Hi everybody! This chapter took less time than I anticipated, but I know it was still a long wait. Soon I'll have a second job, so I'm afraid this may become the standard waiting time between chapters. Being realistic, I think the next one will be posted in September, but as always, you'll find the more accurate updates in my blog.

While I worked on this, I wrote a new entry for the apartment AU that I have going on on Tumblr, and I recommend it if you're looking for something fluffier than this story. If you want to take a look, it's in the drabbles section.

As always, thanks to everybody who spent some time to leave a review. Shout outs to Jitsuwa Jitsuwa, Malorne-10, Sky65, Terikel, Falling Right Side-Up (quintuple reviews woah!), sarge1130, beribboned, queenfirst, and the Guest reviewers!

Also, thanks to the lovely folks over at Tumblr, who put up with my moods and have way more patience with me than I deserve. I don't know where this fic would be without you.

And thank you for reading!

This has been the hardest chapter to write until now. I can't say much else about it…

11. Between the mountain and the deep blue sea
(Four o'clock, four o'clock...)

Hours went by, and after the initial adrenaline rush wore off, Saki was forced to face the cold, ruthlessly unforgiving reality: nothing was happening.

The sub was docked next to one of the lighthouses, and with nothing better to do, Saki paced up and down the small portion of flat land, testing the boundaries of human balance until she was certain she'd fall down the cliff if she tried to walk just a little bit closer to the edge. She proceeded to sit right there, at the foot of one of the lighthouses, legs dangling over a promise of death, and tapped the heels of her sandals against the rock with no discernible pattern. She intended to continue until she got tired or somebody yelled at her to stop, whichever came first. The second scenario wasn't even guaranteed to work. That's how bored she was.

The truth was that the Grand Line looked more normal than she had imagined. Which was fine, good, even, from a purely practical aspect, but the fact that it wasn't raining fire and brimstone and no hellish monster from the depths had come to greet them yet was mildly disappointing. Plain mist was ordinary and uncomfortable. She couldn't even make out the line of the horizon.

Bepo and Law were somewhere behind her, going over a map and occasionally walking around the area while the Log Pose set. She had no clue how they could have so much to talk about despite all the planning they had already done, but better safe than sorry, she supposed. In the meantime, Penguin and Shachi were keeping themselves busy with the lock of the lighthouse's door, which was quite content in its unbudging state, and the grunts and muttered curses in the background mixed with the sound of the tall waves breaking against the Red Line and splashing Saki's feet every now and then.

All in all, it was a quiet morning. At some point she had gone inside the sub to whip up something to eat, then went back to being bored and having nothing to do. She considered drawing, but she'd just ruin the paper with the humidity.

"Saki, can you give us a hand?" Penguin called.

She looked over her shoulder to see Shachi pulling at the doorknob with a red face and Penguin looking at her expectantly.

"Ask Captain, he should have spare ones." Then again, maybe not, considering he hadn't swapped his fingers for new ones yet. From the pitiful look Penguin flashed at her, he appeared to be thinking something along the same lines. "Alright, what do you want me to do?"

"Can you pick the lock of the lighthouse before we bust a gut."

"What makes you think I know how to do that?"

"…You don't?"

She couldn't see his eyes under the brim of his hat, but she was pretty sure that his expression was of disbelief.

"Do you honestly think all Asterians are criminals?"

"But you are."

"Good point, but I didn't open things. I stabbed them when they weren't looking."

"Well, had to give it a try," he shrugged, and no sooner than he started turning around, a wail froze them all in place.

There was a huge thud then, and small bits of rock rolled down the Red Line. A feeling of déjà vu washed over they guys, and Saki didn't understand why they had become so pale at the sight of a few pebbles.

"Bepo," Shachi asked nervously, forgetting momentarily about the door, "how much longer do we have to wait?"

"I'm not completely sure." He said, trying to make out the source of the noise through the mist. "The Log Pose's set already, but we can't take the first route. We need to wait until it pick up another magnetic field."

"Why?"

"Rumors say that there's an island on that route with a year-long wait," Law said.

Penguin's mouth fell. "That can happen? What if the route we take has another island like that?"

"We didn't find any similar warnings about the other routes. Not that there was much information to begin with, but one would assume it would be something worth pointing out to other sailors."

"There's also that volcanic island somewhere that is supposed to be unapproachable," Bepo chimed in. "There are warnings when places are too dangerous."

"That was on the northernmost route, right?"

"That or the second northernmost," Bepo shrugged. "Who knows?"

Penguin wasn't feeling more reassured as the conversation went on. "How unapproachable are we talking about?"

"Sailors who get too close die from smoke inhalation, but if they don't, they can't record the magnetic field. It's a death trap."

"Obviously, we won't be taking that route either."

"But how do we know we won't mess up with the route we pick?"

"We don't," Law said. "It's difficult to find detailed accounts of the different routes because most people never reach the other side of the Red Line, and the only ones who do that sort of long distance travel are related to the World Government."

"Cool," Shachi said in a tone that suggested that he was anything but. "That's very reassuring, Captain."

"Don't worry, we've got this under control."

"Just so you know, if it weren't you saying it, we'd already be looking for a ship back," Saki said from her spot.

Law took a long look at his crew and smiled a little. "Good luck on finding that ship if you ever change your mind. The only way from now on is forward."

"Isn't it always?"

