Dagger had swirls in her eyes from Don Krieg's gun fire. She placed a hand on her temple and one over her mouth as she coughed as a result of the smoke. Hawk Eyes stood over her with an emotionless mask on his face. Dagger glared at him, "You could've least warn me."

Without replying, he went to his chair and sat down. He cross one leg over the other and rested his arms on the chair's armrest with his piercing stare on her. From his large coat, he pulled out a dagger and threw it at Dagger's feet. She picked it up and examined it. It was hers, but someone mutilated it. It was weird to the touch and was now no use to her. "Do you know how long it took to find a fan that can fold into a dagger? It took forever." She threw it overboard.

Hawk Eyes questioned, "What are you going to do with a fan? Blow people away?"

"That's the jest of it. With the fan, I can create wind and manipulate that. When the fan is folded, I can use it as a dagger. But, where did you find it? Some stupid merchant stole it from me when I had amnesia."

"Malik and Sakuya had it when I collided with them." Hawk Eyes said, "They were not themselves when I met them. Do you know what happened to them?" Dagger told him about a pirate named Nikola she met a few months ago. "Nikola," Hawk Eyes repeated the name, "I heard of him. Nikola is stationed on Monokai Island and I heard rumors that people that live on the land on the Island never leave and those that land there, never come back."

"I got to go there," Dagger touched her arm, "Malik and Sakuya will be there and I have to save them, but I don't know how…" She revealed her tattoo. "Uncle Mihawk, what does this mean?"

He examined it, "That's Nikola's pirate mark, but it's not finished. On Malik and Sakuya, it's fully complete. On Monokia Island, there's a fruit that has a mind controlling power. Nikola was a chemist before, correct? He might have created a color dye and used it on the skin. There might be something on the Island to reverse the mind control."

"Do you know anything about what the fruit looks like?" Dagger questioned, "Anything at all would help."

Hawk Eyes smiled, "All I know is this the antidote plant. It's a white palm tree. You use the liquid from the white palm leaves at the apex to wash off the tattoo. But, each leaf has a small amount of liquid. Nikola had it harvested already and it's in a stash in his private cellar."

His tone changed, "Nikola's a fool, but a smart one. As we speak, he's hunting the seas for you. He has three trained assassins combing the seas and of course, Malik and Sakuya. You might have to fight them."

"What?" Dagger choked, "I can't fight them… and I don't want to hurt Nikola…"

"Little one," Hawk Eyes whispered in a soft voice, "It's inevitable that you will have to fight him. You know already what people will do to become King of the Pirates."

"Yeah…" She held her head down.

"But, that straw hat kid, he has potential. He reminds me of your father in a strange way. Tell me about them. I can see you enjoy being with them."

A small smile grew on her face, "They're the best. There's Luffy, Nami, Usopp, and Zoro. We're getting a cook from Baratie. It's going to be Sanji. Luffy says so. Um, by the way, where are we sailing to?"

Zoro looked up at the clear blue sky over head. He sat resting with his back against the cabin of the ship. It was either Usopp or Johnny that sowed and bandaged him. He drifted in and out of consciousness when they did it. With his arms behind his head, he decided to take a nap when Usopp screamed in fright.

Zoro jumped to his feet and placed a hand on his katana. Usopp and Johnny ran pass him and hid below the rail of the ship. Zoro looked out on the horizon to see an all-to-familiar boat, a one mast ship with a chair and two green candles. He stood his ground as the small ship sailed closer.

"HEY THERE!" Dagger called from the small ship. Usopp and Johnny peeked over the side and jumped up. They waved at her and laughed, "We knew it was you!" Then they screamed and fainted when they saw Hawk Eyes standing next to her. When the boat was sailing next to the Johnny's ship, Zoro just stared at them.

"Roronoa Zoro," Hawk Eyes said his name, "Amy is precious. If you hurt her in any way, I'll hunt you down and kill you."

"UNCLE MIHAWK!" Dagger shouted at him, "Don't make threats to my friends."

Hawk Eyes grinned and ruffled her hair. He picked her up and then he threw her at Johnny's ship. Zoro caught her in his arms. "Keep her out of trouble. There's a pirate hunting her down." He sat in his chair and looked over at Dagger who glared at him for throwing her.

With a sight, she moved over to an opened spot on the ship. Zoro watched as she gathered a large amount of air in her hands and threw it at Hawk Eyes' ship. His jaw dropped as the small ship sped off, almost flying in the air.

With a smile on her face, she turned to the three guys, one standing up and the other two out like a light, "What did I miss? Where's Yosaku?"

"Yosaku went back to get Luffy and we're just sailing until we reach land. Johnny thinks he knows where Nami went and, Uncle Mihawk?" Zoro remarked.

Dagger sat down on the deck, "Yes. Is that a problem?"

