Jiru snapped out of her trip down memory-lane. Allowing her to wander, she had quietly followed Zoro back from the gravesite that Franky had built for the fallen. Having offered her help in directing him to the ship, Jiru had been told to keep quiet as he refused to let her tell him where to go.
Now they had returned, thirty minutes and many turns later. The Golden Thief looked up at the scene before her. The Sunny-gou was cleared of cobwebs and ready to set sail – good old Sunny-gou. In front of the ship, Luffy was prancing around with Usoppu and Chopper, singing something about mermaids and their next destination; Fishman Island.
"Zoro! Ji-chan!" The moronically slap-happy pirate captained quickly tucked the Vivre card that had spurred the discussion of his older brother back into his hat rim and bounced over to the pair of pirates. Both the first and sixth mates missed the conversation of Ace's imprisonment in Impel Down.
"You're awake, and you're back!" Luffy laughed.
"Yes, we are, no thanks to Zoro the Clueless over here." Jiru was currently reclined on a two-planed air-pad, sitting on it like a beach couch; her left leg hanging off the rounded, semi-invisible ledge. "He wanted to tour Thriller Bark one last time before we left." Her way of saying they had gotten lost.
"Chibi, I told you to keep quiet!" Zoro snapped, unwilling to humor the girl any longer.
"You! Marimo!" Sanji had stopped dancing with a now perfectly safe Usoppu and stomped up to the swordsman. "It's about time, you shitty swordsman, that you brought Ji-chwan back safe and sound."
"What the hell is your problem, Ero-Cook?" Zoro growled back, thumbing his trio of weapons threateningly. "Forget it; I'm getting on the ship."
"Before we have a more extensive tour of the graveyard." The Golden Thief floated near the quarreling pair. "Zoro, I bet you could recite every name on the tombstones we passed by."
"Chibi-brat!" Zoro retorted back. "I wasn't lost."
"Shitty-Swordsman! How dare you insult a woman!" Sanji's leg was now up and poised to whip out and strike the green-haired head.
"She's not a woman, she's a wench; a short, annoying little wench." The other male sneered back. It looked like an imminent fight, once again, between the two. Nami was about to step in and stop it when Jiru spoke up again.
"Oh, great, you two are fighting again? Whoever talks about me next has to kiss me and pull up the anchor."
"Watch this, Jiru!" Luffy's voice cut into the fight. In the next instant, Luffy had jumped onto both Sanji and Zoro – one foot on each head – and balanced there, grinning at her.
"I'm talking about you; does this mean I get a kiss?" Luffy had a wide, goofy grin plastered over his face and a hand on his straw-hat; most likely to hold it in place while…
"Hey, idiot! Get off my head!" Zoro shouted.
"Grrrr, YOU. I'm going to kill you!" Sanji vented.
Jumping up to avoid his angry cook and the pissed off swordsman, Luffy continued to laugh as the two males grumbled angrily at their captain.
"Don't you dare kiss my precious Jiru-swan!" Sanji raged more, stomping after the laughing pirate captain. "I'll kick your ass if you do!"
"Sanji-kun." Nami's sweetened voice cut through the cook's rage. The blonde-haired cook turned on a dime and melted under the navigator's attention.
"Yeeeessssssss, Nami-SWAN!" Sanji focused completely on the orange-bomb-shell beauty; his heart beating wildly.
"Get on the ship. Now."
"Anything for my Nami-chan!" Sanji bubbled happily as he danced his way towards the lion mane-d ship.
"Ero-Cook." Zoro managed to get the last word in against Sanji. The cook was completely oblivious as he was soaking up Nami's command.
"Marimo-chan…" Jiru caught Zoro's attention and pouted demurely. The swordsman grunted with an embarrassed response. "Get on the ship, or I'll tell Luffy how you managed to get lost."
The treasure hunter's half-revealed secret caught the attention of Franky, Robin and Nami.
"Fi-FINE! You are just as evil as the Sea Witch over there." Zoro's face was completely red as he was blackmailed into shutting up and shipping out.
The two other females, pirate captain and shipwright stood astounded, as Zoro dragged his reluctant feet onto the ship after a Nami-whipped Sanji. Brooke, Usoppu and Chopper already stood on deck; making minute changes to the ship in order to cast off.
"What'd you do to Zoro-bro, Chibi-Sis?" Franky asked the floating treasure hunter as she laughed.
"Franky-bro, that's not fair; I can't tell you that I teased Zoro mercilessly on the way back." Jiru winked slyly at Nami and Robin. "If I did, then I wouldn't have anything to blackmail him with in the future."
Usoppu, Chopper, Sanji and Zoro all heard her and shouted in-sync at her, with annoyance written all over their faces.
"YOU JUST TOLD US, YOU IDIOT!"
"Oops. Heehee." The gold-seeker didn't look the least bit guilty.
Luffy was still laughing at those onboard and their annoyed reactions at Jiru's purposely planned antics. Nami hadn't hit her fellow treasure-seeker for her twisted punch-line; instead she just shook her head before turning to the pink-haired pirate that had stepped up next to them.
