Blood Ties like Iron chains Chapter 3
Scouting and setting a course
(inside a tavern)
Nami starred into the cannon as it fired a black gust of smoke and flame, and a spiked cannonball!
She was so captivated by the sight that she barely felt a hoof and a hand on her shoulders, dragging her backwards.
In the next moment, all Nami saw was the brown coat of Chopper, His Guard Point having stopped the Cannonball from connecting with her face, which would have torn the whole head clean off!
With a breath caught in her throat, Nami almost couldn't believe her luck, and for a moment she couldn't even think, her mind clouded by fear, excitement and relief mixed together, making the characteristic brew of an adventure that had yet to end.
A brew Nami was forced to take another sip of, as somewhere on the other side of Chopper, Redcliff swore, and if the hissing sound was any indication, had drawn his sword and charged.
Carrot jumped backwards and to the side, taking Nami with her and Out of reach of the slashing marine, Chopper, meanwhile, changed out of his Guard Point and into his much more versatile Kung Fu Point, avoiding Redclifffs' sword swings as quickly as the marine could deliver them.
Further back, Jolland had gotten hold of his flintlock, and was taking aim at Nami and Carrot!
Fortunately Carrot was faster than Jollands' bullet, and the projectile only made a crack in the wall as a result.
Seemingly judging that he hadn't the time to reload, Jolland ditched the rifle and…. Crouched?
Nami only understood a moment later as he crashed into the wall next to her and Carrot, the mink barely having time to dodge to the side.
When he emerged a moment later, he had actually grown in size! Judging from his skin turning warty and a greenish brown, not to mention the longer legs and feet, Nami concluded that his Zoan fruit was some sort of frog or toad type.
Which meant they'd have good shot of defeating him with a giant frog eating bird…..
or cold!
Tightening her grip on the clima-tact Nami aimed at the huge amphibian-man as he emerged from the hole he'd made in the wall,
"YUKIGUMO!"
The captain croaked in surprise when the snowstorm hit him square in the face, blasting him through the wall and sealing the hole shut with a new wall of ice.
In the middle of the room, Chopper wasn't making any progress with Redcliff, the overzealous captain being all too unwilling to let the shapeshifting reindeer leave alive.
Seeing that his comrade had been put out of commission, for good it seemed, he sneered and jumped backwards
"Can't let you no-good scum leave!" he snarled, just as several cannon-mouths began to form across his body, aimed directly at the trio
"Oh come on!" Nami said to herself just as Redcliff smiled in a way that reminded her of Arlong all too well
"BARRAGE!" Redcliff yelled triumphantly
(On the Sunny)
"SANJIIIII FOOOOOD!" Normally it was only Luffy that would annoy Sanji like that, yelling for food like nothing else mattered, but today most other men on the ship had been grounded because of Robin-chans plan called for them to be on standby…..
Robin-chans plan was, of course, perfect, it couldn't be anything else, a woman made it after all, it was the others that wasn't willing to follow it to the letter! Carrot had jumped ship before anyone could stop her (Admittedly the perfect plan had a minor snatch built into it, as Sanji not-so-secretly believed that he could do the job of getting Robin-chan to the marines' ships better than Jinbe AND protect Nami-scwann at the same time!)
Twice he'd had to stop that stupid swordsman from jumping ship to get more Sake, and even once preventing Luffy from taking the minisub and go exploring down in the deep bellow the ship.
Now he was slavering away over his stove, trying to prevent the others from interrupting Robin-chans amazing plan with their shenaningans.
Luffy had taken it in stride, but the damn swordsman had had the gall to call him a hypocrite for saying they should follow a plan, and when pressed on the matter he'd explained that a guy that left the crew in the middle of their fight with Doflamingo just to get-married-to-some-girl-because-daddy-said-so wasn't one to talk about following orders!
Sanji had been all too close to attack him and make even his stupide green hair change colour. How dared he call Pudding-chan some girl?!
She was beautiful; great posture and smile and especially her third eye, the most brilliantly shinning one, made him weak in the knees….
Unfortunately getting distracted with thoughts of women while working with deep frying wasn't the most optimal or safe situation…
Which he only realised when Brook doused his flaming suit in water,
Which was never a good idea to combine with hot oil…..
(On the sea)
Pudding trembled,
Then she blushed and felt a cold run down her spine, before it was replaced by a strange comforting warmth.
She didn't realize it until after Stussy asked, but she had been smiling goofily, looking into the distance with a half empty look in her eyes.
Now she was staring into the bathroom mirror, trying to make the blush go away, but only managed to grow more nervous.
On the other side of the door, Pudding could hear Stussy chuckle about something in the newspaper. Pudding didn't know how, but the woman could make it sound so condescendingly yet warmly that it belied belief. The Queen of the Pleasure District had some sort of deep seated contrast within her, that made her appear both innocent and as sweet as sin at the same time. Yet the intellect that enabled her to play either side within, thus controlling people without, made her a truly dangerous person to deal with.
Pudding knew she was in for a tough job, trying to spy on this woman.
Looking back into the mirror she steeled herself so she could go back into the fray!
Although the shiver that went down her spine when Stussy asked if she had been thinking of her almost-husband, the one that got away, hadn't helped her composure.
(In the tavern)
Fortunately for the trio, Chopper proved to be faster than Redcliff yet again.
Transforming into his Guard Point, his thick fur prevented the hail of cannonballs from hitting either of his nakama.
Redcliff swore and gritted his teeth, unhappy with his intended massacre run out into the reindeers' fur.
Nami and Carrot, both unwilling to let the marine shoot another volley, moved in to outflank him.
Looking back and forth between the three pirates Redcliffs' face became downcast, what was visible beneath his red tricorne made it look like he was having a nasty case of constipation.
Redcliff might be a frenzied Marine, but he could apparently recognize when he was in a tactical disadvantage. He slowly, but surely, began to inch backwards towards the bar, away for the circling pirates, sword held in front of him, holding his opponents at bay.
Unfortunately, walking backwards prevents seeing where you're going.
Tripping on a broken bottle, the marine captain lost his footing momentarily. Even as he swung his arms and sword to regain his balance, Redcliff saw, to his increased panic, a huge hairy fist coming straight for him.
