Alvida circled around the island twice before she worked up the nerve to disembark once more. Damn you for giving me such vague orders, Captain! You know I belong to your crew, Alvida thought as she tried to find some inlet closer to Gecko Town to hide her waiver in. She dared not return to the beach with the White Fang prowling there, though her heart ached for both Buggy and Luffy's safety. But if you can secure some solid allies, maybe there's a chance.

She finally found some such hiding place, but still tore the limbs from a bowie tree to hide its more flamboyant colors. She left her mace behind as she slipped into town from a rocky wharf, abandoned save for one modest crabbing vessel. The streets here were abandoned, but she still stuck to the shadows.

She came to the town square by way of an alley, finally coming across Smoker Squad. In addition, sadly, were much of the crew. They were either unconscious and handcuffed or badly beaten and handcuffed. A man with a scarred face seemed to be leading the Marines here. Smoker's still busy with the Captain . . . Maybe that means he's got a chance! She could only hope at this point. She noticed more Marines enter the square, bearing yet more Marines who were badly wounded between them on gurneys.

"Here's the other Marines we found. They must have fought bravely," said a squirrely voiced young man in glasses.

"Yes. I'm sure the captain will allow us to bring them back for medical attention," Moncado said, hands placed behind his back. Alvida looked around the sequence of Clown Pirates who had been rounded up, their raid on Gecko Town so far a failure. It was obvious Richie was nowhere to be found, but they might have just shot and killed a lion. Yet the First and Second Mates were surprisingly missing. Though lacking bounties themselves, they were still officers of Buggy the Clown; they had some notoriety.

Alvida went off through the town, deciding to search the more abandoned streets. She would still have to do some ducking and dodging to avoid patrolling Marines, rifles at the ready, but eventually, she came across a lone figure making his way through the streets. He was badly beaten and obviously dazed, but somehow had avoided Naval detection. In truth, if Sanji had waited around only moments more after spotting Mohji dragged from the square's fountain, he would have seen Buggy's First Mate rouse and leave, wandering off on some random path.

"Mohji!" Alvida hissed as she saw him, tip-toeing over to him. She grabbed him by the shoulders and he grumbled and looked all about in open air. "Mohji! Get it together! It's me! It's Alvida!"

"I don't know no Velveeta," Mohji groaned out, shaking his head manically.

Alvida slapped Mohji once, still stabilizing him from the shoulders. "Mohji! Get it together! Things have gone south and I need your help!" She stared deep into his eyes. Their previous quarrels ought to have been placed aside for this sudden turn of events.

This did spur Mohji along, and the recognisance returned to his eyes as he finally recognized Alvida. He furrowed his brow. "What are you doing here? Wait, are we still on Gecko Island?" he asked, still dazed as he gradually worked himself back to reality.

"I'll catch you up on what I can. For now, we have to find Cabaji," Alvida resolved, gripping his shoulders hard before letting go and running off toward an alley. Mohji felt spurred to move himself, and stumbled after Alvida, gradually regaining his sense of self and his ability.


Alvida and Mohji prowled through Gecko Town, and the issue of anonymity remained more and more difficult. Smoker Squad gained territory, putting out the fires of the Clown Pirates' pillaging along the way as well as helping the locals. The alleys still played immensely useful, but Alvida had to wonder, For how much longer? We can't have much time . . .

"Y'know," Mohji finally said after he'd gotten his entire senses back together, and he tapped Alvida on the shoulder before she was about to sprint across the street. "Wait, Alvida. Cabaji was after the Eternal Pose. Let's head to where that antiquity shop was."

The pair moved along the route, following Mohji's directions now as only he and Cabaji had really been entrusted with where the shop was. Before they reached the street the antiquity shop was on, the foot traffic died down. The locals were still hiding in this stretch of town, or else had evacuated; and the Marines were nowhere to be seen. As they came across the street where the antiquity shop was said to lay, Mohji looked left as Alvida looked right, and Iron Mace gasped.

"Come on! Here he is!" Alvida said, running down the street toward a figure on the ground. Mohji ran after and even despite their animosity, his adrenaline spiked to see the dire strait Cabaji was in. The wound across his chest was foul, a straight square. As Alvida bent down to check on Cabaji's pulse, Mohji checked his pockets. Alvida grimaced, shaking her head at the First Mate. "What's the matter with you?"

