Chapter 3

Tobitsu Island, Goto Archipelago, Grand Line

"Alani! Wake up you sloth!" I hear Haynes yell from the kitchen, I wearily open my eyes and rub them trying to push the tiredness away, he walks up to me and shakes me, fully waking me up, I groan and sit up from the couch with my sweaty and dirt-ridden clothes.

"Do you have like a shower or something I could wash with? I feel disgusting." I stand and stretch, feeling my back crack as I release my stretch.

"We don't have any running water on the island so you'll need to go to the river to wash up, the money you get from the bounty is all yours so you can use it to buy new clothes or whatever you want, if I were you I'd buy some new clothing though, you look like you just climbed out of hell." He remarks on my looks and I just roll my eyes in response.

'I mean it can't be that bad' I hold my arm up and look at my clothes and almost gasp at my appearance, my once forest green long sleeve has straight rips and holes in it and is stained with dirt, my black sweatpants are stained with blood from the rabbit I ate last night, and my black shoes have a hole in the right shoe. 'I didn't even bother looking at myself yesterday, I was so tired and drained even though I wasn't awake for that long.' I say to myself and I turn right to see Ricky waking up, I look for the other goons but they are missing.

"Ugh… I have the worst headache, where am I?" He looks around and his eyes sharpen as he finds me, he shakes while glaring at me, trying to get the rope around his body and hands loose.

"You damn wench! When I get my hands on you I-" His eyes roll back into his skull like last time, before his entire body goes limp.

"Looks like that idiot doesn't know when to give up eh? He shouldn't wake up until you get to town and is no longer your business, I've let the other goons go since they won't be able to do much harm without Ricky giving orders to them, now go along, time waits for no one." He gestures me away before walking into the kitchen.

I grab Ricky by the ropes and I'm able to drag him with ease. 'Was I really that tired that I could barely move him yesterday?' I shake away my thoughts away before leaving out the front that was busted down last night that no one bothered to put back up, when I get outside I hear yelling from behind me, I turn around and see Haynes standing in the doorway.

"Take the path right in front of you and it should lead right into town, and take this!" Haynes throws a small orb-looking object towards me, I catch it almost accidentally while trying to protect my head from the flying object.

"Eat that pill I just gave you, it'll give you enough energy to make it to town and back without breakfast, it's my own special creation, I call it Katsuryoku!" He yells before walking back into his cabin. 'Katsuryoku? I mean if Haynes made it I can trust it right?' I swallow the pill expecting something to happen immediately but only look like an idiot before remembering I have responsibilities besides being a dubious medicine tester.


I walk into the familiar marine station still pumped up on the Katsuryoku feeling on top of the world, 'Haynes really knows how to make medicine, it has only been an hour between me leaving the cabin, washing up at the river, and entering Donguri and it is already kicking in!' I see Smokey and Goggles again working at the front desk. 'Are these the only people who work this desk job in the village?'

"Woah! What the hell happened to you!" Goggles yells and runs up to me while I carry Ricky in with me.

"This dipshit is what happened to me, remember when I said I'll be seeing you soon?" I throw Ricky in front of me with minimum effort. "Don't worry, he's not dead so that means I should get the full bounty amount right?" I ask Goggles and he looks visibly shocked.

"Oh, uh yea! Thank you for your service to the community. I'll bring you your reward and my partner will take Ricky Martin out of your hands." He walks into the backroom with the door slamming behind him, Smokey being a dramatic person takes a long puff of his pipe before getting up to take Ricky from me. 'I don't know who's going to die of lung cancer first, Sanji, Smoker, or this guy.'

"Huh, didn't think you had it in you girl, as a marine I thank you for serving this community." He walks up to me to put a hand on my shoulder and whispers in my ear, "But as someone who knows a little too much I say don't get too in over your head." He glances at me before chuckling, he then proceeds to drag Ricky into the back room where Goggles just left.

"Here is your compensation." He hands me the 94,800 belli before pausing. "Thinking of becoming a bounty hunter? That means you'll be seeing us a lot, we might as well know each other's names, I've just been calling you green shirt girl in my head this entire time." He scratches the back of his head while awkwardly chuckling.

