Chapter 10: The Rock

"Birds born in a cage think flying is an illness."

- Alejandro Jodorowsky

...

After Igaram bid farewell to Miss Wednesday, now Vivi. He hopped aboard on a small ship, dressed as her, and headed straight to Alabasta. But nothing went as planned and the ship exploded to smithereens. The Baroque Works have already made their move. With wide eyes, Vivi watched the ship sink from the ocean surface to the unknown of the sea.

The navigator grabbed Vivi's shoulders, time was ticking. "Look at me! We need to leave! Now!" She shouted, shaking the young girl then dragging her to the ship. "Zoro, get the anchor! Luffy, go get the others!" They both complied and rushed.

Luffy came back with an unconscious Sanji and Usopp as Ayame boarded the ship.

Once Ayame was up, she heard a loud quack and she looked at the big, yellow duck with that deadpan stare. "Why is there a duck on board?"

"That would be my pet..." Vivi whispered quietly.

"Ayame, this is Princess Vivi, and as I promised..." the navigator explained the situation in Alabasta and its drought.

...

Once the pirates were far from Whiskey Peak, Vivi had explained to them about the people they were up against. Ayame was still left in the dark; she was lost in their conversation. All she did was glare at them - expecting an explanation. But she managed piecing the things together, and not only that, her mind was on the mysterious paper she received.

During that time, Sanji and Usopp woke up; only to be knocked back down by Nami when they started rallying against her for leaving the wonderful island.

At one point, she heard Nami, Zoro and Luffy had bounties on them from 'The Unluckies' of Baroque Work. And then there was a mysterious woman in her late 20's appeared on the ship. While everyone was engorged by their plans to Alabasta, Ayame saw the woman. But as expected from a baroque work, the girl was silenced by two hands covering her mouth. Ayame could only watch the pirates play into the woman's games. It was then she knew the woman was a devil fruit user. Hearing the strained muffles, Zoro turned to see Ayame struggling against the two hands that sprouted from her head.

"We have company." The swordsman said, his hand hovering his swords. "Let that brat go."

Smiling, the woman found no threat in this yet. "Ah, but first I have a proposition."

"You!" Vivi glared. "Don't trust that woman! She's one of the top agents - Miss All Sunday!"

Placing a delicate fist under her bronze chin, Miss All Sunday still had her smile. "Well," she started, her voice faltering into a light chuckle. "I have something that may interest you-" Another pair of arms from behind Ayame pushed her towards the stairs, and the girl stumbled all the way down before falling to her knees. "-an eternal log post. It'll take you straight to Alabasta." She showed the log post saying Alabasta on it. "I am willing to part away with it, if you'll take it."

Vivi turned to the captain, shaking her head. "We can't take it - what if it's a trick?"

Ayame rubbed her bruised knees and turned to the captain as well. She may be out of line for speaking, but it was in the pirate's own interest to finish the job quickly - at least that's what Ayame would do. "But what if it is genuine?"

Luffy looked at both of them. He did not want to risk the whole crew into an unknown eternal log post, but he also did not want to waste any time getting there. However, being a pirate made his judgments easier-he wanted to explore the islands before Alabasta. "We're not taking it."

Miss All Sunday raised a delicate brow then smile again. "So be it." She got up from being perched on Nami's Tangerine orchard. "I must warn you, the next island - Little Garden - isn't a pleasant place for newbie pirates." She hopped down from the railing and onto an over-sized turtle.

...

A couple days later

"Oh, hey! Mail's here!" Nami announced from the 2nd floor. She went back to her seat with Vivi, under a beach umbrella and placed the packages on the table. Ayame found a nice place to hide in and still have a nice view on everyone. Grabbing a pen, she wrote short notes on Zoro, who was training for the 4th time today. She calculated the times he'd go somewhere. Ayame never found herself creepy, but some (or most) would differ if they knew. And Zoro was not the only victim she had been keeping notes on.