Robin giggled at the Golden Thief's antics, thinking the shorter woman's sense of humor cute. Franky continued to laugh as he and Robin moved towards the ship to give their assistance in casting off.
"Oh yea!" the treasure hunter turned away from the laughing shipwright and to the crowd of pirates. "I finally remembered something about the other Shichibukai."
"Huh?" Luffy focused his attention to his floating nakama. In turn, she smiled and focused on the pink-haired pirate that was briefly talking to Nami. Lola turned to the Golden Thief and listened.
"The reason that the Tyrant was trying to kill us all was because the government ordered him to. They were worried that the witnesses would go and brag to the world that Monkey D. Luffy defeated yet another Shichibukai."
The crowd of shadow-victim pirates all gasped stage-ly as Luffy laughed loudly.
"It that so?" Lola stepped away from Nami as the tangerine-haired navigator began climbing onto the Sunny-gou.
"Yea, and so I just thought to save you guys trouble, I suggest not telling anyone about Luffy's victory." Jiru had been high-confidence while making her announcement, but now avoided the other woman's straight-on gaze. She sat back on her air-pad and fidgeted slightly as Luffy stepped up next to her.
"But…" A pirate in the back, a tall and short/straight haired male, stuttered in confusion. "We owe you all our lives, how can we not tell the world?"
"Quiet, Barbane!" Lola whipped around and ordered the confused pirate. "If this is her request, then we must obey it to our death!"
The shadow-saved conglomerate of mis-matched pirates cowered under the sternness of Lola's comment. But they all agreed; since they all still felt ocean-deep in awe and dept to the Mugiwaras. Barbane looked shamed, but was nudged by his nearby friends.
"She's right, mate, the Golden Thief is a Mugiwara too." One mentioned. "If she says jump, we gotta jump!"
"Wai-wait a minute, I never said that!" Jiru gasped in surprise at the groups' fervor. "It may be tortured out of you, and if you get tortured, you can say it then, but…"
"Shishishishishishi." Luffy laughed once more, and covered his treasure-hunter's mouth with an outstretched hand. "Jiru-chan, relax. They know what you mean."
"Mugiwara!" Another group of voices called out from the direction of the toppled and ruined mansion. Six men ran towards the dock, carrying things in their hands. Cutting through the remaining Shadow-Rescued Pirates; the shouting group of men arrowed their way towards the pair.
"Mugiwara! We found the items you asked us to look for!" The six-foot tall leader came to a stop in front of the smiling pirate captain. "Sorry it took a while, but the backpack was all the way on top of the mansion. We had to find a way to climb up there!"
"Oh!" Luffy looked excited and pleased. Jiru tilted her head sideways; looking at the bedraggled specialized bag the men carried; then recognized it for hers. She had managed to steal a scientifically enhanced storage bag from Enies Lobby. It had many pockets and sections to store and hold things. It was something she had used ever since.
"Oh! That's mine! I totally forgot about my storage bag!" The Golden Thief accepted the one-of-a-kind bag from the men and smiled; sending them kow-towing in reverence. It would have been a crippling lost for a Collector like her. Most of her adventure mementos and treasures were in that bag.
"Stop that! I'm no god, you idiots!" Jiru scowled, clutching the brown and jean-blue bag to her chest before retreating to the ship.
"Luffy!" Nami's voice yelled from the Sunny-Gou. "The Sunny-gou is ready to set sail!"
"Yosh!" His response came. Turning briefly to the group that had run up, he spoke in soft volumes and accepted a small object from them before stretching and boarding the Sunny-gou.
"Take care you guys!" The shadow-pirates all shouted the Mugiwaras.
"We'll see you later!" The Mugiwaras answered back.
XXX
Half hour later, the two groups of pirates were on their ships; the victims of Gecko Moria once again used the ship that Brooke had drifted on for so long. Having distributed supplies; farewells and promises, the Shadow-Victims and Mugiwaras parted ways; making their way out of the dreaded and haunted Florian Triangle and Thriller Bark.
"What was that little package those pirates gave you, Luffy-chan?" The treasure hunter asked about the object she saw Luffy take from the other pirates.
Sitting next to the captain without putting any pressure on her bandaged foot; Jiru finally – blessedly – lost sight of the horrendous Thriller Bark as the island drifted back into its fate within the foggy Florian Triangle.
It must have been her imagination, but the huge silhouette that loomed deep within the roiling foggy water – twice as large as Oz had been – stared straight at the two departing ships.
"Oh, that…" Luffy turned to her and grinned. "It's a surprise for you, later on."
"Oh, great, just great. It's not a zombie or ghost is it?"
"Neeee…I'm not telling!" Luffy rolled off the lionish head of the ship and laughed; teasing his treasure-hunter. "You have to catch me to find out."
"Luffy! Get back here this instant! It is a zombie, isn't it! That's so gross." She fell for the bait and floated speedily after the taunting captain.
"I'm NOT TELLING!"
"LUUUUUUUUUUUFFFYYY!" She shouted; chasing after the elusive, rubbery pirate.
The Mugiwaras were all glad to leave the adventure of Thriller Bark behind. It was onward to the next, unknown adventure.