"You're a shame. Not even that, probably worse." Marie stood on a wooden perch but seemed different. Her blonde strands hinted off yellowish. Her pupils were an unspeakable tomb of haste, her mouth a bloody red. It was unlike her. A corruption. She became a corruption. "Like that girl. She had the infamous bounty? Ellie, I assume." She raised her hands and spun a recognizable black glove, then tossed it to and fro. "Bounty hunting isn't as fun anymore. I like a challenge."

Alexander turned his face, wielding some loathsome expression and cursing her beneath his breath.

Jefferson crouched defensively. "How could you kill a child? Have you actually gone insane?"

Marie lowered herself into a position of relaxation. "I wouldn't call it that. Would you if someone had taken away another's life? Many would claim reparation."

"Revenge and insanity are completely different things." he remarked, fingers loosening on his staff. She doesn't pay mind, doesn't notice as Alexander slowly attached his brass knuckles. Gritting teeth and darkening eyes. "Quite a study, actually."

She shifted her gaze elsewhere. "Is it?" Jefferson eyed Alexander as he proposed a sneak-attack, coming up from behind Marie with unmasked vengeance and bloodlust. "I probably wouldn't be able to deduct that myself."

Alexander grabbed her shoulder. She didn't blink, didn't speak before abruptly–vanishing?

He blinked and stepped onto Marie's platform. She was gone. Only the glove was left. "Wait, where'd she–"

Jefferson glanced around and his posture slackened. "I don't exactly–no." His eyes widened. "Alexander, look out!"

Alexander jumped backward but before he could run, an arm was locked around his neck. A blade at his throat, a stink of metal. "Can't kill the killer." He almost felt her smile as she caressed his hair. "You seem like a challenge. But, remember, it takes two to make a murder. And you're the perfect fit."

She would be killed. Someone, maybe Marie, would kill her.

How was Marie a bounty hunter? Could that be possible? All of her visions had shown her as a criminal, drug-abuser, a sister, an adopted daughter. Nothing insanely dangerous until now.

Did she actually exist or was Marie a figment of her imagination? If she were worth something and hadn't already had a bounty floating overhead, she would sneak and check for her birth records. Did she have one? It was all so blank.

Ellie sighed and drank her beer in one shot. The bar was large and had a singing Den Den Mushi. Bulks and groups of men clinked their champagnes and wine mugs. She was alone and nor Alexander or Akane have come looking for her. She should be relieved for the distance but she would rather have one of them here to talk to about her suspicious visions.

Especially regarding her life.

She sighed and squirmed uncomfortably. The bar door slammed and noisy sandals clunked inside. She swiveled around and watched a man cross the floor, seating himself beside her and ordering a nonalcoholic cider. Did she know him? He did seem plenty familiar.

Despite this town being a tad ghostly and murky, he was dressed normally, a nice red button-up, red shorts, sandals, and lots of gauze wrappings. Maybe he was hurt. A war veteran? Former marine? Just hiding old battle scars?

"What are you staring at?"

Ellie jumped backward, almost falling from her chair. The guy stared at her questioningly, not rude, brown eyes glittering in the flickering lights. She blinked.

"Sorry." she said. Despite his question not being rude, it was always weird to stare.

He shrugged and continued on with whatever he was doing. She eventually tuned everyone out, listening to her own thoughts and private opinions, forgetting her problems and draining her mind of Marie. Always her nightmare and never far.

She slid her drink aside and–

"Someone help!" a man burst inside the bar. He was sweating and his hair was mussy. He panted heavily and wiped his face. "M-my friend! He's being mugged! Please help anyone!"

People attack on impulse, she defends on it.

Before she knew it, she was standing and running for the door despite her gun holsters being empty. She was working on asking the man until she heard a desperate begging in an alleyway, saw burly silhouettes masked around a fragile bystander in sickening cracks and dirty words.

Her teeth grinded and she charged forward.

It's sad how familiar this was.

Marie lay on thick shards of bricks. She drew a knee into her chest and watched a man strut around their battle field. She coughed nastily and watched him stare down a Den Den Mushi. The suspicious ticking somewhere above them increased and her face was flushed. The temperature had become insane and she was completely useless against it.

