You chuckled, filing into the room along with the others. 

“Luffy are you eating again ?” Nam's face turned thunderous.

“What’s wrong," he mumbled, soup bowl halfway to his mouth, "I didn’t have much lunch.”

“Are you kidding!" Usopp chuckled. "You emptied two pots!” 

“I don’t remember...”

Shaking the murderous expression from her face, Nami moved closer to the girl with an encouraging smile. From the way she was talking to her, it was almost like Nami was being motherlike. From what the others had told you, she had a soft spot for motherless girls. You didn’t want to ask why.

“Y’know, Nami can look really evil…when she wants to at least."

“Well I guess it takes one to know one,” you giggled as you tugged on Zoro's cheek.

“OH TRY ME YOU BI-” Nami glared at him from over the top of the girl’s head, and Zoro sweated, “....you bi...scuit?”

“YOU FILTHY MOSS-HEAD! GET YOUR PAWS OF MY (y/n)-CHWAN!”

"For the last time, I'm not yours Flirty..."

"And I'm not even touching her, she's touching me."

"WHAT WAS THAT?!"

You shuffled out the way so they could exchange blows in peace. You weren't in the mood for a scuffle.

"Those idiots…" Nami groaned.

The girl giggled nervously.

“If you stick around, you’ll see that these pirates are more friendly and fun than scary!” Nami grinned, “I promise.”

The girl smiled, evidently relieved, and held out her empty plate, “More please!”

“Seriously though, what did Apis do here to do this much damage?” Usopp scratched his head as he looked at the ruined galley. The young girl had been taken outside by Nami, and Sanji immediately slumped in the corner grieving over the loss of his kitchen.

“She cooked us lunch,” you deadpanned. 

The sniper baulked, “I still have no idea how you and Luffy managed to eat that with a straight face.”

“I switched my consciousness over to Mello, he likes spicy food.” 

“It was really quite delicious.”

‘Have I ever told you that you’re strange.’

“You’re one to talk, Missy…”

“That was more than spicy…” Usopp bought out his tool kit and started to rummage. “I should've put that stuff into my tabasco star…”

"So…" You shifted your weight from one foot to another- “what exactly do you need me here for?”

He jerked his thumb towards the cook, “Nami's better with kids.”

Great. You really should've figured this out sooner. Cautiously, you lowered yourself down next to Sanji.

“My beautiful kitchen…my pans...my ingredients!” His teeth gnawed on his unlit cigarette. It wasn't really a cigarette anymore, more like a chewed mass of paper than anything else. "How… what… why…"

He was a mess, just sitting there muttering nonsense that you couldn't figure out.

You sat there internally screaming. Just what were you supposed to do in these situations?

"Comfort people Missy."

'Yeah but how?'

"Use encouraging gestures. Say something nice."

Encouraging? Tentatively, you reached out and patted Sanji on the back, "I'm sorry for your loss…?"

"NOT THAT SORT OF COMFORTING!"

'THEN WHICH SORT?'

"THE ENCOURAGING KIND!"

“Uh...Don’t worry, I'm sure Usopp will fix it..”

Black smoke started to billow out of the oven, “Oops...”

"THE HELL'RE YOU DOING TO MY KITCHEEEEEEEN!?!"

It took all the strength you had to stop him from flying at poor Usopp. Eventually you got him to calm down by reminding him that attacking the person who was fixing his beloved kitchen wouldn't fix it sooner.

The cook grumbled, hands fumbling with his cigarette lighter, “If you make it worse, Nose-brain…”

Usopp gulped, “Got it.”

Perhaps some air was in order. Sanji needed to be somewhere that wasn't filled with the smell of his burning possessions, otherwise Luffy might have needed to find a new sniper. Apis and Luffy chatted away merrily on the deck, your captain asking yet again whether Warship Island did in fact look like a warship.

Almost as if they couldn't stay away, your eyes got drawn once again to the pendant hanging around the little girl's neck. In the light of day, it looked like some sort of claw. A claw...from what?

Your temple throbbed.

“Are you feeling okay, (y/n)?” Sanji cocked his visible eyebrow.

You nodded, massaging your head, “Yeah…” It didn't make sense.

‘What in Kronos is Dragonite?’

“I'm afraid I have no idea, Missy.”

“Hey,” Zoro roused you from your thoughts, “we’ve got company!”

You snapped your head towards the sea, grateful for the distraction. Your eyes flashed, “Ooooh, it seems to be a fleet of Marines from branch 8...What does that fatso want?”

He turned to you, “You know the Marine branches.”

“Kinda,” you squinted hard, but you couldn’t see much, “Smokey taught me a bit about the Marine hierarchy after I bugged him about it for a month. Branch 8 is commanded by Commodore Nelson Royale, someone who really doesn't deserve that title. Or a place in the Marines for that matter.”

Nami looked confused, “But why would the Marines dispatch an entire fleet to this area?”

The colour drained from Apis' face.

"Oh Kronos…"

“I’m sorry!”

The entire boat lurched to the side as a cannonball shot into the water, far too close for comfort.

Usopp burst out of the galley, “SOMEONE’S FIRING AT US!”

"WE KNOW ALREADY!"

Apis screamed as the ship rocked from side to side, and Sanji caught her before she fell over.

“Attention pirates!” A marine yelled, “You have trespassed into restricted waters, and are hereby ordered to stop and surrender!”

"Ah yes. We, as pirates, are going to stop for Marines because you asked us to. Yup. Sounds legit."

“As if we're going to stop for Marines...”

“How’d you want to handle this?” Zoro turned to Luffy, “cause I wanna fight ‘em.”

“Then I say let’s fight”

Usopp panicked harder.

Suddenly Apis turned to gape at some seagulls perched on the railing.

“Apis, what is it?” Sanji knelt by her.

“A wind’s coming...”

Nami turned to her in surprise.

The little girl continued, “He says it’s a strong one.”

The navigator looked up at the sky, “Zoro, lean the sail pointing south. Usopp and Sanji, right rudder full.” They started. “GET GOING!”

“Right!”

Luffy stared at Nami, confused, “What’s happening?”

You cut in before she could answer, “Nami, are you sure? We’re dangerously close to the calm belt. If we get caught there...”

“I know,” she shut her eyes, “but it’s a risk we’ll have to take. As strong as these idiots are, we can’t take an entire fleet of Marines head on. We’ll end up losing no matter how well we fight.”

Luffy pouted.

You nodded slowly, “I have a bad feeling about this...”

You grabbed onto the rigging as a massive gust caught Merry’s main sail. Immediately, the boat sped away from the Marines.

Usopp cackled, thinking that the danger was averted, “HA! I’VE SEEN DEAD SNAILS MOVE FASTER!”

"YOU'RE SO SLOW!"

“It’s lucky this ship is so small,” Mello mused. “It means that we have the advantage on speed and mobility.”

You nodded absently, noticing the wind drop to nothing, “Oh great…”

Zoro looked at you, “You know something about this, Missy?”

Smirking, you turned to him, “We’ve entered the calm belt. I hope you’re ready to paddle...”

“Why?”

Nami screeched, “We’re screwed. THE CALM BELT!”

“I warned you. This is what you get for not taking the advice of someone who can see the future.” You spun a dagger around your finger, whistling.

“What’s wrong Nami-swan?”

“The clam belt?” Usopp scratched his head.

“What’s that?” Luffy cocked his head, "I like clams…"

“Not clam, calm .” You sighed at the murky waters below. “It’s a band around the Grand Line that never gets any wind. But that’s not what she’s freaking out about. Who wants to get dinner by the way?”

“YOU’RE GOING TO KILL A SEA KING?” Nami promptly fainted into Sanji’s eager arms.

“WHAAAAAAAAAAAA! SEA KINGS?” Usopp flailed.

You scratched your head, “Uh yeah? The calm belt is a breeding ground for them. How do you not know this stuff? But as long as there aren't more than, say, two of them, I think I can take ‘em.”

The boat shook as the water underneath the Merry grew darker and darker. Everyone froze. No one so much as breathed.

‘I’ve jinxed it haven’t I?’

“Definitely.”

Your feet left the deck as Merry got thrust into the air by a massive black and white snout. You collided with the spar, managing to clamber your way into the crow's nest. Righting yourself, you took in the numerous shadows swimming around in the water, “There seems to be more than two of them down here. This seems fun!”

“Again, I think your definition of fun is warped…” Nami had tears streaming down her face as she clung onto the mast.

“THEY’RE GIGANTIC!” Luffy gaped at a pair of bulging eyes blinking at him, each yellow orb larger than Merry herself.

“Oh yeah...definitely more than two. More like...ten. Or fifteen, it's hard to count.”

“HOW ARE YOU SO CALM?”

“I'm a Grand Liner. Stranger things than this happen every day. Besides, screaming never really helps so what's the point?”

“A GIANT FROG IS ATTACKING US!” Luffy screamed.

"What a fool…"

You sweatdropped, "I literally said not to do that…"

"You merely suggested that."

The black and white snout twitched, tilting the entire ship towards the ravenous mouth. You managed to hold on, but Apis wasn't so luck as she slid right off the Merry.

"Apis!" A rubber arm grabbed her waist, the additional momentum swinging her up in the air..

“YOUR ARM! IT’S STRETCHING!”

'It's taken her this long to notice?'

"I though the fact that he survived a giant mousetrap would at lease have raised her suspicions…"

You'd missed Apis yelling something. Luffy wasn't pulling her back to safety, instead it looked like he was swinging her towards the black and white sea king's nose.

"What on earth...?"  

With a mighty tug, the little girl somehow managed to emerge with a horrifically long hair. "Gotya!" Luffy reeled her back, sending her careening into Zoro.

An ominous rumbling filled the air. Almost as if...

“IT’S GONNA SNEEZE!” Sanji yelled.

Your face lit up in a smile, "Hang on everyone!" 

“GET READY! WE’RE GOING FOR A RIDE!”

To that sea king, it was just a sneeze. Nothing much, just a tickle in his nose. But to you mere tiny people, it was a typhoon. Merry got launched forwards faster than a speeding bullet, not even touching the water as the wind whipped past.

“Oh wow! It feels like we’re flying!” Luffy smiled as he drifted past you without a care in the world.

You blinked at him, "You are. You're not even touching the deck anymore."

"WAHOOOOOOOO!"

Seeing him having so much fun made you curious to try it too.

"Missy..."

Your fingers gradually loosened around the mast.

"Don't you dare…"

You toppled backwards as the Merry re-entered the ocean, salt water spraying everywhere. Face smashing into the deck, you were about to get to your feet when a much heavier body crashed down on top of you.

Nami sighed in relief, “We’re back where we started.”

“And there’s no sign of the Marines either.”

“Whoever is on top of me...can you please get off...”

“YES GET OFF HER YOU STUPID MARIMO!”

"Huh? That you down there, Missy?”

“Getting my lungs and ribs crushed, yeah. Have you ever thought of dieting?”

Zoro scowled, but still stood up and even offered you a hand.

“Okay!” Luffy grinned, after everyone had righted themselves. “Let’s set the sails to Warship Island!”

A resounding groan was his only reply.

“I can’t see a thing.”

"That's not true. We can see something ." You muttered from the crow's nest.

"What?"

“Fog...” And lots of it. You could barely see the deck, your crew mates reduced to little coloured blobs that moved among the white haze. Part of you worried that Smoker had caught up to you. This was dense enough to be smoke...

"He would have assumed that we sailed straight to the Grand Line." Mello hummed, "He would never think to look for us in the East Blue."

You nodded. Yeah. That made sense. You would have to accept that. You really didn't want to run into him right now.

"Anything more interesting than fog?" Nami growled.

"...more fog?"

She groaned, "Just great. Despite (y/n) being completely useless-"

"OI!"

"-I’m sure we’ll come across it any moment now.”

“You’re so confident, Nami-swan!”

“I sure wouldn’t side against you.”

"You guys called me useless…" you pouted.

"To be honest...they had a good reason to."

You flicked your shoulder, "Shuddup."

Just as Nami predicted, Warship Island loomed out of the white haze. It was an apt name; you almost jumped out of your skin as what had looked like a Marine battleship grew closer. Something Mello found hilarious once the fog had cleared to reveal the rocky outcrops. He was still laughing as Merry sailed smoothly into the port Apis had directed them to.

Which probably wasn't a good idea considering there was a pretty big jolly roger painted on the main sail and most pirates enjoyed looting and/or burning small peaceful villages until there was nothing left. 

Apis didn’t seem phased at the ring of people with homemade weapons, “Yo!” She waved, "I'm back!"

The villagers twitched, "Apis?!"

"Why did you...on a pirate ship…?"

"What's going on here?"

“Hey you there," Luffy barked.

The man squeaked, brandished his fishing spear with trembling fingers, “Y-yeah? What do you want?”

“Is there a good barbeque place here?”

The villagers gaped, "H...huh?"

“At least he’s actually asking for once.” 

You patted Sanji sympathetically on the back.

"Well you see," Apis grinned, skipping forwards, "Even though they're pirates, they're good pirates!"

"Is there even such a thing as a good pirate?" A young man scratched his head.

"But weren't you taken away by the Marines?"

She nodded enthusiastically, "That's right. But I ran away! Then Luffy and his crew saved me. Right?"

"Yup!"

'Only because he thought she was dinner.'

"I recommend against telling her that, Missy."

The villagers exchanged worried looks.

“Apis, what did you do?”

“I don't know why, but the Marines were looking for you..”

"You shouldn't go back to your house. They're still around here."

Face paling, she took a shaky step back, "Oh no…"

"We'd like to help you out, but…" They winced, "These guys are pirates!"

"Ah…" She giggled, scratching her hat, "what a fix…"

"But she said we're good pirates," Usopp murmured.

"Doesn't matter if we're good or not-" you tugged on your jacket self consciously- "Fact is we're pirates."

He blinked, "But we're good…"

"If they help pirates they're criminals, no questions asked." Zoro lowered his head, "That's the way it's been, and that's the way it'll always be."

"Got me in a lot of trouble at the Baratie." Sanji blew a plume of smoke out the corner of his lips.

You raised your eyebrow, hoping he'd say more, but it became fairly obvious after a few seconds that he wasn't.

"Apis!"

The gathering of villagers parted diligently, revealing a crusty old man hobbling forwards with a stick. He glared (you thought it was glaring, it was hard to tell when his eyebrows completely obscured his eyes) at you, "Apis come here this instant!"

She threw herself into his arms, "GRANDPA BOKUNEN!"

"I'm glad you're safe," he chuckled, patting her on the back. Glancing up, he grinned a smile that was missing too many teeth, "I thank you for saving Apis. I'd like to give you a warm welcome at my house. How about it?" 

“I’m so hungry~!”

Since there wasn't a single barbeque shop on the island, Bokunen had offered to make you some of his renowned pork buns. Luffy was practically salivating from anticipation, and you couldn't blame him. The smell was delicious already. You wondered what they actually tasted like. 

But since they took 4 or 5 hours, the chances of you actually getting some were slim.

“Bokunen,” Nami ignored her captain, rolling her eyes, “Why was Apis kidnapped by the Marines? Any idea?”

The old man turned to his granddaughter, “Apis, do you know why?”

"None!"

"But you told us there was a reason you couldn't say anything!"

"Oh," she smiled broadly, rubbing a finger up and down her pendant, "That was a lie."

"She's hiding something."

You raised an eyebrow, 'Are you sure? She just seems like a little girl to me.'

"She's glancing at the door too much."

Now that he'd mentioned it, he was right. Every second or so Apis flicked her eyes towards the door. Almost as if she wanted to leave.

Why?

Bokunen frowned, “There really isn't much on this island, but if there's something it does have, it's our Ancient Legend.”

“A legend?” Zoro blinked open an eye.

“The people of this island are known as the descendants of the Lost Island that sank thousands of years ago at the peak of its prosperity. Lost Island was home to the Millennial Dragons.”

Apis yawned. You wondered how many times she'd heard this exact story. It was pretty dull...

“The bones of these dragons are called-”

"Dragonite, yeah?"

Eight incredulous faces snapped towards you.

Huh? You blinked, "Why did I say that?"

"How…" Bokunen rose to his feet as fast as his age would allow, "How did you know that word?"

"I, uh..."

Out of the corner of your eye you saw Apis frantically waving her arms. You raised an eyebrow at her. She shook her head, making cutting motions across her throat.

'Yup...definitely hiding something.'

"I just…heard it somewhere. Yeah I heard it somewhere. As a rumour."

Bokunen's bushy eyebrows sagged, "I see. So there are rumours are there? Did you also know that Dragonite is believed to be an elixir that grants eternal youth."

No. You did not know that. You didn't even know what Dragonite was until it had left your mouth. You didn't even know why you'd said that. It had just felt...right.

"I see…" Sanji mused, stroking his chin, "But I don't know why the Marines would want something like that. It doesn't seem like it'd be something they're after."

Someone tapped on your knee, snapping you out of the conversation.

Apis glanced up at you determinedly, "I think we need to talk."

"Why did you make me lie to my crew?" You glared at her. Lying wasn't something you felt particularly comfortable with to begin with, especially when you were lying to people who seemed (on the most part) to trust you. It sat heavily in your gut, but Apis had looked so worried about it that you felt that you should.

"I'm sorry!" She clapped her hands together, "I just couldn't let them know about Grandpa Ryu!"

You cocked your head to the side, "Who's Grandpa Ryu?"

Her jaw dropped.

"You assumed I knew because I knew about Dragonite?" Since that was some stupid logic. Stupider than yours.

"N-no," Apis gestured for you to follow her down a tiny hole in a hedge that looked like it led up the mountains, “It's just that the seagulls overheard Nami saying that you were psychic. So I thought...”

"That I knew about everything?" You chuckled limply, scratching your head as she nodded. "Yeah, sorry to disappoint, but it really doesn't work like that. All I got was the word 'Dragonite' by looking at that pendant of yours. Nothing about what it is or what it's for."

Apis' mouth fell into a perfect 'O'. Her fingers subconsciously stroked her pendant, "Well...this is a claw from Grandpa Ryu…"

Your eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets, "Grandpa Ryu's a Millennial Dragon?!"

"Who did you think he was?!"

"A crazy old man that lives in the mountains!"

She faltered, "Yeah...I guess that's fair enough."

"You could have deduced he was a dragon from the way that no one in town appears to reference him at all…"

'Yeah yeah make me feel dumb.'

Hang on a moment. There was something you'd missed, "The seagulls?"

"I guess you deserve to know." The two of you had come to a large ravine. Rummaging around in the bushes, Apis produced a rickety old ladder that she tossed to span the gap. "It's safe," she said as you eyed it warily, "I've been over here millions of times with bags of pork buns. It's not going to fall down on us. Just don't touch the rungs with red paint on. They'll break as soon as you step on them."

That filled you with confidence...

"But back to what I was saying-" she danced over the bridge, skipping over the danger-rungs with ease- "I ate a Devil Fruit."

"Devil Fruit?" You zipped over the ladder as fast as you could. You didn't want to stay on that thing for longer than you had to. Your gut told you not to.

"The whisper-whisper fruit." Now you were both on the same side, Apis stowed the ladder in a bush similar to the one on the other side. "It lets me talk to animals."

Huh? You didn't think that was a possibility. "All animals?"

"Every single one."

"Even insects?"

"Yeah." She shuddered, "I have to tune them out most of the time. There're just so many… Oh here we are!"

Apis  had stopped at the entrance of a small tunnel. “I’m guessing he’s through here.”

“Yup,” she crawled through, and you did your best to keep up with the twists and turns. Eventually it opened up into a massive cave system.

“Woah…” You gaped up in awe at the massive beast in front of you. Ryu opened a slitted eye of molten butterscotch, ruffling the faded sea green feathers of his wings. “He’s beautiful…”

Apis dashed forwards, nuzzling her face into the grey feathers on his chest, “Grandpa Ryu, I’m back! And I bought someone with me too.” She pointed to you, “This is (y/n). Your secret is safe with her.

He dipped his head, the thinning white beard swaying slightly. Apis grinned, “He says that it is a pleasure to meet you.”

You were struck with the need to bow. He just felt so majestic and honourable that it was so obvious that you were inferiour. “The honour's mine.”

Apis got to her feet. “Can you take care of him for me? I need to get him some pork buns, but they take a while.”

“...huh?”

“Thanks-so-much-I’ll-be-back-soon!” And then she was gone

You looked at the dragon, “So I’m on dragon-sitting duty? Sounds dull...” You patted his smooth snout. It was a lot fuzzier than you'd expected. And soft too. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad...

Ryu promptly chomped onto your head.

You giggled as you dodged the dragon’s mouth yet again, “This is actually way more fun than I thought it would be.”

“Missy, I do wonder about you sometimes…”

You ducked under his neck, “You are one senile old dragon if you think I’m food.”

“Oh good, you’re playing with him.” Apis wiggled back through the hole with a large bag on her back.

"Playing? If we did not have our reflexes we might be dead by now!"

“He says this is the most fun he’s had in years.” Rummaging through the bag, she brought a pork bun and tossed it into Ryu’s mouth. His throat rumbled in satisfaction, the large eye flickering closed.

You collapsed back on a rock and laughed, “Well the feeling’s mutual, buddy. That was an awesome game of tag.”

"TAG?!"

“He resents the senile statement though…” She turned to you and whispered behind a hand, “despite the fact it’s totally true.”

You snorted.

“Hey Apis." Luffy sauntered into the cave, Nami stomping in after him. "And (y/n) too, so that’s where you went.” “Luffy, you’re an idiot!” She facepalmed.

Apis turned to you, “Why didn’t you tell me they were coming?”

"As I keep saying, it doesn't work like that.”

“So...where'd you put all the pork buns?” He paused at the sight of the massive dragon behind you.

“Luffy, what are you gawking at?” Nami walked forwards.

You sighed, “Here we go…”

As soon as she saw Ryu, she froze. Slowly, ever so slowly, she raised her head to meet his gaze.

Ryu sniffed.

"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

“AWESOME! IT’S A DRAGON!”

Chapter Text

Usopp's jaw hit the floor. Sanji and Zoro were yet again lost for words.

"Hey you're all here," Apis climbed over Ryu's head.

"Yo!" You raised a hand from where you leant back against Ryu's feathers. You leant down to avoid him from eating you. "You took your sweet time getting the others, Nami."

She ignored you, "Guys, this is one of those millennial dragons that Bokunen was talking about."

"Hey! Let's see if he can fetch!"

"HE'S A DRAGON NOT A PUPPY!"

Sanji dashed over to you, "So this is where you went, my lovely (y/n)-chwan~<3 I panicked when I saw you were no longer by my side; I thought something had happened to you~<3"

""You insult me." You looked into the dragon's massive yellow eye. "It really is a shame Caspar isn't here... He would be more able to tell where Lost Island will re-emerge than us."

Zoro sweatdropped as you absentmindedly dodged Ryu's gaping mouth yet again, "I'm guessing he's the one who can see the past."

You nodded, "In the grand scheme of things, I would be the weakest out of my siblings because of the lack of clarity in my gift. Caspar can see the past of anything he touches, and Moko can see whatever is happening at that moment, no matter where." You tapped your back, "According to Mello that is…"

"H...hang on for a moment," Usopp held up a hand, "what was that about Lost Island?"

Apis slid down Ryu's back, "Grandpa Ryu's certain that it will resurface any day now, but he can no longer remember where." She stroked his head, "It's not his fault, Grandpa's just gotten old and lost the energy to fly. But I have to make sure Grandpa Ryu gets back to his home, no matter what it takes. It's the only way to save him."

The dragon's eye softened, twinkling slightly.

"Anyways this dragon is the reason why the marines have been chasing after Apis." Nami said authoritatively.

You tilted your head, "From what I've heard about Nelson, that sounds about right. He would leap at any chance to become immortal, however slim those chances are."

She nodded, "I bought the rest of you here because Apis needs our help to take him back to his home on Lost Island."

"Are you nuts? In case you forgot, Nami, the marines are after us too! With that blockade we are going to have enough trouble escaping ourselves, let alone with a ginormous dragon!"

"Long-nose is right," you jumped up to avoid Ryu's head, "Especially now, because I have joined your crew after being in hiding for so long. Sorry bout that."

"NOT HELPING!"

"PLEASE LISTEN!" Apis looked imploringly at him, "Grandpa Ryu just wants to go home. Luffy said…"

"Oh no-"

Nami slapped him on the back of the head, "Be quiet. We are helping Apis, no matter what. The problem is that we have no idea where Lost Island is, but the dragon should have migratory instincts which will help us find it."

"Yeah!" Luffy grinned from where he was sitting on top of a rock. "What are we waiting for, let's get going!"

"But Luffy…"

"Don't worry, we'll work it out."

"Zoro!"

"It seems fun!"

"(y/n)!"

Sanji lit his cigarette, "I agree, but first thing's first. How are we supposed to bring our big friend down the mountain and onto the Going Merry?"

Nami smirked, "Easy, we're going to build a cart. One big enough for Grandpa Ryu to ride in."

You stretched in satisfaction, "Phew...It's been a while." You turned to Zoro, "Fancy some sparring after this whole thing is over?"

He smirked, "Only if you want to get your ass handed to you."

"You're going down, Mop-boy."

"IF YOU SO MUCH AS TOUCH A HAIR ON HER HEAD, FILTHY MARIMO…"

"SHE ASKED FOR IT, YOU SHITTY COOK!"

Luffy and you laughed as the two of them started to fight.

Usopp sweatdropped, "The four of you literally leveled almost an entire forest and you still have energy."

Apis was jumping up and down on the finished cart, "It's so sturdy even Grandpa Ryu couldn't break it!"

Sanji quickly stepped out of his fight, "Speaking of breaking, how are we supposed to get through that marine blockade and back to the ship?"

"I think a little distraction would be in order, right Nami?" You held a hand over your eyes and looked down the slope. "We can't exactly fight with a massive dragon in tow, no offence Ryu."

"You said it." She smirked, "One of us has to go to the harbour, sneak aboard the Going Merry and sail it towards the rear of the island."

"Well…" A brown boot stepped down, "since my good friend Kaya gave us the ship, I should be the one to go."

"That was way out of character."

"However, Zoro and (y/n) is coming with me!"

"I retract that statement."

The swordsman started, "Me? Why?"

"Damn it Usopp!" You pouted, "You're meaner than Mop-boy…"

"Missy..."

"That's fine by me." Nami declared.

"Great! Nightfall is when we should move out…"

'What was it you were saying, Mello?'

"Be quiet."

"NO NOW! We're running out of time!" She pointed down the mountain, "Get the ship and bring it to the edge of that cape. The one that looks like your nose."

"Shishishi! Oh that's funny! It does look like his nose!"

Usopp scratched the long nose in question, "Okay, but that still doesn't explain how you're…"

"Leave that to me!" The navigator grinned, "Now get going you three!"

"GWAH! YOU SEE, THIS IS EXACTLY WHY I WANTED TO COME AT NIGHT!"

You made a shushing motion as you looked around the building. A group of marines were patrolling the ground around the Merry. You moved back out of sight and dragged Usopp by his nose.

"We could take them out…" Zoro murmured.

"...but that would raise the alarm before we're even on the Merry," you finished.

He nodded before unsheathing his swords and slicing a drainpipe into three pieces.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

You smirked, "I like your thinking, Mop-boy."

He grimaced as he stuffed one of them into Usopp's open mouth, "Don't call me that…"

"But it suits you," You winked as you picked up the last piece and placed it into your mouth.

His eyes narrowed.

It was easy enough to find a place to swim from, and the pieces of drainpipe allowed you to keep breathing without being seen. Eventually the three of you were behind the Merry. You and Zoro spat out the pipe easily, but the swordsman seemed to have wedged Usopp's pipe firmly down his throat.

"Meet me on the deck," Zoro swam off to where the anchor was.

You used your daggers between the boards on the Merry to lever your way up. You had barely gotten onto the deck when you heard a loud thwack by the anchor.

"Halt!"

Garbled screaming told you that Usopp still hadn't got the pipe out of his mouth. You facepalmed as the marines started to fire.

Zoro winced, "That idiot…"

"The sails!" You pointed.

"On it!"

You sliced away the rope ladder with your dagger, making sure you couldn't be seen. Zoro did the same for the bindings for the mainsail. As it caught the wind, the Merry began to sail away.

"What?"

"There must be another one on board!"

As soon as Usopp climbed the anchor line, you pulled it in and secured it. "This seems to be getting more exciting," you smirked.

"Hoa ca u fi dih ehi-ing!"

"I translate that to: 'How can you find this exciting?', Missy."

The sniper turned to see the Merry heading straight for a marine ship, "ZO-HOOOOO!"

You ran below deck to see Zoro pulling the rudder hard to stop the Merry from colliding with the marine ship. It took the both of you to actually make the ship turn, and even then it smashed into the side of the marine vessel. The Going Merry slid alongside the marine ship and sped past the blockade, with the rest of the marines stumbling to pursue you. You and Zoro dashed onto the deck, to check for updates.

You giggled as Usopp finally yanked the pipe out of his mouth, "Oh man, this is fun!"

"YOU ARE CRAZY, (y/n)!"

"Good!" Zoro wiped the sweat off his brow, "Because there will be more of that to come. Now then," he raised his hand above his eyes, "where is that cape?"

"Right in front of you." You pointed to the Usopp-nosed cape Nami mentioned.

"So we turn right…."

"Then we would crash into the island, Mop-boy…"

"Call me that one more time and I swear-"

"All of that aside," Usopp looked from the back of the ship, "in case you haven't noticed we have A MARINE WARSHIP ON OUR TAIL!"

You laughed.

"But seriously, I've been wondering…" The sniper scratched his chin, "Why do you call him Mop-boy. Marimo and Moss-head I can understand, but Mop-boy."

"Oh funny story that." You smirked devilishly at Zoro, "But I think someone would rather keep that story unsaid."

He raised an eyebrow suspiciously, "That is...quite considerate…for you..."

You grinned, "But you know that I have a near-photographic memory, so perhaps some day in the future when you forget, Mop-boy, I can kindly remind you!"

Zoro facepalmed, "I thought as much…"

"You know me well."

"You're an easy read."

"Smooth bastard."

"Psycho bitch."

"Oh for the love of Kronos stop flirting both of you."

"I WASN'T FLIRTING THAT TIME YOU STUPID SCYTHE!" you roared out loud, and slapped your back, "YEEEEEEOOOOOOOW THAT HURT!"

Zoro snickered.

Usopp sweatdropped, "Guys...the marines…"

"Right, right." You looked at the marine ship that was suddenly right next to the Merry, "I'm on sails!"

"I'll man the rudder!"

"USOPP PLEASE STOP HIM FROM TOUCHING THAT RUDDER!"

"SHIT! WHO'D KNOW WHERE WE'D END UP!"

"SHUDDUP!"

"Just do what you do best and get rid any cannonballs that come our way."

He seemed to settle for that and the little boat managed to pull ahead of the marine ship. You looked out from the rigging, "That big thing can really move!" You frowned, "But we are right where Nami told us to be, and I don't think she wanted us to invite guests. Nami told us not to, but it looks like we're gonna have to fight."

A cloud of dust coming down the mountain caught your eye. You groaned as you looked closer, and Zoro looked up at you after slicing a stray cannon ball.

"What's wrong?" He followed your line of sight, and his jaw dropped, "Is that witch insane?"

"What is it you guys?" Usopp poked his head out of the cabin, and looked up at the mountain, "GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

"DAMN IT NAMI!" you screamed, "I WANTED TO SKATE DOWN THE MOUNTAIN! AND YOU'RE DOING IT WITH A FREAKING DRAGON!"

"You're being a child, Missy!"

'But it looks like so much fun,' You pouted.

"THAT MASSIVE CART IS INCOMING AND FAST! WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO!" Usopp was running in circles crying.

You slid down the rigging, "We'll be fine."

"HOW'RE YOU SO SURE!"

You tapped your back, "That chase raised my adrenaline levels slightly." You turned to look at the pursuing boat, "Now this may sound weird, but I have a hunch that just by chasing us, that warship has done us a favour."

"Makes no sense, but sure." Zoro braced for impact, "I really hope this hunch of yours is right, Missy, because that thing is coming in fast."

The cart with Luffy, Nami, Sanji, Apis and dragon onboard flew over the edge of the cape and over the marine ship below. The unsuspecting marines looked up in panic to see a black shadow break through their main mast and fall onto the water next to the Merry.

Apis and Luffy were laughing hard, and you pouted, "Looks like you guys had an awesome ride..."

Zoro and Usopp just stared at them, "THAT was their plan?"

Apis gave a thumbs up, grinning from ear to ear.

As Usopp ran to secure the cart to the Merry, Zoro looked at the marine ship and smirked. "Looks like your hunch was right, Missy."

You shrugged, "I can't help it if I'm psychic."

Luffy laughed loudly as he stretched himself over to where you were, "YEAH THAT SOUNDS COOL! I HEREBY NAME (y/n) THE SHIP PSYCHO!"

Sanji kicked him with a fiery passion, "(y/n)-CHWAN IS NOT A PSYCHO YOU MORON!"

"Ship psychic…" You smirked, "Sounds a bit pretentious, but hey I'll take it. 'Ship psycho' also would work I guess..."

"You can say that again..."

"Mop-boy, who is it that gives you good booze again? Remind me."

"I'M SHUTTING UP! SHUTTING UP NOW!"

"Luffy!" Nami walked over from the back of the ship, "We're all set and are ready to leave when you want!"

"WHOOP!" He grinned, "On to Lost Island!"

Usopp raised an eyebrow from down on the cart-now-raft, "Oh yeah? And where is that exactly?"

"Hmmm…" Luffy frowned and started to frantically point. "That way. Oooor that way. Maybe it's behind us"

"Are we really going to be okay?" The sniper sweatdropped.

"Guess we have to pick a direction and try it."

"Mop-boy, you of all people are the last person we should ask for navigational advice."

"...shuddup Missy!"

Nami winked, "It's not on any of the charts."

"NAMI-SWAN IS LOVELY EVEN WHEN SHE DOESN'T KNOW WHERE WE'RE GOING~<3"

"...that wink was really unnecessary."

Eventually, to everyone's surprise, you all took Zoro's advice and raised the mainsail in a reasonable direction. Grandpa Ryu seemed very comfortable as the makeshift raft rocked side to side above the waves.

Luffy grinned, "We're headed to Lost Island!"

You nestled into Ryu's feathers and watched the flying fish go by. Surprisingly, Luffy had joined you, saying he wanted to talk more with the dragon. On the ship you could vaguely hear the voices of Nami and Usopp.

"Looking at the maps, there doesn't seem to be any other islands within the vicinity of Warship Island…"

"Oi! Grandpa dragon! Where are we supposed to go?"

You chuckled softly, "You really can pick good nakama, Cap."

"Shishishi, of course!" He slumped himself down next to you.

Ryu shook slightly as he watched the flying fish.

Luffy looked at him directly in the eye, "Hey!"

The dragon closed his eye.

"Looks like he's dozed off again." The rubber man pouted as he stood, before looking up at the Merry.

Nami, Usopp and Zoro frowned.

"Sorry to keep you waiting guys!" Apis ran over to the back of the ship, "Lunch is ready!"

'Mello, are you ready to switch over?'

"Of course I am, I can't let you waste that gloriously spicy food!"

Everyone apart from Luffy looked worried.

"More of her cooking?"

"I wasn't 'waiting' for this…"

"Hehehe…"

Thankfully for the sake of your tastebuds, Sanji had made the lunch and not the little girl.

"Grandpa Ryu!" Apis carried a heavy pot over to the back railing, "Eat up!"

"Ah! Food!" Luffy stretched out his arms.

"Careful, Cap. It's really hot." You stood.

He ignored you and grabbed the pot, "HOT!"

"I told you…"

The cook glared at Luffy as the pot flew through the air, "YOU DUMBASS!"

The pot landed upside down on the balding patch on Ryu's head. He turned bright red and his eyes opened quickly.

"YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

Apis panicked, "Grandpa Ryu!" She slid down the ropes and onto the raft, running up to the dragon and cleaning off the food from his head.

His yellow eyes were wide open, as if he seemed to be remembering something.

"Are you alright, Grandpa Ryu?" The little girl looked at him worriedly, before her own eyes widening slightly.

"Good grief, you wasted the food I made specially for him."

"You can just make more, right?"

"What have I told you about wasting food?"

Apis stood.

Luffy looked at her, holding the still hot pot with his sandals, "What's up?"

"Lost Island…" She looked up to the deck, "The dragon's nest...is east of Warship Island."

He grinned, "So that's where Lost Island is?"

"Grandpa Ryu just remembered!"

They laughed.

You smirked up to the deck, "Yo guys! We know where Lost Island is!"

"It's to the east of Warship Island!"

"Grandpa Ryu just said so!"

"Just like that!"

Nami grinned and started to bark orders at Usopp.

"Now this is exciting and all, but one thing is more important…" You looked up to the cook, "Flirty! You mentioned lunch a while back. Do I get anything?"

"Of course (y/n)-chwan! I specially made you and Nami-swan some tangerine dumplings sweetened by my love~<3!"

"SWEET!" You climbed up the ropes connecting the raft to the Merry like a monkey. Happily taking a dumpling, you ate it while hanging upside down, "So good!"

"Would you do anything to satisfy your sweet tooth, Missy?"

'Yes.'

"You'd better eat all of that, Luffy!"

"Sure!" He gobbled it all down in one bite, before stretching over to the Merry. Apis grabbed hold of him after hugging the dragon tightly, and together they zipped onto the deck.

You quickly finished your dumplings and handed back the plate, "Those were so good, thanks so much, Sanji!"

"(y/n)-CHWAN CALLED ME BY MY NAME! IT SOUNDS SO SEXY WHEN SHE SAYS IT~<3"

"Hey pervy cook, where's mine?"

"In the toilet where it belongs, stupid marimo!"

"WHAT WAS THAT?"

You slid back down the rope onto the raft.

Luffy looked down at you and tilted his head, "You sure you're okay down there by yourself, (y/n)?"

You smirked as you snuggled back against Ryu's feathers. 'Man, these are comfy.'  "I'm fine, Cap. Besides, someone needs to guard Gramps here." You dodged the large snout that had been aiming for your head.

Luffy smiled, "Well if you're sure." He zipped off to his seat at the front of the ship. Apis waved goodbye as she ran off to help Sanji in the kitchen.

When everyone was out of sight, you frowned. "Hey Gramps…"

He turned his large yellow eye to look at you.

"Why haven't you told Apis."

His eye widened.

"Yeah, I know." You sighed, "you're going to die soon, aren't you. I can tell your future stops pretty soon, so you can't deny it. One of the many perks of being a living time weapon."

He sniffed.

You looked at him, "I haven't told anyone yet because they would want to tell Apis, and you don't want her to worry, right?" You moved your hands behind your head, "But I really don't like hiding things from my crew. I think you should tell her."

Ryu stiffened.

You chuckled softly, "Yeah...on second thought don't do that. She would completely freak out."

He snorted.

The girl in question skipped out and started to animatedly talk to Ryu about how they were almost there. You eyed the dragon warningly, before tuning out of their conversation.

Apis stopped suddenly and tilted her head, "That's silly, saying thanks already! We're not even there yet!"

The dragon narrowed his eyes.

A shadow on the horizon caught your eye, and you stood up, "So the marines caught up to us, huh." You raised your left arm, "Mellontas."

"On it."

He appeared in a flash. You gripped him tightly.

"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Nami's scream made you look down to the front of the ship. Your eyes widened.

"NO FREAKING WAY!"

Chapter Text

"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Nami's scream made you look down to the front of the ship. Your eyes widened.

"NO FREAKING WAY!"

It looked as if the Going Merry was being reflected in a mirror. But a mirror that wasn't really there, so the ship was sailing into itself.

Your jaw dropped, "THAT'S AWESOME!"

You could feel Mello wince in your hand, "Really Missy. You're missing the point here."

Eventually the entire ship had passed through, and you were left with a reflection of yourself and Ryu on the raft. Even the dragon looked shocked. You did what any sane person would do and waved at yourself.

"Missy, you look like an idiot."

After you passed through the 'mirror', you were met with thick white fog. Sanji called out from inside the galley, "(y/n)-chan, what happened? From the way even you were screaming, I thought it was something important."

"Big. Ass. Mirror."

"Huh?"

You looked at Mello, 'Do you have a bad feeling about this, or is it just me?'

"It's not just you Missy."

Suddenly storm clouds formed from almost nothing overhead. It started to rain heavily, and the boat rocked from side to side. You heard screaming and curses from on the Merry. A large wave hit, and you could see the ropes holding the raft to the boat start to unwind.

'I hate it when I'm right.'

You pointed Mello's blade towards the Merry, "Mellontas, Grapple!"

"On it."

Mello's shaft extended until it was long enough for the blade to hook over the Merry's railing. The blade became blunt, and slightly curved itself under the railing. You took out one of your daggers and stabbed it hard into the raft to make sure you wouldn't be separated.

"Gramps! Keep a hold on me!"

The old dragon bit your torso, hard.

You giggled, "Well I guess that's one way…"

"GRANDPA RYU!" Apis stumbled over to the bow and saw the ropes start to unravel. She tried to hold on to one, but it cut right through her hands, "NO!"

"Apis, I've got this!" You groaned as you used most of your strength to keep both Mello and your dagger from slipping out of your hands. A lightning bolt hit the water nearby, "Shit…"

Zoro took hold the rope from behind Apis and managed to slow the slipping. He then side stepped in an arc and grabbed the second rope. He winced with the effort.

"GRANDPA RYU! NO DON'T SAY THAT!" Apis wailed, "WE'LL BEAT THIS YET! YOU CAN'T GIVE UP NOW!"

"Yeah!" You laughed, "I'm stuffed if I let go now."

"You...ugh...really are a...psycho..."

"And a very happy one too!"

"MISSY…."

"GUM GUM...LASSO!"

"It took you long enough, Cap." You giggled as a rubber arm took hold of the back of the raft. The strain in your upper arms started to decrease.

"Luffy…"

"I'm fine! Leave it to me!" He wrapped his other arm many times around the mast, "I promised to take you to the dragon's nest, didn't I?"

Apis smiled, "Right."

"So that storm surrounds the whole island, huh?" Nami put her hand on her chin, "almost like it's to prevent people from entering."

"I'll say…" You recalled Mello onto your back with another flash of light. Stretching your arms you giggled, "I almost died! That was fun!"

"HOW COULD YOU LET (y/n)-CHWAN GET THAT CLOSE TO DEATH, FILTHY MOSS-HEAD!"

"DO YOU HEAR HER LAUGHING, DEAD-BEAT COOK? I THINK SHE'S FINE!"

Nami hit both of them on the head before continuing as if nothing happened, "Until now, no one has ever been able to find this place. Must have been because of that storm."

"Ya know what?" Luffy tilted his head, "instead of an island, it looks like a castle sitting on the sea."

"Hey! Look at that," Usopp pointed to some sinking stonework, "doesn't that look like the shape of a dragon?" He laughed, "This really must be the island of the Millennial Dragons."

Luffy grinned, "Those dragons were pretty slick!"

Sanji hit him, "You idiot, obviously humans built this."

"Well, whoever built it," Zoro yawned, "they sure aren't here now."

"It's not here," you say decisively.

Apis turned to you, "It must be here." A bird landed on her arm and she listened attentively, "You see. He says there's a building at the top of the mountain with a dragon mark on it. IT MUST BE HERE!"

"This is not the dragon's nest."

Zoro turned to you, "Another hunch?"

You nodded, "I really don't think this island is the place." You looked at Ryu out of the corner of your eyes.

The dragon snorted.

"I mean look at the size of Gramps here. We can only see some of the buildings, but the general layout of the town seems too small for dragons of his size to have lived here." You hopped to the shore, "I don't know what this place is, but my gut is telling me that this isn't the dragon's nest." You turned to Nami, "I can do a quick recon of the place if you want to be certain."

"That would be great." She looked up to the building Apis mentioned, "It would suck if we had to go all the way up there for nothing."

You nodded, and turned to Zoro, Sanji and Luffy, "Do two of you want to come with me? We have no idea who or what is out there, but someone should stay with these guys."

"OF COURSE (y/n)-CHWAN! I'LL PROTECT YOU!"

"WAHOOOO! ADVENTURE!"

Zoro shrugged, "Yeah, I'll stay. I could use a nap after that storm." And with that he sat down on the deck and fell asleep.

"Excellent," Nami turned to Usopp as Luffy and Sanji joined you on the shore, "We should move the Merry to somewhere less conspicuous. We have no idea if the marines followed us through that storm."

"But won't that make it harder for the others to find us?"

"Don't worry about that." You summoned Mello, and looked at Luffy and Sanji, "You two need to hold on to me...not there Flirty you perv...and Cap I can't see if you hold onto my head...And there we go! Now keep still." You placed the base of Mello's shaft on the ground, "Mellontas, Extend!"

To everyone's amazement, Mello's shaft started to get longer and he carried the three of you up into the air.

"Wooooooah!" Luffy held onto his hat, "That's so cool!"

Sanji's eyes widened as the crew started to shrink underneath you, "How high can...he... go?"

You thought for a moment, "Well, I don't weigh that much so when it's just me he can extend about 1500 feet or 500 meters. Since he's got the two of you as well, it would only be, I'd say, a quarter of that." You winced, "If I try to push it, I start bleeding all over the place."

"So that's why you were so light when I carried you in Loguetown," Sanji seemed to be trying to ignore the last part, "So how are we going to get to that building from up here?"

"Shishishi, like this!" Luffy leaned forwards and the three of you started to fall towards the ground.

"Haha! Bingo!" You giggled at the look on Sanji's face, "Mellontas, Retract and Extend!" The end of the shaft did just that, and you started to rise above the ground in an arc before you reached the top and started to fall again. After several cycles of this, you were at the front of the building outside an ornately decorated door.

"You see, that didn't take long now did it!" You laughed.

Sanji hastily lit his cigarette, "I'm never thought I'd say this, but I almost preferred the rubber slingshot…."

Luffy walked up to the door, "So, how do we get in?"

You pointed to hole, "Isn't that shaped like Apis' pendent?"

