Chapter 5
Escape from the pirates!
Which Pirates?
(on a Ship in the New World)
Vivi shivered at the sight of the pirate trio,
The woman, the stout one and the Beheader
the last one levelling his cutlass in her direction, seemingly intent on making her answer his question from before.
Less than a Moment later, he lifted his cutlass, but not to charge and strike at Vivi, but to fend off the crate of food that came flying from the darkness.
Vivi barely had time to see Rindo in the dark, no crate in her arms, looking at her as if to scream "GET MOVING"
Panic kicking in, Vivi reached for the box and began to run towards the door.
Meanwhile, the beheader rushed towards Rindo, who'd managed to get her hands on a weapon.
Vivi gulped at the thought of the Kuja fighting off a blade with a chandelier and shivered as the two combatants came within striking distance.
The cutlass was sure to cut through the chandelier like melted butter!
The sound of the clash wasn't that of a sharp snap, instead it was a drawn out screech sending a metallic scream across the room, and somehow, Vivi was sure it could be heard across the entire ship.
For some reason the chandelier held firm, surprising the beheader, and Vivi, and, assumingly the two other crew members. But the massive warcriminal/cabinboy weren't one to stop attacking after a mere first strike. The two clashed repeatedly, small sparks erupting at each blow.
The other pirates didn't waste time with Rindo but chased after Vivi as she sprinted around the other side of the ironmaiden and jumped up on the large bed, her feet sinking into the soft mattress.
The large contraption had been strangely silent, before making a small jump and give out a timely howl, as if the inhabitant was full aware of everything that went on in the room and wanted part of the action. The sound made Vivi trip and stumble in the blanket, dropping the crate in the same movement.
Neither of the two crew members let the chance pass them by, the stout man jumping on top of Vivi, pinning her down.
Although she struggled, Vivi was forced to stop when she felt an icy chill against her forehead, pressing don heavily.
In the limited light of the lamb, Vivi could just make out that the woman was holding her pistol at her head.
Meanwhile, Rindo and the swordsman were struggling against each other, though the Kuja was having a slight advantage over the far taller man (although he'd come close to decapitating her, evident from the wig on her head being cut halfway up), having pushed him enough backwards towards the double doors that the pair was visible behind the Iron maiden.
"Drop the chandelier or I shoot her" the woman commanded, her voice coming out clear and angry
Rindo didn't react at first, forcing the woman to cock the pistol "I MEAN IT!"
At last the Kuja turned her head, and, seeing they'd been outmaneuvered, dropped the chandelier on the ground. If Vivi had noticed it, she'd have wondered why it suddenly turned from a black to a golden hue.
The beheader simply held the Kuja at cutlass length, the tip of the weapon firmly placed under the woman's chin.
The next moment saw the other door burst open, the mustachioed guard, whom the infiltrators had evaded earlier, being the first of four crewmembers entering the room, rapiers and pistols drawn.
Seeing their help was better used as guards of the two women, they immediately encircled them holding Viv and Rindo in a corner of the room. Meanwhile the stout pirate (whom the woman called Evelyn) hurried off after some chains, which, probably courtesy of the Ironmaiden in the room, were nearby.
Clasping their hands in iron, Vivi began to grit her teeth at their failed mission.
The woman stood before them next, cleaning her glasses before addressing the two with a glare that could've scared Luffy into eating properly.
"I'm going to give you 1 minute!" she held up an angry finger "to explain what you were doing in the Captains' bedroom"
The captain's bedroom?! Vivi thought before looking at the Ironmaiden with a shocked expression
"….especially with all that food!" the Woman continued, her voice sounding like iron scraping stones.
Vivi cringed at the tone, Rindo merely looked disinterested, which didn't help the woman's mood in any way.
"Answer me!" the words come out slowly, sternly, like red hot metal being struck in a forge. Neither woman reacted much differently than before.
"While you try to interrogate them, and fail…" the Beheader began turning his back to them, walking towards the Ironmaiden "I'm going to make my report to this guy"
"Wha…. Cabinboy that's not, his breakfast isn't ready…" the woman turned around sharply, shaking at the indignation at the mans' attitude towards their captain "And address him as CAPTAIN!" she finished her arms stiff down her sides, fists balling and shoulders shot up towards the ceiling.
The beheader simply stopped in front of the ironmaiden, and, ignoring the woman's protests, took his cutlass and slammed the pummel into the side of the dire looking metal contraption with a loud "CLANG" making most of the crew visibly cringe and look at the man in black as if he was a madman, the kind that'd challenge Whitebeard at the late Yonko's prime.
