One Piece and its characters belong to Eiichiro Oda. Mirim belongs to TWP.
And a new picture of Mirim is up on DA. Link is in my profile. All thanks goes to Nicka93 for her good work.
The next day started out as the one before, with the exception of Luffy and Usopps' constant yelling in the morning, and absent of sandstorms. They mounted the lizard which had surprisingly not decided to run away during the night and from its shoulders Ace scouted the desert for any sign of the others or any civilization in general.
"Look! Isn't that a village?" Mirim suddenly called and he turned to look in the direction she pointed and nodded. "Yeah!" He hit the lizard over the head and it hastened its pace (making Mirim scold him for animal abuse) and in no time they were at the village. It seemed like this particular village seemed to have come unscathed by the war between the Rebel Army and the King. They seemed quite carefree and children ran down the streets playing and laughing, as if there was no rebellion at all, as if the country was still at peace.
"They seem to be pretty well off here." Mirim said while taking a step to the side to avoid being run into by a child who apologized as he passed her. Ace nodded and they walked around aimlessly before they paused outside the tallest building in the village and stared at it.
"After you, young lady." Ace mock-bowed and she curtsied in response. "Why thank you, kind sir." The building was plain on the inside, open and spacious as well, but there was not many hallways and therefore they did not get lost. Not that they knew much of the interior. They just followed the voices that echoed through the hallways.
"It's an honor to have the Rebel Army staying in our village. Ever since you came, lord Kamyu, the attacks on the village has stopped." They heard a joyful laugh inside. Both of them froze.
'The Rebel Army?' Mirim thought. 'Then Vivi won't have to look anymore!' Excitement rose up in her as they listened in on the conversation between the men. Now, if they could only find the princess in question…
"Well yeah, anyone who tries to mess with us would have to be pretty stupid!" They heard another man, who they guessed to be Kamyu, said in a boastful manner. "Mayor, just leave everything to us!" They heard him laugh. Somehow it didn't feel all that reassuring.
"So true, so true! But I've heard rumors that the battle between the Rebel Army and the Royal Army is drawing near." The mayor said. "Wouldn't it be a problem for you to be held back here?"
"We can eat all we want here. I don't want to-" Whatever the third person was going to say, it was lost as he was abruptly cut off. "Well that is that and this is this." Kamyu laughed nervously.
"Even if we're called the Rebel Army we haven't completely turned our back on the King yet."
"Yes! The people in this village still have complete trust in the King! We were thinking we should deal with things as they come." The mayor agreed. "Don't worry about it. Leave it to us. We've thought of nothing else while we've been protecting your village. But in exchange, don't forget the sake and food!"
"Yes of course! Well then, I'll excuse myself for now." Mirim and Ace pressed themselves to the wall as a rather short and broad man walked past them, humming happily to himself and not noticing the slightly darker shapes in the shadows. The two glanced at each other and shrugged before waking inside the room, shedding their coats without being noticed by the others as they laughed at the mayor for believing in them. They were but fakes, and it angered the two pirates. Even if they were both pirates who had done many terrible things, in the eyes of the civilians, they still had their morals after all. Then a fourth man ran inside yelling about Sand Pirates. While three of them began arguing about what they should do the fourth, Kamyu, began to gather supplies and gave them an answer.
"We're leaving!" And so they began to trek out of the room only to halt as they saw the purple lizard Mirim and Ace had been riding, staring at them and blocking the way. Mirim was pretty sure they had left it outside of the gates but she wouldn't complain if it was willing to carry them again.
"You guys sure got guts for calling yourselves the Rebel Army with that cowardly attitude. For four big guys you are doing something awfully small." Ace said as he ate the food the Fake Rebel Army just abandoned to escape.
"What do you expect? They're fakes who use a well-known and strong name to be revered as heroes. They make this sake taste sour." Mirim grumbled as she downed a bottle. She grimaced but still reached for another one. Even if it tasted bad it was still free alcohol. A golden rule she had been taught by Whitebeard was to never say no to booze.
"Who the hell are you? Mind your own business! How did you get in here?" The tallest one growled and grabbed his sword. Apparently he didn't see them as that big of a threat. That just showed that they didn't know much of the world outside of Alabasta.