Sanji groaned, "Please don't say we have to go back…"

The floor underneath you suddenly collapsed, and the three of you started to fall.

"Shit not again!"

"Mello, HELP!"

"I'm on it!"

The scythe extended until he touched something solid, and then retracted, giving you a gentle descent.

Sanji rubbed his back as your feet touched the floor, "As much as I am glad you are alright, (y/n)-chan, could you have helped the rest of us instead."

"Well, I did literally scream for help." You hugged Mello, "He was focusing on keeping me safe, so he couldn't really help anyone else. Besides, you and Cap seem fine, so it doesn't really matter. MELLO I FREAKING LOVE YOU!"

"Any time Missy."

"I never thought that I would be jealous of a weapon, but many views of mine have already been changed today so what the heck." He dusted himself off.

Luffy was obviously fine because of his devil fruit powers. He was looking at the ceiling in awe, "What's that?"

You looked up. Above you was a painting. You squinted, and could just about make out the outlines of dragons, "I'm gonna take a look. Mellontas…" He extended to the ceiling before you could finish and you balanced on the top of the blade.

Luffy stretched his arm around your waist and zipped up beside you, "Your weird sword is so cool!"

"I'm a scythe, imbecile."

He grinned, "Ooh!" He pointed to one, "That one looks like Warship Island!"

You followed his finger, "Oh yeah. And...is that a dragon painted on top of it?"

"Seems so," Sanji yelled from below you, "LUFFY IF YOU DO ANYTHING TO (y/n)-CHWAN I WILL NOT MAKE YOU ANY MEAT FOR A WEEK!"

"Awwwwww…..wait what sort of things would I do to (y/n)?"

"Let's concentrate please!"

"(y/n)-CHWAN IS SO SEXY WHEN SHE'S AUTHORITATIVE~<3"

You shook your head in disbelief, before you saw a painting which looked like the building you had just fallen into, "I've got it!" You retracted Mello, and you and Luffy walked over to Sanji.

"Well?" Luffy grinned, "Do you know where the dragon's nest is?"

"Yeah...Nami's not going to like this…" You shuddered at the thought, "It's back towards Warship Island. That's what the map says, anyways."

He scratched his head, "I didn't see a map anywhere."

You pointed up.

"So the ceiling's a map…" Sanji smirked, "Very smart, mademoiselle."

"Thank you." You pointed to the painting that looked like a building, "That island that has a dome shaped building on it, that's this island. And this building is that dome."

"It certainly does look that way."

"Therefore, the people surrounding the island are probably Apis' ancestors who lived here long ago."

"Luffy," Sanji's eyes widened in realisation, "Do you remember what Grandpa Bokunen said?"

"Nope. I was asleep."

"Right...well he said that the people of Warship Island came from a different island, remember?"

"Yeah, I think that's probably here. We saw statues and drawings here and there when we docked. So... I think the people on this island worshipped the Millennial Dragons as gods."

"Long ago, the Millennial Dragons probably flew round here." Sanji seemed to know where you were getting at.

Luffy tilted his head, "Then why did you say that the dragon's nest is near Warship Island?"

"That's simple," Sanji smirked as he puffed out a line of smoke, "there's a painting of Warship Island with a dragon on it. It's drawn ahead of the people who are worshipping, right (y/n)-chwan?"

You gave a thumbs up, "I think we make a great team, Flirty."

"You had done most of the work for me, (y/n)-chwan. You're so smart~<3"

"Someone's coming."

You gripped Mello tightly, and Luffy stiffened, "Up there."

A man with ridiculous blue-purple hair and shades stared down at you, "Many thanks for the explanation. For now I know where the dragon's nest is." He grinned, "I had hoped to find the dragonite here, but I will just have to settle for your corpses."

"Oh you again!" Luffy gritted his teeth.

"Be careful," Sanji warned, "His name is Eric, and he said something about having the sickle-sickle fruit."

"Thanks for the info." You got into a combat position with Mello, "I'll hold him off, you guys warn the others." You turn around and smirk, "I'll be back later."

He grinned, "Gotcha."

"No way!" Sanji growled, "I AM NOT LETTING YOU HURT (y/n)-CHWAN!"

"No exit...Time to make one" Luffy grabbed the babbling cook and ran at the wall. To your shock it broke. Luffy stopped to look at a bit of ceiling that had collapsed on the floor.

"You're not getting away that easily," Eric jumped down, and you blocked him with Mello's shaft.

"Move it you two!"

Luffy grinned, "See ya back on the ship!" and he jumped off the ledge with a still struggling Sanji.

"Was it really wise to leave me to a mere woman." Eric smirked, "Sickle-sickle whirlwind!"

You dodged so that the attack was no longer lethal, but you could feel your cheek sting slightly. Eric came at you again with his fingernails, which you blocked with Mello.

"I see...black blood," he tilted his head, "so you must be one of the Saioney triplets." He smirked, "Selling you off to the government will fetch me billions!"

"Shit!" You span out of the way of his fingernails, and slashed him across the back of his right arm.

"You don't have much time, cut a leg next"

'Right!'

"You bitch!" He sent another whirlwind in your direction, which you avoided completely. You sliced along the back of his knee. He cried out in pain and dropped to one knee.

"A mere woman, really?" You smirked and took this chance to make your escape, jumping out of the hole Luffy had created.

You landed on a thick vine, and had to wave your arms to keep your balance. You laughed as you started to pick up speed, "Now this is fun!" You looked around for a bit to try and find the Merry.

"To the left!"

'I see it, thanks.'

You jumped on and off vines as you made your way over, finally using Mello's extended form to land on the deck.

"(y/n)-CHWAN!" You had barely recalled Mello when you were rugby tackled to the ground by a curly browed cook, "I was so worried, I'm really glad you're al-" He stopped as he noticed the cut on your cheek, "THAT BASTARD IS GOING TO PAY!" The flames of fiery passion had been lit in his eyes.

"Chill out, I'm fine. Let's get moving," You looked up at Nami from on the floor, "Did they tell you what we found?"

She nodded, "Thanks for doing that by the way. You saved us a lot of trouble"

"Nah it was fine. That bastard is going to have a little bit more trouble chasing after us, and I would have done worse if that storm hadn't hit us. Now if you don't mind," you leant up against a wall, "I haven't used Mello for 6 years, and I'm exhausted." A fact you proved by promptly falling asleep.

You woke up to hear the sounds of cannons firing. "What's going on?"

"It seems Commodore Nelson has appeared and deployed his Crane Wing Formation."

'What? Why didn't you wake me?'

"You needed your sleep."

'MY CREW NEEDS MY HELP!'

A loud crash made you run to the stern of the Merry. Usopp had spectacularly destroyed the main cannon on Nelson's flag ship. "Woah, nice one!"

"Well that's what they get when the great Usopp gets serious!"

"This is perfect, (y/n)'s awake and we have the perfect opportunity," Nami walked up with her hands on her hips, "We'll attack quickly while they're distracted, cut the chains, and make ourselves an escape route."

"Aye, Nami-swan."

Zoro grimaced, "You do realise I can't cut steel, right?"

"It's fine," you smirked, "As much as Nelson wants those chains to be solid steel, they're nowhere near. Even my daggers can cut through them if I concentrate, and I'm no swordsman. This is the East Blue after all, most of the resources get diverted to the Grand Line where they're needed. As long as people believe these chains are solid steel, they serve their purpose."

He grinned, "Nice…Luffy!"

"Right!" He stretched back his arm, "Gum-gum bridge!" His arm grabbed hold of a marine ship, and you, Zoro and Sanji ran over.

As soon as your feet touched the ship, you were slammed to the wall by the arrival of your captain.

"Shishishi! Sorry (y/n)"

"Watch your aim next time," you rubbed your head as you walked over to one of the four chains strung between the neighbouring marine ships.

"Shall we, Mop-boy?"

"When you've finished taking your sweet time, Missy," he smirked.

Sanji puffed on his cigarette, "We'll make sure you don't get disturbed, (y/n)-chwan."

"Shishishi!"

They ran of to deal with the large numbers of marines that were pouring onto the deck.

You span your daggers and breathed deeply as you closed your left eye. When it reopened, your eye was black, "Time Stealer!" You cut with both daggers in quick succession, and the chain fell away from the ship. A crash next to you told you Zoro had managed his just fine.

You laughed, "So much for 'solid steel', eh?"

He shook his head, "You were right, that was nothing. What's with the eye?"

"Just, y'know, Kronos stuff. Onto the next two."

He smirked, "Of course."

The next two were cut as easily as the first, and soon all the chains were cut. The Merry was just about to pass through when a whirlwind hit the boat. "Shit!" you started to slice the remaining marines with your dagger. Sanji and Luffy had done a really good job, but there were still a lot of grunts left. When you had a moment, you took a quick glance at the Merry.

Eric was standing in a little row boat, "Shut up and hand him over!" You were pleased to see that he was limping a little and favouring his left hand.

Apis stood in front of Ryu, "NO!"

"What's up?" You, Sanji and Zoro had finished already. Luffy walked over to the three you.

"Him again," Sanji frowned. "I'll kill the bastard for harming (y/n)-chan!"

You decided not to mention that the small cut had healed a while ago.

"Huh? What's he doing?"

Zoro grimaced, "Looks like he's holding Apis hostage to steal the dragon."

"That's bad!"

"But if punch him now, Cap, he'll use his devil fruit power to kill Apis and the others." You twirled a dagger on your finger, "I have plenty of energy now to deal with the bastard…"

"I see. I got it."

You raised an eyebrow.

"Then I'll kick him."

Zoro hit him on the head.

There was very little the four of you could do as you watched Ryu and Apis get towed away by Eric. What you were not expecting, was for him to betray Commodore Nelson, who promptly started firing cannons at the rowboat and raft. This angered Apis, who bit Eric's hand. He slapped her, and she fell into the boat.

You winced, "Not a wise move, considering who's right behind him."

Luffy nodded, "Yeah, he's angry."

The Millennial Dragon stood up, and you watched the marines who were manning the boat jump into the sea.

"Cowards…" Zoro smirked.

Sanji kicked a marine that was cowering behind you, "I think anyone would be scared of that thing when it's pissed."

The dragon sent Eric flying with just a single hit. Cannon balls kept falling into the water surrounding the raft. The dragon looked down at the unconscious girl. His eyes narrowed, he stood on his hind legs, and roared.

"Sweet mother of Kronos!" You clapped your hands over your ears.

Zoro and Sanji both groaned their agreement as they did the same.

Luffy stuck his fingers in his ears, "Grandpa Ryu sure can roar…"

The marine boats trembled, and waves spread out from the raft. Even the chains started to vibrate from the sheer force of the sound.

"I think that's an understatement, Cap!"

Eventually, Ryu fell silent, and looked down at Apis, who had regained consciousness. He nuzzled her as she hugged him excitedly.

You looked at Luffy, "We need to get rid of the cannons on the other ships ASAP! We can't let them hit Ryu!"

"Right!" He stretched his arm over to the other ship and grabbed your waist with the other, "Let's gooooo!"

"Mop-boy, Flirty! I wonder which of you can destroy the most cannons in a minute?" You laughed at their competitive expressions as Luffy retracted his arm and the two of you flew into the other ship.

"What was that for, (y/n)? I think I can destroy more cannons then both of them!" He pouted stupidly.

You smirked, "I was just increasing the number of cannons that get destroyed...I hope. It could backfire terribly…" You looked at your captain, "I think we can beat them though!"

"Shishishi!"

Many Time Stealers and destroyed cannons later, and you were breathing deeply, blood dribbling down from your left eye.

You giggled, "Now this is what I've been missing!"

"I really worry about you sometimes, Missy…"

The marines cowered before you, "She's bleeding...b...buh...BLACK BLOOD! SHE'S A MONSTER!"

"A...UH...AND SHE HAS...A SCYTHE TATTOO!"

"BUT I THOUGHT SHE WAS DEAD!"

Pouting, you sauntered towards them, giggling a little, "A monster you say? Tell me something I don't know!" You leered at them, "I am the ghost of Missy Sai after all."

They all screamed like little girls and jumped overboard. You huffed, "I can't believe they bought that. What sort of people become marines nowadays?"

"Nicely done Missy. I think you can leave the rest to the boys. You can't really catch up with them at this rate. "

'My thoughts exactly, Mello.'

You watched as Ryu took a few flaps of his wings. Your jaw dropped, "No way…"

"He's preparing to die… I can see it in his eyes..." Even Mello was awestruck.

You nodded absentmindedly as the great beast managed to take off from the raft. He hovered in the air for a bit, before turning to Nelson's flagship.

You raised your left arm, "Mellontas…" The scythe appeared, and you pointed the blade towards the Merry.

'Think you can get me back?'

"What do you take me for, Missy?"

"Mellontas, Grapple and Retract!" Mello looped his blade around the railing of the Merry and pulled you towards it.

"Are you two ok?" Recalling Mello, you walked over to Nami and Usopp.

The sniper sweatdropped, "Bleeding from one eye is creepy enough, but bleeding black blood-"

Nami held up her hand to silence him, "Nice thinking to destroy the cannons. We're fine thankfully, but this would have been a lot worse if those marines had kept firing at us."

You nodded absentmindedly, and turned to watch Ryu. He was closer to Nelson's flagship then before. Suddenly something shot out from the massive ship and stuck the dragon in the side.

"No…" The three of you looked on horrified as Grandpa Ryu fell from the sky. Soon after he touched the water, you could see a rubber arm stretch over with Luffy zooming towards the dragon as fast as he could.

Apis had tears dripping down her cheeks as she looked at the unmoving figure, "GRANDPA RYU!"

Chapter Text

"GRANDPA RYU!" Apis looked like she was going to run directly into the sea to rescue the slowly sinking dragon.

"She can't swim!" Nami screamed, "she's eaten a devil fruit!"

"I'm on it!" Usopp jumped into the sea and swam to the small boat.

You watched as Luffy talked to Ryu. He was too far away from the Merry for you or Nami to hear what he was actually saying.

Nami's eyes narrowed, "Those bastards…"

"Well," you looked towards the flagship, "From what Smoker told me, this is something Nelson would pull." You gritted your teeth as the obnoxious flagship fired a harpoon at the dragon, "Selfish obese bastard."

Luffy caught the weapon easily, and threw it back towards the flagship, "BASTARD!"

Nami whooped, "I hope it hit that fat-ass!"

"Well it is a very large target according to my sources. I would be surprised if he misses."

"LET ME GO! GRANDPA RYU NEEDS ME!"

"GUYS, COULD USE A BIT OF HELP HERE!" Usopp was in the little rowboat trying to restrain a struggling Apis.

With your help he brought the resisting girl onto the deck. Nami tied her tightly to his back.

"GRANDPA RYU NEEDS MY HELP!"

You jerked a thumb at your captain, who seemed to be talking to the dragon again, "Cap's with him, so you can be certain that Gramps will be safe. No offence, but what would you be able to do?"

"She's right," Nami smiled, "You and Ryu are our friends, and Luffy wouldn't let anything happen to a friend."

You rubbed your temple absentmindedly, "Besides, I think his wish has been fulfilled…"

"What?" The three of them turned to you, well Apis turned as much as she could considering she was facing the other way.

A mild tremor ran through the ocean, shaking the Merry.

"GYAA! THE ENTIRE OCEAN IS SHAKING! WHAT'S WITH THIS SEA?"

Turning to Nami, you tapped your chin, "Well Mello has a theory that seems pretty convincing. Don't you think the name 'Millennial Dragon' is a little odd?"

"I guess…" She tilted her head and crossed her arms, "I thought it referred to their life-span or something…"

"GRANDPA RYU! HE'S ALIVE!"

You looked over your shoulder as the dragon arched his neck and roared again. The sound wasn't as loud or as aggressive as when he roared before; you thought it sounded slightly melancholy.

Apis paled, "Grandpa ryu…"

"What's he crying for?" Usopp stood with his back to the railing so Apis could get a good view.

You smiled sadly, "It really does sound like he's crying this time, doesn't it?"

"He's calling them," Apis' eyes widened.

Nami and Usopp looked confusedly at each other.

"The Millennial Dragons scattered around the world," Apis tilted her head, 'The time has come,' that's what he's calling."

'That was nice deduction, Mello. It seems you were right' You could feel his smug satisfaction.

"I'm sorry Nami, but maybe they weren't named after their life-span." You grinned as dark shapes started to form on the horizon, "What if, they were named after their migratory period."

A flicker of realisation appeared in Nami's eyes, "No way…"

"O-oi, what're those?" Usopp pointed at the approaching shapes.

"They're," Nami's eyes widened, "Millennial Dragons!"

"So many…" The sniper's jaw dropped, "The sky's full of them!"

Your smile widened as many majestic green dragons flew over the Merry, each one at least twice the size of the little boat. They cried out in high pitched screams and squeaks, their shadows blotting out the sun above.

"I bet they're Grandpa Ryu's nakama!" Nami smiled in awe.

Apis smiled amidst the tears, "Yeah!"

Ryu collapsed, his final call answered. You could see Luffy rush to his side, and the two looked at each other before the rubber man nodded. He stood up, and faced the flagship.

"Gum-gum…" His arm stretched into the air, until it took hold of the neck of one of the Millennial Dragons, "ROCKET!" Luffy disappeared into the air, and you could vaguely see his leg elongate, "AND AXE!" The massive limb smashed the flagship cleanly in two, and Luffy's torso quickly followed behind.

"Grandpa...hurck...Ryu…" Apis was sobbing inconsolably. Nami hugged her as best as she could. You wanted to comfort the little girl, but hesitated.

'Nami's probably better than me at this sorta thing.'

"That is...very astute of you, Missy."

"NAMI-SWAN! I'M BAAAAAAAAACK~<3"

"Shut up and get on already!"

"Good work you two," Grinning, you waved from the deck as Zoro and Sanji boarded the Going Merry. Suddenly, a shiver went down your spine. You had barely any time to react when Luffy slammed on top of you hard enough to rock the entire boat.

"Yo!"

"Uuuugh….Cap…you're gonna really need to work on your aim a bit...and your landings..."

"GET OF (y/n)-CHAN, YOU BASTARD!"

"(y/n)? Why're you on the floor? You having a nap or something?"

"Do I look like Mop-boy to you?"

Another tremor, even bigger than the one before, started to make the Merry tremble.

Sanji fell on his side, "An earthquake?"

"Again?" Nami huddled near Usopp into a corner.

"Grandpa Ryu…" Apis was looking out at the spot where the dragon had been. He had sunk completely. She bowed her head, "My promise to Grandpa Ryu...I couldn't keep it…"

Luffy finally got off your back, and started to walk over to Apis. You rolled into a cross-legged position.

"I couldn't take him to the dragon's nest…" She slumped, fully defeated.

"Grandpa Ryu's wish came true."

Apis turned in shock to your captain.

"The dragons are calling. Can't you hear them?"

Her eyes widened as a large shockwave spread out from where Ryu had died. You braced yourself against the railing, eyes widening as you saw the land rising towards you from under the ocean.

"I do so love it when I am correct!"

'I really, really wish that I wasn't though...'

"You couldn't have stopped his death, Missy."

"When Mello thought that the name 'Millennial' could be related to their migratory period," Nami yelled over to you from where she was hanging on from on the other side of the Merry, "was he thinking about how often that their nest appeared from? Such as...every millenia!"

You smiled weakly as rocky outcrops erupted from beneath the sea, "The dragon's nest was right here all along! This flock couldn't all have appeared by chance if they were scattered across the entire world!"

"Lost Island...what a perfect name!" She grinned in awe, "If it only surfaces once every 1000 years, there is no way any living human would remember it surfacing! We are lucky enough to witness it resurface!"

The entire crew looked out upon the beautiful choral landscape as the circling dragons started to swoop down and crow in happiness. Even though you didn't really believe in chance, you were mildly surprised that the Merry had not been impaled by a large rock like some of the marine ships.

The noise was amazing, it sounded like you had entered some sort of tropical paradise. Screeching and crowing filled the air, as the crew and Apis disembarked the Merry.

"Amazing…" Usopp didn't know which way to look first. You couldn't really blame him, every direction was as spectacular as the last, with vibrant colours and little rock pools.

"Could this be…" Apis looked up at Luffy.

"Yup," he beamed, "This is the dragon's nest that Grandpa Ryu wanted to go return to."

The small girl suddenly saw a large body in the distance, and started to run in that direction.

"Oi! Oi, Apis!"

"APIS!"

Shaking your head at them, you pointed at the body of Grandpa Ryu. They stiffened. Nami clapped a hand to her mouth. Luffy began to walk with uncharacteristic seriousness towards the body, you and the rest of the crew following close behind.

Apis was up to her waist in water when you finally caught up, crying her eyes out.

Usopp bowed his head, "It feels like some strange twist of fate. The place Grandpa Ryu fell turned out to be the dragon's nest. I...I hope that he can feel at peace now."

"He's fine," Luffy declared confidently, "Before he sank, he said his wish had come true."

You walked over to one of the rock formations, "These sure are interesting shapes."

"I bet...these are Millennial Dragons." Sanji stepped behind you, "Look at this rock here, looks like a dragon, don't you think mademoiselle?"

Nami moved over beside you, "They do...and I think it's because during those 1000 years, they were under the ocean. Their bodies became calcified."

"I see…"

Zoro smirked at Usopp, "Did you understand a word of that?"

"Nope, not a bit."

"It does mean that neither Nelson or Eric will get a bit of dragonite out of them," you smiled weakly, before looking back at Apis.

She was bawling in front of your captain, "Grandpa Ryu, you liar…hic...this is the dragon's nest...hurk...If we've found the dragon's nest...then open your eyes! Talk to me! Get better again!"

"Silly gramps…" you muttered as her sobs echoed around the island, "this is why you should have told her."

Zoro looked at you in shock, "You knew…"

"I can see the future...why so surprised…" You looked down, "Believe me, I wanted to tell you guys...but he didn't want Apis to worry…"

"You're beating yourself up about something you couldn't have prevented."

'I hate this ability sometimes. He didn't deserve to die.'

You heard the swordsman hesitate, "...how much haven't you told us."

"There are things that I don't know about myself, and many others I'm still figuring out how they work. In this case I can only really see the lifespans of people who are definitely going to die if there is no intervention. And I only know about it if I make contact with them, so it's quite temperamental. Anyways," you raised your head to look at him, "everyone has things they want to keep to themselves."

Zoro paused before nodding.

"Have you been harassing (y/n)-chan, Moss head?" Sanji dashed over. "Are you alright, mademoiselle, is this green bastard annoying you?"

You giggled at Zoro's expression, "Thanks, Sanji, but I'm fine."

"(y/n)-CHWAN SAID MY NAME SO SEXILY AGAIN~<3"

"Missy...look over the other side of the lake."

Doing as Mello suggested, you watched as a round boulder shaped object cracked. Your eyes widened as a baby dragon emerged, and was quickly surrounded by adults crooning over it. The young dragon made eye contact with Apis, and to you it almost seemed to smile. It chirped happily.

'Is that who I think it is…'

"Judging by the look on the girl's face, I think so. She can talk to animals after all…"

She smiled determinedly as she walked away from the happy scene, "Thank you everyone. When Grandpa Ryu said, 'Return me to the dragon's nest', I think I understood what kind of place this might be, and why he wanted to return so badly."

"Apis…"

"It's incredible here," She grinned, "Now, let's go back to the village! I bet the villagers are scared out of their wits!"

Everyone smiled.

"You've got a strong will, kid," You tilted your head, "The village and the dragons are in safe hands!"

Luffy grinned from ear to ear, "Alright! Let's grab our ship and get off this island! Man I am hungry..."

As everyone started to walk back to the Merry, Luffy babbling to Sanji about what sort of meat he wanted, you started to feel a sense of unease, "Something's off..."

"You too?" Zoro grimaced.

Sanji puffed on his cigarette, "If that's coming from you of all people, this is not looking good."

A loud scream came from behind you.

Usopp, Nami and Apis turned around with various looks of panic on their faces. The man on the rock combed his wet blue hair back into its trademark quiff.

Luffy tilted his head, "Man...you're still here?"

Eric smirked, "Indeed...any longer and I would have drowned." He spread his arms and started babbling about the beauty of the dragonite or something. You had quickly zoned out.

"How is it he survived again?" Sanji placed a hand on his chin, "I thought he had a devil fruit."

"WHAAAAA! A DEVIL FRUIT?!"

"Right, Usopp's never met him…" Nami paused in thought. She suddenly tapped her fist down, "Oh right, Ryu threw him into the air after he attacked Apis."

You looked up and whistled softly, "That was some air time…"

"WOULD YOU JUST LISTEN TO ME!" Eric didn't take being ignored well.

"Not interested." Luffy picked his nose.

"WHAT!" He collected himself, "...fine. Then you can watch, while I claim the live dragonite for myself!"

"Don't you dare!" Apis ran forward.

Usopp dashed forwards to grab her, and dove under the attack Eric sent their way.

She sat up, "Even if I have to risk my life, I have to protect them. This is a sacred place for the Millennial Dragons! I will protect this place...FOREVER!"

Luffy nodded in understanding.

"You still intend to stop me?" The man frowned, "Then you all shall die here. Sickle-sickle whirlwind!" He swiped at Usopp and Apis.

They were about to be it by the attack when Luffy moved in front. An X sliced its way across his chest, ruining his top, and he fell to his knees.

The two cowering behind stopped shaking, "Luffy!"

Zoro and you took a step forward, your hands inching towards the weapons at your hip.

"He's mine." Luffy stood back up as if nothing had even happened. His eyes darkened, "I made a promise."

"If you're sure, Cap." You giggled as you leant back, "Give him hell."

Zoro smirked.

It really didn't take him long. Although the rubber man got many minor cuts, Eric's already injured leg meant that he was no match for Luffy's sheer willpower. The blue haired man was sent flying for the second time that day thanks to a gum-gum bazooka.

Luffy grinned, "I win!"

Zoro finally relaxed his grip on his swords.

Apis beamed, "We did it!"

"ALRIGHT!" Luffy punched the air from where he was sitting on the Merry's railing, "Let's set sail to the Grand Line! Apis, you wanna come?"

She shook her head as she stood on the shore with the rest of the villagers, "I've had so much fun being with you guys, I'd like to, but I'm going to stay here on the island. I want to learn more about our customs from Grandpa Bokunen, and just as our ancestors protected the Millennial Dragons, I will protect the dragon's nest. I will wait for the day when the baby dragons will return to this island."

Usopp tilted his head, "Wait a minute...the next time they'll come back…" He started hastily counting on his fingers.

Apis giggled, as she explained how her descendants will carry on and protect the island forever. "It's crazy," she finished, "but you guys do crazy things every day, don't you?"

"We do?" Luffy pouted in confusion as the rest of the crew silently screamed at him.

"I sure hope so!" You grinned, "That's what I signed up for after all!"

You sailed away from Warship Island, waving your goodbyes to Apis and the dragons until they were little dots on the horizon.

"So how much do you know about this...Reverse Mountain, (y/n)? You came from the Grand Line, right?"

You tilted your head slightly as you watched the rain dash against the portholes, "Not much I'm afraid, Nami. The rumours that went through Loguetown were vague at best. I think that you're supposed to sail up the mountain…"

"Up the mountain? That's impossible."

"We met dragons who are at least 1000 years old and have a living weapon with a tattoo that has a mind of his own and a rubber man on our crew."

"Shishishi!"

"I'll believe it when I see it, that's all" Zoro scoffed as he leant back against the wall.

Nami sighed, "But that's what the map says, so I guess we've no choice but to go with it."

She turned back to you, "I thought you came from the Grand Line, but you don't seem to know about it that well?"

"I was born there, so I never had to enter in this sorta way. And the way I left was...unconventional." You shuddered as you remembered flying right over the Red Line in a massive paw print. That had hurt.

"...I'm not even going to ask."

Nami looked at the map before talking about how she thought Reverse Mountain would work, which was something about strong currents.

"...In other words," she finished, "if we can't make it into the canal...the Going Merry will slam straight into the Red Line, and the ship will be destroyed."

"So…" Luffy put a hand on his chin, "it's a mystery mountain."

"Now this is getting good!" You pumped your arm in the air enthusiastically.

"IF YOU THINK THIS IS FUN, THEN YOU CAN GO AND DO THE SAILS!"

"...yes ma'am."

Looking up at the big red wall, you felt dwarfed, "To think I flew over that monster…I can't even see the top..."

"You can fly, (y/n)? SHISHISHI! THAT'S SO AWESOME! CAN YOU TEACH ME?"

Zoro's expression faltered, and he looked like he was going to say something before deciding otherwise.

"Hate to say we told you so Zoro." You clapped his back.

"I don't believe it...The water really IS climbing up the mountain…"

"Make sure we go straight between those water gates, okay? If we don't-"

"The ship will be smashed, we know already." Usopp groaned with the strain of pulling the rudder to the side. Sanji decided to help, and soon both of them were pushing the helm harshly to the side with all their strength.

CRACK!

They both stared with wide eyes at the broken piece of wood that used to be the rudder.

"WE'RE GOING TO HIT THAT ROCK!" Nami screamed as she cowered in the corner, "MAKE US TURN STARBOARD!"

"They broke the rudder," you said calmly, "Cap!"

"THEY DID WHAT!?"

"Yeah!" He quickly sprinted to the edge of the ship and jumped off, "Gum-gum...BALLOON!"

The massively inflated Luffy managed to bounce the Merry off of him, and into the middle of the channel safely.

You saw him fall behind, "Shit...Mellontas, appear and grapple!"

"You could show some panic for once!"

As soon as he appeared in your hands, you aimed him at Luffy. The scythe extended and managed to blunt the blade before he wrapped it about the rubber man.

"Shishishi...Thanks (y/n)!" Luffy grinned as he stepped back onto the deck as you retracted and recalled Mello.

You were giggling profusely as you held onto a railing. The incline had increased dramatically and you were having the time of your life as the ship rocketed to the top. The little ship passed through the cloud layer, and suddenly the sun hit your beaming face.

Suddenly the ship reached the top of the mountain, and without warning shot forwards. You watched as even the very spray from the sea started to freeze around you. With a shock of excitement, you noticed that your feet had departed from the deck and you were in free fall. You and Luffy laughed heartily as gravity tugged you and the ship down, landing in the descending side of Reverse Mountain. You ran towards the front of the ship and leant forwards, grinning ear to ear.

'Caspar, Moko, I'm going to show you that I'm not like the murderous psychopath the government made me be!'

Ruining the moment, you felt a throb from your temple.

"...a whale?"

Chapter Text

You made a face of begrudging respect, "So that's what I meant by a whale. That's nice."

"YOU THINK!" Everyone, including Luffy to your surprise, screamed at you.

"THAT'S MORE LIKE A MOUNTAIN THAN A WHALE!" Usopp shook his head in desperation as he clung to the mast as a lifeline.

"Well I think it's an island whale, and a small one at that from what I've heard."

"A SMALL ONE?" His eyes rolled backwards and he started to froth at the mouth.

Nami held up her hand her , "Now this is all well and good, BUT WE ARE HEADING TOWARDS THAT THING FAST! WE NEED TO MOVE OUTTA THE WAY!"

"Well the helm's broken and all, so I think we're pretty screwed."

"MISSY I SWEAR IF WE SURVIVE THIS I'M GONNA PUMMEL YOUR ASS INTO THE GROUND!"

"NOW THAT IS NO WAY TO SPEAK TO (y/n)-CHWAN, FILTHY MARIMO!"

"Oh chill already. As far as I can tell, none of us are going to die." You giggled, "Live a little."

"Missy...please just stop talking. You're making it worse."

"I just got a good idea!"

Nami looked at him incredulously as he ran inside the ship, "Luffy? What do you mean?"

"It won't tuuuuuuurn!" Usopp, Sanji and Zoro were unsuccessfully attempting to grasp what little was left of the helm and shove it to the side.

Frozen in place, Nami's eyes widened and her arms fell limply to her sides as she looked up at the quickly approaching black mass. You silently agreed with her, words alone could not possibly attempt to describe the titanic size of this anima. Even its eyes alone were at least ten times the size of the ship you were standing on.

Suddenly, the cannon at the front of the Merry fired at the whale. You were thrown off the mast and into the sea due to the sheer force of the ship's deceleration.

"I'm quite surprised at the level of thought that rubber boy put into this, that was quite a sophisticated way to slow the ship down. Using conservation of momentum-"

You surfaced and spat out a mouthful of salty water, 'Shut up Mello. Not really in the mood for a physics lecture.'

You ignored him as he started to protest about the value of science, and instead started to swim after the Merry. The ship had travelled a little further than you had, and was now touching the whale's side. The sheep head had snapped off completely, and you had no doubt that Luffy was going to be pissed.

To your shock, oars dropped into the water either side of the Merry and they started to paddle off.

"HEY ASSHOLES! I KNOW AT LEAST MOP-BOY WANTS ME DEAD, BUT THIS IS JUST CRUEL!" You started to swim faster through the choppy waves in a fruitless effort to catch up.

"They probably haven't realised that you're not there..."

'That hurts even more...'

"BWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"AAAaaaaaaaaaaaaGGGGGGGGGGHhhhhhhh!" You treaded water as you clasped your ears. The aggressive waves produced by the whale's cry made it even harder to catch up to the fleeing ship.

"That thing really is loud..."

'YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE EARS MELLONTAS, FANCY SWITCHING FOR A BIT?'

"I think not."

'TRAITOR!'

After the whale finished screaming, you floated on your back for a bit to regain your breath.

'Now what? They've left me behind after they've taken me back to the Grand Line, so I can't go back...Am I going to be taken back...'

"Missy, I realise that it's hard for you to see this after working in the government underworld for so long, but if you have learnt anything about this crew it's that no one gets left behind. "

You smiled internally, 'Yeah...I guess you're right.'

"Of course I am. I'm always right."

"...WHAT THE HELL DID YOU BREAK MY FAVOURITE SEAT FOR? AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH (y/n)!"

You turned towards the direction of Luffy's scream, and were met with the sight of an elongated arm punching the large bulbous eye of the massive whale.

You sweatdropped and could feel the scythe under your skin do the same.

"Now, I think we should not tell the rubber boy that it was technically his fault that you got knocked off the ship..."

'Agreed...'

"YOU IDIOT!" The Merry shook with the force of the terrified screams of your crewmates.

The gigantic pupil seemed to not register the hit, until it suddenly looked down at the insignificant little boat.

The whale groaned, before opening its mouth wide to reveal a row of pointed teeth and roaring once more.

You paled, "Well shit."

The Merry quickly got tugged inside the gaping void that was the whale's mouth. You were also getting sucked in at an alarming pace, until Mello appeared in your hands and grappled you to one of the whale's teeth.

"I haven't waited for a wielder for centuries just to be eaten by a whale." You felt him grumble as he reeled you in and then vanished into your skin once more.

'Again, have I told you how much I freaking love you?'

"Only every other day, Missy."

"Huh, (y/n)?" Luffy's head stretched over to you from where he was holding onto the tooth next to you. "You're alright!" He grinned, "That's good!" His elongated arm coiled around your waist, and he determinedly looked upwards, "We're not dying here you stupid whale!" Together you shot upwards and Luffy started to climb up the gigantic head using the jagged scars that were scattered across the front of the whale's face, with you dangling uselessly from his right arm.

"Cap...as much as I am glad to see you again, can you let me go?" You tried to break free, but with no luck, "I can climb, y'know..."

"YEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHH!"

You sighed in amusement as the whale simply closed its mouth in response to Luffy's cry. He panted as the two of you finally reached the top of the massive creature. He recoiled his arm, sending you spinning in the process. You lay sprawled on the ground, trying to stop your eyes from spinning.

"What do I do? Everyone was eaten."

Eyes finally steady, you looked over towards your captain. The look of utter fear and desperation on his face was heartbreaking. It reminded you that however strong he was, Luffy was only a 17 year old boy who relied heavily on his friends.

You stood up shakily and held out your hand, "Not everyone, Cap. You saved me from getting eater, and together we'll get the rest back no problem." You grinned broadly.

"Actually I saved you-"

'Shush.'

Luffy perked up a little as he took your hand, "So they're alright then?"

You scratched your chin, "I think so. I must admit, not completely certain about that, but my gut's telling me that they're fine."

"Right then!" He started to punch the whale, "Oi, stupid! Spit everyone up! You gave (y/n) back, now gimme back the others! You damn-WOAH!"

"I really hope this isn't what I think it is..." You looked at the quickly approaching waterline, "Okay it is. This thing's about to dive." You turned to Luffy who had continued to stamp insults onto the oblivious whale's head, "We need to get off of here and fast!"

"GIMME BACK MY NAKAMA NOW! WE'RE GOING ON AN ADVENTURE TOGETHER! THEY'RE IMPORTANT TO ME! GIVE 'EM BAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!"

Your heart went out to him, it really did. That's why you hit him on the head, "As much as I agree with you Cap, you're not going to be much help if you're at the bottom of the sea."

"Missy, sorry to ruin this moment, but there seems to be a metal door behind you."

'Right, Mello...As if I would believe that...We're on a whale after-' You turned around to look behind you, and your eyes widened. Luffy looked equally perplexed as he turned towards the direction you were now facing.

"You were saying?"

"What's this?"

"Okay I've seen weird things before, but this is weirdness on a whole other level."

You and Luffy had gone through the metal hatch from the top of the whale, and were now standing in...a metal passageway.

"We are still inside a whale, right?" You gaped.

"It appears so."

'Mello...please just stop talking. You're making it worse.'

"Don't you repeat my words back at me, Missy."

You punched your shoulder, a move you instantly regretted, before turning to Luffy. "So...where to next, Cap?"

Your answer was the sudden lurching of the passageway under your feet.

"Oh shit..."

"GWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

The two of you bounced from wall to wall as you descended the now near vertical passageway, Luffy ricocheting all over the place like, well, a rubber ball. You, since you were made of skin and bone, were obtaining a lovely collection of bruises as you hit each wall.

"Spinning, spinning, my eyes are spinning!"

"Well I don't think he is going to help us..."

An opening was quickly approaching and you instinctively shielded your face with your arms. Being tossed through the air onto a metal floor was bad enough, without your captain landing squarely on your back.

"Oh this is going to be a thing isn't it..."

"It appears so."

You wanted to punch that smug tone off of Mellontas' non existent face, but were stopped by the sloping of the floor underneath you.

"Is it bad I'm almost enjoying this..."

"Yes. it truly is."

This time, Luffy had the foresight (you inwardly giggled at that) to grab onto you, and together you took off again down the tunnel as it turned vertical. Eventually the tunnel sloped down into a gentle curve. Luffy had no idea how to deal with this and started to run along the resulting corridor to try and slow down with you hanging onto his torso for dear life. This backfired spectacularly.

"SLOW DOWN YOU IDIOT! YOU'LL GET US KILLED!"

"I CAN'T STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!"

You could vaguely see two figures with bazookas up ahead of you, a female with blue hair and a man with nines painted on his face with a crown on his head. As soon as they saw the horrific sight that was you and Luffy running towards them at full speed, they pretty much started screaming their eyes out. Luffy barreled through them and knocked them into the air through a door that the pair were standing by.

As you flew off Luffy's back, you took in the sight of a blue sky with clouds and seagulls, two islands with a house on and a suspiciously green sea.

"I't appears I am confused. Is this still a whale?"

'YOU'RE CONFUSED?!'

The man in the crown threw up his hands, "Oh no, Miss Wednesday! Below us is a huge sea of digestive juices!"

She was too busy screaming to answer.

"Well that explains the colour..." Looking down, you were relieved to see the Merry fully intact, minus the figure head.

Zoro's eyebrow twitched, "Luffy...? Missy...?"

"Yo! You guys are all okay!" The rubber boy switched grimaced, "By the way...SAVE US!"

You burst into a massive fit of giggles as the four of you splashed into the green-blue liquid.

"(y/n)-CHWAN! I AM SO GLAD THAT YOU ARE ALRIGHT, MY LOVE!" Sanji's face darkened and his eyes flamed, "Who gave you those injuries, I'll beat them to a bloody pulp!"

"Go ahead and beat up some metal walls then, Flirty." You stretched out your aching limbs. Your bruises had blossomed into flowers of yellow, blue and purple, which meant that you were more than a little stiff.

Zoro smirked a little, before glaring at the two strange people that you had bought up onto the ship, "We saved your asses. Now who are you?"

The two looked shiftily around. Luffy sat behind them, unknowingly cutting off their escape route. Sanji, after you asserted that you were fine, crouched down right next to the so called 'Miss Wednesday' and started drooling. She visibly recoiled, "Mr 9. These are pirates."

He shuffled towards her, "I can see that, Miss Wednesday." The ginger man smiled weakly, "But I think we can convince them. Probably..."

"Are you two scoundrels still here." Everyone turned to see what appeared to be an old flower man emerge from the door you, Luffy and the two weirdos came from. His eyes narrowed, "Don't make me repeat myself! As long as I'm alive, you won't lay a finger on Laboon!"

"So he's back..." Usopp sighed.

You turned to him, "So who is that exactly?"

Miss Wednesday laughed ominously as she stood, "You may say that, but we cannot retreat."

"Killing this whale is our mission," Mr 9 agreed, as he reached for his bazooka, "We won't let you interfere with our whaling anymore!" Together they raised their massive guns, "We'll rip a hole in its stomach! Let 'er rip, baby!"

"Roger!"

Two cannonballs fired off towards the whale's...stomach wall. It still was a little ambiguous to you.

Before you could do anything, the old man jumped in front of the two projectiles and they exploded in his face.

"Mellontas! Reverse Grapple!"

"I understand!"

He appeared in your hand and at once wrapped his blade around the railing surrounding the Merry. The shaft pointed towards the falling man. Quickly you crouched on the end, making sure that you made contact with Mello at all times. The end with you on extended until you were right underneath the old man. You caught him gently and then retracted the shaft, bringing both of you back onto the deck of the little ship.

"Are you alright sir?"

He looked at you with wide eyes, "Y...uh..you are..."

You winced slightly, knowing where this was going. You set him down before he could finish and then quickly recalled Mello, "Yeah..."

The look he gave you was one of pure disgust, "You should have remained dead, you monster!"

Sanji stood up and glared at him. Zoro glowered and his hand reached for his swords. Nami and Usopp both stood behind you, placing reassuring hands on your shoulders. You could even feel Mello's rage in your skin.

Luffy's face was shadowed by his hat, "(y/n) is my nakama. If you keep talking about my nakama that way," he looked furious as he tilted his hat back, "then I'll never forgive you."

"Oh, she's your nakama is she? My mistake." He sat down, pulled out a newspaper from Kronos knows where, and started to read. "My name's Crocus, by the way."

"Eh?" You and Luffy gaped. The rest of the strawhat crew facepalmed.

"Just checking, you do know who she is don't you."

Luffy nodded. "She's our ship's psycho," he stated bluntly.

Miss Wednesday and Mr 9 speedily huddled as far away from you as they could.

You giggled, "Ship psychic, not psycho."

They relaxed a little. But only a little.

Turning to Crocus, you smiled sadly. "These guys know everything, don't worry. Besides, I've left that monster behind me for a long time now. I'm never going back to that hell."

He turned the page of his paper, and a piece of brown parchment fell out. He studied it for a bit, looking at you occasionally in a perplexed manner. Eventually he folded it up and put it in a pocket. He stood and smiled warmly at you, "I believe you, Miss. Sorry about before."

You beamed and the rest of the crew relaxed.

"Um, I feel that we have been left out of the loop a little, Miss Wednesday."

"Just a little, Mr 9."

Luffy slapped their faces together, and they fell unconscious to the floor.

Usopp sweatdropped, "Uh...Luffy?"

The rubber boy looked up with a look of thunder on his face, "I just had to hit something."

Zoro and Sanji nodded sagely.

On the 'island', you wrapped Crocus' wounds to the best of your abilities. Luffy for some unknown reason was trying to climb the palm tree, and Usopp was being very unsuccessful in bringing him down.

The old man stared at the rest of the crew, "You helped me immensely. But why?"

Luffy pouted from halfway up the tree, "I didn't help you. Just didn't want to see that."

Nami stood over the two weirdos, "So what's the deal with these guys." She kicked them for good measure. "And what are you doing inside this whale?"

"So this really is still a whale," you sighed in relief, "I thought I was going crazy."

"You went crazy a long time ago, Missy."

"HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO THE MADEMOISELLE LIKE THAT, YOU PEA BRAIN!"

"Oooooh Pea brain's new. Not sure it fits Mop-boy though."

"You're right, (y/n)-chwan. His brain's smaller than a pea."

"WHAT WAS THAT YOU STUPID LOVE COOK!"

Crocus continued during their brawl as if nothing was happening, explaining how the two were hunting the whale Laboon for his meat.

You thought about the whale, and felt a twinge of sadness.

"Nothing this majestic should ever be turned into food."

You silently nodded your agreement.

"But there's a reason why Laboon continues to bash his head against the Red Line, and why he faces Reverse Mountain and bellows." The old man frowned as he turned to look right at you, "For you see, he's a whale with a heart like a person. And he's been earnestly waiting for a certain group of pirates...for 50 years."

The whale moaned.

The entire crew looked at Crocus incredulously.

"50 years?" You sighed.

He sighed as he recalled the tale of the pirates who bought Laboon with them to the Grand Line, and left the whale with him to keep safe.

You massage your temple as you got a twinge of a vision whilst he was talking. You paled, "Did one of these pirates have a black afro by any chance? With a violin?"

The old man looked shocked, "Why yes, that would be Brook. Laboon was very fond of him."

"An image of a skeleton with a black afro," you shivered a little, "He was holding a violin..."

Crocus recoiled, before looking down resignedly, "I would expect nothing less from a Saioney. I expected as much after they never came back."

"But we see the future, not the past."

'That's what's worrying me. This means that we must come across their ship at some point...' You frowned. 'But there's a gut feeling about this that I can't really put my finger on. Something about this situation isn't right.'

The old man talked over your musings, "But that is why Laboon bashes his head against the Red Line. He is angry about the thing that took his friends from him."

Sanji puffed out a cloud of smoke, "But he must realise that they aren't coming back. Haven't you told him?"