Another cry made them all stare at the sea, and from the depths they saw a colossal shadow emerge. It made no attempt to go towards them, instead, it moved towards the Red Line and rammed it.

"I guess this is the monster the rumors mentioned," Bepo said.

Shachi rubbed the spot of his nose where his sunglasses rested. "You knew this was here? And we stayed in this place anyway?"

"We need to wait no matter what." Law answered. "Monster or not, it wouldn't make a difference."

"I wish I could be this calm about this as you."

Whatever the shadow was, it wailed again in a sort of mock agreement.

"How much longer, Bepo?" Penguin insisted.

"I'm doing what I can, okay!?"

"Right. We'll be at the door."

Not long after, the cries of the monster ceased, and slowly, its shape sunk underwater.

The mechanics gave up on the door and Shachi went to sit next to Saki with crossed legs. He took a few pebbles and began flinging them at the water. "Do you think it died?"

"Maybe it got bored."

It was midafternoon when the Log Pose finally set on their intended course. Soon they left the mist behind, and the rest of the day went on with an exciting mix of hail and thunder at the same time. The main sail got a few new holes, but nothing that couldn't be fixed with a bit of patience. Saki volunteered to do the first watch that night, and while the others slept, she drew the lighthouses of Twin Cape, hoping that there was a way to safely send mail from the Grand Line that she didn't know about.

Way before morning light came, she was relieved from duty by Penguin, and for once in a long time, she was able to fall asleep almost as soon as she hit the bed. Funny that it should happen as soon as she had entered uncharted territory.

—

Marina's usually pristine clothes were covered in dust and soot by the time reinforcements came. The man that by all rights should have prevented this disaster walked up to her, glancing around nervously and nose stuck in the air, as if he was afraid to catch something from the debris.

"Marina, what are you doing here?"

Her scowl deepened. One of her soldiers passed by the scene as he helped an elderly man walk to the makeshift hospital they had set up nearby. A queue of dozens of people of all ages waited outside the tent as Marines ran up and down with first aid kits and more fortunate townspeople helped give out water and food to those who had been left homeless.

"Your job, apparently."

"And why, exactly, you had to notify headquarters? Aren't you content to stick your nose in affairs that don't concern you?"

"I have every right to be here. I followed a lead on a smuggling ring that led to this island."

"For the love of…" The fellow captain ran a hand through his hair and said, incredulous, "Of course smugglers operate here; we all know that. You should have contacted me and kept yourself busy with your designated area, girl. Do you realize what this is doing for my image? For your image?"

Marina felt pure rage boiling inside her. "You're worrying about image when most of this town has been burnt to the ground?"

He glanced at the line of people and said, with a shook of his head, "Accidents happen."

"Bullshit!" She exploded at last, startling nearby townspeople. "This was no accident! There was a battle, we have dozens of eyewitnesses, and they all say the fires were intentional!"

The man groaned under his breath and spoke slowly, as if Marina had trouble understanding, "Listen quietly; I'll spell this out for you so it gets through your thick skull: nobody cares about this dumpster. Nobody cares about your witnesses. Asteria's been nothing but a headache for years, for everybody involved, and if the fire got rid some of the scum hiding in here, we're all better off for it. But if you find whoever's responsible for this, by all means, tell me so I can shake their hand."

There was a smack accompanied by a crack so loud that most soldiers halted to look at its source just in time to see Marina's fellow captain fall backwards with his nose bent ninety degrees. A bunch of his men rushed to his aid, but none of Marina's made any effort to move.

"If you haven't come to help, you can get the fuck out," and she spat back, "And by all means, tell our superiors about this. Maybe they will listen to your witnesses."

—

Shachi opened his mouth and before any sound could come out of it, Bepo growled faintly and said, "Yes, I'm sure this is the place, and if you ask again I'm using your towel when I shower."

Shachi's mouth closed promptly.

"You know you're a twit when you manage to get even on Bepo's nerves," commented Penguin.

"Then why do you keep looking back and forth from the window to him?"

In front of them, filling all the view from the front window of the bridge, a mountain stood before them. There was no sight of dirt or plant life, and it was so tall that the Heart Pirates could have believed that they were staring at the Red Line again, had it not been for the grey of the stone.

Saki listened to her crewmates as she tried to read the map that Bepo and Law had been revising at Twin Cape and tried to make out the shape of the island. Whoever drew it hadn't been concerned about landmass, leaving the island as a mere outline colored in black with the name Qaryn next to it, and instead depicted with precision all variations that the currents that lead to it could take depending on the weather.

The map's legend was over a foot long, plus the annotations, and the lines that marked the currents were a jumbled mess that try as she might, she couldn't decipher. Her appreciation for Bepo went up several notches, as did the curiosity of why their captain was not only a doctor but also capable of making sense of that paper. He must have led an interesting life.

"I wonder how people live here," Penguin said, making her look up.

"Maybe at the top?"

"There's supposed to be an entrance somewhere," Law said. "Bepo, let's circle the island."

"Aye, aye."

As they moved around the huge rock, its height began to diminish until it was barely twice the sub's height and they saw an opening wide enough for passage. A wood structure had been built on each side, fashioned like castle battlements, and there appeared to movement behind. When they sailed into the gap, they were stopped by three heavy chains that hung from side to side, barring access to any ships.

Some of the people on the wall pointed weapons at them, but after a moment it became obvious that no one intended to shoot at the sub, not yet. It was risky, but it looked like they needed to go out to talk to them.

