It's not my best chapter and writing, but I do hope that you can enjoy it anyway. It was harder than usual for me to write things up because I wasn't terribly excited for this part of the story, but it sets things up for the great bang, so I've got that going for me, eh?
Interludes II – Meetings
This is not over. I can feel that it wasn't the last time that we've met. Gotta stay on the run, girl. At least it's a moment the breathe.
She wasn't sure what to do in this situation. Her saviours, sans the sniper, were wounded pretty badly but didn't seem to mind. Might have been that they already have been through worse, nonetheless she did what she could to care for their wounds. Luckily, none of them had been lethal or even outside of the range of what could be done with simple bandages and strong alcohol.
"Thank you", she muttered while she was working on the gashes the greenhaired swordsman had suffered.
"Huh? Didn't do it for you, I just couldn't let the pretty boy go unscathed."
That was supposedly good enough, at least for now. In the very least they didn't seem to hold on to any grudge towards her.
"The guy was really strong, did you see that? Zoro?" For now she had gathered that the strawhat was the ship's captain, his name being Monkey D. Luffy.
"He was not a wimp, I'll admit that. But I still can't understand where his renewed energy came from after you've given him a beating. Blondie didn't seem like the kind of guy to get new strength through rage."
"I'm just happy that we got away!" Longnose was speaking now, of him, she only knew his first name: Usopp. His words marked a truth that, at least it felt like it to Nami, only she and him were realising. Under different circumstances, even if they managed to throw the warlord off of their ship, his own terrifying warship would have blown them out of existence.
Roronoa Zoro, I think I've heard of that one. Wasn't he a bounty hunter? And now he's traveling with pirates. Destiny likes to play its games on us, I assume.
"Personally, I'm interested about his buddies. Don't tell me you didn't feel it too, Luffy. Even though I wanted to cut him apart and would've rushed through them to get to him, there was something that stopped me. Something about them, a weird kind of presence that just didn't allow me to attack them."
Yet his captain didn't deem it necessary to answer his question. After his wounds had been taken care of, he instantly went through some of the barrells to find food of any kind, mostly meat and salted fish which he ate in a gluttonous manner. Sighing, the swordsman turned his head back to Nami who was just finishing his treatment.
"Nami, right? Forgot to mention it, but one of pretty boy's buddies – the one with the skunk hair – said something along the lines that if you wanted to reach Alaran, you should make haste."
"I heard there's a lot of food in Alaran!"
"You hear that about a lot of places, Luffy!"
Nami didn't care about the friendly argument the captain and Usopp engaged in, only the words that Zoro spoke remained on her mind.
Alaran. I need to get to Alaran to find passage home.
"I've heard that, too, Usopp. Alaran is incredibly wealthy and they have all kinds of foods from all over the world. And didn't you say that you're looking for a cook and a navigator? The city is the best place to find them and, coincidentally, I know exactly how to get us there in no time!"
Zoro was raising a brow, but his captain seemed to be sold on the idea of finding food from all over the world in a single city.
"Skunk-hairs also said that there's war coming for the city, Nami. Didn't you know that?"
Yes, they've told me about the war. They've told me about a lot of things, but Alaran is the only nearby harbour that I have hopes with to get home. I need to get there, and soon.
"Can't remember them saying anything about a war, but even so, how likely is it that it's going to start within a day? Come on, there would be marines and mercenaries and soldiers all over the place. In a month? Sure, maybe, but right now I don't think there's anything we have to worry about", she tried to remember what Avian told her during her escape, pulling the compass he had given her out of her pocket.
"We could be there in less than a day, trust me. I'll get you there, you'll be able to find food and a cook and even a navigator and we can part ways again. It just sounds like the best possible solution for all of our problems."
Only a second later, Luffy was at her side, smiling broadly. "What's your problem, Nami? Do you need food from Alaran, too?"
That's none of your damn business.