"I did tell him," The old man stood up and shuffled over to the other island, "All of it. But he refused to listen."

You sighed, "The truth is hard to take, isn't it."

Crocus pulled a hidden lever, "Now, you people probably should get out of here before your ship gets digested."

"Ah." You had forgotten that you were still inside a stomach.

You looked up at the massive whale from the Merry. Being inside a whale was cool and all, but you would be lying if you said you weren't glad to be breathing fresh air.

Zoro came over to stand next to you, "What a whale, huh."

"Even when there's no point in waiting..." Usopp sniffled.

"If there was a reason to wait, he would have listened to me," Crocus got up from his little island-ship, "More than anything else, he is afraid of losing his reason to wait. His home's in the West Blue. And yet, there is no way home for him now. All he ever wanted, was to continue being nakama with the men he followed here..."

"YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

You turned to see your captain run up the whale's head with...

"That's our mast isn't it." Zoro stared up at Luffy.

"Yup," Sanji grimaced, "Right off our ship."

"And not just any mast," You giggled, "Our main mast."

"QUIT BREAKING THE SHIP!"

"GUM-GUM, FLOWER ARRANGEMENT!" Luffy rammed the mast into Laboon's head. The whale bellowed and what followed was one of the most bizarre fights that you had ever witnessed. Quite frankly, the whale was winning, but barely.

"Well, it seems that Cap really does have a brain," You giggled.

Nami shook you vigorously as tears streamed down from her eyes, "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA ABOUT THE STUPIDITY OF THAT IDIOT!"

"It's a draw!" Luffy stood up from where he had been knocked onto the shore. He put his hat back on his head, "Pretty strong, ain't I? You wanna beat me, don't you?" He pointed at Laboon, "Our battle isn't over, so we're going to have to fight again someday. Your nakama may be dead, but from now on, I'm your rival! We'll fight again some day to decide which of us is the strongest!"

Nami released you in shock as she realised what Luffy was trying to do. Zoro and Sanji smirked.

"Once we've finished sailing the Grand Line, I'll be back!" Luffy grinned, "Then we'll finish our fight!"

Large tears welled up in the whale's eyes and splashed down his face. Crocus smiled with relief as Laboon gave a joyous cry in declaration to Luffy's challenge.

Chapter Text

Laboon whooped with joy, showing off his new paint job courtesy of Luffy.

You cocked your head to the side.

"I suppose it potentially might look like the Straw-hat Jolly Roger..."

'If you really squint, sure...'

"And that poor whale can't even see that monstrosity on his face..."

You stood by Crocus as he watched the excited whale with the eyes of a proud father. Turning over your shoulder, you raised your eyebrows at the flustered navigator, "But seriously Nami, you mean to tell me that you've never even heard of a log pose?"

She shook her head.

You tapped the old man's shoulder, "You wouldn't happen to have a book on Grand Line navigation would you?"

He pointed inside the lighthouse, never taking his eyes off Laboon, "You can take it with you if you want, it's the least I could do." His eyes crinkled, "I haven't seen him this happy for 50 years."

"Thanks." It was easy enough to find, and you slammed down the thick book in front of your navigator, "Read it. Memorise it. Worship it. And fast." You squeezed the bridge of your nose, "Otherwise I'm not sure we'd be able to survive before you get to the first island. I only survived by travelling on a tiny raft and only worrying about myself; something the size of the Merry is harder for me to work with."

Nami recoiled, "We still don't have a..." She trailed off as you gently tossed something to her.

"Nicked it from that Mr 9 guy. Make sure you keep it safe, those are fragile. I also have a hunch that Luffy and Sanji might break it soon, so if they start arguing keep away."

She ran over to you and hugged you, and started to rub her cheek all over you, "I LOVE YOU BIG SIS!"

"CAREFUL WITH THAT POSE!"

"Food is ready Nami-swan, (y/n)-chwan~<3" Sanji was doing a very good job balancing four massive dishes and climbing up a rope ladder.

"So this is the power of lust. Very impressive."

You smiled, "I see you won that cooking contest!"

He grinned, "Well of course!" He handed you a plate with a large cake on, "This is for you, after all you were the one who encouraged me to enter!"

"Hell yeah!" You glowered at Luffy whose arm was inching ever closer to your food, "If you so much as touch this...I swear to Kronos that I will tie you in knots so tight you'd have problems digesting."

He gulped and retracted his arm.

Sanji stared at you with hearts in his eyes, "I've made that threat to him multiple times and he never listened. YOU'RE AMAZING, (y/n)-CHWAN~<3"

"Mmmmmm..." You took another bite of the tuna meat, "This is good!"

Crocus walked over, "At least you have one person on this crew who knows what they're doing."

You choked on a piece of tuna meat.

"You would have been stuck without a pose." The old man started to explain about the log poses and about Raftel to the enraptured crew minus Zoro.

You already knew about log poses, so you took the time to enjoy the meal. Just as well, because after Crocus had explained everything, one very satisfied rubber boy had eaten it all.

You smiled broadly as you took another mouthful of cake.

Usopp sighed as he looked at the empty plates, "That monster even ate all the bones..." He looked slyly at your cake.

"Do you want to be on the receiving end of that." You pointed at the enraged cook who was kicking Luffy all over the place.

"Point taken."

Nami gave you a thumbs up from where she was cowering in the corner far away from the chaos. You winked, and took another bite of cake while an involuntary wiggle spread through your toes.

'I could eat this all day!'

"Please do not do that...I would despair for you to get cavities, let alone diabetes...ugh!"

'Eh, it'll be fine.'

Laboon out of nowhere tossed up the disgruntled Miss Wednesday and Mr 9 onto the shore. Almost immediately they knelt down in front of Luffy and begged him to take them back to their home on Whiskey Peak. You frowned as you put the fork in your mouth.

"You're thinking about talking with the swordsman."

'Yeah. He is the most likely person to have heard of Baroque Works in the crew.'

"Agreed. The rubber boy's obviously going to accept their request, and I have a suspicion that this is a trap. Allies who know what we're dealing with are crucial."

Finishing the cake as quickly as you could, you made your way over to the Merry. As you had suspected, Zoro was fast asleep on the deck. How to wake him... What did he like... You smirked as a thought sprang into mind. Dashing to the stores you retrieved a bottle of your strongest sake, grabbing a glass as an afterthought. Out on deck, you twisted open the bottle and wafted it under his nose.

"Wh...ugh...where'sa booze?" He opened one sleep-filled eye to see at you crouching in front of him. "Missy. What the hell're you doing?"

"Aw, it worked." You pouted, "I was looking forward to tossing you into the sea."

Snorting, he raised an eyebrow.

You slumped next to him, making sure that your voice was low enough to not be overheard, "Just wondering, did you recognise those code names as well?"

His eyes widened for a glimmer of a second. Then he smirked, "Shouldn't really be surprised that they also tried to recruit you, I suppose."

"So you know about the great Baroque Works?" Pouring yourself a glass, you offered him the rest of the bottle.

"Mm. Not really much of a secret for people like us." He gratefully accepted it, and the two of you clinked your drinks together.

You chuckled, "True. Which one found you?"

"A Mr Seven, I think. He had a seven painted on his face at least." His brow furrowed, "That fool tried to kill me five years ago when he didn't agree with my conditions for joining."

"Oh?" You nudged him slightly, "I'm curious. Tell."

The swordsman took a swig, "I wanted to run the whole organisation."

"PPPFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFT!" You fell into a fit of laughter, "Oh that is perfect! Just perfect!"

He stared at you oddly as he chugged from the bottle, "You got a problem with that?"

"His ignorance truly is a sight to behold." Mello grumbled.

"Of course not!" You wiped your eyes, before swirling your drink, "Did you get offered a position?"

"I did...but can't remember which one." He studied you inquisitively, "Which one did you get?"

"Miss Hallows Eve." You ran a hand down your face, "Which sucks ass..."

"Yeah it does," Zoro chuckled, "It'd suit you though."

"Rude!" You punched him lightly on the shoulder. "That's Mr Two's partner."

He almost spat out his drink, "That high up?"

"Well I'm sure that Mr Zero would love to have me under his thumb. Being as famous as I am y'know. He wouldn't know about the whole Kronos thing." You giggled, "Kinda backfired on him, though. Because I was a freak working in secret for the world government I had to politely decline."

"Yeah, you really are a freak aren't you, Missy?"

The words stung, souring your mood. "Yeah, guess I am."

"Let's see."

"Oi! You don't need to list them!"

He smirked and started counting off on his fingers, "You stay calm through any weird stuff that we go through, and you giggle way too often. it's annoying. Although you're the oldest in the crew, you act like Luffy." His face darkened, "and one Luffy is bad enough..."

You smiled at that, "Daaaw, I thought you were loyal to our captain."

"I am," He rolled his eyes, "Doesn't mean I can put up with his attitude."

That made you properly laugh, "Okay, okay...going back to the original topic, what are we going to tell the rest of the crew."

"Tell them what?"

"Y'know..." you gestured vaguely in the direction of the chaos ensuing off the ship, "About BW."

"Does it really matter? Luffy and Curly Brow can handle them." Zoro took another swig from the bottle, "Bwah...this stuff's good. You really can pick the good stuff, Missy."

"Thank you. And I say it matters because Miss Wednesday and Mr 9 are currently begging our captain to take them 'home'. And you don't have to be a psychic to see what will happen then..."

He facepalmed, "Dammit Luffy..."

Draining your glass, you thought for a moment, "I think we should tell them as soon as those two are off the ship. Might be risky, but we can't let those agents realise that we know." You tapped your chin, "They didn't seem to recognise either of us earlier, so we should be fine for the time being. I don't want them to come after us again. Either of us."

"You think they'd still be interested after this long."

"Well... it's a no-brainer for me at least."

"See, not coming after you at least."

"Ha ha Mop-boy, you get what I mean. And think about it a sec." You set down your glass and turned properly to face him, "They went all the way to the East Blue to recruit you."

He raised an eyebrow, "And?"

'Good question...what were you saying, Mello?'

The weapon sighed, running through the exact reasoning a final time.

'Thaaaaanks!'

You aggressively gestured with both arms to the towering mass of red rock before you.

His face fell.

"They'd have to have gone through the Calm Belt just to meet you. Which, as we both know, isn't easy."

He scoffed, "Considering how long that guy lasted against me, there's no way he could've crossed."

"Yeah, you'd hafta be pretty strong..." You drummed your fingers against your chin, "Since you'd have to fight your way through all those Sea Kings..."

"Not quite. It is actually surprisingly simple."

Your eyes widened, "Woah, really?"

"Huh?" Zoro squinted at you, "What're you doing?"

You held a hand in front of his mouth"Hush, Mello's talking."

He rolled his eyes, "Right..."

"The Marines cross the Calm Belt quite frequently after all."

"HOW?!"

"You really are crazy, aren't you?"

"Oi...Marimo..." A polished black shoe slammed in between your heads. "Don't call (y/n)-chan crazy!"

Zoro scoffed up at the cook, "You didn't hear her talking to herself."

"I told you! I was talking to Mello!"

"What's going on here?" Nami queried, Usopp and Luffy racing onboard behind her.

You and Zoro eyed the two agents climbing onto the Merry, "Nothing."

"Come to think of it what were you two doing here anyways? Alone." Sanji grabbed Zoro's collar and shoved him to his feet, "You'd better not've been flirting with sweet (y/n)-chan you shitty bastard!"

Zoro rose to the bait, "Uh? Why the hell would I've done that?!"

"Flirty, it's fine. I was talking to Mop-boy about how nice your sweets were! He was curious about how they would taste, considering that he's never going to get any." You beamed, clapping a hand on the cook's shoulder, "I really love your cooking after all."

He mellowed instantly, "Of course you do, (y/n)-chwan! I prepare nothing but the finest delicacies for you and Nami-swan!"

"Suck up."

You stifled your giggles as Zoro muttered the insult under his breath as the cook danced away, legs a blur. Before you realised it, you were yawning.

'Kronos...I musta exhausted myself more than I'd realised...'

"Oi, Nami," You waved at her, "If you don't mind, I'm probably going to sleep until we get to Whiskey Peak or whatever. I'm beat from getting bashed up inside Laboon. Besides," you smirked tiredly, "you guys need the experience of dealing with the slight weather changes. It's alright reading it from a book, but natural instinct is necessary."

The navigator nodded, "Seems fair." She beamed and hugged the book, "This has been so useful, thanks for getting it for us. This just erased your debt!"

'I had a debt?!'

"Eh it was nothing." You sauntered over to the tangerine trees, climbed into your favourite one, did up your jacket and put up the hood, "Mello, can you please restrain me. I really don't want to fall out."

"Of course." The scythe materialised, wrapping itself round and round your legs until you were pretty certain you'd be fine even if the ship turned upside down.

"Thanks."

"You just did this so you didn't have to deal with the unpredictable weather in this section of the Grand Line."

"Oh no, would I of all people ever do such an awful thing? You mad?"

"Not at all. You are far too tired to properly protect yourself for this section, and my utmost priority is your safety. But what about Miss Navigator...She is going to be furious after she finds out, Missy."

You chuckled, already drifting off to sleep, "Bring it on."

"MISSY YOU ASSHOLE!"

You groaned, "Uuuuhh...Whaddisit Mop-boy?"

"Because of you," He grabbed hold of your unsecured torso, "Nami asked me to make sure that I was awake the whole time! And since Nami ordered it, that shitty cook kept kicking me awake!"

"Ouch..."

"Oh and guess what?! She kept rambling on about how we were all supposed to experience the Grand Line for ourselves! AND THAT IT WAS YOUR IDEA!"

Yawning, you stretched out your arms, "Huh? Don't remember..."

"YOU HAVE A PHOTOGRAPHIC MEMORY!"

"Near-photographic. I'm not that freaky just yet." Satisfied that you were properly awake, you flicked his head, "Now please get off me. You don't want Mello to cut you when he unravels, and you're kinda sitting on my legs."

"I am very, VERY willing to cut him if he does not move from that vulgar position."

You looked down to realise that he was straddling your legs. Personally you didn't think it was that bad, but you didn't want to say that. "Oh yeah, you may want to move. Mello's pissed."

"Huh?"

Before he could react, Mello very rapidly tossed him onto the ground.

You flipped gracefully down and landed on his back, ignoring the irritated growl. Stretching, you yawned, "That was a gooooooood nap. I'm all ready to go now."

"As am I."

You grinned as you crouched down to meet Zoro's eyes, "Look, I'm sorry. Really am. You can take it out on me in our upcoming duel, okay."

Fire blazed in his eyes, "You're a dead woman, Missy."

"Ooooh...If I had a belli for every time I've heard that one..."

Nami was standing at the bow, looking at the approaching island. You clapped her on the shoulder, "You've done well, Mop-boy's just filled me in."

She smiled weakly, "Oh we would have been screwed without that book. So screwed..." Tears fell from her eyes as she turned to look at you, "Did you know it was going to be that bad?"

Your eyes flickered to the side, "Nooooo..."

"Oh god you're as bad as Luffy."

"Land ho!" The person in question giggled from the figure head.

Sanji puffed on his cigarette, "So this is Whiskey Peak, huh? Sure is a weird looking island."

You silently agreed with him. The entire place was filled with large bulbous hills, some stacked on top of eachother. As you squinted through the onsetting fog, you could vaguely see that there were many short, spikey outcrops on every inch of the green hills.

'Do I want to know what those are?'

"Considering we are possibly about to enter a town full of underworld agents, I think not."

Miss Wednesday and Mr 9 leapt onto the railing, "This is our stop."

The blue haired woman smiled dangerously, "Thank you for the ride, my honeys."

"We'll meet again, if it is to be!" An involuntary shiver trickled down your spine as the ginger man winked at you.

'I feel all kinds of disgusting now...'

"Bye-bye baby!" The two backflipped off the Merry and started to quickly swim to shore.

"There they go..." Nami sweat-dropped.

Usopp scratched his head, "Who were those guys anyway?"

Catching Zoro's eye, you made to step forwards, "Actually-"

"Who cares? We're here!"

"But Cap..." you trailed off weakly.

A hand clapped you on the shoulder. "There's no point." Nami sighed, "He won't listen."

"I HAVE AN ICE CREAM RIGHT HERE FOR YOU, (y/n)-CHWAN! I HOPE IT DOESN'T MELT BECAUSE OF MY BURNING LOVE FOR YOU~<3"

You begrudgingly accepted the bowl, "You need to learn how to properly flirt, Flirty. Because that...was painful."

"YES TEACH ME PLEASE SENPAI~<3"

"Ew."

"HOW ABOUT SENSEI THEN~<3"

"I never even said I would teach you..."

Nami hit him in the back of his head, "We need to focus. We have no idea what sort of danger that we're sailing into."

'You would if you'd just let me tell you...'

Luffy grinned, "Well if there are monsters, we'll worry about it then! Let's just go!"

"It isn't as if we can leave. We need to set the log after all." You leant back on the railing, "But everyone needs to be on their guard. This screams 'trap' in four way harmony..."

Zoro winced, "Those two were more than a little shifty..."

"No matter what happens, I'll protect Nami-san and (y/n)-chan."

"Nah I'm good. You'd just get in the way."

"(y/n)-chan! My heart!"

"Hey...everyone," Usopp clutched his throat and started to make retching noises, "I've suddenly contracted I-can't-get-on-this-island disease..."

"Alright, let's gooooooo!"

"HEY!"

As the morning fog slowly descended as the Merry turned down the channel, you fiddled with the zip of your jacket. On the one hand, if they recognised you, you could take the bullets for your crew like you were supposed to. But you also didn't want that Mr Zero to know you were alive... Nodding, you zipped up the jacket all the way. Better to play it safe for now. Hopefully the crew wouldn't mind.

"Something's moving." Luffy cocked his head.

You narrowed your eyes at the shifting silhouettes, "I see them..."

"People..." Sanji puffed on his cigarette, "There are people on shore."

"Everyone, on your guard," Nami muttered.

Usopp started shaking even more behind you as he brought out his slingshot, "Ah...shit...I guess I'll have to brace for the worst..."

Ignoring him, your hands inched towards your side pouches where your spare daggers were. Mello would be too recognisable.

"Welcome pirates!"

Your jaw dropped.

The mist parted, revealing row upon row of cheering civilians. Or...you hoped they were civilians.

'Okay...not what I was expecting.'

"You're all so brave to have chosen to enter the Grand Line!"

They all looked so happy to see pirates. It was a bit ridiculous. Too ridiculous for comfort. If it happened at all, which was unlikely to begin with, you'd expect this sort of thing closer to Sabaody, not right at the very beginning.

"Trap?"

"Mm." Nami and Zoro subtly nodded back.

'Hopefully the others realised it too...'

"Hehehe! Yes, bask in the glory of the great Usopp!"

"There are so many cute girls~<3"

"FOOOOOOOOOD!"

You grimaced.

"I would not think so highly of them in future, Missy."

Sipping your drink, a bead of sweat trickled down your head, 'I can't help but feel a little sorry for them, even if they really are Baroque Works agents...'

"How much can that rubber boy eat? I would not be surprised if this island fell into famine after this." You could feel Mello's incredulity ripple through your skin.

The 'party' thrown for your arrival was in full swing. Luffy, being Luffy, couldn't even be seen as he shovelled dish after dish down his throat. He had already gone through one cook, and his second was looking as if he would pass out at any moment. You pitied the guy. The cook, not the captain.

'Although,' You mused, 'if they say that this is the best liquor on the island, then they deserve it.' You took another sip, resisting the urge to gag, 'And if they think I'm not noticing the increasing amount of alcohol they're putting in, then I'm insulted.'

"And if they are genuinely not noticing you continuously pour the contents of your glass into that poor plant pot, then I too am insulted."

'Ah c'mon. This stuff's disgusting.'

It had taken you some time to stop a crowd of 'civilians' from assailing you from all sides. If you were good at anything, it was blank stares and 'brooding'. Perhaps, you mused, it had taken a little too long for comfort.

"Oi, (y/n)." Usopp crowed from his precarious tower of tables, "Come on up! I wanna show them how cool you are."

'How about FUCK NO!' You laughed, embarrassed, and started to rethink your hiding position, "Nah, I'm good thanks. I'm only the ship's bartender. Nothing special. Nothing special at aaaaaaall..."

"Aww...c'mon..."

"Not at all!" You got a whiff of cigarette smoke as an arm draped itself around your shoulders, "(y/n)-chwan is coming with me!" Sanji leant in towards you, jerking a thumb towards a giggling gaggle of scantily clad girls, "Do you think you can tell me if one of them is going to fall for me?"

'Why is everyone so interested in me?'

Ignoring Mello, you gingerly untangled yourself from him, "I think not Flirty. Imma...just gonna sit in the corner, sample some booze, 'kay? 'kay. 'kay? 'Kay."

"Missy...you're babbling..."

"But (y/n)-chwan..."

"Shut up!" You weren't sure which one of them you were responding to at this point and it really didn't matter.

You made to walk off, until you bumped straight into Nami, "If you're going to drink, you can enter the drinking competition with us!"

"Us?" You glanced behind her to see Zoro's arm being crushed in her vice-like grip. He said nothing, just stared at you with pleading eyes.

"I...uh...I'll pass on that one."

"But you're the ship's bartender. Or you just said you were, anyway." Nami cocked her head impishly to the side, "Why would the ship's bartender skip out on an opportunity to drink? Plus I bet you of all people would be able to hold more alcohol than most!"

You grimaced, "I don't like drinking for the fun of it. Alcohol deserves to be savoured slowly. And why the hell are you making assumptions?"

She didn't seem to hear you, her brown eyes slowly glistening more and more golden every second.

You stared at Zoro, "There's a prize?"

He grunted, "Cash."

'Well this explains everything.' You pulled a face, slowly sidling away from Nami's unmoving grin, "Uuuuuh...Imma just gonna...go sit...yeah I'm going to go over there and sit...with my drink...can't forget the drink...don't mind me..." And with that you practically sprinted to the safety of a distant corner. "I don't think I can take this any more, Mel."

"I do not blame you, Missy." He hummed.

You groaned, sliding down the wall to comfortably settle on the floor, "What do I dooooo? You know I don't like things like this. Everyone seems so interested in me... I don't like it!"

"Calm down, Missy. You are speaking aloud once more."

"Ah..." Glancing to the side, you didn't miss the sharp turns of heads away from you or the questioning side-glances. "Uuuuuuugh! You see?! I don't fit in here."

Mello sighed, "If you feel uncomfortable about it, then I would recommend to feign sleep. You said it yourself; they are raising the alcohol content. Ergo, they are expecting you to fall asleep at some point. Or better yet, actually go to sleep. That would ensure you are not aware of what is going on."

"Mmm...sleep. That sounds nice."

"Ironic, considering you slept the whole way here."

You chuckled, settling down into the narrow space, "Keep an eye out for me Mel?"

He smiled as your eyes flickered shut, "You never need to ask."

"Wake up Missy. There are no more agents left in the room."

You snapped open your eyes. Moving to stretch up over your head, you flinched as a multitude of dirty plates and empty tankards rained down on top of you. "The fuck...?"

"Quite honestly Missy, this is one of the least affected areas of the room..."

You begrudgingly took in the chaos of the upheaved room before you, "Y'know...I'm not even surprised at this point." Your nose wrinkled, "This place stinks of booze worse than The Roger."

It was as if wherever you stepped, there was some sort of debris you had to crush. In a twisted way, you were grateful that your crew were the only people left in the room. If the 'civilians' really had partied as much as they had done, then there would be more limp bodies that you had to be careful not to step on. It was hard enough to circumnavigate Luffy's massive belly.

"How the hell'd he get that round?!"

"Gum-gum fruit."

"Ah."

But then again, all this did was confirm your suspicions that this all was a massive trap.

It took some time to finally get to where Zoro snored headfirst on a sticky table, "Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty."

He sat bolt upright without so much as a yawn, hands snapping to his swords, "I'm guessing we're gonna go kick their asses now."

"Duh," you gestured to the passed out crew, "That okay, Nami?"

The navigator gave a thumbs up from where she was feigning sleep on a booze coated table.

Taking off your jacket to reveal your usual tube top, you summoned Mello. Daggers weren't quite going to cut it this time.

"We going dramatic?" Zoro stalked off towards the back door, "I feel they deserve it after making fools of our entire crew."

Your eyes glimmered as you sauntered behind, "Is that even a question?"

He snorted.

"Why've you got a bottle with you?"

"It's good booze. Might as well enjoy it for a little bit longer as we listen. Want some?"

"Kronos no...and I thought you had taste Mop-boy."

The two of you worked your way on top of a building, before settling down to listen to the four people in the square. Periodically, Zoro took a swig from his bottle much to your distaste. You swore he was just doing it to annoy you now.

It was disturbing how fast you slipped back into old habits. Observing, listening, finding the right time to strike. That was pretty much your typical routine back in the day. So here you were, muscles locked in place, barely even breathing let alone moving. You hadn't done anything like this for years, and yet it all felt like you'd done this yesterday.

"You have, or at least recently at any rate. You did this in Loguetown on a daily basis to irritate Captain Smoker."

You let yourself smile guiltily.

Zoro growled, "It feels weird to think that you're having a conversation with yourself..."

"EXCUSE ME?! I AM A SEPARATE ENTITY!"

But it was also different. You never would have had this sort of playful banter before. Or had someone offer to share booze with you. Or...anything for that matter. If...he wasn't with you, it had just been you and Mello. This made the silent period of watching and waiting feel less scary.

As Mello had suspected before from his careful period of observation, the 'mayor' of whiskey peak was really Baroque Works' Mr 8, and the stocky nun who had challenged Nami to that stupid drinking contest was Miss Monday his partner. It really didn't shock either of you when Miss Wednesday and Mr 9 eventually made their appearance as well.

"Makes you wonder what happened to Miss Tuesday."

Zoro cocked his head, "Maybe she got demoted. Why are we up on this roof again?"

"Good backlighting from the moon, we'll look intimidating."

"As if we need that."

"Missy, they're discussing going back and apprehending our crew right now. I recommend taking action shortly."

"Got it." You nodded, rolling out your shoulders, "Mello says that this is the best time to strike." Tilting your head, you made eye contact with the swordsman, "Shall we?"

He grunted as he unsheathed a sword, before letting his voice carry down into the square, "Hey. Sorry to interrupt."

Together, you raised your weapons in the air until they clashed. Four pairs of horrified eyes snapped to attention.

"We'd appreciate it if you'd let them sleep a little longer? First day on the Grand Line after all, really drains your energy."

"Mr 8! Miss Monday!" Grunts started pouring out from the building you'd came from, "The swordsman and one of the women escaped."

Miss Wednesday to her credit didn't even flinch, "They're up there."

"Missy...she appears familiar..."

Mr 8 frowned. It would probably have been intimidating, but it was hard for you to take him seriously with his hair done in massive curls like that. "Fiends! You should have been completely unconscious!"

Zoro gave a trademark smirk, "No true swordsman, no matter what the circumstance, allows himself to be overwhelmed by drink."

"I mean come on, oldest trick in the book. Pretty easy to recognise if you're looking and believe me, we were." You flipped to your feet, cocking your head to the side. "We can recognise our own kind after all."

He followed suit, "This is a nest of bounty hunters. You deceive merry pirates just as they've made it into the Grand Line and take them for all their worth."

You did a quick head count before swinging Mello onto your shoulders, "I'd say there's about 100 ish bounty hunters. How about it, Baroque Works? You game?"

"HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT NAME?"

'Pfffffffff, their faces are amazing!'

"Try and be serious, Missy."

"A while back when I was still in this line of work, your organisation sent a Mr Seven to talk with me..." Zoro's eyes narrowed, "I refused of course."

"And I would be surprised if your Boss didn't try to recruit me," You rocked forwards on your toes, "I'm quite well known y'know."

"The members know nothing about each other and call each other by codenames. And of course, the Boss' location and identity are a secret even to the members." Zoro tilted his head, not even trying to hide the disdain in his voice, "A criminal organisation that faithfully carries out its orders."

You shrugged, "That's Baroque Works for you."

The two of you leered down at them, "Why? Was it supposed to be a secret?"

A cloud drifted over the moon.

"This is...surprising," Mr 8 growled, "Since you know our little secret, we have no choice but to eliminate you." He smiled grimly, "And then, we will add another gravestone to the Cactus Rocks."

'Oh so that's what they were.'

"It IS a town full of bounty hunters after all." Mello paused, "Something in that statement seems off, however."

You shrugged, 'I'm just grateful they're incompetent.'

"T-they disappeared!" Miss Wednesday shrieked from the square.

"Agreed." Mello groaned, "As if they were honestly expecting you to sit still throughout that entire monologue. Quite foolish"

Leaning out of the alleyway you'd dashed into, you met Zoro's gaze

He grinned childishly, and you felt your lips tug in the same way.

'Time for some real fun!'

Chapter Text

"Th-they're gone!" Mr 9 looked around frantically, trying to catch any glimpse of you or Zoro.

"W-where the hell did they go?" Mr 8 narrowed his eyes as he surveyed the rooftop where you just were. The rest of the bounty hunters were doing much of the same thing, each with a panicked expression of their face.

You resisted the urge to giggle at their discomfort.

'I now realise how appropriate being called the ship's psycho is.'

The scythe in your hand tusked, "Honestly Missy, I'm surprised that it's taken you this long to realise that."

You sighed at yourself before holding a hand above your eyes, "Look Zoro, where did we go?"

"I'm not really sure Missy." He mimicked your action.

Everyone gaped to see both of you calmly standing side by side in the middle of the crowd of armed bounty hunters, almost as if you had always been standing there. Their eyes pretty much popped out of their sockets as they quickly stepped away from the two of you.

Smirking, Zoro lowered his arm. You did the same, letting out a little giggle.

"Okay..." He tilted his head towards you, "Shall we?"

You grinned, "Might be good as a warm up."

"Bastards...making fun of us!" A mercenary raised his gun, and the rest followed suit, "FIRE!"

You and Zoro scattered the instant the sound of gunfire echoed around the square. After the dust has settled, the two of you had vanished once more.

"Those idiots," Mr 8 looked disgusted as he looked at the collapsed bounty hunters, "They shot each other!"

Mr 9 cowered behind him, "Th-uh-they disappeared again!"

"Aw, and here I thought that you wanted to see me again," You positioned Mello's blade across his neck. You leant over his shoulder so you were speaking into the quivering man's ear, "That's the message you were putting across when you left our ship, hmm?"

He screamed. Mr 8 looked around in shock towards you, and the blade of Wado Ichimonji sliced through his curls a little too close to his head.

Zoro chuckled behind Mr 8, "Let me ask you something. Will adding two graves be enough?"

Your lip tightened, 'Now that I think about it, Mr 8 only said something about adding only one grave...'

"You're right. I think he might have recognised you."

That was bad. 'Even so, he should still want me dead. It makes no sense.'

You giggled as if nothing had happened, "You cocky bastard."

You even have to see him to know that a smirk was plastered over Zoro's face.

"There they are! Right here!"

You glanced over your shoulder, "The power of observation is strong with this one."

He ignored you, motioning for the others to raise their guns.

As soon as they heard the sound of rifles cocking, both Mr 8 and Mr 9 paled.

The latter bawled like a baby, but the blond haired man almost turned blue from fear, "Y-you fools! Are you trying to shoot me too!?" He suddenly pulled out a saxophone from out of nowhere and aimed it over his head, "IGARAPPA!"

Bullets shot out of the saxophone at the gun men, incapacitating them instantly. You and Zoro took advantage of the confusion to dash into a nearby alleyway.

He sighed with relief before looking back at Mr 8's saxophone, "That thing's a shotgun? It nearly got me."

"It is an odd choice of weapon," You wiped your forehead.

"Have to say," he smirked, "that was a lot of fun."

You nodded, with a large grin on your face. Holding out a hand to him, you tilted your head, "Team up and duel after?"

He shook it firmly, "You're on. I've been meaning to get back at you for ages."

"Oh you're assuming that you're gonna win, Mop-boy? " You shoved him backwards through a door as a rain of bullets descended upon you both, "No chance."

"You're never going to let me forget that aren't you," Even so, he grins at you as he kicks a nearby table up to shield both of you the many oncoming bullets.

"You really should have seen yourself." You jumped out from behind the table and whilst dodging the oncoming bullets managed to cut every gun in two.

Zoro smirked, "Time to finally try you out, Yubashiri!" He cut through the table and together you cut down the the bounty hunters. The swordsman looked appraisingly at his new weapon, "It's light! Nice katana!"

"Quit fangirling over your swords and get over here." You tapped the base of Mello's shaft on the ground, "Going up!"

He grumbled as he put an arm around your shoulders.

"Extend!" The two of you were raised into the air. Once you were the correct height, you leant forwards so you fell towards a nearby rooftop. Zoro jumped off, and you started to retract Mello.

"They're on the roof!"

You noticed the projectile coming when you were still retracting Mello, and had to resort to sliding onto the building on your side to avoid the blast, "Too close!"

"I didn't register it. Your adrenaline level is too low."

You huffed in disdain.

"End of the line!" The man who had just shot at you raised his bazooka.

Miss Monday threw a barrel of the island wine at you from a neighbouring building. Zoro quickly cut it into four and each segment hit a bounty hunter in the face.

"Although it's not the best I've ever tasted," You straightened your back with a sigh, "But wasting any sort of liquor is a disgrace."

"I thought it was a good wine."

"Ew no. Time stealer!" You cut through the cement mallet of the bounty hunter sneaking up behind you. Before you could do anything else, you had to jerk your head aside to avoid the blade that cut the bounty hunter in the face.

Zoro glared furiously at Kitetsu III, "What kind of response was that!? What an overwhelming bloodlust! A meitou is only supposed to cut when its master commands..."

"Well," You arced Mello in the air and dispatched another set of bounty hunters, "It seems you have a problem child, then."

"Is this what it means to own a cursed blade?"

A child with a dagger ran up. When he couldn't hit either of you, he fell and shuffled backwards. A nun embraced him and started mumbling for forgiveness. She clasped her cross.

You slammed them unconscious with Mello's shaft, "No offence sister, but you guys are really underestimating us if you think that sorta thing would work." You smirked, "Besides..."

"You're supposed to use the innocent act against kind-hearted people," Zoro tossed the booby-trapped cross away. "We're using the ladders this time." He smirked, "I have a plan."

You quickly scaled the ladders to the top of the tallest building, a huge crowd of bounty hunters hot on your tail.

"Okay, top of the building." You looked down at the swarm of people, "Now what?"

He put a foot against the ladder and grinned.

Smirking, you mirrored his action., "Oh you're good..."

As soon as the first bounty hunter poked his head over the top of the ladder, you and Zoro pushed it away slightly with your feet.

"No! Please don't...!" Sweat dripped down the poor man's brow as the two of you kicked the ladder backwards, throwing off all of the bounty hunters riding onto the hordes of men below.

You giggled, "Oh did you see his face? Priceless!"

Zoro smirked at you as he ran off the roof, using the falling ladder to jump to the adjacent building into a throng of new fighters. "Two sword style...Hawk Wave!" You saw a cloud of smoke appear.

"Show off...Mello, Grapple and Retract!" You quickly joined him and you sliced the floor in a circle under your feet as soon as you landed. Some bounty hunters jumped down as if to ambush you, and you walked towards Zoro, "Now I wouldn't land there if I were you." They fell through the roof.

Zoro ducked as Miss Monday swiped across with the ladder. She huffed as she shot a glance in your direction, "You're lucky Boss still wants you to join. They're going to be very happy that you're not dead like the rumours say."

Your eyes narrowed, 'So we were right...I really hate it when this happens.'

Zoro had evidently realised the same, and frowned slightly.

"Sorry, but I didn't like the code name," You tilted your head and tapped your chin in mock thought, "But I suppose it's better than being named after Monday. Such an awful day of the week."

She slid on an iron knuckle duster, "Don't get too cocky! No man can defeat me with strength alone."

"This is the moment where I should say, 'But what about a woman's strength' or something and beat your ass," You shrugged, "But I can honestly say that Zoro would be a better match. I'm not one for brute strength." Smirking over your shoulder, you hopped off the building, "You'd better not die before our duel, you hear."

You heard him laugh mockingly as you descended.

Rolling as you hit the ground, you picked yourself up and sauntered over to where Mr 8, Mr 9 and Miss Wednesday were watching Zoro's battle.

"What a wagh-" Mr 8 cleared his throat, "Ma~ma~What a waste of time. But it looks like they're finally finished."

"It's the end."

"Precis-WHAAAAAAAAAA!" They turned to see you leaning casually on Mello.

You pointed at the raising cloud of smoke, "Make sure you pay attention now."

The high pitched scream made the agents eyes widen further. Zoro, with blood trickling down his head, had Miss Monday's head in his hand. She screamed louder as the swordsman muttered something. You were too far away to hear what, but you assumed that he was being as cocky as normal. The muscular woman collapsed unconscious.

The swordsman turned towards you and the agents as he licked away the blood near his mouth, "Wanna keep going, Baroque Works. This fight's a joke."

You giggled at their horrified faces.

"He defeated Miss Monday in a battle of strength!" The minions you hadn't defeated started to inch away, "This can't be happening."

You dashed behind them in an instant, "Where do you think you're going, huh?" You giggled harder, "After all, I can't let Mop-boy steal all the fun, now can I?" You quickly incapacitated the final bounty hunters before they could run. Turning to the agents again, you smirked, "Only three left."

Mr 8 shook, "I've got it! The marines must have made a mistake on the wanted poster! This man must be the real captain!"

You shrugged, "Nah they got it right." Thinking of Luffy, you smiled, "That boy's going to do great things someday, I can tell."

Me 8 grimaced, "But even so, this is a disgrace! Losing to a pirate swordsman and a...a woman."

You raised an eyebrow, "Now that was a cover up if I ever saw one. I take it you haven't told those two newbies who I am yet. I don't know whether to be thankful or offended..."

They looked curiously at Mr 8 who started sweating.

"Surely it doesn't matter," Miss Wednesday turned to Mr 9, "Now it seems we finally get our chance to debut."

Mr 9 looked less certain, "Don't be too hasty, Miss Wednesday." Shakily he turned to look at you, "So...who are you."

"The person who would have been Miss Hallows Eve," You smirked as you leant forwards on Mello, "Mr 2's partner."

Their jaws dropped, and they fell over sideways.

You pouted, "I thought you guys would have a little bit of backbone at least."

Zoro crouched down on the rooftop, resting a sword on his shoulder, "Normally I would say there's no point bragging in the middle of a battle." He smirked, "But you, Missy, are an exception."

"As well as yourself evidently."

He shrugged with a satisfied smile on his face.

"H-hang on!" Mr 9 got back to his feet and pointed at you, "HE CALLED YOU MISSY!"

"Yeah," You rubbed the back of your head with your free hand, "It's a little annoying, but I guess I deserve it."

"YOU'RE MISSY SAI!"

Miss Wednesday shuffled away in horror. Mr 8 frowned.

Deadpanning, you stared at him, "You really hadn't noticed already. Who else fights with a black scythe?"

"BUT YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD!"

"Missing actually, I never died. Just took an extended holiday."

Mr 8 grimaced before putting his saxophone to his lips and aiming the bell at Zoro, "IGARAPPA!"

The swordsman dodged effortlessly.

The agent glared at Miss Wednesday and Mr 9, "You two have already failed once, and we know what happens to people who fail now don't we." His eyes narrowed, "Now get to work."

Mr 9 grimaced and started to hop up the building to attack Zoro. Miss Wednesday stood and nodded a little shakily, before whistling, "Come, Carue!"

"Quaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

"NOT SHAKE! I SAID GET OVER HERE!"

"That's a Super Spot-Billed Duck if I'm not mistaken." Mello mused as Miss Wednesday screamed at the poor creature, "How strange, I thought that they only guard the royal family of Alabasta..."

'Huh, really?'

"If you were actually awake when we were forced on guard duty for the Council of Kings, you would know. Those ducks accompanied them."

'It was so dull though.'

Mello was silent for a bit, "But that implies that Miss Wednesday is in fact Princess Nefertari Vivi of Alabasta, if she can call the creature. Their hair is the same colour..."

'Even if that's true, why is she here?' You tapped your chin, before pointing at the woman. She was riding the duck as if it was a horse.

"Now, let's show that woman your faster-than-leopard speed!"

"Quaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" The duck promptly sat down, much to the dismay of the rider.

Seizing the opportunity, you crouched down next to the woman and muttered softly, "In all seriousness, can I ask something, Vivi?"

"If you think that you will distract me in battle by asking me..." She paled as she realised what you actually said.

You smirked, "So you really are the princess from Alabasta, huh."

"What?" Sweat dripped down her forehead, "No...I don't know what you're talking about. I...uh...just have the same name as her. Yes that's it. Same name!" She chuckled nervously.

Holding eye contact, you deadpanned whilst pointing at the duck, "It's a little obvious if you keep that around. Mello figured it out relatively easily."

You felt the scythe beam with pride.

She glanced a defeated look at Mr 8, "She knows, Igaram."

He recoiled, before marching over to you and whispering menacingly in your ear, "If you tell anyone about our princess..."

You raised your hands, and recalled Mello, "I'm not going to tell anyone. See," You tapped your back, "No weapon!"

"Missy, what the hell're you doing!" Zoro quickly jumped down off the rooftop with an unconscious Mr Nine, a look of panic on his face as he ran over.

"It's fine, Mop-boy." You sighed, "I just uncovered a little secret, that's all."

He stopped dead once he noticed the expressions of the two agents, before walking over to a barrel of wine and starting to drink.

"Mind if I talk to them? I want to figure out what's going on."

You nodded, before turning to the two in front of you, "Is it alright if my scythe talks to you for a bit. He's better at this detective stuff than I am."

Miss Wednesday and Mr 8, or rather Vivi and Igaram, shared a curious look before nodding their agreement.

Closing your eyes, you let Mello take over.

"Please, I realise that this is a little overwhelming, but may I ask you both some questions." As the black eyes opened and your body spoke with a male voice, Vivi and Igaram recoiled.

Mello chuckled softly, "My apologies, where are my manners." He held out a hand, "I am Mellontas, Missy's scythe. I merely exchanged places with her consciousness, an ability which she neglected to mention."

'Hehehe...Sorry.'

Igaram shook it dumbfoundedly.

"Now, back to the original question," He sat on a nearby crate, cradling his head in his palms, "I'm assuming that Alabasta has not allied themselves with Baroque Works..."

Vivi adamantly shook her head.

He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes, "As expected. It didn't seem like the sort of nation which would condone behaviour like this. So," He tilted his head, "why are you here, Princess Vi-?"

The dark eyes widened just before an explosion blew you through a building.

"Oww...my ears!" You sat up groggily. 'You okay, Mello?'

"I'm fine, our consciousnesses just got thrown back to where they normally would be. I would be worrying about yourself, we have company."

Dabbing under your eyes, you notice that your fingers come away dipped in black, 'Oh no...'

"Black blood, huh? So it seems you really are Missy Sai."

"KYAHAHAHAHA! Or we say, Saioney (y/n), right? Well, don't you look frightful!"

The blond woman laughed again, twirling her lime green umbrella over her shoulder. Her partner tilted his head as you stumbled out of the gaping hole, the moonlight reflecting off his shades.

You gestured at his brown trench coat, "Mr 5 I presume."

He raised an eyebrow, "How did you know my code name?"

You facepalmed.

"The number. Is printed. ON HIS TRENCH COAT!"

'Calm down...'

"If they are number agents, they should at least have some brains." He huffed.

"Well, she is a Saioney after all," The blond woman smiled humorlessly at you, "I wonder if you can guess who I am?"

"Miss...Lemon?"

"KYAHAHAHAHA! You're funny." Her eyes clearly told you that you weren't.

"Miss Valentine..." Igaram took a protective step towards Vivi.

Mr 5 grimaced, "And you two..." Mr 9 crawled out of an alleyway with Miss Monday and collapsed, "...four. Are you guys kidding or what?"

Miss Valentine laughed again. That laugh was quickly getting on your nerves. "You let two people walk all over you." Her eyes narrowed, "But it does make our mission easier."

Vivi and Igaram flinched. Your shared a look with Zoro, who nonchalantly continued to drink from the barrel.

The dark man grinned, "It seems you know what we're talkin' about. The Boss' exact words were: 'Someone knows my secret.' Just what that secret is of course, even I don't know. But our organization's primary directive is 'Secrecy'. Therefore we do not tolerate any kind of investigation into the identity of our members."

"Um..." You pointed to yourself, "But you all know who I am, right?"

He grimaced, "You're untrustworthy, Missy Sai. Boss wants to recruit you, but he needs us to keep you in check. He only told agents 8 and below to keep an eye out for you, just in case you..." His shades gleamed, "Resist."

You winced.

"But you being here is just a piece of good luck, KYAHAHAHAHA!" The blond woman leant over, "We're really here for those two," She pointed at Igaram and Vivi, "But Boss offered a promotion to whoever bought you in."

"If you think we're gonna let go of our ship's psycho that easily, be prepared for an ass kicking."

You grinned at him, wiping the blood off your face, "Thanks Mop-boy, but I can take care of myself."

Zoro smirked as he moved to stand next to you, "Believe me, I know." He partially unsheathed one of his swords, "But what sort of friend would I be if I just let you get taken."

Your face fell slack.

Friend.

He called you a friend?!

You found yourself beaming before you could even realise it.

'Friendfriend friend friend friend friend friend friend friendHE CALLED ME A FRIEND!!'

No one had ever done that before. Not even Smoker. That kinda thing had always been left unsaid.

Who knew a simple word could hit harder than a bullet.

"FOCUS MISSY!"

"This is touchin' an all..." Mr 5 picked his nose, "But we need to finish our mission. Captain of the Alabasta Royal Guard, Igaram, and Princess Nefertari Vivi. Prepare to be eliminated." He tilted his head at you, "And Missy Sai, you're coming with us. Willingly or otherwise."

"KYAHAHAHA!"

Chapter Text

"Saioney (y/n), you're coming with us. Willingly or otherwise."

You grimaced, 'I really, REALLY hate being me sometimes...'

