I hope everyone's doing well during this crazy time. In my efforts to encourage everyone to keep their butts inside, I've uploaded Season 2 of my old All That Glitters story on my Google docs. You can find the link on my Tumblr page or searching GamerDameMedia docs. Remember that calmer heads always prevail. Abide by whatever restrictions your home has in place, & if you're feeling sick stay inside. In fact, why doesn't everyone just stay inside.


Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece. I only own my original additions. This story is for entertainment purposes only.


Warnings: Mild Sexual Content, Mild Graphic Imagery (what a fun combination)


As Luffy and the rest of the pirates stared at Caine, the normally blunt swordswoman struggled to get her words out. It didn't help that behind them all, Abel's knowing grin steadily grew. Eventually she couldn't take the awkwardness anymore and Abel snapped, "For the love of all that's holy… If you want to tag along, simply say such." Shaking her head in comical exasperation, Abel continued, "You can curse at a priest inside a church, yet admitting you want to spend time with your little sister is a step too far?" She grinned. "And people claim I'm incomprehensible."

While Caine stared dryly at Abel, Solomon was busy trying not to laugh, struggling to keep a smirk from slipping. Was it any wonder the other twin could stare down monsters without a second thought? She'd grown up having no fear of angering her sister.

Yet just as Abel knew how to handle Caine even after all these years, the opposite could also be said. Therefore, rather than arguing or wasting energy getting angry, Caine merely pointed at her sister and mumbled, "What she said."

Abel almost lost it when, Luffy being Luffy, replied, "What did she say?"

As the pirate crew collectively groaned, Sanji snapped, "You idiot! Caine-chan wants to come with us!"

"Oh!" Looking back at the swordswoman, Luffy grinned, "Sure!"

Abel half expected Nami to charge their passengers a boarding fee from the money Claudine gave them, but the redhead showed remarkable restraint. Maybe she felt it was inappropriate to charge a crewman's family. Or perhaps she simply didn't want to anger the broody woman. Either way, the Troll King, along with the surveying crew and a few trolls, saw the pirates off from Skogtroll. "Thanks you, humies!" Boris called, waving both arms enthusiastically from the forest. Abel couldn't help noting that the rest of the expedition sailors safely stayed aboard their own ship.

Thinking along the same lines, Sanji warned, "Don't let those sailors boss you around, Lady Claudine."

Smiling at the concern, the woman replied, "I think you put them in their place already. And if not, I'll remind them of it."

"Right-o," Sir Oliver agreed, leaning on his blunderbuss casually. Catching Caine's eyes, he added, "Try to keep your nose clean, old girl. Remember, you're a mercenary, not a pirate."

"You can always blame it on me," Abel teased.

"People are already mistaking you for me," Caine pointed out.

"Dye your hair," was Abel's response, only partly joking. Eyeing her sister, she added, "I think you could pull off being a redhead."

Caine sighed, shaking her head in exasperation. Grin stretching to Cheshire proportions, Abel looped her arm through Caine's, leaning on her. "It's too early to be getting sick of me already."

"Just wondering how they've put up with you for all this time."

"I'd imagine the same way your husband puts up with you. They're very well-trained."

Off to the side, Usopp mumbled to Zoro, "Did she just compare us to dogs?"

"Probably," Zoro replied. "Better not to think about it."

With a final goodbye to the locals, the pirates set off for their next adventure.


"So, what exactly do pirates do when they're not... pirating?" Caine asked, seated in the galley with some of the others. It seemed to be where most of the crew gravitated when not engaged in a specific task.

"Whatever you want to do, really," Robin answered, flipping through a book without looking up. "Danger can come at a moment's notice, even more so than for normal sailors, so it's best to enjoy the downtime while you're able."

Understanding the logic behind it, Caine asked, "What is there to do, then?"

Pausing to think of what distractions were available, Robin replied, "There's the library for reading, and the aquarium can house caught fish... I myself enjoy tending the garden, but without the sun that's not an option currently. You might be more interested in the weight room in the crow's nest."

Caine's eyes lit up upon hearing that; however, she wasn't the only one who heard that, as both Chopper from his office and Solomon quickly interrupted with, "No!" This earned a scowl from the woman, but she didn't protest.

About that time, Luffy came running in, lured by the smell of Sanji preparing dinner. "Smells so good in here!" he swooned. "Is it almost ready, Sanji?"

Brandishing a ladle like a weapon, Sanji warned, "It'll be done a lot faster if you stay out of the way."

"Okay!" Relenting, Luffy settled himself toward the head of the table, eager to eat. Peering around happily at the others, he asked, "What're you guys doing?"

"Helping Caine find something to do," Robin replied.

Luffy's eyes widened. "Ooh! I know!" Beaming at the concerned swordswoman, Luffy explained, "You're Abel's sister, right? I bet you know all kinds of funny stories from when you all were kids." The others perked up at this. They knew a bit of Abel's childhood from her story about their first encounter with the supernatural. But Abel was suspiciously discreet about incidents that might have been embarrassing. Surely their capable hunter couldn't have started out that way.

Rubbing her chin thoughtfully, Caine murmured, "Embarrassing a sibling is a time-honored tradition... but there's not a lot that wasn't a group effort..." Caine mulled around in her memories for something that might entertain the group. "Oh!" Something did come to mind. "There was the time a practical joke gone wrong ended with everyone thinking Abel had drowned."

This piqued everyone's interest. "That wasn't the point of the joke?" Nami asked.

"Have you ever heard of snipe hunting?"

While most of the pirates were clueless, Robin's face flashed with recognition. "Ah, I see. Was Abel the victim or the perpetrator?"

Caine gave a familiar lopsided grin. "She was supposed to be the victim but unintentionally turned it around."

"What are you guys talking about?" Luffy demanded, not liking being outside of the joke.

Closing her book, Robin explained, "Snipe hunting is a prank where the pranker takes the prankee out in the middle of the woods at night under the pretense of hunting an animal called a snipe, but actually leaves them in the woods alone for hours."

"That's not very nice," Luffy said.

At the stove, Sanji snorted. "That's the point of pranking." His scowl deepened. "I can't believe someone tried to trick Abel-dono like that."

"I can't believe she fell for it," Nami retorted.

"Oh, she was suspicious," Caine said. "She was being a good sport by going, but I think she thought they meant to try to scare her, rather than abandoning her. Anyway, I should start at the beginning.

"This was about the time Abel started learning from the local hunters as part of her taking 'monster hunting' very literally. Most of them were old guys, but it was the younger ones who came up with this. I don't know if they were jealous or if it was just a rite of passage kinda thing. Either way, Abel told our parents they'd be out hunting that night, which wasn't anything new. The old man could be a bit overprotective at times, but Abel knew the area and he thought she was going with the older hunters, so it wasn't an issue.

"Apparently the way the prank goes is you take the person you're pranking out deep into the woods at night and give them a bag. You tell them they have to wait there in complete silence while you go off to chase the snipe their way, when they're supposed to scoop the snipe up as it goes by. But instead, you just go home and leave them there quite literally holding the bag, and come back in the morning to laugh at them. We don't know this at the time, of course, so we all go to bed. The next thing I knew was the old man shaking me awake saying we've got to find my sister."

"She wasn't there when they came back?" Nami asked.

Caine shook her head. "One of the hunters' wives was very pregnant, and very hormonal, at the time. So when he shows up after her thinking he'd be out all night and finds out he left a kid in the woods by themselves, she lit into him. He relents, goes back, only to find my sister isn't there. And everyone lost their shit. He starts freaking out, which makes his wife start freaking out, and they get the guard. I'm pretty sure the whole town was out that night searching the woods. To make matters worse, someone got the bright idea that since the Moors were up, maybe Abel accidentally fell in and drowned, so they needed to get the dragnet out. It was chaos." Caine shook her head in exasperation at the memory.

"You weren't worried?" Luffy asked, to which Caine scoffed.

"This is Abel we're talkin' about. We played in those woods in the dark all the time, and knew them like the back of our hands. I knew wherever she was, she was fine." With a hand wave to get the topic back on track, she continued, "I don't remember why, but me and bro, and a few others, headed back to the house. Well, I was going to sleep. I don't remember why the others were there. We didn't even make it in the door before Abel's coming out to greet us and askin' us why there's so many people running through the forest with lanterns. She'd gone off hunting for the snipe on her own, as apparently it is a real animal- just obviously you don't hunt it with a bag. I think it's a bird... Anyway, she hunted around on her own before giving up and coming back. She's been there for an hour wondering where everyone was."

"So, she unintentionally turned the prank around," Robin summarized, grinning as she could very well imagine Abel doing that.

Smiling at the memory herself, Caine said, "The funniest part was that for weeks afterwards, we kept getting visitors and letters offering condolences. Somehow news had gotten around about a local doctor's daughter drowning in a freak hunting accident. Abel would laugh every time, even writing back to a few. Funny how quickly hysteria can spread."

Outside, Abel sneezed. "Still feeling sick, babe?" Franky asked.

"Someone must be talking about me," she replied before focusing on the matter at hand. "How's the leg coming?"

Franky beamed. "Super, of course!" He held up the completed mold he'd cast of Dogmeat's leg. "With this and your diagrams, I'll make a super replacement for dawg, you'll see. Lightweight but sturdy." He gave a cheeky grin. "But I want it to be a surprise, so you can't see it once I've started until the end."


Abel hummed to herself, hard at work in her office. Her tone had no real rhythm or beat, as she was too preoccupied with her studies to keep track. Just noise. What had her so happy? Just everything feeling right in the world at the moment. Coming up aces, as they might say.

After casting off, things were beginning to return to their normal routine. The crew had begun to settle down for the next voyage, and Abel was taking the opportunity to get caught up on her projects. As happy as she was that Caine had joined them for a while, Abel really, really wanted to examine those hydra samples they'd taken what felt like weeks ago. Hence her current position, bending over a microscope studying minute cells. Not that Caine wasn't welcomed to join her down there- anyone could. But Abel knew she wouldn't as Caine knew this to be where Abel kept her specimens. One look at the coiled up spinal cord in a jar on Abel's table, and she'd be gone. But there would be time for socializing later. Simply knowing Caine was on board gave the hunter comfort.

Abel shuffled through a few stains she'd made, trying to find anything interesting. In particular, she was searching for clues as to the hydra's legendary regeneration. Regeneration wasn't uncommon in the animal world, of course. Lizards were a prime example. It was just that regeneration of that speed and magnitude was unheard of. The span between a newt regrowing the muscles and nerves for a tail over days and the hydra regrowing a fully-functioning head within seconds was enormous. Yet her observations thus far suggested they were essentially the same process.

