Heyo! There are some French words here and there, so I'll put translations at the bottom as needed. (Title of this chapter is Portuguese for "The Face of an Assassin.")


A grand brass fanfare from the royal musicians began the ceremony. As custom went, the great throne room was hushed by the time the trumpets were lowered. The place was filled with townsfolk and castle servants alike, all come to celebrate the birth of the new royal baby.

A cough came from the left side of the throne where the King sat. A servant unrolled a scroll, stepped forward, and coughed again.

"We are gathered here today," he said in a squeaky voice, "to celebrate the birth of the newest member of the royal family, le prince Zoro."

He glanced briefly at the cradle in the center of the room, guarded on either side by two tough-looking individuals. Despite the earlier noise, the baby was fast asleep.

The servant coughed again. "Before we begin, however, we shall commemorate the recent passing of our chère reine, whose body was far too frail for an onslaught of illness shortly after childbirth. If you please, kind folk, a moment of silence."

He put his scroll aside and, along with the others crowding the grand room, lowered his head. The King clasped his hands together and closed his eyes, and the three figures standing to his right respectfully lowered their heads.

It was perhaps a minute before the servant coughed and everyone lifted their heads expectantly.

His speech on ceremonies and the like was long and dull, and many found themselves almost nodding off, including the speaker himself. It was only when a guard jabbed the speaker with a spear that he jolted awake.

"Er—and now, I am pleased to present . . ." he said, frantically going through his scroll, "these Mesdames and Monsieur, faeries personally invited by le roi Mihawk."

He stepped back to his place and gestured for the three on King Mihawk's right to come forward. Surprised and pleased murmurs ran throughout the crowd. Each faery wore similarly-styled dresses and bonnets with their own colors.

"We must thank His Majesty for inviting us," the one in red said cheerfully. He had a small scar under his left eye and tousled black hair. "This has been a wonderful festivity—and the food is exquisite, my compliments to the chefs . . ."

One of his companions, whose clothes were all in soft oranges, hit him from behind. "Mind your manners, now is not the time," she hissed. Her hair looked so similar to her outfit and was braided back. Laughter rippled throughout the room.

The last faery had yet to speak, but she seemed to have nothing to say, for she only smiled nervously in her pale gold outfit and stayed where she was. Her hair, in contrast to her clothes, was light blue and braided back like her companion's. While both her companions had fair skin, her complexion was dark like the fruit of a cacao tree.

"In any case," the one in red said. He curtsied, first to Mihawk, and then to the crowds. "I am Luffy."

His orange-haired companion stepped forward and curtsied in the same fashion. "I am Nami."

The last one came forward and performed the same actions. "I am Vivi."

"We're honored to bestow our magic upon le prince Zoro during this wonderful event," Nami announced, "in order to demonstrate and strengthen our alliance with this kingdom and the royal family."

She stepped back and Luffy moved forward so he stood in front of the cradle. He smiled fondly at the sleeping child and slid a thin wooden rod out of his sleeve, grasping it firmly by one end.

He raised his wand and aimed it carefully at Prince Zoro. The crowd quieted in anticipation.

"Sweet royal child, I grant, with mien: Hair of only the loveliest green," he announced.

Something like iridescent, intangible powder shot out of the wand-tip and settled over the baby, who slept on. Murmurs and laughter rippled throughout the crowd.

Nami strode forward and yanked Luffy's ear. "What are you doing?" she hissed. "Green hair?"

Luffy stared at her. Suddenly his eyes widened and he turned to Mihawk, curtsying quickly.

"My apologies," he said hurriedly. "I meant to say 'Hair of only the loveliest sheen,' but my mind was elsewhere—"

Mihawk pinched the bridge of his nose and was silent for several seconds.

"Oh, who knows," he muttered at last. "He may look fine with green hair."

"You don't mind?" Luffy said tentatively.

"I could care less, Monsieur Luffy," Mihawk said. "At the very least, it will not be hard to pick him out in a crowd."

His lips twitched under that pointed mustache as if about to smile. There was further laughter from the crowd and Luffy smiled, relieved.

Nami sighed and came forward to stand in front of the cradle now. She, too, slid her wand out of her sleeve and aimed it carefully.

"Mon prince Zoro, I give thee: Great skill with sword, with thrust and parry," she announced. There was a smattering of applause from those gathered as the iridescent cloud, similar to Luffy's before, shot out and settled over Zoro. Nami stepped back with a smile as Mihawk nodded in approval.

And now Vivi slowly came forward and slid out her wand—

But before she could speak, the grand doors of the throne room flew open with a BANG, and many cried out in shock. The faeries whirled to the front, on guard; Mihawk sat forward tensely while the guards readied their blades.