Law gave them instructions fast. "Bepo, stay here and get us away if we are in danger. The rest of you, take your weapons and go on deck. Be cautious. Let's meet these people."

He went first, and the rest followed in silence and high alert, ready to lose all dignity and bolt inside the ship if necessary, but they weren't attacked.

From the deck, they could see a group of men and women alike, all armed, but only some pointing bows and guns at them.

"Who goes?" A man holding a rifle yelled. He was in his thirties, had long black hair tied in a low ponytail, and could have looked more epic if the wind hadn't been uncomfortably blowing it on his face. Seeing his expression, Saki could have believed that he had just eaten a whole lemon, but she could tell if it was because they weren't well received or because his hair was really getting in the way.

"Heart Pirates!" Law shouted back. "This island is the next stop in our route! We aren't looking for trouble!"

The man turned around to talk to somebody that wasn't visible from the submarine, then rose his voice again. "How many of you are there?"

By the way Law suddenly squared his shoulders, Saki could tell he hadn't liked the question at all.

"Why do you want to know?"

"It's me who asks the questions here, pir—mhhfff!" A hand from the person to his side had appeared from the battlement to cover his mouth and push him back.

The hand's owner appeared right away, a woman with a raised scar that ran from her right eyebrow to the middle of her cheek. Her tightly braided hair was put up in a ponytail that looked more functional than his companion's, and the smile she displayed made it look as if she was staring at a joke instead of a group of wanted criminals.

"What Charming here wanted to say is that before you can come into the island, we'll do a quick search of your ship, and if you don't like the idea you can turn back the way you came."

Obviously the last option wasn't feasible, because the Log Pose was unmistakably pointing to that place, and no amounts of navigating genius from Bepo could save them if they tried to sail away without a working compass.

Saki kept glancing from Law to the woman on the wall. Cornered and tense, she wasn't sure if he was about to unsheathe Kikoku by the way he was thumbing its hilt, but at last he relented. "There's us and our navigator."

The woman's eyebrows flew up, and the man from before appeared back on scene, this time not bothering to keep his voice low so the pirates didn't hear.

"They're lying. You read the newspapers."

"But these are all the people on the wanted posters, aren't they?" She said, staring with suspicion at the vessel below.

"Do you honestly think they'd pay so much for this guy's head if he didn't have more men with him?"

She cocked her head left and right, pondering their options. "No way to know but see it with our own eyes."

The man made a grunt of disapproval, but didn't speak further.

Law didn't like to be put in such a vulnerable situation, but there was not much else he could do short of starting a battle they couldn't win, not even if they took down all the security. They wouldn't be able to stay in the island once the locals learned of what had happened. "You can board the ship," he said grudgingly, "but we're keeping an eye on you."

"As do we," The man shot back. "Do something funny and we'll use your sub for target practice."

The Heart Pirates had no choice but to watch as a plank was lowered to their sub with some difficulty –and no way they were going to help—and greeted the five people who came down the wall with the dirtiest glares they were capable of. Leading the group was the woman from before. Saki noted how she had woven white threads in her braids, and as pretty as it looked, she hoped it also blew on her face.

"So? Are you going to show us the way?" Her voice had a teasing quality, like this was routine. It probably was. It was certainly condescending.

"Banu!" The man, still on the wall, shouted. "If you aren't out in ten minutes—"

"We know!" She shouted back. "You don't need to say it every time!" And she turned to the pirates with a self-sufficient smile. "Lead the way, gentlemen. And lady."

—

The guards made their way into the sub, checking the biggest rooms along the way in search of something Saki couldn't pinpoint, but they never stayed in one after a cursory glance. There was a tense moment when they got to the bedrooms and they asked Law to open the door to his quarters ('Whatever you're looking for it isn't there.' 'Open the door if you don't have anything to hide.' 'No.'), though not as much as when they took a look inside the sickbay (Saki, Shachi and Penguin discreetly stepped out when they noticed Law was frowning, really frowning, not the usual relaxed frown they had grown used to see. They were sure somebody was about to die when they set foot in the surgery room with dirty boots).

(On the upside for the pirates, the faces of the guards when they checked the locked storage room with the preserved organs spoke of divine retribution at the unwanted intrusion.)

After the lower levels were checked, they went up at once to the bridge, and all the murderous intent blew out in a split second there.

Bepo had his arms crossed over the helm, patiently waiting for whatever the strangers were doing in the ship. He hadn't heard anything alarming so far save for a few retching noises, but turned his head to the stairs when he heard people coming up. A lot of awkward staring followed.

"Is… Is that a bear?" A very confused man dared to ask.

Bepo didn't take it kindly. "Who are you?"

And then the guards began to talk all at once, pushing each other aside to get a better view, caution forgotten, flung through a porthole and left to fend off the sea monsters on its own.

"It can speak!"

"Holy Mother of—"

"What the fuck."

"Is… is it really a bear?"

"Is it dangerous?"

"He's a he, not an 'it'," Law noted, annoyed at the fact that he wasn't as annoyed at he should have.

"But is it a bear or a furry?"

"I'M SORRY!"

"YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW WHO THEY ARE, DON'T APOLOGIZE!"

"So weak…"

"So it isn't a bear?"

—

"Volkan, the navigator is a bear! A real bear!" The woman said between fits of hysterical laughter when they were out in the open again. "You should have seen everyone's faces!"

The man glared from her to the pirates, back to her, back to Law. "Did you do something to—is that a fucking bear!?"