Staring down at the blue-tinted cells, Abel noticed something odd. Frowning thoughtfully, Abel slid another slide under the scope, spotting the same pattern. Amidst the various tissue and blood cells, Abel spotted several undifferentiated cells. Just a single, large nucleus floating inside a circular cell body. As the name might imply, undifferentiated cells weren't differentiated, or specialized. They were cells that hadn't developed toward a specific role in the body. While finding them in and of themselves wasn't unusual, in mature beings they didn't typically exist in this high a quantity. These cells were the basic building blocks of life, and began to develop into specific cells to form muscles, bones, and organs during gestation. Fully grown adult creatures, as Abel assumed that hydra had been, have very few undifferentiated cells in comparison to children. It's why children heal so much faster.

If the hydra possesses an abnormally high number of undifferentiated cells, that could go some ways in explaining the regeneration, Abel thought to herself, scribbling some notes on a nearby leaf of paper. But not all the way.

Intrigued, Abel turned up the magnification, trying to get a better look. Under the greater zoom, Abel observed little dark specks littering along the inside of the cells, floating around the nucleus, in almost as numerous quantities as the cells themselves. Mitochondria.

Abel sat back, pondering. Is it truly so simple? Mitochondria were the energy producers of cells. They gave cells the energy to exist, and thus were responsible for life. So many super-charged undifferentiated cells… is that where the regeneration comes from?

Holding the slide up to the light, its secrets hidden from normal view, Abel mulled the hypothesis around in her mind. It made sense. Take a bunch of cells meant to turn into other cells and give them lots of organelles that produce energy to do such. But how to test it… Abel asked herself, lowering the slide, holding the frail glass as if it held the secret of the universe.

A loud pounding at her door startled the hunter, causing the thin sheet to slip from her grip. Scrambling, she grasped for it, and hissed when the sharp edge slid across her fingertip.

When Usopp popped his head in, he found Abel clutching a broken bit of red-stained glass in one hand, her middle finger in her mouth, and a stern glare upon her face. Wincing, Usopp stuttered out, "Um… sorry…?"

Sighing at his half-hearted gesture, Abel turned away. "What do you want?" she asked around her finger.

Uncertain what was going on but keenly aware he'd just messed up somehow, Usopp asked, "Do you, uh… want to take the first watch since you're still up?"

Running her tongue along her finger pad, Abel pulled it from her mouth. The wound already seemed to be sealing shut, no longer bleeding. Turning her attention to the slide, Abel studied her blood painting the center. "Sparkplug, you may have just caused the greatest medicinal accident since penicillin."

"Uh… good?" Usopp had no idea what the woman meant (no surprise there) other than it sounded like he wasn't in trouble, so he'd take it.

Upon climbing back onto the deck, two things greeted Abel immediately. The first, expected, was Dogmeat whining about Abel being gone where he can't reach. The second, less expected, was the chill in the air. Wearing short-sleeves, or at least long sleeves rolled up for convenience, Abel's arms dotted with goosebumps. "That's brisk," she said to Dogmeat, rubbing at her arms. It wasn't too bad. Just a chill lingering in the air, like the first day of fall when winter is beginning to take hold. The perfect time for something warm to drink.

While Sanji might be protective of his kitchen, he wouldn't fuss about someone boiling water to make tea or coffee... at least not if the someone was a woman. Therefore, Abel felt no guilt flicking the burner on and setting a kettle down. As she waited for the water to boil, Abel meandered her way across the galley, to the nightstand beside the couch. There, seated next to each other, their den-den mushi slept, not in use. Abel honestly had no idea if this species of snail was impacted by the cold, but regardless felt she couldn't just leave them like that. Not after all the hard work they'd put in last time. Most people viewed the little gastropods as more technology than animal, but Abel never forgot that fact. So, grabbing the throw blanket resting across the back of the couch, Abel wrapped it around the little creatures, creating a cozy little nest for them. Dogmeat snorted unhappily as Abel gave them both a pat on the head with her index finger, jealous of the attention they were getting.

As she booped the jealous dog on the nose for his silliness, Abel heard the kettle behind them begin to let out a soft whistle. But before she could turn, something heavy landed on her head, draping over her and weighing her down. Startled, it took the hunter a second to realize it was a heavy jacket, the fuzzy neckline balancing atop her head. Holding to the lapels, Abel saw that it was the long, green coat that Zoro stole from one of Wapol's men all the way back in Drum. Because of that, it didn't surprise her to find said swordsman pulling the whistling kettle off the stove. He then proceeded to pull out not one, but two mugs, pouring the steaming liquid in. As he set the kettle down, Abel leaned over his shoulder. "Aw, did you cook for me?" she teased, earning a sidelong grin from the man.

It amused Zoro that Abel didn't bother putting the coat on properly, or even draping it over her shoulders. Instead, she left it where it rested over her head even as she took the offered mug. It was rather impressive that it stayed in place as she moved around. He shooed Dogmeat's nosy sniffing away as he took his own mug in one hand.

The coffee mugs were the good kind, made of thick porcelain so the heat seeped through to holding hands without burning. Thus holding the mug was even more comforting than drinking the tea inside. "What are you doing up?" Abel eventually asked.

"Heard Usopp getting in bed," he replied. Abel raised a brow to this, as that told her why he was awake, but not why he wasn't returning to sleep. Struggling not to look away awkwardly, Zoro clarified, "I figured that meant you were on watch." The unspoken admission that Zoro wanted to spend private time with her made Abel smile. Such a sweet little lamb.

As she was supposed to be on watch, even if there wasn't much to "watch" in the dark, Abel settled them outside on the bench around the foremast. She did finally slide the jacket down over her shoulders, her hands hidden within, clasping the warm mug. Dogmeat settled at their feet, curled up close, as companionable silence reigned. Leaning against the mast, Abel allowed the silence to soak in, enjoying the stillness of the night. With how chaotic everything could be on the ship, moments of solace and silence were rare and precious. No trouble, no strife, just peace. Friends were all safely asleep in their beds, unconcerned about anyone out in the wide world who might be plotting their downfall. It was, dare she say, domestic.

The term brought a smile to Abel's face. It seemed almost sacrilege to use the term to describe a pirate ship in the middle of the Devil's Triangle. But since when did she care about what the world at large thought?

The chill in the air was enough to quickly sap the warmth from her tea, forcing Abel to set it aside. As she did, she couldn't help noticing that Zoro was in just his normal white shirt. "Aren't you cold?" she asked. He grabbed a jacket for her, but not for himself?

"M'fine," was his grunted response.

Rolling her eyes at his stubbornness, Abel slid his jacket off her shoulders. Perhaps thinking she was going to give it to him, Zoro opened his mouth to protest. Yet all the hunter did was stretched the jacket lengthwise across them both, letting it act like a blanket. She even sweetened the deal by sliding closer to him, until their sides pressed together. "Now, was that so hard?" she teased, loosely wrapping her arm under his. Although Zoro had honestly not cared about the cold and was more concerned knowing Abel's sensitivity and recovering health, he found he couldn't really complain about the position, and instead settled himself back to enjoy it.

Satisfied, Abel's mind began to wander again. Despite the eeriness of being almost blind to anything outside the ship's perimeter, Abel found it peaceful. The same fog that shielded the outside world from them also shielded them from the world. Bobbing on the low waves, doused in darkness, the Thousand Sunny would pass by any other ships unseen. Perhaps it wasn't comforting to think that someone could be going by them without their notice, but Abel no longer worried about such things. It was hard to justify being frightened of something lurking just out of view when they'd been surrounded by cannons and ships with a clear intent to kill them. Abel often wondered if, by the end of their journey, there'd be anything left to be afraid of. Delusional gods, powerful warlords, ancient monsters and curses... it made fearing their fellow man seem pedestrian in comparison. The trick now was not to become so jaded they failed to recognize legitimate danger.

The silence and fog reminded Abel, I need to develop the photos. She was curious what would show up in the photos from the Forest at The Top of The Stairs.

Her companion's mind was slightly more troubled, though for entirely different reasons. Zoro, despite being a stalwart and stoic swordsman, was currently having a hard time ignoring Abel's warm body pressed against him. The softness against his arm was particularly distracting, especially with each rise and fall of Abel's calm breaths. Partly because his arm was cramping from the position, and partly because he just wanted to, Zoro allowed his captured arm to rest on Abel's thigh. The woman turned her head slightly toward him, thinking he might have been trying to get her attention for something. But when he said nothing in response, she went back to watching Dogmeat as he stood and began his patrol of the perimeter.

Both emboldened and dismayed at the lack of reaction, Zoro's hand squeezed slightly at the leg. Not hard, but enough to feel the slight give of her flesh before the muscle pushed back. Zoro would hardly call himself an expert on the female form, but he thought this was one of his favorite things about Abel's body; honed strength beneath a soft venire of femininity. Aside from making her visually appealing, Zoro liked that her body was a physical manifestation of her own personality. Unassuming and seemingly harmless, but more than capable of lashing out. In her own way, it matched Zoro's function-over-form habits, as he pushed his body to become stronger not out of vanity, but to match the strength needed to pursue his goals. The body was a tool. Maybe it was his skills in handling swords that allowed Zoro to appreciate the care of any well-tuned instrument. While Abel's body was nowhere near as familiar to his hands as his swords, Zoro was growing more eager to change that.

Garnering no reaction from the woman one way or another, Zoro dragged his hand heavily down her thigh, sweeping over her knee. The soft strength of muscle gave way to hard bone, the rough texture of her trousers adding a nice tactile element. It was as his thumb idly rubbed the bend of her knee that Abel finally responded. She didn't look at him, instead staring straight ahead. But the smirk on her lips told him she was paying attention. "Careful now," she warned lightly, amusement in her tone. "You're about to do yourself a mischief."

Taking up the challenge, Zoro drew his hand north again. His fingers trailed up the seam along her inner thigh, daringly moving higher. Zoro didn't expect for Abel to cross her legs then, effectively clamping his hand between them mid-thigh. He gave an experimental pull, surprised at the strong grip Abel's legs had on his hand. He stopped questioning why such thoughts seemed to excite him, instead focusing on Abel's face as she chuckled. "Don't start something you can't finish," she warned in a hushed tone, tracing her fingers up his taut wrist, almost dancing along his skin.

Up his arm they skimmed, lingering along his biceps before sweeping over his clothed shoulder, crossing his neck and up to caress his jawline. They skimmed, feather-light. "Your hands are cold," Zoro murmured, blaming that on the way his skin tingled.

Abel's grin widened and she gave a little snort. "Let's fix that, then," she said.

