Blood ties like Iron Chains chapter 12
The seas are still dangerous
(on the Sunny, post noon)
Nami sighed as she looked through her maps again.
Not 24 hours earlier she'd gone over them, trying to find their friends, and now that they had them, she was to search for something else, a town.
Preferably one with a well-equipped clothing store.
One that catered to giants as well as normal sized humans would be perfect.
But that was too much to wish for, especially since it was more important to find some food, and fast! It wouldn't be long before some of their guests (and some of the crew) would eye Chopper like a rack of meat just off the stove, sizzling and steamy.
Nami forced the idea out of her mind, She'd spent days without any food, and Chopper had been fine all the time, even with Luffy, Brook, Pekoms, Carrot and Pedro all suffering with the diminutive reindeer.
The only settlement nearby was called Myron.
Hopefully it had what they needed.
When she exited her study, the navigator found the crews guests lounging on the deck (not that there were many other places on the Sunny that could hold them all). Sanji and Brook kept them company, and provided some recreation, either by way of music or by a small platter of refreshments (leftovers that had been given a little fixing up no doubt) and little compliments which made the girls smile and giggle or just plainly confused them (both the Kuja and Vivi didn't know what the chef was doing).
Franky was also on deck, mending one of the sails.
Zoro simply lay propped up against a wall, all three of his swords in their sheathes at his side. People who knew him would say that the swordsman was in his natural habitat, those who knew him best would argue that he lacked a bottle of sake at his side.
Since they were too many to play any games, they were talking and given their heated confrontation earlier Nami had her fears about how it'd turn out.
Fortunately, it was just about food for the time being.
And how their families were, which would no doubt evolve into a competition on which father/grandfather was the best king.
"Well papa is well liked by our people"
"So is grandfather in Dressrosa, especially after he got the throne back from that monster"
Nami left Vivi and Rebecca to their own devices, instead scaling the stairs to the bridge where Jinbe was at the helm, Luffy not far from him and Carrot leaning on the railing, gazing dreamily at the rolling waves of white and blue and green.
For once the bunny mink looked serene.
Much to Nami's joy it looked like it was sticking, some of the women had questioned her garchu and nibbling habits (Though Viola, for some reason, seemed to enjoy it, usually when near Sanji (perhaps for obvious reasons)).
"Hey, Jinbe-chan I've found a town we should be able to restock in" as she showed him the maps, the fishman smiled.
"Excellent, if everything goes according to plan then we should be there before nightfall" he rumbled in satisfaction as he reset the course, North-northeast, catching an ocean current as easily as a bird caught an updraft.
Nami reasoned that fishmen really had some amazing abilities, and as one of their greatest heroes, it was logical that the former shichibukai lived up to his reputation.
"How are things going up there?"
Nami turned towards the deck again, greeting Robin as she appeared on the deck below, though she couldn't help but be a bit unsatisfied by seeing Vivi's unease in the presence of the pirate archaeologist.
But Robin herself didn't seem to notice, or choose not to, as she made her way towards the stairs.
"Things are fine Robin, we've found a town, if the wind holds Jinbe-chan thinks we'll reach it soon"
"Good, actually, is it ok I borrow Jinbe-san? He a had a question for me a few days ago"
"That's true, could someone take the wheel in the meantime?"
When franky presented himself with a "I'm super at steering my ship this week especially" Jinbe left the wheel, trudging over to walk down the stairs.
Nami followed him out of curiosity and she assumed Luffy did it for the same reason, or he might be bored, to Nami it was possible that her captain didn't even know himself.
"You wanted to talk about Crocodile and a possible alliance, right?"
(On the heavily modified ship outside an islandtown)
The devastation was immense.
Ruined buildings, crumbled walls and still burning homes.
The very sight was making him depressed.
"What do we do captain? I'd rather not stay here for long…"
Turning to his first mate, he cursed a little under his breath, but happy to look at something other than the destruction, even he' could get enough of it.
"What did the locals say, any sight of those mermaids, or whomever snatched them from the right under our noses yesterday?"
"Nothing, only that some pirates arrived at around morning and asked questions, something about Ceasar Clown…"
Scoffing, the man slapped the railing "None of our business then…. Let's get moving…."
"IS that all we're gonna do?"
"bah, give 'em a chest of gold for the information, and their silence, those girls knew we were coming last time, I'm certain! Better that they don't know to run again… and tell 'em there more money for them if they tell us if the spot a giant mermaid"
"They'll jump for the chance to rebuild, and nothing helps more than gold for that" his first mate smiled while he turned to get the gold from the hold.
"Soon…" the captain grumbled as he leaned over the railing, ignoring the ruins infront of him, then he smiled, his words so low that no one but hiimself could hear them:
"You want you daughter King Neptune…. And you have something I want for my crew… we're gonna make a nice deal one of these days…. A really nice one… that'll leave a lot of people, very happy!"
(On the Sunny)
A moment passed and Jinbe was still silent, likely pondering his question and what it would imply. He didn't get the chance to begin as an angry voice rung out:
"What could you possibly want with that monster?!"
Nami looked at Vivi, not at all surprised about her outburst, Crocodile had really done a number on Alabasta and it was highly unlikely that the bluehaired princess could ever forget it (not that she should). A civil war, framing her father and almost bombing the entire capitol could have that effect on people.
"Wasn't it enough that he was let out of Impel Down?"
"Peace, your highness…." Jinbe said as he held up a hand "I'm no friend of him either, but…"
"but what? You can't mean that you'd trust him again?"
"Vivi, relax and let Jinbe speak will you?"
"NO I won't Luffy! How could you ally with that monster? You know what he did to my country! How could you let him loose?!"
As angry tears streamed down Vivi's cheeks, Nami couldn't do anything but hug her old friend and try to soothe her rage and confusion. Looking at her captain, she could tell that he wasn't happy about what he'd done either.
"It's been gnawing at me for two years! I don't' get it!" the princess whimpered as she buried her head in Nami's neck, trying to wipe her tears away in the navigators' orange locks.
The rest of the deck was silent, keeping silent out of a mix of empathy, pity and curiosity.
"To be fair, Luffy-kun wasn't happy about the idea either…." Jinbe began, an annoyed sneer marring his face as he looked down, not at Vivi or anyone else but somehow at himself "But, if the truth must be spoken, we were, all things considered, better off with him at our side than if we'd left him in that hellhole"
"How can you say that Jinbe?" Sanji called out angrily, almost dropping his platter of morsels (Nami reckoned it was the gravity of the situation that ensured that Luffy didn't pick them up and eat them immediately) "Can't you see how it affects one of those he's made to suffer?"
"I can" the fishman replied, his voice level and controlled, not turning much of his body towards the angry chef.
