Ch 116 - How Talk to Sisters

Nana slept deeply and soundly on a chaise lounge with her head resting on Sanji's lap. The rest of the crew were sprawled around the parlor room that was nestled inside Bege's own body, courtesy of his Castle-Castle Fruit. She stirred only when Sanji had gently moved her head up so that he could get to his feet. He had to step gingerly over Pygmy, who was snoring on the floor with his belly up.

"It's time for me to go, Nana," Sanji whispered into her ear, bending over Pygmy and the chaise so that he could give her a soft peck on the lips, "I'll see you later."

He turned to leave and then stilled when he saw that her hand was clutching tightly to the back of his shirt. He glanced over his shoulder and he smiled when he saw that the mechanic's eyes were still closed.

"Kick some ass," she mumbled sleepily, "But be safe..."

"Yes, ma'am," he said, closing his hand around hers, giving it a small squeeze, and then hesitantly pulled it off of him so he could leave. Her grip on him was not strong but he knew she didn't want him to go. Neither of them did.

By the time she awoke, everyone else was already up, Sanji and Carrot were gone but so were one other member of their crew.

"Where's Luffy?" she asked as she stretched out her arms.

"He went to the forest with Brulee," Nami said. She was standing in front of a heavy, oak sideboard and helping herself to some coffee from the tea tray resting on it, "Something about catching some animals for his big entrance. Coffee?"

"What?! He took Brulee?!" Nana yelled.

"Why? What's wrong with that?" Nami asked.

Nana groaned. "It's nothing. Sanji just asked me to do something for him while he's gone and I'll need Brulee's help for that...But I guess, it can wait until Luffy gets back. I would need to do it while the wedding is happening anyways...And he'll be back by then, right?"

"Of course he will. Even Luffy's not dumb enough to be late for this...Right?"

Both women exchanged a look of concern before sighing at the same time. They both knew how little point there was in fretting over what their captain will or won't do. They could only hope.

"Coffee?" Nami suggested again with a little less cheer as before.

"Might as well," Nana said as she got to her feet. Pygmy sat up too and he trotted over to Pedro and Chopper, who were sitting around the couch with plates of breakfast pastries and cups of coffee in their own hands. Pygmy sniffed each of the occupants on the couch and then paused when he got in front of Pedro. Pygmy let out a whine and then looked to Nana.

"Is he hungry? May I give him my cheese roll, Nana?" Pedro chuckled and when Nana gave a small nod, he relinquished his pastry to the dog, who ate it up in one gulp.

"We still have a couple more hours until the wedding starts," Jinbei said, sitting stoically in a wingback armchair with his arms folded across his chest and a deep frown, "Nana, if you need to rest more, you can."

Nana shook her head. "I need to wait. As soon as Brulee gets back, I need to use her to get my stuff back from Sanji's sister."

"Oh. We have all of your stuff," Chopper said calmly, "Reiju gave it to us while you and Sanji were gone."

"WHAT?! Where?!"

Nami had to jerk back the tea cup she was about to hand over to the mechanic in order to avoid having it knocked over by Nana's sudden jump to her feet.

"It's with Chiffon," Chopper said, "She's-"

"You left my gear with strangers?! Do you know what they could do if they got a hand on my tech?!" Nana yelled incredulously.

"Chiffon is not a stranger," Nami said as she set the teacup down on a nearby end table, "She's Lola's sister!"

"She's also married to Bege and lives inside a castle where Caeshit is as well," Nana shot back.

Nami frowned. "We thought about that which is why it's with Chiffon. She insisted on hanging onto it because it was the only way to keep them safe from everyone. Chiffon would never allow anyone to take your weapons."

"Says her!"

"I trust her!"

"I —"

"Oh! Good, Nana. You're up," the subject of their conversation said jovially as she entered the room with baby Pez in her arms. Behind her, one of Bege's men came in with Nana's backpack and hammer.

"I figured it's best to return your things to you," Chiffon said, choosing not to acknowledge Nami gloating over a scowling Nana.

'Thanks," Nana muttered, grabbing her things. She pulled on her metal gloves before putting on her backpack. Then she felt the weight of her hammer and after a close inspection, she gave a nod of satisfaction, "No signs of tampering."

"I would hope not," Chiffon huffed, "I distinctly ordered everyone that your things are off limits."

"Thanks," Nana said again with more sincerity this time. Her eyes fell on the baby, who had a cigar like object sticking out of his mouth, and then she raised an eyebrow, "That's a pacifier, right?"

Chiffon laughed. "Yes. Bege had it specially made for Pez to look like Bege's cigar. Isn't it sweet?"

"Sure," Nana said. She strolled over to where the Minks were sitting and leaned against a wall facing Pedro. There had been something irking her for a long time now and she finally had a quiet moment to address it, "Oy. Pedro. Can I talk to you privately for a second?"

Pedro gave a questioning look as he came over to her. He leaned against the wall as well so they stood shoulder to shoulder. "Is something troubling you-teia, Nana?" he asked.

His eyes widened when the mechanic wordlessly moved her hand to his waist and tapped it with her knuckles. A hard, clanking noise was muffled by his thick, green blazer but it still came through enough for its presence to be unmistakable.

