*hits head repeatedly to a brickwall* Eleven days... Eleven F-ing days since the last update...! Where the hell did that tsunami of homework come from? But yesterday was fun, I was with my friend at Desucon Frostbite~ and now I have a little Robin hanging from my keys~


Nami took Luffy and Usopp as her carriage mules and headed out to the city with the gold. When Robin left with Chopper, Gen grimly knew that the woman wouldn't be seen again and so she wanted to give her a hug. To lessen the suspicion, she gave one to Choppie as well. Since Sanji was in the galley making a shopping list, he didn't notice their departure.

"Zoro, I'm going too and I'm sure Sanji'll leave too, so try to behave while we're gone."

"What am I, 9-years-old?" he sweatdropped.

"No, you're 19. And that's the saddest part," she looked at him flatly.

She still wanted to say one more thing before everything would capsize and lingered, fidgeting. He knew she hadn't left yet and so opened one of his eyes to look at her curiously.

"What?"

"Zoro... Uh..." she could already feel the red creeping up her neck and looked at her feet. Gathering her wits and grabbing the bull from its horns, she met his full gaze. "Later, I thought we could... talk a little."

"Talk," he muttered the word. "Okay, about what?"

"About... you and me," her eyes returned to the planks.

She had been thinking about it since the Davy Back fight, and even before that, and she had finally admitted to herself that she had feelings for him. She hated him, and she loved him with equal passion.

"Yeah. You're right," came his answer after what felt like forever and she inwardly sighed in relief.

"Exactly when... do we talk?" he scratched the back of his head and looked at the sea.

"When we have the time," she shrugged and turned to leave.

"Gen?"

"Mm?"

"Don't die a third time. You might not wake again," he said slowly.

She didn't bother to fight off the smile nor the warm feeling. "I promise I won't."

Zoro heard her steps distance and when he could tell that she had left the ship he dared to look after her. Gloria's white hair stuck out like a candle in darkness against the dull gray ground and for a moment he imagined that she was the centre of the world.

"Yeah... we'll definitely talk."

Sanji erupted from the galley, looking at a piece of paper. Zoro was surprised to see that it was actually a page ripped off from a sketchbook. Gen never tore her sketchbooks without a good reason.

"What's that?" he asked.

"A letter... or a riddle, actually. It was in the galley."

"Well, what does it say?"

"'To remember, for the future. First three; one too weak, one too angry, one leaves without a word. One defeated in power, another in the mind, the third will have to be left behind. Yours truly - Gloria Erin Kindheart. Please don't fold the paper, I can still draw on it.' Gen-chwaaan~! Her poetry is so magnificent~!" he twirled around. "Hey, where's Robin?"

"Left with Chopper..."


"Aahh~ such a beautiful day~!" she sang and walked down the street towards a bull renting stable a man had kindly pointed out for her, but the second she stepped in, the girl stopped and cursed silently in her mind.

Every single animal in the stable turned to stare at her with their huge, moist eyes. It reminded her too much of the incident back at the Calm Belt...

"My my, the bulls seem to like you!" the man renting them laughed wholeheartedly. "What's your secret, girl? No, never mind, secrets are to be kept!"

"Okaaay..." she raised an eyebrow. "So... these are... yagara bulls?"

"Yes they are!" and the man started telling all about them, and that there were also rabuka bulls and king bulls. She was given a lovely greenish yagara bull, who bowed to her and licked her open palm. "This one here is in his prime age! Reliable and quick and he knows all the best shortcuts around."

"Thank you, sir. How much it'll be?"

"2000 beli."

Gen paid and was instructed on how to control the bull. She had a two-seat carriage so that if she had stuff with her it was easier to carry and if Greg decided to join her he had a place to sit. She gave the yagara free hands to show her around the town, and he really did show her a lot. Lastly, he brought her to the market where she looked around to see if she wanted to get anything. The clothes stores were on the more solid ground and she parked the bull to the edge to wait for her.