"He also attacked old man whitebeard right when we arrived, how were we better with crocodile on our side, I don't' get it?"
Turning around to face Luffy, Jinbe sighed "he did that, I remember it well, you kicked his hook out of the way before it reached Whitebeards' neck"
"Yeah" Luffy smiled with a hint of pride, which evaporated almost instantly "He was being very mean!"
"He was" Jinbe agreed, still not losing his cool. Nami imagined that he was listening to the others' protests before he revealed the reasons for his idea, and eventually drive home his point with a closing argument.
"Excuse me, but" instead all eyes turned to marguerite, the blonde kuja looking confused "Why is a crocodile such a problem? Couldn't you just kill and eat it?"
Jinbe chuckled at the kuja's ignorance, Nami couldn't bring herself to laugh, not with a still weeping Vivi in her arms, but she could see the logic, if their island doesn't receive news from the rest of the world, then it stood to reason that they don't know some of the infamous men in it.
"This crocodile is a man I think"
"You sure Rindo?"
"I said I think Marguerite, but it would be nice if it was cleared up"
The question didn't hang in the air for long, Jinbe was more than happy to answer it, but Sanji beat him to it "He's a very nasty pirate we defeated!"
"Technically it was Luffy who defeated him…" Robin mused "….And that could be considered a draw by some"
"What did this man do?"
"He manipulated my country, nearly drove it into a civil war, made himself look like a hero, wrecked a city, almost destroyed the capitol, ran a crime syndicate…." Vivi rambled on, her raving turning ever more incoherent and chaotic as she recited all Crocodile's crimes and deeds.
Even Nami didn't know what she was talking about when she finally stopped, eyes puffy and nose running from the painful memories.
"If I may, I'd like to clarify…" Jinbe began, and for a moment Nami feared that Vivi would continue, but when she didn't JInbe found his opening to elaborate "Crocodile is a man yes, a former member of the shichibukai like myself, a rank which your Empress still holds"
"Are you saying that some man…. Could be as strong as the empress?" Rindo gasped at Jinbe, disbelief written all over her face.
"Impossible, Boa Hancock is the most powerful and beautiful woman on the seas!" Marguerite butted in, her voice carrying an edge of outrage
"I'm not saying that!" Jinbe said with a frown dominating his features "Just that he held the same rank as her, not that they looked anything alike!"
"What does he look like anyway?" Rebecca piped in "We didn't see many wanted posters in the coloseum and father never showed me any either"
"Well…. He pretty much have the same figure as Luffy" the fishman explained, while he held up a hand to about his chin, ignoring his captains' protests (I don't' look like him at all!) "Just taller, and with a bigger scar, running across his face, face and personality aren't a like at all by the way"
Seemingly satisfied, none of the women asked further questions, even though Luffy was still fuming by Jinbe's comparison.
"Still, why could you even suggest allying with him? He's an enemy!"
"In the New World, Sanji, every old enemy could make a very powerful ally, I'd say the same about Gekko Moriah if we encountered him, in fact, he'd be more than willing to an alliance if it was to defeat Kaido"
Shushing Luffy as he began to talk about not wanting to ally with him either, Nami faced Jinbe
"Then why not focus on him instead of Crocodile?"
"Simple, if we allied with Moriah, there'd be nothing to assure that he'd not try and betray us before our task was completed"
"But it's the same with Crocodile" Robin scratched her chin, one eyebrow raised "In fact, he's more likely to double cross us!"
"Hmm yes he would…" Jinbe mused "Unless we knew something about him that he didn't want to be made public…"
"You got dirt on him? That's great! We could practically make him do our laundry if we wanted to!" Sanji beamed, rubbing his hands in delight while puffing on his cigarette happily.
"I… do not" Jinbe confided, much to the crews' disappoint- and befuddlement "But given Robin-sans' confusion from before, I dare say that you don't know what sort of secrets he has either…. And we can't just call up Emporio Ivankov and have him tell us what it is…. Seems my idea is a deadend afterall" the fishmans' face fell, a lip sticking out, making it seem that he was still contemplating his idea.
"But if you told him that you'd reveal his secret…." Vivi began, freeing herself from Nami's embrace, a few lingering tears still stuck on her cheeks "You could use him against Kaido or somebody else… and then finish him off for good!"
The last sentence made Nami cringe, even if she'd partaken in the assassination attempt on Big Mom, the navigator didn't like the idea of using a person, even an enemy, like that.
"Even if I'd be okay with lying…" the fishman replied, his eyes turning angry "Attacking a person in the back like that, to use them as some sort of disposable slave, I would not!" Vivi shivered beneath the gravity of the fishman's gaze, any retort or comback evaporating like morning mist.
"You can't talk that way to her!" Sanji snarled at Jinbe, walking up and stared him straight in the eyes "Crocodile did that himself, why not serve him some of his own medicine?"
"Because I'm better than that! We are better than that! Or am I mistaken?"
Silence reigned, until Luffy opened his mouth "Why're we fighting over this? If we meet Crocodile we'll talk about it then!"
Nami smiled, for once in a rare while, Luffy turned out to be right, even if he was the most softheaded person that had ever stepped foot on the Sunny (some of the shipwrights from Water 7 included).
"I just wanted to address it if we ever came across him again"
"Even so, that shouldn't have been now!" Sanji said angrily (ignoring the fact that it had been Robin that brought it up, not the crews' new helmsman) the chefs' face still inches away from the former shichibukai' (or rather a foot, there wasn't much Sanji could do to limit the distance, aside from stop tiptoeing and start to jump).
"I acknowledge my mistake, but it had to be discussed at some point or another, and preferably before any eventual meeting"
"But why him? It could be anyone else!" Sanji kept chiding him, Jinbe kept his cool, despite the condescending tone the chef gave him.
"Because, despite being an absolute ass, he actually proved quite useful. He stopped Mihawk from Killing Luffy for starters!"
"Say that again!"
"Later Zoro-san, please" Jinbe took a moment "Besides, if we reached out first, that'd mean that we could dictate most of the terms for an alliance, and even prevent him from calling in a favour from us…"
"Whoa Whoa! What favour? We don't owe that guy anything!"
Turning to Luffy, Jinbe looked serious "Luffy-kun, when Sakazuki gave you that X at Marineford" he pointed at the scar on Luffy's chest, then to his own wound "I was prone, and Sakazuki was about to deliver the finishing blow… Crocodile stopped him and sent us towards Law-kuns' submarine…. by doing so, whether we like it or not…. he saved our lives. He's not the type to forget either a depth or a grudge"
Luffy pouted at this, not happy in the least.
Nami understood him, she had felt something similar when she had been one of Arlongs crew (that one would sting until the end of time, of that she was certain).