That was the only warning he got before Abel's hand dived down beneath his haramaki, earning herself a gasp at the sudden aggressive movement. Beneath the thick, garish cloth, Abel's fingers wriggled, rucking up the shirt beneath it until she had room to slide her hand under the risen hem. Zoro jolted, and even he couldn't blame that just on the temperature of the hunter's hand. Clever, nimble hands inquisitively explored his stomach, eagerly tracing along the dips and planes. A shiver ran through his muscles as, placing her hand flat against him, Abel traced up to just below his sternum. She hummed in contentment, enjoying the chance to finally touch what was so often blatantly teased. Covered by clothes, Zoro's skin was even warmer than the rest of him, almost hot to the touch.

And he felt so… substantial? Solid. Like a rock, immovable. It was funny; Abel never before considered herself attracted to physical strength beyond a sign of health. But she'd be lying if she said she didn't find Zoro's strength sexy. Not only from a purely aesthetic standpoint (not that she didn't enjoy looking at him), but as a reflection of his drive and stubbornness. It was very much a double-edged sword, being both the cause of and solution to the trouble he found himself in. But anyone who said being in love meant you were ignorant to the person's worst traits was an idiot.

Wanting to explore more, Abel's hand slid along the base of his chest, feeling the muscles and bones beneath, following the imaginary curve of his ribs. However, her hand suddenly stopped when it encountered something. Her fingers spanned out, tracing along an unnatural valley. It took Zoro a moment to figure out what had distracted the woman from her eager explorations, until he recognized what her fingers were trailing over: his scar.

Of course, Abel knew it was there. She'd witnessed its creation, and saw it often as the man frequently walked around shirtless. But she'd never felt it before. Obviously, being sliced from stem to stern was a traumatic event. But it was easy to forget that thanks to the way Zoro handled himself. Aside from during the fight with Arlong's men, Zoro never acted like the injury bothered him. Yet as her fingers traced the tough, gnarled scar tissue where his body had literally fused itself shut, feeling the deep fissure all the way down into the muscle beneath, Abel's stomach turned. By all right, he should be dead. The only reason Zoro was still alive for them to have this moment was because Mihawk specifically didn't want to kill him. His aim was to galvanize, not murder, but he could have done so easily. A master swordsman like that knew just how to cut to either spare, maim, or kill. Zoro's own indomitable will had only saved him by virtue of impressing Mihawk.

Zoro swallowed the lump in his throat. A lesser man would feel self-conscious, but Zoro felt only pride in his scars for what he'd survived. Instead, he suspected the frown upon Abel's face wasn't from distaste as much as thinking how close Zoro had been to death. And that bothered him. It was his job to worry about and protect the others, not the other way around. He, along with Luffy and even the cook, were the frontline. The sword and shield, so to speak.

Not knowing what else to do, Zoro pulled his hand free from Abel's trap as she'd become distracted, and laid it over her shirt where her hand was beneath. Drawn from her thoughts, Abel finally met his gaze, eyes clearing. The swordsman didn't say anything, as he wasn't the best with words. Yet he hoped, as he pressed his hand harder over hers, that he got his message across. It didn't matter what could have happened. He was here, now.

Abel stared into his eyes a moment longer, thinking, before she smiled slightly. She slid her hand up, out from Zoro's grasp, until her hand rested along the portion of the scar under which his heart beat. There, her hand stilled, counting the beats of his heart and the rise of his chest. The corner of her lips twitched as she felt Zoro's heart rate increase from the contact. The intimacy of the moment hung heavily in the cool air like nothing he'd ever experienced, and the only thing he could think to do was remain still out of fear of breaking the painfully beautiful moment.

Sadly, as with most things in life, even the most beautiful moments can't last forever. Interruptions, like opportunity, apparently came knocking. A heavy, wooden thunk cut through the still night like a knife, causing Abel to turn away to face the sound. Peering over her shoulder, Zoro stared into the dark, eyes narrowing at the obscuring fog. The pirates sat motionless, ears straining until they heard it again. A knock, as if something were bumping against the hull of the ship. Dogmeat padded back around to investigate, sticking his head between the rungs to look. The humans couldn't tell if he saw anything, but he did give a low grumble, almost like how Abel would hum in thought.

Reluctantly retracting her hand from Zoro's warm shirt, Abel grabbed at the lantern as she stood, leaving the man to straighten himself out. Coming to stand beside the dog, Abel peered down. She had to stretch the lantern down to see the inky black sea below. As her eyes trailed across the impenetrable surface, she briefly thought of how easy it would be to disappear below should they fall before the light caught something, distracting her from her morbid musings. "Hello," she murmured, spotting the source of the noise.

"What is it?" Zoro asked, coming up beside her.

"It appears to be a shipping container," Abel replied. The heavy wooden sounds came from a large wooden crate getting caught along the indentation of Franky's mystery Soldier Docking system.

Following Abel's pointing, Zoro questioned, "Should we bring it up?"

"Couldn't hurt." It might be nothing, given how it floated easily, or spoiled food. But there was also a chance it might be something useful. Coming across lost cargo wasn't uncommon, especially in such dangerous waters. As Zoro went to retrieve a rope to lasso it up, Abel scanned the seas around them. The ever-present fog made it impossible to see beyond a few meters, reflecting the light back. Yet Abel didn't see anything. She was grateful for Nami's forbearing to drop anchor while most of them slept, as it would be very easy to crash into some unseen danger. That was probably where the box came from in the first place. Mercantile ships frequently went missing in this stretch of sea.

When Zoro returned, Abel's aim allowed her to lasso the box on the first try before handing the rope over for him to pull up. Compared to the anchor he used to weigh-in, the box was a cake walk. That being said, it weighed more than an empty box should. "It feels full," he commented as he muscled the cargo up.

"Good sign," Abel replied, stepping back to give him room to maneuver the box onto the railing. "If it were filled with water it would've sunk."

With a grunt, Zoro hoisted the box over the railing and onto the deck. "Should we wake the others?"

"If we find anything worth waking them for." No point waking everyone up with false hopes only for them to be disappointed.

Dogmeat paced around the box, sniffing inquisitively as dogs do. Something about it must have rubbed his olfactory sensors the wrong way, because he growled and stalked back a few paces, pacing around Abel's legs. "Not a good sign," Zoro commented, but still with the crowbar in hand.

Abel held the lantern aloft as Zoro jammed the end of the crowbar into the lid. The waterlogged box gave up a good fight against Zoro's efforts to dislodge the lid, nails still firmly in place. Based on how sturdy the wood remained, it must not have been in the water for long. Of course, a lost box wasn't about to best the future greatest swordsman, and with a bit of elbow grease, the lid snapped open. And even a seasoned traveler like Abel reeled back, barely clamping down on a startled scream as a mass of mangled flesh flopped out like a gutted fish. "Fuck!" Zoro gasped, crowbar bouncing noisily on the deck as his hands went for his swords before his brain registered that the mass wasn't alive. Anymore, at least. Dogmeat's lips pulled back in an anxious snarl at the box of horrors.

Eyes wide and hand over her mouth, it took Abel's brain a second to process what she was seeing. Too many arms, was her first coherent thought. Too many human arms sprawled at awkward angles, sprouting unnaturally from the central mass. She almost thought Robin was playing a nasty trick on them, but even Robin wasn't so morbid or disrespectful toward the dead.

The human brain, above all else, is excellent at recognizing familiar patterns. Perhaps this is why, when patterns didn't quite line up to what they should be, the brain starts sending out warning signals. This isn't right, it seems to say. Because of that, it took several long minutes of staring before Abel even knew what she was looking at.

As her mind came down from its state of panic, Abel heard Zoro say, "I'll get Chopper."

"No," Abel quickly dismissed. "None of them need to see this." Seeing a skeleton was one thing. This… was something else entirely.

"And we do!?" Zoro snapped, still a bit rattled. Stomach still in knots, Abel knelt, stretching her lantern toward the mass. "Don't touch it!" her companion snapped.

"It's a human," Abel emphasized, shuffling a bit closer. "Or it was, once upon a time."

This declaration calmed Zoro's nerves a little. Maybe if he stared hard enough he could make out a human beneath the mess. But then that just led to all sorts of more disturbing questions. Like, what the hell had happened?

"Wait here," she told Zoro, racing up the stairs and back into the galley before he had the chance to protest. Snatching some gloves from Chopper's ever-present supply, Abel raced back. As she struggled to put the gloves on without dropping the lantern, she noted the displeased expression on Zoro's face. No doubt he wasn't thrilled about being left to watch over a mangled corpse, but he was handling it better than most of the crew would have.

With the initial shock worn off, Abel shoved down her sense of abject horror and shuffled closer, holding the lantern aloft to get a better view. Beneath everything, Abel saw it had at one point been a human. The core was obviously human, though emaciated. Gloved hands pressed to ribs, clearly visible beneath pallid, scarred skin. "Judging by the shape of the rib cage it's a male… though genitalia appear to have been removed." Hovering around, Zoro winced subconsciously at the comment, but it was true. Despite being unclothed, there was nothing between the figure's legs to indicate gender either way. Though if Abel had to guess, she'd say they'd been castrated at some point, simply because that was an easier procedure than the other way around. Whether that was their choice or not, Abel couldn't say.

Setting the lantern down fully, Abel pressed her fingers into the man's chest. The coldness of the skin seeped through the latex like ice, but Abel was more interested in the twisted line of the bones beneath. That shoulder wasn't going where it should be. Touching the arm that seemed to be protruding from the lower right ribs, Abel announced, "This is the left arm." The true left arm wasn't the one closest to where it should be, but wrapped awkwardly around the front.

Zoro scowled. "How?"

"It is possible to reshape the body, though it is hardly a humane procedure. Such avenues of body modification aren't unheard of."

Now Zoro's expression morphed to confusion. "For what purpose?"

Pursing her lips, Abel answered, "Unrealistic beauty standards." Feeling Zoro's skeptical gaze, she elaborated, "You think high heels and makeup is unreasonable, but that's mild compared to some cultures. I've read reports in scientific journals of a country in the South Blue where small feet are a sign of beauty for women, thus mothers engage in foot binding with their daughters. They deliberately break all the bones in their feet and bind them into a small compress. They bind the feet smaller and smaller, and the bones eventually permanently heal to form a sort of hoof the women totter along on." Abel made a fist with one hand, mimicking the photo she'd seen before. "We consider it barbaric, but to the men of that country it's arousing. To be capable of putting their partner's entire foot in their mouth is… well, it's a very specific fetish."

Zoro rubbed a hand over his face. "Please stop talking." Sometimes the very specific knowledge Abel possessed impressed him. Other times, like this, it worried him. "You're not gonna tell me this was some beauty treatment gone wrong."