The first shop was simply a clothes shop. The owner was a cheery and nice old lady and she helped her out with the clothes. After paying she left and dumped the stuff on the back seat of the carriage. The bull started swimming forward along the water; its eyes on her.

"Okay," she muttered and followed it to another store not too far from the first by foot.
The yagara knew all the best places to shop, and after two hours Greg suggested a place. He didn't tell her where they were going, but gave the bull directions. Soon, they came to the right place.

The store was narrow and squeezed between two houses. There was next to no room between the store and the two neighbouring ones, and it had a small worn-out sign hanging above it. Gen opened the door uncertainly that it really was a shop, but inside...

"What the netherworld?" she asked out loud. The place looked like a corridor that ended to a counter, and she felt a primitive need to step back outside when she saw the thing behind it.

"Ah, customers! Come in, come in, though I must say it's slightly cramped here, hehehehe!" the demon said. "Sooo, miss, is there something you're looking for or are you just a tourist?"

"Oh, krhm, yeah, I just... the bull... yeah, a tourist," she nodded.

Her bag chuckled. "Good to see you, Cronip!"

"Huh? Who...? Oh! Isn't that Sir Gregory?" the demon bent over the table to peer down at Greg with his numerous eyes.

"Yes, it's me. How long has it been? 20 years?"

"Try two hundred!"

The RG captain detached from the bag and the salesman chattered about things that had happened a loooong time ago with him. The two were seemingly old friends and as they started catching up on things worth several human lifetimes she had the time to look over the demon.
It was a freakin' spider.

She liked spiders, as long as they weren't bigger than her palm and didn't move too much. The demon, Cronip, didn't have space to move, but his many legs twitched every once and a while. While normal spiders had eight legs, he had ten. He had a humanoid upper body coming out of the spider's body like a centaur, but in place of his hands were weird insect-like limbs that reminded her of a mantis. She didn't even know how to start describing his mouth, but his hair was flaming orange. He even had a mustache and he was wearing an old, brown suit jacket.

Behind him, if she craned her neck, she could see was more room and merchandise as well as cardboard boxes full of weird gadgets, jewellery, clothes, weapons, food and she even spied small cages housing very everyday animals as well as something you wouldn't see without being heavily intoxicated.

"What brings you two in my humble hole?" Cronip asked and snapped her out of it.

"I ordered a new vessel and I believe Her Holiness mentioned here was supposed to be something for Gloria-sama," Greg said.

"A new vessel?" Gen asked. "What's wrong with your current one? I got the understanding that you actually had a good one."

"Yes, it is good quality, but in the light of our latest adventures six-hours freetime is too little," he explained while Cronip was digging around behind the counter. He pulled out two boxes, the other cardboard and the other was bigger and longer, made from polished wood. The spider opened the little box and revealed a key chain mascot. This one was a mostly black bear with an earring and fuchsia eyes that glinted from behind a mop of purple hair. Its tongue was sticking out cutely, and Gen was in love with it instantly.

"Twelve-five. How do you like it?"

"Wow... That's some good stuff, though the resting time is a bit long." Greg nodded in satisfaction. "Is it registered already?"

"Yup. All you need to do is hop in."

They spoke more about the vessel while she hung it next to the rabbit. Gen wasn't going to throw it away. She liked it. When Cronip and Greg were ready, the spider called her name. "The lady wanted to give you this. In that end they said it was a gift from a mother to a child."

"What is it?"

"Dunno. Open it," Cronip smiled (she assumed it was meant as a smile) and pushed the wooden box towards her. She lifted the lid and pushed aside layers of paper that had been protecting whatever was inside.

Greg 'Woah'ed when they saw the short sword. There had been a note in with the papers she had overlooked and Cronip picked it up, skimming through it.

The sheath was black with thin, silvery lines that spun and curled like a churning sea. They started from the bottom of it and continued only a little over the middle. Her hand grabbed the shimmering blue hilt right before the guard made from several seashells arranged into a flower, as the other went under the body of it, lifting it out of the box and on the table that suddenly looked very cheap and dirty (well, it was cheap and dirty...). Carefully drawing a few inches from it's sheath she could see that there was something written on it. Pulling out more she found the last marking, but to her annoyance she realized that she had no idea what it said. "Greg?"