Zoro sat across from her, "Yes. I will defeat him one day and become the greatest swordsman."

"Okay," she replied calmly with a smile, "Uncle Mihawk is the best. He taught me how to fight, but you'll surpass him one day."

"Good," Zoro replied with a smug smile, "So, what did you two talk about? Johnny said that Hawk Eyes wanted to see you."

Dagger looked away from him. With a moment a hesitation, she finally told Zoro, "Mihawk told me there's a pirate in these parts hunting for me. This pirate wants to be King of the Pirates and wants me to help him become that. Few months ago, I met this pirate and he was a chemist. He was a weird pirate, but he was nice. Treasure or jewels never interested him. But then he got corrupted with power when he found out about me. I trusted him with my secret and I know I shouldn't have." She waited for Zoro to ask what her secret was, but he didn't.

"What are you going to do now?"

As she pulled her knees close to her chest, her voice broke. "I-I r-really d-d-don't k-know. I have to save my friends, but I don't want to hurt him..." Dagger hugged her knees trying to hold back tears and didn't notice that Zoro came next to her. He warped an arm around her shoulder.

"I'll protect you. Rest now and clear your head. I won't let anything happen to you."

"You can't…" she whispered as she rested her head on his shoulder. Slowly she drifted to sleep in his arms.

Dagger was awoken by a shriek. She sat up and looked over to Johnny who made the sound. "W-we're finally here, Arlong Park."

Dagger's heart stopped. "What?" She yelped, "Arlong Park?"

"Yeah, that's where Nami is," Zoro stated resting his arm on his katana.

"This is it… The base of the Merman pirate who survived the Grand Line." Usopp peered over the rail at the sight. Is Nami really in there?"

"If Aneki is really in there, we should be able to fine the Going Merry around here." Johnny remarked looking around, "Shall we check if it's really anchored in the harbor?"

Usopp nodded, but Zoro tapped his sword on the deck and stood up, "Prepare to rush in! Luffy asked me to bring that woman back. I don't care who the opponents are, but I will get her back. Let's go."

Dagger made no sound to warn Zoro about the hammers in Johnny's and Usopp's hands. She watched as they hit him on the head and then quickly tied him to the cabin. She sat in silence as listened to Usopp's plan.

The small ship sailed away from Arlong's front gates. With in a few minutes, Usopp shouted, "There it is! I've found it. The Going Merry! But why is it over there?"

Johnny looked down at a map, "So, Aneki is definitely here…"

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS! Untie me now!" Zoro interrupted him, "DAGGER! UNTIE ME!" She looked up at him with melancholy on her face and Zoro shut his mouth from talking.

"To the east of Arlong Park, is Cocoyashi Village. But, why would she anchor so far from Arlong Park?"

Zoro turned his gaze from Dagger to Usopp, "Untie me! DAMN IT!"

"You got deadly wounds all over you," Usopp grinned and patted his chest, "So just sit there and rest. I'll handle the rest."

"Hands off!" Dagger pulled Usopp off Zoro, "Can't you see he's in pain?"

Usopp shrugged and laughed, "I'll bring that woman back!"

Johnny asided to Dagger, "Just because we're not in Arlong Park, he sure is boasting." Dagger turned away from him and found her feet more interesting.

"Prepare anchor! Head towards the Going Merry! Yes, haha. It's about time to name my adventure to this uncharted island. The title will be, The Great Adventure of Captain Usopp!" Then he jumped down in fright followed by Johnny.

"Is everything okay?" Johnny asked in a low whisper. Usopp jerked his hand over the port side. "Mermen!"

"Full speed ahead…" Usopp commanded in a low whisper.

"Aye, captain…"

"Why don't we dock here!" Zoro shouted at the two. The two jumped on him and covered his mouth.

"Shhhhhh! Didn't you see! There were mermen over there! They're Arlong's men! You can't blame me!" Usopp declared angrily.

Zoro kicked him in the face with his tied feet, "You don't have a right to be mad!"

"Umm… Usopp," Dagger got his attention and pointed to the shore. Two mermen jump off the dock into the water.

"Abondon ship!" He ad-libbed.

"Agreed!" Johnny shouted.

"What?" Dagger looked at the two, but there were already in the water. She peered over the rail, "I can't swim! Come back! Damn it!" She hurried to Zoro and pulled on the ropes, but in vain. Before Dagger could get to Zoro's sword, the mermen were already on board.

"Look," One of them said, "Two humans. What should we do with them? They're not from around here."

"Let's bring them to Arlong before anything else. He will get furious if we don't."

"Yeah."

They untied Zoro from the cabin, but used that rope to tie his hands behind his back and the remaining rope to tie Dagger's hands. They sat back to back on the deck as the ship sailed toward Arlong Park's gates.

"Hurry and open the gates!" The merman shouted.

The other shouted, "We've found two suspicious human!"

