Chapter 1

Cake splattered across the ground. The white and green icing had splashed out over the stone, and crumbs speckled the scene of the crime. Claire looked upon the carnage with a horrified look, and her eyes shifted to the perpetrator. Chunks of cake fell from his one hand, and he held a thick sword in the other. He was a foot taller than her, and the scars that graced his face and arms suggested he was more than experienced. Despite the look of this intimidating figure, Claire whispered, "Run. Run as fast as you can."

The man laughed. "Run?" he repeated in a raspy voice. His weight shifted from foot to foot, itching for a fight. "I'm not running away."

The hairs on the back of Claire's neck stood up straight as the woman across from her stood up. Her face was heart-shaped, and her jawline glided smoothly into a rounded chin-a stark contrast to the sharp edges of her jacket collar. Straight bangs cut across her forehead to touch the very tips of her dark eyebrows, but the rest of her hair was pulled back to rest behind her shoulders. Dressed in a casual business suit, she seemed approachable, but the scowl on her face deemed otherwise. Her round, brown eyes were narrowed as her brow knit together. "Do you think this is funny?" she snarled. She pointed to the cake. "I paid ten bellies for that, and I intended to enjoy it as slowly as possible." Her accent causing her T's and R's to roll. She rested her arm on the sword at her side. The blade was too long for her as the tip lay on the ground while she stood.

"That's not my fault you overpaid for a crummy piece of cake," he retaliated. He pressed the tip of his sword against the woman's shoulder. He had never used a sword before. His arms strained to keep it at her shoulder, and veins popped the more time passed. He had no respect for it, either. His hand full of cake was pressed firmly against the hilt, mixing the sugar into the fabric. "Now get me the hell out of here or die!" he screamed. He shot forward.

The woman vaulted back on to her hands and rammed her feet into her opponent's stomach. Pushing off of him, she spun her body around and kicked the side of his face. She rose to her feet as her opponent fell on to his side. "You should just move onto a different opponent," she advised. Her scowl softened into a nonchalant expression. She was in no mood to continue.

The man grit and bore his teeth, turning his pink gums almost white. "Like hell I will!" he boomed. He charged at her once more. The sword dragged along the ground as he moved, and when he approached. he raised it over his head.

Instead of dodging the attack, the woman weaved herself underneath the man's reach and slammed the palm of her hand into the front of his exposed neck. The heavy sword fell from his hands, and he dropped to his knees, clutching his throat. The boots of the marines clattered as they headed for the scene, and they threw a pair of handcuffs onto the man. The highest ranking officer looked to the victor and gave a curt nod. "Thank you, Miss Kat," he said. "We're sorry that we didn't realize he was bothering you sooner."

Kat wrangled her long, black hair to lay over her shoulders. "Don't worry about it," she promised. "Just be careful. I only winded him, so he might still have some fight." The marines bowed to her and left with their new prisoner. She sat back down in her chair and crossed her legs.

"It's quite a shame to see this beautiful country in this state," Claire commented as she leaned onto the table with her elbow. Her eyelids half closed as she began to settle back into the conversation. "Maybe we were wrong in coming here." She sipped at her coffee and then dabbed the missing corner of her mouth with a napkin.

Kat rolled her eyes. "You're the one that wanted to come here," she reminded her. She picked at the dirt under her beige polished nails. "You thought it was high time the young fool that ruled this place should know his place. I remember you saying something about him needing to realize how powerless he was, too." There was a slight lilt to her voice that Claire could never determine to be sarcasm or her accent.

"He needs to be reminded of his place," she answered. Her eyes flicked to the waiter moving towards them. "And he's scared now, so what better time is there to visit?"

The waiter approached their table and placed a fresh piece of cake in front of Kat. He bowed deeply to her, his knees clacking together. "Thank you so much," he said in a shaky voice. "That man had threatened earlier to destroy my cafe, and I hope you accept my thanks. The entire bill is on me."

The two watched him retreat to the safety of the shop. "That was sweet of him," Claire noted. "And most certainly brave. He could have been killed by a stray bullet." Kat nodded, noting to leave a generous tip for him. "Anyways, Doflamingo probably put up the cage to keep anyone of higher rank out."

"Well, he's shit out of luck, then," Kat chuckled. She took a bite of the cake, savoring the sweet taste. "There's already a couple of listed marines in here." A pause. "Maybe we should waltz right up to him now," she suggested.

Claire's gaze raked over the street. Blood covered the cobblestone and the walls of most buildings. Children sobbed over the bodies of their parents, and nameless corpses were strung through the street. The injured clung to their lives in hopes of not becoming one of the casualties. "No." Her lips formed the words softly. "We need to calm everyone down before this gets even worse," she commanded.

As Claire rose from her seat, Kat stuffed the last bits of cake into her mouth and placed the tip on the table. The light shone on the glossy tissue of the scars that took Claire's eye and the beauty of her left side. For a brief moment, she was an angel of war. "We need to keep down the number of casualties as best we can as well as the property damage," she stated.

Kat stood and put her hands into her pocket. "And then?"

"Then we remind Joker of where his place is." She looked to the raised palace that jutted up from the ground. "You head that way, Kat. I'll try and treat the wounded." The two turned on their heels and headed off in their own directions.