Author's Note: So, here is the new chapter. It's on the short side, since we're setting up for more things to come.
Also, updates may slow down on this fic for the next few days or so because my laptop is having some minor issues that need to be fixed.
Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece. If I did, Sanji and Robin would be a canon couple.
Lougetown, East Blue
Later that same morning, the news of what had happen at the Twelve Months Hotel in Baleeria Porto had reached Lougetown. However, it was the fallout of the incident that shocked many – The infamous Capricorn Pirates were now under the custody of the Dragon Lady. Did this mean the Capricorns were going to Impel Down? Did it mean the Dragon Lady would have them executed? Did it mean that the Dragon Lady was now going to pimp the Capricorns out as prostitutes?
For Eta Goodwin, the news came as somewhat of a surprise. Final preparations for the World's Fair of Lougetown were currently underway, so Eta theorized that this was part of the whole show the Shichibukai wanted to put on. At the end of the day, it was all in the name of putting on a good show to make sure people liked you.
As Eta stood in the small convenience store reading the Lougetown Daily Post, she wondered who brought the Capricorns to justice – Well, using the term "justice" was pretty loose, since they weren't captured by the Marines. However, it was still an eye for an eye in many cases, so somebody who the Capricorns wronged wanted revenge. Not once did Eta consider the fact that Desdemona could be behind the capture.
"Excuse me, but you're kind of holding the line up."
Eta turned back, and she saw a girl with boy-short, ice-blonde hair and blue eyes. She wore a lavender-colored corset top with white trim, dark-blue, high-waisted jeans, and black ballet flats.
"Oh, I'm not buying anything. I just wanted to read the paper," Eta explained. "I'll be done with it in a moment."
"Oi, Ecru, I hope you're not causing any trouble with that boy you're talking to!"
A boy approached the two, carrying a shopping basket filled with various snacks and drinks. He was a very handsome boy, with blonde, tousled-looking hair, hazel-colored eyes, and a muscular figure. He wore a tight, red T-shirt, black jeans, black, fingerless gloves, and dark-grey sneakers.
"Boy?! You think I'm a boy?!" Eta yelled before she punched the boy in the face.
"My face! My beautiful face!" The boy shouted as he put a hand to the cheek Eta punched. Ecru – whom Eta assumed was the girl who she talked to – nudged the boy hard in the ribs. "Stop it! Why are women always out to hurt me?!"
Eta sweatdropped.
"Do you know this guy?" Eta asked.
"He's my boyfriend. We came here for the World's Fair of Lougetown," Ecru explained. "What about you? Are you here for the festival?"
"Yes and no!" Eta answered proudly. "I'm also here waiting for my pen pals! We're going to the Grand Line! I'm Eta Goodwin! What's your name?!"
"I'm Ecru Heath," Ecru introduced herself. Ecru's boyfriend then came closer to Eta and began to shake her hand vigorously.
"Peter Kearsarge-Hilton, at your service! What can I do for you today?!" Ecru's boyfriend introduced himself.
"Be my friends!" Eta answered. "We can go to the World's Fair of Lougetown together and have lots of fun!"
Peter smiled.
"You know what? We do need a friend to come with us! I don't want Ecru's grandma going after us because she thinks we're screwing each other!" Peter yelled. Eta cheered.
"Yay! New Friends!" Eta yelled.
A minute later, Eta, Peter, and Ecru left the store, bags of food and drinks in hand.
"So, what are you guys going to do when the World's Fair of Lougetown is over?" Eta asked.
"Hey, you! If you see my friends, give this to them!"
A tall, stocky man with dark hair ran up to Eta and gave him a letter. Right after the man ran off, a flannel shirt-clad boy with dirty-blonde hair ran up to him.
"Did you see a tall, dark-haired guy named Griffin Gethard run past?" The boy asked. Eta handed him the letter.
"He told me to give you this," Eta answered. The boy opened the letter, scanning it over.
To Calamity Quintus-Tyler, Leanne Pratt, Marcello Fellini, Esri Kishitani, and Aimee Mershade,
If you find this and you are in Lougetown, I'm not in the city. I ran into Seven earlier, and we went down to the Gol D. Roger casino. Well… We ran into the Dragon Lady and she took him away, proclaiming that if I want to get Seven back, I have to go to Mandalay City to find him.
If I die trying to get to Seven, keep the Calamity Griffin Show running, but keep the name. Also, Calamity gets all my stuff if I die. Everyone else can fight him for my stuff.