"Negative." Immediately drifting back to the seriousness at hand, Abel explained solemnly, "Whatever this is supposed to be, I suspect the culprit intended it. The ribs and shoulder have been repeatedly broken and moved, fusing unnaturally. And these…" Abel briefly touched the extraneous arms. "Well, I can't guess their purpose, but they've been pointlessly grafted on." The old seams and scars from stitching were obvious among the mangled flesh. Abel didn't want to hypothesize where they got the donors from. "You can't just suture muscle together and expect it to work. The body's more complicated than that."

The more Abel talked about this person, the more Zoro's disgust turned to pity for them. "Sounds like a failed science project."

But Abel wasn't so sure. "Anyone with the skill to make these modifications and not kill the subject would also know the appendages wouldn't function."

Zoro recognized the look on Abel's face, even half blocked by the darkness. The compassion that most people didn't recognize, even to the point of being a bleeding heart for the suffering of strangers. But before he could say any words to distract her, Abel's focus shifted and she pulled the burlap bag off the man's head. And even Zoro sucked in a breath.

The familiar lack of a face where the face should be triggered unpleasant recent memories, but it wasn't the same. This man didn't have the same smooth featureless visage as the noppera-bo. Rather, it seemed as if the skin on his face had been repeatedly pulled down over his eyes and mouth, and sutured and healed into just a mass of flesh. Or like a… a mask of flesh covering his own face. "Poor bastard," was all Zoro could say. "How long could something like this take?"

"... years."

At the subdued response, Zoro noticed Abel had pulled something out from the box. An old, worn, soggy teddy bear. One of the ears was hanging on by a thread, and an eye was missing. Zoro almost asked why it was there, but as Abel climbed to her feet, focused on the bear, Zoro had his answer. With Abel standing beside the body for comparison, Zoro realized for the first time how short he was. They were barely more than a kid. And if Abel was right, and it had taken years to get to this point, then how much of his life had been spent in this hell?

Abel's slow, deep breath broke the stillness. "There should be spare cannonballs in Franky's workroom downstairs," she said at length.

Zoro frowned. "What do we need cannonballs for?"

"To weigh the box down. I don't want to start a pyre out here." It took Zoro a second to realize that Abel was referring to funeral rites. At first, he wanted to protest, as they didn't owe this stranger anything, but thought better of it. When Abel got something in her mind, she was as stubborn as Luffy. Besides, it wasn't like they could just leave the body on deck anyway.

As Zoro disappeared to get the requested items, Abel kept her eyes on the teddy. The wear on it wasn't from the sea voyage, but from being much loved. The thought made Abel's heart ache, imagining this poor kid, unable to see or understand what was going on around him, with nothing but this old toy to ground him to reality. This was pure senseless. Nothing could be gained by this experiment, if that was indeed what it was. It didn't advance any field outside of sadomasochism. Perhaps that's why Abel didn't feel the need to examine him more thoroughly. She could certainly learn a lot about what had happened to him, but nothing useful. Nothing that wouldn't tell her more than she could already guess. Nothing to warrant further degrading this now empty, broken vessel. Hell, if anything, Abel should be making sure his angry spirit didn't attach to the ship.

As Dogmeat bumped his head against her leg, Abel sighed. She heard Zoro heading back, so she set the bear down and turned the box upright, with the opening at the top. She'd just pulled Zoro's jacket on by the time he reemerged, a few heavy cannonballs in his arms. "Is this enough?" he asked.

"Hopefully," she replied, coming back over to join him. He'd brought three, so that should be enough to keep the box from resurfacing.

Zoro set the cannonballs along the bottom. As he turned to pick up the body, he discovered Abel'd beaten him to it, already hoisting the thin frame awkwardly. With her gloves and jacket on, it was probably best that she do it anyway.

Stepping back, Zoro silently observed the way Abel placed the boy in the box. Carefully. No, perhaps respectfully was a better term. She maneuvered his legs to sit cross-legged and somehow managed to fold his myriad of arms in such a way that it almost looked meditative. Before closing the lid, Abel placed the teddy bear in the boy's lap, resting one of his actual hands upon it. From there, Zoro did the honors of lifting the box and carting it over to the side of the ship. He rested it along the ledge for a moment before giving it a good shove, dropping it back into the dark waters below. Beside him, Abel held the lantern out toward the sea. After bobbing for a second, the box began to sink, until only a trail of bubbles remained.

A heavy silence fell over the deck. What exactly was one expected to say after that? It certainly put a damper on any moment they'd had going. Zoro tilted his head toward his companion when she gave a sigh- something he was beginning to understand as Abel pulling herself from her own unproductive thoughts. Abel flicked the gloves into the ocean, followed quickly by the burlap sack. Then, for good measure, she tossed Zoro's old jacket overboard. "I doubt you wanted that back now," Abel commented upon seeing his questioning stare. He couldn't really argue with that. It wasn't like the body seemed diseased, but the thought of keeping something that had been in contact with such a bizarre spectacle was unsettling. Like wearing the clothes a person had died in.

"I need a drink." For once, Abel couldn't blame the man.

When he came back, a bottle of rum stolen from the pantry, Zoro found Abel back in her initial position on the bench. Dogmeat sat in front of her, head in her lap. Abel was fussing with his ears, folding them up and back in some random pattern. Had it been anyone else, the dog would've bitten their hand off. But it was Abel, so he lapped that attention up.

He sat down beside her wordlessly before throwing the bottle back. The satisfying burn warmed him better than any coat. And the knowledge that the cook would light into him for stealing booze brought a smile to his face. The cook would also probably yell at him for failing to offer Abel a drink, but knew it would be a wasted gesture.

Zoro glanced at the woman out of the corner of his eye every so often, trying to figure out what her expression meant. It didn't help that the woman was almost as hard to read as Robin. So rather than waste time is pointless pondering, Zoro straight-out asked, "Do you plan to tell the others?"

"Tell them what, precisely?" she asked without missing a beat, as if she expected it. She didn't even stop playing with the dog's ears. "That crazy people exist and the sea could be dangerous? Pretty sure even Boss knows that, even if he acts otherwise."

Zoro raised a brow. "You don't think finding a mangled body warrants a special warning?"

"I have nothing useful to offer on the matter," Abel replied, finally looking up. "Had I something definitive to warn of, I would. A specific foe, or any inclination that we were about to cross their line of sight. But I don't. We found a random, albeit gruesome, corpse at sea. And admittedly the chance that our crew will run across the culprit has been proven to be statistically higher than chance should dictate, there's nothing to be added other than for everyone to exercise the caution they already should be. At best my imaginary vague warning will incite paranoia in those who are already most fearful, and at worst encourage Boss to go looking for the psychopath. Neither is an ideal outcome." Staring meaningfully at her bemused companion, Abel concluded, "In summary, hush."


Nami groaned and pressed her face further into the pillow, trying to ignore the insistent hand on her shoulder. "No slacking, Miss Navigator," Abel's whispered tone teased. "It's your turn for watch."

Face shoved as deep in the pillow as it could go, Nami eventually huffed out a mumbled, incoherent response. The bed was so warm and cozy… "Don't make me sic the dog on you," Abel teasingly threatened. And Nami knew she'd do it.

She might have mellowed to Dogmeat, but that didn't mean she wanted the zombie in her bed. "Why did Franky have to pick such nice beds?" she half-heartedly bemoaned as she began to extricate herself from the warm covers.

Satisfied that the redhead would remain up and do her duty, Abel made for her own bed. She glanced at where Caine slept soundly on the couch. Abel had offered to let the couple sleep in the fold-out bed down in her office, but her sister had blatantly refused. Not that Abel expected her to take the offer. Caine would never be able to sleep knowingly surrounded by Abel's specimens. So they had to settle for sleeping on the separate quarters' couches. Or at least I think she's under there, Abel mused, eyeing the lump hidden beneath a messy blanket.

Fully awake now, Nami commented, "Feels like the weather's stabilizing." She rubbed at her bare arms. "We must be nearing a winter island."

"Doc will be pleased," Abel replied as she slipped into bed. She didn't bat an eyelash when Dogmeat jumped in after her, already making himself at home.

As Nami shuffled through her wardrobe for something warm to pull on, she asked in a hush tone so as not to disturb the other occupants, "Anything happen?"

"The usual. Darkness. Fog. Dead bodies."

At first, Nami merely hummed in response, until the last part sunk in. Wait, what? Nami resisted asking if Abel was being serious or not, because it was impossible to tell sometimes. And she wasn't sure it was worth knowing the answer.


As it turned out, Nami's guess that they were nearing a winter island appeared correct, as come morning the chill had permanently set in. It wasn't as bad as Drum, suggesting the next island was either a fall island or possibly a winter island during its warmer seasons. The sort of cold weather made for sitting in front of a roaring fire, or better yet, staying warm beneath the covers.

The latter had been Abel's plan, had a nosy dog not pestered her. Sleep had been more elusive than normal last night. Abel was familiar with death. One couldn't work in a clinic and not be. And like most people who were regularly exposed to it, Abel had learned to look past it. But it was hard to just forget about the kind of torture she'd seen last night. It wasn't that Abel didn't think about the things they'd seen; it was just that she always put them aside when they came up if dwelling on them did no good. Images of the mangled, disrespected body swirled in the back of her mind, even as sleep eventually took hold.

Because of that, Abel would've preferred to wake slowly at her leisure when her body felt ready. She found that impossible, however, as a cold, insistent snout snuffled against her neck and face, pushing aside the warm cocoon. Having something cold and wet sniffing at her ears was enough to almost make the woman fall out of bed in her efforts to escape the rude awakening. "Dogmeat!" Abel scolded, sitting up. Rather than lord over his triumph, Dogmeat instead slinked under the covers, creating a bump in the bed.

Awake and now very aware of the cold, Abel reluctantly climbed out of bed to fetch more appropriate clothes. The weather wasn't winter coat worthy, but definitely long sleeves and pullovers. As she rummaged around, Abel heard shuffling behind her. Her sister was up, digging through her own bag in just a tanktop and boy shorts. No surprise then when she swiftly donned a black turtleneck sweater and old jeans with laced up semi-combat boots. The old rosary wrapped around her right wrist multiple times like a bracelet, its tarnished silver chain and red beads sitting in sharp relief against the black fabric.

Out of her armor, the physical differences between the twins was even more apparent, with Abel having a fuller figure. That mostly came down to differences in lifestyle. Caine's fighting style meant she was more athletic and muscular, with less body fat than her sister. From the waist down, their figures were identical. But given that breasts are nothing but fat, and Caine's style burnt off most fat, she had a smaller chest, as did most muscular women. Caine was by no means flat-chested, as her shirt accentuated, but neither could she wear one of Abel's corsets. With her short hair, Abel thought her sister always looked ready to kick butt and take names at a moment's notice.