These pirates were friendly enough, that much she admitted to herself, they even fought for her instead of just turning her over to the warlord, but there was a limit of how much she would allow herself to owe to them. Even if they were not talking about it, the topic would come up sooner rather than later. They saved her, she owed them. Anything, money, food, guidance, maybe the captain would even want to recruit her to his crew. That was a risk she was not willing to take. As long as she managed to paint the free city as the solution to all of their problems, it wouldn't be that much of a problem to just tag along.
"Nothing special, actually. It's just the nearest city. You could simply drop me off at the harbour and we'll handle our own affairs, and in return for taking me with you, I'll get us there as fast as I can. Doesn't that sound good to you?"
Before the captain could answer, the swordsman took the opportunity.
"It's good enough for now, Luffy. If she really gets us there in time, we should accept the offer."
A few nautical miles away, the situation wasn't nearly as casual and friendly as on the Flying Lamb.
"What the hell are they doing here?!"
Sanji grew weaker by the minute, the effects of the combat drug he had taken were in rapid decline and his body was fighting to keep the repercussions in check. Would it not be for the prenatal changes his father had undertaken, he might as well have died now. Wounds were beginning to bleed again, not only in his face, but all over his body and moment by moment, the pain grew ever larger. Fractured and broken bones began to hurt again, the blood loss he had suffered took its toll on him and made it difficult to even stand. Worse still was the fact that his raid suit had run out of power and was just dead weight on him now, from the supporting exoskeleton to the reinforced cloak and all the hidden weapons it offered.
"Most likely because they're bound for Alaran, captain." Stone and Avian were at his sides, supporting him on his way to the medbay.
How does he know who we are? How does he know our secured frequencies? Too many questions, too little time.
"Whatever business they have with Alaran, there's no reason for them to hail us. How do they even know who we are?!" He bit his tongue to drown out the pain.
"Even, and that's a rather huge 'even', if they don't know who we are, you mustn't forget that you don't become an Emperor without knowing as much as you can about your potential enemies, captain. They know that we're not part of the marines and they have eyes. The Marauder is the first of it's kind to hit the open sea and it's understandable that the Beasts want to know more about it or about whoever boards it."
The situation was getting out of hand really quick. Just a few days ago, he sank a marine vessel in the blink of an eye, liberated an island from a fishman pirate turned tyrant and now he felt like he was dying and an unknown threat hit the stage without him knowing a single thing about the who's and why's of this whole mess.
"What's your assessment? Avian, Stone?"
For a few more seconds, they remained silent, simply sharing glances between themselves and him. Finally arriving at the medbay, the treatment immediately began. His wounds were tended to quickly and professionally by the ship's doctor and he received several injections that would both ease his pain and stabilise his overall condition.
"You're correct with them having no right to be here, captain", Avian began while assisting the ship's doctor with bandaging Sanji.
"Alaran is proud of being independent, it's likely that the Beasts have tried to bring them to heel in the past. Imagine that: a foothold right in the heart of the East Blue, grown fat from trade and fishing, defying the local aristocracy and the marines alike. It's quite likely that they did something in the past that offended one of the Beasts. Or someone who wasn't a Beast back then, using his newfound influence to avenge a slight to his honour." Stone lighted two cigarettes, giving one to his colleague.
"Do you think that the city has any chance in hell to repel an attack?" Slowly but surely, he was feeling better. The injections helped a lot to keep him together, but deep inside he knew that if he had to use another boost-pill without giving his body at least two weeks to rest and regenerate, he would die from it. Unloved and unsung, in the middle of the vast emptiness that the East Blue was.
"No" they said in unison.
"That's three damn ships full of Beasts, not even if they had all the marines and pirates and mercs in all of East Blue at their side, they'd be able to win that. Even the Marauder wouldn't make a difference, captain. Sure, the ship's better than anything that they likely have to offer, but these pirates didn't grow strong from technology and better ships. They're strong because every single member of their crew is a force to be reckoned with, this is all that counts for them. Strength." Stone crossed his arms in front of his chest and closed his eyes, frantically drawing the smoke into his lungs.