"Food thieves!" The shortest one cried out and Mirim slammed her second empty bottle on the table and glared at them. "What did you just say?" She demanded in a dangerously low tone as the three fake soldiers readied themselves to take the two of them out. Ace narrowed his eyes at them.
"Did you just insult my Lieutenant?" A couple of punches were thrown, as well as the fake soldiers, and Kamyu could only stare at his friends who had been so easily beaten up and thrown into huge vases and through the wall.
"Technically you're the food thief. I'm just drinking some sake." Mirim reached for her third one.
"They said thieves, not thief." Ace mumbled with his mouth full of food. Kamyu stared until Ace held out his bowl and asked for seconds. Kamyu took the bowl, stupefied before getting down on his hands and knees.
"I beg your forgiveness!" He suddenly exclaimed, gaining their attention. "As you can see, we're no match for the Sand Pirates. We need you to fight them for us!" He begged. The two glanced at him for a few moments. He assumed them to be powerful just because they, or rather Ace, had beaten his friends so easily. While it was technically true, it was at the same time a bit insulting. Not that the two cared much.
"Commander?" Mirim asked, lowering the bottle she had in her hands. "Well, I guess we could help you out. On one condition though." Ace smirked. Kamyu looked up with hope in his eyes.
"Yes! Whatever you want!" The condition was that Kamyu would equip them with water and food to last for several days. The fake soldier had no problems with that and arranged it to be done within an hour. As soon as they had their payment, the two pirates mounted their lizard and left the city with the inhabitants none the wiser.
"Commander, that was quite, I don't know, evil of you?" Mirim giggled as they left the village.
"It's they who're using the village. I just asked for payment for our services." Ace shrugged before covering his eyes from the sun. "I think you just want to help your little brother out. You're such a softie." Mirim laughed but Ace ignored it as he spotted something in the distance.
"Is that Luffy? It is! Luffy!" He bellowed loudly to gain their attention. Luffy immediately noticed and ran towards them unlike the others who maintained their pace.
"What the hell is that?" Luffy asked when he stopped in front of them and Mirim shrugged. "Our ride." She didn't really know if it was some special kind of lizard or something but it had done a good job carrying them across the desert. Maybe Vivi could explain what it was?
"So you're the Sand Pirates they were talking about." Ace laughed. "If you're looking for the Sand Pirates they've already left." Luffy frowned but Ace still smiled. This made things easier. They didn't have to waste any effort or energy in fighting and driving away anyone.
"Yeah? Well, whatever, it's no biggie." Ace said like he didn't really care. "You want food and water? Because I've got plenty of both!" He exclaimed and showed them the supplies their lizard was pulling on a sleigh. While the crew was grateful for his help Vivi was a bit more concerned with how the two pirates had managed to gather so much food and water. They certainly didn't have the money for it, she was sure, if their bags weren't full of money instead of supplies, which she doubted.
"Ace, Mirim …" She began slowly, gaining their attention. "I don't think you could have been carrying enough money to pay for all that." She said nervously and became even more nervous when they stared her down.
"Please don't tell me you stole it from the village."
"What do you expect? We're pirates after all, but-" Mirim grinned as Ace finished her sentence. "But that's not our style. We got it from the Rebel Army."
"The Rebel Army?" The princess cried out causing Luffy and Chopper to spill some of the water they were drinking. "Well, maybe fake Rebel Soldiers would be a more precise description." Ace chuckled in a calming manner but it didn't do anything to help calm Vivi down.
"What do you mean fakes?" Nami asked confused. "They're calling themselves the Rebel Army and are acting as bodyguards for the village. The villagers were so grateful they didn't think twice about it. They're really just some wandering hooligans in search of a free meal." Mirim scoffed, careful in phrasing the sentence. She didn't want to upset the princess who already shouldered the future of her country on her shoulders.
"But why be bodyguards?" Nami wondered. "Wouldn't they be discovered right away when bandits would appear?"
"It seems whenever thieves heard the name of the Rebel Army they ran off without starting a confrontation." Ace shrugged. "It's ingenious really."
"The Rebel Army isn't just a bunch of hooligans, or a decorative symbol to be displayed!" Vivi bit out angrily. "Vivi, should we show those guys a thing or two?" Sanji volunteered and it was not only him who wanted to teach these hooligans a lesson.