Law released a sigh of exasperation. "Can we go in or not?"

"They're fine!" The woman gave a thumbs up. "Never thought I'd see the day… a bear navigating a ship…"

Volkan shook his head and yelled at the other guards, "You heard her! Lower the chains!"

"You aren't going up the wall again?" Penguin asked when the strangers on board didn't make any effort to move.

"No. We'll show you around when you dock. Standard security protocol," the woman explained away with a shrug. "Name's Banu, by the way."

Nobody replied. She chuckled under her breath.

Bepo steered the sub into the bay that opened before them. Now that they could see from inside, it became clear that the island was the top of an ancient volcano. The sea had filled most of it through the gap, leaving only a thin strip of flat land at the foot of the wall, which doubled as a natural means of protection. As expected of one of the first stops in the Grand Line, and despite how inhospitable the environment would have initially seemed, the town was full of activity.

What made the place unique, however, was its buildings, or rather, lack of thereof. There were a few constructions and what appeared to be market stalls along the waterfront, but the rock of the wall behind was full of man-made holes; horizontal rows of artificial caves where the townspeople lived. Paths carved on the stone allowed them to navigate their way around the town, and slopes and hundreds upon hundreds of worn steps connected all the different levels. It was a maze of streets, reminiscent of an anthill, complete with the incessant activity.

Saki observed as the colorful fabrics that hung from many windows danced with the wind of the higher tiers of the island; a group of kids running down a flight of stairs, playing tag, and when the sub got closer, she noticed how the inhabitants of the island hadn't been content with only painting the outside of their homes. There were intricate details carved around the windows and doorframes of the houses, and the low barriers that lined many of the paths had reliefs of vines and leaves. These people were sculptors, not builders, and they had turned their mountain into a work of art.

It was a beautiful island, one of those where mankind had grown old along with the place and left its mark on it, the same way the stone had marked the lives of its dwellers. Where others would have left for better lands, these people stayed and learned to make the best of what they had. She had never imagined that bare rock could have been so welcoming and full of life. In that moment, Saki understood why her mother used to speak with such longing of the Grand Line. She would have never seen this if she had stayed in North Blue, and she smiled a little at the thought.

Docked safely at the port, they were escorted by the guards to a place where they could spend the night, but it seemed more out of formality than mistrust, if the relaxed demeanor of the group and the people they passed was anything to go by. The kids Saki had seen running before stopped to wave at them with grins, and a middle aged man selling trinkets tried his best to catch their attention until Banu told him, smiling, "Leave it for later!"

Speaking of whom, she kept trying to make small talk with the pirates, but despite their interest in the island, they were trying to stay annoyed at the invasion of their living space. Banu seemed to take it in stride, continuing the conversation alone if nobody replied.

"This first level of caves is for travelers," she explained. "There are shops here and on the streets above if you need anything, but," she signaled to a wider path that ran several rows above them, "from that street upwards passage is forbidden to foreigners."

"Why?" Law asked, interest officially piqued.

The woman's smirk widened, apparently satisfied that he had got him to talk. "All those caves are residential. You have no business there."

"Is that so," he replied and kept looking up, unconvinced.

Banu's perpetual half-smile turned sharper. "I wouldn't be getting any ideas in your place. You'll be spending the next four days here before you can leave."

"We told you before that we aren't looking for trouble."

"One never knows with you newcomers," she said, leading them to a cave that had its door open. The doorframe was made of solid wood, directly mounted on the mountain's opening and painted the same color as the stone. Carved to the right of the entrance was a simple circle with a dot in the middle.

"Do you have trouble with pirates often? Given your location you must get a fair amount them."

"Some try to, but that's why we have a security control at the entrance. They aren't a major concern nowadays."

"Then who is?"

"And we've arrived," Banu said, crossing the door and leaving the question unanswered.

Unexpectedly, the venue looked like a normal building from the inside. Somebody had even taken the time to carve lines on the walls so it looked like they were made of masonry.

"Odd to see you down the wall at this hour, young lady." An old man so tiny that Saki hadn't noticed him sat on a cattail rush chair, resting all his weight on a well-used cane. He had long white mustache and kept his head covered with a brightly-colored woven hat. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Good day, Onur. I've brought you visitors."

The other guards greeted him as if they were family. Possibly one of them was.

"Kind as always," the man chuckled. "Will you introduce us?"

"Of course. These are the Heart Pirates," and she turned to the aforementioned people. "And this is Onur, one of our elders."

"Just by virtue of being old. I'm the owner of this place," he tapped the floor with his cane with more strength than his body would indicate, "and in my youth I carved every window and every block on this wall with my own hands. Well, and chisels!" The man laughed at his own joke, but Saki shifted a bit at the mention of the instruments of certain death. "That is something to be proud of."

"He's bragging," Banu explained for the pirates' benefit. "He tells the same to very traveler he meets."

"That does not make it any less true."

"Of course it doesn't. I trust that you'll be fine on your own?"

"Carry on," the man waved her away. "It does not do for you to be down here."

The group was about to step out when one of the guards asked all of a sudden, "Did we tell them about the curfew?"

"Good going, I almost forgot!" Banu said, and turned to the pirates. "You can't go out after nine."

"More security?" Law asked, evidently fed up.

"For everyone's benefit. It's easy to take a bad step on these streets when there isn't much light. Nobody can go out unless there's an emergency." With that said, she waved at the others in the exit's direction. "See you around."