Then the strangest thing happened
From the Ironmaiden in the middle of the room,
Came a voice,
deep and rumbly as the syllables was bounced off the metal sides and escaped through a small hatch on the front.
"Wha… morning already?"
(On the Sunny)
I'm telling you I can feel they're in danger! poor Vivi-chan!" Sanji complained as he tried, in vain, to prevent Luffy from stealing anymore food from the storage room.
"If you're so worried, take a swim and save them that way, ero-cook" Zoro said, cranky that his morning nap had been interrupted.
"And who'd cook for the women on the ship?" Sanji responded, his eyes turning into little pounding hearts as his imagination began to work, his tongue lopping out of his mouth as the next words passed the perv-chefs' lips "Who'd bring them snacks and tea when they're out suuuuuunbaaaathiiiiiiiing?"
Zoro could only scowl as Sanji began to sway from side to side, his arms firmly clasped around a struggling Luffy. When the Chef began to happily mumble about the women's' clothing, the swordsman had finally had enough
"Nami can do that herself" Zoro's words stopped Sanji in the middle of a "-ikini…." The blonde looking at Zoro as if he'd lost what little wits he had left.
"Nami-scwans' hands are much too delicate for that!" the chef half howled at the swordsman, his arms flailing up and down "She could get blisters or….. or cuts! Her perfectly pure woman hands…"
"Then she can starve" Zoro retorted angrier than before "Like we will if you don't keep Luffy out of the food!"
"How can you say such horrible…. Huh?" Sanji blinked. In his anger at his comrade and his criticism, he'd let go of his captain, whom, at this point, had not only reacjed the food, but was devouring more than his part of it.
Sanji however, managed to tackle the rubberman as he was about to finish gulping down a banana.
Promising to feed him a double portion at lunch (which was unnnecesary since Luffy always had thirds) he managed to keep the rest of the food safe from him.
That unfortunately didn't' help on Carrot, whom by now, had almost singlepawed eaten her way through the crews supply of carrots and vegetables….
(on the ship)
Vivi blinked as she heard the voice from the Ironmaiden.
Unlike the bloodcurdling howl of rage from before, this sounded almost human, and would more so when the person was actually released. Which might be in a while, since the woman with the gun had started yelling at the Beheader, almost as soon as he'd stopped hammering on the ironmaiden.
"Why'd you do that for?! The captain needs at least 8 hours, 11 minutes and 17.8 second of beauty sleep to be perfectæy rested! We're off by at least 4 minutes!"
"I have a report to make first mate, and it couldn't wait!" the larger man retorted, towering over the smaller woman, even with her wig, he'd have scarred even Luffy with his scowl. To the First mates' credit she didn't seem to flinch.
"that can.." she began, before the, assumingly, man in the metal container stopped her
"what report? This better be important new guy! I need 4 more minutes!"
"The days' newspaper" the Beheader simply responded, his face unresponsive as he turned to the iron box containing his captain
"Well what does it say?" the voice was demanding, but for some reason it turned almost melodic when it spoke next "Are there any articles about me in there?"
"Nope" the tall man said, ignoring the annoyed groan from inside the ironmaiden "Accordingly there's still no sign of the missing princesses"
"So no one has captured them yet then, perfect, if it's us the…." The voice in the box began, only to get interrupted by the beheader
"The Cannibal has attacked one of Redhairs' territories"
"Daaaah!" the voice groaned indignantly, Vivi couldn't judge whether the captain was angry at the news or the disrespect he was being given, that is until he spoke again "that insufferable nitwit!"
"The alliance of Kidd, Hawkins and the On Air Pirates faced Kaido and lost a while back…."
"HAhahahahahahahahahaha! That'll show those upstarts in the Worst Generation!" the captains voice cackled gleefully "What other good news are there?"
"None in the newspaper, but…."
"Captain, sir" the first mate cut in, bowing her head so low it looked like her wig would fall off "My apologies for not waking you at the correct time…" she paused, sending the beheader a hard glare, which surprisingly made the man straighten up, before continuing
"We caught 2 infiltrators, stealing food and entering your bedroom…"
"Entering my… they must be FANS!!" the voice in the box chimed, the contraption doing a little happy jump that made the chains rattle, which somehow made the whole situation appear like an odd horror version of a classical opera.
The first mates head snapped up "but, captain, they've taken…." She began feebly, straightening up while giving the still dancing ironmaiden a look of exasperation.
"Fans-fans-fans! Fans for me, fans for my….. MY FANS!" The captain sung inside his box, the whole container jumping at each syllable.
