And we're back! With a new chapter! Hooray!

Amie: So, maybe we should tell them where we are…?

Ah, yes! See, we've fully recovered after the whole "Bothering Stein" thing kinda blew up in our faces, and now we're off once again to find the Straw Hats!

Amie: Hence being in a dingy in the middle of the ocean… -Sighs.- I don't know why we couldn't hitch a ride or something…

This is more fun! We get to sneak up on the Going Merry and totally surprise them!

Amie: … They're gonna kill us. I know it.

Nooo, nooo! They know us! We'll be welcomed back with opened arms.

Amie: Whatever. Just get on with it, already.

Well, folks, we'll keep heading for the Going Merry! Until then, I hope you enjoy this next chapter!

xxx

It had been a few days since I formerly stated that I was going to join Luffy's crew, and it wasn't as exciting as one would think.

For starters, that explosion? As you might know, Luffy caused that. He's now indebted to work at the Baratie.

Of course I knew that before they told me. Still. Best to play dumb.

Since then, I got a short, simple tour of the ship. It was a nice ship. Had a homey kind of feel. Better than being split up over several dingies, that's for damn sure.

I was put in the women's cabin with Nami, which wasn't as cramped as I thought it would be. In fact, they already set up a bed for me. For some odd reason, I had a feeling that they felt like they knew my answer from the start. That it seemed like I was being given a warm welcome into the crew.

Despite this, I still kept what money I had on my person at all times. I knew what Nami was going to do soon, let alone the fact that she just flat out loved money. The sparkle in her eyes when I showed them that one coin when we first met up at the Baratie was a big enough clue that I should be cautious.

With the stay came the actual food. Nami and I both were treated rather nicely by Sanji, even though he expected the men to pay for it all. I did manage to pay them back when I could.

Sanji himself? Man… I did my best to try to maintain my composure, but once he actually started flirting and doting on me, it was all I could do to form sentences. It wasn't my fault, really! I just wasn't used to that sort of attention! Hopefully, over time, I would actually get used to it. Hopefully

As for the actual official members of the crew, it was mixed feelings all around. Usopp was generally kind to me. He never met me before then, and I never did learn what it was that the others had said about me to him. Still, he was rather entertaining with his stories of his supposed "adventures". I appreciated his kindness. Compared to Zoro's treatment, it was welcomed.

Speaking of the green-haired one, the only interactions with me were grunts and hums. Hardly any actual words were spoken. I think he still didn't trust me. I guess I couldn't blame him, though. The past few times we met, I ran off without so much as a formal, spoken farewell. I had hoped that the exchange at the Baratie would've gotten him to warm up to me more, but apparently not. It was a shame, really. Seeing him in action when I did, along with actually meeting the guy, I would've hoped that we could've been friends. In time, we will… I hope.

As I said about Nami, I was cautious. The woman did her best to get on my good side, and I had a feeling that part of the reason why she was doing that was to get at my money. I know that it wasn't the only reason, but still. It also didn't help that I knew what was to come. When certain people would arrive, we'd leave the ship, and in turn, she'd leave us. Then we'd chase her, and it would lead to a battle against the mermen that had been plaguing her home for years.

I also finally met Johnny and Yosaku. At first, they seemed hesitant in talking to me. Obviously, Zoro was a big influence on that. But after a little while, I got them to warm up to me. They even started calling me "Amie-aneki", which, surprisingly, I thought was actually kind of sweet.

Now, here we were. Still at the Baratie as Luffy still worked to repay the Head Chef there. It was a dull, foggy day. I knew what was going to come to pass later on.

I stood there on deck with the rest of my new crew, hearing Nami trying to defend Sanji and his way of letting us ladies get "free" meals. I rolled my neck a bit and fought a yawn.

Could you tell how exciting this was? Really, I was on the edge of my seat in boredom.

The fog was also the worst possible fog. It was so humid that I seriously thought I took a shower with my clothes on not too long ago, not to mention one could barely see through it. Even the Baratie was hard to make out. Did it look like a fish? Or just a really weird submarine?