The guards left, and as soon as they were out, Onur knocked on the floor with his cane to get the pirates' attention.

"Now then," he started, stern but still amused. "I don't make a habit of housing complete strangers. May I have your names?"

—

"Mr. Onur wasn't startled at all when you first spoke to him," Saki told Bepo, who had just spooked a woman he had bumped into. "I think that's a first."

"He could tell I am a mink. I wonder if he's met many in this island? There aren't that many of us out there."

"You're a what?"

"A mink."

"But aren't you a bear?"

"I'm… I'm both. A bear mink."

"But minks are this small?" Saki gestured with her hands. "And brown? And… different…?"

"We aren't all the same. Are all humans tiny with messy red hair?"

"No, but that's…" She lost track of her own thought. "Did you just call me tiny? Why is everybody getting cheeky with me?"

"If you're tired I can give you a piggyback ride."

"No wonder you and Captain get along," she mumbled, and after a pause she added. "Maybe when no one's watching."

Bepo patted her head. Saki wasn't sure how much more condescension she could take on a single day, but she decided to let it slide. Bepo's day had been rough enough already.

"Girl! Miss! And tall mister! Come take a look at my wares!"

"I think that's us," he said. The man that had tried to catch their attention before was going at it again.

"Might as well see what he has."

They approached the man's stall, which was a long table with several trinkets that contrasted with the dark cloth underneath. Aside from the typical jewelry Saki was used to seeing, there were bracelets, necklaces and diadems woven in the same style as the innkeeper's hat. Some had the same symbol that was carved beside the inn's door.

"That's a beautiful tattoo on your arm, miss. Do you like flowers? Can I interest you in this?" He showed her a pair of silver earrings shaped like lilies.

"I was wondering about these, actually." She pointed to the diadems. "I've seen these colors and patterns a few times since we got here."

"Ah, yes, these are popular souvenirs. The colors are typical from our island, and the circle with the dot is how it was represented in maps long ago."

"So it's like a local symbol?"

"You'll see it everywhere. Ah, but enough boring stories, you look like a lady who appreciates color. Here, touch it, it's made from the softest threads." He grabbed Saki's hand to put a diadem in it, and she had to make an effort not to flinch away. "Want one?"

"How much?"

"Five hundred beli."

"Not interested, thank you." She smiled and turned around, knowing what was coming.

"Wait, four hundred!"

She faced the man again, "I don't think our Captain would approve this kind of spending…"

"If that's the case, just because it's you… Three fifty?"

"I don't know, I saw the same in a stall down there and they were selling at two hundred…"

"But we didn't—" Bepo started, but he got nudged on the shin and took the hint.

"That scammer wouldn't know quality if it hit him on the face! His dye runs as soon as it gets wet, trust me, miss, you won't find better for a lower price."

"Two hundred."

"You're ruining me!"

"Take it or leave it, I can't pay any more."

There was a momentary stare down, after which the man shook his head and smiled as he put the diadem in a paper bag. "You're used to this, aren't you?"

Saki grinned as she dug for the belis in her pocket and Bepo took the bag and looked inside.

"It's pretty," he commented.

"Does it get the Bepo stamp of approval?"

"Sure. It matches…" He looked at Saki up and down, unsure. "…You?"

She didn't know how to take that.

—

As soon as night began to fall, activity near the port dwindled. The market stalls began to close, the sailors hurried to carry their merchandise to the ships and warehouses, and the townspeople trickled into their homes until there was nearly no one in sight on the streets.

Saki waited with Bepo and Law at the docks while Shachi and Penguin were busy dropping in the sub a 'fundamental piece for the ship' that should really had been acquired in Lymes, not from a sketchy pile of 'used' scraps, but circumstances being what they were, it had slipped out of their minds. Neither had wanted to explain what exactly it was or what they needed it for, since the sub was not old enough to be in need of repairs, but Penguin had said that everybody would be grateful for it when the time came.

Meanwhile, Saki watched three boats that approached the docks from across the bay, where the entrance to the island was. A group of around twenty people waited for them, and when they reached solid land, the boats' passengers exchanged a few words with them and traded places. The boats sailed again towards the wall, and the guards who had just ended their shift stretched and made small talk with each other. Some went off, but among the ones who remained, Saki distinguished Banu and the man who had so unceremoniously received them a few hours ago.

He wore one of those woven hair ties she had seen earlier at the street vendor. He wasn't very tall, and his face while he talked to his colleagues was remarkably friendlier than any they had seen so far from him. It didn't last, though, because soon enough one of the guards noticed the Heart Pirates standing a ways away and pointed to them. His expression soured instantly, and with confident steps and a firm grip around the strap of his rifle, he walked towards them, apparently ready to point their weapon at them if he so deemed necessary. He seemed to be the short-fused sort.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, and it sounded more like an order than a question, so of course, none of the pirates was impressed.

"Why do you care?" Law said. "It isn't nine yet. Aren't we allowed outside, either?"

The group of guards was now paying attention to the conversation, and Banu kept moving her feet, as if she were unsure to intervene or not.

"Don't get smart with me and give me an answer."

"Ponytail-ya, I suggest you cut back with the demands if you want me to be civil."

"His bar for smart must be set pretty low if that qualifies," Saki said in a prime demonstration of what not to say to a guy with a weapon.