Zoro muttered softly so you could barely hear him, "Any ideas?"

"I suspect that at least one of them is a devil fruit user. That explosion earlier...there's no smell of gunpowder or any other explosive, and they don't seem to be carrying anything other than that umbrella. However...it is difficult to tell with that trench coat."

You relayed the information, and the swordsman nodded in understanding, "What about that woman? She must have a devil fruit, right? She's only carrying an umbrella..."

"I agree about the devil fruit, but never underestimate the combat capability of an umbrella," you shuddered, "Especially if it's been reinforced..."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Don't ask." Looking at the building where the rest of the crew, without Nami, were still sleeping, you crossed your arms, "As soon as we split, go get the rest and get ready to leave, and fast."

"But what about-"

"KYAHAHAHAHAHA!" Miss Valentine took a step forward, "What are you two mumbling about?" Her grin froze on her face, "I hope you're not thinking about resisting us, KYAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"IGARAPPAPPA!" Igaram pulled down on his bow tie and guns fired from out of the massive curls in his hair. A massive explosion formed around the two five agents.

You and Zoro gaped at the man.

" Resourceful..."

"You won't lay a finger on the princess! On my name as Captain of the Alabasta Royal Guard."

"Igaram!" Vivi recoiled from behind him.

As the smoke cleared, it was obvious that both of them were just fine. Mr 5 continued to pick his nose, "Oh, you shouldn't have done that." He flicked his finger at Igaram, "NOSE FANCY!"

Your eyes widened, "Everyone, get down!"

Vivi stared blankly at you until you ran over and slammed her to the ground. Thankfully, Zoro had actually taken your advice, and had dove to the side as soon as the words had left your mouth.

Unfortunately you were unable to get to Igaram, who was lit up for a moment, before crashing to the ground in a sequence of explosions. He collapsed.

"Igaram!"

"That's some powerful snot!" Zoro stuck up his head from behind some barrels and grimaced.

You nodded, before turning to the curly haired man, "You alright?"

Igaram grimaced, "The princess...is fine...which is all that matters."

She shakily stood up, and you grinned at her, "We're in the same boat...sorta. It's fine."

"So that's why the Boss wants you. I'm almost impressed. KYAHAHAHAHA!" You looked up in horror. Miss Valentine was floating in the air under her umbrella. Suddenly she dropped down and performed a high kick at Vivi. The bangle that held up her hair snapped, and the blue locks fell down around her furious face. Out of a hidden pocket, she whipped out two small blades on strings and started to spin them around her finger.

Miss Valentine dropped down next to Mr 5 wordlessly.

"Interesting...I've never seen a devil fruit like that one before. Most likely a Paramecia, since there didn't seem to be disturbances to the air... "

'We'll find out soon enough. She seems the bragging type.'

"So you really are a princess, Miss Wednesday!" Mr 9 had regained consciousness and was prostrating himself before Vivi.

She did not seem amused, "STOP BEING RIDICULOUS, MR 9!"

'If she met Nami, they'd get along like a house on fire...Many houses on fire...'

You looked over to Zoro and inclined your head slightly. He grimaced before returning the nod and running off.

"KYAHAHAHAHA! Resigning to your fate already!" She laughed, "Just as well!"

"Sorry," You summoned Mello once more, "But I'm not exactly a firm believer in fate."

'I'm guessing that we should move somewhere where I can fight for real.'

" That is the ideal situation. We may not get that opportunity."

Mr 5 grimaced, "Wrong choice, Missy Sai."

"Princess...Vivi!" Igaram straightened, "Please...get as far away from here as you can."

You turned to the four other people and the duck, "All of you should run. You two," You pointed at Igaram and Vivi, "need to get out of here. I'm assuming you have something planned."

They nodded blankly.

You pointed to Mr 9 and and a recovered Miss Monday, "Oh hey, you're awake. Sorry bout that. Anyhow, you guys protect them if I fail here. Not that I am...but it's good to have a backup. From what I know about Baroque Works, chances are you're going to be killed anyways for failing your mission. Might as well make it for something that counts."

"Of course." Mr 9 grinned, "We can't even begin to understand the circumstances...but because of me and Miss Wednesday's long term relationship as partners, I'll make sure to buy them some time."

Vivi teared up, "Mr...9..."

"It's just as you said," Miss Monday slid on her knuckle duster, "For losing to you two superhumans, we'll be punished for failing. I'd gladly suffer to be a shield for a friend."

"Miss...Monday..."

"Excellent," You slid your leg back in preparation, "I'm also a target, so I'll stay here to hold them off."

The large woman frowned, "Is that wise? You said that you couldn't beat me, and these two are far stronger."

You smirked, "Oh I never said I couldn't beat you, only that without any help from Mello I didn't have your physical strength and our swordsman did. Remember who I am after all. I wiped out the populations of islands." You shrugged.

'If I had seriously fought anyone here for real, you all probably would be dead right now. Not that that will ever happen anymore.'

"Get moving already."

They spirited away, the wounded Igaram riding Carue and the others on foot.

"KYAHAHAHA! As if I'd let you get away that easily." Miss Valentine hopped into the air and started to float towards the retreating figures.

"I could say the same to you! Mello, Restrain!" He extended and his blade curled its way around her entire body. She gasped as the sharp blade drew blood wherever it touched.

"What the-"

You threw her down into the ground as hard as you could, a little surprised when it was relatively light for an adult woman.

"I think I know her devil fruit!"

'Would it be something about weight by any chance...'

"It is. I suspect it is either the kilo-kilo fruit or the ton-ton fruit, both allow the user to change their mass over a considerable range. I also think that this Mr 5 has eaten the bomb-bomb fruit..."

'Original names as always...Thanks for the heads up.'

Miss Valentine sat up relatively unharmed, her smile wiped from her face, "You brat...TEN THOUSAND KILOGRAMS!" The ground underneath her suddenly cracked.

"Kilo-kilo fruit. That is fortunate. It is the weaker one."

' Oh goody...'

Mr 5 held out a finger with...something...on and prepared to flick it towards you, "Allow me, Miss Valentine. NOSE FANCY CANNON!"

"Mello, Strengthen!"

Suddenly your arms and back turned black and you used Mello to pick up the now immensely heavy Miss Valentine. Smirking, you turned and held her directly in the path of the oncoming projectile.

"NO! PLEASE DON'T! I'LL DO ANYTHI-" She screamed in panic, as she faced the 'nose fancy'.

Mr Five's mouth dropped as his partner exploded in a cloud of black smoke and shrieks. After the smoke cleared, a blackened and bloodied Miss Valentine hung limply from the end of Mello's blade. Your arms returned back to their normal colour.

You rested Mello on your shoulder, and giggled, "Not quite my idea of fun, but I suppose this is a bit like justice, huh." You released Miss Valentine, and she fell to the ground unconscious, "Count yourself lucky I promised to myself not to needlessly kill anymore."

Mr 5 fumbled inside his coat for a moment, before bringing out a gun. Shaking slightly, he unclicked the cylinder and breathed inside before clicking the it back.

"If I'm not mistaken, that's a flintlock right Missy. You know weapons better than me."

Your eyes sparkled, 'It is, a .44 caliber 6 shot revolver with rapid fire capabilities to boot. Must've cost a ton.'

"And since he's breathing into it...I have a hunch that..."

Instinctively, you dodged six times in different directions as the man fired the gun. Behind you, the building became riddled with six explosions.

'Guess what, you're right. Like usual.'

You shuffled forwards as the smoke cleared, "Not really that impressed if I'm honest. You would be dead if you weren't in this part of the Grand Line..." You pouted, "So much for getting serious...I could do this with my eyes closed."

He winced slightly, "I don't think so...If you so much as touch any part of my body you're gonna explode. You may have taken down my partner, but I'm a different story."

"Really?" You raised an eyebrow, "I'd like to test that theory. Mellontas, Guillotine!" You swung Mello in an arc, and his blade changed shape into something rectangular. You twisted the shaft, and hit Mr 5 in the back of the neck with the blunted side.

As he said, there was an explosion, and you winced as blood trailed out of your left eye. You sighed as the man fell to the ground limply and recalled Mello, "Well that was dull...I think even Eric was better than those two..."

"I'm inclined to agree."

'This guy had so much potential as well. Explosive body, which he can turn on and off at will. Even explosive breath...which means explosive invisible bullets. That's some devil fruit...'

"It would be if he was using it to its full potential...so many more things he could do than flicking snot like a child. Evidently a new user, who has let his new ability get to his head."

'Definitely.' You sauntered off to try and find your crewmates, 'The explosions weren't even that powerful. I've seen Apis create bigger ones in Sanji's kitchen. All the buildings here are still intact."

"Again, that is very true."

'Sorry about the explosion by the way. I felt that one.'

"It was nothing too problematic, as you said."

"Huh, (y/n)?" You looked up to see Nami, Vivi, Luffy and Zoro crouching in a back alley. Luffy was back to his normal physique, and he and Zoro were both sporting impressive bruises.

"Oh hey guys," You slumped down next to Vivi and sighed..

She stared at your dripping eye, "So did you escape from Mr 5 and Miss Valentine easily?"

You raised an eyebrow, "Seriously? Escape? You trying to insult me?"

"So wait," Her eyes widened, "They're..."

"Happy having an itty bitty nap." You grimaced as you turned to Luffy and Zoro, ignoring the incredulous Vivi, "You two could defeat them in one hit," You gestured at their injured faces, "But what in Kronos' name happened here? Did another set of agents show up?"

Luffy giggled, "Oh I thought that you and Zoro beat everyone up because they didn't have your favourite sorts of meat. So I attacked him."

The swordsman grumbled under his breath, and you facepalmed.

"Anyhow, we still need to sort out a contract." Nami grinned at Vivi with viper-like precision in her eyes, "We want one billion Bellies to escort you to Alabasta safely. You saw how strong these guys are, right? Quite a bargain, don't you think?" She raised an eyebrow at the poor girl.

Vivi slumped, "Impossible...You have my gratitude for saving my life, thank you."

"Why not?" Nami put her hands on her hips indignantly, "You're a princess, aren't you? It's just a measly billion..."

"A measly billion she says...a measly billion...As if it's nothing..."

Vivi frowned before telling everyone about Alabasta. How it used to be a great pillar of civilization and a land of peace, but now was on the verge of civil war. And how she had discovered that this civil war was being spurred on by Baroque Works.

"So I decided to infiltrate Baroque Works with Igaram, who had looked after me since I was a girl." She clenched her hands, "I thought that if I did, I could find out who was pulling the strings, and what his plans were."

"Pretty gutsy for a princess," Zoro smirked.

You snorted, "That's for sure. And you found out didn't you?" Your face fell, "About what he was planning?"

Nami frowned, "The establishment of an Ideal Nation." At the bermused expressions, she shrugged, "Igaram told me earlier. Could it be that..."

"Yes," Her head drooped, "He claims that establishing this 'Ideal Nation' is their purpose. But that is a complete lie." Vivi furrowed her brows, "His true intention is to seize the throne of Alabasta!"

Everyone's eyes widened, and Luffy leant forwards slightly.

"I must return to my country to tell the people the truth, and prevent them from joining the insurrection. If this continues...if this...continues..." She started to sniffle.

Shuffling over slightly, you reached round and hugged her, "You don't need to say it. We know."

She melted into your embrace, and tears rolled down her cheeks.

"I see, so that's what's going on." Nami tsked disdainfully, "It finally makes sense now, if you're on the verge of civil war money must be scarce." She sighed.

"Oi!" Luffy grinned impishly, "So who's the mastermind?"

Vivi sat upright, "The B-Boss' true identity!? You can't ask me that!"

Nami panicked as Luffy looked blankly at Vivi, "But you know, don't you." Zoro grinned.

"Don't ask that! I can't tell you! If I told you, they would hunt you down too!"

"You just made both those idiots want to know even more." Groaning, you massaged your temple as a bolt of pain jolted through,  "And now, thanks to you, I know exactly who he is..."

She paled and slowly turned to face you, "But...how?"

"If you had kept going just then, you were about to blurt out his name for everyone to hear." You sighed, "I'll explain later, but if you me want to verify who I'm thinking of, nose scar and gold hook?"

"Yeah...that's an accurate description of Crocodile alright."

"Oh Krono..." You facepalmed as the two women screamed silently, "I tried people! I tried!"

"YOU DIDN'T TRY HARD ENOUGH!"

"Who's that?" Luffy cocked his head.

Zoro slumped, "After all that...you said it..."

Suddenly, you realised that you were not alone. On the roof to the side, a vulture and an otter sat side by side, watching you silently before flying off.

Nami flew into a rage, shaking a sobbing Vivi vigorously.

"So," Luffy turned to you, "Who is he?"

You moved away from the scuffle to sit next to him, "He's one of the warlords with a previous bounty of 80,000,000. Don't actually know anything else about him apart from his basic appearance. Most of the warlords are secretive after all."

"A warlord!"

"Not bad bounty either."

You shrugged, "He was after me to begin with, so you guys would've been on the hit list no matter what. I say let's just go and make his life hell."

"YEEEEEEEEEEAAAAH!"

"YOU GUYS ARE BEING TOO CALM ABOUT THIS!" Nami stormed out of the alleyway, "Though it wasn't for long, it's been nice knowing you all!"

The otter sat in front of her with a sketchpad. He turned it round to show you the perfect renditions of you, Nami, Luffy and Zoro before hopping once more on the vulture and soaring off.

"Ha! Neat!" You giggled, "Can I have one to keep?"

"NOW I CAN'T EVEN RUN AWAY!"

"Where were you going to run to anyway?" Zoro raised an eyebrow, before smirking, "In any case, us three have been added to the Baroque Works Death List!"

"Huh," Luffy turned to you, "but what 'bout (y/n)?"

"It seems that croccy bastard wants me alive." You grimaced, "He still wants me to join..."

He huffed, "Well he's not gonna! You're our nakama, so you stay with us!"

You grinned, "That's my plan, Cap."

"Do not worry!"

Turning around, you almost did a spit take. Igaram had done his best to dress like Vivi, but unfortunately for him his long face and large body made that nearly impossible.

"Fr-huhurm..Ma~ma~maaaaaaa. Fear not, for I have a plan!"

"Haha! Old man, you'll fool anyone wearing that!"

"Perhaps someone dropped that boy on his head as a child..."

'We'll get Caspar to look into it once we find him.'

"Princess Vivi, please listen carefully." She stood up and faced him, "Baroque Works' information network will soon receive that report. Once they learn we are the ones that know the Boss' true identity, you know what will happen, don't you?"

Vivi's face hardened, "As many as a thousand hunters could be coming after us."

Nami fainted.

Igaram explained his basic decoy plan, and he along with four dummies got into a small boat. Vivi would be coming with you guys on a less roundabout route to Alabasta.

"Ma~ma~maaaa!" The man's voice took on a falsetto tone, "Well then, I, Vivi, shall be leaving now..."

"Old man! You're just like her!"

"Like WHO?" You and Zoro both muttered incredulously.

The two Alabastians looked at each other. Igaram held out his hand, "Now then, princess, please hand me the Eternal Pose."

She flinched, but did as he asked.

You smirked at Nami's composed face, "I see you've been doing a bit of reading."

She winked.

"And with that, I leave the princess in your care."

"Sure," Luffy grinned.

"Igaram..." Vivi looked on the verge of tears once more. You really could sympathise with her, to go through what she had at so young was tough to anyone.

He smiled down warmly, "I think the journey will be dangerous. Please be careful along the way."

Her face was full of many conflicting emotions for you to name, until she smiled sadly and held out a hand, "You too..."

He clasped it briefly, before setting sail in the small boat.

Flames.

You winced, "Oh shit..."

"What's up?" Zoro looked at you curiously.

"I saw-"

You were cut short as a massive ball of flames engulfed the small boat. The explosion was so big, you could feel the warmth on your skin and you raised your arm to block out the blinding light. Your hair whipped past your face and you heard everyone gasp. Quite unsurprising, really. The very sea looked like it was on fire.

"That..." You finished weakly.

"Someone else is here, we need to get moving, now!"

Luffy stomped over to his hat, knocked onto the ground from the force behind the explosion, before putting it on, "HE WAS A GREAT MAN!"

"Nami! The Log!"

"Already set!"

"Grab her and get to the ship!" Zoro grimaced.

She nodded and turned to the princess, muttering something before hugging her tightly

"Mop-boy, did you wake the others?"

He nodded, "Usopp and the cook are on the Merry. They complained a lot, but they're on the Merry."

"Excellent, now everyone," you summoned Mello, "Hold on!"

Luffy's arm snaked around your waist, shoving Zoro, Nami and Vivi into you. Quickly turning towards the general direction of the Merry, you held Mello near the blade.

"Mellontas, CANNON!"

"This really is not a good idea..."

"JUST DO IT!"

The scythe's shaft retracted a little before rapidly extending and propelling all five of you off the ground and into the air.

Vivi and Nami screamed, "WHAT THE HELL?!"

"It's the fastest route back to the Merry, and we need to get back as soon as possible." Normally you would be enjoying the rush of wind in your face, but the current situation made all enjoyment go out the window. As you started to descend towards the familiar ship, you turned to Luffy.

"So Cap...I, hah, haven't quite figured out the next part." You grinned sweetly, and sweated slightly. "You're all too heavy for Mello to properly decelerate us."

The other three stared furiously at you with open mouths.

"DAMN IT MISSY!"

"ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL US?!"

"WHAT ARE YOU IMPLYING ABOUT MY WEIGHT?!"

"Huh? Nami...? Priorities...?"

"Shishishi!" Luffy held onto his hat as he let go, "I've got this. Gum-gum, BALLOON!"

You sighed in relief as you collapsed onto the large rubber cushion on the docks next to the Merry and recalled Mello. You felt more blood trickle out of your other eye, "Welp, that's me done for the day. And I had two naps...Man, I need to work on my stamina more..."

" Be grateful you're still alive..."

Sanji waved from the rigging, "NAMI-SWAN! (y/n)-CHWAN! I'M SO GLAD YOU'RE ALRIGHT! AND IS THAT MISS WEDNESDAY TOO! What are you other assholes doing back so soon?"

"Shut...up...you pervy cook." Zoro groaned as your captain deflated, dropping everyone onto the ground.

Vivi sat up worriedly, "Carue's missing! He should have come when I whistled earlier, but it's not working."

"Is Carue a duck by any chance?" Usopp leant on the railing.

She nodded.

"You mean him?" He pointed to the large creature next to him.

"Quaaaaaa!"

"YOU WERE HERE THE WHOLE TIME?"

"He was already onboard before we got here."

You clapped your hands together before climbing up the rope ladder, "Right that's sorted, now let's get a move on."

The others quickly followed you.

"Alright! Let's goooooo!"

The sail unfurled, and Vivi directed you down the small river.

"So...why are we leaving exactly?" Usopp shuddered slightly as he looked at your blood streaked face, "It was awesome here, but Zoro said that they were all going to kill us."

Sanji lit a cigarette, "Normally I wouldn't trust that filthy marimo, but he told us that (y/n)-chan wanted us on the ship so I had no choice but to obey."

"Nami...care to explain?" You wiped off the blood from your face.

She hit both of them on the head. "Done!" She whistled, leaving their unconscious bodies on the deck.

"I guess that's one way..."

"We're about to clear the island," Vivi muttered.

"Cool! Fog!"

"It'll be morning soon," Nami grumpled, dusting off her hands.

"Well, it's a good thing you got away from your pursuers!"

You spun around at the unfamiliar voice. Noticing the movement, the rest of the crew did the same and gasped.

"Nice ship you have here..."

The dark haired woman calmly sat on the higher railing, cradling her head in her hand. A purple cowboy hat sat on her head.

Your eyes sparkled as you recognised her, "No way!" Jumping up beside her, you surprised the woman by giving her a massive hug, "You're really Nico Robin, right? I've wanted to meet you for so long!"

Her cool demeanor slipped at the sudden contact, "You're...Missy Sai..."

Below, your crew just stared.

"Eh?"

Chapter Text

"Why the hell are you on my ship?" Luffy pointed furiously up at the woman on the railing.

"Be careful!" Vivi growled from below, "That's Miss All-Sunday! Mr 0's partner!"

Nami screamed and Zoro's hand inched towards his blades.

Much to their surprise, you laughed, "That seems like something I'd expect from Nico Robin. After all," you broke the embrace and instead moved to sit next to her, "from what I've heard there's a poneglyph in Alabasta, isn't there."

The dark haired woman stared at you, "You know about the poneglyphs?"

"How could I not." You tapped your shoulder, "Mello told me as much as he could about my heritage and my siblings, biological or not.."

"Mello...I see..." Robin gazed at you curiously, drumming her fingers against her chin, "So that's why he wants you so badly..."

Your crewmates stared at the two of you in shock.

You turned to them, "It's alright. She's kinda like me, apart from forced into a life of crime rather than with the World Government."

"So she's a good guy then?" Luffy scratched his hat.

Vivi glared at him.

Robin tilted back her head, "So you were forced to work for the World Government...That actually makes a surprising amount of sense. I did find it curious that islands who defied the World Government suddenly disappearing off the map thanks to a young assassin with no clear motivations, not even enjoyment. Especially since you seem to know so much about me..."

"They showed me your criminal files once I turned 15." You smirked, "I suppose that they thought that I was completely loyal to them after all that time. They had no idea that Mello told me as much as he could about Poneglyphs and the people who studied them."

She winced.

"That was when I realised the true 'justice' of what I was doing, and decided to go off the map." You leant forwards, mumbling so only the two of you could hear, "You had it far worse than I did. My home burned when I had just been born, so I had no real emotional attachment. You had to deal with that pain when you were only 8, losing your family, friends and home in one fell swoop. Even then, I would have gone insane without Mello, but you...had no one." You scratched the back of your neck in embarrassment, "You were so similar to me, but you had gone through so much pain, and pain that I was now inflicting on other people. I am so, so sorry for what you have experienced, and I'm so very grateful that you stopped me when you did."

Robin stiffened, before chuckling softly, "I'm honoured, Missy. Although I don't quite think I deserve such thanks, or such a genuine apology." She crossed her legs, "I have done nothing noteworthy after all."

"NOTEWORTHY?! SHE'S ONE OF THE PEOPLE WHO IS HELPING TO TEAR MY COUNTRY APART!" Vivi snapped, waving her hands frantically.

Robin at once readopted her enigmatic smile, "Why hello, Princess Nefertari Vivi. I was enjoying my little conversation with Missy so much, I completely forgot about the rest of you."

Vivi glared daggers, "You were the one who we followed to Mr 0, and I'm absolutely certain that you knew that you were being tailed. Just what exactly are your intentions?"

Robin sighed, "Who knows? Let's say I found you a curiosity, Miss Princess. You were so serious about finding the Boss' identity, I just had to cooperate."

"But you were the one who informed him about his exposed identity!"

"Correct."

"So she is the bad guy..." You stifled your giggles at the impressive expression on Luffy's face. Oh the joys of being made of rubber...

Zoro sweatdropped, "Just stay out of it."

Robin frowned for a moment, before tossing something to Vivi. She caught it deftly, a look of shock appearing as she realised what it was.

"Really, don't be un such a rush. I'm not under any orders at the moment. I already was intending to give you this, but now I am far more inclined to do so. This is an eternal pose to Nanimonai, an island just short of Alabasta. With this you can avoid the next island without any risk of Baroque Works following; none of the members know the route." She turned to you, "You have heard of Little Garden, yes?"

"I don't actually. Never got sent there on a job." You shrugged, "I only really researched places that I had to go to."

"That seems reasonable."

Nami stared at the woman incredulously, "You're helping us?"

"Why are you doing this?" Vivi pleaded as she clutched the eternal pose.

"I guess you could say it is merely to sate my own curiosity," Robin draped an arm over your shoulder.

"KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF (y/n)-CHAN!" Sanji appeared to your right with a gun aimed at Robin's head.

Usopp had his slingshot raised on your other side, "Oi Sanji. Any idea what's going on?"

The cook's eyes were bloodshot, "Not a clue, BUT THE ONLY ONE WHO IS ALLOWED TO DO THAT TO THE SWEET MADEMOISELLE IS ME!"

"Not a chance, Flirty!" You stuck out your tongue, "Perhaps if you endeered yourself to me more..."

"AS YOU WISH, (y/n)-CHWAN~!"

"...Uuuuugh. Not what I meant."

"Would you mind not pointing such dangerous things at me?" Robin sighed, irked.

Your eyebrows shot up your head in wonder as Usopp and Sanji were thrown into the air and over the railing seemingly without being touched.

The cook's anger immediately dissipated as he lay face up on the deck, "Oh! Looking from here, that's one beautiful lady! Nothing on (y/n)-chan's sexyness, but still beautiful."

You mimed throwing up.

Luffy's face had been shaded by his hat for some time. He stomped over to Vivi and crushed the eternal pose, "Who the hell gives a crap!?"

"YOU IDIOT!" Nami kicked him squarely in the jaw and he collapsed backwards, "She just told us the best way to go! She was trying to help us!"

Sprawled on the floor, Luffy shot an angry look up at Robin, "You don't decide the route for this ship!"

She maintained eye contact before tilting her head, "Oh. How unfortunate." She smiled as she turned to you, "I hope you don't mind this, Little Missy."

"Nah, I was already expecting him to do that." You smirked, "This way is funner anyways."

"Oh?" Something unknown glinted in her eyes as Robin swung her legs off the railing, "I suppose to people like us, some form of enjoyment would be obtained." Walking over to the side of the Merry, she paused to face Vivi, "Out of decency, I shall mention that although I met with Mr 8 earlier he somehow managed to survive."

Vivi's shoulders relaxed, and she smiled in relief.

"Well, I don't hate those with high spirits. If you survive," Robin looked over her shoulder at Luffy, "Let's meet again."

"No!"

"He's acting like a child..."

A glimmer of amusement appeared on Robin's face before she nimbly jumped over the port side of the Merry, "Let's go, Banchi."

"W-what's that?" Zoro leant over the side to see a massive cigar smoking beast sail off into the sunset with Robin sitting under an unfurled canopy.

"Is that thing a sea king?" Usopp spluttered.

You grinned as you dashed to the stern, "Nah, that's a turtle! Now that is how you travel in style!"

"EEEEEEH? IT'S A TURTLE!"

A rubber arm snaked around your waist and Luffy quickly zoomed over to stand next to you, "That is one HUGE turtle!"

Behind you, Vivi collapsed to her knees with a sigh, "That woman...! I can't understand what she's thinking!"

"Then trying to understand is a waste of time." Nami raised her eyebrows in sympathy.

"Yeah, we got people like that on the ship already."

"Mop-boy...I swear if you're talking about me..." You karate chopped him on the head, and instantly regretted it. "OW! What the heck is that thing made of? Solid bone?"

"Oi!" Usopp shook looking from side to side, "Someone please explain all this? I have no idea what's going on!"

"Oh~! Miss Wednesday, are you one of our nakama now?"

"OI! Will someone explain... WOAH! We've got an OSTRICH now!?"

"QUAAAAAAAA!"

"Oi...what's going on?"

"Would you like something to eat?"

"Quaaaa!"

"Something with sugar, Flirty."

"Oooh, that sounds nice, same for me please."

"As you wish Miss Wednesday~!"

"SOMEONE EXPLAIN ALL THIS!"

"I see. I have done something inexcusable, but I still have yet to show my abilities. It's all right now. Your sleeping knight has awakened, and I will make it my duty to ensure your safety."

"I dunno, Flirty," You held out the thoroughly scraped plate, "I think your cooking abilities have been demonstrated well enough. Seconds please."

"OF COURSE (y/n)-CHWAN! I'LL WHIP SOMETHING UP JUST FOR YOOOOU~!"

The swordsman next you made a gagging motion much to your amusement.

Usopp's face was drenched in sweat, "Damn...! I'm glad I was asleep!"

"I got to test out my new swords, and Missy probably needed the warm-up." Zoro smirked as he slumped back, "It was easy."

"You can say that again...What a let down," you pouted.

"I wonder..."

You glanced over to Vivi by the figurehead. After changing out of her 'Miss Wednesday' get up, there was nothing of the bitchy persona there. You really had to commend her acting skills.

She looked down as she fiddled with her shirt button, "...is it really alright for me to be aboard your ship? I don't want to be a burden..."

"What are you talking about," Nami stormed over and poked her in the forehead, "Thanks to you, we're all marked for death."

"Actually as soon as I became a part of your crew, that had already happened!" You grinned broadly, "At least it's only a small-ish criminal organization rather than the World Government, right?"

Nami slumped to the deck as a dark shadow fell over her, "Right...how could I forget that...But this time they know what I look like..."

"I'm sorry!" The princess squeaked.

"In any case, we know our next stop."

"Smooth change of subject, Mop-boy. Very smooth."

"Oh you...shuddup!"

Sanji puffed out a line of smoke, "Little Garden, eh?" He turned to you, "That lovely woman seemed to think that you would know about it. Do you have any idea why?"

"Not really," You sighed as you shifted your weight back, "I suppose there might have been some targets that are on there or something...Nothing my department was interested in."

"Huuuuuh?" Luffy raised an eyebrow from where he was precariously balancing on the railing, "Your department?"

"There were more of you?" Usopp tilted his head in thought.

You chuckled softly, "I am a freak of nature after all. They couldn't exactly let me run around on my own, so they obviously put me with the rest of the assassins."

Vivi started, "Hang on. The World Government has a department...of assassins?"

"Ah...forgot that was highly classified information. Oopsy."

" Missy, you fool."

"Oopsy? OOPSY?! YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS!" Nami dashed over to you and shook your shoulders violently.

Usopp jumped three feet into the air, "YOU JUST LET SLIP ONE OF THE WORLD GOVERNMENT'S GREATEST SECRETS AS IF IT'S NOTHING!"

"I AM ONE OF THE WORLD GOVERNMENT'S GREATEST SECRETS!"

"...alright." Nami suddenly stopped shaking you and let the tears cascade down her cheeks, "I guess they already wanted us dead anyway."

You huffed, "Besides, most people in the Grand Line have actually heard of CP9, even if just a story to scare kids, so I wouldn't really call it one of the world's greatest secrets."

Vivi slumped down on the deck, "Those monsters...are actually real?" Her eyes hollowed, "No...way..."

Carue just stood in the same place he had been, sweat dripping down his entire body.

Luffy's head stretched over, an excited grin plastered on his face, "So they're really strong huh?"

"Now that's an understatement if ever I heard one. They wouldn't leave me with people who couldn't instantly incapacitate me if I ever decided to betray them." You shivered, "If we faced them now, we would be wiped out in seconds."

Zoro's eyes narrowed, "That bad?"

You nodded, "They're the World Governments hitmen, trained from childhood to become the perfect little killing machines." You shot a sideways glance at the swordsman, "I grew up with them, so believe me I know just how powerful they can be." You stared up at the blue sky and let out a tired laugh, "I'm screwed if I see them again, locked up or worse."

Luffy's body shot over and barreled into you. You opened your mouth to complain until you noticed the dark look on his face, "Does that mean that they might come and take you back."

"Probab-"

Take you back.

TAKE. YOU. BACK.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" You clasped your head in agony. Images, sounds and words were forming in your head one after the other in quick succession. A stone bridge. BLOOD. Elephant-sword. Unmoving bodies. A woman crying. BLOOD. Curly eyebrows matted with blood. Bubbles. BLACK BLOOD. Familiar brown but lifeless eyes.

"MAKE IT STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!"

Gates of Justice. Pigeon. Building collapsing. Usopp with a shattered mask on his face. BLOOD. Rust-man. Limbs twisted where they shouldn't be. A roaring monster. Wado Ichimonji shattering. Pink hair. BLOOD. Yourself running. Mello being knocked into the sea. A tattered straw hat flying away in the wind.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Nami's pole through her stomach. BLOOD. Sanji with no legs. BLOOD. Usopp's neck at an impossible angle. BLOOD. Zoro with a hole through his head. BLOOD. Luffy screaming. BLACK BLOOD. Luffy collapsing. BLOOD. You screaming. BLOOD. A silhouette standing over you. BLACK BLOOD. Arm raised to strike. BLACK BLOOD. Predatory grin. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD. BLACK BLOOD.

Then eventually nothing.

"M...sy...! Are...ou...alrig...? Ever...ne's...w...ried...yo...!"

The faces of your crew slowly came into focus. You finally felt the tears trickling down your face, and the roughness of your throat. Glancing at your hands, wads of your blood and hair were wedged under your fingernails. You had been clawing at your head. Shoulders shaking, you clenched your fists.

"...(y/n)?" Nami peered at you curiously. The entire crew, Vivi and Carue huddled around you, each one with a worried expression on their faces. "Are you okay? You were...screaming our names..."

You gave a pained smile, "I'm alright." You grimaced as the images of their bodies flashed before your eyes once more, before standing, "Just...gimme a minute." Not waiting for an answer, you stood and practically sprinted to the tangerine orchard.

"Missy...I'm sorry."

You sighed as you climbed into your usual tree, "It's not your fault, Mello."

"It really is..." You felt him hesitate, "If it wasn't for Kronos, if it wasn't for ME, you wouldn't see possible futures like that..."

"I used to be an assassin." Hugging your legs, you curled into a ball, "I...did...things like that. But no matter what it always hurts..."

"Missy-"

"Maybe I shouldn't be here Mello. I could be sitting in Loguetown as Missy Sai simply fades into history, but no! I had to and stick out my stupid neck for some sort of stupid dream. I thought that we could possibly...avoid CP9... somehow?" You chuckled humorlessly, "Kronos, I'm an idiot."

"Although I may protest otherwise on occasion...you are not an idiot, Missy."

"No. I really am." You gestured back to where the rest of the crew was, "They could die because of me. Die, Mello, and it would be because of me." You smiled as your vision wavered, cheeks getting wet, "How selfish could I get? I was just thinking about myself. I thought, hell, I never really got what I wanted, so could I possibly get a chance now? Can I do something just for me for once?" You clasped your head and slowly started to laugh, "What was I thinking? I'm a murderer, and a monster to boot. Of course I can't think about what I want. Why do I never. Think. Things. Through!" The last sentence was punctuated with your fist hitting your head. Hammering things home.

A hand caught your fist, "You shouldn't be doing that to yourself, mademoiselle."

You sniffled, "Shuddup Flirty."

The cook hopped up to the branch next to you, "You mentioned something about us dying...Was that...what...that was?"

You sniffled, "Fuck...I said all that out loud, didn't I..." Glancing down at the soil below, you slowly nodded, "It wasn't cohesive...but when Luffy was talking about CP9 taking me back...I saw...well...and me, I..."

"You don't have to say a word, mademoiselle." He puffed out a line of smoke, "We will discuss that later..." He glared at you, "What I'm far more upset about is that you thought you were being selfish."

"But I a-"

"Everyone's selfish." He pointed at himself, "I'm selfish for wishing you spent far less time with that filthy marimo. That particular idiot is selfish for sleeping all the time, even when there's work to be done. Selfish is the only way we can describe Luffy eat!"

You giggled despite the state you were in.

Sanji softly grinned at the sound, "And the whole crew's selfish for wanting you to stay with us."

Your lip tightened.

"Trust me on this, once Luffy's decided that you're a part of the crew there's no way in hell you're getting out of it." He shuddered in recollection, "however hard you protest. Even so, I would have wanted you on the crew no matter what, mademoiselle." He winked, "You're too sexy to pass up."

"Uh huh..." You rolled your eyes.

"I'm certain that everyone here feels the same way." He parted the branches of the tree, letting the light from the evening sun stream down on you.

"Us girls have to stick together, don't we? Besides, we're pirates. We can be as selfish as we want!"

"What about our duel, huh? You can't have forgotten about that. And I'm already used to having decent booze for once..."

"You...uh...really didn't see us die, did you?"

SLAP

"Oh, I mean, (y/n), PLEASE STAY SO YOU CAN TELL ME HOW TO NOT DIE!"

SLAP

"OI! NAMI?!"

"Miss (y/n), I'm afraid I don't fully understand what is going on, but I want you to know that I feel that you are one of the most incredible individuals that I have ever met! You really shouldn't worry about being selfish."

Luffy grinned, "I chose you as our ship psycho, because you're really awesome and funny!" He crossed his arms, "No one else can be our psycho! You're our friend, so you're gonna stay!"

"IT'S A PSYCHIC, YOU IDIOT!"

SLAP

"Hey!"

"QUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

You smiled, "You guys..."

"In our eyes you haven't nearly been selfish enough, and I have a feeling that you still don't really understand that." Sanji smirked, "So how starting to indulge a little more by having some sweets I prepared carefully with my love for you."

You wiped your eyes as you beamed, "What have I said about flirting, Flirty?"

A hand ruffled your hair, "If it would make you smile, I'd say anything, Mademoiselle."

"A possible future?"

You nodded as you took another spoonful from the mountain of ice cream, "When it comes to far off events there are too many unknown factors in play, so if I get a vision, it's one of many options for what the future could be. Thankfully, that one seemed like a worst case scenario, and is probably quite unlikely."

"Phew," Usopp deflated, "We might not die..."

"Normally, I'd panic if that was predicted as my future, unlikely or otherwise," Nami frowned, "But since it's so far off, we really can't afford to worry about it right now. We need to focus on getting Vivi home."

She smiled to the side, "Sorry."

Pushing away the empty bowl, you waved your hand at the princess, "I'm the one who should be apologising. I was the one who had a mini-breakdown. Getting you to Alabasta is the priority."

"Even so," Zoro frowned, "we need to get stronger. If there is even a slight chance that I could be beaten that badly, I haven't trained enough."

Luffy nodded seriously, "I'm not letting anyone be sad. No one's allowed to die, okay?"

"You say that as if it's our decision..." Usopp shivered.

Sanji pushed a platter of cakes towards you, "I agree. There's no way I'm letting (y/n)-chwan go through that kind of hell ever again. We need to get stronger to protect all these lovely ladies."

"If you want to get stronger... since I've already snitched about CP9," You tapped your chin teasingly, "It couldn't hurt to teach their secret techniques."

Everyone's eyes snapped to you.

"I can't actually use them myself, I was too much of a liability so they never taught me, but I did watch my associates practice them." You smirked, "With a near photographic memory, I should be able to teach them to some extent."

Luffy narrowed his eyes determinedly as he punched his palm, "Tell us everything."

Chapter Text

"Just to make sure you know what you're getting into," You slowly walked down the line of seated people, "The members of CP9 have trained since childhood to master the Six Powers, and very few of them master them all. They all honed their skills to the max to serve the world government and they overcame the very limits of the human body."

You turned on your heel to face the seven individuals.

"From what I've heard from my ex-associates, the Powers seem to focus on certain aspects of physical perfection in martial arts," You held up one finger, "Iron Body for endurance and durability."

Zoro smirked.

You held up a second finger, "Tempest Kick for kicking strength."

Puffing out a line of smoke, Sanji grinned devilishly.

"Shave for speed."

Usopp and Carue gulped.

A fourth finger, "Moonwalk for jumping agility."

Nami grimaced, and hastily checked the log in an effort to excuse herself.

"Paper Art for flexibility." You splayed out all your fingers on the hand.

Sweat dripped down Vivi's brow.

You narrowed your eyes, "And Finger Pistol for arm strength."

Grimacing, you waved the final finger, "The only techniques I'm willing to teach at the moment are the passive ones, so not Tempest Kick or Finger Pistol. Although Tempest Kick sounds slightly tamer than the others, an insane amount of power can be amassed just by using compressed air. I've seen an entire town completely leveled with a single kick. If any of you somehow manage to master the other four, I might change my mind about teaching it. We just need to make sure we don't practice on the Merry."

"Mhm!" Usopp dipped his head seriously, "We are not letting the Merry get damaged without a good reason."

You nodded, before pressing your lips into a firm line, "And the last one, I'm not going to even attempt to teach. It does what the name says, you shove your finger into a target with immense force, leaving a wound like a bullet hole."

"We're not using that." Luffy's brows knitted.

You grunted in agreement, "It is a horrible move, but one you should be aware of. Even if we probably aren't going to die," you shivered, "one thing that my vision is certain of, is that we will definitely come across CP9 in the future." Turning to Vivi and Carue, "You two didn't seem to be present from what I could tell, but it will be just as useful for you to learn too. A princess needs to be able to hold her own after all."

Vivi bit her lip for a moment before nodding determinedly.

You grinned, "That's the spirit." Letting the expression remain, you rubbed the back of your neck, "I have said this before, but I'm only going off my memory. It may be good, but it's not infallible. Not to mention I'm going to teach you from how I saw my ex-associates deal with them, which means there's a chance that we won't even get anywhere."

"That's fine," Zoro's grin widened into something darker, "The training will still strengthen our bodies."

You recoiled slightly, "Okay...Again I've said this before, but I don't know how to actually use the techniques, and I'm not planning on teaching them to myself now." You patted your left shoulder, "I've got enough on my plate getting used to Mello again."

Nami nodded stiffly.

You briefly outlined the rest of the techniques, before wagging a finger, "There's one thing that my ex-associates mentioned a lot, which is that everyone tends to specialise in one particular power, and that particular art is a reflection of a mix of their personality, fighting style and body type." You grimaced in recollection, "My bodyguard was so well suited to Finger Pistol that he developed a far more powerful variation off it. That was a terrifying day when he decided to test that one out..."

Sanji raised an eyebrow, "I've learnt by now not to really question anything, but a bodyguard? Isn't that a bit much?"

"It makes sense..." Zoro grinned, "As much as I hate to say it, Missy's quite powerful despite taking a training break for six years."

"Finally someone understands..." You chuckled, "But going back to the main point, I'll teach you all how to obtain the powers at the start. But everyone focusing on the same power at the same time is pointless, because you will all pick them up at different speeds. So," You smirked, "each one of you guys are going to choose which power they want to start with."

"(y/n)-CHWAN IS GOING TO BE MY PERSONAL TEACHER~! SHE'S SO SEXY WHEN SHE'S TAKING CONTROL~!"

You shivered, "That's...disturbing on so many levels...Mop-boy, do the honours."

THWACK

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR YOU FILTHY MARIMO?"

"SHE ASKED ME TO HIT YOU, YOU SHITTY COOK! DON'T BLAME ME!"

"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?"

"Ah this never gets old..."

"DAMN IT MISSY!"

You clapped your hands together to dispel the glares, "So you all can choose which one you feel most comfortable with, but if you don't mind I'll give my recommendations. Mop-boy and Flirty, it's pretty clear. I'd choose Iron Body and Moonwalk respectively. Was that what you were thinking?"

"A good swordsman should be able to take any hit without fear."

Sanji frowned, "I was also expecting to learn Iron Body. But I'll do whatever you'll say, (y/n)-chan. As in most situations, you know best."

You grinned as you stepped in front of him, "Nah, you're definitely the best suited here to learn Moonwalk. Just to do it once requires immense leg strength, and although I haven't really seen you fight, it's clear that you're more of an agile fighter than Mop-boy. You wouldn't be able to keep still for long enough to use Iron Body technique."

The cook sat in thought for a moment, before nodding his agreement.

Nami shakily raised her hand, "The rest of us, not including Luffy, aren't really fighters. What should we...?"

Usopp, Vivi and Carue nodded hastily.

You stroked your chin, "That's actually a difficult one. It's a close call between Shave and Paper Art, so I think it's up to you." Gesturing at Carue, you shrugged, "Because you're not really built for most of the powers, I'd recommend that you'd stick to Shave."

"Quaaaaaaa!" He saluted with his wing.

"I think I'm going with that too!" Usopp gave a thumbs up, sweating profusely.

You deadpanned, "Not to say I didn't see this coming, but you're not using it to run away from fights, got it?"

"Damn it."

Nami and Vivi exchanged a look. Eventually the princess raised her hand, "I'd like to try the Paper Art. I'm not an excellent fighter, but what little fighting I can do is close combat based, so avoiding attacks would be beneficial."

"That makes sense. Nami, do you want to join her? You fight with a staff, right?"

"I do." The navigator drummed her fingers against her knees. "And I agree with what she just said. I'm just wondering about getting to Alabasta as soon as possible."

"Not to doubt her kind sentiment, but how certain are we that she's not just hurrying to get her money faster?"

Vivi let out a brief sigh, "As much as relaxing all day sounds enjoyable, I'm really worried about what's happening at home. If I don't so something, I think that I will probably do something I'll regret. Besides," She shifted from side to side, "I don't want to be to helpless. I do not wish to be a burden on you kind people."

You watched amused as Nami's face was filled with many conflicting emotions, including more than a flicker of guilt. 'Well that answers that question.'

"What 'bout me?! Which cool move do I get?!"

You watched your captain bounce up and down on the spot.

" Is that really the boy from earlier? His personality has done a complete reversal!"

You chuckled softly, 'Well I would be too if I was being taught new moves, especially if I could use them to help someone.'

"You have a point."

Scratching your head, you turned to Luffy, "Iron Body is useless to you and I'm not really sure about how useful Paper Art or Moonwalk will be, all because of your devil fruit. So I guess that leaves Shave. Being made of rubber is really useful come to think of it..."

Luffy punches his fists together, "Then that's what I'll start with! Shishishi!"

Usopp and Carue held onto each other for dear life as they looked at the monster that they were going to be training with.

"So now that you've all made up your minds," you grinned devilishly, "how about we get started?"

"Whooooooo..." You slumped against the railing, wiping the trails of blood dripping from both your eyes, "That was just what I needed..."

Zoro collapsed next to you, before slapping you on the back of the head, "Your attacks were weak. If you're gonna hit me, hit me hard."

"Roger that Mop-boy." Recalling Mello back onto your skin, you flicked him, "But I think you made good headway for a first try."

"Hell yeah!"

"You two...are monsters..." Usopp inched his way along the floor towards you, sweat dripping out of every pore, "you just beat...gauh...each other up...for three hours straight..."

"Yeah...? So what?"

"...well duh." You raised an eyebrow, "I did say that this was the best way to improve Iron Body. Plus it's a good stamina workout for me with Mello, so it's a win win." Eying his limp body, you sweatdropped, "I did warn you...but this is worse than what I was expecting"

He groaned and his long nose made a horrible crunching noise as he smashed his head into the deck.