"He's going to come look for us later huh?"
"Yes, I'm afraid so Luffy-kun"
"Good, then we'll punch his lights out when we meet 'im" the captain smiled confidently, much to the relief of Vivi, and the rest of their guests and the crew.
Jinbe and Robin were the only ones not convinced by his confidence, but, by some unseen agreement, neither spoke about it, deeming it enough talk about their enemy for one day.
The only one that seemed to notice their disapproval was Nami.
The rest, not so much:
"So what's the other shibikais like?" Carrots' head appeared on the bridge, looking down on the deck with awe plastered all over her face
"Shichibukai, Carrot" Franky corrected her from behind the wheel "They're a super tough bunch, we fought a few before we arrived at Zou"
"Doflamingo was the worst!"
"No mosshead, Kuma was the worst, he split us up! Sent me straight to hell!"
"We met up again didn't we?"
"Easy for you to say Luffy, You got sent to heaven!" the chef retorted, jealousy all too clear in his voice.
"Wasn't it worse meeting Mihawk for you Zoro?"
"He just cut me Robin, that's not so bad. Doflamingo however, now he was bad, sliced up a whole country!"
"Don't talk about that with Viola-chan and Rebecca-chan here Mosshead! Can't you see they don't' like it"
Noting the Niece and aunt duo, Nami had to agree, the swordsman, didn't:
"You're only saying that because you fled the battle before it really started!"
"I had to guard Nami-scha-Nami-sama and Brook and Chopper and Sunny from The Big Mom pirates!"
"You still fled!"
Nami decided to leave the pair to their usual scuffles, turning on her heel and walked towards the girls quarters. If she was lucky she'd get there before any one…
"Hey Nami wait up!"
…noticed her leaving….
"Yes Vivi?"
"I was wondering if you could help me with some new clothes, the toga is nice and would per great for Alabasta, but it's not really fitting for sea travel"
Nami understood, but she had silently, and enthusiastically, wished that the other women wouldn't have asked her immediately (ideally, they'd never have asked her at all), but now she was trapped.
"….Sure, follow me" the navigator responded, not wanting to let her friend down, at least not so soon, after her emotional episode
"You haven't been given the tour of the Sunny yet either have you?" Nami said, hoping that she could distract her friend with perhaps the docking system and keep her clothes to herself, at least awhile longer.
(In Germa Kingdom)
"Cheers!"
Once again, the hall echoed to the sound of several mugs of fine ale ramming into each other, spilling their contents on the shiny floor, the table and the assembled royalty and their bodyguards.
Naturally they didn't care, it was neither their alcohol or their homes, and they could repay for any of the damages they caused in their revelry (there were only one of the Vinsmokes present and Reiju didn't seem to care what they did either, the pinkette being busy binging with the kings, meanwhile the rest of their esteemed hosts were either scheming in some other part of their kingdom or standing vigil over the stricken Niji).
It had been on for over an hour, and several barrels and expensive bottles lay empty on the table and floor, waiting for the staff to clean up later (the kings took a certain amount of pride in the amount they had consumed, and their aides didn't think it prudent that the staff saw their lieges behave like a bunch of drunkards).
But they had good reason to celebrate, as soon as Neptune had received word from his sons at Mariejois, that their daughters (and granddaughter, and friends' family if you wanted to get into the finer details) were safe, and in the custody of the Strawhat crew, a common friend amongst the kings, they had called for drink and wine to celebrate, sending the staff on repeated trips to the wine cellar (the parts that the intruder from yesterday hadn't raided) and making Cosette prepare a feast for them (dishes the intruder had listed off ass desirable had been surprisingly popular, not just for the diners but for the chefs as well (despite the carnage he'd caused it seemed that the kitchen staff was looking forward to his next visit, if only to cook a menu like that)).
Personally, Cobra was keeping to a small glass of some nutritious liquid that they served to the extremely sick, or would, if Germa kingdom cared about anyone but their royal house, Cobra couldn't help but feel that if they changed their course, the whole world could benefit from their technology, and not just through their weaponry and military.
As yet another round of vintage Déesse was poured by the king of Prodence, himself already deeply intoxicated (which resulted in most of the bottles' contents ended up on the table instead of in the glasses) Cobra found himself leaning back in his wheelchair, wondering.
"You don't want a drink Cobra-sama?"
Turning to the large man, Cobra tried to sound as appeasing as he could "Unfortunately Dagama-san… my constitution prevents me from drinking as much as I'd like…. oh, but don't let that keep you from celebrating on my behalf" he added quickly, despite how much the tactician had consumed, Cobra couldn't help but assume that the chubby man would be up to something if he had the time to think, and after the intruder had uncovered the scheme that Vinsmoke Judge had concocted, he wasn't in the mood for more plotting, especially against himself.
"I'll drink to that!" the tactician accentuated his words by downing the contents of his mug and finishing off with a loud burp, leading to the Pell gently, but surely, leading his colleague away from his liege.
Which left him open for one of the other kings to talk to him without anything to deter him.
The King that did so was Neptune, of almost similar sized to his daughter, whom Cobra had been watching attentively at the Reverie (It was hard for him not to. Cobra was an unashamed lecher, even if he was ill as hell) it was amazing that the merman could sneak up on someone.
"A penny for your thoughts, or mayhaps a son-in-law if I were the sort to copy our esteemed host-jamon" the huge bearded merman chuckled deeply, his massive barrel-chest making it sound as if a whole rowdy gang had heard a moderately entertaining joke. The merman seemed more like a big bear, accustomed to laugh and brawl in tavern, than what most expected of a king. Cobra had taken a natural liking to the man almost immediately.
"I was just… mulling something over, nothing serious really" he tried to assure his underwater counterpart, but to no avail
"Something small for a wise king, is something great for his subjects and colleagues…"
"…No fooling you is there?"
"No, but I assume that you did not tell about it immediately, because it is something that worries you"
"There's definitely no fooling you" Cobra stated with a smile
"Shall we take it a bit away from the others? You look like some sea air would do you good"
Walking/rolling over to a balcony, the two kings looked out on the sea the rays of the sun reflecting on the cresting waves like gems. Coupled with the serene song of the wind it was perhaps the most tranquil thing Cobra had seen in a while. But he had no doubt that seeing his daughter again and eventually on the throne (and with a husband, preferably one that was kind and wise and not as naïve as he'd been when his country had almost been destroyed).
"So what were you thinking about?"
"… When we heard that our daughters were safe, I was happy, hearing that it was with the Strawhats, even more so…" Cobra paused, not sure on how to proceed
"I can understand, they're a good pirate crew and will no doubt take good care of our daughters"
"I know, they saved my country from Crocodile, and the marines covered it up like it never happened" Cobra said with venom in his tongue. Next to him Neptune nodded knowingly.