Stepping into a pair of black leggings, Abel flopped down on the bed. As she shrugged off her old shirt, Abel patted the lump. "Ah, no now. If I gotta get up, then everyone gets up," she warned the dog hiding underneath. The lump heaved as Dogmeat huffed, content within. Skin prickling with goosebumps, Abel slipped on a long-sleeve, dusky purple tunic with a darker, pleated hem down to just passed her hips. The sleeves ended in fingerless gloves, giving her some extra warmth without sacrificing dexterity. Worn, brown leather boots with cozy inside lining kept her feet warm. And it might have been overkill, but since she was just on the recovery side of pneumonia, Abel added a few extra layers for protection. She pulled on a set of ribbed, woolen leg warmers that covered from her thighs to the instep of her boots before donning a snug, short-waisted black leather jacket. By the time she tucked her scarf into the collar, she felt ready to take on anything.

Standing, Abel observed Caine shaking her head at her. "You're so extra."

Eyeing the zweihander meaningfully, Abel drawled, "So says the kettle to the pot. Besides, most battles are half mental. If you feel like you're ready to take on the world, you're prepared when it inevitably happens." Speaking of taking on the world, Abel made sure her equipment was firmly in place. Her belted weapons rested atop her tunic, her crossbows positioned so they just peeked out from under the long hem. Abel nodded in satisfaction. Turning, she smacked the bed a few more times. "C'mon boy."

Having a dog who wanted to snuggle wasn't a new experience for Abel. But she began to suspect there was something more to Dogmeat's sudden behavior when Zoro asked as they gathered around the table, "What's wrong with the dog?" Like most of the crew with a brain, he at least swapped out his normal short sleeve shirt with a dark blue long sleeve version. Abel, never one to pass up an opportunity to tease, has pretended to have a heart attack upon seeing this, as the man seemed to have an endless supply of white tees.

"He does seem a bit sluggish," Usopp agreed, adjusting the knit cap over his head, a bright orange pullover pulled over his usual overalls.

Leaning over the table to stare at said beast curled up in a tight ball on the sofa behind them, Luffy suggested, "Maybe he's hungry." Amazingly, even their dimwitted captain had bothered to change into more appropriate attire... granted he just changed out the vest for a short-sleeved version that he continued to leave unbuttoned, but it was still more appropriate.

"Idiot," Sanji groused. Obviously, with Sanji's usual choice of wardrobe, he was already ready for all but the coldest weather. "He's a zombie. If he wants to eat anything, it's us."

"Perhaps he's sick," Robin suggested instead. Similar to Abel, Robin's warm attire consisted of a loose-fitting blue sweater dress with black tights and some beige thigh-high boots.

This suggestion earned a squeak for their resident doctor. "Oh no!" Rushing over, Chopper began pulling out various implements to check on the dog's health. Placing a stethoscope to his side, the deer listened carefully before shouting in panic, "HIS HEART'S STOPPED!"

"Pretty sure that's the definition of undead, Doc," Abel drawled.

"Oh, right." Calming down a bit, Chopper instead tried simply asking, "Well, what's wrong?" Dogmeat wasn't the most communicative in the best of times. As such, it came as no surprise when Chopper received no response. Had the dog not been looking right at him, he'd have thought Dogmeat died again.

Scoffing, Zoro leaned back in his chair. "He's a beast. Since when do they need a reason to do anything?"

From the stove, Sanji couldn't let an opportunity like that pass him by. "You'd know that from experience, wouldn't you, moss-beast?"

"What did you say!?"

Tuning out the argument, Nami instead rationalized, "He is a desert breed of dog, isn't he? Maybe he's just not used to the cold." For once forgoing skirts and sandals due to the cold, Nami instead wore skinny jeans and cuffed booties. Abel found her pink hoodie ironically adorable with the word "MEOW" emblazoned across the chest with ears and whiskers drawn around it. Had she always had that hoodie, or did she get it after the Cat Burglar moniker?

"That's an excellent point," Robin agreed. "I believe this is the coldest climate we've encountered since Alabasta." It would make sense that a breed built for the desert wouldn't do well in a cold climate, just like how Chopper struggled with the heat sometimes.

"That makes sense," Chopper said, nodding to himself. "And he doesn't exactly have fur to keep heat in. In that case..." Without explaining his idea, Chopper rushed into the sickbay before returning with a blanket off one of the beds. "There!" he proclaimed proudly, tossing the blanket over the dog. "Snug as a bug in a rug!" Under the blanket, Dogmeat's head moved before he huffed. But as he didn't shrug the blanket off, he must've been content.

"Hold that thought, Doc," Abel said, standing from the table as an idea came to her. If Dogmeat was cold, she had just the thing.

After disappearing for a moment, Abel returned with a bundle in her arms. Sitting on the sofa, she gathered the dog in her lap, ignoring his grumbled protest. Folding out the fabric, Abel slipped Dogmeat's front leg and stump through the arm holes, sliding the fabric up until it swaddled him before hooking the ties in the back. "There!" Abel said, accomplished.

The sweater had a grey-and-taupe houndstooth pattern with sturdy black hooks along the back. The sleeves were long enough to come down to Dogmeat's "knee". This left his empty sleeve dangling, but if Franky came through with his prosthetic Abel didn't want to take out a seam. The hem went down to his waist, which served a normal dog to allow them to use the bathroom without messing on their clothes but wasn't really a concern in this case. Grinning at the displeased, dry stare from the dog, and ignoring some of the snickers behind her, Abel cooed, "Who's a handsome boy?" She thought the sweater was adorable and practical without being gaudy. She ruffled the dog's ears, earning a snap. In retaliation, Abel pulled the hood on the sweater down over his head. "Better than being cold."

Truthfully, it surprised Abel a little that Dogmeat could get cold. He didn't respond to most stimuli, like heat or exertion. Thinking back, though, she did recall that he didn't like getting caught out in the cold rain, so maybe he did feel the temperature. Maybe, like Robin suggested, he wasn't used to the cold, and his reaction was some ingrained response. I definitely need to monitor this, she told herself. Not just out of scientific curiosity, but to ensure her best pup's wellbeing.

After breakfast, some of the crew gathered out on the main deck while others remained in the warm galley. Franky turned on their light, giving everyone the opportunity to bask in some much-needed UV rays. It really did help to make it feel like the day had started, rather than sitting around in pitch blackness all the time, making their brains feel like it was still night. Seated on the swing, Abel stared out at the halo of light surrounding them. The Thousand Sunny must fittingly look like the sun come down to earth in this other foggy darkness.

Grunting and grumbling drew her focus away, and Abel turned her head to spy Dogmeat rolling around the grass. He rolled around on his back, kicking up his legs before laying on his side and sniffing. Unsatisfied with... whatever he was doing, Dogmeat then stood and began scooting his head and chest around on the grass, snorting and snuffling along the way. At first, Abel thought he was trying to scratch a stubborn itch. But as he shook his head, causing the hood on his sweater to fall over his face and snapped at it, Abel realized he was trying to work the sweater off.

"Hey," she called to him, snapping him to attention. "Leave it," she warned.

Snorting at her, Dogmeat turned his head, trying to bite the hem. This resulted in him spinning in a circle, like how some dogs chase their tails. And even when he did get ahold of the sweater, he kept spinning in a circle trying to pull it off. Of course, while Dogmeat was a very talented dog, he was still a dog, and thus lacked things like opposable thumbs. So his tugging got him nowhere.

Abel shook her head. "If you manage it, I'll just put it back on, y'know?" But at least he was back to his usual antics and not sitting around freezing.

Her sister sitting down across from her very deliberately drew Abel's focus away from the dog. "So," Caine began. "What gossip have I missed from home?"

The question brought a smile to Abel's face. "You could always, I don't know, write?" she taunted, earning a sheepish look from her twin. Leaning her head back, Abel mused, "Where to start?" The goings-ons of villagers might be trivial to most in light of the adventures the women had had, but who didn't enjoy hearing about the simple antics of people they'd grown up with?

Abel started with what their family had been up to, focusing mostly on speculation about what Adam would do with his life now that he'd given up monster hunting. Abel honestly had no guess. It seemed clear to her that their brother had spent most of his time playing catch-up with them and never really devoted himself to finding his own desires and talents. The world was wide-open to him now. Abel did inform Caine that he'd finally learned the truth of their relationship, and assured her that things had been resolved. Caine showed a twinge of guilt for keeping him in the dark, but in truth Abel suspected Caine hadn't been quite as forgiving about the lie as she had. Caine never said it in words, but Abel didn't miss the subtle distance Caine kept with their parents after that. Or was that just being a rebellious teenager?

She moved on to Evrett, earning a scoff from her sister. It amused Abel that the two never really got along. Too much alike, she supposed. Or perhaps it was a competitive rivalry, as Evrett had trained Caine in swordsmanship for a while before her style evolved into something distinctly her own. Like how Zoro and Sanji always butted heads. From there, Abel gave a highlight of the most interesting gossip. Abel never spread any herself, but she certainly heard plenty of it. At least until the basilisk showed up and ruined everything for a while. Abel never thought she'd miss old ladies congregating around spreading stories so much.

"You're shittin' me!" Caine gasped at one point. "That old harpy finally retired?"

Abel grinned at Caine's surprise that their dad's oldest orderly finally retired. The sisters had been convinced the old woman had been Baba Yaga in disguise... or maybe a retired schoolmarm. All she needed was a ruler to whack people with. "Remember when she made that pirate captain cry?" The woman had a tongue that could cut anyone down. She even gave it to their dad on occasion, having no trouble speaking up when she disagreed with him. But she was the best at her job, so no one, not even Caine, would talk back to her. Not to her face, at any rate.

Caine snorted. "Probably flew off in her giant mortar." Changing topics, Caine then asked, "What about Jean?"

"Padre?" Abel asked. "He left a while back. Said he felt the call to travel around, helping others in need. The church pretty much fell into disrepair without him." It was a shame to see the old building empty and disused. But no one else could fill Father Jean's shoes.

Leaning back, Caine mused, "It's weird... when you leave you keep this static image of home in your head. It's easy to forget that time moves on for them, too." Abel nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly. If she ever made it back, she imagined she'd be in for a shock at the changes.

"Abel!" Chopper's tiny voice called from above.

Leaning back in the swing, Abel replied, "Down here, Doc."

The little deer jogged down the steps, holding a small box in his hands. Noticing her sister there, he hesitated for a moment. "I have the stuff you requested," he managed, trying to protect Abel's privacy. Handing the box out to her, he instructed, "There's enough for several months. Let me know when you get down to the last few weeks so I can make more."