Chopper hit the man in the chest, narrowly avoiding the marine's swift blade. Said marine was flung backwards by the blow, sending him to the other end of the room, crashing into the wall.
Even as he seemed to lose consciousness, the trio could hear a rustle and scratching in the ice sealed wall.
"We better get a move on!"
Nami and Carrot had no objections.
Even if the battle had been short, it had also attracted the attention of the entire town, and soon, also the other marines in town.
(On the marine ship The Marvellous Manatee)
Robin smiled to herself as she rummaged through the stack of papers in the captains' study.
This is so much better she mused, the captain of the other ship she and Jinbe had infiltrated, the Vigilant Vanquisher, commandeered by a captain Redcliff, had been very well ordered, but the many wanted posters that had been repeatedly stabbed with a knife (some of them still had the knives in them, not to mention bulletholes!) wasn't the most pleasant of sights, And Robin had seen some really cruel things!
This Captain Jolland wasn't as well ordered, but he kept his paperwork in a decent manner (though the coffee- and fat stains on them could make it hard to see what it had originally said) and Robin soon had what she was looking for.
Maps and reports, the foundation of any good intelligence.
Quickly writing down a few notes she was interrupted by the sound of a bell in the distance. Given the shouts of alarm from the marines onboard the ship, Robin assumed that something was happening in the town.
Deciding against subtlety Robin snatched up as many reports and maps as she could and made for the window.
Crawling out of it, she activated her devilfruit powers, forming a stair of arms on the ships' hull and began to descend, carefully.
Down in the water Jinbe was already waiting for her, looking anxiously from Robin to the rest of the ship, determined to notice the marines before they noticed them. After she'd climbed down and strapped herself to the Fishmans' broad back, the pair took their leave.
The situation with the town did one good thing though, it gave the marines a fixed point to concentrate on, which meant that Jinbe could disregard any notions of stealth and get away much faster.
Though that wasn't the same for Nami and the others...
(in the town)
The trio had hidden themselves in a small alley, not that far away from the tavern.
They didn't make it further because the marines had been nearby the entire time.
Figures Nami thought two captains can't just go for a few beers, they have to have an entourage for everything!
Looking down the street towards the tavern she noticed two things, two potentially really bad things:
1. The captains had already recovered and were out shouting orders left and right (at least Redcliff was, Jolland was still shivering from the ice blast)
2. The trio had left behind a trail, a red trail…..
Turning around, Nami saw the source.
Chopper had been hit in the arm by several shots and a few had managed to penetrate his fur.
"Did that happen between transformations?"
"Yeah, but don't worry Nami, the wounds aren't that deep, it'll heal quickly, Be quiet Carrot!"
The reindeer was already tying up the wounds with strips of cloth made from Carrots' dress. Naturally the mink wasn't entirely happy about that either, but she kept her trap shut (one of the rare times that Choppers' "Doctors' orders" were actually followed!) albeit reluctantly. When Chopper had finished his bandage, Carrots dress had turned into an orange tanktop and miniskirt.
"That doesn't look bad on you Carrot" Nami mused "But we better get back to the Sunny so you can get some proper clothes"
"Why not just buy it in there?" Carrot pointed behind them. Nami smiled as she understood her point. The other end of the alley opened up to a smaller street, directly opposite a clothing store. A useful hiding place, and somewhere to get a disguise. Hopefully cheap.
Although Nami knew it really wasn't as much a matter of hopeful chance, as much as stubborn haggling when she was involved…
(on the Sunny)
Having arrived safely back at the Ship (and in excellent time to booth!) the sight that met Jinbe and Robin wasn't exactly one they'd expected.
Part of the ship was on fire for starters.
And while Zoro, Franky and Luffy (surprisingly the captain wasn't messing up the situation) hurried to put out the fire, the chef, the Musician and the Sniper, were all arguing (and soon to be fighting it seemed) over whom was responsibly for the fire in the first place, although Usopp was more concerned with trying to bandage Sanjis' burns. A task made harder by the chef trying to strangle the musician, who, due to lack of neck flesh, only got his tuxedo slightly wrinkled.
"It was your fault, you damn bag of bones!"
"You were on fire! Should I have let you burn to the bone? And look Like me?!" Brooke retorted, his skull features twitched into something resembling frustration and offence.
"It's common sense not to use water near boiling oil!"
"It's common sense not to set yourself on fire!"
"What's going on here?"
Although Robins voice was even, it still rang out across the deck like a foghorn, demanding her comrades' full attention.
"Haven't you heard that there's cannons firing in town?"
After that, it didn't take the crew long to mount a relief team, led by Luffy, and a group that would take care of the ship, led by Robin.
Although Sanji made a fuzz about wanting to go save Nami-scwann, he wasn't disagreeing with Robin's argument that he could be more helpful on the ship, making sure nothing in the kitchen got destroyed by either Franky (who as the shipwright was the most qualified for the job) or Usopp (whom had gotten a nasty case of "I-can't-go-on-this-island-disease" (though Robin thought it was all about wanting to avoid the marines, his new bounty and all)).
The rest left on the submersible (Zoro and Brook(the former wanting a drink in town, the latter insisting that he could feel panties)) while Luffy thought it'd be funier riding to town on Jinbe's back. And since it was "captains orders", Jinbe felt he needed to oblige (for a (fish)man that had been a captain of his own crew, Jinbe was surprisingly obedient).
Seeing the team make good speed towards the island, Robin hoped that they wouldn't arrive too late….
(in town)
Nami frowned as she concealed herself amongst the stores' wares.
The shop was maintained by a young girl, barely 17 it seemed, with so many freckles beneath her red locks, she resembled a Dalmatian. It had been easy to persuade the newspaper reading girl (recognizing Nami from her wanted poster) that she shouldn't try to alert the marines of their presence, and so far she hadn't. But the marines hadn't come looking for them in the store yet either….
The girl really didn't deserve the trio dragging her into the situation, but they needed a place to hide, for the time being at least. Which hopefully wouldn't be long, but when looking at Carrot playing dressup with Chopper, it seemed to Nami that they might be a while.