"I know the feeling, thye saved my country from a violent and bloody coup, we covered that one up ourselves though" he admitted the last bit, but Cobra didn't judge him for that one, at least the man was showing him the courtesy of being honest.
"I know they'll be safe, Vivi's travelled with them before, she knows them well"
"And I know Jinbe, who is no doubt travelling with them now!"
Both nodded, they trusted the Strawhats.
"But then, what is worrying you?"
"Just a hitch I'm having…"
"You're afraid you won't see her again regardless that she's safe"
"That too King Neptune… it's that intruder from yesterday…"
"What about him? Mad as a school of frenzied sharks no doubt, and strong as one too"
"Don't forget smart, that man knew too much…"
"If it's about Judges' little marriage idea, most of us had already guessed it"
"Not that, No one beside me and a few others, like Pell and my closest advisors and guards knew that Vivi sailed with them, and they're tight-lipped about it, but he knew! But that shouldn't be possible!"
"I can see your point… far too clearly I'm afraid"
"I've no doubt about that" Cobra said as he scratched his chin "That man worries me"
"Not as much as he worries Judge at least" Neptune chuckled "After all, if he makes good of his promise, that man will return to this country"
Cobra's face split into a grin "That's true! A threat that you know is coming, can sometimes be far worse than if you don't know if it's coming"
His laughs ended almost immediately as a coughing fit made the Alabastan king double over in his wheelchair, tears stinging in his eyes his breath burning in his throat.
In between his coughing spasms, Cobra was vaguely aware of what Neptune was saying
"G…T A DKTR! QIK!
(Back on the Sunny)
Nami hid it well, but she was secretly disappointed,
Vivi had not been distracted by the numerous marvels on the Thousand Sunny, at all.
Which was why, she was now helping the Alabastan princess go through her wardrobe like Luffy through a meat buffet. It was almost too much for her to bear. Sitting on one of the three beds in the room, Nami awaited for her friend to need her fashion advice.
"So how does this look on me?"
Nami didn't honestly know what to say, Vivi stood in one Nami's more recent acquisitions, a pink top with "Heat" written over the chest and a pair of black hotpants. Neither of which was Vivi's size, either too tight or too loose, in all the wrong places. By Namis' estimate, it was the fifth time she had changed.
"Keep looking…." She eventually managed, trying to sound upbeat, but on some level failed (specifically in choice of words).
Vivi, however, didn't seem to notice, and neither did Nami. The orange haired navigator was too concerned about her friends' appearance…. And thinking about something… something she'd noticed out on the deck, and last night.
Vivi had been acting in an odd way around several members of the crew.
"Vivi… is everything allright?" she asked slowly, seeing Vivi throw yet another pair of pants over the room divider that she was changing behind.
"N-no, what would be wrong?"
"I can hear you stammering, and that outfit from before was the first one you tried on" Nami said the words as evenly as she could, not wanting to up set the young woman behind the divider, but also firmly enough to not be ignored and to assure that Vivi understood she couldn't change the subject, no matter how hard she tried.
But Nami had a bad feeling the bluenette was going to try anyway…
"I'm just trying it on again!" the words were forceful, bordering on angry, but had that specific quality too them that told it was as brittle as a swaying chandelier of crystal glass, not like a red-hot iron that was being swung at you. The latter was harmful if you let it touch you, but the former you feared that it'd break.
It was the way Nami felt about Vivi right now.
Brittle glass.
But one had to touch glass in order to polish it and make it clear.
"Vivi… I'm not stupid, blind or deaf. I can tell when something is going on"
The bluenette in question emerged from behind the divider, looking nervously at Nami on the bed, glass almost breaking, a hand holding a shirt over her chest.
"I know you aren't but I'm really trying it on…" she began, but Nami wasn't in the mood for sidetracking
"Vivi, you've been avoiding Robin like the plague since you got here, and, while that could be explained because of your shared past, that you're also acting odd around Jinbe-chan isn't"
Nami quieted down, giving the Alabastan princess a moment to reply, when that didn't happen, she started to grow weary, narrowing her eyes, giving Vivi the look, it was that specific kind of watching another person that said more than an entire speech, but could be summarized with: you better tellme this or there's going to be trouble! (Nami herself had gotten it enough times from Belemere to know how effective it could be. But she'd also used it herself enough times on Luffy to know that it didn't work on everyone. But Vivi wasn't in that particular group).
"I'm just not used to them is all…."
Nami could see through the lie almost immediately "You're also not used to Brook or Franky, and definitely not Carrot, But you're not avoiding them for that reason"
Vivi bit her lip and looked down, her eyes growing smaller
"What is it Vivi?" Nami cooed, trying to soothe her friends fears
"Why are those two here?" Vivi blurted out with enough force to take Nami by surprice, looking at the bluenette with a mix of shock and anticipation... and a little satisfaction for her being open about her opinions and less polite for a change.
"They're our comrades, Luffy was ok with both of them joining…" Nami started, her voice a little feeble at Vivi's outburst
"But Robin fought against you in Alabasta! And the other is, is…."
"I admit I wasn't certain about Robin at first, but we're all okay now, and I trust her with my life! I trust her with the lives of Luffy and the rest of the crew too, and I'd trust her with yours too!" A raised finger pointed straight at Vivi made certain she stayed silent, at least until Nami was finished "Now, trust me, Robin is way better than her reputation. And she's a better person than you remember her to be."
Nami hadn't raised her voice, but it had been as immovable and solid as a mountain.
Vivi stood still, looking down in shame, and Nami still had more to say
"And What was it you were about to say about Jinbe-chan?"
A moment passed, still silence. Nami's response was to simply remain quiet and play the waiting game, with no doubt in her mind, that Vivi would cave in first.
"…I just don't see…"
Nami smiled at being right and waited for the princess to finish
"Why you allow a shichibukai to sail with you?"
Nami looked surprised at her "I… actually thought you were going to have a problem with him being a fishman, not a former shichibukai" she managed, a bit ashamed that she thought her friend had prejudiced tendencies.
"N-no…" Vivi responded, still looking at the floor …."I'm not… like that, you gotta go to the Kuja if you want that sort of thing…" she added, her voice bordering on whispering.
Cocking an eyebrow at her, Nami choose to ignore the comment for the time being, instead focussing on the young woman in front of her.
"I know the title is something to be afraid of… but he's really a nice person, despite some of the things he's done…"
"I still done get how you can trust a shichibukai"
"They're not all alike…. I think" Nami tried to assure her "Jinbe-chan saved Luffy's life, he's trustworthy"
"So did Crocodile! That doesn't mean he is!" Vivi argued, her voice scolding "That is if he was telling the truth and not trying some sick double-crossing warlord trick!"