The man lingered over her Den Den Mushi. She could almost read his mind. "If you do that–" She panted harder. "You'll be killed. All your damn friends will be, too. So will I."

"Impel Down is nothing without some surprises." He sifted through his pockets, coughed into his elbows. "I'm sure they won't do anything rash to their favorite regular."

She would move if she could. But she was immobile, drained to possible extremities.

Her vision misted and she grabbed for anything. "Say what you may. Just–" she hissed in agony and clutched her stomach. "Do whatever you want. I'm a dead man's soul."

He smiled rudely. "I wouldn't listen to you, anyway." And he activated it, then looked back at her. "I hope you're not as useless as you portray."

"I hope even in my corpse state, I may be able to assist my enemies." Her vision returned shortly. Maybe a lucky side-effect of her sins. "I, however, can't promise much."

"Neither can I." Even though his smile broadened, itwasn't at all sweet. Then he snagged her in his arms and roughly sprinted for the stairs.

"HEY!" Ellie balled her fists and the men instantly froze, glaring at her. "What the hell is your problem?"

"We'll shows you ours problems, Missy." the biggest one snarled. She still couldn't see his face but did find her sight flickering angrily as her instincts enraged her. "Just tries to beats us."

He could do better on his pronunciation, however.

"Just try me!" she shouted as a few others quit their ransacking. "You have no idea how easy I can kill all of you!"

The biggest slugged in, a shiny dagger sparkling in his knuckles, which seemed to spiral her instincts and chain reaction. It approached. Her frustration could become much more than harmless threats. She had a bounty on her head for a reason.

"I'll give you a weapon. Now, don't put me to waste."

Her head throbbed through Marie's voice, a blind spot, enough to murder her, as the man slimed closer. Ellie evaded his advances and felt the wind of his dagger swipe her chest, not enough to make it to skin.

She dodged more fists. They were upcoming, inevitable. She was sadly losing her own fight, the one she brought upon herself. Why did she have to act so spontaneously?

Then she stumbled over an obstacle. Maybe a crate or barrel or an old weapon, all she knows is that her downfall is arriving.

The strange man trudged in. His dagger glistened like seawater pearls. "That'll teaches you not to messes with us."

And just before the terrifying dagger could reach, a large iron bar impacted over the man's cranium, and his eyes were open as he collapsed to the ground in a stream of blood. Her heart thrummed.

Ellie shakily grabbed her arms and looked around. The guy in the bar with brown eyes and clad in red and gauze held a twisted street pole. His followers scrambled away. Her rescuer grinned nervously and dropped the rod with a clatter.

"Didn't your mama ever teach you not to hit girls?" he asked the corpse.

Akane skimmed a thick novel with yellow pages whilst Alexander lit a cigarette. "I can't believe they have a book of famous bounties." She observed their current statuses and gaped at the higher rewards.

"I can't believe you made me waste money on that." he puffed and closed a finger over the bulbous spark. "We should be looking for Ellie, not buying bounty books and cheap ramen."

She shrugged and admired a shot of Sniper King. The picture wasn't the greatest. "You have to admit that ramen was pretty good. We don't have a chef and that'll be our last edible meal in a while."

"We'll have a chef soon." Alexander breathed smoke over to the stars and clouds. "Just you wait."

Akane rolled her eyes. "Because you can foresee the future?"

"Yes. I have a crystal ball hidden in my room."

"That's awesome. I hope it sparkles."

He, now, rolled his eyes. "Anyway, I'm gonna go look for Ellie. Who knows what'll happen? Especially involving her."

She smirked and crossed her legs, casually. Or as casual can be. "If you like her, you can just say so."

"I don't like her!" He scratched an eyebrow and his face reddened, barely visible in the twilight. "Why do you always resort to that?"

"Curiosity." she claimed and her smirk didn't vanish. "Aren't you going somewhere?"

"Will you always have an attitude?" Alexander demanded to receive no reply. "Fine, I'm leaving."

The book clunked onto the deck with a thump as she stood. "Too bad you had to waste my time first."

And for once, he's glad to finally shut his mouth.

-x-x-x-

"I really have to thank you."

"No, it's alright. Any man that hits a girl needs a beating, you know."