Opening the box, Abel saw a few dozen strips measured out with a week's dose of pills. Most were white, but a few strips contained blue pills. "I color-coded them to make it easier," Chopper explained proudly. "Take three weeks of the white ones then one week of the blue to keep up with your body's natural cycles. Since you're no longer on antibiotics, you can start today."

"Much appreciated," Abel said, popping out the first white pill. They were so small and unassuming.

As she swallowed the tiny pill, Chopper warned, "Be sure you remember to take one every day. If you miss even one, you run the risk-"

"I'm well aware of the precautions, Doc, I assure you. This isn't my first rodeo." Sensing her sister trying to get a peek in the box, Abel snapped the lid closed. "Excuse me. What goes on between a woman and her doctor is strictly confidential. I know you never took the Hippocratic Oath, but surely you had that drilled into your head." She was mildly joking, but also knew her sister was smart enough to recognize birth control pills. Caine had barely just begun accepting Abel could handle herself and make her own choices. She did not need her harassing her about sex. There were some things even Abel didn't talk about.

Addressing Chopper again, Abel said, "I'll put this somewhere safe."

As Abel headed for the women's quarters, Caine's eyes narrowed. Why did her sister need birth control?

Abel stored the box safely away. It wasn't that she expected anyone to bother it, but medical supplies, especially chemicals, weren't always readily available to replace lost or misplaced drugs. It wasn't as if Chopper had a reason to carry vast quantities of estrogen and progestogen (the hormones in the pills), especially when most of their medical needs were wound repair. Now she'd be ready whenever Zoro was.

Upon exiting the cabin, Abel heard Nami ordering Franky, "Turn off the lights for a minute, Franky," from the wheelhouse above.

"Roger!" A moment later, darkness doused the deck again.

As the fog took hold over the deck, Luffy asked, "What's wrong, Nami?"

"Shh!" she shushed, but not harshly. "I thought I heard something and was trying to see ahead."

At the explanation, the deck fell silent and all the crew strained their ears. Faintly, Abel thought she heard something, but it was too hard to make out. It didn't sound like normal ocean sounds, however. Fortunately, their resident animal was on deck to comment, "It sounds like a bell."

"Like from a ship?" Usopp asked.

Choppers ears swiveled around. "I don't think so..." he said, unsurely.

"Which direction is it coming from, Chopper?" Nami asked.

"That way," he answered, pointing off to their left.

"Franky, take us toward the port bow, but be ready to make a hard to starboard if it is another boat," Nami ordered.

"Aye!"

The crew lingered around the sides of the ship, keeping an eye out as best they could through the gloom. It was possible another ship had a warning bell or klaxon going, as larger vessels traveling in groups often did when passing through such treacherous fog. It was how they communicated with each other as well as warned other ships not to crash into them. If this was the case, that meant it was either merchant vessels or, worse, the Marines, as both were most likely to be traveling in groups. Though Abel doubted it was the latter, as why would Marines bother patrolling this stretch of sea? Too dangerous to risk manpower.

Cutting through the fog, another sound reached their ears. A shrill, echoing shriek. The unexpected, eerie sound sent Usopp and Chopper into hiding behind the mast. "That was no seagull!" Usopp cried.

"What was that!?" Chopper echoed, fur bristling.

A few moments later, something whizzed past Chopper's head, knocking his hat askew. "Ah!" he shrieked, causing Usopp the scream in mirrored panic. "We're under attack!"

"Ghosts!" Usopp shouted, having only caught a glimpse of something with a white face going by. "Noppera-bo!"

A few of the crew tensed, expecting the worst. But as their visitor landed on the deck, Abel grinned. "You're closer than you thought, Sparkplug. It's a ghost owl."

"Ghost owl!" both boys bellowed, earning Abel a scolding for sending them into even more of a frenzy.

Tilting his head, Luffy said with mild disappointment, "It looks like a plain old owl to me."

Abel's grin widened. "That's because it is. "Tyto alba, AKA the ghost owl, AKA your common barn owl. One of the most widely-spread species of any bird. Known for their distinct face and screech."

Their visitor stared up at everyone with its wide, black eyes peering out from the center of a bed of stark-white feathers. Its smooth, heart-shaped face gave the owl a tranquil yet somehow alien look. White feathers covered its belly, and the rest were light rust-colored with small black dots along its plumage. It wasn't overly large, and didn't appear any different from the type Abel was familiar with from back home. As she'd said, they lived pretty much everywhere except the coldest regions.

"Guess it thought you were food, Chopper," Luffy laughed, helping the doctor straighten his hat.

"Not funny, Luffy!" the deer snapped. Fortunately, even the largest owls were too small to eat deer, even one in a pint-size like Chopper.

The owl swiveled its head around, as only owls can. Then, apparently deciding there was nothing here worth eating, took off to the air with a parting screeching hiss best equated to rubbing silverware together.

Observing that the owl flew back in the direction they were heading, Robin advised, "We must be near the next island. Owls don't travel out far to sea."

"Really!?" Luffy gasped, practically buzzing with excitement. "Y'hear that, Nami!? Full speed ahead!"

"No, you idiot! We can't see! Do you want us to crash into the harbor?"

Leaving Luffy to harmlessly bicker with Nami, as in the end Franky wasn't about to let them plow the ship into anything, Usopp finally came out of hiding. "I can't believe there's animals that sound like that. Gave me the heebie-jeebies."

"There are a surprisingly large number of perfectly normal wild animals that have human-like cries," Abel agreed. The first time you heard one of them was always startling. "Pray you never hear a bobcat in the middle of the woods at night. You'll think someone is murdering a woman."

Taking this in, Usopp rubbed his chin. "Weird... I don't think we had many animals on my island." Aside from the domesticated ones, of course.

The crew waited in anticipation. With their slow, steady pace, gradually something began to emerge from the fog. Little specks of light began to appear, like hovering fireflies. Steadily, these specks revealed themselves to be lantern light flickering from windows as the island finally stretched out before them.

It was impossible to judge just how large the island was, but the city spanned most of what was currently visible to them. Narrow chimneys and sharply-angled roofs jutted into the sky like misaligned teeth, topping buildings of all various sizes as the sparse lighted windows blinked lazily in-and-out like tired eyes. Drawing nearer, they observed that the buildings were of all different materials. Those nearest the shore looked little more than dilapidated shanties, while old, solemn, brick antiques lorded over the skyline further within. Even had they come upon the city in broad daylight, Abel would've found the city dreary and unwelcoming. Oppressive, even. The style looked pre-industrial revolution, when the vestiges of Victorian romanticism began to give way to more modern, harsh sensibilities. A city of clearly defined haves and have-nots. The buildings stood tall and narrow, wedged together like soldiers in file. The old struggled to stand against the new, leaving only the most prestigious antiquities free from the callous march of progress. It all served to create an odd mixture of historic artistry and manufactured novelty that just didn't mesh well together. Slapdash, one might call it.

Yet there was one welcoming face among the city. In the distance, a giant clock tower stood, its back-lit faces helping the citizens keep track of days in the never-ending dark. A flag flew atop it, both serving as a herald and sentry over the silent town. Even from a distance, it looked old yet well-maintained. The mark of an important monument to the city.

"What a depressing town," Usopp mumbled, feeling a bit disheartened. "I think the troll cave had more life."

Morose, but not entirely untrue. Especially considering the arrival of a pirate ship drew zero attention. Not like they expected a Marine presence, but there was absolutely no one around the dock when they moored, despite a few fishing boats tied up. Docks were usually the busiest parts of a city due to being the entry point of trade. The lack of a single living soul in the area to greet or warn them off was disconcerting. Aside from the lights in the windows, there was no sign of life.

"It's like a ghost town," Sanji commented, cigarette smoke mixing with the fog.

"Please don't say that," Usopp whimpered.

"Maybe they're all getting something to eat," Luffy oh-so-helpfully suggested.

"I doubt ghosts need lights," Abel commented as Franky dropped the anchor. Jokingly, she added, "Unless they're will-o-wisps, but tales tell of them being blue." The silence was eerie, but nothing that would scare her away. Abel kicked down the rope ladder. Turning to grin at her sister, she asked, "What do you say? Up for a little paranormal investigation?"

Caine made a slightly displeased look before relenting, "Why not? Better than staying around here waiting." Abel didn't take Caine's reluctance personally. She knew that, given her history, Caine didn't even like jokingly mentioning ghosts. Bad memories.

As Caine paused to talk to Solomon about something, Luffy shouted, "I wanna go!"

"No surprise there," Zoro groused, crossing his arms as he scanned the streets for signs of life. But aside from the lanterns, which surely hadn't lit themselves, he couldn't see any.

"May I join as well?" Robin asked.

"Sure!" Luffy readily agreed.

With her dog nary in sight, probably off hiding, Abel climbed down the ladder. The old wooden dock creaked beneath her feet, making her question its integrity. Waiting for the others, Abel raised a brow upon noticing Solomon's uncomfortable face as Caine finished whispering to him. What exactly has she said? And why was he quite obviously not making eye contact with her?

As everyone else gathered on the dock, Luffy assured the remaining crewmen, "We'll be back soon!"

The quartet made their way up the short docks and into the town proper, ducking through a short alleyway between buildings. Up close, the buildings weren't quite as depressing. The fog simply made it hard to see the different colors of the stonework and wood. Cool greys, earthy reds and deep blues created a visually appealing separation between the sardine-tight structures. Otherwise they might have looked like one long, continuous megalith. It was quite astonishing how close some of the buildings were. A person could stand in one and have a conversation with another person without raising their voice through the next-door window. And in some cases, when the houses had buttressing, one could shake hands with their neighbors without ever leaving their home. Many didn't even have that, with only the differences in color or material marking the separation. It made Abel wonder from an architectural level how that worked.

Traversing the alleyway, the party saw vague suggestions of life, but nothing more. Clothes left hanging from a line overhead… a rat rummaging through a trash can… a raven cawing at them from the chimney before taking flight. Heck, maybe the animals had taken over.

Things opened up on the main thoroughfare, but that only added the odd emptiness of the town. The wide stone streets stood vacant, and the constant fog mixed with the cool air to create a dewy sheen. That, when combined with the sheer verticalness surrounding them on all sides, created an odd sense of agoraphobia. When people talked about a place being "too quiet", this is what Abel envisioned. As silent as a grave.

"Hello!" Luffy called, voice shattering the stillness and making Abel jump.

As he wandered around the open street, Abel couldn't help commenting, "It reminds me of old town, only slightly less waterlogged." It had that same old, empty feeling.

"Someone's clearly been here until recently," Caine retorted. She pointed at a nearby building that appeared to be a shopfront. "Who else would've lit a candle?" Indeed, a candle flickered just within.