"First off, they can't all be bad, Luffy's on good terms with the snake one (I think), Zoro was taught by Mihawk and Jinbe has saved us alto lately, he is here, and he is as honest as any man you'd ever meet, that, I promise you." Nami had thought about the first time she'd met Jinbe, and nothing about him, had at any point given her a feeling of duplicity. He had accepted the guilt for what Arlong had done, and Nami had respected him ever since. Vivi, when they'd started sailing together, had given off a less trusting vibe than Jinbe ever had, not to mention some of the women that were on board at the moment (especially Viola after that whole morning thing).
Vivi stood silent for a moment, her face still downcast, a lip quivering slightly as she tried to find the words "Nami… I-I'm sorry…"
Rising from the bed, the navigators' face softened considerably as she hugged her friend.
"I know Vivi, everyone makes mistakes…. And by the way, the secondly part, is that you have to apologize to Jinbe, not me…." Releasing the bluenette, Nami gave her a wry smirk "but only if he's take offence to your…. protests"
Vivi made a small sound, something between a whimper and a giggle, and pulled a little smile at Nami "I think Luffy was a bit more angry than I was actually"
"Luffy wasn't about to tear up" cocking an eyebrow at her, Nami eventually smiled at Vivi "But, yeah, he was pretty pissed"
A few taps on the door ripped the pair out of their tender moment and made them turn towards it, the hug ended.
"I thought I heard something" the happy voice of Viola entered the room, scarcely a moment before she did herself.
"Hey, is there something wrong" Nami wasn't entirely happy to see the older woman, not after their little morning meeting, or the fight in the kitchen.
"A little, you didn't tell us that there were spare clothes we could borrow on board"
Nami internally cringed at the thought of sharing more of her wardrobe, an act that the heir of Dressrosa caught somehow. Looking at her in that special way, she smiled at her "oh don't worry, the blonde Kuja, marguerite, said she could resize them, she's being quite helpful, unlike her comrade…." she said in a soothing voice, not addressing Nami's actual problem with the situation.
"That's…. nice" the navigator blinked, still not being the slightest bit comfortable with having her mind read like a newspaper.
But as the trio was joined by Viola's niece, Nami tried to force her unease out of her mind, focussing on the unease of perhaps never getting some of her favourite garments back, and not being able to fit into them herself.
But she had several things to occupy her mind, telling her guests what didn't go together, mentally raging a little at the women's petty scuffles and disagreements and of course, physically raging at Brook when the skeleton tried to peek at the women changing.
(meanwhile, on the seas in a small boat)
Lounging under a parasol on a perfect sunny afternoon, was a luxury that most people in his position either ignored or failed to appreciate fully.
But he wasn't most people, even amongst people like him, he stood out and he knew it, and he made sure that others did too.
He was currently enjoying the last of the Painoian he took from the Germa winecellar (not the 29 year old, he wanted to savour that later, perhaps when he celebrated that the next step in his plans came to fruition, with a good meal, although it'd be hard to come across a chef capable of serving him a meal that lived up ti his standards).
His taste for the luxurious was a thing he was proud of, it served to distance him from others, like Strawhat.
Of course, he'd heard his real name, and even been commanded to say it out loud a few times (not that he'd ever do anything Fran ordered him to), but he didn't have to call him by it. Keeping it professional was better anyway. For everyone.
Looking over his special map, he noted when the next Knock Up stream would be arriving, making sure he was positioned directly above the blast point. The rest of the world had been ignorant about that specific natural occurrence for decades, seeing it as a huge danger, but he'd made good use of them for over 2 decades.
And now he was to use it again.
He chuckled a little as a different subject sprung up in his mind
Those pathetic fools!
The kings with the missing daughters didn't even realise that the den den mushi he'd left behind, also acted as a hidden wire. Even now he could hear how they celebrated knowing their daughters were safe and, on whose ship, they were sailing.
He'd known that they'd be found by that imbecile eventually, that it'd happen so fast was almost impressive.
By now their little group would be tearing themselves apart with their different viewpoints and what not.
But that wasn't important for him.
As long as it kept them occupied, it lowered the likelihood of them disturbing his plans for the underworld. At least not seriously. Though he'd made the mistake of underestimating them before, with their minds fixed on trying to get their little friends safely back to their families, he at least didn't have to throw something their way, like an assassin or an expendable pirate crew.
He'd kept a close eye on their movements since before six months before their reunion on Sabaody Archiepelago and he wasn't going to repeat his mistakes with them from before.
Some of the things he'd found out about them had been very surprising to say the least.
He'd gladly admit, that the news that the reindeer wasn't the crews' pet, but their doctor, had made him question his sources' validity. But then again, if they kept being lucky, then it was likely that the Cotton Candy Lover could cure Nefertari, but only if he got to them in time. The king didn't have much time left. But there were other ways to cure his ailment. Ways that most, himself not included, weren't even aware of, even if it was right under their noses the whole time.
Most people really didn't appreciate the power of specific types of devil fruits. Let alone bothered to experiment with the different abilities that they had.
Yet another shortcoming that continued to plague the vast majority of the worlds' intelligent races.
He himself was capable of doing things most people wouldn't dream of, even if it was logically within the fruits' power to do so. All that was required was a bit of imagination. It was the same with any power and ability, be it strength, haki or devilfruits. It all depended on the user imagination.
He didn't doubt that Strawhat hadn't even explored even the surface of what his fruit was capable of. But that was his loss and would only concern himself if the two encountered each other in the New World.
If Fran got her way that'd be a question of when and not if. Had he been younger he'd have shuddered at the thought.
At that moment, one of the den den mushi he brought along began to ring.
Noting which one it was, he reached for the little gastropod in his suitcase.
Sighing he clicked it.
"Speak of the devil…"
"What's that's supposed to mean?" an angry, and only slightly female voice rang out from the little animal "What are you taking about?"
"I was just thinking about you is all"
"Aww, thanks, but if you're thinking about me, it must mean you miiiiisssssss meeeee" the voice had turned slightly softer, even gaining a playful edge, which she knew would anger him.
"tThe only way I'd miss you, is if my aim is off" he responded, his tone growing harsher at her teasing "what do you want?"
"The newspaper's late!" the voice whined
"You don't receive one on that island, it can't possibly be late" he scolded her, pinching the bridge of his narrow nose, he knew it was a futile act, also trying to explain things in a way that Fran would bother to understand.
"I wanna hear the news!"
"There isn't any news that concern you"
"Is there nothing new at all?" the voice nagged, ignoring his tone completely.
"….The princesses has been found, all six of them…" he reluctantly revealed, his shoulder slumping down.