"let me out, they deserve to see me!" the voice half sung and half ordered from the box
"I cannot do that sir…." The first mate began "You haven't been bathed.." she shot a sharp glare at Vivi ad Rindo "NO, YOU CANNOT, JOIN HIM!" before she turned back to her captain-in-a-box, leaving VVivi blushing at the comment and Rindo slightly confused "….Given breakfast, had your hair combed and oile-"
"Basically…." the beheader cut in, clearly out of patience "….None of your usual 4 hour morning prancing in front of a mirror, besides…"
"Then, they'll just have to wait to see me, until I'm properly presentable" the voice half sang from inside the box, not bothering to acknowledge the obvious time constraint.
"But… but we can't wait that long!"
All eyes turned to the speaker, which was a slightly flustered Rindo.
"We… we were shipwrecked and our comrades are starving….." the kuja continued, stuttering slightly, making the effect of the damsels in distress all the more evident
"Ye-yes they're waiting for us now" Vivi piped in as soon as she caught her friends' drift "We haven't had much to eat for almost a week"
Silence followed, their captors giving Vivi and Rindo a critical look, not entirely convinced
"Shipwrecked? Why that's PERFECT!" the captain in the Ironmaiden yelled with barely contained glee.
Vivi cringed as the odd man continued to ramble about how much they(or rather he)'d be loved and be in the newspaper if they helped save sailors in need. If the mans' desk was any indication, filled with torn up wanted posters (which included one of her friends'), she was dealing with an absolute madman.
Not that his sleeping accommodations hadn't been a big enough clue.
"Evelyn, get food ready for the fans, I'll be with you shortly, then we'll get them all over on our ship!"
"At once captain" the stout little man replied, bowing deeply in front of the box, despite that there was no way the captain could've seen it.
Vivi felt cold sweat all over her body, she had no intention of staying on a ship that possible also bore the world's biggest narcissist and madman.
Before the stout man could execute the order however, the Beheader spoke again
"Hey guy, can I give you the rest of my report now?"
A moment of silence followed, then two voices, one from within the ironmaiden, and one from without, spoke the exact same words
"CALL HIM/ME CAPTAIN WHEN YOU'RE SAILING ON HIS SHIP!"
The ironmaiden was still trembling, the occupant clearly furious at his (assumed) subordinate, while the first mate had balled both of her fists and with a twitching eye glared at the indignant cabinboy. The beheader, in turn, didn't seem to notice (or chose not to).
"Want it or not?" he said with a weary tone "It might be important"
"…I thought…" the voice of the captain-in-a-box began, still trembling with barely contained anger "…you said there wasn't any more in the newspaper…."
"There isn't…" the cabinboy responded, taking a short break to sigh before continuing "But according to that vivre-card map of yours…. The Boss is coming up from the south"
For a moment time stood still, Vivi not liking the idea of a pirate boss one bit, it set her teeth on edge, then the boxed-captain groaned and whined
"NOOOOOOO! If he gets here, everything'll be ruined!"
"Well…. His crew might have some important intel to share, after all, he knows some of those missing girls…."
"No! He always ruins everything!" the box did a crude shudder as the occupant mumbled incoherently to himself, finally the captain spoke again "What's their course"
"Pretty much straight for us"
A sharp thud erupted from inside the box, and a fist sized lump appeared on the side of it, bulging outwards
No one said a word, either from respect (the first mate), fear (Evelyn and his comrades and Vivi (and Vivi assumed, also Rindo)) or simple disinterest (the beheader).
"How long till they get here?"
"two days with normal wind, but with the speed their vessel got, it could be far less, they really got a marvellous shipwright on the…"
"Don't you dare use their crews' name when my fans are present!" the captain cut in with a shrill shriek "They could be… swayed" the last word had dripped with venom, as if the very notion of it in the current context was sacrilege of the most dire kind.
"Ophelia!"
"Yes captain?" the first mate snapped to attention, a little clipboard, paper and pen appearing out of nowhere in her hands, ready to take notes
"Make sure my fans; are given a boat, food and my sincerest apologies that they can't stay with us on our fine ship"
"As You wish captain" Ophelia said, scribbling notes down on the board "May I suggest that you catch up on your sleep-schedule while we draw your bath, prepare your morning wardrobe and see to your fans?"
"Excellent idea!"
As the group was rushed out of the bedroom, Vivi had a hard rime comprehending their luck.
It was both great and horrible, on the one hand, they'd be off this ship soon, with food and a boat (that Ophelia would disregard orders seemed rather Ludacris to her) but they'd be alone in a sea, with some crazed pirate boss coming straight in their direction!