Snatching up the newspaper to calm her idle mind, Nami began to rummage through it. The only thing it said about the missing princesses was that the marines were still searching and would find the damsels soon (yeah right!).
A quick glance of the different headlines didn't stir her interest
"Forrest octopus season is neigh, don't bathe in these forrest lakes" (weird world...)
"Black Market dealer found dead, investigation impending, authorities are speculating assassination" (go figure)
"Large Pirate Crew escapes justice"
"Where are they now, the former Subordinates of the Whitebeard Pirates"
The newspapers other content was the usual stuff: commercials
"Fancy women dress in the CRIMINAL way!"
"Beautiful beaches and more beautiful women on Runny Rum Archiepelago"
"Straight from Tottoland, Choco Tea, try it and you'll want to move there, Yonko or not"
After reading the last one Nami shivered, if she never stepped foot on Tottoland again she'd be more than happy, but Luffy was hellbent on fighting her again at some point so she was bound to see that weird wonderland again. Thinking about it, Nami realised she actually hadn't made a map of the place yet, she'd been too preoccupied with getting off the place alive!
Pinching the bridge of her nose, Nami cringed at the thought of returning. Big Mom's offspring had been almost more than they could handle last time, but the Yonko herself was a far above their abilities, even if they were at full strength. But then again, she didn't know how powerful the rest of their new grandfleet was.
Nami chuckled, she'd never thought that their crew, would ever have underlings, and so many, over 7000 people….
The giants had been a surprise, and according to Usopp there were dwarves too, not to mention a slew of other people and with the addition of the Sun Pirates, they now had fishmen amongst their ranks aswell. She wondered briefly who she'd meet next.
"Nami what about you? Shouldn't you find something to wear?"
Turning to Chopper, Nami could only stare dumbfounded at the reindeer.
Chopper still wore his hat, but now wore a bright jacket with pink and orange stripes, small green tassels on the sleeves reaching down to his knees.
Blinking, Nami turned to look at Carrot instead, trying to avoid the fashionable travesty in front of her.
It was a mistake.
Carrot seemingly didn't know fashion either: the bright blue dress wasn't so bad, it was the large green-red afro shaped hairband that made her stand out like a fire in the dark.
Nami's eyebrow twitched, and behind her, she could hear the girl gasp and try to stifle a giggle.
Pushing the reindeer and Mink back in the changing rooms and giving them some normal clothes, a short yellow dress with a small cloak and cloak to hide her ears for Carrot, and for Chopper, a large white hood and a fake moustache would do the trick for him.
Nami quickly put on a white shirt herself, some long black pants and finished the look off with a fedora and a tuxedo jacket (If Pez could see her now, Nami was sure her little godson would mistake her for Bege).
When she was done, Nami grabbed her stuff and swifly walked past the blushing girl at the counter (Nami wasn't one to bother with a changing room when the situation required it) to look out the window.
"Coasts' clear you two, lets get a move on!"
Her animalistic companions didn't argue (fortunately for them) and the trio was soon out the door again.
In the shop the girl starred wild eyed after them, before the penny dropped
"Hey, like, you gotta pay for all that! And, like, give me back my paper! Thieves!"
(outside)
Nami urged the two to run when there were no marines around, otherwise they took it slow, walking towards edge of town, far away from the tavern, and hopefully the two captains.
They'd passed three patrols of Marines already, and they could hear more running around town, but no gunfire, which was both a relief and a problem.
If the marines heard guns, assuming it was the Strawhats, they'd run towards them, and make it easier to slip away.
But they hadn't had that kind of luck yet.
And the increased noise from the streets around them, of running and shouting alert and armed marines, made it all too clear that they would run into trouble soon.
(En route to town)
Zoro would never admit it, but he honestly liked Brook.
The reason why was simply, they were both swordsmen, bound by a code that most people who'd ever wielded a blade couldn't comprehend, to fight honourably with their swords, to take any damage that should come in their direction and die if need be for their comrades and ideals.
In short, thy understood eachother…..
"If you fart one more time, I'm going to turn you into a scabbard!"
"A scabbard made of bones, do you really want that ? Yohohohoho"
Now wasn't one of those times unfortunately, and Zoro could only scowl at the animated skeleton as the submersible made it's way towards their destination.
At least…. Zoro thought to himself We agree that we got to save our friends….
And get some sake!
(in town)
The patrols had been increasing even more.
Nami was certain that they'd be discovered soon, especially when they'd had to hide behind a corner as a dozen marines stormed down the street, rambling to eachother that they'd received new discriptions from a shop that had been robbed.
Nami grimaced "Damn, we forgot to pay the clerk…"
"We could switch to our other disguises now then right?"
Nami stared dumbfound at Carrot with a small tremble creeping into her eyebrow "You mean that you kept those…. Things?"
"Sure!" the Mink beamed back at her before she pulled her hairband out of her backpack, along with Choppers gaudy jacket.
Nami could only watch in despair as the pair hastily donned the outfits, their joy making them deaf to her warnings and protests.
"We're done for…." She whimpered, before hurrying the two out on the street again.
So on they went, now looking considerably more inconspicuous…..
The amount of stares the trio gained from now was considerable.
Nami was used to being stared at because of her looks, but being in company with this pair of goofs, looking like clowns, combined with her own clothes, made her appear to be part of a circus act. She blushed from embarrassment and tried in vain to hide it beneath the fedora.
Finally getting to the towns outskirts, Nami began to brighten up a little
"We might actually make it" she thought, before turning a corner and looking stunned at the town gates.
"Of course… They've put up a checkpoint"
The street opened up into a small plaza before the arching stone gate where at least 12 marines stood guard with an additional six town militia (which basically meant that they had swords and knew what was the pointy end) that was usually posted as guard. Now that group hadn't given them any trouble coming into town, one pretty girl got a free pass pretty much everywhere public (a smile and an pout and another girl doing the same helped too), but the patrol of marines that had just arrived forced even the militia to liven up.
And then there was the captain….
Fortunately it wasn't the maniacal Redcliff, but Jolland, big and calm and not all that attentive Jolland.
Nami smiled as she saw what state the marine was in, he obviously wasn't the most robust man, his trip through the wall and Nami's iceblast had done him few favors, evident from the bandages that covered his chest and the heating packs on his head and swollen face.
