Nanohana wasn't changed much, to the point that Nao was beginning to wonder how long she had been inside her crystal prison. She had no idea how much time had passed, but if the boy who had broken her out of the rock hadn't recognized her or her flag it had to have been a while.

And that hat…

It had to be a duplicate, surely.

Nao tucked her hands into the pockets of her pants. Her high leather boots kept the sand out of her socks, at least, and when Luffy managed to burn whole sacks of Raindance powder her cape kept her dry. At her side, Odenta and Mikazuki hung as heavy comforts in their sheaths. They didn't garner nearly as much attention in the city as Nao and the Gem's had when they had arrived however long ago that was. Back there the city had emptied out as soon as they stepped foot in the sand covered streets of the Alabastan port.

No, no one even looked twice at them, there were so many people going through the city.

Not her, or Luffy in his hat.

How peculiar.

Nao made a mental note to get a hold of a newspaper as soon as she could, or maybe visit Ohara. They would have the best records about what she'd missed.

It would have to wait. Ohara was a long ways from Alabasta, and it would be hard to sail Blood Stone without someone else helping her. The ship was just a little felucca, hardly big enough for fifteen people, but she was tough as nails and made for the roughest waters in the world. All the same, it wasn't safe to sail alone in the Grand Line, where the weather might change without warning, when there wasn't someone to stay awake and keep watch. Not to mention Marine's, other pirates, and all sorts of other dangers. Sea Kings probably hadn't gone extinct since she went under. She'd rather not deal with them.

Nao was so busy contemplating her ship that she nearly walked right by the restaurant that Luffy went shooting into.

She had to backtrack to poke her head inside. A crowd had gathered, and Luffy was ignoring it entirely in face of ordering lunch. A pair of unconscious bodies lay through several broken walls.

Nao cocked her head. Had Luffy done that when hed stretched out and launched himself like a demented rubberband? She knew it had to be a Devil Fruit, but she didn't expect him to go causing that much destruction mindlessly.

What a weird kid.

Ah well. Pirate.

Nao took a seat next to Luffy while the chef frantically started cooking. Whoever had been in before them had eaten a lot, with dirty plates stacked nearly to the ceiling. Now he was feeding Luffy, and her too.

Nao made a mental note to tip him well.

She casually elbowed Luffy's face out of the way and stole a whole chicken to rip into.

"Hey!" he shouted around a mouthful of food. His head stretched unnaturally away on his neck. "That's mine!"

"Finders keepers," she said succinctly, and shoveled it into her face as fast as she could. Time hadn't passed for her at all inside the stone. Her injuries from the battle weren't healed, and she didn't feel well rested. She was famished, but not starving like she'd spent months unconscious.

Nevertheless, she'd always been a big eater. She needed the energy to keep up with her lifestyle, and to keep herself strong enough to fight. She wouldn't let her broad shoulders shrivel or her powerful legs grow weak if she could help it. It was a death sentence.

She nearly bit Luffy's hand inhaling spicy noodles next, and a hank of lamb. The chef was sweating and out of breath but he kept putting food on the counter and they kept eating. Luffy was chatting with the locals while he ate.

"Why's there a hole in the wall? Is that some weird hobby of yours?"

"YOU'RE THE ONE WHO PUT THE HOLE IN THE WALL!"

She knew it.

Nao was in the middle of a plate of roasted peppers when one of the formerly-unconscious men climbed out of the hole in the wall. She watched him get slammed back down by a man in a fur coat, and the next thing she knew she was getting dragged through the streets of Nanohara by Luffy.

Why are we running? That guy isn't even that strong...

"Tashigi!" the man chasing them shouted, "Stop them!"

Nao looked forwards to see a girl with a sword.

"I'll handle her," she offered Luffy, who nodded and let go so he could go bouncing up onto the rooftops like a ninja or something. In one smooth move Nao drew Odenta from her side and lifted it to block a blow from the other girl, Tashigi.

"Nice sword," Nao grinned sharply at the girl over their locked blades. Her form was good, but she wasn't very strong. Too bad.

"Yours is too. It's a shame it's being used by pirate scum!"