(One the Sunny)
Nami yawned and took another sip at her tea.
There hadn't been anymore delays on their journey so far, and she honestly needed to try and relax a little. The past few days had been nothing but worry for the missing princesses and it was starting to show. When Usopp had pointed out that she had wrinkles under her eyes, nami knew she had to take a break from all the work.
So after punching the crews' snipers' lights out, she'd grabbed a pot of tea and the newspaper she'd accidently stolen the other day and sat down in the library with Robin.
Chopper had joined them a swell and had quickly fallen asleep with his head resting on Nami's lap.
Nami sighed in a small moment of content before she opened the newspaper.
First article:
Forrest octopus season: don't bathe in these forrest lakes….
Nami looked at the title with an utmost lack of interest, she had a perfectly good bathroom, shower and bathtub on the Sunny, why'd she ever bathe in a forrest lake?
The article didn't say much really, just beware of the diseases the octopi carried. Shrugging, Nami thought she could ask Chopper when the Reindeer woke up, if she remembered.
Second article:
Black market dealer found dead, investigation impending, authorities are speculating assassination"
Nothing worth reading there either, just some stuff about guy who'd been whacked with a blade. Assassination was an obvious possibility especially given his trade in the black market. The article mentioned nothing about a possible motive, but it was the Underworld, so it shouldn't be too hard to find one.
What did peque Nami's interest was that it said that the dealer might've had a devilfruit that'd been taken. While Nami didn't think she'd ever want one herself (if she did, who'd ever save Luffy from drowning? Or Brook, or Chopper, or Robin for that matter) knowing that there were devilfruits out there that might not have been eaten yet was a great way to make quick cash, and Nami always liked that.
Third Article:
Large Pirate Crew escaped justice
As she read it, Nami blinked, and scowled, and then groaned.
When Robin asked what was wrong, Nami only had to show the archaeologist the picture, or rather drawing, of the crews' jolly roger to show what was wrong. The Foxy Pirates had gone from the Grand Line, to the New World, the Flag Luffy'd given them, being quite possibly the ugliest of all pirate motifs (And Nami had seen more than her fair share of those when Big Mom had mustered her fleet in Tottoland).
Hopefully they wouldn't meet Foxy and his crew, they were cheats even by the standard of Pirates. And they'd almost taken Robin and Chopper away from them!
And if they hadn't voted on it, they'd have gotten Foxy….. Nami didn't need much time to conclude that it was a good thing Luffy had decided to take the flag instead.
Taking another sip of tea, Nami briefly looked at the comics section, and moved on immediately. Having met the Germa Kingdoms' royalty she didn't need to be reminded of their secondhand scumbaggishness when fighting the marines propaganda hero Sora. (As if a guy with a seagull could defeat those freaks)
Not to mention, when the party they'd held before parting ways with Bege and his crew (and Nami's darling godson Pez) one of his subordinates Vito had practically showered Sanji with questions about his family, revealing an almost encyclopedic knowledge about the comics and its history in the process. It had bored Nami more than she thought anything could ever do.
The fourth and last article was something of a mystery, and one Nami had quietly looked forward to read ever since she'd laid her eyes on it:
Where are they now, the former Subordinates of the Whitebeard Pirates
Considering that Law was trying to find the remnants of the former Yonko crew, ally with them and then take down Kaido (another Yonko!) knowing whom had been supporting them might be a great asset in the future. But given that it said "former" it was all too possible that the crews weren't likely to aid them at all.
Back in the town, Nami had heard the marine captains talk about several crews that had come to Runny Rum Archipelago recently and the article only confirmed it.
Whitey bay the Ice witch, raider of the winter islands where the conditions only amplified her devilfruit powers.
Blondie the Liontamer, a man that made a habit of attacking nearly every ship he encountered, leaving the Crews poorer, starving and/or dead.
Amadob the conquorer, former king of over a dozen small islands and bays, established a new "kingdom" eachtime he had picked the previous one clean of riches.
Slavetaker Hangan, A pirate that had assaulted countless prisoner ships and turned their cargo and crew into slaves.
All of the above had been seen close to Runny Rum Archipelago recently.
Others, though Nami hadn't met them, were people to fear: Crawling Epoida, the Decalvan brothers, Karma of the 6 swords (ally or not, Zoro would want to fight that one), Doma the Bohemian Knight, Blubbers Islewan. It did not say where any of those had gone, but one thing was for sure, they were still active.