The swelling was likely to obstruct his vision, and the bandages and the constant fuzz of the doctor wasn't likely to help him stay focussed.
Nami looked past the captain at beach on the other side. If they could get past Jolland, they were in the clear and could return to the others without further trouble or delays.
Steeling her nerves, she quickly explained the situation to her friends, both of whom, fortunately, offered little protests, although, as Chopper pointed out, they could just jump over the wall out of sight of the gate.
But as they explored that plan, they found that sentries had also been posted along the entire walls length, in close proximity to eachother no less.
"Seems they take us pretty seriously…." Nami grumbled as the trio returned to the gate
"They must've enlisted normal townspeople" Chopper confided
"Townspeople….. the sea is such a wonderland…." Carrot gushed at the thought.
Nami gave her a puzzled look before concluding that the mink wasn't used to other towns than what was on Zou, and even something as common as this would feel incredibly to her. Even Nami's own little mundane home island would probably awe the young mink.
Pushing the thoughts of home and different people's definition of normal aside, Nami calmly led the two others towards the gate, or at least she tried to stay calm, the thought of walking so close to a group of marines wasn't exactly appealing without one of the monster trio to take care of any eventual aggression. But the again either of those three were likely to make everything worse, Luffy and Zoro would fight for the fun of it and Sanji would be too focussed on either Nami (much to her consternation) or Carrot (he'd even tried to give her a garchu goodbye as they left the sunny).
Pushing such thoughts aside she took a deep breath and boldly strode towards the gate, making sure she wasn't aiming not at the guards in front of it, but the gate behind them.
As such none of the guards actually stopped them as they approached the exit, they did look funnily at them though, the trio having changed their previous outfits seemed to confuse the marines, despite that they technically had Nami's description.
Jolland barely took the time to register that there was people exiting, instead focussing on the doctor that was redoing the bandage across his face. All Jolland did was wave them past and comment on that he didn't know circus was in town.
The trio were almost at the gate when they heard a loud boom, and the top of the gate exploded in a rain of debris making everyone around it seek cover.
"JOLLAND YOU FOOL! THAT'S THE PIRATES WE'RE AFTER!" Redcliff shouted loudly from the other end of the small plaza, one of his arms ending in a cannon that was still smoking and the other ending in a chain and anchor.
Jolland spared no time and ripped the bandages from his puffed up face, getting a clear view of whom he was dealing with and what was going on. The rest of the marines, the ones that wasn't still rattled by the explosion that is, got up and aimed their guns at the trio.
It quickly became clear to Nami that there was no safe way out of this pickle. Even with Chopper's guard point or Carrots speed, it would take a miracle to get out alive.
The trio could only look as the marines tightened their circle around them, making escape impossible.
(On Runny Rum Arcchiepelago)
Galette sighed and almost slammed her head down on the table. Next to her, Amande puffed on her cigarette, seemingly uninterested in what had transpired, getting up from her seat and procuring a drink from the minibar in their hotel room.
This had been a tough one, lots of haggling back and forth,
discussing the possibilities for a marriage to seal the contracts,
whom would be the prospective bride (depending on age and looks (and personality, thought that rarely figured in men's mind when they thought of women))
what his possible position in Tottoland would be,
where he could stay while Mama decided whether he was good enough for the crew,
under what Sweet Commander he'd serve (somehow the vast majorities of new allies wanted to be under Katakuri, but Galette couldn't possibly fault them for that, but she could fault this guy for wanting to be under Cracker for gods knew what reason).
But at least it was another potential crew under Big Mom. And one that used to be good enough for that old chauvinist Whitebeard wasn't a bad card at all.
The possibly best part was that he'd almost agreed to join them without Galette having to offer up one of her precious sisters for this fat brutes' bumbling embrace. For this simpleton it meant a lot that he was cousins with some of her siblings (not surprising, with Mama's prodigious marriages, Galette herself (indeed all of her siblings) was bound to have a dozen cousins somewhere too).
The problems had arisen when he'd demanded that one of his cousins come escort him Back to Totto land. So now Galette had to call up Brownie and see if, her (perhaps) laziest little brother would get up from one of his nap and actually perform his duties for a change.
Being the younger sister of the two, it fell to Galette to do most of the work, Amande's personality made sure it was all the work as well. Not that she was pushy or lazy, Amande's withdrawn attitude towards most things just made Galette more suited for bureaucracy.
Picking up the Den Den mushi, Galette waited for a few aggravating seconds (all waiting's tough when you're tired, and in Galette's case, slightly hungover) before someone finally picked up and answered.
"Who's this?" a wonderful and soothingly familiar female voice rang out from the snail, making Galette almost smile.
"Hello Sister Smoothie, it's Galette and Amande"
"That's funny, I was just about to call you…."
"Really? What for?" Galette sat up fear plain on her face "Did something happen in Tottoland? Is it Poire? Mama? Brother Katakuri?" Galtette's near panic for her family rose aalmost with each word spoken, making Amande hurry to her side
"NO! Nothing bad has happened" Smoothie hurried to correct her younger sister, hoping to avoid a panic attack.
A moment later a meaty sound flowed lazily through the room.
"Big Sis Amande, don't hit Galette…" Smoothie's tired but soothing voice purred through the snail, the sweet commander not having a hard time imagining what had transpired. Amande didn't respond, only puffing on her cigarette, but leaving Galette to rub the side of her head at least.
"But what is it? Are we getting racelled back to Tottoland" Galette said the last with a slightly worry in her voice, not being completely willing to part from the bar service, beaches and the sun just yet.
"No Mama has woken up…."
"WoWondernderfulful, howhow isis MamaMama?" both Galette and Amande had spoken in unison, their words mingling into becoming incoherent. Smoothie could figure out what her sisters said though, being all too used to siblings speaking at the same time to be confused by it.
"She, um, killed three toilets so far…." Smoothie began, not sure how to put it more candidly
"Oh…." Neither Galette nor Amande needed any elaboration on that subject,, instead only wondering slightly why Mama kept putting souls in the bathroom equipment (either had on more than one occasion heard sisters complain about male showerheads, Smoothie in particular had a problem with that)
"…So how is Brother Katakuri?" Amande changed the subject, hoping to get the image of Big Mom on the can out of her head.