A figure strode across the room, wrapped up in thick shawl and cloak with a cloth covering the head.

"Declare yourself," Mihawk said coolly. "Who dares have the nerve to interrupt this ceremony?"

The figure stopped in front of Mihawk, facing away from the cradle. Vivi backed away to stand by Nami and Luffy, and all three raised their wands defensively. In turn, the guards had their blades aimed at the figure on either side.

With a sudden motion, the clothes were removed, revealing a slender feminine figure with long dark hair and deep eyes. Underneath all that cloth she wore nothing but silken fabric tied around herself. She held a dangerous beauty about her, like a rose patch or a siren's voice.

"That would be me, mon roi," she said pleasantly, though her voice carried frost. "And now I say, you dare have the nerve not only to not extend an invitation to me for this lovely ceremony, but to outright tell me I am not to come?"

"Hancock, what are you doing?" Nami exclaimed.

"Nami, don't interrupt," Hancock said coolly. "I'm not in good humor at the moment, if you hadn't noticed."

Yet she sent a smile Luffy's way before turning back to Mihawk with a scowl.

"Yes, temptress, I bade you stay away," Mihawk said coldly. "Why have you come?"

"I don't take kindly to being kept away from parties, mon cher roi," she said coolly. "And to tell me outright I am not invited . . . how very rude."

"Guards, seize her," Mihawk ordered, standing. The guards on either side of Hancock approached her with raised blades—

She turned suddenly to the one on her left and stared at them. Her body shifted and warped; now her waist was thinner and her hips wider, though her stomach stuck out a tad more than before. Her face, too, shifted so it was square-jawed, and her hair seemed to curl itself into waves. A dizzying aura seemed to emit from her very being.

"You wouldn't hurt me, would you?" she murmured, running a finger down the guard's cheek. Their legs trembled as they stared at her, lovestruck; she leaned in, staring into their eyes, and whispered, "Sleep."

The guard sank to the floor uselessly; Hancock turned to the second one, who trembled but stared at her defiantly.

"I see," she murmured, and her body changed again. This time her chest flattened, her stomach shrank into itself and became defined with muscles, her hair shortened to her shoulders, and her hips became narrower along with her chin.

This new masculine figure, along with the dizzying aura she emitted, drew a blush to the second guard's face. She smiled and they dropped their weapon.

"Sleep," she ordered, and this guard, too, crumpled. Hancock slowly shifted back to her original form, looking with disdain at the fallen two. The crowds stayed well back, though some were struck by her beauty even without that aura or shapeshifting.

"Hancock," Luffy said. "What did you do?"

Hancock looked at him, and he stared at her with confusion and concern.

"My darling," she said fondly, "you shouldn't underestimate the things I will do to exact revenge."

She turned back to face Mihawk, but found herself facing a swordpoint instead.

"Leave this place," Mihawk ordered, keeping his blade aimed at her throat. "Though I am sure I could not kill you, I could incapacitate you and have you taken away. Remove yourself from the premises at once, I command you."

She frowned at him and took a step back. She splayed her palm outwards at him slowly, and he suddenly found himself unable to move.

"Stay back," she announced to the room at large, turning away from Mihawk. As the paralysis slowly began to wear off, she approached the cradle. Through all this, the baby remained asleep.

Hisses and murmurs spread through the crowd, though fearing her, no one came forward.

"For my gift to this dear child," she said, pointing at the cradle, "I grant him this: When he reaches his twentieth birthday, he shall cut his hand on a blade, upon which death shall befall him."

Shocked cries and gasps now were heard from the crowds; some even burst into tears. The faeries stared at Hancock in shock, but she only looked back at Mihawk, who had recovered at last.

"I've used up what magic I gathered," she announced. "I shall not harm any others here, worry not."

He looked at her with icy fury, unable to even form words in his anger. She calmly went to stand by the faeries, who looked at her reproachfully.

Vivi cleared her throat. "Mon roi . . ."

Mihawk looked at her expectantly; the audience's cries died down again.

"I . . . cannot undo her curse," she admitted, twirling her wand in her hands. "But . . . I have the power . . . to greatly soften the outcome."

Mihawk nodded. "If you can save him from such a young death," he said, his voice surprisingly steady, "please, Madame Vivi . . ."

Vivi nodded and stepped forward to the cradle resolutely, raising her wand.

"Cher prince," she said, her voice shaking, "to thee, this gift I imburse . . . to save thee from the succubus's curse; thou shalt not die from the cut of blade, but to a deep sleep thou shalt be laid; and sleep thou shalt, in peace like this, until thou art awoken by true love's kiss."