Seriously, it was that bad.

"Hey, guys!" I heard Usopp call. "I think I see a ship!"

I blinked, turning towards Usopp, then rushing over, leaning over the opposite side of the boat, taking off my sunglasses and squinting.

My stomach jumbled into knots. It was a ship, all right. And if I'm not mistaken, I think the captain is called Don Krieg.

I did not think he'd come so soon…

It was definitely going to get a lot more interesting up in here.

"That is a ship…" I finally whispered. "Doesn't look too small, either."

"How can you tell?" Usopp asked.

I gave him a look. "It might be super foggy all up in this bitch of an ocean." He seemed to flinch a little at my cursing. "But even I can tell that the spot out there is at a pretty far distance from us. It's gonna be one helluva ship once it gets here."

I heard footsteps and I turned to see Zoro on my other side. "Whatever the case, it seems like it's seen better days."

I gave him a look. "And how can you tell?"

Zoro huffed. "Just look at the damn thing!"

"All right! No need to get pissy, my dear swordsman." I said, hands raised. He only snorted. "I'll believe it myself when I see it."

I barely heard Zoro snort as we waited for the ship to approach. Usopp took this time to scoot closer to me.

"What's the deal with you and Zoro?" He asked in a whisper.

I looked at him, seeing he was genuinely curious and concerned, and I let out a long sigh. "I think it has to do with the fact that ever since we first met, I've been running away from them." I whispered back. "He might still think I'll run away again. Don't blame him, really. I think even Luffy's still worried I'll run away again."

There was a slight pause.

"Are you going to?"

Yes, but not for a while. I've got some stuff to do first. "No." Was the word I actually said. "As I had said, I had some questions that I needed answered. I got those answers, and I was satisfied enough to realize that joining this crew wouldn't cause everyone on this ship to die."

I heard someone swallow and noticed that Usopp was a bit pale.

Good grief, I only casually mention that there could've been a possibility that they'd die. Now there isn't one!… Sort of… Mostly… I hope…

Either way, I couldn't help but mess with him a little. "Myaa, dun worry, Usoppu-kun. If anything happens, I will protect you!"

Usopp sputtered and glared, jabbing a finger at me. "How can a scrawny girl like you protect anyone!"

I smirked. "I'll tell you a story." I said simply. "Back when I first met Luffy and Zoro, we got in some trouble. It was then that I got shot in the arm by a Marine."

Usopp blinked. "Really! What happened then?"

I snickered. "The bullet was warped and barely recognizable. And I didn't have a single wound from it." I said, rubbing at my arm. "See? Completely smooth!"

"That's a lie!" And you're the king of them, Usopp. "There's no way you could…!"

Usopp trailed off as it seemed to get even darker near us. We both turned and Usopp seemed to gasp, stepping back as, indeed, a giant pirate ship floated by and wound up at the dock of the Baratie.

"Wow, Zoro. You were right!" I called, turning to him. "If we had bet any money on it, you would be a rich man!"

Zoro merely scoffed. "Like you would bet money on something like that."

"No, seriously!" I said. "In fact, here we go."

With that, I whipped out a gold coin. "One of these puppies says that whoever's on that ship is gonna cause some major trouble for the Baratie."

"Why would I bet on something like that!" He snapped.

"To make it interesting!" And to try and get you to stop speaking to me in caveman. "Come on!"

"Hey…" Zoro and I looked over to Nami as she stepped over to us. "That looks like it belongs to Don Krieg."

It was tense for a moment, and I kinda figured why.

Poor starving pirate was fed by Sanji. Said pirate was part of Don Krieg's crew. Don Krieg? He was probably gonna eat and then he's gonna try and completely trash the place.

"Don Krieg, eh?" I asked, tucking the coin back into my pocket. "I take it that's not very good news."

Zoro frowned. "I don't like this…"

"W-Well, maybe we should head into the Baratie…" Usopp said. "Make sure Luffy's okay…"

I turned to Usopp. "You wanna go in there when some other pirate is starving?" I asked. "You have no idea what kind of weapons he has on him."