"No worries." I chuckle a little bit, 'It looks like I'm not the only insane person who monologues in their head.' I hold out my hand before continuing, "The name is Alani Reed, to be even I'll tell you I've been calling you Goggles in my head the entire time. He laughs loudly before continuing.

'Well, that is pretty close to my name," He takes my hand and shakes it, "Gracie, Gracie Olson. It'll be a pleasure working with you." I take the cash that was in his other hand and leave the station

"See you next time Bounty Hunter Reed," Gracie says and I wave to him as the station door closes. 'Now onto my next issue.' I look down and see my ruined clothes and sigh. 'This was a new outfit I just bought too.' I shake my head and walk to the closest clothing store I see

Quentin's Threads. It'll do for now, hopefully.

I open the door to Quentin's Threads and it looks surprisingly modern with the door setting off a bell when it opened. I look around and the store is exposed brick with a mass selection of clothes. 'Looks like I hit the jackpot here, but why is a store like this in a town that is mostly wooden?' When I exit my thoughts a young guy about 6 inches taller than me with a french crop walks up to me, presumably Quentin himself.

"Welcome Customer! May I show you around the store?" He asks me at a speed that leaves me stunned. 'Why does everyone who gives out important information in this town talk at the speed of light?'

"Oh uh yea, I was just wondering what a store like this was doing in a humble town like Donguri," I answer him honestly, if I can get information from someone who doesn't look like he's from around here that's one step closer to my goal.

"Oh well, I'm glad you asked! Quentin's Threads was originally located in the capital on Seiten but expanding is what a business does right? So we expanded to all five of the islands and me, Quentin, is overseeing the growth on this island, Tobitsu!" He seems overly cheerful for someone who just monologue'd an entire paragraph in 5 seconds without a breathing stop, I stare at him for a second trying to process the cacophony that just hit my eardrums.

"Okay thanks, I don't need help with shopping I'm sure I can find what I need." I shoo him away as I walk through the store. 'If I'm going to be the apprentice of the best investigator I might as well dress like one, right?'


'I think I've been in this store for three lifetimes.' I say to myself, looking around the exposed brick walls, every time I walk forwards I feel like I'm going in a circle, and even when I turn It feels the same! 'Did I somehow get trapped in a stand ability?'

"Hello Ma'am!" Quentin taps me on my shoulder, coming out of Narnia as I scream, snapping me out of my existential crisis about a never-ending clothing store stand.

"I see your having some trouble finding an outfit so I put one together for you based on what you've stopped for so far!" Quentin says with his usual cheery attitude, I raise one eyebrow while looking at him. 'Has he been following me this entire time?'

Quentin pulls out behind him a knee-length dark forest green trenchcoat, black dress shorts with pockets that look like they'd fit perfectly and go down to my mid thighs, a white dress shirt with a black tie, and a pair of black boots in my correct size. I stand there stunned as he stands there smiling creepily while holding out the clothes to me. 'Might I go back to this guy being a stand user?'

"There are some dressing rooms this way if you follow me, ma'am." Quentin starts to lead me to some dressing rooms in the distance, while following him I grab a b-cup sports bra and a pair of boyshorts that were most definitely not there when I checked that rack before. Quentin practically pushes me into the dressing room and hands me the clothes.

I lock the door and start taking off my tattered clothing, first goes my shirt, then my sweatpants, and everything else goes along with them onto the wooden bench. I put on the sports bra to support my barely existing b-cups, the boyshorts go on next and are much more comfortable than what I expected, 'This guy teleport clothing out of thin air I swear, how did he even know what I was looking for?!' I ignore the crisis to continue putting on clothing.

I pull up the shorts and I was right, the dress shorts hug my thighs but are not tight enough to cause displeasure and restrict movement, and the pockets put woman's clothing to shame on Earth, I button up the dress shirt and tuck it into the shorts, I tie my tie remembering how my dad used to do it every day before work, I pull on the socks Quentin put in with the boots then put on the boots, they are heavy duty but do not drag down my movement, then finally I pull on my dark forest green trenchcoat that is made out of heavy material to keep me warm. 'This outfit is perfect! Where did he even find this clothing, he must clothing supervillain!'

I unlock the door and walk out, the feeling of clean clothes on me is something I will never take for granted ever again, I turn and see Quentin sitting down on one of the benches nearby, he shoots up as soon as he sees me.