"The captain was after the Eternal Pose, and Cabaji was the one to retrieve it. Seems he failed, somehow," Mohji said, clapping a hand on Cabaji's chest. Yes, they were at a constant duel; but they were still Clown Pirates. Mohji could tell Cabaji was still alive; his breathing was ragged; and he stooped down to scoop Cabaji up, cradling him across his whole body almost. "Lead the way, Iron Mace. Get us out of here."

Alvida was grateful their baseless rivalry was set aside now. There might be a chance this way, Alvida thought. For at least an hour now, since she had begun searching for Mohji and Cabaji, she had wondered about the odds of them reclaiming the Big Top. There were more than just the First Mate and Second Mate that Alvida was curious about. Yet for now, their focus had to be on returning to her waiver. Yet that was an issue in and of itself; the waiver could feasibly carry two, and that assumed they were both conscious. Three, two of which were barely conscious, seemed tipsy.

Yet as they reached the inlet, Alvida had to put another fire out instead. "Hey, where have we come? Aren't we getting the rest of the crew?"

"No," Alvida said, wiping the sweat from her brow and pointing at the ground. "Put him down. We have to patch him up now."

"What about Captain Buggy's men?" Mohji protested, refusing to set Cabaji down to this wench.

Alvida sighed, placing her hands on her hips. "The crew are all captured, and Captain Buggy is in duel against Captain Smoker of the Navy." Mohji gasped at the revelation that the White Fang was involved. "I'm trying my best here, so dammit, why don't you just trust me?!"

Mohji bit his lip pensively, but placed Cabaji down, kneeling beside him as Alvida kneeled on Cabaji's other side. She tore at Cabaji's clothes, turning it into makeshift bandaging to wrap around Cabaji's entire body. He remained unconscious the entire time. Alvida furrowed her brow. "This strength . . . it's really set Cabaji out. It must have been Roronoa Zoro."

"Roronoa?" Mohji asked.

Alvida sighed yet again. "He returned. Buggy didn't kill him after all." She whipped her head up, narrowing her eyes over Mohji's shoulder. "Do you hear that?" she whispered, perfectly frozen but for the small rise of her shoulders from her breath.

Mohji looked over his shoulder, staring deep into the vegetation, but he stood and smiled. He spread his arms wide and took three steps forward, saying, "Come here, Richie. I'm so glad you're safe." Richie padded out from the forest, letting Alvida breathe a sigh of relief. He leaned into Mohji's hug, whining as he was taken back into safety from his master. "I'm sorry, I bet you got real hurt. Is your tongue okay?" Richie panted, showing that his tongue was still inflamed. "Oh, you poor thing."

"Thank goodness," Alvida said as she tied Cabaji's big chest wound off. "That clears up our transportation issue."

Mohji looked back to Alvida, still keeping a reassuring hand on Richie. "What do you mean?"

"We have to get back to the Big Top, and see if Smoker's won the day," Alvida said rapidly, hauling Cabaji up. At seeing her strain, Mohji rushed over to help, and Alvida nodded her head as she turned her feet toward her waiver.

"Richie! Clear those branches off the waiver," Mohji said, and the lion padded forward, brushing the branches Alvida had used to mask it off the waiver. Alvida let Mohji hold Cabaji while she mounted the waiver and helped cradle Cabaji back into place in front of her, still deeply unconscious. "You're good to carry him?"

"Yes," Alvida said. "I know I'm on this waiver, but from this distance, you'll get there first. So be safe, and take caution. This is Captain Smoker we're up against."

"What about Mugiwara?" Mohji asked, remembering his First Mate. "Alvida, I don't think those guys are as weak as we expected. What if those bounty hunters did that to Cabaji?"

"They're strong, but I always told Buggy that," Alvida said, only quarter-lying in that statement. "I know you're the First Mate, but I was a pirate captain once and Captain Buggy recognized that, so trust my order now. Be careful how you approach the Big Top, okay?"

Mohji took a deep, calculated breath, exhaled, and nodded.


"This is better than anything!" Nami exclaimed, money in her eyes as she counted the beris and gold on deck as Usopp and Sanji hauled the chests out from the depths of the Big Top. So far, her count was up to 96 million. "This is a real pirate! We have to give him credit on that front!" Yet even as she said it, she felt bad, remembering what Buggy had done to Luffy's straw hat. She crawled over to the railing of the Big Top's deck, and stared at the beach where Luffy, Yosaku, Johnny, and Zoro sat together around an extinct fire.

"So . . . You're bound for the Grand Line?" Zoro asked Luffy at the end of their conversation. "You're really going after the One Piece?"