"Those are spellrunes. This isn't exactly a normal wakizashi..." he muttered. "'As I am gentle, I can become cruel.'"

"If you ask me, that sounds like a warning," Cronip said. "Seriously, you have a great treasure there! Made from kairouseki, and don't think for a second that this is wood," he tapped on the sheath, "it's bone. And those drawings on it are actually mithril. And these shells..."

"How do you know that much?" Gen sweatdropped.

"It reads right here on this letter," Cronip waved the said letter in the air. "Oh, and the sword's name is Caermare."

"Does it say anything else?" Greg asked.

"'P.S. How's your love life?'..."

"MOM!!" she shrieked though the goddess was unable to hear her at the moment and Cronip burst into laughter. "Hmm... But I don't know how to use swords..."

"You don't?" the spider blinked. It sure was an interesting thing to watch, as they didn't do that in sync.

"Then, Gloria-sama, I would be honored to teach you," Greg bowed gracefully.

"Really? Somehow I think that Zoro'll have a word about that," she gave a lopsided smirk.

"Ahm, yes. But, to be truthful, he is no teacher material. Too young, too busy in his own training."

"Right..." she frowned. Her bodyguard was right. Even when he was young in demon years, he was ancient in human years. He had fought at least two wars (what she'd read from the Great History or listened to the man himself) and he'd been in Herka's service for over a decade.

They didn't spend much time after that in the store. Greg had a letter and a package to deliver to someone in the demon world, but he strictly refused to tell her who it was. He plopped into the new vessel and she, for now, put the wakizashi in the bag.

Outside, the shop looked still as miserable is at had looked like on the first glance. She asked about Cronip and was told that the man was a neutral merchant, helping out everyone equally.

Greg also said that he was nearly as greedy as Nami, but much more subtle about it. He was also sly, he would thief off your money little by little and in the end you would have a crapload of random stuff in your arms and an empty wallet.

"And you're still friends with him?" she raised an eyebrow.

He laughed. "Of course! Without that asshole I'd be dead by now! Ah, I'm sorry for my crude language!"

"S'okay."

As they glid in the canal, carried by the yagara, she unconsciously peered around to find Robin, or anyone really. Thus, the beauty of the city was wasted on her.

They didn't see any familiar faces, but they did see people with beautiful masks. The yagara headed back to the bustle of the market and she was trying to remember all the interesting masks she saw that she could draw them later.

"Where are they getting those things?" she asked herself. "Hm, bull? Do you know?"

The animal grinned. "Nhii!"


The Merry was rocking softly under him, but hidden from the eye, she was broken fatally.

Zoro sighed, he hadn't known that she was in that bad a condition. Poor Usopp, he really loved the ship. The swordsman assumed it reminded him of home, and of course, KAYA had given it to them, so it was precious.

They all loved Merry from the bottoms of their hearts. It was their only mean to get around, and they lived on the ship. But this... was this really the last dock for her?

He didn't want to think about it, but it was unavoidable, and he rarely even tried to steer clear of depressing things. They just had to be mulled and gotten over with.

All the sudden his instincts were telling him that he wasn't alone on the ship anymore. 'Again? First those weirdass guys, and then that Usopp look-alike. What is it this time?'

Getting up, he stretched his arms and scanned the place.

Nope, nothing. Maybe his instinct was wrong this time? "Cheh, I need to sharpen myself more..."

"Wow..."

He jumped at the voice and turned around with record speed, hands on his hilts. Against the railing was leaning a beautiful woman wrapped elegantly in a silky cloth. Her hair was black and her skin was pale, and for a split second she looked eerily familiar.

He relaxed and rubbed his temple in irritation. "Okay, and who are you?"

"You needn't know that, lad," she waved her hand dismissively. "So, how's it going?"

"Uhh... Huh?"