"My colleague is right, captain. And even if the Marauder could change the winds of war, what good would it do to you? Worse even if the Beasts know who we are. Your royal father would be wroth about you starting a war with one of the mightiest beings on the whole world, your home would suffer for it, countless would die. For nothing. My advice is that you hear them out and we'll leave this part of the world for good."
"Talking about hearing them out, captain, are you ready to receive the call?"
No, I'm not damned ready to receive the call! But what else can I do?
"If it needs be done, yes." By now he was able to walk without the help of the strategoi, the medicine they had given him was able to counteract the worst aftereffects of taking the drug, but he didn't know how long he'd be able to parlay from a position of strength and confidence. For the past days he had grown weary of both Stone and Avian, but he knew their words about the pirates to be true. Kaido of the Beasts, people called him, whispering his name in fear and sometimes reverence. As far as Sanji knew, he was the current de facto ruler of Wano Country. If the informations were still current, he added for himself. Of course, Kaido wasn't the official ruler of this land, but from everything he had heard, the Shogun auf Wano – some guy called something-something Orochi – was as incompetent a statesman as he was cruel to his subjects.
It wouldn't matter if he only ruled over a pile of rock and wood. If the Yonko's reputation is to be believed, he's immortal. Unkillable. Undying. The Grand Line has pirates in it who ate devil fruits, giving them the power to transform into an element or beasts of a mythical variety, but even they can be killed. I wonder if he's a god or something very close to it.
The pain was still there, not even all the injections that were pumped into him were able to numb it completely. The combat drug – Second Wind, as the crewmen and even some scientists that worked on it were calling it – was a last straw. If a normal human swallowed the pill, he'd feel like a god or an avenging angel for roughly five minutes, hot blood rushing through his body as if it was divine fury, taking away his fear and – that was the important part – the barriers the body put up to protect itself from itself. Without these boundaries, the user was able to use all the hysterical strength that his muscles were theoretically able to provide at his own command, burning out in the process. When these few minutes passed, their organs would either quickly shut down or simply burst as it had happened countless times during the testing phase, even the few survivors would have to live with permanent damage to their bodies. But there were always more soldiers to test it on. Only Sanji's augmented physique allowed him to survive it, yet he still suffered badly.
The second the captain and his strategoi left the medbay, a shock went through much of the ship, forcing him to hold onto the walls to avoid falling to the ground.
"Are we under attack?!" He shouted to no one specifically, knowing very well that the two men who were with him wouldn't know the answer either.
"Didn't sound like the impact of a cannonball, captain, but whatever it was, it came from the weather deck." Sanji was astounded by Stone's composure. As far as he personally tried to drown out his emotions, being attacked with their pants down and without the cannons manned felt terrible to him. If this was a coordinated ambush, the Marauder could take heavy damage from it.
"May I suggest that we investigate further? I'm not feeling comfortable with being this passive." Avian let his knuckles crack, as if he was expecting something very specific. And if he was, he was proven right just a minute later while they were on their way. A masked soldier came running towards them, sweating and out of breath.
"Captain, they landed on the deck! One of them said that they're here to parley, what are your orders? Shall I tell the crew to arm themselves?"
What?! That was too quick. No boat is that quick, and they can't be right next to us. I hoped that we could exchange words on my terms, but now they are enforcing their own. If it's Kaido, I can't tell him to leave the ship, but what can I tell him, anyway? How much does he know, if anything? In a battle at sea, we might have been able to sink them and flee, but if they're already here, that's not an option anymore. If Stone and Avian can be believed regarding their strength, that is.
"Yes, tell everyone to gear up, man the cannons and get us ready to hit the sea again, but don't do anything until you have further orders or, in the case of my death, until they made clear their hostility towards us." He swallowed heavily and played the scenario through his mind again and again and even forgot the pain while doing it.