"Oh he's better, much better in fact, he got over his initial crush as soon as he woke up" Smoothie explained, relieved to change the subject of the Tottoland bathroom facilities "He's actually getting ready for his merrienda as we speak"
Both sisters were relieved to hear that, smilling to themselves, not being surprised in the least, after all Katakuri was their perfect elder brother.
"But Mama has heard about what we've been up to"
Both Amande and Galette looked down at the den den mushi, eager to hear more, neither daring to interrupt their sister
"She's not displeased, but….. not on board completely either…."
Either sister pouted at that, not knowing whether their working vacation was to be cut short and they were to return to Tottoland and their regular duties or not.
"You'll remain there for the time being, Mama wasn't unhappy about the possible subordinate you netted yesterday"
"Excellent so….."
"I'm not finished Galette, Mama'll still have to consider if that girl is good enough for one of our brothers and if her father is good enough to have as an ally, now, why did you call?"
Galette quickly explained what had transpired and Smoothie agreed to send Brownie immediately.
With that the conversation ended, and Galette leaned back in her chair
"You know what I can go for now sister?" the redhead blurted out
"Another of your endless daiquiris?" Amande was tired too, so her voice took a note that made it sound almost scolding or berating
"….. I was actually thinking about a trip back to the beach, I don't think that crowned pig is there anymore and most of the young stallions will be leaving for the dances soon anyhow, so…" She let it hang in the air, hoping her elder sibling would get the hint
"…..Perfect time for a swim"
"….followed by a dinner at the gourmet restaurant Club Beæuf"
"Hmm, sounds almost too tempting" Amande cracked a rare smile, a moment later, she blew a smoke ring and chuckled "let's go!"
(in the town)
Redcliff pointed his cannon straight at the trio, smiling maniacly as he did so. Only standing some 10 meters away and with his target surrounded on all sides by marines with guns, there was practically no way for him to miss.
He wasn't the only one to realise it, the marines parting in front of the ruined gate, the debris and dust in the air making it thick as smoke, making it impossible for anyone to see if there was any obstructions on the other side.
Jolland was so confident in their predicament, he hadn't even drawn his rifle. A cannon was enough anyway.
Redcliff smiled as he took a confident step forward, his beady black eyes never leaving the trio, not even allowing himself to blink, lest his targets move.
"You thought you could get away, didn't you?"
Looking at his face, Nami dearly wished they had, the way the captains smile worked with his redshot eyes and the bead of sweat that was running lazily down his temple from beneath the red tricorne made him appear like something out of a fever dream.
Nami could tell that some marines felt the same way but ignored it, either due to a shared disgust of pirates or just plain sadism. Judging from their smiles, if Nami were to guess the marines were split about 50/50 on that scale.
"like you could sneak past us marines" Redcliff continued "dressed like a circus act!"
His remark drew a few more smiles and even a snicker from Jolland
"Pirates really have sunk to new depths, dressing like clowns and stealing newspapers, do you sail on a raft too?"
That drew roars of laughter from the marines, not happy laughs, but condescending ones. The kind were they knew they had won no matter what, And Nami was forced to agree with them.
"Prepare to fire at my command!" Redcliff thundered
"Sure you don't want to use them as bait Cliffy? Lure out Strawhat himself?"
Redcliff didn't even correct Jolland this time, nor look away from Nami and the others
"No, better to remove these pirate scum first and go hunt him down later"
"You're an a-good-pirate's-a-dead-pirate captain huh?"
"Don't be silly, there are no good pirates….. there's only… absolute justice…." Nami really didn't like Redcliffs smile now
"Aim!"
This is it! Nami thought as the marines obeyed the command, some twitching their fingers and licking their lips in anticipation. Jolland merely looked at them with a sort of stoic indifference.
"SHISHISHISHISHISHISHI! Where'd you get those clothes? SHishishishi!"
Nami couldn't believe what she was hearing (in truth she could believe it, but more the sound of the voice and not what was being said) and neither could the marines, looking dumbfound at the two figures that walked towards the shattered gate.
A human and a fishman
A captain and a helmsman
Luffy and Jinbe.
The marines recognised them almost immediately, some shringking back, thinking (and being right to do so) themselves outmatched, others clutching their weapons until their knuckles turned white and started to tremble. Others simply stared at the pair, not being certain what to do.
Jolland was one of them, Redcliff wasn't
"STRAWHAT! FIRE AT STRAWHAT! AND THE TRAITOR SCUM!"
Most obeyed that order, aiming their guns and Luffy and firing, others did the same at Jinbe, no one seemed to care for Nami, Chopper and Carrot anymore.
Nami wasn't late to capitalise on that advantage, holding onto Chopper and Carrot she dived for safety behind the wall, knowing full well what would happen if any of the bullets actually hit Luffy.
Looking from her cover, she could see that no projectiles had done so however, the blockhead captain of hers simply stepping aside from the bulllets trajectory, letting them pass by him unopposed. Nami was faintly aware that wasn't the case further behind him, small "ting" ringing out as the shot hit metal in the distance". The bullet that went Jinbe's way fared little better, hitting, but hitting Haki-infused skin and doing no damage what so ever.
The Marines would soon be out of bullets.
They seemed to realise it too, switching to swords, cutlasses and clubs to engage the pirates in melee.
Knowing both Luffy and Jinbe, Nami could calmly conclude that it was a big mistake on their part, and as the first wave was thrown back in an instant, so did the marines.
Redcliff was fuming at the sight, his advantage having disappeared like morning mist in a storm, his subordinates being scattered to the wind and with it, his chances of victory.
Jolland aimed his rifle in a last attempt to land a hit on Luffy, he succeeded, but the bullet only returned, destroying the marines' rifle in an explosion of wooden splinters and metal shrapnel, which in turn gave Jolland a large amounts of minor cut in his face.
Redcliff could only watch and grit his teeth in frustration.
"Justice… Justice must succeed!" he muttered under his breath, barely audible from the sound of mens flying screaming through the air, as another wave of marines was hit back, prompting the militia to run away in fear.