The same couldn't be said about almost 20 other crews that had been taken out by someone Edward Weevil or Whitebeard Jr of the shichibukai… Nami shivered as she took in the implications, all of those that had been defeated, A.O, Elmy, Ninth, Ramba (just to name a few), had all been powerful pirates, and Nami was in no hurry to meet another Shichibukai after their fight with Doflamingo. (Technically she hadn't lifted a finger against his crew but she had been forced away)
Looking over the names of those nearby, Nami concluded that she honestly didn't know much about any of them.
But she knew someone who did.
(on the pirate ship (or as Vivi had mentally named it: the narcissism flagship))
Vivi was happy, though she couldn't afford to show it just yet.
The pirates had given them a boat and almost filled it with food, water and blankets.
In that they'd been kind.
But standing so close to a person called the beheader, wore on her nerves, especially one that kept angrily mumbling that he should've gone to the boss crew instead, where he could have gotten drunk with…. Someone whose name started with "G" and/ or "P", or even an "F". the larger man always kept quiet when the first mate Ophelia looked at him though.
It had gone remarkably fast getting all the supplies in the boat, less than 5 minutes had passed, which meant that there still was a bit of darkness left, just enough to obscure Vivi's face (she reasoned that Rindo's wouldn't be recognised as easily as a princess').
Clearing her throat, the first mate demanded both Vivi's and Rindo's attention
"The captains most sincere apologies for not…." She kept on talking for almost 2 minutes, just listing all of the things Vivi and Rindo wouldn't get to witness (which amongst other things, included the captains entrance (which accordingly to the beheaders mumbled comments was just the guy riding in on the horse with some trumpet and violin racket) a proper breakfast (which sent Vivi's stomach rumbling) and the privilege of seeing the captain stand in the stem of the ship, the wind tugging gently at his luxurious hair (all of which only brought Vivi some flashbacks to a doll she'd had when she was 5, she'd thrown it off the palace when she was 6))
"…..Finally, we wish you a happy journey and please mention the Beautiful pirates when you get rescued, the captains does s like to see his name in the newspaper…." Ophelia finished her monotone rant by crossing off a point on her clipboard before giving Vivi and Rindo an inviting look.
"Well…. Thank you for everything…" Vivi began, knowing what common courtesy required, but shaking a little under the other woman's gaze "We'll be off now…" She was getting nervous, the sun was beginning to shine more brightly now, soon she wouldn't be able to hide her face in the dark.
"One more thing" Ophelia said, just as Viv and Rindo was about to turn and enter the boat.
"We'll need your wig back" She continued, pointing her pen at Vivi "it's the last spare we have left since the other one is ruined" pointing her pen at Rindo's "and we don't have the means to procure more at the moment" when neither of the two infiltrators moved, both all too aware that if Vivi handed her wig over, she'd be recognised and both be busted in a heartbeat.
"It's a uniform thing, we simply must have it for the new cabinboy…" pointing a pen at a now very nervous looking Beheader, the first mate reached out a hand, waiting patiently to receive the wig.
The beheader didn't wait.
Giving both Vivi and Rindo a harsh shove into the boat, he quickly drew his cutlass and chopped at the chains holding the vessel up.
Vivi shrieked as she was the railing of the ship, and the shocked look of the beautiful pirates faces, disappear.
A moment later the boat crashed into the water, bobbing violently on the surface, but not sinking.
As the two women scrambled to get their hands on the oars they were faintly aware of the the fight going on up on the deck.
"We need that wigh for you uniform!" a female voice yelled
"I'm not wearing that horror!" the beheader howled back
Neither on the two took notice that Vivi and Rindo pulled at the oars to get as far away from the ship as possible.
(somewhere in the new world)
Pell looked at the ocean in the early morning light, the reflection of the sun turning it an odd, but beautiful blend of Orange, green, blue and red, the colour of a child's rainbow.
He honestly preferred his native desserts in Alabasta, it was far safer to fly over those than it was these waters.
He knew her highness was different, she loved the seas, and had had a sort of Homesickness ever since parting ways with the Strawhats.
He also knew that she was going to be ok in the new world, as soon as they found her, and the others.
The last few days had been naught but empty searches for the women, comforting the huge king Neptune, or the old King Riku, both of whose daughters were also missing.
Although he'd tried his best, the Germa princes had always pushed him away and told him to leave royalty to royalty and, akthough he found it obnoxiously rude of the three boys (and their father) he had to take it with grace, since it was their "ships" they were on.