The Beasts are here, they're strong and I'm in no condition to fight, if all else fails, I need to follow my orders.
"In the case of my death, execute the Omega protocol without a countdown."
The soldier simply nodded, facing the implications that this action brought with it without a single shred of fear or doubt.
"With pleasure, captain. Good luck", then he quickly went on to fulfill his tasks. Sanji looked at his strategoi to watch their reaction to his orders, but there was none. As much as he considered both of these a liability when it came to building a reputation for himself, they were still soldiers employed by his father. One of the few these days, as he recounted, the only people that came from outside of Germa kingdom were scientists and the like.
"It's the right call, captain. Under these circumstances we wouldn't stand a chance at repelling them." Sanji was surprised that the men finally endorsed one of his orders. Earlier during their journey, they would just silently stand on the sidelines, delivering their reports to his father and say nothing, but everything changed after the battle at Cocoyasi.
"Let's go, captain. If death is indeed around the corner, it would be rude to let him wait."
They were a sight to behold.
Whatever else the prince had on his mind during their way to the weather deck, it was washed away by the impact of their unwelcome visitors. There were only two of them, but even with all his armed soldiers at his back, Sanji felt as if he was on the backfoot from the get go, their mere presence intimidating, threatening, armoured in an aura of invincibility.
They might very well live up to their reputation, after all.
It came as a relief to him that, at least, they were not Kaido. The first one who caught his glance looked a warrior through and through: broad shoulders, packed with possible and impossible muscles while retaining a lean appearance, he was every inch a fighter to be reckoned with. The captain could already imagine that his fighting style would strike a perfect balance between swiftness and strength, unleashing an unrelenting onslaught that only few could even survive. His hair was long, wild and of golden colour, brighter even than Sanji's own, on his mighty shoulders he wore the pelt of a rare beast, a tiger, perhaps. Well over two meters tall, the captain concluded that this man was the one in command. Unharmed by winds and rain and even storm, he only wore a simple, black tank top to cover his muscled upper body and equally black pants that were stuffed into brown boots.
He's not even armed. So sure are they of their superiority.
The other man beside him, a little smaller than his comrade, didn't seem a warrior at first, but after carefully eyeing him, Sanji came to the conclusion that his traits were merely overshadowed by the other. He, too, was covered in defined muscle but more on the swift side of things, wearing an Estoc at his belt. The man's head was shaven bald and Sanji couldn't help himself but to be reminded of a bird when seeing his facial features. Not one of the friendly ones, a dove or a sparrow, perhaps, but the sharp features of a humanised bird of prey. Fierce and piercing blue eyes, a distinct nose and an expression that just shouted 'Don't mess with me' rounded up the captain's impression. The colour scheme he chose for his clothes was a mix of brown and white, furthering his look as a human bird of prey.
How can they be here while their ships are not even within cannon range? Or .. are we within theirs?
The captain noted to himself that he liked nothing about the current situation. They were not enemies, not yet, but he was still weak and recovering from both the use of the combat drug and the fighting that came beforehand. That, and it looked like he would be permanently blind on one eye. All things considered, it was a terrible position to start any and all negotiations from and if they didn't know now, they would sooner rather than later. Warriors from throughout the world knew it when their prey was in a weakened state, even if it tried to play strong.
I still have the Marauder. Not all is lost. Not just yet.
He came to a halt between Avian and Stone, facing the visitors head on, but before he could say anything they took away the largest advantage he thought to have: his anonymity.
"I've been wondering when we would see the first of Germa's Black Ships on the sea, but I didn't expect one of them in the East Blue. Would you mind explaining how that comes to pass, Vinsmoke?"
Sanji had to bring up every last drop of willpower he still had in him to not react to the sound of his family's name and, somehow, he succeeded. Staying calm and collected on the outside, his mind began to race in every possible direction to find a solution for the plethora of problems that opened up before him.