"Xeshishishi, tell you what, if you can beat me you can have her."

The man who'd been smashed into the floor landed next to the two. An orange hat rested on his head and he had a bad slung over one shoulder. Black hair fell in soft waves to frame his cheeks, which were covered with freckles.

There was something familiar about him…

"Excuse me, ladies," he said politely, startling both of them into looking away from their crossed blades to him instead. He tipped his hat towards them, then the building that Luffy had jumped up onto. He was blocked from it by their swords. "I have to catch up with my brother now."

"Uh, sure," said the marine girl. They pulled their blades away to make a path for him.

"Why are you telling us this…?" the redhead countered, looking confused. She faltered when she got a good look at his face, recognition shooting through her. Nao sucked in a breath. He looked like-

"Hey, hold on-!"

"Sorry, I can't," Portgas waved to them and shot over the rooftops, after his brother and the marine. Nao shook her head. She would see him again, if he was chasing Luffy.

Nao drew back and slashed again easily. Each move was economic and graceful. She spared no energy, partially because she simply didn't have any. Tashigi blocked, but the force pushed her back a few feet.

Nao parried her next attack and side stepped to smack her on the back of the neck with Odenta, sending her careening to the ground.

Someone screamed, but no blood came from the fallen marine.

She touched the back of her neck in confusion. "Wha-?"

Nao didn't answer.

She was already gone.

Nao ducked around a corner and ran after Luffy, following his Haki until she caught up with him and a group of colorful people. Hadn't he said he was a pirate? Or he was going to be King of the Pirates. That was what he'd said. Well, to be king of them you needed to be a pirate in the first place, right?

That sounded right.

So these people were probably his crew.

When he saw her he grinned and threw his hand out. It stretched far enough to grab her by the wrist and yank her forwards.

"Hey! You made it past the sword lady!"

"Well yeah," Nao landed beside him running. Her leg was starting to ache where a cut had caught her over the knee.

"Who are you supposed to be?" A curly haired young man with a long nose demanded, eying her.

"She's a rock person I found," Luffy said cheerfully.

"That. About sums it up," Nao felt herself smile involuntarily. "I'm Roche Nao," she said for the second time that day. She really hoped they stopped running soon. Her leg was seriously starting to ache.

"So Luffy picked up someone else weird," an orange haired girl looked exasperated more than anything else. Nao felt like she should have been offended, but she just shrugged. She was too tired to be upset with people who hadn't actually done anything to her.

Besides, she wasn't wrong.

They came upon a pretty caraval, with a sweet looking figure head. A sheep. Nao felt herself smile. It was cute and light hearted, like this crew seemed to be. Nothing at all like the swift, devil faced Blood Stone. Her eyes were two carved rubies, and a pair of snakes twined around her in a macabre necklace that matched the one that hung beneath Nao's own shirt.

"Permission to come aboard?" she asked Luffy lightly. The boy beamed at her and tipped the brim of his hat.

"Granted!"

They scampered onto the ship and in a whirlwind of motion they set sail. The caravel carried them away from the port. The pirate flag flapped in the wind, showing off a skull wearing a straw hat.

Seriously, what was up with that hat?

Had that up-and-coming volcano really given it to some upstart?

...actually. That sounded exactly like something he would do.

She realized that their little pet (a raccoon?) was staring at her only when he shouted suddenly.

"Ah! You're bleeding!"

It was a testement to how tired she was that she hadn't noticed that he was a mink, and not just a weird animal.

"Hah? Where?"

"Your leg! Quick, take off your pants and I'll- ouch!"

The orange haired girl smacked him over the head. "Don't ask it like that!" she scolded.

"But I need to see how bad it is! She might need a doctor!"

"You're the doctor!"

Ah. Nao would have preferred they didn't know she was actually injured, or weak, but there was nothing to be done about it. They seemed like good people anyhow, as far as pirates went.

"Well then, mister doctor, where's your office?"

"A-ah! I don't have a real office yet. We've been using the bathroom."

"Then lead the way."