"Wow you look quite amazing I must say, those tattered clothes earlier were doing you no justice!" He says to you while looking me up to down looking for an imperfection.

"Yea you really did an amazing job just eyeballing me for measurements, and how did you know what I was looking for?" I ask him walking around with my new outfit. 'Nothing will make me put those old clothes on ever again, these clothes even feel amazing.'

"Oh, I just watched your eyes slighting linger longer on certain items!" He says and I stare at him blankly. 'This guy was watching me this entire time and picking up on my clothing habit's so he could find an outfit for me, I didn't even see half the items he gave to me I was too busy trying to make this store have common sense and not lead me in circles!' I ignore the insanity as I find myself doing a lot ever since I got here and focus on the important part.

"How much is this going to cost?" I ask him while searching through my old clothes for the belli I got for Ricky's bounty, the letter from Yval, and the last 4 bounties that I got on the first day here, all of this no longer fits in my pockets so I put the belli and letter in the left and right pocket respectfully and just hold the last four rolled up bounties.

"It'll cost 80,000 belli!" He responds and I just turn to him silently.

"Did I hear you right?" I ask him dumbfounded and he just nods innocently like he isn't just taking away my entire paycheck from Ricky. 'I mean I know the clothes are high quality but 80,000?!'

"Mhm, it'll cost you 80,000 belli!" He repeats himself and I turn to my old and beat-up clothes. 'I am not coming out of here looking like that.'

"Okay… where is the register…" I say while just staring at my feet, after this I'll be going back to being broke with just 14,800 belli to my name. 'Man, I could really use Nami right now to help me bargain, because currently I'd much rather pay and leave than stay in this god-forsaken store for any longer.'

I walk up to the register with Quentin but a nice bag catches my eye, a black messenger bag, I look down at the bounties in my hand and back up at the bag. 'I mean I can't just be carrying everything in my hand can't I'

"Oh you're looking at that bag, it is perfectly waterproof and is extra durable with a strap that would withstand even some of the sharpest knives! At the low low price of 14,800 belli!" He sells the bag to me and I feel my eyelid twitch. 'I'll look perfect with my outfit too! But…' I think of my remaining 14,800 belli. 'Would I waste all my money for a bag that fits my aesthetic? Hell yes.'

I grab the bag and pull it over my head and put my arm through the other end, the bag barely has any weight to it and I begin to put my 2 remaining possessions into it. As I slap down all my newly earned money that is now going towards lining Quentin's pockets on the table as he rings me up.

"Thank you for shopping at Quentin's, I hope we see you soon!" He says to me as I leave the store. 'This store is a borderline robbery, but it does have pretty high-quality stuff.' I fix my tie as I begin walking back to Haynes' Cabin.


I walk through the freshly reinstalled front door of the cabin and flop on the couch. 'The Katsuyoku pill's side effects must be exhaustion huh? Increase energy for a short period of time in exchange for being exhausted later. It also probably doesn't help that I haven't eaten since yesterday night.' Haynes walks into the living room holding a tray with one hand with a cup of water and a cooked rabbit on it that looks way better than what I did with my fire stunt in the forest.

"That Katsuyoku pill making you sluggish huh? It's a good trade though if you need to end a fight quickly. Here," He gives me a ziplock bag full of the pill and I just throw the ziplock in my bag, more focused on the food than anything, I've haven't had a real meal in ages.

"And I see you got a new outfit, you really trying to go with the professional look there, how much did it cost?" Haynes asks me while going through his newspaper, my face pales as I remember.

"All," I say barely above a whisper, I bite into the cooked rabbit, it tastes a bit like chicken but it is good in its own way.

"Wait, what?" He looks up from his newspaper and his face turns serious, I stop eating for a second to try to diffuse the situation.

"U-uhh, this outfit is very breathable and durable, It was worth the price and will last me a long time." I try to calm him down, Haynes stands up and stares at me for a second, sighs, then sits back down. 'I've avoided death once again, kinda ironic since my whole power is about dying.'

"Well I guess it's already done, there are more important things to worry about anyways." Haynes smiles and starts to chuckle a little bit, I swallow worrying about what's coming next.

"Your training."