Sanji on a Saturday, at 7AM would start his day; at 7:30AM - 9AM he would be in the kitchen and in between those times he'd light up a smoke... Ayame added, he finishes 2 packs of cigarettes per day at most.

Nami on a Monday was hectic. Each Monday was different-almost irregular, but there was a slight pattern. There was slight intervals if Ayame calculated properly - but it was still undetermined. Ayame placed Vivi under the navigator's, seeing that they were always together.

Luffy and Usopp was almost the same, one or the other would wake each other up - usually by the smell of food.

Zoro was more easier to note. He had a routine. 7AM he wakes; at 7:45 he stretches and does some light weight, breakfast, weight training, lunch, nap, and then snack. Then heavy weight training, idle, and heavier weight training, eat, and shower. Then bed.

Ayame enjoyed keeping tabs on everyone, that way it would be easy for her to find them. Snickering to herself, she went to personalities and what makes which individual irritated or happy.

"Hm?" Nami questioned, looking down at her hands and looked at the bird. "A package for Ayame?"

Hearing her name from below, Ayame stopped scribbling and perked her head from the Tangerine trees. Part of her was delighted for a package, but the other part of her worried about what was inside.

Nami looked at the note. "Hm, interesting box, and heavy..." She muttered, but then she had a devilish idea. "A boyfriend's gift, perhaps?" Nami handed the box to the girl.

"You mean the ones I haven't scared off yet?"

Nami shot her eyes open as though Ayame had two heads. "Was that...a joke?" She grinned playfully, much to Ayame's discomfort.

Ayame opened her package and popped out the lid. "What?"

A rock. It was the size of an ostrich egg, and then Ayame attempted to take it out. Grunting, she lifted it and looked around for clues. But found nothing.

"Maybe there's a note somewhere-"

"Hold this." Ayame interrupted Vivi, who she had forced the rock onto her arms-much to her dismay. The girl dug through the box filled with confetti and soft tissues. "Nothing." Ayame muttered and looked at the rock.

"We could... crack it open." Nami suggested, but Ayame shook her head and took her rock back.

"No one touches the rock."

"You sure-"

"Yes." Ayame said curtly and hurriedly place it back into the box and hauled it to her hiding place. This caused the two girls to watch her in confusion.

"The rock?" Vivi repeated with blinking eyes.

...

"You sure you want to go on look out again?" Nami questioned Ayame. It was time for bed until the navigator saw the girl lingering around the trees with a bundle of sleeping gear. Ayame nodded at the bewildered redhead. Tired, Nami gave up. "It makes me wonder if you ever sleep." She looked at the girl with doubt and bid her good night.

"Night." Ayame nodded.

Usopp reached to pat her head as he yawn, and seeing this, Ayame slapped his hand away before he could mess her hair. Following after him, Zoro barely made any contact with her.

Once everyone was asleep, she opened the box again and brought out the rock and placed it on her little bedding. At some point she wondered if it was a bomb, but there was no ticking to be heard.

This time Ayame dumped all the contents in the box and searched through the box again. She was almost certain there should be some sort of note or whatever. It was then she dismantled the box and a little red note slipped to the ground. It had been hinged in the folds of the box!

Ayame tossed the box away from her and lit a candle, she was sure to be careful from setting the leaves or confetti on fire. If she was killed by her own wildfire, that would just insult her.

In white writing, it says:

'Welcome back -R'

Blinking, she was confused. Switching to the other side of the paper, she was disappointed to find nothing else. Who was R? Who the hell are these people? Sighing, she blew the fire out and got rid of the garbage. But she kept the red slip of paper in her notebook in hopes of finding this R. And the other mysterious writer.

Reviews (as of 2017, others might not change, because I might accidentally reveal something)

vampireprincessofempire : Everyone needs some sort of weakness :) And Ayame's weakness is alcohol and junk food lol

TDI-Ryro-Eclares : Heh heh you'll know soon enough :)

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And welcome aliennepton~!