Dagger averted her eyes from the gates as they opened. She whispered, "I don't want to see Arlong again... Please don't let him recognize me…" Zoro over heard her and kept him mouth shut.

The ship stopped in front of a large purple merman. He had a long, saw-like nose and razor sharp teeth. He wore a hat over his long black hair, a yellow and black shirt and green shorts.

"What do we have here?" He asked the two mermen who dragged Zoro and Dagger off the ship and set them in front of him. Dagger kept her head down and away from him.

"Show some respect, human," a merman kicked Dagger. However, he missed as she jack-knifed up and roundhouse him. He landed in the water with a splash. Dagger stiffened when she felt Arlong's breath on her neck.

He laughed, "Who do we have here?" Dagger attempted to kick him, but he stopped it with his hand. Arlong looked down at her and grinned. "Men, we have a princess in our presence. Welcome her back." Hoots and hollers came from the mermen. "It's been a while Amy. How long has it been? Fifteen years wasn't it? I can still recognize that frighten face of yours. It's a treasure."

He patted her head, "Aren't you going to say something?"

Dagger cursed at him. "…you. Get your fishy hands off me. I got nothing to say to you."

"Feisty little thing." Arlong laughed even more, but then he forcefully grabbed her neck, "I've been keeping up with rumors lately. Did you know Nikola and I are really close friends? You don't want me to say anything to him now, do you?" He dropped her on the ground. "Get me a dagger."

One of his lackeys handed him a dagger. With an evil grin on Arlong's face, he looked down at Dagger. Zoro tried to move to stop him, but he was tied up tight.

Arlong grabbed Dagger's pony tail and in one swift swipe, it was gone. He threw the hair down in the pool and it dispersed in the water. "What were you thinking?" He justified his action, "You should look like a princess whenever you're in my presence." He went and sat in his chair.

Dagger sat on the ground staring at her hair in the pool as Arlong called to two of his mermen, "Take her to the doctor or hairstylist or anyone to get that hideous green dye from her hair. Then give her the blue dress to wear, the nice one. But first, get the shackles."

"Yes, Arlong." The merman said as he went inside the large mansion and came back out with a ball and chair. As he shackled them to both of her legs, Arlong laughed, "That ball is three hundred pounds and that chain is as thick as your arm. You can't escape. Your daddy isn't here to save you like last time."

"Shut the Hell up," Dagger hissed, "Don't mention my father."

He laughed as they carried her away, and then turned his attention to Zoro, "What is your purpose here? I know it isn't to bring Amy to me."

"What are you going to do to her, you half-fish bastard?" Zoro glared.

All humor left Arlong's face, "You got guts, you low-life human. I'll let that slip this time, but you're never allowed to say half-fish again. Mermen are evolved beings who can breathe underwater. With these fish abilities, we are superior to mere humans."

"I have gotten sick and tried of your theory, Arlong!" A feminine voice shouted. Zoro went into shock when he saw it was Nami who said it.

"Oh, why are you so serious, Nami? You're special. You're our greatest cartographer! You never fail to draw the most accurate maps for me."

Nami scoffed, "Our brain compositions are different, so it's obvious why I can."

"Hey Nami," Zoro asked, "What does he mean, our greatest cartographer? Why are you so close to this guy?"

Arlong raised his eyebrow, "You two know each other?"

Nami laughed, "Don't be ridiculous! He's just another victim. I gained a lot of loot from them. You don't realize you've been deceived and you still come chasing after me. You're plain stupid." She knelt down in front of Zoro.

He glared, "So this is your true nature and you said you hated pirates."

"Surprised? Everything was an act. You'll understand after seeing this." Nami turned to show Zoro her tattoo, Arlong's pirate mark. "I'm part of this invincible crew, an officer of Arlong's crew!"

Arlong laughed, "This is great. You were blindly deceived, weren't you? She can even forget her mother's death for the sake of money! This woman is a cold-blooded witch. You shouldn't have underestimated her."

Zoro saw the look on her face and grinned, "I get the picture now… I never trusted her from the beginning. It was Dagger and Luffy that wanted to come and save her. I wouldn't be surprised if she was a murderer."

"If you understand, then get lost already. You're an eyesore!" Nami gasped when Zoro kicked himself into the pool.

"What? Why did he did jump in the pool all of a sudden? Did anyone say a bad joke? No, but I don't think he slipped. Then, he must be trying to escape! No way. His arms and legs are tied. How can he swim? It must be suicide." The mermen talked amongst themselves.

Nami cursed under her breath before jumping in the pool. Within a few seconds, she came back up with Zoro. "What do you think you're doing?" She hissed at him.

"Same to you, what do you think you're doing? You can't even let one person die in front of you. Quit the act already. Help me here, idiot. I thought I was a goner there."