So he had mingled with the staff of the other kings, he'd gotten along famously with Tank Lepanto from Dressrosa, but not so much with Dagama, the tactician from Prodence. The Germa's head chef, the petite Cosette, was a joy to deal with, especially around mealtime (Pell had a faint feeling she was as good a chef as Igaram's wife Terracotta).
Regardless of what relations he had with the other "servants" (as some of the Germa was wont to call them) they all agreed one one thing, they didn't know what their hosts sought to gain by helping their lieges.
And it was starting to wear on Pell's nerves.
(on the sea)
Being bathed in the ships shadow made it hard to see anything, so the two were a bit surprised to see Shirahoshi's head appear from the depths.
"What happened, I heard a lot of scary voices?" the giant mermaid whined, chewing a little on her lower lip to keep it from quivering.
"A lot Shirahoshi-dono, I can't tell you ha-" Vivi began, before Rindo cut her off
"that can wait, please get back in the water so they don't see you, next, swim to the island and get the others to the other side of the island, make sure they're hidden from view"
Shirahoshi blinked, scarred at the commanding tone, but nodding that she understood before disappearing back into the sea.
Vivi scowled at the Kuja "Why'd you have to sound so mean? You know she's fragile"
"Yes, I do" Rindo replied, pulling at the oars again, sending the boat further away from the ship "I also know that the large man said that their boss knew some of our little group"
Vivi gasped at the thought.
She hadn't thought about it herself, but it was true, one in their little group could be connected to the mysterious pirate boss they'd heard of, but whom? And what sort of connection (Vivi was quick to dismiss the idea that Luffy could've become the boss of another pirate crew, didn't seem like his kind of thing)
"It could be an old enemy…." Rindo began, her eyes boring their way into Vivi's, keeping her stock still and at attention "…..or a friend of some sort….. But would they be that to the rest of us?" the implication hang heavily in the air, off course they didn't know anything about the boss, but it was the new World, so they were bound to be fearsome.
Vivi had made more than enough enemies from her baroque works days, and Crocodile was still on the loose (why Luffy freed him, she'd never know) so she didn't like her chances, this was just the sort of thing he'd pull.
Reminding herself that the world didn't revolve around her, Vivi thought about the other women, Rebecca and Viola had been familiar with Doflamingo, and she knew next to nothing about what type of people Shirahoshi was familiar with (fishmen and merfolk obviously, but a lot of pirates went through Fishman island, not to mention; Fishman Island had been Whitebeards territory before his death, the last thing she wanted was for them to become part in some powerplay for that crews recovery).
Then off course, there were the two Kuja, they were far too secretive for Her liking, not even talking about their island home to other women.
The whole situation had begun to smell too fishy for her liking.
"I don't think it's wise to talk too much about what was said on that ship, do you?" Rindo said after a while.
An assertion Vivi could only agree to.
And so the two women kept rowing, as the sun finally rose high enough to show the Beautiful Pirates ship in all it's almost gaudy ostentatiousness.
It was a pretty sight, but not enough to alleviate the feeling that was growing in Vivi's stomach, that she couldn't trust anyone she was travelling with…
And so the pair kept on rowing in silence.
(On the sunny)
Nami had just skipped the last few steps of the stairs and landed lightly on the top deck where the wheel was positioned.
Jinbe-chan still stood behind it, steering the ship as if he was taking a breath, so naturally that it made Nami a little envious, but still glad, since that meant he had attention to spare answering her questions.
"Hoi Nami-san, any changes in the weather?"
"No Jinbe-chan, not at the moment" Nami responded holding up her newspaper "I'm here for something else"
Jinbe raised an eyebrow at her, not certain what it was she wanted, but he nodded almost sagely as soon she had posed her question.
"That is wise, to know whom you can count on when going against Kaido…." He paused, scowling at the the next he was going to say "….and those he might have in his army…."
"Some of Whitebeards subordinates have joined Kaido?" Nami shivered, and not because of the morning wind, it was all due to Jinbe nodding in confirmation "How many?"
"Can't say, Epoida and Islewan are prime candidates, they fit what Kaido likes; beasts…. And savagery…."
"Are there some you doubt would be on his side?"
"Well, Doma and Hangan were both good friends of Ace, so I doubt they'll disregard his memory, but given how the times have changed, with the rise of this new shichibukai, it's almost impossible to tell what'll happen"
"Jinbe-chan, try lightening up a little will you, it's getting hard to be calm with the kind of mood you're having"
"Sorry..." Jinbe responded, bowing his head apologetically "...but you don't need to worry about Whitey..." he quickly moved on, trying to lighten Nami's spirits "She's alright, did some considerable damage at Marineford, her ship rammed straight through Aokiji's ice... or at least so I've heard, we hadn't arrived at the time yet, me and Luffy…" he trailed off
"And all those other prisoners…" Nami continued "Like Buggy, that big headed guy from the Revolutionaries…. And Crocodile" She said the last one reluctantly, remembering Alabasta all too clearly.