Ellie twiddled with the loose binds of her gloves as she and "the guy," Sabastian, reclined in the bar. After withdrawing into the bar to check her face for blood, she noticed Sabastian had returned also and couldn't help but approach him with her gratitude. It was the least she could allow.

Sabastian cracked his neck. It was a common quirk but it still grossed her out. "Plus, what loser beats someone in an alleyway? It's so lame."

The guy, who was beaten, fortunately survived. He took off once the others had scattered and the ringleader was pronounced dead at the scene, probably a miracle for that coward.

"Yeah." she agreed, wringed her fingers. "But really. I really want to repay you."

He smiled. "I'm sure you really don't need to."

"I want to, though." Stubbornly like a child. She kept repeating herself and although she knew she was acting immature, she was forever in debt to Alexander. What's so wrong with adding more promises? Who doesn't? "I have an idea!"

"Well, that doesn't sound good." He leaned in. "Let's hear it."

He's right. It was never a good thing.

Alexander passed shops and clinics. He didn't know any of them. They were just here as a checkpoint for some food, gallons of water, first aid kits. Maybe one day there'd be a cook and doctor aboard. Why was he even thinking into the future? He couldn't have become a criminal, he wouldn't be a pirate or matey or whatever else.

But he was already something. Nothing good, bounties aren't good. No matter the rewards. It just seemed so good to finally escape his family after all the inside drama, locked and bound in the dungeons of his reality. He was the only one to flee. Maybe it was better this way.

He stopped in front of a bar and read the bounty posters taped outside of it. His and Ellie's weren't there. Different people like the Strawberry Vixen, some already discovered criminals, and the Majestic Vampire, who had a weird photo. These monsters sure were questionable.

Was he one?

"Alexander!" Ellie staggered outside the bar and strode over to him, a guy with orange hair and brown eyes in tow. "How are you? You look so handsome!"

His eyebrows furrowed and he took a step back. "Thanks, I guess." He eyed the man hesitantly. "Friend of yours?"

"Yes!" And he had to cringe at the enthusiasm. "And now, a friend of yours."

Alexander grabbed one of his brass knuckles, reaching for defense. Was she on something? "I don't follow."

She spun on the balls of her feet and jumped with the flourish of a professional. "Meet our new crewmate, Sabastian!" Held her hands before him. "He's a scout!"

He opened his mouth, closed it, repeated, and reeled his thoughts violently.

"Ellie, I'm seriously gonna kill you."

And amid their bickering, Sabastian noticed a blur of champagne-colored hair, jumping roofs with the usual stolen bags of bread. He smiled and was glad to have agreed to something good for once.

The same man, who'd been beaten in an alley, slugged into an abandoned building of bricks and rotted vines. He'd been swallowing his words and wiping his neck as if trying to rid himself of lacerations and bruises, nervously slumping into a metal chair beside a pyramid of wood blocks.

"Ah, so you finally decided to show." a too-familiar man closed in on him. He had dark hair, making the appearance of a startled jellyfish, and opaque navy eyes, and was wearing a suit and boots. "However, too late. She has gone hours ago."

"I-I-I'm sorry, Ian! I am!" he pleaded and his eyes shined with tears. "I didn't mean to waste either of your time! Please give Mistress–"

"Oh, I will, of course." Ian smiled coldly. His eyes clouded over with bluish smoke. "I was also told to carry out an order and we know how she likes her missions done for her, not before her. No one likes to see her upset when she has blood all over her pretty dress."

The other begun trembling profusely, tears on his kiddie face. "M-M-Marie wouldn't–"

"You're right, she wouldn't." Ian strode closer, smog in his eyes thickening. "But she hates to abuse her time, especially when it comes to annihilating useless pests. I, so, hope you prepared yourself...I do enjoy an interesting win."

The screams howled in the alleyway for hours. So much, the civilians were convinced they were ghosts of a different kind.

I'm so sorry for the wait. I really hope this makes up for it, and thanks so much for the comments, I couldn't have done this without all of you! I'll be working on another, longer update and my other stories soon, trust me. I'm currently drowning in revisions and espresso.

And all your OCs will make appearances soon enough. Girl Scouts Honor... well, I was never a Girl Scout but yeah.