How does he know?! Of everything, of the Black Ships, of myself! They were supposed to be top secret, my identity was supposed to be perfectly hidden! There's not a single sign of Germa on the ship, the crew's uniforms are without any insignia or emblem! There's only one way he could have found out: Treason. Germa must be overrun with spies up into the high echelon's of father's court!
The blonde man's voice was friendly with a casual undertone, but the captain knew that he was in for a world of possible problems. Even the next step was dangerous, but he had to take it lest they would think of him as a coward.
"I'm afraid that I can't share this information, much less with someone unknown to myself."
Sanji knew that he needed to stay neutral at all costs, even if they somehow managed to destroy their ships and kill the crews, the mighty Emperor Kaido would declare war on Germa and no weapon, no matter how technologically sophisticated, would spare them from his wrath. Kaido had a reputation to take every little, sometimes even just presumed, slight to his honour serious. 'Serious', coming from a Yonkou, usually meant absolute obliteration.
"Oh, I certainly do understand that. You're very well behaved, captain, not to talk to strangers about your secrets. But see, while I might be a stranger to you, the feeling's not mutual."
He's openly condescending. On my own ship, surrounded by my armed men. I should take his head right now or die trying!
But even if he did, the shame would carry on to his afterlife, no one would venerate his name as a prince, as a champion to Germa's cause. He would either be mocked, hated or .. worse even, forgotten. Forcefully erased from his homeland's history. This was a fight that he simply could not win and both of them knew it. The visitor continued, making a few steps towards him and his strategoi.
"You're the old man's third son, captain, am I not right? You don't need to answer, the look on your face tells me more than your tongue will ever be able to. Sanji, isn't it? His majesty's problem child from all that I've heard. Weaker than his siblings, not nearly as resilient but, if the rumours are true, with a sound military mind."
The captain swallowed heavily. Not only did they catch him with his pants dropped, they knew much more about him than they had any right to. Even the results of some of his tests were not unknown to them. He stood in silence.
"No wonder that the East Blue is the destination for you, princeling. Did the old man tell you to sail this way? I guess so, especially when we compare you with your siblings. Every single one of them, riding a leviathan such as this, could have been sent to the New World and they would make a name for themselves. But you .. oh, better not. Bet that your father thought that it might be a quick boost to your ego if you had some degree of success in the weakest Blue of all. Imagine his disappointment if he looked at you now! Even with all your tech, you still managed to get hurt! And badly at that!"
It was painfully obvious to Sanji that the other man, who was visibly surpressing a burst of laughter, was .. right. Right about him, more or less right about his mission. Every mayor conflict he was engaged in was child's play. Hundreds, thousands died, but it was nothing. They were not of importance, had no name to them, no reputation. It was a rare occassion to even find someone with the powers of a devil fruit.
He has seen through me. I'm an open book. But what is his intention behind all of this?
"See, captain Sanji", he again noted the open mockery the visitor put into the word 'captain', "I'm not here to disturb your playful journey to manhood or whatever glorified name it carries. I'm indeed trying to be your friend in these matters, do you understand? And as a friend, I'd like to give you one piece of advice: Don't come near Alaran. You shouldn't care about anything they have to offer, simply forget that you've seen us and stay on course to the next island and we will do likewise. This is an easy way out, Vinsmoke prince. No one will hear of our meeting and you can ride these waves for as long as you want."
He put on an easy smile that did not extend to his eyes. Further watching him, Sanji was sure that he wasn't actually smiling. Baring his teeth, he seemed to be as ferocious as the animal, whose pelt he wore over his shoulders, had been while it still lived. If not moreso.
"However, if you'd lose your mind and cross us .." There was no need for him to finish that sentence, even the trained and – to put it lightly – brainwashed and conditioned soldiers appeared to be shivering for a second.