"Shishishi!" Luffy rolled his shoulder round and round, grinning, "That was fun!"

"FUN? I'M PRACTICALLY A PRETZEL!"

"I agree with Nami on this one...guuuuuuuh...I didn't even know my body could bend that way..."

"QUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

You cocked your head at their discomfort, "Well you should just keep training then if it wasn't fun. You'll get there eventually."

"Missy. You only found training fun because you forced yourself to enjoy it. It was that or go mad."

'But this stuff's easy peasy compared to what Cipher Pol made me do.'

"Still...You should be considerate to your crewmates."

Pouting a little, you sighed, We were going to plan a break now anyways. Flirty, do you have enough energy left in your legs to make us something?"

Sanji zipped over to you, and bowed with a tray balancing on his hand, "As it so happens, I made some of my Special Drink whilst I was training, mademoiselle."

Zoro glanced at Sanji's legs and grimaced, "Those better not be my training weights, you second rate cook..."

"So what if they are." Sanji deftly raised one leg to display the impressive array of weights he had strapped to his calves. "(y/n)-chwan recommended them specially, so I'm not taking them off until I've mastered Moonwalk." The cook puffed out a satisfied line of smoke as he handed you a glass of a worryingly blue liquid.

Zoro sighed, "If Missy said so, then that's fine. It just would've been nice if you'd asked, that's all." He leant back, "You better not damage them, you hear?"

"Yeah, yeah."

Raising a suspicious eyebrow, you took a small sip of the blue drink. Despite the colour, it was very refreshing and just the right balance of tartness and sweetness. You let out a small delighted squeal.

The swordsman glanced at you with a reluctant expression, "That good huh? The shitty cook probably didn't make me any."

"Oh!" You smiled deviously, holding out the glass, "Then have some of mine, I don't mind."

A second drink was thrust into Zoro's hand, the liquid splashing all over him. "Actually I did make you some, you filthy marimo! There is no need to deprive (y/n)-chwan of her beverage." The aggravated Sanji quickly stomped off towards where the two other women were fanning themselves on the deck.

You exchanged an amused look with the swordsman.

"Thanks for that one."

"No problemo."

Clinking your glasses, you both took a swig of the cool liquid. After tasting it a second time, you paused for a moment before getting up. You returned with a bottle from the stores.

"Sake?"

"Nice!"

The next couple of days passed away a lot like the first. As you watched the crew train from the upper railing (Sanji very kindly volunteered to take your place in beating up Zoro), you felt a swell of pride. Despite some complaints, the crew was slowly getting used to the rigorous training. Even Nami was calmly doing her yoga, holding another complex pose for several minutes before relaxing out of it and breathing slowly. You sweatdropped.

'Yoga really is no joke huh...'

"This is why I keep telling you to-"

' NOPE!'

"Ooooh! A dolphin! Sanji, can we eat it?"

Tilting your head, you walked over to the side Luffy was pointing from. Sure enough, a dolphin happily splashing about in the waves. "I guess we can call it a day," you grinned.

Usopp whooped, and Sanji instantly produced another tray of his Special Drink, handing you a glass.

Vivi sighed, "It's so cute..."

You sipped the blue liquid gently, "Not to jinx things, but I've got a bad feeling about this."

At once, the dolphin dove out of the water towards the Merry. You craned your neck up as it kept rising. Up...And up...And up...And up...

A shadow fell over the small ship.

Everyone's faces fell.

Grinning widely, you giggled, "Awesome!"

"IT'S HUUUUUUUUUUUGE!"

Luffy beamed next to you as the massive dolphin jumped clean over the Merry and entered the water on the other side with a splash. Sure enough, a tidal wave big enough to engulf the ship was produced.

Stretching his arm in the air, your captain laughed, "RUN AWAY!"

Several glasses smashed to the ground as the Straw-hat crew sprang into action. You clambered up to the crow's nest to keep look out, securing various ropes on your way. Glancing behind, you giggled, "You guys! It's coming back, and looks hungry!"

A familiar arm wrapped around your waist and Luffy zipped up next to you, "Alright! We'll catch the wave and ride it out of here!"

"Aye aye, Cap! HERE IT COMES EVERYONE!"

The two of you held on for dear life as the Merry surfed the second wave at a tremendous speed. You and Luffy whooped in excitement.

After the wave subsided, Luffy jumped down to the deck, "Nami! How's our course?"

"Just a sec. Turn us hard to port!"

"AYE-AYE!"

Something in the distance caught your eye as the ship turned. You beamed, "I see an island ahead, and I think it's Little Garden!"

"No doubt about it." Nami lined her eye up with the pose, "We're directly lined up with Cactus Island. That's Little Garden alright!"

"So that's it! The second island of the Grand Line!" Luffy stretched over to his 'special seat', "LET'S GOOOOOOO!"

"Wait...d...uh...do you think there will be monsters?"

"Who knows!"

"WHAAAA! Let's just fo the next island without stopping here!"

Nami sighed as she turned to the quivering boy, "We need time to set the Log."

"That, and it's about time we picked up some provisions." Sanji sighed, "We didn't get to stock up at the last town."

"Yo, guys!" You smiled down at them, "There's a river mouth up ahead!"

Usopp stopped his grumbling to direct the Merry into the little channel.

"I hope there's a barbeque restaurant here~!"

"What the hell would one be doing here!?"

"But didn't you say we needed provisions?"

"I meant we need to get ingredients! I don't know what goes through that tiny brain of yours!"

Surveying the banks of the island on either side, you frowned, "I think landing's going to be dangerous. These plants look like nothing I've ever seen before, and that's saying something."

A coarse screech filled the air. Jumping down to the deck, you winced at the sound.

"Gya!" Nami recoiled.

Sanji's face grew disgustingly perverted, "Cuuute~!"

"You mean me?" Usopp winked, batting his eyes.

"I MEAN NAMI-SAN, OBVIOUSLY!"

Her eyes widened in horror, "That was that?"

The cook grinned, "Don't worry. It's just a little old bird. And this is just your normal jungle. Nothing to worry about"

You quickly unsheathed a dagger, and sliced the massive bird-like creature's neck inches before it sliced Sanji's back, "I know I'm the only one with future sight, but could we please be a little more careful?"

They gaped at you.

You raised an eyebrow, "Seriously though, you should be on your guard more. We have no idea what could be out there."

"Oooooh!" Luffy prodded the feathered creature. "Can we eat it?"

"I dunno what it even is." You turned the head to the side with your foot. Uncharacteristically sharp teeth protruded from the 'beak' of the animal, and vicious talons protruded from the legs.

Nami and Vivi paled.

Glancing at them out of the corner of your eye, you crossed your arms, "Well don't leave us in suspense here."

Shakily raising a finger, Nami gulped, "I had read about them in that navigation book, but I didn't think we would come across one of them." She pointed weakly at the large animal, "If I'm correct...that's a dinosaur!"

"This must be one of the Prehistoric Islands," Vivi said with wide eyes, "This island is still back in the Age of the Dinosaurs!"

The male straw-hats blinked.

Noticing their blank faces, she sighed and elaborated for them.

Tilting your head, you turned to look at your left side, 'Uuuuh...what's a dinosaur?'

"Essentially gigantic lizards. Excluding the Prehistoric Islands, they have been wiped out all over the globe."

'But this isn't a lizard. It has feathers.'

"That's because it's a species called the Archaeopteryx. Surprisingly many dinosaurs have feathers."

"You okay Missy?" Zoro waved a hand in front of your face.

You rubbed the back of your neck, "Yeah, Mello was just explaining what a dinosaur was."

You were met with seven gaping faces.

"...What?"

Usopp dashed over and shook you, "How the hell have you not heard about dinosaurs until now? Did you have no childhood?"

"Well no, I didn't."

"OhgeezI'msosorry," He recoiled, bowing profusely.

Sanji slapped him over the head, "HOW COULD YOU REMIND (y/n)-CHWAN ABOUT HER TRAUMATIC PAST!"

"As if that helps matters..."

Lazily waving a hand, you sighed, "Meh, it's fine. My past was not really traumatic, more like disappointing. And I've got used to it by now."

And Smoker said you couldn't lie...

A loud boom echoed through the air.

Usopp clasped his head, "That sounded like a volcano erupting!"

"Prehistoric Islands often have multiple volcanoes, so that isn't surprising," Nami trembled as she clutched onto the railing.

He shrieked.

"RIGHT!" Nami punched the air, "We'll just sit on the ship and quietly wait for the Log to set."

"Yes!" The sniper squeaked.

"Then we'll get out of here as fast as possible."

"Yes!"

"We do have to hurry to Alabasta, right?"

"YES!"

After finally finding a suitable place to land the boat, you looked at the dark tropical forest.

"Shishishi!" You recoiled from the terrifyingly gleeful expression on Luffy's face, "Sanji! Lunchbox!"

The cook puffed out a line of smoke, "Lunchbox?"

"Yeah, to recharge my power!" He grinned excitedly, "A TON of mean and NO vegetables! A pirate's lunchbox! I smell an adventure!"

"That doesn't sound so bad. Can you do one for me too, Flirty!" You giggled.

"N-now hold on a second, you two!" Nami dashed over. "Where do you think you're going?"

You and Luffy practically sparkled with excitement.

"On an adventure!"

"I wanna see more of these dinosaur-things!"

Nami realised it was pointless to stop you and turned away dramatically as tears rolled down her cheeks. Usopp pouted, lips overly exaggerated like a beak.

Sanji walked over towards the galley, "Right then, I heard you. Just gimme a minute."

"Make mine separately, please!"

"Does a Sweet Lovelove Lunchbox sound good, (y/n)-chwan~?!"

"Keep the sweet, ditch the love."

Vivi tapped her chin, then smiled at Luffy, "Is it okay if I go with you?"

Usopp, Nami and Carue shrieked.

"Yea, c'mon! Let's go!"

"Don't tell me you're going along with this!?" Nami looked betrayed as Vivi slowly walked towards the monkey faced boy.

She looked off into the distance, "Well, if I sit around here, I'll only get depressed. I might as well relax while we wait for the Log to set."

You giggled, "I like your definition of relaxation!"

Nami wasn't convinced, "Luffy does this all the time, and (y/n) can definitely take care of herself, but it's far too dangerous for you!"

"Oh I'll be alright. Carue will be with me!"

The duck's 'jaw' dropped in horror.

Sanji called from the galley that he was making another lunchbox and a Special Drink for Carue. This cheered the duck up a little, but he continued to tremble vigorously.

You snatched your lunch as soon as it was ready and vaulted over onto the bank. You secured it inside one of your side pouches, and instantly summoned Mello. Turning over your shoulder, you waved back to the crew, "I'll be back before sunset, and I'll bring some meat back too!"

"SUNSET'S TOO LATE! OI (y/n)!"

You giggled as you sped off into the jungle before the others could stop you.

'You ready for some exploring, Mello?'

"Surprisingly...Yes, I am."

'Then how about we go take a bird's eye look at this place?'

" Excellent suggestion."

Mello extended, carrying you high up above the trees. You loved the feeling of being on top of the world, and especially in a place with all these awesome flying lizards. To your left you could see a massive dinosaur with a long neck. Mello called that one a 'Brontosaurus'. There was so much to see, you almost missed a lime umbrella rising above the trees.

You frowned as you made the connection, 'Baroque Works is here.'

"We should alert the others."

You nodded, about to descend when a shadow loomed over you.

"It is strange to see a human who can be as tall as us. Gegyagyagyagya!"

You froze. 'Mello. I don't suppose dinosaurs can...talk by any chance, can they?'

" Unfortunately not. That leaves one possible scenario..."

You slowly looked up over your shoulder at the large humanoid. You gulped.

"Giant."

Chapter Text

"Gegyagyagyagya!"

"Shishishishishi!"

You giggled at Vivi's horrified expression as she sat timidly before the giant, before taking another bite of the dinosaur meat, "Y'know Cap, if you'd wanted a good view, you should have just called me. Although playing around on dinosaurs sounds pretty fun."

"Gegyagyagyagya! She's right ya know!" Dorry's laugh boomed around the island. "When I found her, she was almost at the same height as myself!"

Luffy pouted, "But you ran off without us. And you said we were going to go exploring together. Meany!"

"I SAID NOTHING LIKE THAT!"

"DID TOO!"

"DID NOT!"

"DID TOO!"

"DID NOT!"

"DID TOO!"

"DID NOT!"

"BOTH OF YOU BE QUIET!"

"QUAAAAA!"

The giant tilted back his head and roared with laughter, slapping his leg hard, "What a funny little crew!"

You smirked.

Luffy tore off another piece from the large hunk of meat he was sitting on, "Anyway gramps, why are you living alone out here? Don't you have a village or something?"

Dorry's grin dropped, "Yeah I have a village. Elbaf the Village of Warriors. Somewhere out on the Grand Line."

"The why aren't you there?" You frowned as you chewed on a particularly large hunk of meat.

"Our village has laws." Dorry peered down at you, grimacing.

"Laws?"

"For example: to settle a fight, the opponents must leave the village and accept the judgement of our god, Elbaf. Elbaf grants divine protection unto the rightful victor. That rightful victor is allowed to live."

Luffy frowned, "Your god Elbaf?"

The giant calmly gestured to his battered sword and shield, "Well, I started a feud. And to this day, another man and I have used this island as our dueling ground. The rightful victor shall triumph and survive." He laughed his strange laugh, "But it's been 100 years, and we still haven't settled it!"

"You guys have been fighting for 100 years!?" Luffy's eyes widened dramatically.

Dorry tilted his head questioningly, "Surprised? It's nothing to be surprised about."

"Giants supposedly live about three times longer than humans."

'Really? That's awesome. Why didn't you tell me this cool stuff earlier?'

"It wasn't necessary."

' NECESSARY MY ASS!'

You slapped your left shoulder, before crying out in pain.

"You idiot."

Dorry glanced at you with a raised eyebrow.

Vivi shot a panicked glance at you as you continued to glare at your shoulder, before turning to the giant, "Fighting for 100 years? Shouldn't you be tired of it? Is there still a reason to keep fighting?" She frowned as the giant started to laugh, "You could die, right!?"

You grinned at her, "Since when did that matter?"

Suddenly, one of the volcanoes in the distance exploded with a loud boom.

"Wow!" Luffy gaped, "That's a HUGE eruption!"

"Time to go," Dorry smiled with quiet anticipation as he stood, collecting his weapons.

Another three explosions were heard from the volcano, but you barely registered them. You just stared transfixed at the dangerous blue light in Dorry's eyes.

"That's some determination."

You nodded blankly.

The giant clenched his fist, "I forgot when we decided, the eruption of the centre mountain signals the start of our battle."

Vivi rushed forwards in panic, "But that's...! To hate someone so much that you could fight to the death for 100 years! What reasons could you possibly be fighting about?"

"Don't interrupt," Luffy raised his arm in front of her face. "That's not what it's about."

The entire forest started to tremble as the silhouette of the other fighter loomed over the horizon.

Dorry grinned, "Exactly. It's about HONOUR!"

As soon as he spoke, the other giant started to run towards him with his axe raised, trampling every tree in his path.

"THE REASON!?" Dorry raised his shield, "I FORGOT YEARS AGO!"

He sprinted forwards and met the other giant head on. As soon as they collided, a massive shockwave echoed over the entire island.

You gaped in awe, before slumping to the ground. The sight of the two giants exchanging blows was more than impressive, especially as both of them looked like they were having the time of their lives.

Luffy collapsed next to you, sweating slightly.

Vivi ran over to the two of you, "W-what's wrong?"

"Incredible," he gasped out.

"You said it." You sat forwards, and your captain soon did the same.

"They're so HUGE!"

"That wasn't quite what I was thinking, but yes." You grinned weakly, "Yes they are."

After that you both sat in silent excitement as you watched the battle rage in front of you. You completely tuned out the others and had full focus on the two giants. You were vaguely aware of Vivi shaking you, but ignored it.

'This. Is awesome.'

"Agreed. I never expected to witness such an amazing fight."

'I bet Usopp would love to see this.'

"He would be ecstatic."

Dorry stabbed forwards with his sword. The other giant jumped into the air and the blade slid harmlessly into a stone, cracking it into pieces. The other giant had jumped a lot higher than what you would have expected for someone of his size, and he used this height to his advantage as he heavily swung down with his axe. Dorry's sword was still stuck in the rock and he had no way to dodge, so he tilted his head forwards. The axe struck his helmet. Another shockwave ruffled through your hair. Dorry lunged forwards with his helmet, driving the other giant through a massive rock.

Your eyes sparkled. 'That was a dangerous gamble.'

"Indeed. If Mr Dorry had mispredicted the trajectory of the axe, it would have meant certain death."

'Almost reminds me of how we operate together.'

" I can see what you mean."

The two giants stood once more. The axe giant sliced towards Dorry. He leant back. Regaining his stance, Dorry replied to the attack with one of his own. The sword met an awaiting shield. The axe followed, and Dorry's shield rose up to meet it. The two giants slammed together in a deadlock.

"For all the brawn they muster, each and every one of their attacks are poised to aim for their opponent's weak spots. Most impressive."

You nodded.

The fight continued in this way, ending in deadlock after deadlock. Eventually, both their weapons flew out of their hands, and each giant was left with just a shield. You saw them exchange a few words, before smacking their shields into eachothers face. The two giants fell towards the ground, the battle evidently over. Another shockwave ran through the entire island as the massive bodies hit the ground.

Suddenly two very distinct laughs rose up from the place where both giants fell.

"Gegyagyagyagya!"

"Gababababababa!"

You smiled broadly, giggling a little yourself.

You eyed the barrels that Dorry had bought back with disdain, "Of course Nami and Usopp chose the worst sort of liquor we have. Those idiots know nothing about good drink."

"Shishishi!" Luffy tilted his head at you, "It's fiiiiiiine."

Glaring at him, you marched over to the three barrels and awkwardly shoved them under your arms, "No it's not. These guys deserve the best liquor we can offer. I'm going back to the Merry to get some."

"Gegyagyagyagya! It's fine," Dorry tried to take a barrel, "I haven't had booze in so long, any sort is good."

You dodged the large hand effortlessly, "No way am I letting you drink this."

"Aw c'mon (y/n). Let him have the booze."

"NO!"

"Now you're just being stubborn, Missy."

'Am I really? My gut is screaming at me that no one should drink this stuff. Can you not feel it?'

"Of course I can. But it would be a lot easier if you just told them."

'Vivi's got enough to worry about as it is. And I think Dorry will probably take it the wrong way.'

"You do have a point..."

Vivi frowned, "By the way Mr Dorry, does it really take a whole year for the Log to set?"

He grinned as he continued to try and swat you, "You guys didn't notice all those puny human bones over there?"

She stiffened.

"Most humans that land here usually die before their Logs set. Some become dinosaur food, others succumb to the heat, and some try to attack us. But they all die." He sighed, "It seems that spending a year on this island is too much or humans."

Vivi clenched her fists, eyes staring blankly ahead, "What now? Even if I can survive here for a year, who knows what will happen to my country in that time!" She cradled her head in her hands and started to sob.

"You're right about that. A year's way too long," Luffy drawled lazily.

You took this time to attempt to sneak away, however a large arm soon blocked your path.

"Not so fast human. Gimme my booze."

"Human, huh?" Gritting your teeth, you smiled, "Have to say, that's something I'm not called often." You promptly sat down, with the barrels in front of you. "You have left me no choice." Quickly, you opened a barrel and drained the contents.

"Missy what are you doing! You have no idea what's in there or what it will do to you!"

"Hey!"

"Oi, (y/n)! Why did you do that?"

Vivi glared aggressively, "How can you be thinking about booze right now!"

You clenched your eyes shut, waiting for something to happen. After a while, you relaxed with a happy sigh.

'Well it seems like I was incorrect afte-' The ground started to wobble under your feet. Looking about, your vision slipped in and out of focus.

'Shit.'

An explosion rang through your ears, and you spat out a glob of blood. Collapsing on the floor, you clasped your stomach in agony.

Wincing, you felt your body being shaken. You realised a blurry Vivi and Luffy were yelling at you, but the high pitched ringing in your ears made it impossible to tell what they were actually saying.

"Gimme...mo," you tried to mumble. From the way they were still shaking you, the words hadn't reached them.

The blurry figures stepped back, and you became vaguely aware that you were being raised into the air before you finally lost consciousness.

Wincing, you groaned as the sides your head throbbed mockingly. You flickered open your eyes. Right in front of you was a massive white eye, and a wide grin.

"Oh, the strange woman is awake!"

"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" You scuttled back in shock. Suddenly your hand fell into nothing, and you turned around to see a large drop behind you. "AAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"Miss (y/n)! I am so relieved to see that you are alright!"

"QUAAAA!"

"(y/n)! I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAAAAAD!"

"SHUDDUP!" You clasped your hands over your very sensitive ears. A familiar rubber arm coiled around your waist and you were thrown forwards as someone catapulted onto your back. Turning around as best as you could in the iron-like grip, you were met with the sight of a sobbing Luffy.

He rubbed his snotty face into your jacket, "D..ugh..DON'T DO THAT AGAIN!"

You smirked weakly, "Do you have that little faith in me?"

"Oh please, I don't have that much faith in you, and I've known you since the day you were born."

You didn't even have the energy to thump your shoulder.

"How did you know, (y/n) was it?" Dorry lowered his hand, with you on it, to the ground.

You stepped off the large hand, Luffy still clinging to you tight like a monkey, bawling his eyes out. Turning to the giant, you raised a lazy eyebrow, "Yeah, I'm Saioney (y/n)."

He stroked his beard, "A Saioney, huh." His eyes widened, "That means you're a time reader."

"You know about us?" You tried to detach the boy from yourself, but he was stuck like glue.

"Mmm..." he grunted, stroking his beard, "Of course I do. The Time Triplets are considered legends among Giant kind. Never thought they actually existed."

"Time Triplets huh? Sounds like a boy band..."

Vivi frowned, "This still leaves the problem with who did this. Do you think it could have been the other giant, Brogy?"

Luffy stopped his wailing as he glared at her, "No way other giant-gramps did this! That would disrespect the honour of their fight! No giant of Elbaf would do that!"

Dorry grunted his agreement.

"It was Baroque Works," You finally got Luffy off you and immediately took off your now snotty jacket. You winced as you saw your mottled black unhealed torso. That explosive rum really had done a number on your body, and you made a mental note to thank Mello later. "When I got my birds-eye view earlier I saw Miss Valentine on the island." You sighed, "I didn't say anything earlier 'cause didn't want any of you to worry about it. You guys have enough on your plate as it is."

"That is worrying..." Vivi mused, tapping her chin. "This was most likely meant for us then."

You grunted, before turning towards your captain, "I need to get back to the Merry. Sure I'm still alive, but I also have some internal damage that needs healing. I'd not be much use facing Baroque Works, if there is a fight I'm a sitting duck. No offence, Carue."

"Quaaa."

"Go!" Luffy started to pound his fists together, enraged. "We'll handle the rest here."

You smiled, sliding down off Dorry's hand.

"Will you be able to get back there by yourself, (y/n)?" Vivi placed a calming hand on your shoulder.

You grinned devilishly, "It's only Mello who is out of energy. I can take care of myself, thank you. Ex-assassin after all."

With that you waved goodbye as you vanished into the shadows of the tropical forest.

"I can't believe you! We have come across a bomb-man already, and you even knew that they were on the island. What can I do to make you understand that although you have superior healing, thanks to yours truly, YOU ARE BY NO MEANS INVINCIBLE!"

You massaged the sides of your head, "I know, I know. But geez, keep it down okay? My head is ripping apart without you doing some mental screaming."

"I feel you deserve it."

"Hey!"

You stopped walking as you heard a volcano erupt. You smiled, "He's going to be able to fight his duel now."

"Yes...BUT ONLY BECAUSE YOU BLEW YOURSELF UP!"

"That was only because he left me no other option..."

"YOU COULD HAVE JUST TOLD THEM!"

"And told them what exactly? 'Oh something's up with this rum but I have no idea exactly what, but yeah don't drink it.' That would have worked if any of the others were there, but Luffy would have laughed it off. And Vivi wouldn't have been able to stop it."

"Ah...you may have a point."

A twig snapped nearby. You flinched instinctively and silently clambered behind a large shrub.

You heard something with four legs stalk forwards and stop. You held your breath.

"That's odd. I could have sworn that my darling (y/n)-chwan was here. I thought I heard her mumbling something..."

You shot upwards incredulously, "Flirty?"

The blond cook was riding nonchalantly upon a large cat thing. It looked like it had it's face kicked in, and you winced in pity. Sanji still was wearing many of Zoro's training weights.

"That's a saber tooth tiger, Missy. Not a dinosaur, but part of that era."

'Why is he riding it...?'

"I wouldn't ask."

"Oh god," He slid off the large creature and dashed over to you. "What the hell happened to you?" The tiger was about to slip off into the jungle, but was stopped by Sanji's glare. He turned back to you, eyebrows raised expectantly.

You waved your hand calmly, "Meh, nothing much. A bomb went off in my stomach, no biggy."

You felt Mello heave a heavy sigh.

"YOU ATE A BOMB!?"

"Well I technically drank it..."

"HOW YOU CONSUMED IT DOESN'T MATTER!" He lifted you up gently and seated you on the back of the tiger. Moving round to the head, his face darkened, "If you so much as let a bump affect the lady, I'm going to let her have a taste of lightly seared tiger meat."

You swore you could see the tiger gulp in fear.

"Flirty...I'm fine."

He tore down some vines and fashioned them into a makeshift bridle. He fastened it to the tiger's muzzle, and held onto the end, beaming at you, "Don't worry, mademoiselle. I, your ever trusty knight will protect you."

You deadpanned, "Oh wow. I feel safer already."

He ignored you, walking the tiger off in a direction you hoped was towards the Merry.

"Please. Let me off. I'm fine."

He didn't reply.

You raised an eyebrow, "Flirty?"

"His nose appears to be bleeding."

You groaned, "He'd better not be in some sort of pervy fantasy right now."

"Please, Missy. May I hit him?"

You seriously considered it for a moment. "If you do, will he develop brain damage."

"I'll try."

"As much as that's appreciated, be careful. If he loses his ability to cook, I'm blaming you."

The scythe chuckled, "Perhaps not then."

You giggled back, "Probably for the best. Luffy'd kill me."

"Mmm..."

A moment of silence as the tiger continued on through the jungle.

"Soooo...what are you doing here Flirty? I thought you would be on the Merry."

This seemed to shatter his dream world. Frowning, he glanced back at you, "I was waiting there for hours, and no one showed up." He grimaced, "Not even that stupid Marimo for our hunting competition, but he could have easily gotten lost. I got worried, and went go back to and look for everyone. And that lead me to you."

You frowned, "I dunno bout Mop-boy, but Nami and Usopp are with Brogy and I just left Cap, Vivi and Carue with Dorry not long ago."

"Who are Dorry and Brogy?"

"Giants."

The cigarette dropped from his mouth, "HUUUUUUUH?! Giants?! They exist?! Are Nami-swan and Vivi-chwan in danger?! Do they need me to protect them?! What if they're eaten?!"

"Chill out, Flirty." You raised a hand, "Yeah they exist, but it's fine. I'd trust those guys with my life. Plus I'd be willing to bet that Nami and the others are safer with the giants then without them right now." You lowered your voice, afraid of being overheard, "Vivi's friends are here."

Hand slipping on his lighter, Sanji grimaced, "Oh? They are, are they? I'm assuming that they are the ones behind that bomb."

"Well yeah."

A fiery aura erupted around the impassioned cook, "I'LL KILL THOSE SHITTY BASTARDS!"

"Oi...Flirty! Careful!"

The bridle on the tiger burnt through. Yowling, the creature bucked you off into a bush before sprinting off into the dense forest.

Dusting yourself off, you glanced up. You raised an eyebrow, "The hell is that thing?"

Sanji turned, and he frowned suspiciously.

Before the two of you was a little white cabin. Shaped like a perfectly proportioned cube with circular windows and the occasional solid drops all over the walls, it looked so out of place in the irregular griminess of the forest.

You stood and walked gingerly towards it. Nothing happened, so you knocked on the walls. You were met with a solid thunk.

" This cannot be what I think it is..."

"Wax." You declared, running your finger down the wall, "This entire building is made of wax."

Sanji sauntered towards you, "Devil fruit?"

"Probably." You tapped your chin, "But the only inhabitants here are the giants, and they couldn't even fit in here..."

His eyes widened, and he gave a devilish grin, "Then that means..."

You giggled as you surveyed the small building, "We may have just found Baroque Work's current base of operations. And we didn't even have to look for it. Neat!"

Chapter Text

Peering out of the corner of your eye, you observed the cook with apprehension. Sanji poured the dark liquid into two china cups and offered one to you. He sniffed his cup and sighed contentedly.

He raised it to his lips, "For afternoon tea, Earl Grey is indeed the best."

You eyed your cup suspiciously, before taking a sip. You gagged.

'I'm not touching that stuff ever again even if it kills me!'

" You lack refinement."

"So, Sanji," You placed the cup down on the tablecloth, "You seem to be very, very, worried about our friends, don't you." You nodded, "Oh yes. Very worried."

He flinched, before looking around at the wax walls, "OI! Hold on!"

"So you've finally come to your senses?"

Sanji waved his hands in protest, "Nononono! I was perfectly fine, (y/n)-chwan! Haven't forgotten about them at all! I...uh...was just ensuring that you were well rested! Yes, well rested! Because you are injured, aren't you?" His eyes widened, and he clasped his head in horror, "HOW COULD I HAVE FORGOTTEN THAT THE LOVELY (Y/N)-CHWAN ATE A BOMB?!"

"Technically I drank it…"

"AAAAGH!"

You raised an eyebrow at his melodramatic pose.

"But you're right." He stood. "We shouldn't be sitting here drinking tea all stylish-like!"

'Oh thank Kronos…'

"Nami-san and the others might be awaiting my rescue!"

Standing up, you stretched, "Well this is a fix isn't it."

He growled at you distastefully, before taking a look around the little wax cabin, "We should probably check this place out first, shouldn't we? If this really is Baroque Works' hideout, we might find some useful information."

"That's what you said before checking out the teapot for 'useful information'."

"I'M BEING SERIOUS THIS TIME!"

"Purupurupurupuru…"

The two of you turned to a vibrating wicker basket.

"Purupurupurupuru…"

Sanji creased his brow, "What the…?"

You crouched beside the basket, "That sounds like a snail…" You opened the basket and sure enough, a purple and moustached transponder snail was placed on the table.

Turning it to the side, you noticed black letters spelling out 'Mr. 3'. You winced, "Oh I really hate being right."

Sanji placed his hand on the transceiver before turning to you, "Should I…?"

"Not sure," You shrugged, "There is a chance that this could be...y'know…"

His eyes narrowed, "Crocodile...?"

You nodded.

To your surprise, he smirked, "I can handle him."

"Caa~lick!"

You shuffled excitedly next to the cook, as he leant back on the wax chair with the transceiver.

"Hey, thanks for calling, this is the Shitty Restaurant. You wanna make an order?"

Clasping a hand over your mouth, you grinned like a lunatic. Your stomach still ached from earlier, so each giggle stang a little.

"Missy! This is a serious matter, you both should use extreme caution! If that really is Crocodile…"

"Cut the bulshit. Asshole." The dry, raspy voice dropped the smile from your face, and you shivered slightly. "Your report's late."

Sanji raised an eyebrow, "Huh? Report? And might I inquire as to who is calling?"

" YOU IMBECILE!"

"It's me..."

You gulped.

"...Mr 0."

" I TOLD YOU! I SAID THAT IT MIGHT BE CROCODILE AND THAT YOU SHOULD BE CAREFUL-!"

You massaged the sides of your head as Mello continued to scream at you, and attempted to listen to what was going on despite the mental noise.

Sanji sat on the edge of the chair, a dark look on his face.

" ONE OF THE SEVEN WARLORDS IS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THAT SNAIL-!"

He was silenced as the sound of a tapping finger came through the transceiver. "It's been days since I gave you your orders. What the hell's going on?"

Sanji raised an eyebrow at you inquiringly.

You shrugged.

"What's with the silence?" A drink was being poured over at the other snail. "I asked you a question. Have you eliminated Princess Vivi and those Straw Hat Pirates, and obtained Missy Sai?"

Sanji took a puff of his cigarette, "Yeah, mission accomplished." He smirked, "I got rid of those bastards that discovered your secret, so there's no need to pursue them anymore."

Realising what he was doing, you grinned.

"And the weapon?"

A breath caught in your throat. Weapon. Did he know, or was he just very good at objectifying people.

"Oh her?" Sanji grimaced, shooting a side glance at you, "She's been successfully apprehended."

"I want to speak with her. You haven't harmed her have you?"

Turning to you, Sanji sighed apologetically, "Of course not. She's...right here." He held out the transceiver.

You sucked in a breath, steeling yourself, before reaching out and taking it, "Mr 0…"

"It's a pleasure, Missy Sai. Or should I say, Miss Hallows Eve."

'That name really does suck…' you thought internally, before cocking your head in confusion as you realised something, "Hang on, I thought that the position would be filled by someone else when I refused to join."

He laughed. A shiver ran up and down your spine, "We have had a problem with finding willing partners for Mr 2. All of the female officer agents refuse to work with him, even if it entails a promotion. And he insists that he can fill out both roles as a man of both genders." He tsked, "Whatever that means..."

"Hm?" You thought back to your encounter with the Okama, "Yeah I can see that..."

"So. Have there been any...complications?"

Kronos he sounded scary. But still...

"There is a possibility that you could get rid of any additional complications."

You dipped your head. "Actually...yeah."

"What happened?"

'Oh I'm going to hate this'

"Your Mr 5 pair, that's what happened." You huffed disdainfully, "I think they held a grudge from how I defeated them on Cactus Island, or something. As soon as they saw me they attacked me head on. Mr 5 even force fed me one of his bombs." You didn't have to force the grimace there. What exactly did you drink?

"Is that so…"

"Getting your stomach blown up is some way to feel 'welcomed'. If you really want me to join, you have a strange way of showing it." You realise something was wrong as soon as you finished your sentence.

Normal people couldn't survive an explosion in their stomach, right?

Static tapping emerged through the transceiver.

"They'll be eliminated." The snail grimaced, "They haven't been implicitly following orders for some time now."

Your jaw dropped. Eliminated? You thought they'd just be punished or something.

You'd just signed the death warrant of two people.

"He is a Warlord, Missy. What exactly were you expecting?"

Your nails dug into your shoulder.

Sanji stared at you incredulously.

"That would be..." You gritted your teeth, forcing out the word, "excellent....thanks..." You cradled your head in your free hand, eyes vacant.

Crocodile barked out a laugh, "I am looking forward to working with you, Miss Hallows Eve."

"Likewise...Mr 0."

As soon as you passed the transceiver back to Sanji you stood. You felt restless, just aimlessly pacing back and forth.

"I do not see the problem, Missy. Your safety is my priority."

'Just...shut up.'

"Good work, Mr 3. The Unluckies are headed towards your location, they will confirm your mission's success and make a delivery."

Sanji raised an eyebrow, "Unluckies? A delivery?"

"An eternal pose to the Alabasta Kingdom."

You stumbled, and the cook turned to you in confusion. Miming zipping your lips, you waved an arm in to encourage him to keep listening.

Clinks. "You and Miss Goldenweek are to return to Alabasta. The time has come. We will now commence the most critical part of our plan. Await detailed instructions upon reaching Alabasta."

All at once, you could feel piercing glares burn into your back. You turned slowly. A vulture and an otter sat calmly in the window-holes.

' Oh please no…'

Sanji frowned, "Who are these two?"

'Nonononono!'  You mimed an aggressive slicing motion across your neck.

His eyes widened as the vulture unfurled her wings and revealed a machine gun. The otter unclasped both sides of his shell and massive spikes emerged from the top, dark sunglasses never turning from your direction.

'Shit …'

"Oi!" The snail barked, "What's going on this time?"

Both you and Sanji started to sweat profusely. He bit down on his cigarette, "Oh...Nothing at all…"

"Sure…Nothing…" Reaching for your daggers, your eyebrow started to twitch. 

The vulture opened her wings and a hail of bullets rocketed towards Sanji. He leapt out the way just as the wax chair exploded into small shards. Kicking up the table, you pulled him under.

The cook gaped at the line of bullet holes trailing up the wall, "...the hell?"

You shoved his head down just as a hail of bullets screamed towards you.

Smash! Clink! Pop!

All the china smashed into pieces on the floor. Millions of tiny shards rained down on top of you, making both of you throw a hand over your eyes.

Wincing, you became aware of a brown blur moving towards you. Dashing to the side, you quickly leant back to dodge a slash from one of the otter's shells. You felt a sting in your side as a dark patch began to bloom on your trousers.

Too slow.

'That bomb must have done more than I thought…'

"I WARNED YOU!"

'You're doing a lot of mental screaming today, are you alright?'

" NO I AM NOT ALRIGHT, YOU ALMOST DIED!"

The otter slashed again. Bringing up your daggers, they met in the middle with a clang. Your pride faltered as you struggled either way, no one gaining or losing any distance.

"I, the one who destroyed islands, and out-ran Smoker, can't beat a stupid otter."

The stalemate was broken when foot slammed into the back of the creature's head. The otter flew into the wax wall, and gently slumped to the floor, twitching gently. You winced as you eyed the weights attached to the cook's legs.

Ouch.

Sanji growled with rage as he turned towards the vulture. His face was littered with small cuts from the china, and you were sure yours looked the same if they hadn't healed already.

"No one-" He splayed a hand on the ground and caught the bird's head between his feet-"harms (y/n)-chan-" In an impressive movement, he lifted his entire body off the ground and twisted round-"when I'm around!"

A resonant crack echoed around the small cabin. Sanji deftly touched his feet to the ground and the limp body of the vulture collapsed beside him.

The transponder snail, being a cowardly creature, had somehow managed to avoid all projectiles and emerged unscathed. It slithered round to face Sanji with a frown on its face, "What happened? What was that noise?"

You eyed the fallen transceiver, wincing. You had forgotten that the call was still running.

Evidently, so had Sanji. He ran over to the snail and hastily retrieved the transceiver as it dangled off the table, "Oh...Uh...It was nothing...sir."

The snail gazed at him blankly.

"Uuuh...one of those Straw Hat bastards was still alive." Sweat dripped down his brow, "But it's under control, I finished him off. Rest assured. All's good!"

"Alive?" The snail's eyes narrowed, "You told me you completed your assignment. Isn't that what you said?"

Sanji coughed, "Well, yes…I thought I completed it, yeah. But this bastard was a lot stronger than I expected."

You hastily moved next to him so you could talk into the transceiver, "Yeah...that swordsman was a menace...I thought he was dead for sure..."

Sanji grinned manically at that.

"In other words...you gave me a false report."

You both recoiled.

"Well, yeah…" He winced. "If you wanna put it that way...But this time," He turned to the unmoving bodies on the ground, "I'm quite sure I've finished him off. No need for you to send anyone else over here, okay?"

The pause hurt.

"Whatever." Crocodile drawled, "In any case, you're to head straight for Alabasta."

You were reminded about what he had said earlier about an eternal pose, and hastily walked over to the limp bodies. It felt weird rummaging through their pockets...if they even had pockets...but it had to be done.

"I'm ending the transmission here." The snail snarled in disdain, "It'd be annoying if the marines got wind of this. I will re-establish communication the same way you have been receiving orders until now. That is all." The snail smiled darkly, "Godspeed, Mr 3."

"Ca~lick"

You caught sight of the pose rolling across the floor, and quickly scooped it up before it got damaged.

Sanji replaced the transceiver, "The line's been cut." He stood, "Just who the hell are these guys?"

"The Unluckies, I think. But it doesn't really matter." Grinning, you gestured to the pose, "We're just lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time."

He puffed on his cigarette, "Why?"

"We have this."

"And just what the hell is it?"

"Right, you weren't there, damn…" You sighed, straightening your legs. You grinned at his confused face as you pointed to the pose, "This is our way off this island."

He took it out of your hand and casually tossed it in the air, "Don't we already have one of these?"

"Careful!" You snatched it in midair, glaring at him, "This is different to a regular pose. It constantly points towards a single island, and isn't affected by magnetic fields."

"But this one points to…" Sanji's eyes widened as he read the label.

You grinned, "Exactly."

He peered curiously at the glass ball, "Even so, why did you say it was our way off this island? Once our pose has set, we'll be able to leave just fine."

"And how long do you think that would take?"

He shook his head, "A day?"

"A year."

"WHAT?! That can't be right!"

"That's why we need to get this back to the others." You motioned to the door, tapping your chin mockingly, "I wonder how Nami and Vivi are doing against those Baroque Works agents…"

A black blur flew past your face, and you coughed on the residual smoke.

"I'M ON MY WAY LADIES~!"

Jogging out of the forest and into a clearing, you doubled over gasping for breath. "Geez...heh...you could've...heh...waited…" You spat onto the grass, "Damn you're fast when it comes to women...And I'm ready to sleep for a day..."

"You could have caught up to him IF YOU HADN'T DRANK A BOMB!"

'Geez...drop it already.'

Raising your head, you let out a sigh of relief as the rest of the crew and the two giants relaxed on the ground without any weird agents to be found.

"Nami-saaaaaaan~! Vivi~chwaaaaaaan~! ...and the rest of you jerks!"

Luffy smiled and waved at you, "Yo! Sanji! And (y/n)!"

As you shuffled closer, you realised that his signature red vest was missing and his body blackened by scorch marks.

" They all appear to have been burnt in some way…"

Looking around the group, you grimaced as you confirmed that Mello was right. You pouted, 'What did they do without me! I missed out on the fun!'

Mello screeched.

Sanji sauntered forwards, his arms spread out wide and a ridiculous smile on his face, "Everybody's safe, right!? Thank goodness!" He opened his eyes, finally noticing the two large warriors, "WHAT THE HELL! YOU WERE RIGHT ABOUT THE GIANTS, (y/n)?!"

"Why wouldn't I be…" You slumped next to Zoro on a nearby log. "Maaaaaaan, I'm exhausted."

You smiled lightly as you watched Nami punch Sanji square in the jaw. From what you could gather, her shirt had burnt off, and he was trying to keep her shirtless whilst still being a perfect gentleman. Eventually he gave in and handed her his jacket.

The swordsman raised an eyebrow, "So what the hell were you two up to?"

"Oh, funny story that," you smirked.

Sanji sauntered over and sat on your other side, "We just had a talk with Mr 0 on a transponder snail."

Vivi stiffened, "The Boss!? You talked to him!?"

"Yeah." You propped up your head with your hands, "When I was heading back to the Merry, I ran into Flirty here. Somehow we accidentally managed to find our way to Baroque Works' hideout in the forest." You giggled, "Boy am I glad we did."

"Seems he mistook me for this 'Mr 3'." Sanji puffed out a line of smoke, very satisfied with himself, "So I went ahead and told him that I'd finished you guys off."

"And that I'm currently a part of the organisation."

Luffy pouted, "Are you?"

You chuckled, before immediately regretting it, "Nah. I'm here to stay, Cap. Don't worry."

"Shishi! Good!"

Vivi furrowed her brows, "That means he thinks we're dead, right?"

"Why is it that when nobody's looking for us, we can't leave!?" Usopp wailed to the sky.

You and Sanji smirked victoriously at each other.

"About that..." You bought the eternal pose out of the pouch and dangled it in front of you.

The look on their faces was magnificent. Even Zoro's jaw dropped.

"It's an eternal pose to Alabasta!" Luffy whooped, punching the air, "We can set sail!"

Vivi ran up and hugged you tightly, "Thank you so much, Miss (y/n)! For a moment I thought all was lost."

"Eerk!" You winced, "Thanks Vivi...But please let go, I'm still a little sore."

"Ah! I'm so sorry!" She jumped back as if stung, "I completely forgot!"

After reassuring her that you were alright, she moved on to thank Sanji. He was more than happy to take your portion of the attention.

"Little sore?"

Turning, you smiled gleefully at Zoro, "Yeah, I drank a bomb. No biggy." Instantly you had to grasp your head as Mello decided to continue his mental screaming. "Stupid scythe…"

The swordsman glared at you suspiciously, "You drank a bomb?"

"Yeah," You returned his gaze evenly, "You got a problem with that?"

"Nah." He smirked, "You'd better not wimp out on training."

You grinned, "As if I'd do that."

"Good." He stood up. Your eyes were drawn to the deep gashes across both his ankles, but you decided to say nothing. It was probably a pride thing.

Sanji watched him stalk off, before frowning aggressively, "Oh yeah, you. You haven't forgotten about our hunting contest, have you?"

Your ears pricked up, "A hunting contest?"

"Nope." Zoro didn't even turn to acknowledge the challenge, "And I won, by the way. I got a rhino THIS BIG."

Sanji scoffed and sauntered casually over to confront him. The argument rapidly started heating up to the point of exchanging blows.

You tapped your chin thoughtfully, 'A contest huh?'

"I win!" You giggled as Zoro and Sanji gaped at the very large and very alive creature you were sitting on. Their own catches looked tiny in comparison compared to what you had managed to bring in. Didn't Mello call it a broccoli-saurus…

"It's a Brontosaurus. Brontosaurus, Missy."

'Eh, same thing.'

" NO IT'S NOT! YOU'RE NOT MUCH BETTER THAN ZORO, THAT THING IS NOT A RHINO!"

You looked down at the horned dinosaur the swordsman was standing on, 'Kinda looks like a rhino.'

"IT'S A TRICERATOPS!"

'Fine, fine.' You pouted briefly before beaming down at the two incredulous men, "I win, right?"

"Of course, (y/n)-chwan! You are always the winner of my heart~!"

"She hasn't even killed it-"

"If I say (y/n)-chan wins, then she wins you filthy marimo. I just abdicated my victory to her."

"Your victory, you stupid love-cook? Last I checked, my rhino is WAY bigger!"

"Just look at it! My lizard wins!"