The shop in question had a small awning and a few streetside tables outside to distinguish it from some of the surrounding buildings. Across a large plate window peeking from beneath the awning were cheerful hand-painted letters. Tilting his head like the confused pup he was, Luffy attempted to decipher the mysterious language. "Back… er… lad… in?"

"Your pronunciation needs work, Boss," Abel said. Motioning at her throat, she continued, "It needs to be more guttural. Backerladen. It's old Germanic. It means bakery… or I suppose more accurately baker-shop. Germanic tends to be very literal."

Her explanation beyond "bakery" fell on deaf ears, however, as Luffy heard only what he needed. "Bakery!" Trying the door, Luffy frowned when he found it locked. "Aw!" he whined, before shimmying over to the plate glass window and pressing his face into it. Thanks to his rubber power, Luffy could quite literally squash his face right up against it, his breath fogging the glass. "I can see all kinds of bread and sweets inside," he reported with urgent seriousness. Twisting his gaze as far as he could from the outside, "But I can't see any baker. Oh man, and they look so good, too."

"Stop drooling on the glass," Caine chastised, falling on deaf ears again.

"Perhaps everyone takes a mid-morning siesta?" Abel suggested.

Hearing Robin hum behind her, Abel turned to see the woman approaching one of the houses across the street. Following her skyward gaze, Abel noticed a shifting in the window above. "Somebody's home. But I don't think they're eager to greet us," Robin mused with her enigmatic smile. "And look at this."

As she knelt, the sisters peered around her, seeing what had caught her attention. Two candles sat on the stoop of the house, flickering away. And in between, a strange statue rested, an incense altar before it. The stone statue, or tablet, stood only a foot tall at most, and had two figures embossed in the middle. Their faces were serene, eyes appearing closed, and a hand clasped between them, hidden beneath a surprisingly ornately-detailed tunic. Two incense sticks had burnt out some time ago, the candles halfway down the stem. And at the statue's base sat a little pouch.

"It seems to be an offering. Wouldn't you agree, Abel?" Robin queried.

Abel came closer, eyeing the little statue. "Possibly." She learned as close as she felt was respectful, but swiftly yanked back, coughing.

"What's wrong, Abel?" Luffy asked, foregoing stalking the bakery in favor of checking on a crewman.

Holding a hand over her nose and mouth, Abel pointed her thumb at the altar as she addressed Caine, "Take a whiff and tell me what that reminds you of."

Caine scrunched up her nose, in the same way Abel was prone to, but played along. Cautiously, she leaned over and sniffed at the incense sticks. Her nose curled even further. "Reminds me of the church back home."

Far enough away that she couldn't smell it anymore, Abel replied, "It's myrrh." She'd know that fragrance anywhere. The best she could think to describe the odor was black licorice... and Abel abhorred black licorice. Just the thought of it put a bad taste in her mouth and made her want to retch.

"What's that?" Luffy asked, not as bothered by the scent as the hunter.

"It's a resin that can be used for medicine," Abel explained.

"It's also historically been used in purification and embalming," Robin added, pulling from her knowledge of historic customs. "As the strong fragrance can mask the scent of decay."

Watching the candles, Caine said, "It's a funeral offering." She gave a little scoff. "The whole town must be in mourning."

She meant it in jest, as a commentary on the dreariness of the town. Yet no sooner than the words left her mouth, than a bell began to toll, its heavy tone echoing through the empty streets. The crew stood at attention, altar forgotten. "That's the sound we heard before!" Luffy realized. He grinned. "That's great! That means people." It was a fair enough conclusion, so no one protested when they were forced to follow after their captain as he searched out the source.

The bell continued to ring, as if beckoning them closer. It lacked the same grandiosity as the one they'd heard in Skypiea, but Abel somehow doubted it was made of solid gold like that one. As they wound down the street, the ringing getting louder, they passed by numerous other buildings with similar altars to the ones before. Some were bigger, some smaller, but all had the same ingredients: a candle, myrrh incense (much to Abel's dismay), an offering, and the same enigmatic statue. Not every building had one outside their stoop, but the majority did, solidifying Caine's hypothesis that it was part of some corporate worship practice.

Perhaps that's why it surprised Abel, then, to discover that the tolling was coming from a bell in the steeple of a church. Not that that was an odd place to find a bell, because it wasn't. She could see the belfry. But the church seemed like a traditional church, similar to the one from her own hometown. That didn't match the presumably pagan symbols of the homebrew altars. Abel scanned the church's visage for similar iconography, yet found none. Of course, many religions had some central place of worship and community, but they were usually distinct from one another. This church's exterior was bare of any images or symbols, save architectural embellishments in line with older buildings in the area.

Unlike the surrounding buildings, the church was constructed from grey flagstone with chalky-white stones for accents around the edges of windows. It was narrow in width, with a covered porch over the front door, above which sat a large, circular window. It wasn't a stained-glass window, rather a milky white. Without much light, anything else wouldn't look nearly as impressive to be worth the effort. The narrow, oblong windows below were similarly foggy, with lattice detail for structural support.

Another key distinction was the space afforded the church. Unlike the other buildings, it actually had a little yard around it. There wasn't much grass, given the lack of light, but some evergreens created a boundary line behind the lot. A wrought iron fence surrounded the perimeter from the front.

It was from this side area where the belfry tolled, and a line of people slowly filed out and into the street. It didn't take a genius to notice the dark garb and somber tone and conclude they'd come across the end of some funeral service. That knowledge gave the bell tolling an ominous quality, as they now understood it was signifying the final rites of a human being. The pirates politely stood to the side of the street to allow the mourners to disperse.

As she watched them from the corner of her eye, being respectful not to stare, Abel was struck by the lack of apparent grief. Although a grim air certainly hung to the crowd like a thick miasma, their faces ashen and drawn, no one shed a tear. The people were oddly silent, to the extent Abel almost thought they'd come across a ghostly procession. However, her attention became a bit more focused when she noticed the people she'd been eyeing were eyeing them right back. As they passed, the people observed the pirates out of the corner of their eyes, lingering upon them as they passed. Normally Abel wouldn't give that a second thought, as they were obviously strangers and who wouldn't take note of strangers in a town like this? But the atmosphere lent itself to paranoia, and made even the smallest detail feel suspicious.

Once the procession was out of sight, Caine couldn't help noticing, "Where'd your boss go?"


The old priest huffed as he dropped from the rope, letting the bell chime out one last time. The toll reverberated in the small tower, bouncing off the stone walls. Normally the sound of the bell brought comfort to him, signaling the beginning and end of the day over the city. But it was during times like this when he disliked the sound. Maybe it was his own perception, but even the bell sounded sad on days like today.

So wrapped in his musings as he wiped his hands from the dusty rope debris, a cheerful voice from behind nearly gave him a heart attack. "That looks like fun!"

The old priest whirled around, pushing his wireframe glasses up as they nearly slipped from his nose. He stared at the stranger, whose bright grin stood in sharp contrast to the dreariness of the small cemetery. Composing himself, the old priest replied, "Normally, yes. But on days like today, tis a heavy burden." Stepping closer, the priest observed, "You must be a traveler."

"Yep!" Luffy agreed. "We just sailed in."

Although he suspected as much, having worked here long enough to recognize everyone in town, the priest still marveled at this. "Sailing through the Florian Triangle... you must have a very brave crew." Visitors were rare in these parts... or at least ones still intact.

The boy puffed up his chest a bit. "I've got the best crew!" Luffy took as much pride in his crewmen's abilities as he did his own, and knew full well that he wouldn't have made it so far without them.

Speaking of which... "Boss, it's poor decorum to interrupt religious services," a voice called from outside.

Smiling at the priest, Luffy announced, "That's some of them now."

Coming into view of the open archway, Abel was about to scold Luffy for trespassing in a cemetery during a funeral. She came up short, however, when she took a second glance at the priest with him. Abel's eyes widened. His hair had turned completely grey, in addition to growing a short beard, and he had more wrinkles, but she knew the man. "Padre!"

The priest pushed his glasses up, hardly believing his own eyes. "Well as I live and breathe." A wide smile bloomed on his face.

Abel wasn't the most touchy-feely person, but she couldn't pass up a hug from an old friend. Unlike when she was a child, though, now Abel was taller than the priest. "I wasn't expecting to ever run into you on the seas, much less in a place like this," Abel admitted as he patted her on the back a few times before pulling away.

"Nor I," he agreed. "Of course, I didn't expect to read about your crimes in the paper either. But here we are." Despite his familiar chastising tone, his expression hardly suggested he was disappointed in Abel.

Feeling left out, Luffy asked, "You know this guy, Abel?"

"You remember me telling you about Father Jean, don't you Boss? The priest back home whose sanctuary I desecrated with an amateur exorcism?"

It took Luffy a second, but eventually his brain sparked a connection. "Oh! You mean the old guy who ran the church? That's him?" Smiling all the wider, Luffy actually gave a polite little bow to Father Jean. "Nice to meet you!"

"We were just talking about you," Abel told the priest.

He raised a brow. "We?"

On cue, Caine and Robin found their way around into the cemetery. Turning upon hearing their approach, Abel called to her sister, "Look who I found."

Caine's eyes widened. "Huh," she breathed. "And I was just wondering what happened to you." Unlike with Abel, Father Jean didn't try to pull Caine into a hug. Her twin didn't share the same closeness with the priest as Abel, having turned to more "practical" studies in her efforts to become a monster hunter. Not that she didn't like the old priest. She at least respected him and liked him as much as she liked anyone- which was to say she tolerated them.

"It's good to see you're well as well, Caine," Father Jean greeted sincerely before his brows scrunched up in thought. "I don't recall seeing your poster." At hearing Abel chuckle and seeing Caine frown, Father Jean ventured teasingly, "Don't tell me you've allowed your sister to best you in some area."

Cocking her hips, Caine crossed her arms as she scoffed, "The only thing she's bested me in is being a criminal- which I am not."

"I don't think the authorities will agree if you're caught traveling with me," Abel teased back. "Aiding and abetting, isn't it?"

"I see..." Father Jean interrupted before Caine could bicker back. "Well, it's good that you were able to reconnect. And ironically in a sea such as this."

"Which begs the question how you ended up out here," Abel responded. "Of all the congregations in need of a shepherd, you had to choose this one?"

Offering a serene smile, Father Jean sagely answered, "It is not the well who have need of a physician."

While the women understood the message well enough, Luffy didn't quite speak poetic prose. "You're a doctor, too?"

Caine groaned as Luffy once again demonstrated his ineptitude, while Abel and Robin just chuckled in amusement. Father Jean smiled back at the boy. "Of the soul, perhaps, my boy."