"Yup! I wouldn't dream of anything less," Luffy said, beaming at Zoro. "You're stronger than I expected, and I only read one newspaper about you!" He extended his hand once again. "So what do you say? Will you join my crew and turn your ways completely?"

"Nami," Sanji said as he planted another chest on the deck, walking toward her as Usopp set another chest behind him. "I think that's most everything. Everything from his vault, at least."

As he and Usopp came upon either side of Nami, looking down at their captain, they each cocked an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, but there's just no way he joins a pirate crew. This is about to be fireworks all over again," Sanji said, sticking his hands in his pockets.

His sour attitude was not shared by Usopp or Nami, both of which waited in anticipation for the shake of hands. Both of them had overheard Zoro's dream, as well as Sanji, though there was some other form of apprehension there. I want to be the world's greatest swordsman. Bounty hunting is just a means to an end.

"If a man I follow ever makes me balk, I would kill him . . . that was a vow given to me long ago. Do you adhere to such a crede?" Zoro asked, uncharastically verbose even by his own standards.

Luffy nodded with a smile worth a thousand words. "You don't have to worry about that," he said all the same.

"Hmph," Zoro said, and took Luffy's hand. Yet before he shook it, he stared deep into Luffy's eyes. "So, then, do you promise in that case, that if anything should come between me and my goal, you'll bear responsibility?"

Luffy nodded. "That's a given in acceptance into my crew. Come on!" He was exasperated and flexed his hand.

Zoro clasped Luffy's hand and tugged him in tight. "If that's merely the absolute least you can promise me . . . then I'll accept you as my leader for now." Zoro then clapped Luffy along either side of his hand.

"Then, I'll hold you to that," Zoro said quietly, but only tightening his grip on Luffy's hand. He cocked his head slightly before releasing Luffy's hand. "Don't forget, now." It was somewhat of a threat,

"You shouldn't even have to worry about that," Luffy said, shaking Zoro's hands vigorously. Zoro could only chuckle and agree internally, shaking his hand back. She will be so mad with you, Zoro thought as he shook Luffy's hand. It was meant at himself rather than at Luffy.

"Hey, we've got to get going," Usopp declared, walking up last of the three from the Big Top, but speaking as if he were first. Sanji and Nami stopped approaching, letting Usopp walk right next to Luffy. "We got a huge haul from Buggy. You're not ready!" Usopp exclaimed, clapping Luffy on the shoulder twice.
Everything had begun happening too fast; Luffy couldn't concentrate. "Yeah, great, whatever Nami needs," Luffy said, rubbing his temples. He was incredibly grateful for his comrades here in Yosaku and Johnny, though he was ultimately trying to connect with Roronoa Zoro. Strange guy, Luffy thought in response to his strength.

"Look, the truth is," Yosaku began hesitantly as he rose to his feet, "the Navy will be back soon. They got Buggy, but there's more to capture on this island past his crew." He gestured toward the Going Merry. "We need to go. I'll tell you right now - none of us can handle the White Fang."

"We can't even handle him combined," Johnny said as he stood up.

"Wow, he's really that tough?!" Luffy exclaimed, leaping to his feet. "Aw, man! I should have fought him more. Do you guys think we'll meet him again?" Luffy said as everyone started making for the Big Top to retrieve the haul of treasure together onto the Going Merry.

The sun was beginning to set as they did and Usopp replied, "I sure hope not. We've got other foes we can go up against that are strong. Maybe the one that can turn into pure smoke is one we can just skip."

Luffy and Usopp quarrelled as they moved the chests over to the Merry. Usopp and Johnny carried one between them; Yosaku cradled one over his shoulder. Nami couldn't carry even one on her own, but she gathered up a small sack of jewelry Buggy had acquired, tossing it over her shoulder. "It'll only take us a couple trips with all of us," Nami instructed, but her eyes went wide as she saw that Luffy, Sanji, and Zoro had picked up two each, carrying them under their arms. With that, they had all the gold they wanted from the Clown Pirates.

Mohji and Richie watched from the treeline as the seven Straw Hats walked back to the Going Merry, helping each other haul the chests up to the deck. A tiny part of Mohji had won over, and he'd tried to spur Richie forward to eat them all up now; yet Richie had been too scared to move at seeing Usopp alone. And now they're all together, Mohji thought as he tuned in to Richie's apprehension. He pet his lion on the head, whispering, "Okay, let's just wait for them to take off. No skin off my back."