You felt Mello fizzle with rage beneath your skin as they bickered below. "I have had it with those two! Are they so uncultured that they don't know the names of those creatures. I have had to put up with a lot today; you didn't know a thing about dinosaurs, you almost DIED, the cook was an idiot talking to CROCODILE OF ALL PEOPLE, but THIS IS THE FINAL STRAW!"

'...should I punch them for you?'

"No no no! Allow me!"

You slipped down off the long-necked dinosaur.

"Ah, (y/n)-chwan!" Sanji welcomed you with open arms, "Are you here to congratulate me?!"

Zoro tsked, "She's here to tell you that I've won, you shitty bastard."

Arms raising without your permission, they thunked down on their skulls. To your shock, they slumped to the ground instantly. 

"Thank you."

Checking your fists, you noticed a black sheen slowly vanish. You eyed your left shoulder suspiciously.

'Wasn't strengthening my arms a little unnecessary?'

"It felt good."

"Oh thank God they've stopped," Nami sighed as she leant on the railing of the Merry, "It's not like all of it will fit on the ship anyway. Just cut off what we need. We're ready to set sail."

"Alright!" Dragging them onto the Merry, you waved goodbye to the long-necked dinosaur. It moaned and casually shuffled back into the forest.

After cutting up as much of the usable meat as you could, you slumped exhausted against on the front deck with an unconscious Sanji and Zoro either side of you.

"SET SAIL!"

The sails fell, and the caravel started to happily sail down the river.

Nami checked the eternal pose, "They said that if we continue on this route, we'll come out on the west side of the island."

"Oi. Couldn't we get any more meat on board?"

"Cut me some slack, Cap. I did my best."

"Are you trying to sink the ship?" Nami slapped his pouting face.

Sanji stirred next to you, "You're so strong, mademoiselle..."

Zoro groaned, rubbing the back of his head, "What the hell'd you do that for?"

You sighed, "I'm really sorry you were out so long. Blame Mello, not me."

They stared at you incredulously, before exchanging tired glances.

"WOAH!" Luffy pointed a finger out in front, "It's the two giant-guys! They came to see us off!"

Sure enough, as the Merry approached the mouth of the river the two massive warriors were pretty much impossible to miss. Neither of them faced the boat as it slowly approached them.

The giant you now knew was called Brogy dipped his head, "For all the humans that have come to this island…"

"...the biggest reason they could never reach the next island lies ahead." Dorry finished.

...

"Eh?"

Dorry smiled, "You guarded out honour with your lives."

You crossed your arms, "Damn straight…"

"And so," Brogy grinned, "we shall do the same, no matter what kind of enemy there may be."

"A friend's honour must never be tarnished, no matter what the cost!"

"Believe in us and continue straight ahead! Whatever should appear, do not stray from your course!"

Luffy smirked, "I got it! WE GO STRAIGHT AHEAD, NO MATTER WHAT!"

The Merry sailed out of the river and back into the Grand Line, passing the feet of the two giants.

Simultaneously, they produced their weapons from within their cloaks.

Brogy turned to face you, "This is farewell."

Dorry dipped his head slightly in respect, "We'll meet again."

"Without a doubt."

Nami screamed, "Look! Up ahead!"

Your eyes widened, "Oh sweet mother of Kronos…"

Even compared to everything you have seen before, the sight of a creature the size of a small island erupt from the waves in front of you was enough to shock you into silence. That thing must have been at least half the size of Little Garden, minimum.

You heard Dorry grimace, "So you've surfaced, Island Eater."

"We will have you let them pass," Brogy growled, "upon the name of Elbaf!"

Two battle cries rose up from behind, but it was hard to tell with all the screaming that everyone was doing on the Merry.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!"

"Some sort of...goldfish?" You questioned yourself as you said it. There was no way something that big was just a goldfish. 'The giants did call it Island Eater…'

"A goldfish…" Usopp gulped, "W-where have I heard of that before?"

"Turn the helm! Hurry, or we'll be eaten!" Nami screamed up at him.

He shook, "I...I can't!" Clenching his fists, a look of determination passed over the sniper's face, "We're going straight ahead! Right Luffy!"

Luffy calmly nodded, "You bet!"

You giggled as the goldfish opened its gigantic mouth in front of you, "This seems fun!"

"Are you insane!" Nami shot a frantic glare at you, "That thing isn't like Laboon!"

Zoro smirked, "Of course she's insane. She's our ship psycho after all."

You giggled louder as Nami stared at you helplessly.

Luffy threw something at her, "Have the last rice cracker."

"I don't want it!" She caught the round cracker without damaging it, "We've got to turn the ship around! We're all gonna be…!"

"We're gonna be fiiiiine. Trust me on this one, I am psychic after all. Hehehe!"

"I CAN'T TRUST YOU WHEN YOU'RE GIGGLING LIKE THAT!"

"Nami, give it up." Zoro elbowed you, smirking, "She's never been wrong so far."

Defeated, she bit into the cracker with tears running down her face.

"Luffy," Sanji grimaced, "we can trust those guys, right!?"

"Yup!"

"Seriously?" Vivi looked at the rest of the crew incredulously, "Are we really going to sail straight into that monster!?"

"To late nooooow!" You grinned, giggling harder then ever, "We've already sailed in."

Darkness fell over the Merry as the mouth behind you snapped shut.

"STRAIGHT AHEAD! S-STRAIGHT AHEAD!"

"What're you talking about! We've just been eaten!" Nami screeched at Usopp.

"STRAIGHT AHEAD! STRAIGHT AHEAD!"

Sanji turned to you, "I know these guys are warriors and all, but why do Luffy and even Usopp of all people trust them so much."

"If you'd seen them duel," you smiled at the memory, "you'd understand."

Zoro smirked, "Must've been quite a fight."

"It was-" You were cut off by an oncoming whooshing sound. Eyes widening, you grinned like an idiot as twin beams of blue and red light rocketed over your head in a spectacular light show. Gasps rose up around you as the two beams spiralled together and blasted clean through the massive goldfish, throwing the Merry into the air towards the distant hole.

"WARRIOR NATION!"

Chapter Text

You were cut off by an oncoming whooshing sound. Eyes widening, you grinned like an idiot as twin beams of blue and red light rocketed over your head in a spectacular light show. Gasps rose up around you as the two beams spiralled together and blasted clean through the massive goldfish, throwing the Merry into the air towards the distant hole.

"WARRIOR NATION!"

"We flew through!" Luffy grinned with delight as the Merry shot out of the fish like a rocket.

You laughed with delight as the water droplets hung suspended in the air around you. Even though you had already felt this feeling at the top of Reverse Mountain, it still felt magical as you flew through the air. You wouldn't give this up for the world.

"No turning back!" Luffy punched the air with both fists, "We're going straight ahead!"

Running over to the side, you grinned as you saw the deep dip in the surface of the ocean from the giants' blast, "This is so awesome!"

Usopp stood next to you, snotty tears dribbling down his excited face, "They even pierced the ocean itself! This is the true strength… of an Elbaf Warrior!"

"You wanna be like them?"

He nodded enthusiastically.

"You've got a lot to live up to then," you grinned.

The Merry bounced slightly as it touched down into the water before smoothly sailing off.

"NOW FRIENDS!"

You turned behind as a large sword blade and half an axe splashed into the ocean.

Brogy and Dorry thrusted the remnants of their weapons forwards, "GO FORTH!"

Their laughter echoed around the Merry a long time after the island had vanished from view.

After waking up from what you called a well deserved nap, you were surprised by the lack of noise on deck. Hopping down from your tree, you only found Zoro sitting on the railing with his weights.

"Nice of you to finally join us, Missy." He didn't even turn to look at you as you approached.

"Psh! As if you can talk." You picked up the abandoned eternal pose next to him, "So where is everyone? Why're you not with them?"

"Nami's sick. I'm navigating."

"Wait, what?!" Whipping your head back, you stared at him incredulously.

Zoro grimaced a little, "I know. I really hope she gets bette-"

"No not that." Glancing at the pose, you groaned. As you feared, the needle was pointing a completely different direction to the path the Merry currently sailed. Your head hit the railing with a thud, "Why did they think it was a good idea to let you navigate?"

"WHAT WAS THAT?"

"Well you've hardly done a great job of it."

"Eeeeh? What is she talking about...Zoro?" Raising your head slightly, you caught sight of a pale, sweaty, and very pissed off navigator. She tiredly jabbed a finger into Zoro's chest, "Just what the hell have you been doing?"

He lowered his weights with a crash, crossing his arms indignantly, "Now what's your problem? The ship's going straight, isn't it?"

"Yeah, straight in the wrong direction! What about the pose, huh?"

"I don't have to look at that thing."

You thumped your face into the railing once more, "Don't tell me that you were using something like a bird as a guide point."

Zoro scoffed, "Those move, you idiot. We've been heading for the biggest cloud over there the entire time."

Thump!

"I need a drink."

His face perked up.

"Not you."

He scowled.

Nami clenched her couldn't be sure whether the flush on her cheeks was from her illness or her rage. It probably was a combination of the two. "Clouds MOVE and CHANGE SHAPE, don't they?!" She turned away, holding her head in her hands, "I can't take this anymore. I'm getting a headache."

You straightened up and placed a hand on her shoulder. Heat radiated off her in waves, it was clear she was sick, "Get some rest. I'll take over navigation duty."

She smiled weakly, "That would be a great help, thanks."

Nodding, you slipped Nami's arm over your shoulder so you could support most of her weight. You felt her stiffen, but she didn't complain. Just as you were about to lead her inside, you felt a familiar twinge in your gut.

Nami frowned, raising her free hand to her forehead, "The air's changed..."

"Eh?" Zoro stared at her strangely, "It's been sunny all day."

"Mop-boy." He raised an eyebrow at the alarmed tone in your voice. "Call everyone out here and change our course! And do it quick!"

He grimaced, before yelling out to the rest of the crew, who came filing out onto the deck.

"What the hell?" Sanji scowled as he exited the galley, "I ain't gonna take orders from you."

"Just shuddup and get to work!" Zoro jerked his thumb towards you and Nami, "They're the ones who gave the orders."

You frowned, "Pivot the sails to catch the port-side wind. We need to get out of here fast! Right Nami?"

She nodded slightly, "A large wind is going to hit us head on. I think…"

A long arm stretched up to place a hand on her forehead. It sizzled, turning beet red.

"HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT!" Luffy recoiled his burnt hand, "You're burning up! We need to stop the ship and get you to a doctor!"

Nami huffed, "Just mind your own business! This is my normal temperature! Quit fooling around and man the ropes already!"

Sanji held out his arms pleadingly, "Nami-san, I know that this is for Vivi-chan's sake and everything, but…"

"Flirty, shut up and get to work already."

"Eh? (y/n)-chan?"

Zoro's eyes narrowed as he looked at you, "Gut feeling?"

"Yeah," you winced, "It's screaming for us to run."

"Damn…" He grimaced.

Usopp scratched his nose, "But it's only a gut feeling, right? And Nami is really ill, so she might be wrong."

"Oh yeah, ignore the warning from the psychic. Reeeaaaaaaaally good idea Usopp."

"...point taken."

The crew ran off to their respective positions without much prompting after that. Nami collapsed slightly, and you shifted her weight more towards you.

She sucked in another shallow breath, "Man, what's coming at us? It doesn't seem like a storm."

Holding up the eternal pose, you grimaced, "Possibly a small cyclone, they're quite common here. The only thing is," you raised an eyebrow at her, "no regular person is able to detect them. You really are something…"

Nami chuckled slightly as she watched the needle shifted until it pointed straight ahead towards Luffy on his 'special seat', "A cyclone, huh? I read about those, so I'm glad we avoided that..."

The door to your left opened, and Vivi stepped outside, a newspaper in her clenched fist, "I have a request to make!" She sighed, "I realise this is a lot to ask after being allowed to ride on your ship, but right now my country is falling to a terrible fate. Therefore, I want us to hurry forward! I can't afford the slightest delay! I need this ship to continue on to Alabasta at its maximum speed!"

You grimaced, not liking what she was implying.

'I get her situation, really I do, but Nami is really sick. I'm not sure she can even hold out to Alabasta.'

"Agreed. Her future is vanishing at an alarming rate; this is a serious illness and cannot be left untreated."

Nami grinned weakly, "Of course. We promised you, didn't we?"

Vivi smiled, "Well them, let's go and find an island with a doctor!"

You felt Nami twitch.

"We must get Miss Nami cured as quickly as possible, and then head to Alabasta!" Vivi glanced down to Luffy, "That's this ship's 'maximum speed', isn't it?"

He grinned, "That's right! Doesn't go any faster than that!"

"Spoken like a true princess," you giggled.

"You sure about this?" Usopp winced, "As a princess, you have a million people to worry about, right?"

Vivi squared her shoulders, "That's right! That's exactly why we must get Miss Nami well as soon as possible!"

"Well said, Vivi-chan!" Sanji smirked, "I'm in love all over again!"

"She's got guts."

Nami tried to wiggle herself out of your grasp, but soon gave up. She smiled at Vivi, "I'm...sorry about this." She tilted her head to look up at you, "Sorry…(y/n)...I think I might be in a little trouble here…" Her eyes rolled upwards and she slumped against you.

"Miss Nami, hold on!"

"I've got her." You quickly swung the unconscious navigator into a carry.

"WOAAAH! WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!?"

Following your captain's shaky finger, you gazed upon the cyclone that had formed where the Merry would have been if you had kept to the same course as before. You gave a strained smile as a bolt of lightning crashed down close to the small caraval, "So we were right…Not really surprised at this point. THIS IS WHY YOU LISTEN TO THE NAVIGATOR AND THE PSYCHIC YOU GUYS!"

"Got it!"

"Can you see a doctor?"

"That fool. As if it is possible to merely see a doctor."

"Not yet, Cap!" You called down from the crow's nest, before raising a hand over your eyes, 'We can't really see much in this snow, let alone a doctor.' Raising the binoculars to your eyes, however, gave a different story.

"Uuuh...guys?"

"Yeah?"

"You're not going to believe this."

"Eh?"

"I can see someone..."

"YAY WE FOUND A DOCTOR!"

"WHAT! NO WAY!"

"...but he looks like he's walking on top...of the...ocean..." you trailed off in confusion, eyebrow twitching.

From the deck, the confused faces of Luffy, Usopp and Zoro peered up at you. You pointed at the strange man in the green-blue jester-like costume in front of the Merry.

They gawked at him.

Usopp and Luffy rubbed their eyes comically, before leaning forwards.

"My, it's cold today," a plaintive voice rose up from the front.

You froze with the binoculars in your hand. 'Eh…?'

"That statement...seems unnecessary…"

Luffy turned to Usopp, pouting slightly in confusion, "Yeah. It's very cold today."

"It's cold alright, real cold. Really cold today."

The strange man smiled weakly, "You think so, too?"

You gulped, and judging from the bobbing of their throats your crewmates did the same. Along with the strange jester.

'Ok, so what on earth is going on? I'm confused.'

"I...have no idea for once."

'Oh that's just fan-'

A massive spherical dome rose up from beneath the surface, creating a massive tidal wave. Not expecting this change of events, you found that you were quickly bucked off the Merry and into the sea. Swimming to the surface, you spat out a stream of water, "Well that's just lovely isn't it?"

"It's hardly as if the cold affects you. Even so, this temperature would kill a regular human. If it was anyone else, that could have been problematic."

"No kidding. But I would have been the only person who would have been thrown o-" A rush of water entered your mouth as the swell from the spherical ship continued to wash over you.

'This sucks, I don't think I can swim back in this swell. Mellontas, Grapple and Retract!'

"Aiming will be problematic, yet I will attempt to connect with the first solid thing I can find!"

The scythe appeared in your hand, before extending off towards what you hoped was the general direction of the Merry.

"I've found something. Hold on!"

With a jerk, the shaft retracted and started to reel you in. You closed your eyes tightly shut as salt water whipped past your face, holding onto the scythe for dear life. Eventually the motion stopped, and you opened your eyes with a sigh of relief.

"Missy...what...the hell?!"

"Eehehehe…Sorry about that Mop-boy…" You used a free hand to rub the back of your neck, dangling from the horizontal shaft one handed. "When Mello said a 'solid thing', I was expecting more like, oh I dunno, THE MAST?! PART OF THE SHIP?! SOMETHING NOT LIVING?!"

"I mentioned aiming would be problematic, and he seemed solid enough for our purposes."

Since Zoro hadn't been thrown overboard from the force of Mello retracting you in, despite having his arms trapped to his sides by the blunted blade, you silently agreed.

The swordsman growled, his face darkening, "Just get it off already!"

"Good grief, I just got thrown into a freezing ocean. Gimme a break." You lowered your feet to the deck, recalling Mello with a flash of light.

"I refuse to be referred to as an 'it'." The scythe grumbled under your skin.

You flicked your left shoulder, looking towards the thing that had caused your little ocean swim, 'We have bigger things to worry about right now then correct grammar.'

The sphere had transformed itself into a large ship, sailing a jolly roger you didn't recognise and sporting a figure head shaped like…

"A hippo?" You raised an eyebrow. 'Each to their own, I suppose.'

Zoro grimaced, "We're too busy for this."

A loud booming laugh drew your focus back towards the hippo ship, "Surprised, aren't you!? This is my Giant Diving Ambush Ship: The Bliking!"

"Oi! What's going on?" Sanji emerged from the door behind you. Glancing around, he sighed. Lighting a cigarette, his lip curled as he puffed a cloud of smoke, "Well? You gonna answer me?"

"Oh we're being attacked. Our ship that is." Luffy calmly stated, despite being surrounded by gun barrels.

"Yeah, that's what I thought. From the look of it."

You sighed frustratedly as you observed the men that circled you, your eyes finally settling on a large, round figure who you assumed to be the captain of this crew. Wearing a white animal skin and metal plating, there was an air of self righteousness about the metal jawed man that made it obvious that he was someone who was used to being in command.

"Missy...We've met him before. I'm sure of it."

'I thought so too,' You tapped your chin, 'But when?'

The large man took another bite out of the meat on his knife, "Are you lowlifes really pirates? You're just a bunch of weirdos. Looks like there's five of you."

You raised an eyebrow as he cleanly bit straight through the knife the meant was skewered on.

"No matter how you look at it," He growled amists the crunch of metal, "that's just not enough for a pirate crew." He tossed the remnants of the knife absentmindedly into his mouth.

"What's this guy's problem? He's eating a knife!" Recoiling, Luffy stuck out his tongue.

Usopp's arms still raised in surrender as his eyes scrunched up, "It hurts just watching him!"

You kept a straight face.

'Devil fruit?'

"Almost certainly."

"Ah well...might as well ask." The strange man continued to chew casually, turning to Sanji "We're headed to the Drum Kingdom. Would you happen by chance to have an eternal pose, or even a log pose on you?"

The cook shrugged, "Ain't got one. Ain't never heard of any place called that either."

"There! That's all, right? Now get outta here already. We're in a hurry. Ain't got no time to waste with you."

The round man waved an arm in the air, "Ah, don't rush your life so much. If you don't have one, that's that." He grinned darkly, "However, I'll be taking your treasures and your ship."

Luffy growled.

"But before I do…I'm feeling a mite peckish."

A bead of sweat dropped down your face as the metal jaw enlarged, and bit off a large hunk of the Merry.

"What the hell is he!?" Usopp wailed.

Luffy lent over the railing, "Don't eat our ship!"

"Hold it right there!" A gun promptly rammed into his chest, "Lord Wapol is enjoying his meal!"

"Oh!" You snapped your fingers, eyes widening, "I remember now! You're that bastard king!"

"Eh?! Don't talk like that about Lord Wap-" Rubber fists slammed into the soldiers either side of your raging captain.

"That little twerp, now he's done it! FIRE!"

Zoro smirked as he watched the onslaught of bullets around Luffy, "We should've done this from the beginning." He whipped off his blanket, throwing it behind him.

"Oh, can I kick 'em now (y/n)-chan?" Sanji's face lit up with an almost childish delight as he untied the scarf around his neck.

You giggled as you span a dagger round your finger, "You hardly need my permission, Flirty!"

"Wait! I'm sure we can talk this over!" Usopp crawled around the mast like a lizard, effectively avoiding the gunfire raining down from above him.

Jumping on his head to get a boost, you dashed up the mast and into the crow's nest. The two men in there turned to you, alarmed. Slamming the butts of your daggers on the backs of their heads was all it took. You jumped down with a backflip and landed in the middle of a small group of soldiers. You giggled at their terrified expressions, shoving the chin of the closest person down onto your knee. Taking his rifle, you swang it in a circle above your head, effectively knocking the rest out.

Resting a hand on your hips, you stuck out your bottom lip in a childish pout, "I thought you guys would be a little more entertaining. Boooooooring."

"L-Lord Wapol! These guys…"

You raised an eyebrow, "Lord Wapol? Not King Wapol?"

"Something must have happened to his kingdom."

'Maybe they kicked him out. He is a massive jerk after all.'

"I would not be surprised if they did. His personality does not befit a king."

"AAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

You stepped back to avoid the person Luffy just sent flying. Your captain stormed forward, winding up his arm for an attack, "You're still eating!?"

"This ship ain't half bad," Wapol mused as he tore of large pieces of the Merry and shoved them into his mouth.

"Hey you!"

The round man turned round to face Luffy, eyebrow raised.

A man on the ground by your feet grinned, "Fool! You're no match for Lord Wapol! You'll be eaten alive by the power of the munch-munch fruit!"

You deadpanned.

'Munch-munch fruit? Really?'

"That sounds so ludicrous I neglected to consider it."

"Luffy!"

A chomping sound bought you out of your thoughts. Luffy's head seemed to be inside Wapol's mouth, the only thing signalling that he was still alive were his two arms stretching off into the distance.

The cabin door swung open, and an anxious Vivi emerged. Glancing around at the piles of incapacitated men and the elongated limbs, she recoiled, "W-what...?"

"Ah, Vivi-chan. How is Nami-san's condition?" Sanji re-lit his cigarette, sighing softly.

She stared at him incredulously.

Wapol sneered, "This guy's a chewy one."

"Why you…!"

The round man's eyes widened as two hands rocketed towards him. Colliding with him square in the chest, Wapol got catapulted high into the air.

"GET LOST!"

You felt a great satisfaction watching him vanish off into the distance. The men on your ship panicked at the loss of their leader and scurried off quickly.

As the hippo-ship sailed off in the direction of their captain, the jester man that had set this whole thing in motion jabbed a finger towards you, "Remember this well! We shall return for retribution!"

His partner's eyes bulged out in anger, "REMEMBER...US!"

"Remember well!"

"PLEASE! REMEMBER US! PLEASE!"

Watching them go, you scratched your head, "Why were they asking us politely?"

"J-just who the hell was that?" Usopp pointed towards the receding ship, "It sounded like they called him 'Wapol' or something."

Sanji shrugged, "Who cares who he was. Forget him. Just your run of the mill idiot. Nothing to bother yourself about."

"Missy," Zoro turned to you, "didn't you call him a king?"

You grimaced, "Yeah, the worst kind of king. You should know him, Vivi."

She tapped her chin, "Really?"

"Think back to Mariejois."

Her eyes widened, "Oh…"

"Yeah...that bastard."

She gritted her teeth, "So selfish…"

"I know," You placed a hand on her shoulder, "but in this case, Flirty's right. We don't have the time to worry about him.

Clenching her fists, she nodded, "Miss Nami needs us to stay strong, and hurry her to a doctor."

"Why can't we see anything?"

"Missy, cease your whining. It's degrading."

You pouted, "I know. It's just that I'm worried about Nami, and sitting up here doing nothing just sets me on edge. That's all."

"We are not doing 'nothing'. We are keeping watch for an island, which is a job of high importance."

"Yeah I get that, but still."

"We are doing a job of high importance which we are the only people able to excel at, due to the abilities of Kronos…"

Your eyes sparkled, "That's a great idea. I can use you to spot an island faster. Mellontas-"

He appeared in your hand with a flash, grumbling the entire time, "This is a terrible idea to do on an unstable ship, especially from the crow's nest…"

"-Extend!"

And suddenly the deck disappeared from beneath your feet as you got carried high into the air. Mello was right, inevitably. It was quite hard for you to keep your balance the higher you traveled. Thankfully, you didn't have to go so far up before an icy crag of land appeared in your sight. You grinned, "Yes! ISLAND HO!"

"EH?!" Usopp screamed up at you.

Retracting Mello, you touched down on the deck next to the sniper. You beamed, "It's a winter island! Two o'clock!"

A smile widened on his face, "On it!" Dropping his tools he sprinted to the helm to adjust the course.

You took this time to animatedly circulate the news around the Merry. Everyone was relieved, and you were really glad that you didn't sail past accidentally. Finding an island here without a Log was nothing short of a miracle.

After Luffy was certain that Nami was alright to be left with Carue, he sped up to his 'special seat', "AN ISLAND!" He grinned, "White! It's so white! I bet it's snow! An island of snow!"

Sanji held out a hand to restrain him, "Luffy. I shouldn't have to tell you this, but we can't go on an adventure this time. We're here to find a doctor! After he's taken a look at Nami-san, we're gonna be leaving right away!" He frowned as the rubber boy didn't react, "Oi! Oi, Luffy!"

"Snow's so fuuuuuun…It's so whiiiiiiiite..."

The cook sighed, "No use, he ain't listening."

"H-h-hold on now, is this safe? If there's snow, couldn't there be snow monsters or something?! We don't even know if there's gonna be people here or not, isn't that the biggest problem!?"

"It's alright." You nodded sagely, "My Kronos-future-sensors say yes it's safe."

Usopp looked at you with tears of joy in his eyes, "Really?"

"Of course not. They don't work that way." Tapping your chin, you giggled, "In fact, I have a hunch that something's supposed to happen here. Something about a blue-nose…"

"Noooooooooo!" He shook your shoulders violently, "Why would you lie to me like thaaaaaat?!"

"I wonder why…"

"OH NO. My Must-Not-Get-On-This-Island-Disease is acting up again."

"Just as well we're going to find a doctor then, isn't it."

"Snow...I love snow 'cause it's so white…"

Sanji sighed, "Guess I'll go prepare to dock."

"So much snow...I'm so happy…!"

The cook tilted his head, "But this place is something else. Get a load of those mountains."

You had to agree with him. This place was unique, even for the Grand Line. Many large cylindrical mounds rose up out of the ground, and everywhere you looked was white snow as you sailed up the thin channel. The rest of the crew was awestruck.

Usopp shivered, "By the way, Luffy…(y/n)...aren't you guys cold wearing just that?"

"The temperature is -10 degrees centigrade! At that temperature, bears start getting ready to hibernate!" Vivi looked at you despairingly, "Just looking at you show so much skin makes me feel cold."

Luffy stared at her blankly for a moment.

"I-It's so cold!"

"COULD YOU BE ANY SLOWER!?"

You giggled, "Thanks for the concern, but I'm fine just like this. Freaky black blood an' all that…Besides, I did get thrown into the ocean earlier. That was way colder."

"THAT'S MESSED UP!"

You rolled your eyes, "Tell me about it…"

Vivi pointed to the waterfall ahead, "I think we can dock the ship somewhere around here."

"Okay. Someone has to go look for a doctor." Zoro frowned slightly, "Actually, we'd better find some people first."

You giggled, "I don't think we need that last part. The people seem to have found us." You pointed at the angry mob on both banks.

"That's far enough pirates!"

Vivi clasped her hands over her mouth.

"Damn it, Missy." Zoro grimaced, "Could've mentioned it sooner."

You placed your hands on your hips, "And what would that have done exactly? We're not here to fight, and stealth is hardly what we're good at. This would've happened sooner or later." You frowned, "We also are at a disadvantage, we are basically begging them to help some pirates."

"The mademoiselle has a point…"

A wide shouldered man in green stepped forwards from the ranks of people. He eyed the crew suspiciously, before squaring his shoulders, "Pirates. We hereby demand that you depart this shore, immediately!"

"That is Dalton, isn't it?"

'Yeah, I think he was also at the Council.'

"He's a good man. He accompanied Wapol very reluctantly."

'Wapol…' Your eyes widened, 'So have we accidentally stumbled across this Drum Kingdom he mentioned?'

"It is highly probable, yes."

You gritted your teeth, "Oooh this is bad."

"Huh, (y/n)-chan?" Sanji raised an eyebrow, "Is something the matter?"

A man on the bank squeaked, raising a pistol, "Keep your mouth shut!"

A gun sounded, and a bullet embedded itself into the Merry's deck by Sanji's foot.

He growled, "You'll regret that…"

The person who had fired trembled vigorously.

"Watch it, Flirty!" You moved in front of him just in time. The bullet only entered your shoulder. Grimacing, you slapped your hand over the hole instantly. There was no need to further complicate the situation.

"(y/n)! WHY YOU!" Luffy's eyes narrowed into slits.

"TAKE AIM!"

The rest of your crew reached for their weapons.

"I'm fine guys," You glanced up at Dalton pleadingly, "We don't want a fight here. We just want you to help our sick friend." You dropped to your knees, "Please!"

"We mustn't fight because of this." Vivi knelt beside you, before bending over and bowing deeply, "As you wish, we will not dock here. But please, will you summon a doctor? Our nakama is suffering with a severe illness. Please help her! I beg of you!"

Luffy stared at her in shock.

"You're a failure as a Captain, Luffy. Acting rashly all the time solves nothing!"

You leant forward into a bow, clutching your arm, "She's right, Cap. There's a time for fighting and there's a time to negotiate. Knowing when to do which is important."

She lowered her gaze, "If you fight them, what will happen to Miss Nami?"

Luffy glanced at the two of you for a moment. "I'm sorry. I...was wrong." He knelt down next to you in an equally deep bow. His straw hat gently rolled off his head before settling on the deck. "Please call a doctor. Please...save my nakama."

Chapter Text

You kept your forehead pressed up against the deck, clutching your 'injured' shoulder. Out of the corner of your eye, you looked at the trembling princess next to you with a strange feeling of pride.

'She really is something, huh.'

"Considering how she got that boy of all people to apologise, I would have to agree."

'No kidding.' You smiled gently, 'If everything goes to plan, she'll be a great ruler one day. We need more people like her.'

"Definitely. In addition, if you think that I am willing to overlook the fact you deliberately moved into the path of an oncoming bullet, you have another thing coming Missy!"

'...oh shit.'

"I'll lead you to our village."

It took you a moment for the statement to register. Gasping, you tilted your head up to where Dalton was standing.

His eyes narrowed as he turned, "Follow me." He marched off without even waiting for you.

Vivi sighed with relief, smiling at Luffy, "See? They understood."

"Yeah." He glanced thoughtfully at her, "You're really something else."

You giggled as you shakily stood to your feet, "Why is always me getting the near-death experiences?"

"(y/n)-CHWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!"

You deadpanned as you were immediately accosted by a hysterical Sanji.

"I AM SO SORRY! IT WAS MY FAULT THAT YOU GOT HURT! I SHOULD HAVE GOT SHOT INSTEAD!"

"Geh, it's a pity you weren't."

"WHAT WAS THAT YOU FILTHY MARIMO?!"

You calmly held up a hand, "Sanji, just cool it for a moment." Shrugging your jacket off your shoulder, you pointed to the bullet hole. Or rather, the lack of bullet hole.

The crew blinked slowly.

"I'm a freak, remember? I've got a good healing ability for small stuff like this. How'd you think I managed to survive a bomb going off inside my stomach?"

"A BOMB IS NOT SOMETHING SMALL!"

You straightened your jacket, "Well, whatever. We should probably go follow those guys before they leave us." You pointed at the receding figures as they trudged away into the snow.

"OI! TELL US THIS SORT OF THING SOONER!"

"Eh? Don't leave without us! You guys!"

"I'll get Nami-san! You can watch the ship you useless moss-head!"

"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME YOU FILTHY LOVE-COOK?!"

"Can you also stay behind please, Carue?"

"Quaaa!"

You giggled as the crew dashed back and forth around the deck, before eying the hole in your jacket. You huffed. It had held up pretty well considering it was from the East Blue, but you really needed something sturdier.

'Remind me to do some shopping in Alabasta.'

Mello chuckled softly, "I have a feeling Miss Nami will drag you to the shops even if you refuse."

'Yeah…'

You took a look at the ginger girl Sanji was attempting to get onto his back. Completely limp, her body hung over the worried cook like a wet rag. Nothing Sanji did managed to hold her in place

You moved towards them quickly, "I'll take her Flirty."

"Eh?" He gaped at you, "Are you really going to be okay with that, (y/n)-chan?"

"Of course I am." Raising your left arm, you summoned Mello and held him with both hands at your lower back. You gave a strained grin, "Us girls have to take care of each other after all."

'I'm going to make sure she's alright, even if it's the last thing I do.'

With Nami safely resting on your back and Mello, you, Vivi, Usopp, Luffy and Sanji managed to keep up with Dalton's group. Many of the soldiers flinched when they saw your scythe, and as you walked, murmurs and stares soon followed.

"I should warn you." The large man glanced over his shoulder towards you, "Our country has only one doctor, a witch."

Usopp winced, "A witch?"

"What the hell? This country sure is weird." Next to you, Sanji placed a hand on Nami's back. Even though you finally convinced him to let you carry Nami, he refused to leave her side. He looked from side to side, "What the hell is this country anyways?"

Dalton faced forwards again, so you couldn't read his expression, "This country does not yet have a name."

"A country without a name?" Vivi mused, "Can there be such a thing?"

"UWAAAAAAAAAA! A BEAR!"

"Yeah yeah, I see it," you monotoned. The fluffy looking grey bear currently approached your group on its hind legs, an ice pick in its hand.

"Everyone, play dead!"

There was a wet thump as Usopp promptly swan dived into the snow.

"A Hiking Bear. It's not dangerous. Just bow to him politely." Dalton demonstrated, his subordinates quickly mimicking him.

The most you could do with the injured girl on your back was dip your head, but the bear accepted your attempt and moved on.

You smirked briefly at Usopp's moans of discomfort, before frowning at Dalton's back.

Instead of the typical snowy wasteland, small and stout red brick buildings stuck out from the landscape. Looking around, you noticed the bustle of people and animals as they went around their daily lives.

Dalton spread out an arm, "This is our village, Bighorn."

"There's some pretty weird animals walkin' around here…" Luffy dashed forwards, raising a mittened hand above his eyes.

Usopp ran off to join him, adjusting his eye pieces, "Just what you'd expect from a Snow Country!"

Sanji smiled, "Look Nami-san! We've reached civilisation! We've found a village!"

Hearing Dalton mutter something, you twisted round towards him.

"...thank you everyone. Anyone not on lookout, please return to work." He grinned kindly at the men who had accompanied you all.

One with a green scarf frowned, "But will you be okay by yourself, Dalton. They are pirates after all."

The large man paused for a moment, "I do not think they mean us any harm. Call it an old man's intuition." He raised his head, "Trust me."

Watching the men mutter about themselves, you glanced at Vivi.

"Then, Dalton. We'll leave it to you."

"Just keep an eye on them, Dalton."

"Call us again if anything happens."

She stared at Dalton in awe as the citizens dispersed, and you couldn't help but smile.

As he looked back towards you, Vivi tilted her head, "I guess they aren't your country's armed forces."

He smiled, "They are civilians." He motioned forwards, "You can come to my house for the time being."

"Ah! Dalton!" A kindly round woman waved to him as she shuffled over, "I heard some pirates have landed, is everything alright?"

You squinted at Usopp and Luffy.

'Why are they bowing?'

"There are some mysteries that cannot be solved."

'Like the insides of their heads?'

"Precisely."

"Yes, everything is under control. There is no need for concern."

As soon as she left, another elderly man hurried over, "Dalton! I'm looking forward to the election in two days! Everyone is saying they're going to vote for you!"

"Y-you shouldn't!" Dalton started waving his hands worriedly, "Not someone like me! I am a man of too many sins!"

Out of the corner of your eye, you noticed Vivi's brow furrow. You smiled softly.

Gesturing inside a house, Dalton sighed, "Apologies for that. Please use the bed over there for your friend, I'll get the room warmed up."

The building he showed you into was modest, with very little furniture and no grand ornaments displayed anywhere. With Sanji's help, you released Nami from your back and laid her gently on the single bed. It was slightly rickety, but it'd do for the moment. Vivi knelt next to her, pulling up the covers.

"Well," You recalled Mello, watching the large man's face change, "You haven't changed a bit have you, Chief Royal Guard Dalton?"

Everyone stared at you.

"...That may not have been the most opportune moment, Missy."

"Oi, (y/n)..." Usopp raised a shaky finger at you, "You know him?!"

"And what's this about a Royal Guard?" Sanji grimaced.

Dalton blinked a couple of times before frowning, "I would like to know how you know me as well. I would think I'd remember meeting an assassin as ruthless as you."

You winced internally at the statement, but continued on, a fake smile plastered on your face "I'm wounded, Dalton. We met at the Council of Kings six years ago, don't you remember?"

"So that was you…" He placed a hand on his chin, "But what were you doing as a guard?"

"Long story short, the world government are assholes."

Vivi scratched her head, "I'm afraid I don't follow. How do you know him, Miss (y/n)?"

"My last job for the government was acting on guard duty for the Council of Kings six years ago. Both Dalton and Wapol attended, and afterwards I had a little chat with Dalton because I was, y'know, bored." You griggled, "That's how I recognised them."

Dalton's eyes widened in shock. He muttered so softly you barely heard him, "Wapol…?"

"And because you have photographic memory-"

"Near-photographic. It isn't perfect."

"-you remember them even now!" Sanji grinned, stretching his arms in the air, "That's amazing mademoiselle!"

Vivi sweated as you grinned at her. You had a feeling that she knew that's how you also recognised her.

Dalton frowned, "That is correct, and you must forgive me for not introducing myself earlier. My name is Dalton. Currently I am this island's Captain of the Guard, but as Miss…(y/n)...said, I used to be the Chief Royal Guard here." He frowned as he started to take off his winter gear, "Please excuse our hostile reception." Glancing up at Vivi, he narrowed his eyes, "If I may ask you something, I believe I have also met you somewhere before?"

She hurriedly turned away, babbling quickly, "I-I'm sure it's just your imagination! More importantly, can you tell us more about this 'witch'?" Her posture drooped slightly, "Earlier, Miss Nami's temperature rose to 42 degrees centigrade!"

Dalton gasped, mouthing the number.

"Her fever has been rising steadily for three days now."

He rushed over towards Nami, holding a hand gingerly above her forehead, "If it rises any higher, she will surely die."

You sat on the floor by the bed, "Her future's disappearing really quickly now, I'm not even sure she'll make it through tomorrow."

Sanji and Vivi shot alarmed looks at you.

"If I told you earlier, we would've panicked." You winced, "I am sorry, believe me I am, but right now we need to keep level heads."

"You're right," Vivi straightened, her face filled with worried determination, "We don't know what's causing her sickness, or how to treat it."

Sanji growled, clenching his hands, "It doesn't matter, there's a doctor here! Where's this 'witch' of yours!""

"The witch?" Dalton raised a suspicious eyebrow at you as he walked towards the window.

You pouted, 'Rude.'

"Do you see the mountains outside this window?"

"Yeah, those freakin' huge-" Sanji quickly recoiled from the abomination peering in through the window.

'What is that?'

"It appears to be a snowman, Missy. A very unartistic one built by your captain."

'...what's a snowman?'

"A representation of a human figure created with compressed snow. Usually with added components, such as...that...wooden barrel...on its head..."

'That looks like fun! Can't wait to try it out after Nami's cured.'

Sanji didn't seem to agree with your opinion as he screamed at Usopp and Luffy. After their 'snowmen' were destroyed by the furious cook, they trudged inside Dalton's cabin.

After pouring everyone tea, Dalton told you about the castle on the highest peak of the tallest of the strange cylindrical mountains and the doctor who lived there, Dr Kureha. The doctor herself apparently was a 140 year old, free spirited woman who descended from the mountain occasionally in search of patients. After the treatment, she took whatever she wanted from the patient's home as payment. What really got your attention, however, was the reported fact that she got down from the mountain in a flying sleigh pulled by a strange creature.

Your eyes widened, "Do these eyewitnesses remember anything in particular about this 'creature'?"

Dalton shook his head, "Unfortunately, I myself have never seen the beast, so I cannot say."

'Damn,' You tapped your chin, 'That would have explained why 'blue nose' popped into my head.'

"It is not yet ruled out as a possibility."

You paused for a moment, before nodding your agreement and returning your focus to Dalton.

He sighed, "As it is, all we can do is wait for the next day she decides to come down from the mountain."

"Oh no…" Vivi's eyes widened in horror.

Sanji glared out the window, chewing his unlit cigarette,"If what (y/n)-chan says is true, then we don't have time to just sit here and wait! And from my experience," He glanced your way, "She's always correct when it comes to this sorta thing."

You curled up into a ball, "I'm so sorry…I wish I was wrong about stuff like this..."

Vivi's hand reassuringly patted your shoulder, "It's hardly your fault," she smiled, "At least this way, we get a prior warning."

"Eh?" Luffy tilted his head at you, "What're you guys talkin' bout? Did psycho (y/n) predict something again?"

"...Psycho?" Dalton scratched his head in confusion.

A bead of sweat rolled down your head. This was the last person you wanted to tell. Who knows how panicked Luffy was going to be once he found out his crewmate might die within the next day. You giggled nervously, "Ah, Cap..."

"Oi." SLAP "Nami." SLAP "Nami." SLAP "Nami." SLAP "Can you hear me?" SLAP

To both your relief and dismay, he had completely forgotten about what you were previously talking about, instead moving beside Nami on the bed and slapping her face hard whenever she couldn't answer him. Which, you sweatdropped, was all the time, considering she was feverous and unconscious.

"HEY!" Usopp, Sanji and uncharacteristically Vivi gritted their teeth in fury, "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!"

He ignored them, his face at once opening up into a grin, "Oh! You're awake!"

The rest of the crew, you included, instantly crowded around Nami in worry and concern as she groggily blinked at you all.

You smiled painfully, 'She's alright for now...that's good!'

Luffy held up his arm, a calm expression on his face. He looked down at Nami "Listen, you can't see a doctor unless we climb a mountain. So we're going mountain climbing."

"Are you insane!?" Sanji glared at him, "What are you trying to make Nami-san do!?"

Luffy stood, "It's okay. I'll carry her."

"That will only worsen her condition!" Vivi clasped her hands together pleadingly.

Luffy scratched his head, "What? The sooner we see the doctor, the better, right?"

"He's right. Quite frankly, it's the best plan we've got," you grinned, giggling slightly, "And considering this crew's damn luck, it might just work."

"Even you, (y/n)-chan?!"

"I have to...get better soon."

Everyone lent in to try and catch the breathless words.

Nami smiled, "Soon...for Vivi's sake." She brought out her hand from under the covers, "Take good care of me, Captain."

Vivi gasped.

"Nami-san…"

You smirked.

Usopp stared incredulously.

"Heh!" Luffy grinned as he slapped her outstretched hand, "You got it! Leave it to me!"

"Listen here, Luffy." Usopp prodded him on the forehead, "If you trip and fall even once, Nami will die."

"Eh? Even once?"

"Wait," Vivi glanced up at him, "stay still for a moment. I need to tie this tight." Her fingers worked at the knot securing Nami to Luffy's back. Eventually, she stood, "I think you're ready." Back outside in your 'winter gear', the snow was still falling quite heavily. You and your crewmates huddled together, Dalton observing from the side at a polite distance. Smiling, Vivi dusted the snow off her knees, "I'm going to wait for you here. I'd only slow you down if I came along."

"ME TOO!"

You giggled, "You really shouldn't be so proud of that, Nosey."

"Eh, are you not coming, psycho (y/n)?"

"She is not a psycho, you idiot…" Sanji glared at him momentarily before turning to you, "He has a point though. Are you joining us or not? We could use the manpower, not to mention your agility."

Shaking your head, you jabbed a thumb towards Dalton, "I'm sure this guy wants to interrogate me more, so I'm not going." You frowned minutely, "And in terms of distributing the manpower, I'd be better off here. We ran into Wapol not too far from here after all, and if Dalton is here then that means the Drum Kingdom the bastard was searching for is this place."

"WHAT!" Dalton burst out in alarm, "YOU MET WAPOL NEARBY?!"

"Exactly," You crossed your arms, "Which is why I'm staying. Judging Wapol's character and the state of the country now, I'm assuming that you don't want him back, and quite rightly too. If that's right, well, you're going to need help, and a lot of it." You grinned at Luffy and Sanji, "But you two don't need to worry about anything other than getting Nami up that mountain safely, you hear?"

"Got it!" Luffy glanced over his shoulder to look at his navigator, "Okay then, Nami, hold on tight!"

Dalton's brow furrowed, "If you are truly serious about this, I will not stop you. But please ascend from the slope opposite this one. The path from here is inhabited by Lapahn. They are a ravenous species of rabbit. If you were to encounter a pack of them, you would surely die."

Vivi and Usopp's eyes bulged out.

"Rabbits?" Your captain tilted his head, "But we're in a hurry."

You waved your hand lazily, "Meh, they'll be fine. Don't worry about it."

"Shishi! If our psycho says we'll be okay, then we'll be just great! Let's go, Sanji! Before Nami dies!"

"Eh! Don't say such a goddamn ominous joke, you shithead!"

"Shishishi!"

You smirked as you watched them take off towards the gigantic mountain. Wincing slightly, you realised that Mello couldn't even extend to the top of that thing.

"Will they really be okay?" Dalton moved next to you, squinting at the disappearing figures.

Usopp sighed, "Well, you don't need to worry about those two guys, but…"

"The real concern is whether Miss Nami's strength can last long enough. I...hope they make it safely."

The four of you stood there in silence for quite some time watching after them, even after they had disappeared from sight. You gritted your teeth. This was the last shot you guys had to make Nami well again. All your hope rested on Sanji and Luffy's shoulders now.

'Good luck you guys.'

Eventually, Dalton opened the door to his house. Noticing the rest of you weren't following him inside, he raised an eyebrow, "Is something wrong, you three? You should come in, it is quite cold outside."

Vivi held up her hands politely, "I'm fine! I'd rather stay out here."