"I heard the metal when we were on the Sunny too but was too preoccupied to ask you about it. I thought it might've been just some heavy armor you have beneath your suit but...then Pygmy..," she said slowly. Their eyes set on the dog, who was happily gnawing on the cheese roll while sitting next to Chopper, "That whine of his tells me he smelled gunpowder. Lots of it."

"It is just a precaution, Nana," Pedro replied.

"Then give me half."

Pedro blinked. "What?"

"We're about to take on Big Mom and her shitty family. This is one of the Emperor's of the Sea, we're talking about. Short of us blasting our way out, I don't see us leaving with smooth sailing. So give me some so I can also do some damage."

"But, I-"

"Have it strapped on too tightly so that it's not easy to take off and distribute?" Nana asked and Pedro froze.

Nana folded her arms across her chest and looked down at the floor. "Yeah. I can hear the sound of those buckles too. I'm telling you this now, Pedro...If you decide to be stupid and blow yourself up...I will try and stop you. Just a guess but I'd have to stand this close to you, if not closer, to do so and if you have the firepower I think you do, then you'll not just kill yourself but me as well."

It took a long while for the Mink to get over his shock and find his voice. The mechanic did not rush him.

"You-teia are not going to ask to disable it? I've been around you enough to know that you have the capability to."

"I could and to be frank, I would very much like to, but I know even if I asked, you'd refuse. It takes a stubborn person to recognize another," Nana said with a weak smile, "Plus, as a weaponsmith, I can only find fault in the quality and craftsmanship of people's weapons. I cannot decide for them what they can and cannot use. The most I can do is kick their ass and show them the difference a good weapon could make...But that's not the point. The point is, I can only respectfully try to stop you and...I'm hoping that if you knew I would get involved if you do decide to use it...maybe that thought alone would make you hesitate to go to such lengths."

"My time is limited as it is but...a man I deeply respect once told me I had to wait for my turn...and I believe that that wait will soon be over."

"Are you sure that man didn't mean to wait your turn for the bathroom or something?" Nana asked.

"What?! Of course not! He meant -" Pedro sputtered and was cut off when Nana barked out a laugh.

"Just teasing. Some Lesser Mink humor."

"I'm BAAAAAAAACK!"

Luffy came bounding into the room with a bound and gagged Brulee under his arm and a large sack on his back that was wriggling and moving independently from Luffy's steps. Whatever he had captured was still alive and it was not alone.

"Ooh! Luffy, what'd you get? What'd you get?!" Chopper asked excitedly.

Luffy set down the bag and beamed proudly at it. "It's a surprise! Man, my entrance is going to be so good!"

"That's great," Nana said without any enthusiasm. She went over to the captain and took the Mirror-Mirror user off his hands, "Let me borrow her for a second. Cool? I'll return her before the wedding starts."

"Shishishi, that's fine," Luffy said.

"Rot in hell! You guys are the worst. Using me like I'm some sort of tool. I hate you all!" Brulee muffled through the cloth stuffed inside her mouth.

"You should count your lucky stars that you're actually useful to us."Because if you weren't, you'd be in a lot worse shape than you are now, I can tell you that," Nana said as she flung Brulee over her shoulder and then walked over to Chiffon, "And...actually, I could use your help too, if that's okay."

Chiffon smiled. "Yes. What do you need me to do?"

"Walk with me and I'll explain everything," Nana said and headed out of the room.

"You want to what?!"

They were in the room where Pudding was held in. Besides the cuffs on her hands, no one could tell that she was a prisoner since the room was very plush and decadent with velvet bed linens over an upholstered bed and a gilded armoire that most likely housed elegant and expensive gowns. However, the only thing that was catching Pudding's attention at the moment was the mechanic and whe way Pudding was looking at Nana made Nana feel as if a third eye had sprouted open on her own head.

The mechanic looked to Chiffon. Of course Pudding wouldn't believe Nana so maybe hearing it out of her own sister's mouth would be more convincing.

"It's true," Chiffon said, "She's taking you back to Cacao Island once the wedding starts."

"After she kills me, you mean," Pudding said, "There's no way they are just taking these handcuffs off me and leaving me to roam around freely!"

"I'm not taking those handcuffs off you," Nana said but then hurriedly continued before Pudding could say she was right, "BUT I'm also not going to kill you. We're just trying to protect you."

"We? Since when are you on the same side as Chiffon and Brulee?!" Pudding demanded.

"No, not us three. `We' as in me and Sanji," Nana said exasperatedly, "But if you really want to get into the details, it's mostly Sanji. Sanji wants to do this and I'm just respecting his wishes. I couldn't give a shit about you. Hell, if Luffy wanted to put you in the bag of creatures he's got, I'd be fine with that too."

"I don't think that's very helpful, Nana," Chiffon whispered.

"S-Sanji-san? He wants to protect me?" Pudding asked softly.

Both Chiffon and Nana exchanged a look of surprise. The sudden shift in the girl's tone was unexpected and at the same time, Nana did not like what that tone was hinting at.