"STRAWHAT!" Redcliff shouted above the din of sailors moaning in pain and stone cracking from men landing upon them "Surrender now!..." He aimed his cannon arm at Nami, Chopper and Carrot "Or I'll shoot them!"
Nami looked horrified at the marine, his eyes looking frantically from The trio to Luffy and back again, trembling slightly.
"Why haven't you guys moved?"
"We've been trying to avoid getting shot you MORON!" Nami shouted back "Chopper's wounded too!"
Luffy didn't look happy at that news
"Did you do that?" the question was aimed at Redcliff, who smiled sinisterly back at the Strawhat captain "If you're not prepared to bleed in combat you shouldn't fight" he swallowed "Last chance Strawhat, surrender, or I'll shoot your little witch and pets!" around behind Redcliff, Jolland had roused the marines, whom were now moving forward, but with more caution this time than before.
His eyes hadn't left Luffy for all this time, fortunately, it hadn't gone unnoticed, after feeling an arm around her waist, Nami suddenly found herself high up in the air, with Chopper next to her.
Carrot! Was all Nami could think of as the moved onto the other side of the wall. Below her Nami could see her comrades look up at her with surprise mingling with smiles on their faces, in sharp contrast ot the marines' scowls.
Redcliff was still aiming at them, tracking their trajectory with his cannon arm.
"Bomb Salvo!" he howled as the cannon boomed, a cannonball the size of a Choppers' head speeding towards the airborne pirate trio.
A moment before it could connect, Jinbe appeared in front of it, pushing left and off course. Nami could only assume that JInbe hugged the ball for a moment later, the bomb exploded, enveloping the huge fishman in a cloud of black smoke.
"Jinbe!" she shouted, Carrot and Chopper too stunned to say anything.
On the ground, neither did Luffy, only fixing Redcliff with a glare that made the rest of the marines tremble, them his arm flew out like a thunderbolt.
But at the last moment, Jolland grabbed his fellow captain from behind, and jumped, his zoan fruit sending him high in the air, straight for The trio.
He didn't miss, slamming into the three and knocking them out of the sky, making all five of them land with dull thuds on the ground, sending up small clouds of dust.
Meanwhile, Luffy was being swarmed by Marines, which wasn't much of a problem since he was sending them flying, in their droves, the problem was, with the destruction of the gate and the cannon and gunshot going off, all marines were currently swarming the Pirate captain.
Which left the Marine captains free to battle the other pirates.
Nami soon found that the lithe and maniacal Redcliff had regained his footing faster than herself, a few steps away Jolland was taking on Chopper and Carrot, not winning, but keeping them occupied.
Meanwhile Redcliff was advancing, his katana drawn.
Nami only had time to roll to the side at his first slash thundered into the sand where she had landed a mere moment ago.
Nami could only stumble backwards out of reach of further attacks. No time to think, to stand up, to wonder if Jinbe was okay, Nami was on a fundamental level aware that she was cornered. And it was only a matter of time.
Making a last dash to try and get up and away,
Nami lept,
And slammed into the ground, pinned down by a chain around her legs.
Looking at it, Nami could see it was connected to an anchor at one end, and Redcliffs' arm at the other.
"Wha…..?" she muttered
"Simple little pirate, My Devil fruit enables me to turn any part of my body into a ship component, like a chain, caannon….." he smiled, and a sadistic tone came to his voice "or a hull!"
Stomping down on Nami, Redcliff's foot turned into a small boat, pinning her down and restricting her movements further. Nami struggled, but couldn't get free, she could only watch in horror as the marine lifted his sword again.
"Justice be done" Redcliff said, as the Katana began to descend
Only to be stopped by another blade with a clash, that sent sparks flying into the marines' face, making him step back to avoid being blinded. As he did Nami felt the boat upon her move away and turn into a foot again, allowing her to see her saviour.
"It's against the swordsmens' code to attack a person like that…."
"ZORO!" Nami could only do so little to keep her tears of gratitude back. Zoro on his behalf didn't even bother to look at her, simply chopping at the chain around her legs, parting the links as if they were made of cheese before stepping over her, towards the marine.
Then a skeletal hand appeared to help Nami up, "Brook!"
"Yohohoho hello" the musician smiled at her, as much as his skull face would allow (fortunately he didn't ask to get to see her panties, this time).
Redcliff swore and charged again, his wild attacks incapable of evading Zoro's parrying strikes.
Nami didn't need to see that fight too know who'd win, besides she had more important things on her mind
"Jinbe-chan!" she hurried towards the fallen fishman, Brook hot on her heels.
The fishman was alive, shaken, bruised and a bit charred here and there, but alive.
He slowly got up (with some help from Nami) while Brook went to assist Chopper and Carrot.
Between the three of them, the Captain Jolland stood little chance, finally being knocked out by an attack from all three, pushing his rotund form back while slashing his chest a little, but not drawing blood (the slashes appeared to look remarkably much like one of Brooks concert posters). Finally, Carrots' Electro made his leg twitch and kick slightly, even after he had landed.
Looking at Luffy, Nami was happy to see that he was finished with the rank and file troops and was striding towards them.
Nami knew, from the sounds of clashing steel, that Zoro wasn't done with Redcliff yet, but looking at the pair, comparing their skills, the outcome was far too obvious.
Redcliffs' face was growing red, his breath coming out ragged, his arms were trembling and he was having trouble standing. Zoro looked like he'd had tougher fights against a summer breeze, scowling at the lack of stamina in his opponent. Finally, Redcliff gripped his blade with both hands and charged.
Zoro settled for Kicking him in the stomach and watch him double over.
The fight was over, they'd won. But compared to other fights they'd had over the years this didn't feel anywhere near as invigorating as their victory over…. Baroque Works for example.
But at least they were free to leave now,
Although Zoro insisted, and was overruled, on getting some Sake in town.
Instead they choose to loot a little from the Marines, now rather empty, ships.
When they returned to the Sunny (after a cramped ride in the submersible) Nami was happy to see that the fire (which Sanji for some reason had started) had been extinguished and the kitchen was being repaired and would be good enough within a few days of diligent work.