The iridescent cloud, like before, shot out of the wand and settled over the baby. Vivi turned to Hancock defiantly, who only narrowed her eyes.

"It's not like I could do anything now if I wanted to," she admitted, "but I suppose this is punishment enough . . ." she looked again at Mihawk. "To see your expression after my words . . ."

Mihawk ignored her and clapped his hands. "The ceremony has ended," he announced. "I extend my thanks to everyone for attending, and I must apologize for this sour finish. Good night, my people, and I thank you once again."

Slowly the audience filed out; some had wished to talk to the faeries, but did not dare do so with Hancock nearby.

When the last person had left and the doors were shut, Mihawk sat down hard on his throne. He sighed.

"Madame Vivi, you have my deepest thanks," he murmured. "I will not lose him so soon after all . . ."

Vivi curtsied. "It was the least I could do," she murmured.

"True love's kiss," Hancock said idly. "What exactly does that entail?"

"It's simple, Madame Hancock," Vivi said softly. "When le prince Zoro falls into the enchanted sleep, one who loves him dearly must only kiss him in order to break the spell."

"Of course, this could be anyone who loves him," Nami added. "Mon roi, you could do it yourself, if you do not grow to hate your own son."

Mihawk nodded. "Yes, it seems simple."

Luffy frowned at Hancock again. "Can I talk to you?"

"Oh, Luffy darling, you can talk to me anytime," Hancock said, smiling at him; a genuine smile, not the false one she had used before.

"Luffy, Hancock, I think we should go," Nami said. "You two can talk when we return to la Colline." She turned to Mihawk and curtsied. "Mon roi, thank you again for inviting us."

Vivi and Luffy curtsied as well, and Hancock offered a bow in turn.

"Thank you for your gifts," Mihawk said cordially, standing and hugging the three faeries in farewell. He ignored Hancock.

"Very well then, let us be on our way," Nami announced. She led the other three down the room's length and out the grand doors.

As the doors closed softly, the guards began to wake, and the infant in the crib began to cry.


The four pushed past the curtain-like hanging vines which covered the cave entrance. After setting aside their clothes and hats, they set off down the lamplit passage.

"We've returned," Luffy announced, heading into a room on the right.

Sitting at a round wooden table were three figures. The one to the right had a feminine form and a complexion like Vivi's, though her nose was defined, a blindfold was tied around where her eyes should have been, and her hair was dark, thick, and wild. The one to the left had a masculine figure with slightly darker skin; the hair upon his head was kinked and puffed out like a sphere, and his throat bore jagged scars.

These two had their hands comfortingly upon the figure in the middle, whose figure could be called neither masculine nor feminine. Their skin and curled hair were fair, and their small hands covered their face. A metal helmet rested upon their head, and angelic wings were folded upon their back.

"Is this a bad time?" Vivi murmured, coming out from behind Luffy. She sat next to the snake-haired woman. "Madame Robin, Monsieur Brook, Ser Merry . . ."

"Good day, Vivi," Robin murmured. She kept her face turned to the middle. "Merry, how do you fare?"

"Well," Merry murmured, uncovering their face and revealing dry tear-tracks. "Thank you kindly, Madame, Monsieur."

Robin smiled and Brook nodded.

"You're all back, then?" Robin asked, lifting her head. "Vivi, Luffy, and . . . ?"

"I'm here as well," Nami announced, sitting next to Vivi; Luffy sat cheerfully next to Brook. "And . . . Hancock's returned with us."

Robin frowned faintly as Hancock sat next to Luffy. "Hancock, why did you go out?"

"Oh, I had something to take care of," Hancock said carelessly.

"She attempted to have the child killed," Nami announced.

Robin turned her sightless gaze on Hancock. "Whatever for?"

"Oh, worry not," Hancock muttered. "Vivi here decided to interfere."

"I only adjusted the curse," Vivi explained, "so he will sleep instead of die. He will eventually wake." She looked reproachfully at Hancock. "Madame Hancock, you know how fickle magic can be; that was risky in the first place."

Brook nodded thoughtfully and Merry sighed with relief.

"Hancock," Robin murmured. "How did you attempt to curse the child?"

Hancock folded her arms. "Why should I tell you?"

"Right, I wanted to speak with you," Luffy remembered. "Would you like to go to a private room, or is here acceptable?"

"Oh, anywhere you want, my darling," Hancock exclaimed, suddenly all sweetness and smiles.

"Well, I suppose here is fine, since Robin wants to know, too," Luffy said. "Hancock, just where did you get enough magic to perform such a powerful curse?"

