Konnichiwa, minna~! *bows*

Hope you liked the last chapter!

And I hope you enjoy this chapter! Thank you for continuing to read this...This chapter is pretty much double the last...

Please review! I'd like to know what you think!

Disclaimer: Once again, I do not own One Piece. It shall forever belong to Oda Eiichiro-sama!

Yep, so let's get into it, shall we? ^_^

The door burst open, followed by, "Excuse me, Vivi-sama, but I have a message from His Majesty."

Vivi, glad that her lesson had been cut short, stepped outside with the servant. I wonder why the air is so stale inside there when there are so many flowers.

"Vivi-sama, th-"

"I told you to stop with the formalities when we are alone." He was taken aback, and complied when she cocked an eyebrow.

"V-Vivi-chan," he stuttered, unfamiliar with addressing the princess in such a colloquial manner.

"So? What does father want me to do this time?" Vivi loosened her kimono a bit, certain that ikebana class had been cancelled, not merely postponed. At least, she hopedso. She couldn't stand the boredom any longer.

"Well, it seems that pirates have been spotted. It seems that it is the Straw Hat Pirates." Vivi couldn't keep her poker face. A pirate crew led by a rookie captain with a beginningransom of 30,000,000 beri, he even had the Marines running. Vivi quickly frowned to mask her emotions. What did an infamous pirate gang want with this country?

"And what does Father want me to do about it?" At this, the messenger's eyes flickered away from Vivi, settling on his trembling hands.

"U-um...It seems that His Majesty wants you to protect the country by..." His voice trailed off and Vivi could see that he was fighting between his duty and his friendship with her. Vivi tapped her foot impatiently, the geta (AN: Japanese shoe) hammering the wooden floor. The sound resonated down the corridor, pushing him to blurt out the message. "He wants to hand you over to them so that they will leave."

Vivi blinked. Her father...wanted to hand her over to some grimy pirates? She turned her back on him, kicking off the geta - they would slow her down anyway. After all the classes she'd suffered, after all her hard work to be the perfect daughter, her father would just throw her to pirates for his own safety? She was disgusted. Despite the fact that she was free now, that she could do whatever she wanted, a droplet of water slid down her cheek.

She passed through the back gate. She was out of the household now. Out of that despicable place where she had been meaninglessly caged all these years, just because of who she was.

Why couldn't she have been born an ordinary girl?

"Ooooooooooh~! Everyone's welcoming us~!" Chopper was beaming with happiness at the thought of a new adventure.

"We're famous now! Shishishi!" Luffy was grinning even larger than usual. "And I smell...FOOD."

"Stop drooling, Luffy. You just ate," sighed Zoro, casually adding another ten kilos to the weight in his hand. Nami nodded absent-mindedly, her map a minute from completion.

Sanji gestured grandly to the dish in his hand, simultaneously running his hand through his blonde hair. "I made a chocolate pudding of love for you, nami-swaaaaaaan~!" After no response from Nami, "Ah! I love it when you are so cold!"

"Just give it up, Sanji. She'll never look your way." Usopp shook his head to emphasise rejection.

Nami's pen brushed the last line of ink. "It's done!" She pegged it up to dry.

"Ah~! Nami-swan is so skilful~!" praised Sanji, as Nami, curious to see what Luffy and Chopper were gawking at, sauntered towards the front of the ship. Luffy was perched in his favourite seat, Merry's head, with Chopper in his lap. Nami looked over the island where they would shortly land. It looked so serene. Almost like it was floating on the surface of the ocean, not attached to the bottom of the earth. It was a safe haven. They could rest peacefully there before continuing their journey.

Boy, was she wrong.

Vivi's feet were bleeding. Her socks were pink with the blood. She regretted leaving her geta behind. She couldn't stand, let alone walk, so she was forced to sit under a shady tree next to the path. She peeled off her socks and winced when she saw the cuts covering her sole. Hah. More like the cuts covering her soul. She ripped the obi in half and used it as a temporary bandage. There goes her kimono. Not that she had ever liked it anyway.

She sighed. Maybe it was better to have just obeyed Father and submit to the Straw Hats. It was the easier way out. Giving up...was not a choice. She had chosen to run away, and she was going to see her plan through. Except she didn't have a plan. What had she been thinking? Her brow furrowed and she sighed heavily, angry with herself for being rash. Vivi rested her head on her knees.

That was when...Carue appeared. Vivi couldn't keep on that mask that suppressed her feelings. She soaked Carue's feathers with her tears. By the time she was done, Carue's left wing had a damp patch, dull yellow and approaching brown. But he didn't mind. He was glad that she wasn't lying to herself anymore. Carue dipped a little, silently telling Vivi to hop onto his back. He was taking her to the place he instinctively knew was their last hope.

"Thank you, Carue," was the whisper in his ear.

"Let's dock! Zoro, Sanji! Luffy! Stop staring and get to work!" Ropes were tied and released as Chopper dropped the anchor into the ocean, indicating that they were going to stay.