"With you and Lady Gloria?" a small smile twitched her mouth and her blue eyes sparkled with something unknown.

Zoro groaned. 'Oh, great. Another of those blasted demons.' "Are you here to kill her too? 'Cos I'm not letting you do that."

She pursed her lips at the sword pointed at her as if it was something rotten. "Don't swing that thing around, someone might get hurt."

He wanted to flinch, but by sheer willpower didn't. She never raised her voice, nor did she change the tone much, but he could feel the certain aura around the woman.

"Who... are you?"

"Tsihii~!" she giggled, and the feeling of doom was gone. "Not tellin'! It's nice to see ya taking care of lil' Merry!"

"Wha-! Hey! Wait!!" he stood there like an idiot, as the person disappeared just as randomly as it had appeared. He was left scratching the back of his neck, but kinda glad that she was gone now.

He shrugged and let it drop before sitting back down. He shut his eyes and waited for sleep to claim him.


Gen returned to where they docked the Merry and looked up to the figurehead with a forlorn expression. She hadn't announced her return to anyone, though she could hear that they all were on the ship already. Usopp had gotten beaten by the Franky Family: they stole two thirds from the money reserved for the Merry's repairs and he stubbornly went alone to get it back. Luffy, Sanji, Zoro and Chopper had beaten the living daylights out of the Franky Family in turn, but the money was gone.

Now it was only a matter of time until the sniper would wake up and...

She didn't want to think about it. Whenever she did, she felt an invisible hand wrapping around her throat from inside out and squeezing, slowly, making her choke. Gen felt her eyes sting and before the tears spilt she pulled the mask resting on top of her head on her face. The base of it was white, but it was decorated with bronze, blue and black. It even had feathers on it.

From the Merry's deck floated words every now and then, but she didn't want to go there. Partially because of the cryptic message she'd left for Sanji to find (wasn't really that hard to figure out, either) and partially because she didn't want to see Usopp and Luffy argue. The girl absolutely HATED when friends fought, and she hated herself for being a coward. Greg had been the one to persuade her even to return.

The Merry stared smiling towards the shore with it's blind, painted eyes. "Oh, Merry..."

"Hey!! Usopp's awake!" Came Chopper's shout.

"Really!? That's great!" Luffy answered and the people on the deck filed inside.

'Here we go...' she calmed her breath and sneaked back on the ship to sit on the railing, facing the sea and shutting her eyes.

Time went on, and then the shouting started. Usopp thought first that it was his fault that she couldn't be fixed, for losing the money, but then Luffy's yell rang loudest over everything.

"MERRY IS GOING TO DIE!!!"

Gen felt a stab in her heart. The Merry groaned, as if she was sighing.

They talked more calmly for a moment, Luffy tried to talk sense into him, but then Usopp lost it again. "Just because a few carpenters say it can't be saved, she's going to die!? She came all the way with us! Be it giant waves or deadly sea-battle the ship is a friend that came through it all with us!!! YET YOU'RE GOING TO LEAVE HER HERE TO DIE!!?? The ship is just a tool to you, ISN'T IT!? LUFFY!!!"

More yelling. The girl was now covering her ears and she could hear Nami's and Sanji's voices too. ...And now there were crashes, too.

She jumped and almost fell off when the galley door opened and Usopp walked out. The girl was now sitting on the deck, slightly curled in herself, hands holding on to the mask. Usopp didn't even glance at her.

"Hey, Usopp! Where are you going!?" Nami yelled. The others came outside as well, noting the demigoddess.

"I go where I want to go. I quit."

"What! Let's talk about this!!" Nami sounded desperate.

"Hey! Come back!!" Sanji yelled.

"Aaaah! Don't leave us, Usopp!" Chopper wept.

"I can't go with you anymore. I won't cause you more trouble, either..." the sniper said darkly. "But the ship belongs to the captain... so fight me. If I win, I'm taking the Going Merry, Monkey D. Luffy!" Her hands shook and she had squeezed her eyes shut. "I CHALLENGE YOU TO A DUEL!!!"