"Who cares about them? I wanna hear about…." The voice went on, but he interrupted her:
"Oh, I have to go now Fran, something is happening, I'll call you back!"
He didn't stop the call because he was tired of hearing her voice, though it was satisfying to have some peace and quiet for a change, but because the Knock Up Stream was about to go off, and if was ever so enjoyable to see the sea disappear beneath him as he went skywards.
Besides, there were no way to get a signal up on the Sky Island he was going to, so he'd be safe from hearing her voice for at least a day or two.
But when he would eventually call her with an update later, she'd be all the more furious. Frans' mood could be compared to food, left unattended for too long and it went bad, very bad.
But for now, the important thing, was his next profit from the Sky Islands.
(On the Sunny, hours later, at the town of Myron)
"Holy crap!"
Nami wouldn't have used that few words but she agreed with Usopp nonetheless.
The view over the town of Myron was mortifying!
Destroyed buildings, most of the harbour reduced to rubble, some houses still smoking.
It wasn't hard to figure out what had happened.
The destruction told her everything she needed to know.
Most of the towns' outskirts and suburbs had been destroyed, the most important buildings, infrastructure and defensive positions had been laid to waste.
This had been an attack, played by the book, completely obliterating whatever small chance the inhabitants had for fighting back.
The result had been as expected.
All resistance had been decimated.
"What are you guys waiting for! Let's see what's happened!"
Namis' head whipped around, just in time to see Luffy whip open the dicking gate and begin boarding the Kurosai FR-U IV.
"LUFFY GOD DAMMIT, THAT'S NOT A BOAT, IT'S A MOTORCYCLE, IT DOES NOT FLOAT! SOMEBODY STOP HIM!"
Just before he could launch the vehicle into the water, Franky landed a heavy hand on his shoulder, and despite repeated protests of "It'd be cool if I arrived on that!" the shipwright did not let his captain loose.
Eventually a boarding party was selected as it might be dangerous to approach with the Sunny, it'd only take one functioning cannon to kill someone after all.
Luffy was adamant about him going there, same with Chopper, with that much devastation then the doctor was more vital than ever, Jinbe had also joined arguing that he could keep Luffy on subject and not go galivanting around like a madman (he did not use those exact words), Nami had joined up with them, just for the sake of seeing that. Zoro had tagged along out of boredom.
(If Jinbe hadn't been able to swim, then there wouldn't have been room in the Mini Merry II, and Zoro would have been left behind or been forced to swim himself, which ever he felt like).
To Nami's relief, there wasn't any shots fired at the small boat, and they safely reached the harbour.
There the navigator could see that she had been right all along.
But of whom had caused the destruction, there was no sign.
"HEY! ANYBODY HEREEEE?" Her voice rang out amongst the ruins, soon joined by Luffys' and Chopppers' but to no avail.
There were no one to answer, either too afraid or having fled. There were a third option, but that wasn't one Nami was much for thinking about.
As they kept calling and no on still answered, Nami's hope of finding any survivors dimmed.
(On the Sunny)
"What do you see, Viola-chan?"
"Not Much Sanji-kun, they've reached the harbour and it looks like they're looking for survivors"
Nodding his understanding Sanji fell silent.
Since they were more people on the ship than usual, there were a longer line in using the spyglass to see what was going on. Presently, Brook had it, before that it had been Usopp and before that Robin-schwan.
Sanji had gone a different route and asked Viola-chan for help. The same idea had occurred to her darling niece Rebecca-chan.
The rest of the Strawhat crew was up on the bridge, some getting ready for landing, while others prepared for the eventuality of an attack (how God Usopp intended to do that when hiding in the hold, she didn't know).
Viola hadn't, unlike her counterpart from Alabasta and her darling niece, been able to find something she liked in the navigators' (or the archaeologists' and the minks') wardrobe that suited her (either in size or in taste) the former assassin had simply remade another toga out of some spare sail.
"Still nothing new…" Viola said as she lowered her hand.
Sighing, Viola looked at Sanji, so worried about his friends, but mostly for their young navigator.
Feeling a stab of annoyance, Viola looked back at the port, a minor pout playing on her lips. Tugging lightly at her Nieces new shirt (which the blonde Kuja hadn't refitted to either women's liking yet) Viola gave Rebecca a look to the side, and the pinkhaired ex-gladiator looked confused at her, before looking at Sanji and went away with a light blush, leaving the dancer and the chef alone for a little private chat.
"Sanji-kun…"
"Yes Viola-chan?"
"Why is navigator-saan so harsh with you?"
Her question took him aback, and as soon as the surprise had abated, the chef looked down in shame and embarrassment.
"I-it's not so easy to explain…" he managed, his voice a mix of meek and strong words, the signs of discomfort, of e person about to run away.
Not something she cared much for.
Not something she wanted to see from her… special friend.
"it's okay, you don't have to say anything….I can just look into your head and see for myself…. If that is okay?" her soothing words made Sanji look at her with a heavy blush on his cheeks, threatening to turn his entire head as red and hot as magma.
"….Sanji?"
"I would love to!" the look on Sanji's face could have told her that he agreed, and enthusiastically so.
After she'd seen the reason for …Nami-schwans' hostility, she frowned a little and looked seriously at Sanji. The chef in question began to sweat a little. A little shiver could be noticed if you looked at the former prince thoroughly.
"That was serious what you did…." She began, not blinking once "But you had the best reason I could possibly name… you still do…" she smiled at him "and if she saw what I saw, she's going to lay off the nastiness"
As she raised her hand to her eye again, Viola hoped that the navigator could see reason.
If half the things Sanji-kun thought about her was right, she needn't worry, but first she had too make the orange haired thief understand.
"Hey, something is happening!"
(In Myron)
The old woman trembled as she levelled the rifle in their direction, making Nami and Chopper draw back vary of the threat.
The rest of their party didn't have that sort of fear and approached the elder calmly.
"Don't move!" she howled at the approaching pirates, the barrel of the gun shook violently now.
"We will not" Jinbe said, both palms held high "We don't want any trouble, just see what is going on here, and perhaps buy a few things…"
"What happened here?"
"Some pirates came, some blasted thrice cursed pirate scum…." The woman almost wept, the gun shaking as if an earthquake went off right beneath her feet.
"Don't you dare MOVE!" the woman repeated loudly, her finger tightened around the trigger.
(On the Sunny)
"And what now?" half a dozen voices called out, excitement and worry evident in their voices
"They're still talking things over with that old armed woman…" Viola said, waving at them all to be still "wait…."
For a moment, they all stood stockstill, except for Usopp who was arming a cannon, much to the displeasure of some of the crew, not for wanting to aid his friends, but shooting at a old lady was stretching it more than a bit.