Finally, the Straw Hats were back on board the Merry and ready to be off. Sanji hopped off the deck to push the ship into deeper water. "I got this," he said, but Zoro was already over the side of the ship, pushing with both his arms. The Merry was already scooching across the sand, so Sanji quickly tossed himself after Zoro, pushing with all his might.

"It's fine, I got it!" Zoro grunted through his exertion.

"It's fine, it's kinda my job! Next to being the bodyguard, the lady's man, and the cook of the crew," Sanji said.

Zoro scoffed and looked sideways at Sanji. "Did you really just say that?" Even Sanji agreed with Zoro; he wondered why he'd said that. But it was out and he couldn't put it back; he just kept pushing until the Merry bobbed happily in the water. Usopp tossed a rope ladder down to them, and one by one they climbed back on deck.

They reached the top of the Merry, their legs soaked with sea water, as Luffy kicked the cabin door open, clutching a massive barrel in his arms. "Alright! It's time for a toast to our new crewmate! Everyone, let's party!"

Nami, Yosaku, and Johnny walked away from readying the ship to sail, having lowered the sails and allowing the ship to carry itself out of the inlet where they had just done battle. Everyone gathered together on the deck around the cask of ale. "This is our last one! We're gonna have to restock some before we're bound for the Grand Line," Luffy said as he passed everyone a mug. He handed two to Yosaku and Johnny. "So, have you two reconsidered joining up now? We're gonna have a lot of fun!"

They chuckled as the others filled their mugs up. "Well, I don't know about that," Johnny said. "But I think I speak for the both of us that we want to be able to meet you guys on the Grand Line someday."

"We need to get much stronger still before we stand a chance out there," Yosaku said, raising his mug to his lips and sipping pensively. He almost felt guilty about being weak.

"You guys are stronger than Usopp or Nami and they're going! Come on," Luffy said, slapping Johnny on the shoulder.

"Hey!" Usopp exclaimed as he swallowed his drink to speak. "I'll have you know, I took out Buggy's First Mate and his lion! With ease! In Gecko Town!" He had to say every addition because it seemed less and less believable, even though he'd lived it. Or maybe I imagined it all. I am awfully beaten up, he thought, suddenly feeling the nerves in his claw wounds.

Nami didn't hear Luffy's subtle dig; after she'd filled her mug up, she walked over to the railing near the helm, sitting on it as she pulled out the object from under her arm. She dug out sewing equipment from her pockets and got to work as the others drank and talked. Yosaku and Johnny were giving Zoro a rundown of his new crewmates as Usopp argued with Luffy about how strong he was becoming.

"I'm not saying anything like that! I know you're strong, I just know they're strong, too," Luffy said. He stood and smiled down at Usopp. "I'm proud of you, First Mate! You've come a long way since Syrup Village!"

Usopp stood. "And you from . . ." He thought hard, but he realized he didn't know Luffy's home village name.

"Fooshia Village!" Luffy said, and they bumped their mugs together.

Zoro's ears perked up, taking a long draught from his mug before asking Luffy, "Foosha Village? That's in the Goa Kingdom, right?" Luffy nodded. He extended his mug to Luffy. "I'm from there, too. Shimotsuki Village. I believe Fooshia was on the clear other side."

"Wow, with the swordsman's dojo! That's cool! So that explains why you're into swords, I guess," Luffy said. They drank deep from their cups. "I've got a feeling we're gonna get along well, greatest swordsman!"

Zoro chuckled, draining his mug before dunking it back into the cask of ale. "Same here, King of the Pirates." He drained his cup yet again.

Luffy refilled his own mug and then walked over to Nami, who was still on her own, unnoticed by the others for the most part. Luffy had been curious what she was doing; he thought he'd spotted the straw hat in her hands, but as he got near her, he saw that her ale was rather untouched but the straw hat's massive cut was almost patched back up. Even more than that, Nami's hands had worked tirelessly to smooth the wrinkles out from the stomping Buggy had given it.

Luffy smiled in a way never before seen by Nami. It was wane and small, but no less sincere as he leaned against the railing with her. She exhibited it to him, swaying it this way and that to show off all its angles. "The wrinkles will smooth out more as you get back to wearing it. One second, I'm almost done with the tear."

"Nami," Luffy said, "I'm sorry I let you get hurt." He could already feel Genzo's punishment, whatever it was. He had let that promise go failed.