"Well, as far as using the villagers as their prey, thieves and this fake Rebel Army aren't much different." Ace had to agree.
"But the village has been at peace since the fakes came along." Mirim added. Though the fakes were using the name for their own gain, the village had been kept safe by the name alone. In a way they were protecting the little town.
"But don't you want to beat them to a bloody pulp? Try to look at this from Vivi's point of view." Sanji said staring at Ace and completely forgetting to argue with Mirim although that could be a good thing. He would never have been able to look at her before giving in.
"Well Vivi can do whatever she wants. I was just sharing my thoughts on the subject." Ace shrugged.
"You don't have to stick up for those shitty bastards." Sanji growled and Ace groaned while rubbing his neck. "I'm not sticking up for them. I just know you guys are in a hurry to get going, that's all." Mirim moved between the two of them before a fight could break out.
"And so are we." She reminded her Commander who nodded. "Sanji, please don't argue with my Commander anymore." She pleaded and the man gave in, all the while muttering about how cute she was when she begged. She raised an eyebrow.
'I most certainly did not beg. I don't do that crap.'
"The country is in no condition to keep an eye on every single village right now." Vivi blurted out. "The best thing for the individual villages to do is to maintain peace by themselves. But that does not mean I will let them go like this." She turned to look at everyone in the company.
"Can you help me out?" The Straw Hat crew and Whitebeard Pirates smirked.
"Sure. What do you need?"
Innocence
"B-boss, are you serious?" The tallest of the fake soldiers asked. Were they really going to fight sea pirates who were rumored to be more vicious than the Sand Pirates? "Pinhead! There's no way the boss can be serious!" The smallest one in the group exclaimed.
"Just shut the hell up! Once we set foot outside the village we'll run in the opposite direction of the pirates! There's no other choice if we want to stay alive, is there?" Kamyu said in despair. He really did not want to die this day even though he didn't want to leave the village either. What were the two pirates who had promised to fight for them doing? Had they run away with the food? He would have done it…
"He's right." The first one agreed, although hesitantly so. The four had unfortunately not noticed Ace and Mirim hiding in the shadows. With smirks on their faces they quickly retreated to warn Luffy and the others. They would have to cover every escape route from the gates.
After that was done they waited, on top of the gates, and saw the four walk towards the gate, throwing glances behind themselves all the way. At first Mirim thought they were afraid that the pirates had gotten inside but then she noticed that the villagers were following the four fake soldiers.
"Now they really can't run away, can they?" Mirim asked and Ace frowned. "Only if they actually care for the village. If they're scumbags they'll run away even if they're being watched." Once at the gates Kamyu took a deep breath before opening the gates. They all ran out but stopped short when they saw Luffy blocking their way. They turned to the right but froze as they saw Sanji and Usopp. To the left Zoro and Chopper, in his human form, stood and they began to tremble. All of their escape routes were blocked. There was nowhere to run.
"You know, with his hat shadowing half of his face, Luffy looks quite frightening." Mirim whispered to Ace who nodded. "He's got it from me." The Commander smirked making Mirim roll her eyes.
"I'm sure he did. His intelligence must come from you as well."
"What's that supposed to mean?" He glared and she innocently changed the subject. "Look, they're talking." Ace continued to glare but reluctantly moved his eyes to his brother as the captain spoke up.
"Who the hell are you? Rebels, was it?" Luffy growled in a deep voice. It certainly did not sound like him.
"Don't tell me he got this from you too?" Mirim asked jokingly. "Nope. He was like this when we were kids too. Shit, the villagers are coming!" They hurriedly jumped down and hid behind the wall on Sanji and Usopp's side, hidden from both the villagers and the fake soldiers eyes.
"Oi!" Luffy barked. "So you are Rebels?"
"Well, you see…" Kamyu began hesitantly but then the mayor of the village interrupted them. "Just you wait pirates! These honorable Rebel Soldiers will take you down!" He yelled fiercely and the village yelled their agreements behind him.
"Shut up! You're not making this any better!" Kamyu yelled, rivers of tears of fear running down his cheeks and the mayor apologized and retreated back, thankfully not opening his mouth anymore.
"Boss, I'm scared. What are we gonna do?" Kamyu's followers asked him. "Hey, you guys!" Ace called out but only just loud enough for the four to hear him. They began to look around, whispering and asking him to help them.