"She's lowering the gun… they've convinced her not to shoot them, and the old woman is talking to doctor-chan now…." Every woman that had ever been on the Sunny had taken a liking to Chopper, it was natural for them to call him anything with -chan at the end, much to the jealousy of the chef and musician of the crew, and the sniper, and to a certain extent the shipwright.
"I think… everything is going to be ok"
(In Myron, a few hours later)
Waving good bye at their new friends
Nami smiled,
Despite being attacked by some brutal crew on their search for, not the princesses (much to her surprise), Ceasar Clown (the vile, annoying, cruel, sadistic, lying monster that would experiment on children), it seemed the town would do fine, not only had they already been given a generous amount of gold by some other ship (which they refused to name, but didn't mind telling were there, anything else they kept their traps shut about).
Nami had been happy to get rid of the scientist, and she' d much rather see the creep being hurt than these poor townspeople.
She should've insisted they'd given him a leaking boat (his behaviour around her little godson should have made that a natural course of action).
But they'd have to get back to the Sunny. Fortunately, the town had enough food and bolts of cloth for them to buy.
Otherwise the trip to Myron, had been horrible. The wounded inhabitants and the destroyed buildings were to be expected, the worst part was that the old woman had proven to be as manipulative and miserly as Nami herself. Half of their money had been used to pay for the provisions (cloth, sewing thread, food (meat mostly) and cola enough to use the Coup de Burst for a few times).
"Oh, by the way" Nami asked the old woman, whom at this point was biting into each little piece of gold to test its' purity, watching her like a hawk, the kind that could draw a rifle on you and was very likely to pull the trigger "Are there any island with large forests nearby? A friend of ours loves those"
"Sure, plenty if you're sailing to Runny Rum, you can't miss it, there's a big one with a mountain and meadows and lakes and everything"
Nami tried her best to ignore the old woman's awaiting palm but couldn't escape the haunting puppy dog eyes that shone like a pair of twin lighthouses, nor the quivering lower lip and the eyes that looked as if they could break into tears at a moments notice. Handing the woman another coin as thanks, Nami hurried to the boat.
Buying enough food, for a few days at least (but scarcely enough for a party or a goodbye feast, and not enough for their resident glutton captain to get full), had forced them to rent a boat, which was yet another unwanted expense.
Nami had wanted to scream at the old woman, but she didn't want to kick someone when they were down, so she went with it. After all, they couldn't' sail the Sunny into the harbour, not with all of their guests out in the open. People'd get suspicious, and suspicious people talked a lot more than most people thought. Before long they'd call the marines, and then all hell would break loose.
Of course, they could handle a little captain like they did earlier with Redcliff and Jolland, but the last thing Nami wanted was to have a larger bounty. Even though the rest of their crew would probably celebrate it with gusto (Zoro drank like he always celebrated something anyway, but she hadn't bought much sake, which would infuriate him a lot, unless they managed to get their hands on some more before he found out about it).
When they got back to the Sunny, the sun was starting to set, and the majority of crew and guests were more than happy to see that food had arrived (cola included) or that they could get some new clothes, poor Shirahoshi and both kuja hadn't had a chance to change into something more… clean and untorn. Viola had, seemingly in protest, decided to don a toga again, though Nami had caught her, and all the other girls, eyeing the dress she had been gifted by the minks. And why wouldn't they? It was beautiful. And more importantly, it practically fit anyone who wore it, a fact which Nami made sure to keep hidden from others'.
As soon as the fabric had come aboard, most of the women, again, retreated to the girls' quarter, most for having their sizes taken so that they could be properly dressed, and others, Marguerite, to start working on the different outfits that were required. Nami didn't doubt that when next she saw the blonde Kuja, she'd be almost as worn out as Luffy had been after they'd fought that army on Tottoland.
Fortunately, she'd get a break from her work when it was time to eat, unless the others worked her extra hard so that had something nice to wear at the table.
"Sanjiiiii! What's for dinnnneeeeeer?"
"I don't know what you've brought Luffy!"
The sound of the usual questions made her smile a little. Even if she was still mad at the chef for his actions in Tottoland, it was nice that the crew could go on about their normal activities, despite the shadow of war with Kaido that hung over their heads.
The thought stopped Nami's smile as soon as it had begun. Furrowing her brow, she considered their options.
"Hey, Jinbe-chan?" she said calmly, if a bit worried.
"What is it Nami-san?"
"If you've got the time, I'd like a word with you…."
"Certainly, I can meet you in your study as soon as I've loaded the rest of the goods"
Nami was aware of the jealous look Sanji was giving Jinbe, but she had more important things to think about.
If they were going to fight a Yonko, she'd learnt a thing or two in Tottoland.
And while she loathed the idea of learning more in a similar fashion,
If the crew were to survive, they needed to plan thoroughly.
(On Runny Rum Archipelago, in the evening)
"So Raisin is trying to find Ceasar Clown? That's good to know"
"Is that envy I can hear sister Galette?"
"A little Smoothie-neesan" Galette admitted. It wasn't exactly a secret that she'd rather have a sea between herself and Dacquise (the mans' stalking tendencies were getting a bit too direct) and Durum as well, just for good measure.
Currently, the latter was standing stock still, face against a newly painted wall, his eyes focussed. Smoothie knew Galette well enough to know what she was thinking about.
"They're not causing trouble, are they? It'd be hard to make a shift so soon, Brownie is supposed to be off to sea by now!"
"I'll give you an example sister" Galette said preparing to roll her eyes and imagining that Smoothie would do the same
"Durum, what are you doing?"
"OI'm watshin dis 'ere paind! It betthar nod make ani troubl!" the answer came, the huge man not turning around to face her, too intent on his self-imposed task.
"It's new paint isn't it?" Galette inquired
"Yash! Can'd thust new paind, don't know whad id'll do!" if Durum had been brighter, Galette would have thought he was lying, but he was too stupid to think up even a normal sentence. The only redeeming traits the brute had was strength, and, as some odd people would argue, a funny voice brought on by the massive gap he had between his large rodent-like front teeth making it sound like a whistle going off each time he spoke. At least the buffoon breathed through the nose, if not, Galette would likely have gone crazy already.
"And what did you do before that?"
"OI wash swaddin flies!"
"I've already told you…. that that…. was vanilla seeds…. in your dessert…." The redhead corrected him slowly, for both the brute's and her own sake. She didn't have the patience at the moment to notice that her voice had gained a small tremble to its' edge.
"Dey wash movin!"
"Only those that were on your spoon…. Going into your mouth…." Galette finished, ignoring Durum's dissatisfied mumbling as she turned back towards the den den mushi on the table, dark rings beginning to appear beneath her eyes.