"Well, look at the time! How very nice of you to receive us, captain, it was such a good and friendly talk we had. For your sake, I hope that our next one lies in the far future."
Without giving him or just about anyone else the opportunity to answer – not that he had given said opportunity during his long monologue -, both of them turned around and walked towards the railing. Sanji expected them to simply jump down into the small boat they presumably used to transport them to the Marauder, but he was mistaken. Not giving any regard to the surrounding crewmen, both of the visitors transformed together.
Zoan users. I should have known. A lot of Kaido's underlings are.
Sanji had seen those who ate the devil fruits that were classified as 'Zoan', enabling them to take the forms of animals. They belonged to the more common kind of fruit, but what they transformed into was out of the ordinary. Even out of the world, as far as he knew, taken right from the vast lore of myths and legends that people told to each other from around the world since the beginning of time. And what a glorious sight it was to behold them.
The silent man finished his transformation first and Sanji felt just a little confirmed that his observatory skills were not lacking. Yet he wasn't turning into an eagle or some other kind of bird of prey, but into a mythological beast that once might have ruled the skies: a griffon! Large enough for a man to ride him and with enough muscles to put even a giant to shame, he threw himself into the air with a single beating of his mighty wings, unleashing so much force that Sanji had great difficulties to stay on his feet. That one alone would have caused both panic and awe, even in the civilised parts of the world that knew about the existence of devil fruits, but the other one stole the entire show.
During his transformation it seemed as if the white pelt on his back not only vanished into his body, as could be par for the course of zoan fruits, but became a part of it. Mere moments later, the captain found himself staring at an impossibly large, white tiger, and it was staring back at him. While one could say that the maw of a normal tiger was able to crush a man's bones with ease, this one ..
.. is so much more. His fangs look like they can bite through steel and break a giant in half. Let alone a man with normal proportions. Is this, too, a mythical zoan? Could it be that it was modelled after the divine White Tiger of the Western Sky, Byakko?
All Sanji could do was stare, his body feeling paralysed in awe of this majestic creature.
Without speaking another word, the tiger launched itself into the air and began to ride the wind, each and every step accompanied by the sound of booming thunder that could be heard for as long as he was in sight and even after he reached his own ship.
Behind him, the captain could hear his two advisors talking.
"That .. was definitely something else."
"There it is! I can see it!" Nami was shouting at the top of her lungs to bring the others to deck.
"It's .. huge. Definitely huge. And by far not the most welcoming thing I've ever seen."
The man called Roronoa Zoro was right with his observations. Even though the walls of Alaran stood a good 15 meters high, every visitor could still see the massive statue that was placed behind them, a winged humanoid carrying an equally massive, two-handed sword in its hands.
"Wow! But .. what is that? A bird person?" For that comment, the longnosed one, Usopp, gave his captain a clout behind the ear.
"Are you blind? That's not a bird person, it's a chicken person!"
Nami couldn't believe that these idiots managed to help her escape from the blonde warlord. Not even in the slightest. Pressing her palm against her forehead, she tried to correct them with varying degrees of success.
"It's not a chicken, Usopp! Have you guys never heard of the Angel's Tale? It's a commonly accepted story in Alaran and the surrounding islands that, in the hour of their greatest need, a celestial being descended from the Heavens to protect the city against an unnameable evil. She's the patron saint of the city and I really need to get in there, so, please, don't call her chicken or bird or whatever idiotic thing that's coming to your mind when we're within earshot of the inhabitants!"
If what Avian told me is true, getting into the city will be a challenge in and of itself.
Indeed, he seemed to be right. Instead of being able to sail into the city's fortified harbour, they were intercepted by a welcoming comitee of sorts halfway before they reached it.
"State your names, professions and intent, pirates! If you fail to comply, we will ask you to leave our waters at once! If you fail to do that, there'll be hell to play!"