Griffin Gethard
P.S. Also, if you meet Eta Goodwin, Hettienne Leung, and/or Desdemona Sheffield, stay with them and tell them what happened.
The boy looked up from the letter.
"Eta Goodwin?" The boy asked. Eta waved her hand.
"That's me!" Eta yelled. The boy sighed.
"My name is Gaerik Pratt. I was told to stay with you until Griffin came to Lougetown," Gaerik explained. "We arrived in Lougetown last night, but Griffin had something to take care of on Mandalay Island. He'll be back in a few days."
About an hour after Eta, Peter, Ecru, and Gaerik left the convenience store, Hettienne and Matilda arrived at the same convenience store to pick up the daily paper.
"You two here for the festival?" The clerk asked Hettienne and Matilda as they browsed the rack of newspapers.
"Kind of. We're supposed to meet up with friends when the festival is over so we can go to the Grand Line," Matilda explained.
"Be careful out on the Grand Line. I grew up in Yukijima – which is about a hundred miles from Reverse Mountain -, and I saw some crazy shit out there," The clerk explained.
"Woah!" Matilda yelled.
"What?" Hettienne asked back.
"So much stuff has happened during our trip down to Lougetown. I can't say if it's bordering on tabloid journalism or not," Matilda explained, motioning to stacks of newspapers that beared over-the-top – but, unfortunately, true – headlines such as:
Queen Vivi Nefertari of Alabasta near death!
The search of Hettienne Leung: Is she in Mountain High, North Blue?
Twelve construction workers injured assembling World's Fair of Lougetown main stage
Shichibukai Seven "Lucky Seven" Weintraub kidnapped and taken to Mandalay Island, subsequently beaten! His condition at a Mandalay Island hospital detailed on page 4.
Hettienne laughed to herself as she read the headline regarding her disappearance.
"We should buy at least one copy of each newspaper. A lot has happened in the world, and we missed it," Matilda explained to Hettienne as she stacked several newspapers on top of each other.
Syrup Village, East Blue
It was a beautiful, warm day in Syrup Village, and the Libras, Desdemona, Lydia, Richard, April, Ben, Andromache, Enoch, and Arrowe decided to take advantage of the good weather and explore the island.
"Well, I guess my comments on calling us a 'Party Wagon' were pretty accurate," Enoch observed. "We should just call ourselves the 'Party Wagon' and call it a day."
"Oi! Is there an opening on your little Party Wagon?!"
A boy with spiky, white hair ran up to the group, bags and a sheathed sword in his hand. His outfit was simple, yet dressy – A white, short-sleeved, collared shirt, grey jeans, and black sneakers.
"I think so," Desdemona answered.
"Well, I really have to get out of here. My wedding is today, and… Well, the bride is a whore, my parents are crazy, and I really don't want to go through with this marriage," The boy explained.
"How old are you?" Edmund asked.
"I'm eighteen. My name is Eliezer Ciumak, and I'm willing to do whatever kind of work you want," The boy introduced himself. Enoch sighed in defeat.
"See? What did I tell you guys? We really should call ourselves the 'Party Wagon'!" Enoch said sarcastically. In the distance, an older woman with graying, blonde hair and a man with a long nose watched the group have their picnic.
"Ah, to be young," The man with the long nose commented. "Those were the days where Captain Usopp and his armada would come home every year in the spring for the huge picnic the islanders would throw for us."
"Oh, Usopp. Still telling lies at the age of 64," The old woman commented before she grew sad. "When are you going to Alabasta to see Vivi?"
"In a few days, Kaya. Sanji, Robin, and Nami are coming with me, and we're going to pick up Brook at Reverse Mountain," Usopp explained to the older woman. "You can come, if you want to."
"No thank you. This concerns your nakama," Kaya said darkly. Although dark times were in store for Usopp and Kaya, the two continued to watch the so-called "Party Wagon".
The newspaper headlines: Only two of them will serve importance to the story. From what happened in the chapter, I think you already know what headlines will serve major importance.
Party Wagon: Enoch's title for the Libra/Eagle Islander/Desdemona/Arrowe/Eliezer alliance comes from a Cartoon Network movie titled Party Wagon, which was about the members of a big, wild, wagon train on the Oregon Trail (no, they did not die of dysentery). If you want to watch it, it's right here on Youtube (in multiple parts, FYI): www . you tube channel / UC zut Y ggo 4 HRCE b HE x 3 hm D a A
Also, in the next chapter, two of the pen-pals are FINALLY going to meet each other (even though Griffin briefly spoke to Eta). Which two pen-pals will meet?