The two agreed on the time and Usopp marched away. Luffy went straight under the deck to the men's cabin, Nami following him. Chopper ran after Usopp to finish the treatment, and once inside the galley Zoro and Sanji started shouting at each other.

Gen too had gone down below the deck, but to avoid Luffy she took a different tour. In there, she fell on her back on the bed with a whimper.

"Gloria-sama..." Greg said gently and the strap over her shoulder squeezed her as an embrace.

"...I want Robin..." she whispered brokenly. She really missed her right now, though she couldn't just randomly hug her like she did with Luffy and Chopper. In Gen's eyes, the woman was perfect, and to make her look weak in front of others just wasn't acceptable.

"Gloria-sama, you should go to the others. It's not good for you to be alone right now."

"You're here," she pointed out and sniffed.

If he'd had eyes, he would've rolled them. "You know what I mean."

"I dun wanna," she pouted. "They're all on edge now. What if I just make 'em angrier? I'm just plain pathetic, crying so much now..."

"Get up and move your behind to the others! ...If you would, Gloria-sama," he added, rendering down the effectiveness of his out of character order. Though he couldn't see her expression, he heard the giggle, followed by a few sniffles.

"Yeah, in a minute, I think. I'll just... gather myself. What time is it?"

"Fife before eight."

"Ah."

Gen put down the mask - she looked like a mess - and looked around her tiny locker. The infirmary had never been used for it's real purpose and she'd had a sneaking suspicion that The Merry didn't originally even have one. There were surprisingly little clutter on the floor, and when she went through the drawers she discovered stuff she hadn't remembered owning, i.e. a silky men's button up shirt and a lipstick. She couldn't remember for her life where she'd gotten it.

Cleaning up and securing stuff for later fetching she changed her shirt to a grey long-sleeved one with the word 'fade' sewn in red on her chest. When she was satisfied with the room she brushed her hair, tied it into a loose braid and placed the mask back on her face.

The people in the galley turned all to look when she stepped in through the door. Chopper had pulled his hat deep in his head and by the sounds was only just coming to a stop with the tears. Nami sat near him on a crate and Zoro and Sanji sat around the table, the latter balancing on two legs and arms crossed. The swordsman leaned against the table with his elbows. For a moment no one said anything when she layed down on the couch, but then Nami asked if she was okay.

"I'm... fine."

"Don't lie," Zoro sighed and sat upright. "So, want to tell us more about that little message of yours?"

"What message?" Nami blinked. Apparently they hadn't told her anything.

"Oh, Nami-san, I'm sorry we didn't tell you," Sanji scratched the back of his head a little guiltily and shot a glare at Zoro. "The meathead over there made me swore not to tell others."

"Hmm? Ah, that..." she trailed off.

"Hey! Tell me too!" Nami frowned. She didn't like to be left out.

Gloria's eyes flickered to the swordsman. He knew... understood. "Thanks, Zoro. Sanji, you still have that?"

"No. Marimo took it," he grumbled as the man already reached under his haramaki and pulled out a paper, thankfully still unfolded.

The paper was placed on the table. Nami and Chopper walked over, reading it silently. "Come on, another riddle?"

"Are we... going to go... our separate ways?" Chopper asked, highly worried. Moist was gathering in his eyes again.

"You understood it, then?" Gen asked grimly.

"A-Are we...?" he asked again.

"More than on that paper, I will not tell," she shook her head.

"That's cruel," Nami muttered. "Don't make him cry again."

The fight between Luffy and Usopp came around and it was over soon. The sniper was pissed and desperate, but Luffy had a mask over his emotions. He almost toyed with Usopp.

Sanji didn't let Chopper run out and see if the loser of the match was okay, but later the doctor couldn't help but dash off and leave a crapload of medical stuff. Zoro stayed hard, the Pridekeeper, and had told Chopper to go inside if he couldn't watch. He hadn't, and Gen had decided that if he didn't go, neither would she. The man ordered the ship cleared for Luffy, who stood by the ship, the brim of his hat covering his face.