The man frowned with an intensity that could put a smiley Law on a good day to shame, and took a pair of steps in Saki's direction in an intimidation attempt that didn't really work. Attacking them for that sort of insult would have been stupid, to put it mildly, and his companions didn't seem to think that intervening was worth it.

"You think you can get away with saying whatever you want because you're a woman?"

"Why do you assume I wouldn't—" Saki cut short her retort when she heard two pairs of steps walking down the gangplank, and at the same time, Banu must have decided that enough was enough, because she approached the group before things got ugly.

"Can't you play nice every now and then, Volkan?"

"Pirates don't play nice. You know that better than anybody else."

Banu's ever present smirk dropped, and Volkan's own face changed the moment he saw her reaction.

"Sorry, I-I shouldn't have…"

"Don't worry about it," she shrugged it off, and the smile came back, though noticeably smaller. "But more importantly, they aren't breaking the curfew. And what's the worst that can happen at this hour? That they trip down a staircase and break their necks?" Their eyes met for a moment too long, and Saki had the distinct impression that they were missing something in this conversation.

"I think you meant the best," Volkan said with a sigh, but despite his words he relaxed a little, and Law took the chance.

"As entertaining as it is to hear your banter, we've got better things to do," he said apathetically, in a way that left no doubt that 'entertaining' was the furthest thing from his mind.

"Don't mind Volkan, please," Banu said. "He's just a little rough around the edges, but he means well."

Said man cursed under his breath in a language the pirates didn't understand, but apparently Banu found it worthy of a chuckle before adding. "You should really go back to the inn before the sun sets. The stone is treacherous in the dark, and it gets slippery with the night dew."

"Sounds great. We've had enough slips for a lifetime," Shachi said.

"We were about to head back, actually," Law admitted.

"Then why didn't you say so from the start?" Volkan said, irritation rising again.

Instead of replying, Law stared him down, which wasn't a difficult feat from his height, but Banu put it in words anyway for the benefit of everybody.

"Because you're being an ass. Come on, Volkan," she tapped his arm a few times, "it's been a long day. Mr. Law, everybody, have a good night's rest."

Quietly, everybody in the group parted ways, and the Heart Pirates headed straight to the inn. Saki kept looking around her, more out of habit than anything, because something about the town was nagging at her mind. It felt as if tiny inconsistencies had been piling up until they weighed too much to pass unnoticed any longer.

That Volkan being unpleasant with them wouldn't surprise her on its own, because he had known who they were when they showed up at his gate and the newspapers hadn't been kind (or too kind, depending on how one viewed it) to the crew lately. But Banu had told them that they didn't think the pirates they allowed in were particularly dangerous, their escorts to the inn had been friendly and relaxed, and the townspeople didn't seem to be afraid of them at all.

Then there was the matter of the curfew. If it was truly only enforced to avoid falls down the mountain, why had Volkan made a beeline for them when they were on the flattest part of the island and wasn't even night yet? To add to the strange behavior, there was also the search they had conducted on the sub and the mystery of what they could have been looking for. The pirates had been allowed to keep their weapons and carry them everywhere, and besides, the ship was full of medical instrumental and potentially dangerous machinery. The inspection had been fairly quick, too, so they must have been looking for something visible at first glance.

Nothing added up.

—

Night came, and with it, the island fell into absolute, almost uncanny silence. At dinnertime it had become evident that there weren't any other travelers staying in the inn aside from the Heart Pirates.

Saki's reprieve from insomnia didn't continue, though, too awake by the little things that she didn't understand about the place. Seeing that she wouldn't be able to fall into sleep's clutches anytime soon, she began to sketch the last town they had visited in North Blue. She could remember the details with a vivid quality that used to amaze uncle Arthur when he was teaching her how to draw. If she closed her eyes, she could still see the disposition of the streets, the contrast of the new, orange bricks of the hospital compared to the old of the other buildings, and if she concentrated a lot, she could place each different graffiti that had been written on its walls. Having a stupidly good memory for detail wasn't as practical as one would imagine once out of school, and Saki had never attended one to begin with, so she had been happy to find a good use for that ability. It was one of the reasons she had taken to drawing with so much dedication. It was also part of the reason that she went over the newly issue wanted posters every morning.

Still, remembering wasn't imagining or drawing. She recalled how much she had struggled at first and how frustrated she used to get when her work didn't resemble at all the picture she had in her mind. It still happened, sometimes, enough to get at her ego and make her work harder.

After a while, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a light outside. She approached the only window in her room and watched as a pair of people patrolled the street right outside the inn. She wondered if they would justify it saying it was for their benefit as well, but soon the guards moved and disappeared from her sight, up some steps that went way above their level.

It was definitely strange, this level of security, and organized by townspeople themselves. It hit her then that she hadn't seen a single Marine that day, despite Qaryn being a mandatory stop for many pirates. She would have thought they'd be circling the island like sharks, waiting for any newbie with black flag to show up and get them a no return trip to Impel Down.

Is this how people on the Grand Line live? Don't they have Marines to protect them?

When her vision got too blurry to work, she blew out the candle on her desk and lay on her bed, drifting in and out of shallow sleep.

—

Law was already sitting on a low sofa and sipping coffee when Saki went to the inn's main room. She was wearing the diadem she had bought the day before.

She looked around for more people and yawned openly. "Do you ever sleep? Other than on the sub's deck, I mean."

"Not in hostile places."

"...You've noticed it too, huh."

"Bepo as well. There's something these people are keeping from us. We should watch out while we're here, maybe talk to them and try to find out so we don't get involved in whatever it is."