"Yes..." Jinbe scoffed "I wasn't too happy about that one either, and I was right, he kept on attacking everything that came in his way"
"Like who?"
Both turned at Zoro came up on the helm, a bottle of Sake already in his hand, and from the sound of it, half-empty.
"Just some stories from Marineford, Some of the guys that went with me and Luffy made quite the carnage….. and chaos"
"Do tell, Hawk Eyes didn't say a word of it during training…" taking a hefty gulp from his bottle, Zoro looked at Jinbe expectantly.
As the two began to chat about the battle, Jinbe going into vivid detail about what had happened after he'd arrived, Nami quickly decided that she didn't need to hear it all. The whole of the New World was littered with powerhouses and monsters, many of whom could take on their crew and deal some serious damage… and she honestly didn't have the nerves to listen to half of them at the moment, not now! Not with so much going on at once.
Seeing the crews' sniper lounging on the lawn deck, Nami smiled as an idea popped up in her head
"Usopp, I think you ought to hear what Jinbe-chan and Zoro are talking about"
"huh?" the long nosed sniper blinked confused at her from beneath his hat, before getting up and going for the stairs, Nami could almost hear him scream in horror at the things he was going to hear.
(on the sea)
After they had feasted on a bounty of dry crackers and canned vegetables, the group had set off again. This time, not riding on Shirahoshi's back, but having the larger Mermaid pull the boat.
Vivi and Rindo had not told the others all that had transpired on the ship, especially about what group of Pirates it was, or about the destructive boss that was coming up from the south.
But they couldn't explain their way out of the one and a half wigs they'd been wearing on their heads.
Viola had been especially persistent about what had happened, but both had held true and not squealed about any more than what was utmost necessary.
But that wasn't a dampener on the mood though, they kept a good speed (Vivi presumed it was true that mermaid were the fastest swimmers in the sea) the weather was warm and the seas calm.
And a full stomach and relative safety was never a dampener on good spirits.
The problems arose when they had to decide where to go.
South wasn't an option in Vivi's mind, and fortunately the way back towards Red Line wasn't in that immediate direction. But the safest bet, atleast for the majority of the group (everyone but Vivi and Rindo) was to sail around and try to find a Marine base, hoping for the best.
Thinking back, Vivi cursed herself for a fool for not asking about a map of the region when she had been on the pirate ship, but then Again, if they truly had been shipwrecked, then they'd naturally already possess one. asking for another would've revealed their duplicity immediatly.
But tghwy had another problem: if they just kept sailing hit herto between the isles there was a chance they'd run into whatever "Boss" the pirates had spoken of….
But she couldn't risk telling the others about it, lest they panic, or worse lie about whom they thought it was.
Despite the idyllic scenery and sailing conditions, it really was a sticky situation they were caught in.
(on the Sunny, around Noon)
Luffy laughed heartily, completely unaware of how traumatized Usopp had become after hearing how the Strawhat captain had gotten the scar on his chest. The look on the snipers' face as Jinbe had elaborated what had preceded it (a lot of the battle of Marineford) was too comical for the Strawhat captain and he subsequently fell on the deck, clutching his sides, laughing all the way.
Usopp looked like he'd eaten another serving of Tatatabasco, and on top of Luffy's Random Curry. His eyes bulging out of his head, looking in two directions, snot and tears dripping from his jaw, that only hung millimetre from the deck. The rest of his body trembled like he was being tickled an was trying to hold in laughter (or was it a nervous breakdown?).
The snipers' response didn't get better when Jinbe showed the damage he'd sustained trying to prevent Luffy dying, or when Zoro said he envied it and wanted something similar in the future, lamenting the fact that he hadn't had a good injury in a while…
Nami was a bit ashamed at having caused the snipers misfortune, but she figured he had to become a courageous warrior of the sea somehow (it was his dream after all (and in spite of his personality)) and it wouldn't do if he was still a world class coward when the landed on Elbaf (which was a given, since both Usopp and Luffy had been pretty intent on going there for a while and Hajrudin had spoken so highly of the place, that Nami kinda wanted to go there too and not just to make a map and leave immediately, but actually enjoy the place a little(and steal their gold)).