"Na-ah, this is your fight. Try getting through it by yourselves." Mirim teased. "Mirim! But that's impossible, we're just fakes…" Kamyu whimpered.
"If you call yourself a man, suck it up-" Mirim hissed and made move to reveal herself and hit them all a few times for good measure but Ace covered her mouth and held her back.
"My subordinate is right." He flinched when she bit his hand. "How long are you planning on acting like a coward? You act as fake soldiers, at least act like a real man." He really wanted Mirim to stop struggling. They had a plan didn't they? He almost yelped as she bit down harder. 'How sharp are her teeth?!' The leader froze before he stared Luffy in the eye. No one knew what passed through his mind as he decided to take action.
"We'll just have to fake it like the fakes we are." He mumbled to the others before turning to the Straw Hat crew. "Hey, you bastards! We're not the only Rebels here! In this village there are a 100 million of our comrades!" He yelled as loud as he could and everyone turned quiet and Mirim stopped trying to get out of Ace's grip.
"Seriously? Was that the best he could do?" She sweatdropped and Ace facepalmed himself.
"Oi, oi. Even a kid could come up with a better lie." Usopp said.
"What? A 100 million?!" Luffy yelled causing Ace and Mirim to face vault on top of each other. "Would anyone believe that?!" Sanji and Usopp yelled at their captain.
"How stupid is your brother?" Mirim hissed at her Commander. "Even I thought he had grown a bit more than that." Ace bit back lifting himself off his Lieutenant and then helping her up.
"How dare you trick me?" Luffy yelled and lifted his fist. "Gomu Gomu no Pistol!" He shouted and punched forward. His arm stretched and hit Kamyu straight in the face, sending him flying past his friends and the gates. Luffy then began to walk forward, again his hat shadowed his eyes, and the grin on his face made him seem terrifying. He stopped in front of the others and cracked his knuckles, before reaching out towards them. They cowered back and closed their eyes but everyone was surprised then, pleasantly so as well. Kamyu had gotten up on his feet and had reached them before Luffy could do more damage. He grabbed the pirate's wrist and held him back.
"We may be just a bunch of fakes, but I want to be strong like the heroes I saw that day." With that he managed to get his comrades to stand up and look as he punched Luffy in the face sending him falling backwards and onto the ground. It seemed like they were all remembering something from their past, and it encouraged them, spurred them on, gave them the spirit to fight. At first the others in the Straw Hat crew were surprised that Luffy hadn't caught that punch and with scowls readied themselves to fight but each group was held back by each of the four fake soldiers.
"Hey, we're retreating." Usopp whispered to Sanji who darted forward and grabbed Luffy before running away with the others close behind-
"Shitheads! Damn you Rebel Army!" Sanji half-laughed, half-yelled. "I've never seen such strong looking Rebels in my life!" Usopp yelled behind him and this was a lie people actually believed, well, the villagers at least and that was good enough.
"I… just can't bring myself to say it." Zoro blushed in embarrassment and shame though Chopper had no problem with continuing the charade.
"Wait for me! Don't leave me behind to fight alone!" This left the fake soldiers stunned before the villagers began cheering and screaming in joy behind them.
"Seems like we can move on now, eh?" Mirim grinned and Ace nodded. "Indeed."
"Wait! Ain't that our lizard?" Mirim pointed past the fakes and sure it was. It glanced at them before it turned and took off running. "Damn that thing!" Ace began to curse but the girl grabbed the back of his collar and ran out of their hiding spot, laughing as she saw the stunned look the fake soldiers wore as they left them in the dust. It did not take them long before they caught up with the Straw Hats though they wondered why they still continued to run.
"Oi, Luffy!" Ace yelled.
"Oh, Ace!"
"How long are you guys planning to run for?" The big brother asked. "The act's over right?"
"You know, people who throw away their lives are scary!" Zoro shouted with Chopper resting on top of his head, the poor reindeer really couldn't take the heat, but at least he seemed satisfied with the outcome of what had just happened outside of the village.
"I see." Ace replied as Luffy began to laugh quite loudly.
"I know some guys like that. They are pretty terrifying." Mirim agreed while laughing loudly also. Ace glanced at her with a raised eyebrow but she never told him who it was.
'Probably Marco or Jozu.' He thought.