So after having made sure Jinbe took it easy (and Chopper too), Nami sat down in the Library to talk things over with Robin, figuring out where to search for the Princesses next.
(On an unknown beach, late in the afternoon)
Viola breathed a sigh of relief when she set foot on the dry beach sand.
Though the voyage on Shirahoshi's back hadn't been in any way unpleasant (physically at least) the constant fear of the huge scaredy-cat getting spooked and do something instinctive, like, diving beneath the surface for a long time, had nagged her horribly.
But finally, the group had found an island, not a big one admittedly, but large enough to have some vegetation on it, though not something she would have found edible. The thought of once again being denied food made her stomach grumble. Fortunately, none of the others seemed to have heard her, it wouldn't do for them all to be reminded of how much the needed food. It would be worst for Shirahoshi, as she did most of the work for the small group.
Thinking of food involuntarily made Viola think of Sanji.
She deeply hoped the idealistic pirate chef was okay. Not just him of course, his crewmates as well, but him especially. She found the pedestal that he had placed womenkind upon most beautiful and flattering, a bit undeserved since she knew women better than he ever could, but it was nice to be seen as a goddess simply for being.
Pushing her pink thoughst aside, Viola tried to be logical about their situation, plants meant that there was water, water to drink, so that the 6 women wouldn't die of thirst. Or perhaps only 5, Since Shirahoshi seemingly didn't need to drink, not being physically bothered by the salt water in the slightest.
But food was still a problem.
There was the opportunity of eating the Den Den Mushi, but they needed that for communicating with Elder Nyon. Last they'd spoken with the diminutive old woman, she'd told them some clairvoyant or something had predicted that they'd be captured by pirates and later see their fathers.
Very detailed and somewhat vague at the same time, it felt like the typical run-of-the-mill prediction to Viola. But Shirahoshi had seemed to believe every word. According to her, every prediction by this Madame Shyarly was bound to come true at some point.
Not exactly the best of news for their small group.
She knew by experience that pirates was a diverse lot, there was good (Strawhats like Sanji-kun or Luffy-san) and there were bad (Doflamingo), but in the new world the Yonko ruled supreme. If they were found by a pirate crew it was more than likely to be one that was flying under an emperors' jolly roger.
Big Mom would try and marry them off to some of her vile sons.
Red Hair or Blackbeard was more likely to sell them back to their parents, submitting their kingdoms to poverty or simply claim them as territories (which would undoubtedly be far worse in the long run).
Kaido would just annihilate them. End of story. Viola had heard enough about that man when she was together with Doflamingo.
The thought of that bastard made her cringe, hopefully no one would ever think that she'd been together with that washedout tenryubito. The mere thought of Rebecca realising it or her own father, (not to mention the entire kingdom) was enough to make her hug herself to stop shivering.
Thinking back to Sanji, Viola reasoned she wouldn't have minded being discovered with him….
Especially not with his cooking skills and a full larder…
(Aboard the Sunny)
Sanji sneezed and blushed deeply, his mind wandering through a cloud of pink hearts and women's' laughter.
In his absentmindedness, he dropped the plates, he'd been carrying and was barely brought back at the sound of them crashing into a million pieces in the kitchen floor.
Sanji's mind was elsewhere.
He could see a beach, filled with the missing princesses, Viola-chan, Shirahoshi-chan, Vivi-chan (and although he hadn't met her personally yet) Rebecca-chan and the two Kuja-chans. The sun setting in the distance, the crash of the waves against the tiny island they'd sought refuge upon barely registering in his mind.
They were cold and alone, and hungry, and he could cook for each and every one of them, making them soooo happy they'd kiss him as thanks!
He could almost feel their lips on his already, their hands cradling his face, the sound of their sweet voices thanking him….. He could see Viola stretch her arm towards him, beckoning him closer with a hand and her chest, no doubt trying to still her violently beating heart.
Sanji reached out and started to walk towards the princess,
And promptly stepped on a piece of broken plate, sending him head first into the burnt floor with a thump.
Fortunately, no one was around to ask what he was doing.
Getting up, he quickly dusted himself off and ran towards the Library. Bursting through the door he was met with (for him) the most magnificent sight, all female crewmembers sitting down around a table deep in discussion (at least Nami and Robin were, Carrot was busy gnawing on her namesake vegetable and going over the maps).
They all looked up as he came in, and it took him a moment to stop daydreaming again
"I know where the Princess-chans are!" he blurted out
Nami only looked at him with scepticism, it was all she looked at him with these days to be honest, (but he couldn't realise that)
"How could you possibly know that?" she said, her tone having a knifelike edge to it, earning her a look from Robin
"Some of the most beautiful women in the world, how could any man not know where they are?" he responded joyfully, his smile going from ear to ear, then he started blurting out about the vision he'd had, leaving out no detail.
In the end, Nami looked at him with a flabbergasted expression on her face, not certain what to say about his "vision", not even sure if it should be classified as a sort of chivalry- or perversion-radar.
Carrot looked at Sanji as if he'd just grown a dual and much more appealing, head, muttering to herself "The seas are truly a wonderland".
Robin hadn't changed her expression much, her brow had furrowed a little, instead looking down on one of the maps on the table.
"There is actually an island that fits your description Sanji, right here" looking where she was pointing, Sanji could see a small dot on the map, a place that barely had a name, but it fit the shape of the island he'd described to a t.
"But that Island's already been searched by the Marines" Nami interjected "two days ago in fact"
"That doesn't mean that they wouldn't be there now" Robin reasoned "Remember Shirahoshi is a mermaid, and big enough to carry all of them across the sea without problem"
Leaning back in her chair, Nami thought for a moment, before she sighed "It's not like we got better leads at the moment…"
Sanji was elevated, not only had he got the chance to be helpful for the crew, he also got to see all the princesses in his head and then Robin-chan, Carrot-chaan and Nami-scwann in real life, though when he complemented Nami on her new clothes she'd told him to cook and leave her to making a course for the island.
The last she said as he was exiting the door was: "With any luck we'll get there within two days"
Two days and Sanji would be in heaven!