The doctor, Tony Tony Chopper, guided her down to the bathroom. The Caravel was small without being cramped. Nao took off her boots and pants, now stained with blood, so he could clean and stitch her leg. He treated her smaller scrapes and bruises as well, and stuck bandaids across her cuts.

He left so she could clean herself properly, wash her hair and get the blood off of her. She watched the pink water wash down the drain and wondered where her crew was. What had happened to Elba, Talisa, Adrien and Pearl? Were Rize and Hinami still injured? Had the marine's tended to their wounds? Tier had escaped into the sea before a blast from a marine flagship had sent them hurtling out of the little cove they'd been hiding in and beached their ship. Had she made it back to fishman island?

She needed to find out. She owed it to her crew after she had failed them all.

There was a knock on the door.

She cracked it open to find the blond man standing outside, holding a bundle of clothes in his arms. Her red hair dripped across her shoulders, but in a few minutes it would be dry and wildly curly again.

"I bought an extra outfit for Nami or Vivi, but now I see it was destiny that I have it ready for you!"

He had literal hearts in her eyes when he presented them to her.

Nao took them carefully. The clothes were lightweight and soft, so soft that they caught on the sword-callouses on her fingers.

"Thank you?" Her clothes weren't ruined, by any means. Did she really need a new outfit?

"If you need any help changing I-"

She shut the door on his face. "Nope."

They definitely didn't recognize her. No one who did was stupid enough to flirt with her. Her dad would kill them.

Nao changed into the clothes and was disappointed to find that they were dancers clothes.

Yeah. No.

She couldn't fight in that!

Instead she cleaned her pants as best as she could, used a small sewing kit she kept in her cape to fix the cut in them, and redressed.

She'll have to find a hair tie eventually.

When she came back up to deck the other man they'd run into was crouched on the outer rail. With his back partially to her while he chatted with someone else Nao caught a glimpse of a tattoo on his back.

It was familiar, too. He nodded to Nao when she came to stand beside the green haired man. Solo?

Most of his attention was on Luffy, not her.

"Luffy. Will you come join the Whitebeard Pirate Crew? With your friends, too, of course."

Whitebeard pirates. Whitebeard. Edward Newgate.

Nao could feel a headache starting to throb behind her eyes.

"No way!"

The man laughed. "Just thought I'd ask! Whitebeard is the greatest pirate I've ever known. I want to make him the pirate king. Not you, Luffy."

Nao internally winced. Brutal. They were obviously close. Childhood friends?

"That's okay! I'll just fight him."

Nao blinked at Luffy's back. Was he stupid? Or just crazy?

Either way, Nao liked him.

She couldn't start her hunt for her crew yet. She didn't know how long she was trapped, and she didn't know where everyone had gone. She also wasn't in any shape to go rushing off and finding out. Her mother would have killed her for doing something as impulsive as grabbing the nearest Marine and demanding to know where her crew had been taken. And her dad…

Her heart twisted in her chest. Nao shook her head. She wouldn't let herself have a breakdown yet. Not here. Not yet.

"Hey, Luffy."

He turned his head to look at her. Nao offered him a half bow. "Sorry but, I'm going to have to take advantage of your hospitality for now. Until I can get in contact with my own crew."

Luffy shot her cheerful grin. "Sure, okay. You can hang out with us for a while."

"I don't know if that's a good idea," the blue girl stepped forwards. Nao really needed to figure out everyone's names. She only knew Luffy and Chopper. "We're not here for tourism. Where we'll be going is bound to be dangerous."

Nao cocked her head. Yeah. "I appreciate you worrying. But I'm a pirate as much as anyone else. I won't change my mind just because it's dangerous."

Besides, they were going to Yuba, where Nao was supposed to meet with her crew.

Molly should have already gotten there and set up shop.

"Wait for us, Moll. We'll get there, even if it takes a while."

Molly pursed her black-painted lips. "I don't like it, captain. This splitting up stuff. You already sent Harry and Monty back to Zou. We're stronger together."

"I know we are. But with dad-"

"Don't worry," Nao looked the girl in the eye and lay her hand on Odenta's hilt. "I won't ask any of you to be responsible for me."

"I am my own captain, after all."