Father Jean appeared to want to speak more, but was interrupted by a nun coming around the corner. She gasped, not expecting to see others with the Father. "Oh, excuse me." Nervously glancing at the strangers, she stuttered out, "Father... the family..."

"Of course," Father Jean interjected, not wishing to make the woman more anxious. "Thank you for reminding me." Turning to his visitors, Father Jean excused, "I have some unfortunate business to attend to at the moment, but I would love to officially welcome you to the island afterwards. You must have a ship in the harbor?" When they nodded, Father Jean said, "Good. I'll stop by when my business is finished to answer any questions about the island you may have. I'm afraid this is a time of mourning, so you won't find any shops open until later today." Smiling apologetically, Father Jean pushed passed the pirates. But before he disappeared around the corner, he turned back and said with another smile, "Oh, and before I forget, welcome to Ravensburg."


Back on the ship, Solomon resisted the urge to pace. Instead, he rocked back-and-forth on his heels, fingers wrapping on his arms where they sat crossed. Contrary to what anyone who saw him might think, he wasn't worried about Caine being off on a ghost island. Okay, he might have been had he actually thought there were ghosts here, as Caine's sword was useless against them, but that wasn't it. No, it was Caine's request prior to leaving that had him restless.

Request was probably too kind a word. Order? At the very least he'd get a stern glare and cold shoulder if he didn't follow through. But why this? She could've asked him anything. Face down a dragon, dive to the bottom of the sea, climb up the Red Line with his bare hands- No matter how dangerous the request he'd have done his damnedest to see it fulfilled. But to sniff out who her sister - Bastion Abel, his sister-in-law who he was convinced would sooner toss him overboard as to look at him - was sleeping with? Caine was taking that whole "til death do us part" thing a little too liberally.

Why would he want to know that? Why would she want to know that? Solomon needed to have a serious discussion with his wife about realizing that Abel was, in fact, a grown woman who was more than capable of making her own choices.

And how did she even expect him to find out? Ask? The woman wasn't even on the ship, so it wasn't like he could catch her sneaking away from a rendezvous.

Usopp must've noticed his frustration, because he asked, "What's eating you?"

"Nothing at the moment," Solomon replied. "But I fully expect a chewing out later."

Usopp grinned. "Woman troubles?"

His teasing, know-it-all tone earned a snort from the other. Casting a sidelong glance, Solomon taunted right back, "You don't know the half of it."

"I'll have you know that the Great Captain Usopp has rescued many damsels in distress! In fact, it was my masterful performance during just such a venture that earned me the title of Vice Captain!"

"Are you talking about the time when Kaya and a bunch of children had to save you?"

Hearing Abel's voice right in his ear caused Usopp to do his best impersonation of a startled cat, yowling and leaping into the air like he was ready to latch onto something. "Don't do that!" Usopp hollered at the laughing woman when he finally came back down to earth, smacking her on the arm.

Solomon didn't know if he should interpret the exchange as more-than-friends, but it did solidify one fact for him: If he did poke around in his sister-in-law's personal life she'd know. And he did not want anything to do with that.

Venturing out from the galley at the commotion, Nami raised an inquisitive brow upon seeing the away party. "Back already?" The pout on Luffy's face suggested it wasn't by his choice.

"This town's so boring," their captain complained.

Chuckling at his childish attitude, Robin explained, "Everything's simply closed as a sign of mourning. Things will be livelier soon enough." Addressing the others more directly, Robin added, "We came across an old friend of Abel's who agreed to meet with us later on the ship to inform us about this island."

"The whole city's shut down?" Nami asked, baffled. "They must've been important. And how did you get Luffy to agree to wait?"

Caine scowled. "We didn't. He dragged us down a half-dozen empty streets before getting the message that no one's out."

"Patience, Boss," Abel advised. "We have all the time in the world. We can't expect the locals to change their customs just to accommodate our curiosity."

Their captain wasn't happy about it, but at least relented enough to stay on the ship. Exploring an island when no one's out isn't fun. And, as some of the others reminded him, the last time he'd wandered off on his own in an empty place Abel got lost in another dimension. Of course, bringing that up drew Caine into the conversation, and Abel did her best to explain what happened while reassuring her overprotective sister that she'd handled things.

It was during this conversation that they heard a voice call from the docks, "Knock, knock."

Recognizing the voice, and thankful for a distraction from the third-degree her sister was giving her, Abel jogged over to the side. "Welcome to the madhouse, Padre."

"Thanks to no small effort on your part, I'm sure," Father Jean replied before climbing the rope ladder. Abel offered a hand to help the old man up onto the deck. "Oof," he muttered, shoving himself to his feet with some effort. "The cold is rough on these old bones," he mildly complained, rubbing at his stiff shoulders.

Scanning around the deck as everyone began to gather, a surprised expression crossed Father Jean's face. "I must say. Not that I've spent much time on a pirate ship, but this seems exceptionally… unconventional. In a good way, I mean."

"You'd better believe it!" Franky shouted, hands on his hips. "It's from my own design! You won't find another ship like it in the entire world!" He was almost as bad as Luffy, always proclaiming his aim to be Pirate King. To his credit, Father Jean's eyes only slightly widened at the man's shouting, pleasant smile still in place. Abel felt a vague sense of chagrin at her crewmate's lack of pants while addressing the priest. It was made even worse by the fact that he'd put on a coat, but left his legs completely bare. That was, in many respects, even worse than Luffy's choice of attire.

The commotion brought the rest of the crew out onto the deck. "Who's the old guy?" Zoro asked, the utter lack of decorum amusing Abel.

"Guys, Father Jean. Padre, the guys," Abel introduced with deliberate vagueness.

Undaunted, Father Jean commented, "Fortunately for you, I did see the names in the paper. News of your coup reached even in this forgotten stretch of the sea."

"Wait…" Usopp interjected. "Father Jean? Isn't that the priest from your home?" When Abel nodded, Usopp's gaze turned cautiously suspicious. "Should a priest be so okay with being around pirates? Isn't that, like, against your code?"

Smiling, Father Jean answered, "It would be difficult to perform my duties if I refused to mingle with the sinners."

Giving a laughing snort, Sanji retorted, "You'd have your work cut out here."

"Well, I think I can turn a blind eye, this time," Father Jean continued, not missing a beat. "If Abel played a part, then your cause was just, regardless of what the paper might claim."

If it were possible for a look to be facetious, that was what Abel directed at her twin. "Oh? You mean a person can draw on their knowledge of history with another and not jump to the conclusion that they've become a murdering psychopath?"

Caine leveled Abel with a dry stare. "I'm never gonna live that down, am I?"

"Until the day you die. And even then, I might bring it up upon your grave."

"Why do you assume I'll die first?" Now it was Abel's turn with the dry stare. Caine shrugged. "Fair enough."

Father Jean chuckled. "Ah, it's good to see some things never change." Returning his focus to the crew as a whole, the priest explained, "I'm sure you have many questions. I'll be happy to share what I know about Ravensburg."

Growing tired of the gloom, the crew gathered in the galley, the perpetual heart of the ship. "Nine days?" Nami repeated in disbelief, seated across from Father Jean as she was allowed to get the most important question out of the way.

He nodded. "Yes. It takes nine days for the log pose to set."

Sighing, Nami crossed her arms as she did some calculations. "I don't think we have enough money to everyone a hotel room for that long." They hadn't had to spend much since leaving Water Seven, but Luffy's spent most of the money they have left over from Skypiea on that massive, ridiculous party. Most of what they had now had been due to the gratitude of the people they'd helped. Even the money from Claudine hadn't been a lot.

"It's gonna be a long nine days is everything's closed," Sanji added, disappointed that he wouldn't get the chance to stock up on supplies.

Frowning, Father Jean retorted, "Oh, business will be back to normal soon enough. You merely arrived at an inconvenient time."

Zoro scoffed. "Story of our life if you ask me."

"It's true the people of Ravensburg keep to strange schedules," Father Jean continued. "Even after all this time, I haven't fully adapted. With the sun, the citizens often keep odd hours, and their shops reflect that. They sleep for a few hours, then stay up and run their business and lives like anyone else, then sleep a few more hours. Everyone functions on their own timetable, so it can be frustrating to get anything done if you're not used to it."

"That's so weird," Usopp mumbled.

"It's not that strange," Robin replied. "Most animals, including humans, sleep at night for safety's sake. But if it's always night, they can't rely on that to regulate their sleep cycles. It's the same principle behind why Abel suggested the light to avoid throwing off our sense of time."

"What about the clock?" Chopper asked. "Doesn't that help."

"It helps people keep track of the passage of time, certainly," Father Jean agreed. "Without it, it'd be impossible to know what day it was. It's the same reason I ring the bells every day. And to answer your concerns, there are enough shops in town that there's usually at least one type open for your needs. You just might have to search around for it."

From his black jacket, Father Jean pulled out a large folded paper. "Here. I brought this for you. It's my map of the city." As Nami eagerly took it, Father Jean continued, "I relied on it when I first arrived, but I know most of the city by heart now, so feel free to keep it during your stay."

"Thanks!" Nami offered gratefully.

Folding the map out on the table, they saw that Ravensburg did, in fact, cover most of the island. It spanned out from a central point like spokes on a wheel. The streets weren't perfectly straight, as new sections were misaligned as the city had continued to grow and expand from the early days, but enough so to create the image of a giant circle on the island. Studying the map, Nami concluded, "So we're here…" She pointed at one of the short offshoots from the main island.

Leaning forward, Father Jean pointed to a building surrounded by a bit of space. "That's my church. Feel free to stop by anytime. Unless I have business elsewhere, I'm always in. And if not, the sisters can help you."

Looking over the rest of the map, Nami muttered to herself, "Is there a shopping district?"

"Not really," the priest answered. "Most businesses are run out of people's houses, so they're scattered throughout. Though they tend to be concentrated in the middle ring. The innermost part of the city is mostly old, rich families."

Nami's eyes lit up with devious delight. "You don't say?"

"Hey, hey," Usopp and Zoro warned.

Dangling off the edge of the table, Chopper began, "Abel said the city was shut down for a funeral? Did someone important die?"

For the first time, a dark shadow fell over the priest's face. "Not exactly… though all life is precious and irreplaceable. Though that is why I was so eager to meet with you." Surprised the old man had an ulterior motive, the crew listened intently. "Especially you two." Abel had been sitting with her chin resting on the back of her hands, elbows on the table, while Caine sat beside her, leaned back with one ankle resting on her knee. Both women shared the same expression, blinking in surprise when the man pointed at them.

With more gravity than they'd ever heard in the old priest's voice - even when speaking of heavy topics like redemption - Father Jean all but ordered, "Stay away from the Church of the Starry Sky."

To Be Continued...