"Why the heck did you have to say that!" Usopp snapped at me, causing me to shrug. I then blinked when I felt shoving on my shoulders. "Very well, you go down there and check on him! Report back to us ASAP!"

"I'm not going down there by myself!" I snapped, digging my heels into the deck.

It's not like I was afraid of Don Krieg or anything. I just didn't want to get assaulted by Sanji again without mentally preparing myself.

Because I wasn't going to enter the scene of a fight, have Sanji swoon or something, possibly, and then have me make a damn fool of myself, dammit!

"Will you both relax!" I jumped, feeling Usopp back off and a hand on my shoulder. Apparently Zoro stepped in and split us up. "They're probably here to get some food."

"And then blow the frikkin place to pieces." I muttered offhandedly. "But hey, don't mind me, I'm just gonna say I told you so…"

"What. Was. That?" Zoro forced through gritted teeth.

And Zoro saying something when he's irritated, believe it or not, is actually kinda nerve-wrecking. I decided to just take a deep breath and hopefully push everyone in the right direction, here…

"Nothing… really…" I said calmly. "I just think that maybe we should be cautious. Not all pirates are happy and kind. Don Krieg is probably one of those pirates. He's also probably gonna be mad with hunger. I'm just saying that, maybe, at the first sign of something bad, like gunshots or something… we should… step in…?"

Zoro seemed to stare me down. I fought the urge to fidget. For the past few days, he's practically ignored me, and now he's openly staring right at me. It's the most attention I've gotten out of him, and it was a little uncomfortable.

"It's probably like I just said: some hungry people." Zoro finally stated, walking around me. "But just in case…"

I looked over my shoulder just as he turned back to me. "We better keep on our toes."

And thank goodness for small favors. Zoro agreed with me.

Now let's just hope he'll start talking to me like he does with the others… soon… maybe…?

Man, with my luck, he'll hate my guts forever. Shame, too. He seems like he'd be nice as a friend.

I was snapped out of my thoughts as everyone looked towards the entrance of the Baratie. Curious, I followed suit. Of course, you really couldn't see much: Fog and all. But you could see what looked like a giant blob monster walking across the deck. Said blob monster had four feet.

I'm guessing it's Don Krieg and his pirate buddy.

"You think that's him?" I asked. "Don Krieg?"

"Why?" I blinked looking at Zoro. "You scared?"

I gave him a look and snorted. "The only thing I'm afraid of is losing people I care about, seeing them hurt, all that mushy stuff." I stated firmly. "A giant blob monster and his lackey ain't gonna scare me."

I heard a snort, whether it was from Nami or Usopp is unknown, and I looked at Zoro. He didn't look as cold towards me, but still seemed apprehensive.

Well, at least we're getting somewhere.

But after that, it seemed, it was rather quiet. That is, it was quiet until we heard some shouting and floods of people started rushing out of the floating restaurant.

"Either they found out about some cool shopping experience…" I said. "Or there's trouble afoot."

"Let's wait a while longer." Zoro said, simply.

"What! Zoro, are you serious!" I heard Usopp cry.

"Don't forget Luffy's down there." Was Zoro's logical response. "Let's give him some time."

"I say we give him five minutes or when there's gun fire." I stated simply, turning back to the crew. "Whichever comes first…"

Zoro simply nodded at this. "Sounds good to me."

Now, of course I would like to think that this was Zoro and I bonding. But really, I think it was just agreeing on stuff. To be honest, I think he doesn't trust me, still. I think he's really putting up with me because of Luffy.

Man, if only we could find some time to work together as a team. Maybe then he wouldn't hate me so frikkin much!

… Oh wait. Other crazy stuff's gonna happen. We might just end up working together after all.

Maybe I can actually say one day that I'm friends with the First Mate. The Great Pirate Hunter… who's actually a pirate himself… Roronoa Zoro…

It took some time, but suddenly there was the sound of explosives, with flashing lights and smoke coming from the Baratie's now broken windows. Not too long afterwards were there gunshots coming from said restaurant.