"M-m-me t-t-t-too!"

"I'm just peachy, thanks." you grinned, "I can deal with this sort of temperature no problem."

With that, the three of you turned once more towards the large mountain. Your other two friends had pink noses from the cold and shivered slightly. But you had no doubt in your mind they wouldn't move inside until Nami's health had been returned.

"I see." The large man shut the door, and instead sat down in the snow, "Then I shall remain here as well." He smiled gently, before shooting you a suspicious glance, "You were right. I would like to talk to you if I can."

You smiled, before moving over and sitting cross-legged opposite him, "Not a problem, but first, can you tell us why this country's king is roaming the seas like a pirate? I still haven't quite figured that one out yet."

"Excuse me? I am doing all the deducing here!"

"Huh?" Usopp blinked at you, "You mean Wapol is this country's king? That fat guy?"

Dalton paused before nodding, "That man is indeed our king, to our misfortune." He bowed his head, "This country, not less than a year ago, was completely ravaged at the hands of a pirate crew."

Vivi gasped.

"The whole country!?" Usopp's eyes widened.

"Well that explains the friendly reception we got." You grimaced, "I thought it was worse than it should have been."

"Yes. The citizens here are not yet ready to hear the word 'pirate' again. You must excuse their behavior." Dalton pinched the bridge of his nose, "It was a pirate crew of only five members. Their captain called himself…'Blackbeard'..."

"Gah!" You clasped your head in your hands as a migraine shot through all your thoughts. An image. You were getting an image...of a man...Extremely tall...Massive round body...Spindly limbs...Big mouth with many missing or broken teeth...Small piggy eyes, laughing mockingly...A pronounced crooked nose...Very large and hairy chest and torso...Long, thick, woolly black hair reaching down the back of his neck...A scruffy black bandanna...And a small scruffy black beard.

Blackbeard.

You shivered. Those eyes gave you chills.

'What is that monster…?'

Mello was just as terrified as you, "We've never had this response before. And this was merely from mentioning his name. Just what sort of future does this man possess?"

'I...don't want to find out…'

A hand tapped on your shoulder. Not expecting the contact, you flinched.

"Are you alright, Miss (y/n)?"

You realised Vivi, Usopp and even Dalton were eyeing you worriedly. You smiled, and even to you it felt fake, "It's nothing you guys. Just a headache."

Vivi and Usopp exchanged concerned glances.

"Anyways, Dalton," You whipped your head back to him in an effort to draw their attention away from you, "This really strong group of pirates attacked and completely destroyed the country, right? Even some of the buildings round here area in tatters."

"They did, not a single place was left unscathed." He sighed, closing his eyes, "However, some would say it was good for this country."

Vivi growled, "How can the wreckage of your country be a good thing!?"

"Yeah! Who can possibly say that!?"

"You may be surprised. There are many countries out there where the citizens of which would want nothing more to be freed from their country. Trust me, I've seen them. But," you grimaced, "not like this. A pirate raid of that magnitude should never be treated as a 'good thing'."

Dalton raised his head to smile at the three of you, "Thank you. The fact that you all think so negatively of this act is pleasing to hear. But while what you have said is true, until that time, the monarchy of this country had been causing misery for the people."

You gritted your teeth, "That damn Wapol!"

"Correct." Dalton clenched his fists, a crease forming between his brows, "He was the worst king imaginable." He turned to you, "You said that you met him as a pirate somewhere around here, didn't you."

You nodded.

"He's using piracy as a temporary camouflage. Wapol is drifting around at sea, trying to make his way back to this island."

Tapping her chin, Vivi's eyes widened, "So then, the people on his ship must have been those chased away because they couldn't stand up to the Blackbeard Pirates that attacked your island."

Cringing a little at the headache from Blackbeard's name, you couldn't help but let out a bark of laughter, "Wapol? Trying to stand up to pirates that strong? To defend his country? You're kidding, right?"

She stared at you incredulously.

"She's right." Dalton's face darkened, his entire body trembling with rage, "Back then, Wapol's forces did not even try to fight back!"

Jaw dropping, Vivi clenched her fists. Her entire body shook from head to toe.

"The moment he became aware of the pirates' strength he immediately abandoned the country! Wapol was the first to flee to the ocean and escape! That was what caused the country to fall into despair. Is that how a country's-"

"IS THAT HOW A COUNTRY'S KING SHOULD ACT!?"

Eyes widening slightly, you glanced over your shoulder at Vivi's furious face.

"How hideous…" She wrinkled her nose, "A king that abandons his people."

"Vivi…"

Knitting your eyebrows, you stared determinedly at Dalton, "Let me guess, you guys don't want him back."

He grimaced, "The one thing we fear most is Wapol's return. The restoration of the monarchy. With the people so insecure, we must prevent that in order to realise a new country of peace."

Cracking your knuckles, you smirked, "That's where we come in. Now if you don't mind..." You stood up, summoning Mello under your breath. When the scythe appeared, you rested him on your shoulder, "...I'm going to scout the island for a bit. I want to be familiar with this place if and when Wapol comes. Besides," You scratched your chin with a finger, "the villagers would probably be more than a little bit wary of me, so it's best I get out of here."

"Eh? You're sure (y/n)?"

"You will be careful, won't you?"

You giggled, "Of course! I'll be fine, don't you worry! Well then, let's go Mello!"

"Whenever you're ready!"

"Extend!"

The look on Dalton's face as Mello's shaft extended was priceless. You couldn't stop giggling even until you reached the maximum height.

"Please stop Missy. You look most undignified."

"To who the wind?" But you stopped, before looking around you with a hand above your eyes, "Damn it's hard to see in this snow...so how about it? Left, right, straight ahead or behind?"

"How about in a 5.30 direction."

"Ooooooh classy. Alrighty then," You smirked, leaning backwards and letting gravity do its work, "Let's do this thing!"

Using Mello's Retract and Extend technique, you zipped around the island for some time, avoiding the area by the cylindrical mountains. The order was the same each time; land, explore around the area for a bit, extend Mello, go to new area, repeat. This was the tenth place you explored, and it was very much the same as the others. Snow and snowy pine trees.

"Seriously, is there no diversity here?"

"Well what do you expect? It is a winter island."

"Oh come on, we've been to winter islands more excit-" You stopped dead as a crunch of footsteps in snow drew closer. Your hands tightened on Mello's shaft apprehensively.

"Huh? Missy? Man am I glad to see you!"

You gaped, "Mop-boy? What the hell are you doing here, you were supposed to be on the Merry. And more importantly WHY ARE YOU SHIRTLESS!?"

"I must say...he does have a very fine physique."

'Oh yeah...Yeah he does...HANG ON THIS ISN'T THE TIME FOR THAT DAMN IT MELLO!'

Recalling Mello, you whipped off your jacket and offered it to the shivering swordsman, "It won't fit, but it's better than nothing."

"What about…"

"I'm a freak of nature, I'll be fine."

Zoro raised an eyebrow.

"Your pride will get you nowhere if you freeze. Just take it already."

He accepted the jacket gratefully, slinging it over his shoulders like a makeshift cape, "...Thanks."

You sighed, putting your hands on your hips, "So lemme guess. You were doing some training and got lost."

He stared at you in shock.

Pounding your fist in the air, you whooped, "Hell yeah, got it in one!"

"So…" He looked around, "Do you have any idea where the Merry is? Everywhere looks the same here."

"Actually, I don't for once. And I don't think I can use Mello to find it," Raising your hand in the air, snow settled in your palm, "This snow is falling way heavier than earlier; I'm not sure I can see in this at that height."

Zoro pointed behind you, "Then why don't we ask her?"

Turning round, you gasped. Behind you was a stationary wooden sleigh, pulled by a reindeer in trousers and a pink top hat with a white cross. Seated in the sleigh itself, an elderly looking woman drained the contents of a purple bottle with ease. To your shock, her body looked like it belonged to a twenty year old, not matching her face. She grinned at you, her two pairs of glasses gleaming.

You gulped, "Doctor Kureha, I presume."

Chapter Text

You gulped, "Doctor Kureha, I presume."

The woman grinned. "Why, who else would I be?"

"Hang on!" Your eyes bulged out as you pointed at her, "Why are you not at home!?"

The reindeer growled at you.

"Missy! He has got a blue nose!"

' Oh whoop-dee-doop, doesn't matter for now!'

"Huh?" Zoro turned to you, "What're you talking 'bout?"

"Easy Chopper." She took a swig of her bottle, "I don't stay up there all the time, y'know. A young, too young, lady like myself needs to earn a living."

Zoro snickered, "A young lady huh? I think you're going senile, old bat!"

You glared at him panicked, "Not the time!" Facing the woman, you bowed low, arms stuck to your sides. "One of our friends is very sick, and she really needs a doctor. She doesn't have much time left! We thought you would be in your castle, so two of my nakama are heading up there right now with our sick friend. So please can you hurry up to the castle and save her!" You babbled manically, the words coming out in a rush.

Zoro's breath hitched, "No way! This is bad!" Out of the corner of your eye, you saw him bow next to you. Your jacket fell off his shoulders. "Please help our friend."

"Heeheeheehee!"

Glancing up, you saw Kureha take another swig.

"Oh this is all very touching," she grinned, tilting her head, "but we need to discuss the matter of payment. My services don't come cheap after all."

Your eyes widened, "Well…we don't have any money…"

The old woman cackled, "Well that's a shame then isn't it. I'm afraid I can't help you then."

The reindeer, Chopper was it, blinked in confusion.

Gritting your teeth, you straightened. 'Okay, so I have an idea, but you're not going to like it.'

"You are correct. I do not like this idea. It is quite foolhardy."

'Tough, because it's the only thing we've got.'

 Mello sighed,"As much as it pains me to say it...I agree."

Taking a dagger from your side pouch, you winced. Quickly, before you had second thoughts, you slashed it across your opposite wrist. Blood welled up almost immediately.

"Hey!" Zoro grabbed your arm, eyes wide, "The hell're you doing Missy?! Are you insane!?"

Ignoring him, you held your cut wrist up towards Kureha to show the black blood trickling down your arm. "You can use me as a test subject. I won't resist or anything." Grimacing slightly, you watched the cut close up, "As you can tell...I'm a freak of nature. My immune system is way better than normal humans', so you can probably test out more things on me than you can on other people." You chuckled, "I'm used to it anyways."

"Missy…"

You felt a hand gingerly touch your shoulder. A wonky smile wormed its way onto your face, "Hell, I don't even know how my body works, so you would probably know more than I would in the end." You bowed once more, "So would that be enough to pay for my friend's treatment? I'm begging you, please!"

Kureha crossed her arms. Tilting her head, she stroked her chin, "So you're willing to sell off your own body just for your friend...Most interesting…" She smiled at you, "This friend of yours must be very important to you."

"Of course she's important, she's our crew-mate!" Zoro growled, before turning to you. Frowning, he crossed his arms, "That's why there is no way in hell that I'm letting you do this. You're our crew-mate too-"

"Which is why I need to do everything I possibly can to help protect you guys!" You pointed towards the tallest mountain, "Luffy and Sanji are risking their lives right now to get Nami up that mountain. The least I can do is use this freakish body of mine to make sure that she gets treated. They're my friends too dammit, so let me do this! Besides," Your arm dropped, "how much of a choice do we have here?"

He grimaced, "I still don't like this."

Kureha leant forwards towards him, "You should respect her wishes, boy."

He growled, "Shut up granny, this is our problem! Stay out of it!"

"...You should watch what you say."

You gulped as her arm flew out to connect with Zoro's jaw. The swordsman soared through the air into a patch of snow a few meters away.

The doctor clenched her fist, "I'm still in my young, too young, 130s!" Grabbing your wrist, she effortlessly dragged you into the sleigh. "Let's go, Chopper. We have a patient to see."

The reindeer sped off towards the mountain at a fast pace, leaving Zoro far behind.

"HEY HOLD IT! GIVE MISSY BACK YOU HAG!" He tried to give chase, only to trip and fall face first into a pile of snow.

You winced, "Sorry Mop-boy."

"What an rude boy." She grinned at you, grabbing another bottle, "Have to say, I'm looking forward to investigating you, Missy Sai."

"Yeah yeah, of course you know who I am. But I'm actually looking forward to it too." Rubbing your head, you giggled nervously, "As I said, I have no idea how I actually tick. If you don't mind, can you please tell me what you find?"

"Heeheeheehee! What sort of doctor would I be if I didn't tell my patients what was wrong with them."

"Thanks. By the way, do you have any alcohol I can have? It's been a looong day..."

Grinning wider, she held out her bottle.

Without even blinking, you took it and drained the entire contents. "Bwah! That's some good plum sake! Boy I needed that, thanks!"

She cackled, "You have good taste, kid."

"So I've been told."

"So." Straightening her glasses, Kureha got out a notebook and pencil, "Care to tell me about your superhuman healing and black blood?"

You flinched, "If you don't mind, can we wait until we're at your castle. I'm a government secret, so the fewer people who know about this freakshow, the better."

The rhythm of hooves faltered slightly.

"Ah...I see. We can keep secrets, can't we Chopper?"

The reindeer dipped his head slightly.

"Heeheeheehee! Don't mind him, he's a bit shy around humans."

Leaning on the railing, you sighed, "Well I barely consider myself human anymore, so he's got nothing to be worried about."

"I see. Most interesting," A devilish grin flitted across the 'young' 139 year old's face. She pointed her pencil towards you, "So you say that you have another consciousness residing within you, and he manifests himself as a weapon."

"Yeah, a scythe." Leaning out of the sleigh, you watched the trees and villages disappear into tiny pin pricks. 'Have to admit, I'm impressed.'

" Gondola cars linked to the castle, quite a feat of engineering. Equally awe inspiring is how this reindeer and sleigh are comfortably running on the cables."

"No wonder they thought you were a witch," you giggled. "To anyone else, it'd look like you were flying!" Pursing your lips, you watched the avalanche of white snow wash over the trees, 'I hope they're alright.'

"Did you want to know about my secret of eternal youth?"

You hung your head, "For the last time, NO! I'm enough of a freak as it is without the immortality thanks."

Chopper snorted.

"See!" You gestured to the reindeer, "He understands!"

The smile on Kureha's face faltered slightly, "I'm sure he does. But back to my original question, can I meet this consciousness? Or at least see him in scythe form"

"Unfortunately those are two different conditions. Either Mello is in scythe form and only I can communicate with him, or our consciousnesses swap places." You shrugged, "There's no middle ground really, so which would you prefer?"

"I see…" She tapped the pencil on the paper, "Then can you 'swap consciousnesses'." Cackling, she tilted her head towards the reindeer, "I must say that we never thought we would be examining an ancient weapon today, did we Chopper?"

A squeaky, youngish voice came from the front of the sleigh, "No, Doctorine. I personally am curious about her blood. The consistency looked slightly thicker than regular blood, so I was wondering whether she had a higher concentration of haemoglobin."

You blinked. 'Did that reindeer...just say something? Have I drank too much sake again?'

"I did mention the blue nose earlier. You should have realised that he was important."

'Oh yeah, because having a blue nose gives you the ability to talk. That sounds about right.' Scratching your head, you gulped, 'Have to admit though, you have a point.'

"Of course I do."

'Devil fruit?'

"Either that or a mink. Although finding a mink here would be highly improbable."

'Oh imagine Luffy meeting him!'

" If the poor creature isn't eaten first, I am positive that he will do his best to make him join the crew."

You hummed in agreement, turning towards Chopper, "Just to be sure, I didn't just imagine you saying something did I?"

He stumbled slightly, head whipping towards you, The sleigh rocked precariously on the wire. "Ah! Well...yeah, it must have been your imagination! I can't talk, you dummy!"

Sharply exhaling, Kureha pinched the bridge of her nose.

You raised an eyebrow, "Right...my mistake."

Chopper's mouth fell open, "Ah! No! I mean-"

"That's so cool!" You grinned broadly, "I don't get why you're so worried about it."

He blinked, "Wait...you're not afraid of me?"

You laughed, "Why would I be? I'm not exactly normal myself, if you haven't noticed."

"Why don't you introduce yourself, Chopper." Kureha grinned, reaching down for another bottle of plum sake.

He gulped, turning his head forwards once more. "My name is Tony Tony Chopper. I'm training under Doctorine to become a doctor. It's nice to meet you." Each sentence was spat out harshly. You could see what Kureha meant when she said that he didn't trust humans.

"I'm Saioney (y/n), otherwise known as Missy to those who hate me. Which, heh, is most people. Also known as freak, monster, demon and so on, take your pick." You leant forwards slightly, resting your head on a hand, "So why exactly would I be afraid of you? Either you've eaten a devil fruit, or you're a mink. Nothing to it. I mean, you don't look like you'd hurt a fly."

"Oh I ate the human-human fruit, but that's not why you should be repulsed by me." He dipped his head down, "I have a blue nose, that's why."

"Oh I see." Draped over the side of the sleigh, you smiled weakly at the white scenery below, "You got rejected from your herd. I'm guessing the devil fruit didn't help matters either."

His face lit up, "Are you magic?! That's so awesome!"

'That sounds familiar.' You winked before sighing in exasperation, "It's a tale as old as time. Anyhow, I actually like your blue nose. It shows you'll be important."

Blinking, Chopper tilted his head to the side. Kureha's brow furrowed, and she raised an eyebrow.

" You need to clarify, Missy."

"Well, I explained my visions, didn't I? Before our crew landed here, the words 'blue nose' just popped into my head. That means that you'll be important in our future." You grinned, "I may have a slight hunch about what that role might be, but I'll leave that one for our captain to decide."

The female doctor cackled, "I think I know what you're getting at, girl."

"Huh?" Chopper blinked his eyes at you, "I don't get it."

"Oh dear lord, he's adorable."

' I don't need you getting mushy on me you stupid scythe.'

"Ah, we've arrived." Kureha grinned as the sleigh drew up in front of a snowy castle, "Now where are these friends of yours?"

Vaguely registering the fantasy castle, you raced out of the sleigh, "Luffy! Sanji! Where are you guys!"

Leaving Kureha and Chopper calling your name, you dashed off towards the ledge. "You'd better be alive!"

Amidst the whistles of the wind, a muffled but familiar voice rose up from beneath your feet.

"...(y/n)...?"

Eyes widening, you glanced down the mountain side. Crouching down onto the snow, your stomach dropped, "LUFFY!"

The boy looked up towards you, clinging on far down below you on the mountain side. You were relieved to see Nami was still strapped across his back, but the sight of Sanji hanging limply in the air was worrying to say the least. Only carried by his jacket, clamped in Luffy's mouth, even from that distance you could tell he had been beaten up badly.

"Hold on, I'm coming! Mello-!"

" Leave everything to me!"

The scythe formed in your hand, before extending down quickly towards the three people. To your horror, the blade stopped a couple of metres above them.

"I can't go any further, Missy. This is my maximum length."

"Mellontas, extend."

He recoiled, "But Missy..."

You gritted your teeth, "I said extend, Mellontas."

Stiffening for a moment, he hesitated before shooting down to close the gap.

Something dribbled out of your nose.

"Do whatever you have to do Mello."

Blade dulled, he rapidly wrapped around them all while making sure not to unnecessarily aggravate their wounds. The wait killed you. It took everything you had to not tug them up as fast as you could. But you couldn't. If you pulled them up too fast, you had no idea what sort of extra injuries they could get. Not to mention Nami...

You shuddered.

"Don't you dare die!"

So you waited. You waited as Mello extended further and further to properly secure them, even as he hesitated

" I'm done."

"Thank Kronos." Gripping the handle as tightly as you could, you dug your feet into the snow. Grunting, you still felt the effort as Mello retracted his shaft. Your vision blurred as something filled your eyes. You couldn't tell if it was blood or tears at this point.

"I...I can't...!"

Biting your lip, you tasted rust. You barely registered it as your arms screamed with the effort of keeping hold of the scythe.

"I CAN'T LOSE YOU GUYS!"

With one final heave, the three limp bodies spilled over the ledge and collapsed on top of you. Mello vanished into your skin. You barely noticed, eyes blankly staring upwards as you sucked in breath after breath of cool, crisp air.

"...(y/n)..." Luffy slowly shifted above you.

You felt your breath get caught in your throat as you eventually registered his appearance. Somewhere along the journey he had lost his winter coat, leaving his body blue with cold and covered in bruises and scratches. Something dripped from his fingers onto your shoulder.

Your fingers came back stained red.

Tilting your head, you saw his worn down fingers and toes, bloodied and raw.

"Oh Kronos," Sitting abruptly up, you hugged him, "I...I...I should have gone with you! I shouldn't have stayed behind...shit...It's my fault, I should have seen this coming!"

"...(y/n)..."

Your eyes widened as Luffy's face lit up into a lazy grin, his gaze vacantly lolling to the side.

"...made it…(y/n)...got to...doctor…" His eyes rolled backwards and he collapsed into your arms.

"You sure did, Cap…" Finally breaking down into hysterical sobs, you clutched him tighter, "You...made it…"

"Doctorine, there's an antibody response."

The crushing of herbs.

"Yeah. As there should be. So what is the origin of the disease? Can you tell me?"

Something bubbled merrily.

"Kestia."

Jars clinked together.

"That's right. It's a Kestia. You look after that girl. We can't examine a depressed patient, it alters the blood flow."

"Okay." You heard Chopper potter out of the little room and stop in front of you, "Uh...Miss Saioney...?"

"Just call me (y/n)..." you mumbled. Crouching in a corner, you held your head in your hands.

Two tiny hooves tentatively stepped forwards, "Are you alright, can I get you anything?"

You shook your head loosely, "I'm fine. I just...got a scare. That's all."

Something was put down, and your head was tilted up by Chopper's hoof. He peered at you suspiciously, placing a hoof on your forehead. The sight of his short two-legged transformation didn't phase you, you had seen him transform into a giant to carry your friends inside. He also had been forced to carry you, because you wouldn't stop crying.

Biting your lip, you winced at the memory.

"There don't seem to be any symptoms of shock." He opened one of your eyes fully, shining a light towards it. You flinched at the sudden brightness, "Your pupil are dilating as normal at least, and your skin isn't clammy…"

"I'm fine, Chopper." You smiled weakly, "But thanks for checking up on me."

"You looked like you cared a lot for them." He tilted his head to the side, "Your friends I mean. You must have known them for a long time."

You chuckled, "Not really. It's been about a month and a half since I first met them. Heck, I didn't even think that I cared for them so much until I saw them almost dead on that mountainside."

Almost unbidden, memories flooded into your head. Luffy standing up for you in front of Crocus. Sanji sitting with you in a tree after that awful, awful vision. Zoro telling you how freakish you were as a human being. Usopp racing you to try and stop Zoro from reaching the helm. Nami screaming at how worn down your clothes were, before shoving you in the direction of the crow's nest. Vivi screaming at you to not use Carue as sea king bait.

Everyone smiling and laughing together as you reached the top of Reverse Mountain.

"They're family. They...complete a part of me that I had no idea was missing."

As soon as you spoke, you knew the words were true. Mello on your back hummed in agreement. On a whim, you summoned him and hugged the shaft tightly. You needed something to hug right  now.

"When I was part of the government, all they did was remind me that I was created for the sake of justice." Your grip tightened, "I wasn't a human or a person to them, I was a weapon that they could use as they pleased. A monster that they could place all the blame on."

A cloven hoof touched your hand. Chopper's wide eyes glistened.

Babbling now, you couldn't stop the words flowing out, "I was alone for so...so long, always doubting if I even deserved to live. When I first met Luffy, I don't know what I was thinking. I respected his confidence, and I guess that boosted my own to give me the courage to actually do something. I thought that they would throw me off almost immediately as soon as I said I was a government secret. But those guys just...accepted me without even blinking. Well...Usopp might not have immediately..."

You grinned, "I can never repay them for that. Somehow they've become the family me and Mello have never had." You leant your head against the scythe, "I'm sure he'd agree with that."

You felt his blade gently caress your head, "I couldn't have said it better myself, Missy."

Realising just how much you'd said to a stranger, you sheepishly scratched your head, "Sorry about that. I just needed to get that off my chest-"

A large sniffle made you look up.

Chopper let out a sob, tears pouring out of his eyes. "Do you think...hic...something like me...hic...could find a family like that too…?"

He looked so distraught you didn't know how to act. Settling for patting his pink hat, you leant down towards him, "I think you already have found one. You have Doctor Kureha, don't you. She obviously cares for you a lot. Besides, if I can get a family, then you definitely can."

"Can...you...hic...be my family too?"

His pitiful voice broke your heart. You scooped him up into a hug, muffling your voice, "Do you even need to ask?"

Finally throwing his arms around your neck, Chopper bawled into your shoulder. You squeezed him tightly. Out of the corner of your eye, you noticed Mello slowly circle round both of you protectively. You smiled amist Chopper's fur.

"Thank you."

Chapter Text

"BIG SIS (y/n)!"

Blinking open heavy eyelids, you slowly sat up from the cot, "Huh? Big...sis…(y/n)?"

A brown ball of fluff catapulted itself into your face, "SAVE MEEEEEEEE!"

"Gwah...Is that you Chopper?" Detaching the bipedal reindeer from your face, you stared at him until the stars left your vision.

' My head...I get that my body isn't affected by normal anesthetics, but hell. What did that damn doctor give me? '

"Concussion."

'Oh…' Glancing at Chopper trembling on your lap, your eyes widened, "Hang on, save you from what."

Your head flipped towards a loud crash which...sounded like someone...or something...had just run into the wall…

"WHERE ARE YOU, MEAT?! I WANNA EAT YOU!"

"NOT BEFORE I PROPERLY COOK IT YOU IDIOT!"

You blinked, "Ah."

"HUUUUUUUUUAAAAAAAH!" Luffy, minus his trademark hat, and Sanji sprinted through the narrow door. Or at least, they attempted to. Unless getting stuck in the door and grappling with each other frantically was their plan, in which case they were doing that just fine.

"Oi Sanji, you're in the way!"

"I was here first, you dumbass!

Halfway through shoving his hand in Sanji's face, Luffy glanced up to finally register you. He raised an eyebrow, "Oi (y/n)? What're you doing here? I thought you stayed behind."

"(y/n)-chan?!" Sanji kicked the hand away, face lighting up at the sight of you, "Were you so worried about your handsome knight that you followed me up here, mademoiselle~?"

Amidst the tangled limbs, you couldn't help but notice how both their bodies were covered with layers of white bandages. Your brow twitched, before you gave an exaggerated pout, "Well damn, you saw right through me, Flirty."

His grin widened goofily, "Really?!"

'Now I can be really really mean here...'

"Just let him have his moment. This is probably the first time his affections have been reciprocated after all, even if it was laced with sarcasm."

'Ouch, that's cold... But I guess you have a point. I don't think he'll take me saying that Luffy is my 'handsome knight' well.'

"Why would you ever think that…"

' You were saying about sarcasm?'

Luffy took advantage of Sanji's moment of weakness, placing a hand in the cook's chest to shoot himself forwards. He landed as a crumpled mess on top of the cot in front of you grinning wildly, "You caught the meat! Awesome, now gimme!" Drool pouring out of his mouth, he stretched his arms towards you.

Chopper squeaked.

"HEY YOU BASTARD, WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!" Sanji stormed in, dusting debris off his shoulder, "ME AND (y/n)-CHWAN WERE HAVING A MOMENT!"

Giggling, you flicked Luffy's head, scooping Chopper to the side, "You can't eat him, Cap."

"THAT'S RIGHT!" The reindeer snapped, "SO DON'T EVEN TRY!"

"Wait…" Luffy's jaw dropped, "YOU CAN TALK?!"

Sanji froze mid step. "Oh yeah…" he mumbled, "and it was walking upright…"

The two faced each other in horror, "MONSTER!"

Both you and Chopper flinched.

You winced, "Okay now that was uncalled for..."

"W-what is it!?" The rubber boy jumped off the bed, flailing his arms, "If it walks on two legs."

"...and it looks like a reindeer…"

"...and it's furry…"

"...and it's short…"

"...and then it gets big…"

They both gulped, "...IT'S A MONSTER!"

You pinched the bridge of your nose, "Wow guys...I don't know whether to applaud your stupidity or your insensitiveness. Cap I kinda expected this, but Flirty? I expected better."

Glancing towards the little reindeer, you frowned. His arms had dropped limply to his sides, head buried in your arms. You gave him a tight squeeze, glaring at your crewmates.

Slowly, Luffy's head turned towards Chopper with an all too familiar sparkle in his eyes. "I like him! That's so cool!"

Chopper blinked.

"Sanji! (y/n)!"

"Oh no…" You sighed tiredly, "I know that look…"

Sanji smirked, "It's not like we can really do anything to stop him."

Luffy clenched his fists, a large grin plastered on his face, "Let's make him our crew mate!"

Shifting in your arms, Chopper turned to look at him incredulously, "You...aren't afraid of me?"

Poking his head, you giggled, "They put up with me, don't they?" Leaning down next to him, you whispered into his ear, pointing at Luffy, "And if you want my opinion, I think Cap here's much more of a monster than you or me."

Chopper giggled with you at that, "Big sis (y/n)...I don't think that's…"

"Well yeah, I like monsters!" A head stretched towards you, "So you wanna be my crew mate? I really really like you!"

"HUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" The little doctor scampered out of your grasp to 'hide' behind you, "HIS NECK!"

You shrugged, "Devil fruit, same as you."

"Hang on…" he pointed at himself, "Me? Crew mate?"

Luffy's head grinned, "Yeah! You'll be a pirate!"

You felt the back of your top get scrunched, "I don't give a damn about pirates!"

"Oi Cap!" You flicked the head back to its owner, the neck recoiling with a snap, "Give him a break. You've been chasing Chopper around the castle for I don't know how long calling him food, and now you want to call him your crew mate instead? It's not like I'm against the idea, but it's a bit much to take in after all." Glaring at Sanji, you crossed your arms in a huff, "And you, Flirty! I'd expect this from the rubber brained idiot, but you should know better!"

"But you must forgive me, (y/n)-chan," Sanji knelt next to the cot, gesturing at Chopper, "I just wanted to make a venison dish to celebrate Nami-swan's full recovery."

"EEP!"

"Wait," Flipping your head to Chopper, a massive grin filled your face, "Nami's awake? That's awesome!"

The reindeer nodded. "I was just coming to tell you when these two idiots decided it would be a good idea TO EAT ME!" Facing Sanji and Luffy, he growled.

Sanji had the decency to turn away, rubbing the back of his neck. Your captain, on the other hand, just met Chopper's gaze with large sparkly eyes, "A talking tanuki, that's so cool!"

"I'M A REINDEER!"

"Are you sure?" Luffy frowned, a hand on his chin "You sure don't look like one."

"OF COURSE I'M SURE, YOU DUMBASS!" Glaring at you, Chopper crossed his hooves, "Tell them, big sis (y/n)."

If it was even possible, Luffy's eyes started sparking more, "(y/n), you never told us you were half tanuki! A half tanuki psycho with a freaky weapon! So cool!"

You opened your mouth to object, but before you could even say a word a hand chopped him on the head, "That's because she's none of those thing, you idiot!" Spinning towards you, Sanji's eyes morphed into hearts, "(y/n)-chan is the very image of perfection!"

"Pfffft!" Clasping your stomach, you doubled over in a fit of giggles, "Perfection huh? Thanks Flirty, I needed a good laugh!"

"Deformation of the vision region. Quite peculiar." Something tapped you on the back, "Big sis (y/n), is this a common occurrence?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, he does this a lot." Wiping your eyes, you tilted your head questioningly at the pensive reindeer, "I meant to ask earlier, what's with the 'Big sis (y/n)' stuff? You can just call me (y/n), it's fine."

Chopper immediately found great interest in his own hooves, "Well...you said you could be my family...uh...so…and...uh...I've always wanted a big sister...so I thought...uh...you...you could be…"

"Awww." Luffy pouted, "So you're not half tanuki. Boooooooooring."

"I'M A REINDEER!"

"Oh ignore him," Sanji grinned childishly, pointing at himself, "I haven't introduced myself yet, have I. I'm Sanji, but you can call me 'Big bro Sanji', alright!"

"OOOOOH! I wanna be a big bro too! Big bro Luffy! That sounds cool!"

"YOU DON'T HAVE THE MENTAL AGE TO BE CALLED THE BIG BROTHER TO ANYONE!"

Chopper looked at the two of them as if they were something he had scraped off his hoof.

You giggled as your two crewmates squabled between themselves.

'I'm so glad they're alright.'

" They definitely gave us quite a scare."

Smiling softly, you reached round to ruffle Chopper's fur.

' ...yeah.'

"Doctorine! Big sis (y/n)! HELP MEEEE!"

"Just join our crew already! It'll be awesome! Everyone'll love you!"

Nami sighed as she shifted her position on the cot, "Are those two still at it?"

Slamming your head onto the nearby table, you groaned as the reindeer and rubber man duo screamed their way round the castle for the hundredth time that day, "This is getting ridiculous, and from me that's saying something."

"No kidding. I just want some rest." Shaking her head, Nami chuckled limply.

Turning your head to properly look at her, you smiled. Whatever Kureha had given her had worked wonders. Despite her tiredness, Nami's skin was slowly getting back to it's usual colour and she didn't look so clammy.

Noticing the attention you were giving her, Nami arched an eyebrow, "Is there a problem?"

You grinned, "I'm just...really glad you're alright!"

"Oh?" She huffed dramatically, crossing her arms, "I heard from Sanji that you predicted my death. Looks like you didn't have that much faith in me."

"I never predicted your death." You raised a finger pointedly, "Your future was just disappearing at...a worryingly fast pace…" Wincing slightly, you curled your head up in your arms, "And from what Doctor Kureha told me...if we hadn't found her when we did…"

You trailed off, not needing to say the rest. Nami turned away, biting her lip. Giggling weakly, you sat back on your chair, "Well, at least this means that I can be wrong, huh? I don't know about you, but I find that reassuring."

She grinned at you, "I wouldn't be so sure. It really is handy to have someone who at least has a hint of what's coming. God knows what would have happened to us so far if you weren't there." She ran a hand through her hair, "Especially in Little Garden. Dorry was a massive help, and he would have been unable to fight if you hadn't interfered."

Ignoring the angry throbbing coming from Mello, you giggled and rubbed the back of your neck, "That really means a lot, thanks!"

"But!" She jabbed her finger towards you, "That doesn't mean you're off the hook, Missy! You still have to do your best to make sure we make our way out of this mess alive, got it? Or I'll cut your allowance."

"I have an allowance?! Like, actual money allowance?!"

Her lips met in a fine line.

"Ah...Y-yes Ma'am!"

"Oh Nami-san!" Sanji gracefully kicked open the door, arms laden with two trays, "In order to help you regain your health, I've prepared an extra special meal for your enjoyment."

"Oh, thank you Sanji."

Setting one before Nami, he turned and placed the other tray on the table in front of you, "Forgive me (y/n)-san, but I thought that the last time we spoke you looked quite exhausted. Therefore I took it upon myself to make you a special something to energise you."

You deadpanned, "You just wanted to impress me, didn't you." However, as you glanced down at the large array of desserts on your tray with your meal, your eyes lit up, "But you know what, I don't care! Thanks a bunch Flirty!"

" Honestly Missy...After consuming so many of the cook's sugary delicacies, you would think you would have a little more restraint."

Your only response was to flick your left shoulder as you drooled.

"Unbelievable." Kureha clicked her tongue as she leant on the wall, "When did you decide you could use the kitchen?"

Sanji smiled over his shoulder, "Madam, the roast in there is high in protein and will rejuvenate-!"

Nami calmly raised her tray to avoid the well placed kick that sent Sanji flying across the room. You ducked as he sailed over your head and crashed into the wall behind.

"I am not a 'madam'." Nudging the twitching body out of her way, Kureha stalked forwards, scowling, "I am an unwed flower. Still too young, far too young."

"139, right?" Nami cut into the meat on the tray in front of her.

"HEY! Doctorine, Big sis (y/n), SAVE ME!"

A brown ball of fur flew past you and threw the door, leaving a 'Chopper shaped' hole.

"Hold up! Oi, wait, WAIT!"

A red, blue and yellow blur soon followed. You winced at the loud smack your captain made when he collided with the door. He didn't have much time to recover as Chopper sprinted out of the room, several large jars rolling out behind him. The reindeer wisely chose to hide behind him mentor, clutching onto her leg.

Luffy, not realising the danger he was in, grinned down at the small reindeer, "I've got ya cornered!"

You, Nami and the newly recovered Sanji sighed as the two chased each other around the unamused doctor.

Nami rubbed her head, "You should just give up, Chopper. Our captain is a little...thickheaded."

"That's putting it mildly," you mumbled as you took another bite of your meal.

"Yeah!" Luffy's eyes sparkled, "This guy's gonna be our newest friend!"

"I never agreed to that!"

"Did so!"

"Did not!"

"Did so!"

Kureha glared down at them "You two are giving me a headache."

Gulping, the two stepped back slowly before sprinting to another room.

The 'too young' doctor's eyes narrowed as she watched them go, "Friend, eh? You have no idea how deep a meaning that word holds for him..."

' That's my cue to leave.'

Chair scraping against the cobblestone floor, you stood up holding your empty plate, "Thanks for the meal, Flirty. Excellent as always. I'll...just go clean this up…" Leaving the room, you paused for a moment to nod knowingly at Kureha.

"If you can catch him, go rescue Chopper from that idiot captain of yours," she quietly muttered into your ear, "We found some...interesting data from our experiments. I think you'll be quite interested."

Your lips tightened to a fine line, and you stepped out of the room.

"I originally left because I didn't want to hear Chopper's story, but that's got me curious."

"Agreed. I suggest after we've returned this plate, we collect Chopper to find out immediately." A wave of curiosity rippled through your skin, "But...why did you not want to listen?"

"The way he reacted earlier… and his broken antler...It's probably far to similar to ours for comfort, but maybe with an added loss of a loved one. Or two." You frowned. "I...just can't listen to another story like that."

Mello hummed with agreement, and you walked the rest of the way to the kitchen in silence.

Catching the two sprinters as they zipped all over the castle actually wasn't as bad as you had originally thought it was going to be. All it took was a bit of that roast that Sanji had prepared, and Luffy was stopped dead in his tracks. The only problematic thing was it took Chopper a while to realise that no one was chasing him anymore. But once he finally noticed, the reindeer slowed down and collapsed against a wall, panting.

Not missing the opportunity, you jogged up next to him, "Hey, can I talk to you for a sec?"

"Huh? Big...heh...sis...(y/n)?" He slowly turned to you, tongue hanging out his mouth, "Sure...what'd you...heh...want?"

You crouched down to talk to him at eye level, "Kureha said my test results were back."

The reaction was instantaneous. Hopping back onto his feet...or hooves...Chopper started to purposefully potter off, "Follow me."

The walk wasn't long, and you soon found yourself inside the laboratory next to the room where you woke up earlier. Hopping on a bar stool, Chopper stretched up to grab a stack of papers and a flask with your blood inside from a shelf. You drew up a chair from the other side of the room and sat opposite him as he leafed through the papers.

"Here it is!" Chopper held up a sheet triumphantly.

"So what is it? C'mon, the tension is killing me!"

He frowned, holding up a hoof, "You mentioned that you were born with this tattoo, correct?"

Raising an eyebrow, you glanced at the black lines, "Well, yeah. I've had this thing on my back ever since I could remember."

"Well Doctorine found that suspicious, so we decided to inspect that first. It is quite strange to be born with non natural elements, and even more curious was you said you could, what's the word you used, 'reform it'?"

Tiny needles pricked all over your body just remembering how that had felt in Loguetown. Wincing, you rubbed your left arm instinctively

Chopper tilted his head, producing a pencil from a band on his hat and scribbling something on a small notebook, "I'll take that as a yes. Therefore with all this in mind, we decided to investigate the tattoo." He gestured at you absentmindedly with the pencil, "Did you notice the dressing on your back?"

Your hands instantly grappled round to your back until they hit a fabric lump secured by surgical tape. You froze.

"Well that was from where we scraped -and in this scenario I genuinely mean scraped, the scalpel barely touched the skin- you lightly with a scalpel. Keep in mind that this was merely a scalpel, no extra chemicals." Glancing up from his notebook, Chopper calmly met your gaze, "And you almost died of blood loss."

"Hang on, what?!" Eyes widening, you leant forwards hurriedly, "I heal small cuts within minutes and I almost bled out from just a scratch?"

He nodded, "That healing ability is what saved your life. If you had a regenerative system like the everyday human, you would have died in about…" He scribbled down a quick calculation, "Ten minutes."

You gaped.

Chopper continued on impassively, "From this, I deduced that what you thought was a tattoo, was in reality a major blood vessel. Therefore, whenever you 'reform' this 'tattoo'," he gazed at you in genuine curiosity, "you are performing a previously unobtainable act of completely re-shifting your internal structure. It's so cool!"

"H-hang on just a sec," You waved your arms frantically, "What are you trying to say here?"

" ...That you are subconsciously in control of every single molecule of your body…"

You glanced down at your shoulder, 'You sound surprised?'

" I am...I...never knew…"

"So, lemme get this straight," Pinching the bridge of your nose, you exhaled sharply, "I can...control my entire body."

Sighing, Chopper reached for the flask, "Incorrect. From what I investigated from the blood sample we got, instead of haemoglobin you have an unidentified black substitute." Swirling the flask, he watched the contents swirl around the inside of the glass, "Most likely from your ancient weapon heritage. This substitute is what makes your blood black, and is probably what allows you to re-organise your bodily tissues."

"Tissues?"

"What makes up your organs and muscles, so your brain, ligaments, skin and so on. Your bones and skeletal structure would therefore not be affected, so to have some sort of framework I guess."

"Right…" Your brain was swimming with the influx of information. You sat bolt upright abruptly as something popped into your head, "But what about Mello? What does this mean for him?"

" I would like to know that as well."

Chopper placed the pencil back in his hat, "We haven't run any tests on him yet. As I'm sure you can understand, Doctorine and I have had more pressing matters to attend to."

Guilt washed over you as you slumped back into your regular sitting position, "Right...sorry. Just got a bit excited there." You smiled softly, "Thanks for telling me though, it was really useful. It's awesome you managed to get so much in such a short time."

"Hahaha!" Chopper stood on the stool, swinging his hips back and forth in a strange dance, "It was nothing! It's not like I'm pleased or anything, you bastard! Hahaha! Jerk!"

Turning away, you held a hand over your mouth to hide the oncoming giggle fit.

"He appears to have a problem with taking compliments…"

' ...no duh!'

Suddenly Chopper froze mid hip wiggle, nose twitching.

You frowned, recognising the horror in his eyes, "What is it?"

"T-this scent..." He slowly turned to meet your gaze, "It's Wapol!"

Cursing under your breath, you scooped the reindeer into your arms and sprinted out of the room.

"No, let me! WALK POINT!" Leaping out of your grasp, Chopper transformed into his four-legged form. Jumping onto his back, the two of you dashed off into the castle, way faster than you could have ran.

"DOCTORINE! DOCTORINE!"

Bursting through the doorway where Nami, Sanji and Doctor Kureha still were, you dug your fingers into Chopper's fur, "Bad news people!"

"Doctorine! Come quick!" Chopper's gaze darkened under his hat, "Wapol has returned!"

Nami and Sanji blinked obliviously. Quite understandable, considering that they had no idea how bad this really was.

But surprisingly, the only reaction Kureha gave was a knowing smile, "I see." Getting to her feet, she grinned, and not for the first time you saw why she was called our king, "Why don't we give our dear old king the welcome he deserves, eh Chopper? Heeheeheehee!"

Chapter Text

"Maaaaaahahahahaha! Behold, everything is exactly as I left it!" Wapol outstretched his arms, metal lips curling upwards to form a triumphant smile. Gazing upon the snowy building, his eyes glinted, "This is MY castle. The Drum Kingdom will now be revived! Maaaaaahahahahaha!"

Standing in the shadows beside you, Kureha clicked her tongue. Chopper growled, still in walk point. Sanji bit his cigarette. The cook had insisted on coming, despite Chopper and Kureha's warnings about his injuries.

The two men either side of the bastard flinched as they fixed their eyes at a point at the top. You recognised the confused jester from your previous encounter, but the other man was new, as well as the white furry hippo thing.

" A White Walkie. An animal that has adapted, if not overadapted, to life in snowy alpine regions."

'Neat.'

"Please wait, King Wapol!" The jester shakily pointed upwards, "Look on top of the castle tower…!"

Following the finger, Wapol gritted his teeth, "What's that ugly flag doing up there? What happened to the Drum Kingdom flag!?"

"You two, stay here," Kureha mumbled as both she and Chopper stepped out of the doorway and into the light. Cackling, she flicked a pair of glasses down from her forehead, "That old thing? I burned it."

Sanji crossed his arms, "Shouldn't we go help them? If it comes down to a fight, they'll be quickly overwhelmed."

"This is their old king after all. They of all people deserve to deal with that selfish idiot." Slumping back against the wall, you grinned at him, "And you'd be surprised. Chopper is more capable than you give him credit."

The round king grimaced, pointing an accusatory finger "There you are, Doctor Kureha! The last survivor of my great Doctor Hunt."

'Doctor Hunt?' You raised an eyebrow at Sanji. He shrugged, "It's your fault for walking out on the explanation."

"That's fair."

"This castle isn't yours anymore." Kureha lowered her arm, "It's no place for a bunch of spoiled brats like you. Get out of this country! Drum Kingdom is no more!"

Wapol bristled, "...What?"

"WAIT!"

Flipping your head behind, your eyes widened, "Oh Kronos, not now Cap!"

"Luffy you idiot!"

The two of you weren't fast enough to grab the rubber boy as he sped past and out of the castle. Raising back his arm, Luffy glared at the round man, "I'm gonna kick his ass! GUM GUM PISTOL!"

His fist connected squarely with Wapol's chest, sending the large man high into the air.

You facepalmed, and from the sound of it Sanji did the same. Giggling defeatedly, you slid the hand down your face, "Well, guess we have no choice in the matter."

Straightening the collar on his jacket, Sanji groaned affectionately, "That fool never thinks things through."