Nami growled and stepped on him, "If you get yourself involved with me anymore, you're going to die. You got a bandage around you… What's this…" She looked at him and saw long strands of hair.

"I can't afford any clothes. This is a substitute. That's Dagger's hair." Nami punched him in the stomach where the wound was. Zoro fell to the ground in pain.

"Hey Nami, what are you going to do with him?" Arlong asked.

"Lock him up. I'll deal with him later."

"Arlong! We're back." A merman shouted. "We did what you said about the girl, but we can't find the dress." Arlong turned his head to see two large mermen and in between them was a girl.

"Amy, you look like yourself again, but you could at least get a hair cut." Arlong laughed. Nami and Zoro turned to see her. She held her head down as she walked toward him. Her upheaval hair was a pitch black. After Arlong cut the pony tail, the ends were uneven causing her hair to become messy.

Dagger growled at him. One of the mermen explained to Arlong, "We re-dyed her hair black because there wasn't a way to get the green dye out and every time we got scissors near her, she'd attack us."

Arlong laughed. "What did you learn all these years, Amy?"

"I've grown," She hissed at him, "You ain't seen nothing yet."

"Nami, do you know where that blue dress is? The nice one."

Dagger turned to gaze to Nami, "Nami… You're with Arlong…?"

"You've out done yourself," Arlong laughed, "You've tricked the sweet little princess too!"

Nami crossed her arms, "I know. The dress is in my room, take her there." The two mermen lifted Dagger's shackles and marched her inside the building. "Why is she shackled?"

Arlong answered her, "So she won't escape. When she's changed, bring her back down and set her here, next to my chair." With that, Nami went to her room where Dagger was waiting sitting on the floor.

"What the Hell are you guys doing here!" Nami shouted at her as she went to the closet. Dagger looked up in deep melancholy. "Who else is here other than you two?"

"Usopp and Johnny are also here on the island. Yosaku, Luffy, and Sanji are coming." With a sigh, Nami laid out a dress on the floor and knelt down beside Dagger. As she examined the shackles, Dagger pulled away. "You can't do anything about them... Arlong has the key… Just give me the dress…"

"I can help you escape."

Dagger looked up at her, "If you do, he'll know that you helped me and I don't want to ruin your relationship with him. Besides, I can escape on my own any time I want."

Nami laughed, "Relationship? Ha!" She tightened her fist, "You don't know how much I want him dead. Why is he calling you princess?"

There was a moment of silence in the room before Dagger answered in a depressing tone, "I don't trust you enough to tell you. If you're with Arlong, I'm not sure about our trust or friendship anymore…"

"Arlong did something bad to you, didn't he?" Nami asked out of the cold, "When you were younger?"

"When I was two, I met him. It was the worst experience for a toddler. He tried to kill me, but my father was there to rescue me. Arlong was scared of my father, everyone was. But now Arlong and the rest of the world know he's dead and Arlong is going to take full advantage of that… But I won't let him." Dagger took the dress and jeered, "This is too big to me and it looks like something a grandmother would wear… "

"Yeah," Nami laughed, "But let's say we couldn't find it. I have a better one." She went in her closet again and took out a pale green one. It was strapless with a silk tube top and a long skirt. It was tampered at the waist with a small sash. "Much better, isn't it?"

"Yeah. Thanks, Nami." Dagger took it from her.

"You feel better now? Getting those things off your chest?" She nodded as Nami continued, "Good. It's good to have you back to yourself again. You were always smiling on the Baratie. What happened in the past stays in the past. You were only two then, you can't expect yourself to be strong when you're that young."

"Yeah, that's nothing compared to what I can do now. Luffy will come," Dagger really smiled for the first time since she left Baratie."

Nami hugged her, "Sure, Dagger."

"I hope you're not deceiving me again… Because I… "

"I can't say, Dagger, I can't promise you anything. Get dressed and I'll tell a merman to bring you down." Nami looked at the three hundred pound weight.

"Wait, before you go. I need to find a map of Monokai Island."

"Monokai? The enchanted island? Why do you want it?"

"I just need to know where it is."

Nami looked around the room at stacks and stacks of paper. "Alright, I have the map here."

"Thanks." Dagger took the map from her hands and looked at it. Monokai Island was located near the Grand Line. The nearest island was Loguetown which was south of Monokai. "I'm coming Nikola…" Dagger whispered.

Uh-oh, what's going to happen to Dagger now? What is she going to do? I need suggestions... see profile for info.

Another thing to ask, which perspective would you like? Malik or Sakuya? Refer to chapter 6 if you don't know what they look like. Malik is a guy gunner and Sakuya is a girl ninja.

Thanks you for reviewing: D Thanks: SuperMegaGirl; i-did-dun-it; animejunkie; Shadw; MeraNova; Iwin Ulose: Maybe you're right about the fight…: ) ; mangagurl; djdoodet; and WildGamer.