(in the evening aboard the Vigilant Vanquisher)
Redcliff swore, his stomach still hurt from when the pirate had kicked him, the pirates had gotten away, they'd had to repay the town for the damages to the inn and the gate and somehow also been talked into paying for the clothes the pirates had stolen (that little girl had somehow known exactly how to haggle with both captains, it was embarrassing). To top it all off, the pirates had looted, not the town, but Redcliffs own ship, leaving behind a mess in his personal study, most of the food gone and another giant carving of "Soul King Brooks greatest hits" along the side of the hull (including all the lyrics?).
The ignominy of the situation was so bad he'd been forced to ask if he could sail with Jolland to hunt down the Strawhats.
They couldn't have gotten far, they only had a sloop, and that certainly wasn't as good as a marine ship, in Redcliffs' mind, a marine dinghy could out sail a pirate ship of any size and build (it just needed a giant manning the oars).
Picking up the den den mushi, Redcliff prepared to make his dayli report to the nearest Marine base.
"Hello, this is Captain Redcliff, captain of the Vigilant Vanquisher, myself and captain jolland, captain of the Magnificent Manatee, encountered members of the Strawhat Pirate crew today, including their captain, Monkey D. Luffy, and the former Shichibukai JInbe, Knight of the Sea, I'm calling to inform main base that we're in pursuit and…."
"Cease pursuit and go to the nearest Marine base, captain" ht evoice was clear and remarkably feminine, but with a tone that bespoke of authority, something which Redcliff usually would've found charming, if he hadn't been in pursuit.
"But we can catch them! If we wait any longer than we have they'll slip through our fingers like they did in Dressrosa!"
"This is a direct order captain, the order is to captain Jolland as well, be sure to inform him" the voice paused before speaking again, the faint sound of paper sliding indicating the speaker was going through some sort of list
"But why?" Redcliff whined, practically shaking the den den mushi as he spoke
"Everyone in these waters turn up on Runny Rum at some point in the New World, especially when they're this close, and it's even more true with pirates, I know the report is out that several of Whitebeard's old subordinates have docked here recently and it has only increased, scarcely hours ago Captain Blondie was spotted on a bar and Whitey Bay was seen lounging on the beach this very afternoon, she is still somewhere on the main island"
"I-I understand, we'll be there within a few days, we'll have to get all the materiel over on Jollands's ship first, but…"
"Why is that?" after Redcliff had explained what had happened to his beautiful ship, the voice grew harsh "that is complete and utterly irrelevant, get here now, vandalized ship or not, that is an order, captain!"
Redcliff's face grew red and pale as the words sank in, of all the indignities he'd had to swallow that day, it was the hair that nearly broke the camels back.
"And from whom is this order given" he said through clenched teeth, his eyes nearly bulging out of his head from the rage building up inside of him.
"This is the leader of the marine base C-0" the answer came flatly back, as as the words floated through the air in his study, Redcliff's face turned white as a sheet.
"U-unerstood…." He stammered, his anger completely forgotten as he did an unnecessary salute, knowking his tricorne of his sweaty forehead "We'll be there in two days Vice Admiral Gion, Ma'am"
"Good too hear, Look forward to seeing you both" the admiral trailed off before speaking again, the words appearing too much like an after thought "Both of you can Join Commodore Durkey of the Morals committee, he should be sailing by your current position in a few hours if the wind is with him"
As the den den mushi went "click" Redcliff's shoulders fell "I really hate that guy…." He grumbled as he told Jolland of the change of plans (Jolland wasn't entirely displeased about it though)
(In Mariejois)
Elder Nyon, once great empress Gloriosa of Amazon Lily, was puzzled.
The fact that the princesses and Rindo and Marguerite hadn't been found yet was not a surprise.
The strange part was that prophecy, or omen, or whatever. It could be a hoax, Gloriosa had used the same sort of trick once or twice to try and get empress Boa Hancock to do something that approached her royal duties.
But the reports from the Fishman King bespoke of this fortune tellers' potent abilities. It should make her happy to know that the princesses would get saved, eventually, but there was something about it that didn't seem quite right.
Then she realized it, the Kuja were part of the prophecy too, but she had little recollection of whom Rindo and Marguerite's fathers might be, though their births had been a bit special for the Kuja tribe.
Then it hit her, slapping her head, she cursed herself for a foolish old woman, Marguerite and Rindo shared a father! But she couldn't remember what he was called…..
"Are you well Nyon-san?" the question brought her back to the present, looking around her as she remembered that she was having tea with Thalassa Lucas again, and that King Dalton of Sakura Kingdom, both more than a little interested to know what was going on with the missing Princesses and the searching royalty.
"Oh yes, I just recalled something from long ago, none of your concern I assure you Lucas-dono"
"hmm, I hope you don't mind that I remind you that I am a king, not an ambassador" the elderly Lucas said in a calm, polite tone.
"Oh not at all" Nyon replied, understanding fully what had peeved the king "I'd like to inform you, that I used to be the Empress of Amazon Lily and the Kuja tribe, so -san is a bit incorrect" her tone was playful, her eyes were not. Lucas quickly dropped the subject and apologized
"I used to be a captain of the guard, it was sometimes hard to get the snow out of our cloaks on windy days" Dalton said out of the blue, making both Nyon and Lucas look at him with puzzled expressions. Finally Nyon decided to break the awkward silence:
" do you have more Choco tea-nyon?"
(On a small island)
The women had huddled up together for warmth.
The night was cool and there was a little chill in the wind. Vivi felt that they'd starve soon if they didn't find something better to munch on the raw kelp. Although food in the sea was abundant, more than half of it was poisonous and they had no means of cooking the poison out of it either.
Water was another problem, they could only stomach to drink so much salt water before their bodies became affected, but they had to drink or die of thirst.
Hopefully tomorrow would bring something better…
Chapter 3, sorry it took so long to update, I've been a bit busy lately, but the next week or so should bring abundant time to write on this story
After writing this chapter I can safely say one thing, writing action scenes are time consuming!
so some of the later chapter will be a tough thing to get through.
Next chapter wont be nearly as long, that I'm certain of, over 10.000 words and aproximately 22 pages in word, wow
hopefully youøve liked what I've made so far,
and as always:
RnR if you'd be so kind