"You're way too goddamn awake," she sentenced, and dropped her butt on the nearest ottoman. It was soft and it swallowed her.

"You'll fall asleep again."

"Shhhhh."

The bell on the door rang, and with it Saki was forced to come back to reality. Banu came in wearing ample cotton pants, a strapless crop top and a long vest that reached her knees. The scars on her face weren't the only ones, she had a few cuts running through the side of her abs. Saki wanted those abs for herself.

"Wow, you're early birds," the woman said with a smile.

Law saluted her with a nod; Saki just let out a weak grunt.

"Not a morning person?"

"Not before her morning coffee."

"She's in luck, then, because Onur's is the best. Where is he?"

"Somewhere in the back, I think."

Banu sat on the opposite end of the sofa from Law. "Nice diadem," she told Saki, extending an arm forward. "Look, my bangles are the same!"

Indeed, the colors were similar and it had the same pattern of white circles. "So it isn't just a tourist thing."

Banu laughed at the suggestion. "No, but you'd think so with all the things they sell at the market. The people of this island are very set in their ways. A good thing if you ask me, they haven't lost their identity among so many travelers. They put symbols of the Mother everywhere, even those who don't believe in her. It's traditional and looks neat. Even Onur has one next to the door.

"The Mother?"

"That's what I said. You don't know what the symbol means?"

"The vendor said it was the old way of representing this island on maps."

"That is true, but it isn't the whole story. Onur should be able to tell you if you want to know… Ah, there he is!"

The man came out from a door behind the counter and walked to them with labored steps. "Oho, I'm away five minutes and two beautiful women appear in my house. Maybe I should leave it unattended more often."

"No, you've come just at the right moment," Banu grinned. "Could you tell these guys about the Mother?"

Onur blinked a few times, surprised. "Surely you've learnt the stories by heart by now? You can tell them yourself."

"I know you'll do a better job. Oversharing is your thing."

"Well, if you insist…" The man said sheepishly, though he seemed eager to start talking. "There are ancient stories about—"

Saki raised her hand suddenly. "May… may I have a coffee first?"

—

Saki would happily admit that it was easily the best coffee she had ever had, and could just as easily get depressed if she thought that she'd likely never taste it again after leaving the island. Such was the ephemeral nature of life on seas, her mom used to say. Her mother also loved complicated words and, according to dad, made coffee undrinkable to anyone but her.

The rest of the crew had appeared while Onur was in the kitchen, and they were all now waiting for the man to start telling them about this Mother business.

"There isn't much to explain, to be honest. Our legends say that it was the Mother who gave birth to our people. Devotion for her used to be strong, and we prayed and brought her offerings to the shrine in the mountain's lowest cave. The circle," he drew one in the air with a finger, "represents our island and her body. The dot in the middle is this town, or her belly, qaryn in our old tongue. That's where the name of the island comes from."

"Of course, people didn't magically pop into existence on a volcano's crater," said Banu with a dismissive wave. "Thousands of years ago, people must have come through Reverse Mountain and settled here because it was a convenient stop for sailors."

"And it still is."

"Speaking of convenient locations, it's a wonder that this place has managed to stay independent for so long," Law said, having reserved the question for a good enough moment to drop it, "Don't outsiders try to take over the island to use it for their own purposes? The Navy, pirate crews?"

Banu raised an eyebrow at him. "Why do you think we keep security so tight at the entrance?"

"I doubt such flimsy fortifications and a handful of soldiers could hold up against a well-organized attack."

They were startled by the sudden knock of a cane against the floor. "The Mother granted us the wall to protect us from intruders. For as long as our people exist, she'll keep us safe," Onur said brusquely, leaving no doubt that he was cutting the conversation on his end, and disappeared from the room.

"Touchy," Shachi muttered.

"You don't beat around the bush, do you?" Banu sighed. "Foreigners are a delicate subject with some people, nowadays. You should be more careful with what you say."

"It didn't look like anybody in town minded us yesterday," Penguin said.

"And certainly nobody seems to mind you, either." Law pointed out. "Have you lived here for long?"

"You shouldn't make assumptions based on looks. People of many skin colors are born here. You've seen them."

"I don't think he meant it that way." Saki intervened, and Banu looked at her with interest. "You talk about the people of this island as if you weren't one of them. You keep saying 'they,' not 'us.'"

Law stayed silent and simply smiled at the ceiling.

"Weren't you asleep?" Penguin asked, and Saki just shot him a lazy look and took another gulp of coffee.

Banu took a moment to reply. "I came to this island before the Golden Age of Piracy took off. Things were different back then. Safer. And for all intents and purposes I am one of them, even if I don't remember it all the time."

—

"Excuse me, do you have today's newspaper?" Saki asked Onur over the counter.

"If it isn't on a table, a customer must have taken it," he said curtly.

"Oh… thanks."

The newspaper was nowhere to be seen, so Saki decided to go outside, wondering if she should be worried about the man spitting in their food. She was stopped just as soon as she put a foot across the door.

"Where do you think you're going on your own? Didn't you listen to what Captain said?" Shachi was approaching and shooting her a dirty look.

She opened her mouth a couple of times to reply before she said, "I… don't believe I was thinking at all."

"No shit."

"I'm not used to having a nanny, okay?"

"Just admit you were about to screw up."