"…. I see your pain… erhm… point" Smoothie responded earnestly, then continued, albeit a bit reluctant "Sorry for saddling you with him, I assumed you could use some muscle, since you didn't have the time to bring any…."
"Yeah, things got a little hectic after what happened to Mama" Galette agreed "Do you have others out there looking for that treasonous scientist?"
"A few, Tablet, Broye and Diesel are all out in your area, searching for him"
"That's a lot in the same area, are you sure he's around these parts?"
"We got a lead that he's been seen around those parts and if Mama's going to get her giant project completed then we need the Clown" Smoothie's tone spoke volumes about what she thought of working with the scientist, and Galette couldn't agree more, something about the man just rubbed people the wrong way.
"Who's going to be the test subject anyway?" the redhead demanded "hopefully mama wan'ts him to start with something worthless"
"….Tell you what Galette" Smoothie said, her voice a both rushed and hesitating at the same time "I'll call as soon as I know something about the others ok, concentrate on your own mission in the meantime" despite Smoothie's abrupt subject change, Galette didn't press the matter
"Which one, get allies or our new opportunity?"
"Sorry, but… the first one, Mama still haven't decided if she wants that age regression girl…"
Groaning lightly, Galette leaned back in her chair "Understood…"
"Excellent, see ya"
As the den den mushi gave a small click, Galette slumped over the table, resting her forehead on her crossed arms, her eyes drilling into the tabletop
"Why the hell won't she tell me what's going to happen?"
That question would haunt her for the entire evening, and even as she closed her eyes to go to sleep, it peered on the edge of her mind.
(On the Sunny)
For some reason, Nami hadn't been able to talk to Jinbe before dinner.
When they met in the kitchen, he shrugged when asked why:
"First Sanji-san wanted me to categorise and write down all that we'd bought in the town, and then Franky-san needed help with putting up the new table, and then Sanji-san asked me to help with the fish he was boiling, and then he got a little angry with me…."
"You're supposed to use tongs to avoid getting burnt JInbe!" the chef interrupted from behind a small mountain of food, but as Nami noted, it wasn't all about him being concerned with Jinbe.
"When I don't get burnt why need them?" the Fishman defended himself, to the infuriation of the chef "we've got impressionable people on the crew JInbe! Chopper and Luffy and Brook would try and do it in a heartbeat" While Nami doubted that Brook or Chopper'd do that, She could picture Luffy doing it any day of the week.
Nami shook her head as the two men argued "Nevermind Jinbe-chan, we can talk after dinner…" after she'd said it, she looked directly at Sanji "… and hopefully there isn't going to be any interruptions this time, or else…" in a drawn out voice that told the former prince that she knew what he'd been doing amd she didn't like I tin the least.
Dinner was a pretty relaxed affair after that. Sanji sulking a bit after Nami's obvious threat but lived up as soon as the other women onboard entered the kitchen, and especially after he managed to seat himself between Viola and Vivi both dressed in new dresses, which had a lot of frills to them.
Nami sat next to Marguerite, who, despite having been busy sewing most of the afternoon, had plenty of energy to spare, and the navigator found herself becoming fond of the Blonde Kuja, even if she was as energetic as Luffy.
The rest of the crew laughed like crazy, ate the fresh food and drank to their hearts desire (Zoro still hand't found out that their stores of alcohol were quite limited, when he did, Nami had made certain that she had another bottle to coerce him to… well do whatever the crew needed him to do at the time).
After they were done eating and began to leave the kitchen, Nami immediately got Robin to follow her and Jinbe to the study.
"What's this about Nami-san?"
"I'll explain everything when we get a littel away from the others..." Nami answered, while she happily noted that no one seemed to follow them, Usopp going off to tend to his plants, Brook tuning his violin for a early evening number, Chopper pressing Franky's nose to make a large mohawk erupt from the cyborg's head, much to marguerite and Rebecca's astonishment.
Luffy, Carrot and Zoro had a little chat with the mermaid princess, who, much to Nami's joy, had grown more accustomed to the bunny minks' garchu habbit.
Sanji walked next to VIvi, smilling and small talking about this and that "So how's your kingdom?"
"Oh, it's fine, father is a little ill these days, but he's just faking it..." the bluenette responded, only to be interrupted by the dark haired Kuja "wasn't that the man in the chair with wheels? looked rather ill to me"
"Oh Rindo-san, it's really not that bad, he's just trying to get me to marry someone"
"What's marry? Could you do it to him?" as the kuja pointed a thumb at Sanji, the chefs' tongue rolled out and his eyes turned into the usual pounding hearts, looking at Vivi like Nami would look at gold. The princess in question, true to form, didn't know what to make of his antics.
Nami merely shook her head as she led her two comrades away for a private chat.
it was not to be so
"Navigator-san, could I have a word?"
Turning, Nami found herself looking at Viola, the older woman smiling enderingly at her
"I'm sorry, but we have somethign important to..." Nami began, before Viola spoke again
"So do I. And I insist Navigator-san."
While the princess smiled, there was nothing about her tone that spoke of friendlyness,
instead it was the voice of one commanding another, but politely.
Almost instantly, Nami felt that it wasn't going to be a good conversation at all!
End of chapter 12
This one I'm proud of, managed to put down 6000 words in a single day, good times!
Didn't manage to make it as short as I'd like though, instead this here chapter ended on 11.000+ words.
Threads this time around:
Strawhats: butting heads with each other and trying to get along with their new travelling companions.
The Royals: celebrating that their daughters are safe and sound.
The Princess hunters: the captain from earlier is still on the hunt.
The mysterious party: Still being a condescending bastard to be honest, and still not caring for others.
The Big Mom Pirates: causing problems for others in their own hunts. Smoothie has sent out more than just the groups mentioned in the epilogue in the fic preceding this one. A quick reminder of who's oding what:
Pekoms and Daifuku: went to recruit Orlumbus, whom were already a part of the Strawhat Grand Fleet, so no cigar.
Tamago: went to establish contact with Buggy's delivery service for defence purposes.
Bavarois: went to fishman Island to get the pick of the dungeons. It's still Big Mom territory in this fic.
Bobbin: (he's alive in this fic, despite what happened in the anime) went to get some numbers for the Big Mom crew, by recruiting the Foxy Pirates (whom has been thoroughly destroyed in an earlier chapter).
Galette and Amande: Went to Runny Rum Archipelago (as if that's escaped anyone's notice) for some husband/wife hunting. Has recently been reinforced for securities sake, much to their chagrin. Might also attempt to kidnap a prisoner from the local marine base in the future. that one fully depends on Big Mom's whims though.
Raisin: is searching for Caesar Clown (Big Mom still wants giants in the family).
RnR if you'd be so kind.