But then, Nami said, "Oh, please. I'm not some doll. I'm a person. If a person doesn't get cut up every now and again, what's the fun in living?" She realized how strange that might sound and felt embarrassed, expecting some funny retort. But she was pleased to find that Luffy simply took her words at value and nodded, somewhat sagely. "I mean, I am on the crew of the King of the Pirates, aren't I?" She wanted to echo Zoro's sentiments. As unsure of him as she felt off the bat, she appreciated his intensity for following the crew already.

"I guess you're right," Luffy said as Nami finished sewing the hat together. She handed it to Luffy.

"Good as new," Nami said confidently, but she pursed her lips as Luffy took the hat from her hands. "Well . . . I mean, not really. It was hard to fix up. But I added a string so it won't fall off again so easily."

"No, it's amazing," Luffy said as he tugged the straw hat on his head, finding the string of cloth that Nami had fashioned as a necklace. He looped it under his chin as he tugged at the straw hat again. Nami almost told him to be gentler with it, but he said, "Wow, and the stitching is so strong! It's better than new!"

Nami smiled as Luffy stared at the brim of the hat from his eyes, sipping his beer. The hat fell from his head but was caught by his neck; he put it back on top of his head and stared out at the water as the sun hit the surface. All he could think of was how ashamed he'd been to show Shanks the hat even minutes ago; yet now, he was just worried about letting Shanks know that his childhood best friend hates him so much.


Once the Going Merry was off at sea, Mohji had been able to spur Richie out into the open. Waiting that long meant that almost as soon as he had come out, making his way hesitantly toward the Big Top, that he heard Alvida's waiver round the corner of the inlet. It zoomed toward the ship, where Alvida wasted no time in scooping Cabaji up from the seat. He was still unconscious. "Have you checked the Big Top yet?"

"No, I just got here," Mohji said, feigning confidence as best he could to mask his lie.

"Well, what took you so long?" Alvida said, more annoyed with that than she would have been with the latter. She shook her head and beckoned toward the ship. "Help me get him up there. Then we have to disembark immediately."

Mohji hopped off of Richie, gathering Cabaji under his armpit as Alvida was relieved of his weight, and she climbed up to the Big Top's deck. Once up there, she left Mohji hanging; he was confused, until she cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted out, "You Funan Brothers! Are you here still?"

Mohji listened with bated breath until Alvida watched the cabin door open. Ed, Sal, and Nino crept out, nervous to even do that. "So is it over?" Nino asked, checking every nook and cranny, as he put it in his head.

"Good thing you guys are safe. We're gonna need you. Cabaji's done for if we don't help him, so you three get the ship ready for sailing. And don't forget my waiver!" Alvida ordered, spinning back to helping Cabaji. She lowered a rope which Mohji tied himself to and held on to as Alvida hauled up while Mohji climbed at the same time. Finally, they got Cabaji up onto the deck and then took him into the small medical room on the Big Top. Their doctors were gone, but Alvida had Mohji do what he could, with his little but more expansive medical knowledge than her.

As they were finishing up taking care of Cabaji, they felt the Big Top finally hit water fully and bob out to sea. By the time they reached the deck together, the Funan Brothers were operating the sails that were left and the helm. Mohji was relieved to see the Going Merry was far, far from sight now. No chance of the Straw Hats turning back for seconds.

"Good, men," Alvida praised the Funan Brothers. "You wasted no time. Thanks for taking care of my waiver."

"Of course, Captain," they said dutifully, rubbing their hands together with pride.

"My days as a captain are over, for the time being," Alvida said. "Let's not forget who our leader is. Buggy the Clown has been captured by Captain Smoker, but with some luck and some skill, we've all been left freed from the Navy. It's our duty to free our captain before he's transported to Impel Down."

The deck went silent. Even Richie looked up from his cat nap at the end of the deck to stare at her wildly. "Surely you're not suggesting we go to battle against the White Fang?" Mohji said, finally breaking the silence with the obvious.

"No. We'd lose in a heartbeat," Alvida admitted. "But if we hurry, we can beat them to their own home and hide out. We'll lie in wait for the moment to strike. Cabaji still needs to heal up, but I think I can manage our navigation until then."

"Wow! This feels like the true comeback of Iron Mace Alvida! This is incredible!" Sal Funan said excitedly at Alvida's side.

"We're the Iron Mace Squad, reporting for duty, Chief!" Ed said, saluting Alvida from the helm. Alvida didn't address his comment or the moniker of the "Iron Mace Squad," but she smirked as she took the helm from Ed. The Big Top pulled away from Gecko Island, bound out for the wide open sea - and eventually, Loguetown.