"Yes," Nana snapped with more aggression than before, "Sanji is a very kind person and would rather die himself than let harm come to a woman so don't think of yourself as special, okay? He cares about everyone."

"And he thought it would be best if we returned you to Cacao Island once the wedding starts," Chiffon added, "That way, when they find you clearly restrained and not anywhere near the wedding, they would know that you were captured by the Straw Hats so no one in the family will blame you for any of it."

"He also wanted you out of harm's way," Nana admitted begrudgingly, "Otherwise I would've just left you in a random room in the castle."

Pudding blinked in wonder for a second but then she shook her head and a look of pure disdain came over her. "I don't believe it for a second. You are all just trying to trick me. You are hateful, ugly, and stupid!"

Nana threw her hands up in the air. "Gah! Newsflash, Paranoia Patty, there's no point in me tricking you because guess what? You don't have to believe me because it's not like you can stop me. I just thought you'd like to know what we're doing so you don't freak out when it happens. Fucking good that's doing me because you're freaking out now!"

"I am NOT freaking out," Pudding shouted indignantly, "I am being rightfully cautious and considering the fact that I'm your prisoner, you'll forgive me if I don't take your word for it."

"Fine. Don't take mine. Take hers!" Nana said and thrusted her hand towards Chiffon. She also looked to her pink-haired hostess for help once again, "I was raised on the docks and I didn't have any sisters but I assume there's some sort of sisterly code you guys share, right? Like a bro code but for women?"

Chiffon gave a knowing nod. "Could you please take Pez while I talk to Pudding?"

"Eh...I've never...held one that small before…" Nana said nervously.

"It's fine, Just watch his head," Chiffon said with a smile as she transferred the baby into Nana's arms and showed her where to place her hands.

"Oh! He's like a really light-weight, mini-culverin," Nana whistled.

Chiffon took one last careful look at Nana's positioning and then she squatted down in front of Pudding. She put her hands into Pudding's shackled ones and gave them a firm squeeze.

"Remember what I said yesterday about family? Well, that can apply to friends as well. There are people out there who will not only accept you for who you are but they even like you for it. You just have to be brave enough and smart enough to recognize it when it happens to you...And I believe Sanji is a friend to you and...the rest of the Straw Hats could be too...If you let them."

Pudding yanked her hands away from Chiffon's grip and held them up high so that they could see the chains dangling in the air. "Do friends do this to each other?"

"Well...no," Chiffon admitted.

"What? Of course, they do," Nana scoffed from the other side of the room as she bounced a giggling Pez in her arms, "Paulie has strung me up in rope more times than I can remember. I shackled Franky to a desk when I was 15 so that he couldn't stop me when I rifled through his file cabinet for blueprints. Sanji has definitely threatened to lock Luffy up in a treasure chest if Luffy continues to raid the fridge at night and I think the only reason why he hasn't done so yet is because Nami won't let him near the treasure even if it is to find an empty box. And that's just off the top of my head. I'm sure if you ask the group, they'll have more examples."

There was a long silence and when the mechanic looked up, she saw that all three sisters were looking at her in disbelief.

"What?"

"Really? You guys attack each other outright and you call yourself friends?" Pudding asked.

"Well, we don't do it to hurt one another and obviously, the other person can take it. It's not like we're putting them in harm's way," Nana said defensively.

"Ah! See?! You would never put a friend in harm's way!" Pudding shouted victoriously, "So you all obviously don't think of me as a friend since you are...you are…"

Her voice trailed off as she realized the hole in her own logic. So far none of them have actually put her in any danger. If anything, it was all reactionary to the threat of danger that was coming their way.

"Listen, like I said, you don't have to believe me. I only came here to tell you of the plan just so you are aware and for you to know of Sanji's intentions," Nana sighed, "If you're going to harbor any ill-will, direct it towards me. If you want to exact revenge after all of this is done, you can come after me. I'll fight you if you really feel the need."

Pudding lifted her chin indignantly. "I'm not scared of you."

Nana raised an eyebrow. "Good because I wasn't trying to threaten you."

"Good because I'm not threatened by you."

Nana took one step closer. "You wanna fight?"

"Do you?!"

Chiffon hurried to Nana and took her baby back before the mechanic could do anything rash. However, she was surprised to see that the mechanic's grip on the baby was a lot more relaxed than her tone of voice indicated. In fact, Pez seemed soothed by Nana's movements. The mechanic was much more cognizant of the child than Chiffon realized.

When Chiffon returned her attention back to Pudding and Nana, she saw that the glare between the two had shifted in a way. It was definitely less hostile but still challenging but something else had changed. Then it hit Chiffon. Pudding was glaring at Nana with all three of her eyes. Pudding was making no effort to conceal it or even highlight it to taunt her opponent with it and Nana had not reacted to it whatsoever.

See, Pudding? There are people out there who will accept you for who you are, Chiffon thought as she looked down at her son and gave him a glowing smile. "The world is a wonderful and big place, Pez...I can't wait for you to see it."

A/N: I know. I know it's been awhile. Life has been crazy and I won't go into details but I'm getting back into writing. Sorry for the wait.