"Heavy..." he muttered.

In a few hours the crew, or rather what was left of it, picked up their belongings and dragged them off. Greg helped her, carrying a bag of her clothes and a fat stack of her drawings. The Merry became sad, cold, too large and empty, and when she glanced over her shoulder, she saw Usopp dragging himself to the ship he loved so.

Even though they rented rooms from an inn in the city, none of them used them. Gen felt that she'd suffocate if she stayed indoors any minute longer and even left Greg behind to wander off on the streets. She tried to block all out and hang onto the knowledge that this would only be temporary, and that they would still be together in the end.

She soon found herself from sitting on the edge of the canal, alone, with not a soul in her sight.

"Be brave," a hand rubbed her head and she leaned into her mother's shoulder. She had appeared from the water below. "By the way, I checked on your boyfriend earlier today-"

"You WHAT!?" she snapped back.

"He pointed a sword at me, that naughty boy. I wonder if I should punish him..." she drawled, a finger on her lower lip and a grin on her ageless face.

"Mom..."

"Yes, sweetie?"

"Leave him alone," she glared daggers at the deity, who chuckled warmly and hugged her.

"At least you're not crying now."

"Yeah. Thanks, mom."

"Awww, I never get tired of you callin' me that!" she mussed Gen's hair, making her yelp. "Truly, makes a woman's heart skip a beat."

They sat like that and chittered, until suddenly Herka tensed up and abruptly dissolved into water that splashed down to the pavement (and on her). A moment more and she found out why as well, when she heard hurried footsteps approaching. It was Zoro, looking for her, and once he spotted her came over with more sedate pace.

"Don't go wandering off like that, nearly gave us a heart attack..." he muttered the last part.

"Sorry," she said silently, watching the dark river flow sluggishly.

"Cheh, whatever. Come on, let's go back," he stuck out his hand for her.

She stared at it.

"Follow YOU? I wouldn't be surprised if we ended up in Siberia or something," she said flatly.

"Hey! I don't even know where this Siberia is!" he scowled. The half of the moon made his eyes shine eerily and his hair look more blue than green... a turquoise?

"My point," she smirked, grabbed his hand and got up. The second she did she got yanked into his chest, with her (compared to him) tiny hand trapped into his. The other hand encircled her and rested ever so lightly on the small of her back. Stunned, she could just stand there, breathe in his hypnotizing scent, hear his heart thump and stare at the front of his white shirt that radiated heat. That, though, had nothing to do with the burning sensation in her face.

"Umm... Zoro?"

He blinked out of his thoughts and looked down at her in surprise before letting go of her slowly.

"Let's... head back to the inn."

"Yeah, let's."

Side by side, Gen led him, the backs of their hands brushing against each other every now and then.

After some time he broke the silence. "Hey Gen?"

"What?"

"Do you have a sister by any chance?"


"He was SHOT!?"

"Yeah, last night!"

"Ice-ossan was...?" even Luffy's head turned to them.

They were on the roof of the inn, Luffy perched sulking on one of the towers right in front of the building. Nami had come with the news.

"Yeah, he was. He's unconscious now..."

"Who's that?" Sanji asked.

"The guy who took care of us the other day at the shipyard. He's the president of the company and the mayor of Water 7."

"So he must be one important guy," the chef commented.

"It's said to be the greatest catastrophe to ever happen in this city."

"That guy... he's respected by so many people..." Luffy muttered and jumped down. "I'll go look!"

"Luffy, wait! I'm coming too!" Nami ran off after him.

"We'll go search for Robin-chan," Sanji announced, meaning him and Chopper. "You two coming?"

"No. I'll wait and see what happens next," he folded his arms behind his head.

"Thanks you Sanji, but I think I'm staying here," Gen declined.

"Very well, Gen-chan," the man sighed. He was worried for their nakama, just as she was.

"Sanji... good luck."

"Oh, thanks, Gen-chan."

"Chopper! Take care!"

"I will!"

She stood waving to the duo until they disappeared and then slung the bag so she could rummage through it. It was full to the brim and it wasn't easy to look for it...