"Gunshots and explodey came first!" I chirped.

"Let's go, then." Was Zoro's response.

"M-M-Maybe I should s-stay on the ship… With Nami…!" Oh please, Usopp.

"Come on, Usopp!" I said, smile on my face and draping an arm across his shoulders. "We're crewmates, and even though I know Nami and Zoro fairly well, I haven't gotten to work on the field with you, yet!"

Usopp seemed to whine some more. I merely patted his shoulder for comfort.

"We might not have to do much, my dear coward." I said.

"Let's move it!"

And there goes mister swordsman. "I'm coming, I'm coming! Just giving a pep talk!"

With that, I headed for the ladder, which Zoro was already climbing down from.

"Oy, Nami!" I turned to see Usopp call to said navigator. "You sure you don't want to come?"

"Oh, no! You guys go on ahead!" Nami said, waving us off. "Besides, I'm just a simple navigator!"

I merely stared her down. I knew what she was planning. I wasn't stupid. Granted, I wasn't much of a fan, I did remember what I've recently watched.

And I know what's coming next.

Nami seemed to fidget a bit, looking off to the side. As if she was avoiding my gaze. Could she tell I was distrusting of her just a wee little bit?

"Oi, Amie! Get moving!"

I was snapped out of it by Usopp. "Oh, sorry." I said, and with a random spark of inspiration, I did something incredibly stupid.

Instead of climbing down the ladder like a normal person…

… I jumped, landing in a crouched position on the deck. I barely noticed that Zoro yelped and jumped out of the way as I made my landing, and I think I fractured a couple of wood planks…

… Along with my Achilles tendon…

"Did you have to do that!" Zoro snapped, obviously irritated by almost getting landed on.

"Well, if it makes you feel better, I probably should've stretched first." I said, slowly standing up, wincing all the way. "Gonna feel that tomorrow."

"Yeah yeah, hope you learned your lesson." Zoro groused. "Oi, Usopp! Hurry up!"

"I'm coming! I'm coming!" Usopp called, muttering something under his breath as he climbed down.

"Come on, Usopp! We don't want to miss the fun!" I called as Usopp seemed to take his time.

"Speak for yourself!" Usopp cried, finally reaching the ground and rounding on me. "I don't take pleasure in fighting!"

I gave him a look. "We've been stuck here for three days. It's foggy as hell, and I've been bored out of my mind." I explained. "Excuse me for wanting some action."

"You're just insane!" Usopp snapped.

"Will you both quit your bickering and hurry!"

"Sorry, oh green-haired one!" I called, skipping over to him. "Just some chit-chat!"

Zoro snorted, obviously not liking my comment. "Whatever…"

"How did I get myself into this…?" This is what you get for being in the Straw Hats, dear Usopp.

xxx

When we finally managed to get inside, we took our places at the stairwell. Everyone else seemed incredibly distracted, anyway. Understandable. Here was Don Krieg, in his supposed glory, and he was chatting it up with the Head Chef. Sanji was laying on a broken table, and of course Luffy was nearby. There were spears and the like all around the place, so I casually picked one up on the way. If anything it'd make me look cooler.

As we stood, Zoro decided to announce our arrival. "Oi! Luffy!"

Luffy turned to us and grinned. "Zoro! Usopp! Amie! What are you doing here?"

"We thought we'd join this happening party." I stated calmly. "Couldn't let you have all the fun."

"O-Of course, if you don't need our help, that's fine! We're more than happy to just sit back and watch if you want!" I rolled my eyes, at Usopp when he said this, seeing Zoro merely smack him with the handle of his sword in response. "Ow! Why'd you do that for!"

"Ain't it obvious?" I said, causing Usopp to turn to me. "We're here to look like badasses and intimidate people. Not look like cowards. It's a bad image!"

"What's the point of an image if we die!" Usopp cried and I blinked.

"At least we die looking cool…" I said simply, causing Usopp to sob.

"Can't you two be quiet? I'm trying to listen!" I looked at Zoro as Usopp seemed to silently weep about how short his life had been. Honestly, it's not like we're going to die here.