Saki put her hands in her pockets and looked at her sandals as she kicked nonexistent dust. "Do you want to see how far we can climb up the mountain before somebody tries to throw us out?"

"Count me in."

—

The town was as busy as it had been the day before. It seemed odd that some townspeople had problems with foreigners when nobody seemed to bat an eye at them. Then again, she supposed that having a constant influx of new people could be challenging. Was the constant presence of travelers the reason for the security? Was she reading too much into it?

A loud whistle interrupted her thoughts. "Saki, take a look at this!"

Shachi was some steps ahead of her, facing the bay from the first street they weren't allowed onto. That tier was wider than most others, but not many people were using it at that hour. As they had been told, it seemed to be mainly a residential area.

Saki walked up to him and looked in the direction he pointed to. The water of the bay glistened under the sunlight as if it had been sprinkled with diamond dust. From that point of view, the same as from the gap directly opposite to them, the people moving at the foot of the mountain and going on their business up and down it were like ants hurrying to get their job done.

"Not a bad view for one of your drawings. What do you think?"

Saki turned to him, not expecting that comment in the least. "Is that why you wanted me to look?"

"Don't you spend most of your free time like that? Always drawing or reading or whatever you come up with to not have to be with all of us at once."

For the second time that day, Shachi left him out of smart replies. "Have I really been doing that?"

"Good to know that you don't do it on purpose, I guess."

She wasn't what to say, and during the heavy silence that followed, they heard two people talking from one of the windows above.

"—telling you, something was out last night! Old Arslan says he saw a shadow through the curtains."

"Must have been a patrol."

"So up high? That's nonsense. You heard about the pirate crew that came to town yesterday, right? The made the news last week, apparently their captain is getting famous fast..."

"We'd be better off if we just allowed a few Marines to set up camp on the harbor, I tell you. Don't know when the elders will see sense… The guards at the entrance can't keep up. The trouble's inside, not outside."

"I suppose you're right…"

The conversation faded, and the two redheads kept quiet for a good minute afterwards.

"What the hell was that about?" Shachi said quietly.

"I don't know, but I'm pretty sure we weren't supposed to hear it."

"We'd better go down and tell the others."

Saki spared one last moment to glance up at the open window, but the only thing she saw was a cloth of red and yellow and green fluttering in the wind.

—

The Heart Pirates spent the remainder of the day looking over their shoulders, but other than that, nothing of note took place.

People were nice. Onur's mood got better. Saki finished her drawing and Penguin and Shachi helped her find a post office. She reminded Penguin that he still hadn't told her what design he wanted for his tattoo.

She went to sleep thinking that maybe they were being paranoid, after all. It had been only a conversation.

—

A shot and a scream rang through the stillness of the night.

Saki woke up with a jolt, sat upright and backed on reflex until she hit the bed's headboard. Her heart pounded in her throat furiously, as if it was trying to come out, and she whipped her head left and right frantically, trying to find the source, 'where's the danger, where?'

It didn't take her long to realize that nobody else was in her room.

The scream had sounded very close, and it had been a woman's, so it couldn't have come from inside the inn. She pushed herself out of bed and stumbled to the window, trying her best to see the street and carelessly ignoring that there was a high chance that someone with a gun was around.

Straining her eyes, she managed to see the shape of a collapsed person on the ground below her. At once, she opened the window, lifted her legs over the windowsill, and leaped down. Her room wasn't too high up from street level, but a bad fall would hurt, regardless.

She lost her balance when her feet hit the ground, so used to jump in heels that, ironically, she had trouble doing it barefooted, but she picked up herself from the floor as fast as she could.

The figure lay a scarce five feet away, and when Saki approached it she stepped on something wet and sticky. She wanted to run, but she couldn't leave this person be. She knelt next to her and turned the woman on her back to see where the wound was while in her head she just repeated like a mantra, 'not again, not again, not again—'

"Banu?" She croaked.

The answer she received was in the form of ragged breaths, and she felt her blood run cold when she touched the area of the wound and the woman whimpered.

"Don't fall unconscious, okay?" Saki said faintly, pressing on the wound with the palm of her hand. It didn't look good, there was so much blood already on the ground and it was happening again, what could she do, she needed help—

"Move," said somebody to her right, and she had been so lost in her panic that she hadn't heard Law approach with their crewmates in tow.

"What happened?" She heard Onur say, and a second later she saw him running towards the wounded woman at a speed he hadn't though he was capable of. "Banu? Banu! Who did this to you?" He let go of his cane and dropped to her side.

"Saki, move or she'll die," Law insisted in a calm voice, and that got her out of her daze long enough to back away from the woman. Her eyes, though, didn't leave her.

Penguin pulled on her arm gently. "Come on, get up," and when he didn't get any response, he asked, "Saki? You okay?"

Shachi rushed to her other side. "Man, that's a lot of blood."

"You aren't injured, right?" Bepo said, sniffing the air near her.

Law's head snapped in their direction for a brief moment.

"I'm fine," Saki said, even if she was evidently not. She looked down at her hands, and she found that she couldn't keep them still.

Shachi insisted, "Your hands are shak—"

"There's a goddamn woman dying next to you, I'm fine!"

She felt everyone's stares burning through her and flinched. She hadn't meant to take her nerves out on Shachi.

"C'mon, let's go," Penguin said, as if her outburst hadn't just happened. "You need to wash up." Saki stood up with his help, still trembling and trying with all her strength not to, wishing that her crewmates hadn't seen her like that.