"Where'd you get that?" Zoro asked, surprised, when he saw the gleam of Caermare's sheath. She shot a wink at him as Greg materialized, already rolling his cape to a bundle and leaving it right next to the bag.

"The new vessel is great!" he was in high spirits.

"Excuse me, I asked something!" Zoro said in annoyance.

"Oh, did you ask something?" she grinned. Yes, she had heard him the first time, but to annoy or not to annoy a marimo on such a splendid, sunny day...?

"I asked, Snowbrain, where'd you get the sword?"

"This? Mom sent it to me. Cool, isn't it?" she weighted the sword in her hand before pulling it out. Light danced on the steel when she waved it in a lazy arc.

"Do you know how to use it?" the man asked sceptically.

"No, and that's why... uh, Greg's going to teach me," she stammered and lowered Caermare so it's tip was pointing to the ground.

"Oh... I see."

"And don't even try sulking, Marimo. It's already decided," she pointed at his disappointed face.

"Like I'd sulk..."

"If you're ready, Gloria-sama?" Greg broke their bicker with practiced subtlety.

"Fine," she sighed and had her first lesson with swords. It included lots of bruises, sweat, snickering from Zoro and then yelping when she went to beat him up with the sword less scabbard. He could just be happy she didn't do that with the sword!

As it proved, she wasn't that hopeless in swordplay-

"You suck."

"What!?"

"You just swing that thing around like a toddler."

Gen swiped her brow and turned from Greg to look at the Marimo-bastard. "Screw you! I've seen how people wield swords, I can handle this!"

"Yeah, right," he rolled his eyes. "It's exactly the same to watch and to do."

"Gloria-sama, your stance is still too open," Greg said - probably for the fifth time that afternoon.

"Sorry..." she looked sheepish and corrected herself. When she was about to engage in another set of jabs and swipes with the demon the wind brought about a... feeling. She was sidetracked from the activity at hand and turned to look at the sea. Greg had done so as well.

"What is it?" Zoro asked and got up. He didn't see anything and his eyebrows knitted together.

"Something's... building up," she said vaguely.

"Yes, the Aqua Laguna," Greg nodded.

"Oh yeah, that! I kinda forgot about it!" she rubbed the back of her head.

"Shouldn't you write down everything you know so you won't forget anything?" Zoro asked. "With some fancy code that even Robin wouldn't be able to solve?"

She stared at him and blinked, before a thoughtful smile grew on her face. "Hey... not half bad idea! From you."

"Whaaat?"

"Actually, it is surprisingly good idea," Greg rubbed his chin. "But the hardest will be to make up the code..."

"Not really. I don't know how long have you been around," she looked at Greg, "but I do have a secret writing style. Made it myself some years back to hide things, but in on itself it won't be much of a challenge..."

"True. And yes, I know of it. It's the one where you mess up p and q all the time?"

"...Exactly that," she sweatdropped. Somehow their lesson on swords had moved to this. "I'll come up with something. Oh, by the way... should we do something about that framing thing?"

"What framing thing?" they both asked in sync with equally confused faces.

"Well, that the 'infamous Strawhat Luffy and his crew was behind the assassination attempt on Iceburg-san' frame."

"We're WHAT!?"

"Ooh... forget I said that~!" she smiled brilliantly.

"No way!" he fumed and glowered. "I don't like being framed."

"Hm, Gloria-sama... there are people coming this way," Greg said, leaning over the edge of the roof. "They don't look quite happy. And they're chanting something about 'hang the pirates'..."
Zoro and Gen both sweatdropped.

"Time to get out of here," Zoro said and got up. Gen sheathed the short katana and picked up the bag. Looking at Greg he shook his head.

"I'll come by myself. I haven't gotten to stretch my legs much on these days, and I still have lots of time!" he said somewhat too cheerily.

"Okay..."

"Hey! The Pirate Hunter is over there!"

"Ah crap!" the said Pirate Hunter's eyebrow twitched.


There ye go.