"The ferry seems to be late coming in today, Johnathan."
If there was ever a perfect image of higher living (at least among those who didn't have it), this was it. A long picture window spread across one wall, illuminating a room larger than most people's dining rooms. The only things in it were a piano next to a side wall, and a small table near the window. The speaker raised a teacup to her lips and sipped daintily.
"Indeed, my lady. I am not sure what could be keeping them: The Captain and his men are well-versed in dealing with most pirates." This came from a well-dressed older gentleman near the table, looking ready to spring into action at a moment's notice.
The young woman paused with the cup halfway to her lips. "I hope nothing serious has happened. The ferry is quite important to the people of this town, after all."
"Quite." Johnathan replied, looking out toward the docks in the distance. "Perhaps I should request the guards there be on alert, just in case."
This received a slight nod, more than good enough for him. It would have to be, with her nose back in the latest novel.
He moved to the door, opened it and paused. "I do wonder if they will be the only ones watching. It has been some time since she last appeared, after all."
The girl didn't look up. "I think most people in the village would consider that a good thing – save for her fans, of course."
Her butler chuckled slightly and took his leave. The lady turned another page, and frowned. "This won't do at all. Neither of them would act like this! Did he simply forget the last book?" Another person might have put the book down. She simply continued reading furiously. If the story didn't improve for the next act, why, she had half a mind to send a letter to the author…once she was finished, of course.
One Piece: Bounty Seven
Chapter Twenty-One: The Heroine of Love and Justice, Part 1
"Ahhhh," Adrian sighed, tapping her foot on the dock's cobbled surface, "something about being on a ghost ship really makes you appreciate having ground under your toes, I tell you."
Siegfried looked down at her from the railing. "Yes, it's certainly something to be eager about." A moment or two later, the ship came to rest in the town's dock. "Maybe a bit too eager."
Wondering how he'd missed the assassin being on-board to begin with, Siegfried walked down the gangplank as it was lowered. He didn't see Asakura, but she'd probably catch up with them a bit later: there was still some fall-out from the chameleon incident. "So, here we are at last, at Noblesse Island. I'm not terribly familiar with the place, actually." He craned his neck up.
This was necessary, as the island was largely made up of hills. Most of the sizable town was built on a slant as a result, with many buildings quite close together. A daring individual might be able to move from top to bottom and back on rooftops alone.
"Yeah, I was here a while back. Not a bad place, I guess." Adrian said as they walked through the checking gate. That probably amounted to a five star review, coming from her.
A moment later she added: "And not for work, so you can quit looking at me like that. I was just…here for a few days, that's all."
"Hmm." Siegfried murmured, but said nothing. They reached the first few buildings.
"Hey, Siegfried?" Adrian said suddenly. "Can I ask you something?"
The psychic was looking away. "What, exactly?"
"Back on the ship, what was with that-"
"Ah, there's an inn nearby." Siegfried interrupted, pointing to a nearby sign. "That would be a good first move, I think. Then we can see if there are any potential candidates here in town."
He picked up his pace. Adrian stared at his back, and then shrugged. "Whatever. I got plenty of time to crack that nut."
0
As it turned out, that daring person was Asakura, today. The last thing she wanted was to meet the stares of the other passengers, and she too was ruminating on what Siegfried had done at the end of the fight. That had been the furthest thing from sudden anger, but deep hatred, drawn up from within. She could recognize it through experience.
With thoughts like that on her mind, one could forgive the shinobi for the accident that happened then. The masked woman let out a gasp as the next surface she landed on pushed back. The next thing she knew, she was looking up at the sky.
"What on earth?" she asked the air in general, grateful that the roof had been wide. Standing up, she inspected what had caused her fall.
This only raised further questions, however. It turned out to be a large mattress someone had left out on the middle of the roof. Quite the springy one as well, evidently.
The first thing that came to mind was simple laziness, but that didn't explain some other things. For instance, the pink and gold glitter someone had painted the mattress in, or the crude sign nearby pointing toward it.
"Odd." Asakura thought, and it was. Not in a dangerous way, of course, but this was clearly here for someone to use. Who, then?