We were both snapped from our private conversation when Don Krieg laughed. "That is your crew? Ha! That is not nearly enough!" He said, laughing. "A true man's power comes from his military might!"

"And from the looks of it, you certainly know a lot about that, huh?" I called, feeling a hand on my shoulder, seeing that said hand's owner was Zoro. He merely shook his head at me, and I took this as a hint on just butting out. So with that, I sighed, leaning back and staring that the spear I was currently handling as the monologues commenced.

As I stared at the spear point, I wondered what I could do to relieve the onset of boredom. With that, I reached up, plucking the metal point from its wooden handle. I set the wood aside, and experimentally squeezed my hand around it.

The spear point was almost like a metallic clay in my hands.

Curious…

With that, I took it into both my hands and started molding and shaping it, trying not to seem too excited over the fact that I found a new way to relieve boredom. It didn't even take long to make it into something somewhat decent.

"Are you even paying attention!" I heard Usopp yell at me.

"It's just monologuing. It's not that important." I stated simply. I then grinned, holding up my new sculpture. "Besides, I made a Maneki Neko! Ain't it cute? It's supposed to bring good luck!"

"You're missing vital information about the Grand Line and pirates, and all you care about is a stupid cat sculpture!" Usopp cried.

I decided to ignore all that. "I'm thinking of naming it Bob!"

"Are you even listening!" Usopp snapped.

I noticed that Zoro finally looked over.

"Why would you name that thing Bob? It's a cat. It should be named Machiko or Gin." And here I thought he'd yell at me for not paying attention or not being quiet.

"How can you encourage this?" Usopp whined, obviously defeated.

"Eh… Bob's cuter, in my opinion." I responded.

"Don't either of you care that Don Krieg is getting his crew ready for an attack!" Oh yeah! I actually kind of forgot about that…

Now why would I forget about that?

As there was a tense silence in the Baratie, I pondered this. I eventually got my answer when, instead of a bunch of rowdy pirates charging through the doors, there was a familiar sound of a familiar sword slicing through wood as if it were the air itself, and from what I could tell, Don Krieg's ship fell to pieces shortly afterwards.

Ah, yes. Mihawk was sailing into the territory, and he sliced up Don Krieg's ship as he was on his way…

… Wait…

Oh, crap. I knew Mihawk! Granted, we were kinda buddies now, but how the hell are Zoro and the others gonna take this!

As I felt my stomach do somersaults, I heard Luffy scream.

"THE SHIP!" Screw the ship, Luffy! Mihawk's coming and you're all gonna hate me now!

… Oh wait…

As Luffy stormed outside, Zoro and Usopp ran off, too. Eventually, I too ran out. Of course, I knew when we got there, the ship wouldn't be there.

And just as I joined my crew outside, I was right. There was no Going Merry. Only a couple of dingies, including mine, were the only ships bobbing there in one piece.

"Where is it!" Luffy cried. "Where did it go!"

"It didn't get hit, did it!" I don't think so, Usopp.

In fact, I think I know where it is.

"ANIKI!" And here comes the answer.

We all turned and saw Johnny and Yosaku bobbing in the waves. They were swimming towards us, tears in their eyes.

"Johnny! Yosaku!" Zoro called as we ran over.

"Where's the ship? Where's Nami?" Luffy demanded before pulling them onto the deck.

"It was terrible!" Johnny cried.

"Nami-aneki took the ship and tossed us overboard!" Yosaku cried, finishing the grand plot twist of a statement.

"NAMI TOOK THE SHIP?" Everyone cried around me as I looked out at sea as dead silence spread throughout the Baratie.

As Johnny and Yosaku continued to fill in the others about what exactly happened with Nami, I saw a sight I recognized.

It was a disturbing-looking small ship in the shape of a coffin. Candles were set up and set off a strange green flame. Inside said ship was someone I knew outside of seeing them on a television screen.

Dracule Mihawk just arrived. And shit was just about to hit the fan full force.