The citizens watched soundlessly. They were holding their breath, as if one word meant death.

Usopp surveyed the crowd that had gathered at the shore. It was puzzling. If they were welcoming the crew, then why were they just standing there? Usopp shrugged. They were probably just awestruck by the crew's bounties. Usopp had to admit, he was in one heck of a crew. He tapped his long nose; he was so proud that he was part of the Straw Hats.

"Carue...are you taking me to the pirates?" Carue said nothing - not that he could talk anyway - and continued speeding towards the harbour. Vivi rested her head on Carue's neck. "I guess I'll just leave it to you."

"Hah~! I'm so hungry~!" Luffy patted his stomach cheerfully as he walked into the crowd, which automatically parted like the Red Sea. He asked the nearest person, a seven year old, "Do you know anywhere I can get some meat?" The child cowered in fear, interpreting Luffy's words as,"I want to eat someone."

He looked up as there was a commotion near the back of the crowd.

"Princess!"

"What are you doing here?"

"It's too dangerous!"

Luffy glanced at the rest of the crew, but they were just as clueless as he was. Then he noticed that Sanji wasn't there.

"Ooooooooooh~! Mademoiselle!" Sanji was on his women-hunting spree again. Though this time, the women weren't exactly flattered. They were squirming away from him. When turned down, Sanji was heart-broken, until he saw a glimpse of blue hair fluttering in the wind.

The crowd is addressing her as 'Princess' so could she be... Sanji didn't even finish the thought. He weaved his way through the crowd, and found himself staring at her face.

Vivi was taken aback. Who's this blonde guy? Why's he wearing a suit? She was staring at the only visible eye - the other was veiled by his fringe - and the coiled line above it. Was he born with that eyebrow?

"Who are you?"

"Your Prince Charming, come to take you away, Princess," was the answer, giving Vivi the impression he was mental. Too distracted by his eyebrow, she realised the crowd had backed away. A young boy approached. At that moment, she knew who she was dealing with. A scar under his left eye, red vest, blue jeans...and a straw hat. Monkey D. Luffy. Following him was a green haired man. A black bandana, three gold earrings on his left ear and a haramaki holding...three swords. Roronoa Zoro.

Vivi started sweating. Was it really a good idea to have let Carue take her here?

"So, could you..." Luffy began. Vivi held her breath. Could she what? Could I come with them? Could I die now?

"So, could you tell me where we can eat?" Vivi was gobsmacked for a second. All the things he could have asked for, and he wanted food? Vivi was so relieved, she started laughing.

"Sure! I know all the best places to get food!" Luffy grinned, imagining all the delicious food which he could eat...

"Another bowl!" Luffy had a pile of ramen bowls next to him. Vivi had realised she had not eaten since breakfast, and it was already nearly dinner time. She gratefully dug in. Zoro was pouring beer down his throat like there was no tomorrow and Usopp was entertaining everyone by dancing on the tables with chopsticks wedged between his nose and mouth. Chopper was conversing with Carue. Sanji was asking for the recipe but Nami was looking in dismay at the bill.

"Don't worry Nami! This is a free meal, since I had a little talk with th-" Nami hugged Vivi before she could finish.

"You are a lifesaver!" Luffy had heard 'free meal' and he instantly began to consume the food, twice as fast.

All in all, it was a lively meal, thanks to the Straw Hat crew.

Vivi didn't want to go back 'home.' She was still angry at her father. Sure, the pirates were good, but her father couldn't have known that. He had been ready to dump his daughter to unknown pirates, to save his own skin. But maybe he had his reasons. Vivi would just have to find out. After this, she would return to the household.

She shook her head. Now isn't the time to think so solemnly. Not while everyone is having so much fun. So she pushed those negative thoughts to the back of her mind and enjoyed the rest of the evening.

"Hey, Vivi..."

"What is it, Nami?"

"What is this island called anyway?"

"Japan."

"And how long does it take for a log pose to set here?"

"Umm...I think about two weeks?"

Silence.

Nami wasn't sure how the rest of the crew would react. Would they be impatient to get off Japan? Or would they...?

Yep! That's chapter 2!

Luffy: I haven't eaten any meat since the last chapter!

Me: Uhhh...Then, I'll make sure you'll eat a lot of food in the next chapter, kay?

Luffy: Ok...but there has to be meat!

Me: Yes, yes, now go back to sleep while I work on the next chapter.

Luffy: *dreams* Meaaaaaaaat~!

Me: Oh, brother.

Yea! I'm sorry if this chap wasn't very funny...but I can't really think of a way to make Vivi's father's betrayal humorous...=_=

So...what do you think?

Please tell me how I'm going! I don't feel like I should do a next chapter if no one reviews.

Poor Luffy...If there's no next chapter...he won't get any meat... TT^TT

I TIEDYE...THE NEKO...CLICK THE TIE DYE NEKO BUTTON...PLEASE REVIEW...FOR LUFFY'S SAKE...