The others were expectantly quiet. Hancock's smile faded.

"You know how I gain my power," she murmured.

Luffy looked at her in concern. "But you . . . it must have been awful. Why would you torture yourself like that . . . ?"

Hancock grimaced. "Of course it was awful," she whispered. "I hated every second. But you know I would go to any lengths to exact revenge."

"How do you fare now?" Merry asked with a touch of concern.

"I can sleep this away," Hancock replied, not quite answering the question.

"Hey . . ." Luffy murmured. "Hancock, please, don't force yourself to do it any more than you need to. Revenge isn't worth it."

"Isn't it?" she said. She stood. "I shall retire for now. Do not disturb me."

She strode out of the room, suddenly looking very tired.

"It was her own fault," Nami muttered. She stood. "Usopp and Franky are in their room, I suppose? I need to speak with them; I collected metals on our return trip."

She, too, left the room.

"Where is Chopper?" Vivi asked.

Robin smiled fondly. "Oh, he's out in the woods again, practicing his transformations . . ."

Vivi smiled. "Is that so?"

"He promised to return by sundown," Merry piped up.

"I'll join him," Vivi said, standing. "Perhaps he'd like to hear about the ceremony . . ."

"Oh, you three, would you like to hear it as well?" Luffy exclaimed as Vivi left. They nodded.

As he began telling the story, Nami entered another room. Two figures rested in front of a glowing fireplace. Both had masculine figures, short statures, and weathered skin. The one on the left had scars around his ears and shoulders, a long nose, and hair like Brook's, though his was tied back. His companion held blue hair which seemed to defy gravity, and his nose, along with a rod where his shin and foot used to be, was made of shiny metal.

Nami stood between them and they looked up.

"'Lo, Nami," the blue-haired one grunted. The long-nosed one hastily grabbed a curious metallic semi-circular thing, which he hooked into his ears and around the back of his head.

"Franky," she said in greeting. She turned towards Usopp and said, enunciating clearly, "Usopp, how now?"

"I'm well," Usopp responded, perhaps a tad louder than necessary.

Nami waved her wand. The metals she had collected appeared in a pile on the floor, which Usopp and Franky looked at with delight. Both quickly gave their thanks.

"If you two like," she said, still facing Usopp, "I can tell you of the ceremony. It was eventful, to say the least . . ."

Not far outside the cave, Vivi peeked around a tree and spotted a small creature, something like a raccoon on two legs.

"One more try," the raccoon thing said to itself. It placed a leaf upon its head, took a deep breath, and clasped its little paws together.

A minute passed, and then, in a sudden puff of smoke, the creature was gone. In its place stood someone with a feminine figure, with dark skin and blue hair—and a puffy tail on the behind.

"I did it!" the figure exclaimed, and turned around. Suddenly spotting Vivi, there was a squeak of surprise and the raccoon creature was back in a puff of smoke, the leaf fluttering to the ground. From the front, it was clear the creature had a blue nose.

"Vivi, you startled me," the creature exclaimed.

"I'm sorry," Vivi said. She smiled broadly. "You did it, Chopper!"

Chopper grinned and ran to her, jumping into her arms. "I did it," he said happily. "But . . . my tail was still there . . ."

"That's okay," Vivi said reassuringly. "It was a very good impression of me—that was supposed to be me, wasn't it?"

Chopper grinned shyly. "It was."

"The nose was still blue," Vivi added. "Not to discourage you . . ."

"Oh," Chopper murmured. "Well . . . I'll work on that. How did the ceremony go?"

Vivi sighed. "Let's sit somewhere, I'll tell you then . . ."


King Mihawk sat by his child's crib. Midnight had long since passed, but he found himself unable to sleep. In heavy contrast, his son, completely unaware and unbothered by the earlier commotion, slept without a care in the world.

"I can only hope," Mihawk whispered, "that should the event indeed come to pass . . . you may sleep as peacefully as you do now."

The baby turned over in his crib with a small noise. Mihawk sighed, stood, and left the chamber.

"Sleep well . . ."


Translations:

(French nouns generally require an article, an adjective, or a possessive beforehand, which is why these are phrased as they are in context.)

Le/La/Les = The

Prince = Prince

Cher/Chère = Dear

Reine = Queen

Madame = Mrs./Ms. (plural is Mesdames)

Monsieur = Mr. (plural is Messieurs)

Roi = King

Mon/Ma/Mes = My

Colline = Hill

Ser = gender-neutral honorific (in this context), equivalent to Miss or Mister

...

More will be revealed about the ones at la Colline soon, but if you're very curious I wouldn't mind answering questions now.

We'll be updating on Tuesdays!