Sanji was in the kitchen, preparing Lunch (and hopefully steering out of Nami's way for the time being)
Chopper was trying to give Usopp something to calm his nerves (didn't help that it was with a needle, the sniper having a very strong aversion to any sort of penetration at the moment)
Brook was trying too help with some music, which could've helped, if only the song wasn't about bones and skulls and death…
Leaning back in her sun chair, Nami sighed, she had ditched her worries for the time being, even if it was on Usopps expense (but the apparent bonding between Zoro and Jinbe seemed to make up for it).
"Allright the Kitchen's fixed, and the girls bedroom has a new bed too!"
Nami looked at Franky, the huge cyborg making his usual pose, a bunch of planks in one hand and a toolbox dangling from the other.
"That was fast Franky" Robin commented with a content smile from the sunchair next to Nami's
"Yeah, I've been super productive this week" the cyborg exclaimed happily "I'm also done fixing up the girls bedroom and added another bed in the guys'" giving her an enthusiastic thumbs up the cyborg left her to her tanning. Nami sighed contently.
If they didn't get any more delays, they be at the island Sanji described by dusk.
If only everything went as smoothly as that Nami thought,
before looking over a map of the region one more time so many places those girls could hide, or be ambushed…..
(On Runny Rum Archipelago)
Amande stood over her younger siblings' bed.
It had gotten late last night, she was willing to admit that much, but still, there were little excuse for sleeping until noon for a grown woman.
She supposed that since Galette's father's tribe was seminocturnal, then Galette would be so too. But this was a sleep that was partially induced by all the drinks she'd had last night, courtesy of all the young bartenders, none of whom she'd given a second look after getting served.
Now she lay there, half snoring, still in the same dress as the night before, and Amande wanted to kick her awake and get to work.
If what they'd done the last few days could ever be classified as work.
Bagging a few captains that Mama might approve of, didn't feel that much like work, more like, networking….
The longneck woman sighed, this whole trip had gotten boring a while ago, but they'd stayed, mostly because of the beaches, the parties (sometimes Galette's hangovers too) and naturally, the restaurants.
The thought of those brought a rare smile to Amande's lips.
The pair had enjoyed an exquisite dinner last night at Hannibals, a restaurant which, though mainly for the elite of the archipelago, had no qualms about serving pirates, if they agreed to be discreet.
With a marinebase towering above the surrounding city and beach, more than a hundred cannons pointing down, capable of making a miniature Bustercall in an instant, most would readily agree.
And even daugthers of Big Mom agreed, when the other clientele included the Vice Admiral in charge of the marinebase.
A woman like themselves. A swordswoman and logia devilfruit user. A woman with both power and authority.
But a marine all the same.
And one they'd best steer clear of for the time being.
But that had become a bit hard. The last few days, more pirates had come and gone from Runny Rum than usually (some, like Amande and Galette(and the captains they'd negotiated with), had overstayed their welcome), and that naturally drew in marines to apprehend them.
Pursing her lips Amande made up her mind.
Picking up the Den den Mushi, she called back to Tottoland, hoping that Mama could be persuaded to end their mission and let them come home…
(one another ship on the sea)
"You see anything"
"Yeah, I do…."
"Wha? It's not more water again is it? Or sea shells? or waves? You haven't seen any waves in a while!" the last part was spoken with more than a bit of annoyance
"No captain…. I see a mermaid….. a very big, pretty Mermaid…. pulling a boat with other little pretty girls in it…"
"…That's wonderful! Get the ship going, we'll give them a ride, make sure they don't get tired, a few lonely girls can't be alone out here on the sea, there's all sorts of creepy types in these waters"
The two voices were joined by a third as they laughed.
Meanwhile their vessel began to pick up speed,
as it moved closer to the princess' group…..
Fifth chapter end
My take on how the beautiful pirates would do in a situation like that. All the characters can be found on wiki/Beautiful_Pirates, which I also recommend when reading this fic, I'm going to make a lot of references to different characters, places and things so it's a good idea to use, if you wan't to catch up on all I'm going to babble about.
About the Beautiful pirates, I assumed that Cavendish would require special sleeping accomodations due to his condition, and have his horse close by. Ophelia and Evelyn are based on the foremost characters on the cover of chapter 867.
Obviously most of the nicknames and backstories of the pirates mentioned in the newspaper are not on the wiki, those are my own ideas, some will be used later, but not all.
I'll try to pick up the pace over the next chapter or two, making something exciting happen,
they've spent some time searching now and it's time to move this tale up in gear.
RnR as you please kind readers