The other ship was surprisingly large for a city that built its wealth on trade and they immediately made clear that their words were not to be taken lightly. No less than six cannons were trained on their ship – the pirates only recently told her that she was called 'Going Merry' – and two dozen armoured riflemen were quickly lining up on the railing.
That's good news. Is it good news? They know that we're pirates and they're not going to immediately attack us. That must be good news. Please, guys, don't be stupid now.
She should have wished for something more realistic.
"My name is Monkey D. Luffy and I'm going to be the King of Pirates!"
Well, it's been a nice try. Good bye, cruel world.
Nami closed her eyes and patiently waited for the shooting to start, but there was laughter instead. When she opened her eyes again, she realised that they were not dead yet. The man who appeared to be in command seemed not only taken aback, but even a little more casual about the situation now.
"I fear that Alaran's not the right city for your aspirations, boy. If you leave our waters now, there will be no violence, but I can't permit you into the city." Speaking the last words, it was obvious to Nami that he'd be adamant about that. To Luffy, not so much.
"You can't forbid us to enter the city, the sea belongs to everyone!"
The officer was dumbstruck at this pirate's useless defiance and Nami felt how some tension between them returned. The slightly lowered rifles were brought up again and the next time the soldier spoke, his tone was nowhere as friendly as before, if not threatening.
"That might very well be, boy, but this city is ours and we're here to protect it from a malicious pirate. How can we tell that you're no in league with him, trying to undermine our morals and sabotage our defenses from within?! This is your last chance, pirates, return to the sea or face the consequences."
No, please, no!
"I'm not a pirate, sir! Please, admit me into the city! I'll be staying only until I've found passage to the Conomi Islands! I've been kidnapped by a warlord and just want to get home!"
For a long time, the officer was staring at her, possibly asking himself if he could believe her, but in the end, his orders and the security of the city prevailed turned out ot be more important to him.
"I apologise, miss, but even under these dire circumstances I can't possibly allow a stranger, without inherent use for the city, into our walls. Maybe you can find a ship that will take you home on one of our surrounding islands. I wish you the best of luck."
The islands. Yes, of course. Maybe I can persuade Luffy to take me there?
Luffy still wouldn't waver and by the second, the chances for hostile actions grew. Even Zoro was back on his feet again, and though he was wounded he was every bit as menacing as he had been when he fought the other captain.
If it comes to a fight, I'll never reach Cocoyasi again. Either we die here or they'll put a bounty on our heads! They'll just think of me as one of them! I'll be a pirate, my face known to the whole world! I mustn't allow this! Never!
"You, with the impressive strawhat .. would you be ready to accept a trade – of sorts – in exchange for passage into the city?"
That voice was new, feminine, friendly. Nami was fairly sure that there was no underlying threat, no hostility towards them. It was a simple question and she was tempted to just shout out 'YES'. Though some deals, she remembered vividly, were too good to be true, and this might quickly prove to be one of them.
At once, the officer went silent and took a step to the side, as did his soldiers. They made a gap for the owner of that feminine voice, a woman who seemed to be in her mid twenties, brown of hair, displaying a broad and welcoming smile on her crimson lips. She was clad in a wide, white robe that reminded Nami of a priest and kept her hair long and open so that it might move with the wind. She was rather small in physique, too - the soldiers next to her were nearly two heads taller - yet still they respectfully bowed their heads towards her.
Whatever she's on about, we need to think about it. Maybe she'll admit us into the city as slaves? I'm not doing that, not again. We need to keep a calm and clean mind to ..
"Sure, what do you wanna trade?!"
"Passage into the city in exchange for your bodies. The strength of your arms, the resilience you carry within your hearts, the dreams of great things to come to you. What I want from you is but one thing: Your blood. Your blood to defend our walls, to hold the gates of our beloved City-Beneath-The-Wing. Promise to me to stand side by side with our soldiers to face the oncoming storm and in return, I will swear to vouch for your admittance into Alaran before the city's council.