"That's our captain for you. And we follow the idiot anyway..."

"Wouldn't have it anyother way."

Summoning Mello, you swung him over your shoulder as you and Sanji sauntered out to behind Luffy.

Much to your disappointment, Wapol had not fallen off the edge of the cliff. It was a close one, his two henchmen being the only thing that had saved him from an inevitable death.

"You guys really screwed us over last time." Luffy gritted his teeth, "It feels like you just keep getting in our way again and again."

You and Sanji exchanged confused looks.

A dark cloud over his face, Luffy clenched his fists, "I was taking care of injured people back then, so I had to run. But now," Grin widening, he leered at the three people glaring at him, "I don't have to hold back anymore~! Shishishi!"

"You fiend!" The man you didn't recognise shook out his fist. "How dare you approach the King of the Drum Kingdom, and commit such a henious, violent act!" He didn't look all that threatening with the large, fluffy balls on his hands.

"I think the word you're looking for is 'heinous'," Sanji smirked, "and you shouldn't use big words like that, he won't understand you."

"Yeah, who cares!?" Luffy grabbed his mouth, stretching his lips far out to the side as a ridiculous gesture, "You guys just piss me off!"

Something shifted behind you, "Hey, kid. You know them?"

"Yeah! He's a big-problem-mouth! A big-problem-mouth pirate." He stomped back and forth, "All he does is cause me problems! Eating my ship, chasing my friends, he's not gonna get away with it anymore!"

Sighing Sanji held up a finger, "Wait for it…"

Luffy blinked, before whipping his head back towards the recovering Wapol, "Did he just say he was a King!? I thought he was a pirate!"

"Wait for it..."

Ball-man scoffed, "You've finally realized your rudeness. King Wapol is the King of the Drum Kingdom. When first we met, he was only indulging in piracy temporarily, for his own reasons."

"Oi! It's cold out here!"

"There we go."

"Well what did you expect Cap, coming down without a jacket. Dummy!"

"It's minus 50! Big sis (y/n) can handle this, but you can't!"

Wapol growled, flipping his massive body to his feet, "Now...I'm angry. Straw-hat...I'm gonna eat you alive!"

"Uh, Sanji raised his arm apologetically, "could you wait a sec? Luffy just went inside to get his jacket."

"HE'S GOOOOOOONE?!"

Doubling over, you let the wave of giggles rush out, "Man I love this crew."

"(y/n)-chwan is so sexy when she giggles uncontrollably~!"

"No."

"Especially when she's glaring!"

"Oh dear Kronos please stop. Remind me to actually get you some flirting lessons."

"ANYTHING FOR YOU MADEMOISELLE!"

"...If you keep making goo goo eyes at me, I will slap you."

Kureha gaped at you, "We're in the middle of a national crisis, and you're flirting?"

"Oi!" You pouted, "How the hell am I flirting? This is hardly my fault!"

"(y/n)-chan is never at fault!"

"I warned you," Using Mello, you catapulted the infatuated chef into the air.

Kureha's eyes followed the path Sanji took until he collided with the ground, "I would appreciate it if you didn't harm my patients, but I thought you said a slap."

"Oh I did," you snickered, "but I never said what with."

She cackled as she kicked you over the back of the head.

Rubbing your new lump, you turned to see Chopper morph into his heavy point form.

Clenching his fists, tremors ran through his body, "This is Doctor's grave! I won't let you defile it!"

"Mahahahahaha!" Wapol sneered, "Grave? That stupid quack's? Mahahahahaha!"

The reindeer growled, "You...will not enter this castle...EVER!"

"Uuuuh, King Wapol," Jester frowned, "He's…"

Ball-man snapped his fingers, "That's right, he's the monster that was chasing after the idiot doctor that day!"

You flinched. Tightening your grip on Mello, you glared at the trio.

Chopper didn't react, "That flag is Doctor's conviction. I'll never let it be taken down! EVER!"

"Show no mercy!" Wapol waved forwards, "We're going into the castle! Leave none of them alive!"

Sanji sauntered next to you, "Hey, you gonna fight too Grandma?"

The throbbing lump he received was twice the size of yours.

"If you guys can't handle it, I'll come save you."

"Thanks a lot…"

" I have to admit, what else did he expect."

"King Wapol," Ball-man grinned savagely, raising his fist, "leave it to me! I'll dispense with these infidels at once!" He punched the air, and you gaped as a fluffy black ball got fired towards…

"DOCTORINE!" Chopper screamed.

A black leg intercepted the ball just before impact. Sanji scowled, "Hey, big man with the afro. Didn't your mother tell you it isn't right to strike a lady, especially a hot young one."

Kureha smirked, "I think you finally get it."

' Something's not right…'

Eyes widening, you turned your head towards Ball-man. Instead of being upset his attack didn't work, his smirk was just growing wider.

"It's stuck."

"Huh?" Sanji gulped, shaking his leg violently to attempt to dislodge the ball, "What the hell is with this afro!? Static electricity?"

"Precisely," Ball-man laughed, reaching up into his afro to produce another ball, "and there's many more where that came from. ELECTRIC MARIMO!"

Sanji frowned, whipping his head back and forth, "Wait that stupid swordsman is here? And what's this about being electric?"

Two more balls flew into his arm and side. He grimaced, flailing around "What the hell are these They're so freakin' GROSS!"

Chopper raised a hand, moving towards him, "I'll help you out!"

"Oh no you don't!" Standing in his path, you clambered on top of Mello to flick his nose, "You should know better Doc. If you help, those things are going to stick to both of you. Your fur is static central." You shook your head, "It's best just to wait until the static lessens."

"(y/n)-chan! How cruel!" Sanji panicked, his eyes focused on something behind you, "Crap! He's gonna burn the afros!"

Glancing at Chopper, the two of you nodded before sprinting off towards the two soldiers.

"Oi! Where the hell are you going!?"

"The Decoy Plan!" Chopper explained.

"D...decoy Plan...? I'M THE DECOY!?"

"Actually," you sniggered as Chopper veered off to the side, "I am!" With that, you sliced the arrow that fired from Jester's bow cleanly in two.

The two cronies scowled, "Why you…"

"Mellontas, EXTEND!"

Extending to the side, you swung the weapon in an arc, scooping the two men off to the side. Chopper dashed up behind them, arms ready to crush the quivering Jester.

"Move!" Wapol shoved his henchman to the side, his mouth extending larger.

"Oh Kronos, MELLONTAS-!"

" Got it."

The blunted blade wrapped around Chopper's torso and pulled him out of the way. Unfortunately, this left you directly in Wapol's biting range. Within seconds, all you saw was the inside of a grubby mouth with many cavity filled teeth.

You grimaced, "Eugh!" From the breeze you felt on your hands and legs, only your torso had actually been 'eaten'. Your hand holding Mello was still outside. Thinking for a moment as you failed to shove yourself out of Wapol's mouth with only one hand while he chewed you, all at once you realised that Mello was retacting himself to about the size of your fist.

" Don't panic, Missy. I'm going to get you out of there."

You sighed in relief, 'Oh thank Kronos…'

"Do you trust me?"

The smile dropped from your face. 'Yeeeees…?'

" Good. Now bring me inside Wapol's mouth."

Raising an eyebrow, you assessed your options, 'Well, I guess whatever you're planning is better than nothing. What the hell.' Bringing in your hand containing the now tiny weapon was easy, Wapol just slurped it inside. 'I hope this works.'

"Oh ye of little faith." As soon as the scythe was inside, he extended against the two metal jaws surrounding you, forcing them wide open.

The good news was now you were out of that disgusting place and had no instant fear of being digested. The bad news was now you were dangling in mid air on a thin pole above Wapol's massive gaping mouth, with a potential fear of being digested. Also everything above your hips were covered in something sticky you did not want to think about. You shrugged, "Hey I'll take it."

"Huh? (y/n)? What're you doing over there?" A figure shuffled out of the castle picking his nose.

You giggled, "Oh hey, Cap. Just trying not to be eaten, y'know."

He stopped dead, "That bastard's still alive?" His fists clenched, "I thought I warned you about hurting my friends."

Wapol couldn't really respond to that as his mouth was being propped open by...well, you, but the grunting noises he made sounded angry.

A familiar arm snaked its way around your waist. You giggled down at the round man, "Well I would say it's been fun, but it really hasn't. Bye bye now!" Retracting Mello, you shot out of his mouth just as the jaws snapped shut. You barreled into Luffy, knocking him flat. "That was...far too close than I'd like to admit. Thanks Cap!"

A small brown blob came up to you, "Are you alright?"

"Hahaha! Juuust fine," you grinned as you watched the world spin around you, "Juuuuust a bit light headed is all~"

"She was in there for a while, it could be that she's a bit oxygen deprived," The Copper-blob wiped a bit of the sticky stuff off your arm, "But this also isn't regular saliva either…And I guess your body has not fully recovered the excessive blood that you lost earlier"

"Nah~! I'm fiiiine~!"

Suddenly everything went black

" The hell you're fine. Allow me."

Something slammed into the side of your head. You blinked wildly, "Woah I was out of it. Oh hey, there's only one of everything now. That's nice. Thanks Mello...Whatever you did..."

Luffy stood up, glaring at Wapol, "You tried to eat my crew mate!"

The large man laughed, "It is her fate to end up inside my stomach! She should be honoured I decided to devour her first!"

"You...tried to eat...my crew mate!" Luffy slammed his fist forwards, knocking Wapol into his furry hippo.

" It's a White-"

Sadly, only the White Walkie got sent off the mountain, but you were more than satisfied by the trail of blood dripping from the dictator's nose.

Shakily, you got to your feet, "Right, now let's pummel him."

A swift bony poke to the tiny bandage on your back sent you crumbling to your knees, "You are fighting no one, girl."

Collapsing face first into the snow, you groaned, "But I wanna fiiiiight! I want to help you guys!"

"Such a child," Kureha sighed, and you heard a hand drag down her face, "and I guess you're going to keep whining if I send you inside to rest."

You nodded in the snow.

She chuckled, "Normally, I would use my Doctor Stop, but I guess you'll be fine if you refrain from fighting..." A click of fingers, "Could you by any chance check up on that idiot captain. If this overweight buffoon is up here, that must mean that he was defeated."

"Dalton!" You turned over and sat bolt upright, slapping your forehead, "Oh yeah! I was going to help him defend against Wapol when I got scooped up by you guys. Can't believe I forgot!" Jumping to your feet, you started to run towards the edge of the mountain, waving behind you, "Cap, Sanji, Chopper. Give 'em hell for me."

Smiling softly, Chopper nodded.

Luffy gave a curt nod, eyes fixed on Wapol.

"Oh course we will (y/n)-chan." Sanji gnawed on his cigarette, "I can't believe my negligence almost got (y/n)-chan eaten...EATEN...How disgraceful...She is far too fine a dish to be consumed by such a beast…"

A bead of sweat dropped down your forehead. "Right…Anyhow." Holding Mello out in front of you, you giggled, "I've been wanting to do this as long as I've been up here."

" Although I do not wish to strain your injuries, this is far too much enjoyment to pass up. LET'S DO IT!"

"Mellontas, CANNON!"

And suddenly the figures on the mountain shrunk beneath you as you got fired into the air and off the ledge into free fall. Stretching your arms out to the side, you laughed as the wind rushed past your face, "YAHOOOOOOOO!"

Thump!

"Ow ow ow ow oooooow!" Your leg twitched as you righted yourself to a sitting position in the wreckage, "Landings...still need a bit of work…I didn't hurt anyone else did I?"

"MY CABBAGES!"

Wincing, you inched away from the distraught salesman, "I uuuh...need to go and find my friends…so if you'd just excuse me..." You sprinted off in a random direction into town, "Who the hell sells cabbages on a winter island anyway? Kronos I hope I find the others fast, but I have NO CLUE WHERE I AM!"

" Agreed, we...should have thought this through..."

You snickered, "Worth it though?"

" Oh most definitely."

"I think we should go up the mountain after all, Mr Usopp, Mr Bushido."

Skidding to a halt, you whipped your head around to find the source of Vivi's voice.

"We can't just sit here! Not knowing what happened to Mr Luffy and the others after that huge avalanche is worrying me! And we don't know where Miss (y/n) even is!"

"I'm right here, where are you guys," You growled as you tried to locate your friends, "But like hell are we going up the mountain! I just came down from there!"

" If you extend me now to do a quick search, I don't think I can be used for a while. We've lost too much blood."

Freezing for a moment, you hurriedly tapped your chin. "I'm gonna recall you for now. We may need you in an emergency."

"An excellent choice," the scythe hummed as the black lines reappeared onto your skin.

"Miss Nami has a terrible fever...Miss (y/n) even said that… a-and even she's missing…"

Since you were too focused on the conversation, your foot slipped up on a sheet of ice, and you went elegantly careening into a stack of crates. Dusting debris off your body, you glanced up to see a familiar head of green hair lean down above you. You frowned as you clambered on top of the highest undamaged crate, "What's that look of shock for, Mop-boy? You guys were wondering where I was, right? Well here I am. All according to my devious plan."

Vivi, Usopp and even Zoro gaped at you. Sitting cross legged, you eyed them warily, "You don't need to worry about the others by the way, I've seen them and they're perfectly fine."

They blinked.

You tilted your head, "Is something wrong?"

Zoro was the first to react, grabbing your neck and shaking you back and forth violently, "Are you an idiot, Missy? Just casually going off with a complete stranger, and not checking it through with us? Do you have any idea how annoying it has been to hear these two whine about how worried they were about you? And how the hell are you so sticky?"

"Mop-boy, I can't breathe!"

"Hold up," Usopp held up a hand, gesturing at Zoro, "You...never said anything about her willingly going with a stranger. Just that (y/n) was a complete idiot and she had been kidnapped."

You raised a finger, "I went...doctor...Nami treated…Mop-boylemmegocan'tbreathe."

He loosened his grasp and you rocked forwards gasping for air. Feeling lasers bore into you, you raised your head to gulp at the sight of Vivi glaring at you.

She crossed her arms, "You. Explain everything. Now."

"I see," Vivi sighed, "Miss Nami's alright. That's such a relief. I was so worried."

Usopp frowned, "You worry too much Vivi. Earlier, you were worrying about (y/n) and Nami, and on top of that worrying about Dalton and Alabasta too? You need to calm down, so you don't shoulder too much of a burden. Well now you know that your worrying was all for nothing. (y/n) is fine," he glared at Zoro, "and Nami is being taken care of as we speak. It's all fine, I have faith that she will make a perfect recovery."

"Oh," She glanced down, "I see, thank you…"

"Nah, you're just afraid of climbing the mountain," Zoro poked the sniper repetitively in the forehead.

"Well can you blame me?! (y/n) said that Wapol's up there! Not to mention there's Abominable Snowmen and Bear-Rabbits!"

"Then you should have just said that in the first place!"

Drumming your fingers on your face, you grimaced, "The Abominable Snowman? More like the Adorable Snowman, Chopper wouldn't hurt a fly. Heck, if he accidentally smacked it he'd give it first aid treatment."

"D-Dalton!"

"Please wait! You shouldn't go outside!"

The door of the building Vivi leant on creaked open.

Usopp's eyes sparkled, and he ran around the building, "Dalton! You're alright!"

"Dalton," Vivi quickly followed after him.

Zoro scratched his head, "Will somebody just tell me who this guy is?"

Hopping off the crates, you frowned, "When Wapol was king here, Dalton was the only decent member of his court."

"Hang on, that Wapol guy was a king?"

As you rounded the circular house, you gaped. Dalton was strong, you knew that much...so it was horrifying to see the great man covered with bandages and propping himself up with his spade.

He waved the circle of civilians around him away, "Let me by. I will not...allow Wapol to enter the castle...Never again!"

Walking up to him, you bowed deeply, "I am so sorry for disappearing like that."

He blinked at you groggily, "(y/n)..."

"You needed my help," Straightening up, you scratched the back of your neck apologetically, "but I was worried about the lives of my crewmates, and I'm afraid for me at least, they come first. I know its a lame excuse, and I feel really guilty, but if I had to make the choice again I would do it in a heartbeat. But!"  You held out a hand as Dalton started to protest, "You don't need to worry about letting Wapol into the castle." You grinned, "Cap, Sanji and the person who's about to be our newest crew mate have got that covered!"

He collapsed, raising an eyebrow in disbelief, "But why...why are you helping us."

Giggling, you tilted your head, "You really need to ask? Even if your country wasn't in the state it's it, I think we'd still be willing to fight Wapol. He tried to eat two of our crewmates after all." Smirking, you counted off on your fingers, "Our ship and myself. So although that bastard is the most annoying thing on the seas, he's made the massive mistake of making it personal!" You punched your hand, "Like hell we'd not take the opportunity to beat him up!"

Behind you, Zoro recoiled, "You were...almost eaten? So you were sticky because-" He gagged.

Dalton smiled, "I see. So would you mind letting an old man like myself fight alongside you?"

You giggled, "Can't see why not."

"M-miss (y/n)!" Gasping, Vivi bought her hands to her face, "You, you can't possible mean you're going back to the castle, and bringing Mr Dalton too!"

"In both of your conditions, that's way too reckless!" Usopp shook his head in disbelief, "You'd never make it up there."

"If I do not fight now, then when will I?" Eyes turning bloodshot, Dalton cried out, "If I allow Wapol to regain power, this country will be ruined for all eternity!"

A blue jacketed companion spluttered, "But, you just can't fight in the state you're in!"

"No matter what filthy means may be necessary…" Grunting with the effort, Dalton pushed himself to his feet, "I'm going to end this right now!" Using his spade as a crutch, he took a couple of shuffles forward.

Your eyes widened as Usopp calmly moved to step in front of him. Turning round, and not caring that the man was over twice his size, the sniper crouched down on the snow, "Get on. I'll carry you up to the castle."

Dalton froze.

"No time to hesitate!" Usopp glanced determinedly over his shoulder, "I won't let your determination go to waste!"

Vivi clasped her chest, "Mr Usopp"

You, on the other hand, facepalmed, "Mop-boy…"

Zoro nodded, cracking his knuckles as he stepped forwards. Without breaking a sweat, he lifted the large man onto a shoulder, much to the amazement of everyone watching, "Didn't you listen to Missy? This is our fight too." He frowned at Dalton's incredulous face, "We'll just take you up the mountain. Don't care what you do from there."

"Zoro!" Usopp shot to his feet, red faced, "I was trying to sound cool!" Storming up to him, he aimed multiple kicks towards the impassive swordsman, "Jerk! Jerk! You jerk!"

"Huh, what's that Usopp? It's not like you can carry him."

"Oh you je-OW! JUST WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU MADE OF? IRON?"

"Heh, the training must be paying off."

Usopp pouted, shoving his hands into his pockets and sculking off towards the castle, "Right, this calls for my full power to be unleashed! I was saving it to beat up Wapol, y'know."

"Yeah. I know you were."

"OH REALLY?! FULL POWER!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah."

Vivi and you exchanged a tired grin before sprinting off after them. She chuckled, "They really can be foolish sometimes."

"Yeah, but everyone can be dumb sometimes." You grinned as you caught up to them, "But besides, life's just not fun if we don't choose to be complete idiots once in a while."

Blinking for a moment, she turned forwards, smiling softly, "I guess..."

Catching up to the others, you slowed down to a jog and giggled, "Now let's go find that hippo freak, you guys and give him a beating he won't ever forget!"

"Yeah!"

"...I can't believe that you got covered with saliva"

Slap!

"The hell, Missy?!"

"Don't even think about it."

Chapter Text

You drummed your fingers against your leg as the rickety gondola made its way up the rope. Glancing down, you recognised the same scenery that you saw from Kureha's sleigh. You sighed. That felt like so long ago.

Next to you, Zoro groaned, hands moving to behind his head, "This is taking too long."

"Too right." Usopp stood proudly before in front of him, "The whole thing will be done before we get up there. I won't have a change to show off my ultimate move."

"Eh?" You sniggered into your hand, "Then why do you look so relieved?"

Instead of yelling indignantly in your face like you had expected, the sniper deflated and collapsed by your untaken side, "Yeah, you're right. As always."

You exchanged a pleading glance with Zoro. Dealing with emotional baggage wasn't your thing. Noticing the pleading look on your face, he sneered and shuffled as far away as he could in the small space.

You pouted, 'Well then. No booze for you later.'

Sighing in defeat, you sat upright and turned your head towards Usopp, "So what's up? Is it..." You gulped, "the idea of...well...y'know..."

He hung his head, not saying a word as his eyes bored holes into the floor.

"I see." Facing forwards, sweat poured down your face as you tried to figure out what to say.

' Help me out here.'

Mello didn't answer.

Grimacing, you subtly pinched your shoulder, 'Traitor!'

"I...don't know how you do it, (y/n)..." Usopp clenched his fists, "You... Luffy... Zoro...Sanji...and even Nami...You just..." He waved a hand in the air trying to get the right words, "do it. You guys go off fighting with great big smiles on your faces, ready to take on the world." Lowering his arm, he slumped forwards.

"But then there's me. It's my greatest dream to be a brave warrior of the seas that my dad can be proud of, but I...can't go out and fight like you guys. I'm not brave. I'm not noble. I'm just someone who lies, to everyone...and to myself." His knuckles turned white, "I couldn't even carry Dalton, proud determined Dalton, up the mountain, Zoro had to do that for me. I don't deserve to go to Elbaf," Leaning forwards, Usopp curled into a ball, muffling his words, "or on this crew."

Exhaling sharply through your nose, you placed a tentative hand on his back, "Well, sorry to ruin your argument, but you're wrong."

"Huh?" Raising his head out of his knees, he stared at you quizzically.

"Well...I've never really thought of myself as brave." Turning away, you scratched your neck, "If I was brave...uuh...then I would have escaped from the world government way sooner than I did. I only ran away when I did...because someone from the outside offered to help me." You mimicked Usopp and curled yourself into a ball, "I wouldn't have even dared to consider it as an option otherwise." Seeing his surprised expression, you smiled, "I guess it really depends on your definition of bravery, but to me, I think you're very brave, Usopp."

He gave a dry laugh, waving your comment away, "You're just saying that to make me feel better."

"Please, you of all people should know that I suck at lying," You flicked his nose, "And since when do I of all people lie to make someone feel better? Take the compliment." Stretching your arms up, you sighed, "Defining what it is to be brave is hard, even Mello finds it tough, so I'm not really surprised you just associated it with fighting. Many people do after all."

"B-but, what else could it be?" Usopp gestured frantically at you, eyes wide, "Fighting people who are better and more experienced than you, you have to be brave to do that. And you've done that. I mean, come on, you're THE Missy Sai. Feared the world over, you've completely destroyed many war veterans!

Taking in a deep breath, you straightened your back, "Yeah I fought opponents that were way better than me. Yeah they were way older than me, way more experienced, and I completely pulverised them. But when I saw them defeated in front of me, I didn't feel brave. If anything I felt weaker."

"Why?"

"Well, I only fought so hard to begin with because I was afraid. Afraid of what might happen to me when I loose."

He tapped the side of his face, "But you still fight even now. I mean, you drank a barrel of what you knew was explosive. Even today, you almost got eaten. Eaten, (y/n)! And who would you be afraid of if apart from your enemy. Us?"

'Well...kinda...' You gritted your teeth, "Look...I can't tell you why...but just trust me when I say that I really am not brave." You jabbed a thumb towards yourself, "To me, being brave is knowing and facing your fears. Doing what you're afraid to. Realising why you're afraid. That sorta thing." You grinned at him, "And that's exactly what you've done."

"Eh?" He pointed at himself, "Have I?"

"Well, yeah!" Shuffling back, you counted off one finger, "You're here for one thing. I don't know how or why you joined, but you've managed to hold your ground through all the crazy shit we've been through. That's brave."

Another finger, "You were afraid of me at first, and how the marines could come down on us like a ton of bricks just because I was on the crew, but still accepted me anyway." You smiled, "You have no idea what that meant to me at that time, even more so because it was obvious that you were terrified of me. Then later on, you defended me against Crocus. You overcame your own prejudices, which isn't easy to do. That's brave."

Rolling your eyes, you raised your third finger, "You put up with us. That's brave."

He laughed, "That doesn't really count."

"Oh really?" You raised an eyebrow, "Remember that time you almost 'accidentally' destroyed Sanji's kitchen when making your tabasco stars. Or when you gave Nami fake belly notes to pay off your debt."

"Point taken."

"Thank you," You flipped up a fourth finger, "The number of times you've gone and helped others, be it helping out strangers like Vivi or Apis or jumping in the sea after our idiot captain, even when you've been worried about more important things. That's brave."

You stuck out your thumb, "The lengths you're willing to go through to protect the Merry..."

"Well of course." He puffed out his chest, "That ship was given to us from my hometown! Kaya herself gave it to us!"

"Weeeell..." Smirking, you playfully elbowed his side, "So there's a girl, eh?"

This lead to a mixed reaction within you. To your utter delight, Usopp dissolved into a stuttering mess. But to your horror, he was not the only one.

"Excuse me, is this a love scandal you mentioned?! Does Usopp have a sweetheart he is pining for in his hometown?! Are they going to reunite, or are they destined to become star-crossed lovers, each gazing longingly across the seas towards the other?!" Mello, the every serious and dependable scythe, squealed with delight, "This sounds spicy!"

'Hello?! Spicy?!' Raising an eyebrow, you glanced towards your left shoulder in both shock and disgust, 'Where did this all come from?!'

"I...well, let's just say I may have taken control of your body when you were asleep...and Nami has quite the...steamy collection..."

Groaning, you pinched the bridge of your nose.

Usopp looked on worriedly, his previous embarrassment gone, "Is, uh, everything alright."

"Just Mello being...weirder than usual...a lot weirder..." You ran a hand down your face, "Anyhow, where were we. Oh yeah! The Merry. The number of times you of all people have gone and chewed out those three idiots for unnecessarily damaging something, and even protecting Merry from enemy fire... It's really impressive. That's brave."

"But I guess all those things are nothing compared with the bravest thing you've done," you sighed, scratching your head.

He took the bait, "And that is?"

Tilting your head, you smiled calmly, "You admitted you were afraid. Realising that you are afraid is one thing, but talking about why you are with others and making an effort to deal with it," Subconsciously, your fingers meshed together, "That's scarier than facing an enemy. A lot scarier. Take it from someone who never actually managed it, and probably never will." Glancing at Usopp's blank face, you laughed tiredly, "So lighten up. You'd think I'd just told you the Merry was going to die or something, not how awesome you are."

"Geez," Sighing, he placed a hand on his chin, "as much as you can tell me that, believing what you say is a different story. GAH! THIS SUCKS!" He stretched his hands up in the air in anguish, before they limply fell to his sides, "So what do I do? You're the one who can tell the future, you must be able to get me out of it."

You had started to shake your head before he even finished, "It's not really something that I can fix instantly for you. I can suggest stuff, sure, but you have to make an effort yourself."

"So what do you suggest then?"

Laying back with your hands behind your head, you smirked at him, "Well, what makes you happy?"

"Huh? What makes me happy?" A confused smile played at his lips as he scratched the side of his face, "Well, uh, taking care of the Merry, obviously."

"Obviously."

"And...thinking of new ideas for my slingshot ammunition..."

"So like...the tabasco star?"

He bounced upright, stars in his eyes, "I actually used that against that Mister Five guy on Little Garden! I was so cool then, it worked just like I planned! In fact, I have more ideas I've just been itching to develop, including something for Nami." Glancing at you out of the corner of his eyes, he tapped his chin hurriedly, "She was also worried about being the weakest as well, you see. So she asked me to develop something for her."

"Oh?" You raised an eyebrow, "I'm curious now, what is it?"

"Well, Nami is used to using a bo-staff so it's going to be a three part staff like the one she has already. And, what I thought would be really awesome is if..."

Your eyes glazed over slightly as Usopp chattered on about the intricacies of his new weapon, your focus instead on the little smile on his face worming its way into a massive grin.

"...so after those tests, I realised that rotten eggs would probably mess up the entire dynamic inside the staff, so I settled for a few basic tricks. Y'know, because enemies never see that sorta thing coming. It's how I beat the bomb dude after all. I think that's what Nami wanted anyway. I've even thought of an awesome name for it. It will be called:" He stretched his arm out in front of him dramatically, "The Usopp Tempest Frenzy!"

You made eye contact with Zoro across the car. He turned to the side, hiding his sniggers behind his hand. Beside him, Vivi's face went a beautiful shade of red as she bit her lip to contain her giggles. You weren't so discreet as you burst out laughing, slapping the floor as you doubled over, "Great name you have there! I'm sure Nami will looooooooove it!"

Giggling with you, Usopp rubbed his nose, "Of course! Hehe, that's why I chose it after all!"

"The Usopp Tempest Frenzy with inbuilt party tricks! The ultimate combat machine!"

He stiffened, "Yeah...I may need to check the plans with her beforehand now that I think about it..."

"Make sure to tell us when so we can watch."

You pouted amist your giggles, "That's not very nice now is it, Mop-boy."

"Look! There's someone on top of the castle!"

Getting to your feet, you turned towards the direction of the civillian's finger. You could vaguely see the figure on top of the highest tower, the snow was still falling as heavy as ever so it was hard to tell. But you knew it was Luffy. You just knew. With the two long shadows stretching off behind, him it was pretty obvious after all. You felt immense satisfaction when the elongated shadows collide with something and send it flying off into the distance.

Zoro chuckled in a corner, "So we've missed it all. Damn, we've been useless here."

Dalton collapsed onto his knees, "It's....over?"

"Yeah," Marching over in front of him, you placed a hand on you hip, "so you really don't need all that dynamite, eh."

All the Drum civilians gaped at you, then at Dalton.

"D-Dalton, you didn't...!"

"No way Dalton, we wouldn't have let you do that!"

"We need you!"

"What would we have done without you!"

Standing back to let Dalton get mobbed by his adoring fans, you felt a hand tap your back.

"(y/n)..." Usopp scratched his head "About earlier..."

"You'll be fine."

He blinked, "Huh?"

"Your expression when you talked about the Usopp...heh...Tempest..." You couldn't even finish the name without sniggering, "Nami's new weapon, you looked so happy and excited. Keep doing that, I mean if Nami is coming to you to make her a weapon, it shows that she trusts you to do a good job, right? If you focus on what you do well, as well as your Shave training, you'll be unstoppable. But if you want to get physically stronger, then I'm sure Mop-boy would help you out."

"Hehehe...I think that I'd rather fight Wapol..."

You rolled your eyes at Usopp's petrified expression, before glancing up towards the approaching mountain top.

'That went a lot better than I was expecting...I thought he was going to call me out earlier for that obvious change in focus.'

"It's perfectly understandable for you to want to keep somethings to yourself. Especially that sort of-"

'Mello...' Narrowing your eyes, you quickly leapt onto the inbuilt platform as soon as it was in range, wanting to get a bit of space, and hopefully a rest, before the chaos you just knew was brewing.

Mello sighed, "At least being afraid for your comrades is better than-"

Humming noncommittally, you stormed off.

"I can't hear him anymore...Looks like he's finally left..."

Blinking open an eye, instead of seeing Chopper's small form all you could see was a layer of whites and greys. You frowned, "Great, not again."

"GYAAA!"

Sitting up dislodged the layer of snow over your face. Yawning, you stretched your arms over your head, "That was a goooood nap!"

"B-b-big Sis (y/n)?!" Pointing a hoof towards you, Chopper gaped, "W-what are you doing up here? And how are you not dying of hypothermia?!"

"As I said," you mumbled, registering the moonlight illuminating the castle roof around you, "I was having a nap. And this place is the only spot I could find where the sound of Cap chasing you around the castle wasn't deafening." You scratched your head in embarrassment, "And I've been buried in snow before, just wasn't expecting it this time..."

"OI! REINDEEEEEER! LET'S BE PIRATES TOGETHEEEEER~!"

"No way..." Sighing deeply, the doctor in training seated himself on the roof next to you, "He's still looking for me...Can you tell him to stop."

Looking down at your idiot Captain as he ran around like a headless chicken, you shook your head, "It wouldn't be Luffy if I could."

"REINDEER! COME ON OOOOUUUT! OH REINDEEEEEEEER~!"

"You don't want to come with us?"

He gulped, voice trembling, "It's not that I don't want to..."

"Ah, now I see." Getting to your feet, you offered out your hand to him, "Do you want to come tell the others then." You grinned, "I'm pretty certain they'll understand if you tell them just what you think."

Chopper's mouth tightened into a fine line. Nodding briskly, he stood and took your hand.

"Right then, you may wanna hang on!" Pulling the squiming reindeer under one arm, you swung yourself off the rooftop and quickly made your way down to the ground, swinging from hand-hold to hand-hold like a monkey.

Hearing the loud thud you made as you finally landed in the snow and let Chopper scamper to his feet, Luffy whipped his head around. "Awesome! You managed to catch him!" His grin widened, "Oi! Reindeer! Let's be pirates together! Huh?!"

Patting Chopper's back one last time for good measure, you stepped forward to join your crew. Zoro raised an eyebrow as you walked past him towards where the girls were struggling with Sanji's 'treated' body. You just smiled, leaning Sanji's weight across your shoulders as you turned towards Chopper.

"I can't." Glancing down, he clenched his...hooves? You tilted your head to the side, 'How exactly does that work? Oh well.'

"No it's not! It's fun!"

Usopp glared at your idiot captain, "You haven't even heard why yet!"

"I mean...I mean I'm a reindeer!" Chopper glanced down at his hooves with slitted eyes, "With antlers, and hooves, and...AND A BLUE NOSE!" Straightening his shoulders, he raised his head, "I want to be a pirate, but..." He gritted his teeth, "I can't be a human's friend y'know! I'm a monster! You may have accepted Big Sis (y/n), but someone like me can't be your crew mate, so...so I'm here..." Calming himself down, he forced a smile onto his face, "I'm here to say thanks. Thank you for the invitation. I'll stay here, but...if you ever feel like it, come back someday and-"

"SHUT UP!" Stretching his arms into the air, Luffy grinned, "LET'S GOOOOO!"

"Since when is 'Shut up' an invitation?" Zoro scowled.

Dissolving into a puddle of tears, Chopper sunk to his knees and sobbed. You smiled, "I told you he'd understand!"

"What?" Zoro's eyes narrowed cautiously, "Something's going on in the castle."

Nami crossed her arms, "Really, how uncivilized. Can't they keep quiet on a night where two people part ways."

Drumming your fingers on your leg, you sighed as a series of high pitched male screams filled the night. Chopper had only left to see Kureha a few moments ago, but you were starting to get just a little bit worried.

Zoro blinked, "Wait, is that him-HUH?!"

"What is going on?" Nami squinted through the snow, before openly gaping, "She's chasing him!"

"Oi!" Usopp and Luffy emerged from the underground passage, "The ropeway's all ready to-"

You grinned, "No time you guys!"

Chopper sprinted towards you in his four-legged form as if the devil herself was after him, "EVERYONE GET IN THE SLEIGH! WE'RE GOING DOWN THE MOUNTAIN!"

"WHAAAAAAAAAT....!?"

You blinked at them as you shrugged Sanji's limp body unceremoniously over a shoulder, "Well come on then, unless you want to be left alone with that."

Screaming like a banshee, Kureha chucked a mace-like flail towards the sleigh.

Immediately everyone scrambled and somehow managed to get into the vehicle as it hurtled past. Chopper was going so fast down the ropeway that Usopp and Vivi needed to grab onto you and Luffy to keep you both from soaring off into the distance. They almost flew off themselves. The ride was short and sweet, and before you knew it the scenery around you was snow and pine trees once more.

Luffy giggled as Zoro finally pitched in and pulled him into the sleigh, "That felt great! Let's do it again!"

Nami scowled, "Idiot, we're leaving!"

"I...thought I was gonna die!"

"You could have helped us out earlier, Mister Bushido."

"Mister Bushido! Hey! That really suits you, Mop-boy!"

"Geh...I should have just let you fly off..."

"It's not my fault I weigh-"

"Huh, where the hell am I?"

"Oh, Mister Sanji, are you finally awake?"

His answer was drowned by the deafening sound of multiple cannons firing one after the other.

"UAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! SHE'S FIRING AT US NOW!"

"Oh come on, she's too far away. You know that, Mister 'Oh I am the best sniper and probably should have been captain'."

"Really (y/n)? Really?"

"Yeah, I'm the captain!"

Suddenly and silently, everything around you became bathed in a soft pink glow.

Grinning as you glanced behind, you leant over and tapped the reindeer's back, "Chopper. I think you'll want to see this."

"What are yo-" His mouth hung open as he turned his head. Disconnecting himself from the sleigh, he transformed into Brain Point and quickly scurried towards the sight of the main castle enshrouded in luminescent pink petal-like snow. This combined with the sleek, white, cylindrical mountain lead to something out of one of those fairy tales Mello always told you about.

"Awesome..." Luffy breathed.

You could only nod as you stared transfixed at the amazing cherry tree as it bloomed in the snow.

"Hic...Doctor...!" Chopper's shoulders shook as he hunched over, "Doctorine...!" Rubbing his eyes, he threw his head back and bawled for the second time that night. His wails that rang around the cherry blossom Drum Rockies weren't all sad. 'Quite the opposite actually,' you smiled softly, 'He's free now.'

Chapter Text

"This is so cool!" Chopper's eyes glistened as he sat by the figure head, drum island now far behind, "The ocean is huge!"

Luffy giggled, "Course it is! Having adventures on a huge ocean is what being a pirate's all about!"

Nami grinned, "I guess that we didn't really need to worry about him fitting in."

"I'm pretty certain it's just going to be us, considering how much partying he did last night," you huffed, crossing your arms, "You have no idea how stressful it was making sure that he didn't drink any alcohol. Especially when idiotic swordsmen are trying to get him drunk!"

Zoro scowled, "He's a pirate. What sorta pirate doesn't enjoy their booze?"

"He's underage. He can't drink!" You glared at him. "Chopper looks up to me as his older sister-"

"Which is a really stupid idea by the way. Also," He raised his finger declaratively, "it's good life experience. I first got drunk when I was-"

Thump!

Vivi smiled peacefully down at Zoro's twitching form as she dusted off her hands.

You blinked.

She beamed, "I'm tired, worried out of my mind for my people, physically exhausted from your training regime and I am this close," A tiny gap remained between her fingers, "to getting a migraine. Not to mention Mr Bushido's pig headed attitude was grating to say the least. Besides, I've been meaning to pay him back for a while for letting Carue follow him into that river." Her face fell at your surprised expression, "Oh I'm sorry, did you want to hit him?"

You waved your hand, "Nah, that was satisfying enough…"

'Remind me not to piss her off on a bad day…'

" I'll do everything within our power to make sure that does NOT happen…"

The recently thawed out duck hammered his beak at Zoro's head, before glancing up as a shadow fell across the Merry.

"Huh, what's that!"

Raising a hand to block out the glare, you shrugged, "Oh that's just a large gull. No worries."

"Large my ass!" Nami cried, shaking you viciously, "It's half the size of Merry-"

"Huh, that's smaller than I thought. Neat."

"-and heading straight for us!"

Deadpanning, you pointed at the sight of Luffy screaming for Sanji to cook up the immobilised bird.

"I don't know why I bother sometimes," she growled as she stormed off towards the others. Clapping her hands, she jerked a thumb over her shoulder, "You guys! The ship's going to land at Alabasta any minute now. I know (y/n) called off training, but we don't have time to be playing around! Come on!"

"Y-yes ma'am!"

Vivi chuckled weakly, "She really can pull her weight when she wants to."

"Well, so can you." Zoro groaned as he sat up, "Did Nami give you lessons or something?"

"Uh, excuse me?" Chopper tapped Vivi's leg quizzically, "What's Alabasta? I thought it was a rock..."

She giggled, "No that's 'Alabaster', silly."

"Ah," Chopper rubbed his hooves together.

"Alabasta is a country Vivi's father rules." Nami grinned as she twirled her new weapon experimentally around her finger.

"This evil guy called Crocodile is trying to take it over," Usopp chipped in as he sat down on the steps just behind the doctor. He glanced up at Nami, "How the Clima-Tact holding up for you?"

She shrugged, "Not too sure yet. I'll need a proper fight to test it out."

"Uh, excuse me, but why is a crocodile trying to take over a country?"

"Whoo boy." Squeezing the bridge of your nose, you exhaled sharply, "This is going to take a while…"

Tapping his foot hurriedly, Sanji took the cigarette out of his mouth, "Tell me what you know."

Luffy turned his face away, sweat dripping down his face.

"Hey." The cook snatched his cheek, "What's with you turning your face away? Look at me dammit!"

You giggled, rolling backwards to recline against the railing, "How in Kronos' name is Mop-boy sleeping through this? The stuff this crew gets up to is way funnier than any transponder sitcom."

" Oh indubitably! The comedic timing is immaculate! You'd think this was scripted."

Snapping out of his grasp, Luffy pouted and waved his hand from side to side, eyes focusing on anything but Sanji, "No, no. I reeeally don't know what you're talking about."

" And that expression is indubitably trustworthy."

"I mean, c'mon." You cocked an eyebrow as you glanced to your left side, "At least we know when he's lying."

Sanji growled, "Okay then, I'll ask you directly. How is it that the rations I prepared to last the nine of us until we reached Alabasta suddenly disappeared in the middle of the night? Including all the meat that (y/n)-chwan kindly prepared from that gull yesterday?" He growled, pinching the rubber boy's cheeks "Don't give me that attitude! You'd be terrible at poker!"

Luffy scowled.

" Actually, I may be able to be of assistance here."

"Huh, really?" You shrugged, "Should we swap then."

" That would be ideal. It's been a while since I've been willingly leant your body"

You closed your eyes and as you exhaled you let Mello take control of your body, 'We still need to talk about Nami's books by the way…'

He chuckled, opening and closing a fist experimentally, "Afterwards, Missy." Getting shakily to his feet, Mello ambled over towards the interrogation, "If I may, I should be able to add some insight here, Sanji."

"Oh, it's you you stupid scythe." Sanji's face, initially ecstatic to see you walk towards him, fell into a scowl, "What do you want?"

' He does realise I'm still here, and can hear him, right.'

Mello crossed his arms, "I'll ignore your blatant rudeness for the present. What I wished to tell you is that I know perfectly well who consumed the food. I was awake the entire time after all."

Luffy gulped.

Sanji laughed mockingly, "Oh please, I already knew who the culprit is." He blinked slowly, gesturing at his mouth, "Uh Luffy, there's something around your mouth."

"Ah crap! Leftovers!"

"SO IT WAS YOU!"

The kick span your captain spinning across the deck and into the side of the women's cabin.

' I should tell Flirty to remove the weights at some point…'

"Not so fast, Mister cook," Mello wagged a finger, "Your conclusion is partially true. But rather, instead of a single culprit," Smirking, he shot a glance towards the three shaking individuals sitting on the ledge, "consider the possibility of multiple offenders."

Usopp gulped something down, his hands tightening around his fishing rod, "W-well then! We have to catch some fish for Sanji..."

"Qwa!"

"He says 'Sure thing.'" Chopper translated hurriedly.

' I expected better from you, Chopper.'

A vein tensed on Sanji's forehead, "Is that so…" he grinned darkly, before stepping behind the trio with an amicable tone, "Oh, is it going well?"

They flinched sharply, large exaggerated smiles covering half their faces.

"O-OF COURSE!"

Placing his hands either side of the three, he slammed their heads together before letting them collapse backwards onto the deck. "Geez, I can't take my eyes off you for a second." Spinning on his heel, he marched back towards Mello and placed a hand on his shoulder, "I appreciate the help, Mello. Now can (y/n)-chwan pleeeeeeease come back." He shivered, "It's quite disconcerting to be talking to a woman who sounds like a guy."

' Still here...'

"How disrespectful…" Mello huffed, but he begrudgingly made the switch.

Blinking open your eyes, you scratched the back of your head nervously, "I need to see if we can get you to talk without using my body."

" That would be excellent, thank you. I would enjoy being able to speak my mind to those idiots."

"(y/n)-chwan!" A pair of arms got wrapped around your waist and a cheek rubbed against your hip, "It's so good to hear your dulcet tones once more~"

Shoving his head away, you glared at him, "Flirty, no touchy. We've talked about the flirting thing."

"But (y/n)-chwaaan..."

"I wonder if we can talk to Chopper about this," you mused aloud, stepping over to stand in front the dizzy reindeer, "He knows more about how we work than we do. Although we don't have to be a test subject anymore, I think he wanted to talk about running a couple of experiments if we were okay with it."

Mello sighed, "It's the best lead we have currently."

"(y/n)-chwan…"

"NO Flirty."

"I think it should be possible," Chopper closed the thick book and glanced up at you, "I would like to run a couple more tests first to confirm my hypothesis though. It's not like we have any evidence to base this off of. But also not like we have any to disprove it."

You grinned, "Wait really?! You could do that?! That would be awesome, you're the best little brother ever Chopper!"

Waggling his hips, he giggled, "Saying stuff like that doesn't make me happy, you jerk! Asshole!"

In the middle of making a mental note to keep Zoro and Sanji as far from Chopper as you physically could, Vivi burst in through the galley door.

"Miss Nami, there's something wrong! Come quick!"

Nami glanced up from across the table and set down her quill, "Alright, what is it this time."

Following her outside, you stepped aside to let Chopper see the cloud of steam in front of the ship.

Hopping up onto the railing, his eyes sparkled, "Oooooh, what's that?"

"Nothing to worry about," Nami smiled down at him, "Just some steam from an underwater hotspot."

Luffy frowned from where he was fishing, "What's that?"

Nami beamed as she started to explain the intricacies of underwater volcanoes, both Chopper and Sanji hanging on her every word for completely different reasons.

You slowly inched your way back into the galley as she talked. The Merry was going to sail straight through the hotspot soon, and you didn't really want to reek of sulphur thank you very much. You would have grabbed Chopper, but your heart melted at the happy look on his face as he gazed up at Nami, and you decided to let it be. He deserved to know about the outside world. 

It wasn't like you were detaching yourself from them. Sitting with your back to the wall, you could still hear everything that was being said outside.