0
The air had grown awkward after Siegfried dodged the question, so Adrian had drifted her attention to other things, like the town they were walking through. Right now she was trying to think back to when she'd last been at Noblesse Island; something about their surroundings was really starting to bug her.
As they turned onto the street the inn was on, she spied another of what she'd been seeing for a while. "Hey, Siegfried," she said, pointing, "what do you make of that, right there?"
He followed her finger upward. 'That' was a thin wire stretched from the inn's roof to the opposite one. You'd miss it easily if you didn't know it was there, since nothing hung from it. It didn't seem to have any clear purpose, for that matter.
"Hm." Siegfried pondered, staring at it. "A washing line, maybe?"
"In the middle of a busy street, and on the second floor?" Adrian replied. She pointed to another nearby building. "Not the only thing like it, either: see?" From its front wall, a smooth, long pole protruded. "What's the point of that? Or that?" A thick rope hung from a hammered in nail halfway up a three-story building. "I definitely don't remember any of this when I was here last."
The bounty hunter adjusted his glasses, lips curling up. "A mystery at foot, then."
"Can this one not involve ghost pirates?"
0
In the room up on the hill, the door opened. The sound of piano keys paused, briefly. "Well?" she asked as Johnathan entered. "How many of them are there?"
He pursed his lips briefly before replying. "Around a dozen, all-told. Most of them seem to be staying under the same roof, as well."
She stared up at the ceiling and sighed. "If only they could show up at once, as well. Did any of them look…" she sought a word that was polite. "Ordinary?"
It wasn't within him to lie to his lady. Besides, with what they were after he was already inclined to dislike them. "I am afraid not, sadly. They seem to be the sort who would approach a problem with poetry in hand."
"Likely fans of romance novels, as well, if I am one to guess." his lady replied. There weren't many graver insults that could come from her mouth. "But I suppose it would be rude to refuse an audience after they have come all this way." She rose, heading for the door. "I will retire to my room, Johnathan. Please inform me should one of them arrive."
"Of course, my lady."
"Another one, you say? Don't these louts have women on their own islands?" The clink of coins sounded on the table. Not for any particular purpose, mind, but it was a soothing sound for him. Of course there would be a few pebbles on the road to greatness, but who knew there would be this many? It was practically a conspiracy.
"This one seemed kinda…different though, sir."
His employer sniffed. "In your opinion? How so, then?"
When he took that tone with you it was never really worth it to push your ideas, but the boss could have seen it too from one look at the guy. "He looks smarter. Not like one of these love-struck artistic types at all. Looked like he had a bodyguard with him, too."
The coins paused in mid-jangle. "Hm – someone who knows a bit of how this sort of game is played, then? That should make things at least somewhat interesting. Provided it's the right sort of interesting, anyway."
"The kind where you win, boss?"
"Precisely."
0
The inn's foyer wasn't very full, but that didn't stop it from feeling busy. Someone seemed to have been around with a can of polish recently: even the doorknob gleamed. Siegfried and Adrian slid past a worker carrying some drinks toward the back and approached the counter.
Before he could open his mouth, though, the bounty hunter found himself subject to a stare as intense as any marine investigator. But then the inn owner smiled. "Ah. Let me guess: another questing gentlemen after the crown jewel, hm?"
Before Adrian could open her mouth, Siegfried smiled back and nodded. "Was it so obvious? A point in my favor then, I hope."
"Well, that's hardly for me to say, sir, is it?" He came around the back of the counter, guiding him toward the back. "Come, sir: the others requested to see any new arrivals."
"Of course."
"You know, you're gonna have egg on your face when these guys turn out to be into human sacrifice or something."
0
But Adrian had to admit when they entered the back room that that was probably off the table. These guys didn't look like the sort that would appreciate blood or hard work. A single glance was enough to let her know what they were.
"Nobles. Great."
"You're sure?"
"I can tell by the way I want to deck one of 'em."
Most of the young men didn't look up, but one hurried over, all smiles. "Ah, another hat being thrown into the ring, then? Good day to you and your servant, my good man. Please, come in!"
Siegfried laid a quick hand on Adrian's hand as the young man's back was turned. "Come now; the only information we'll get with that is what the inside of his nose looks like."
"Wasn't planning on the nose, actually."
They seemed like a friendly bunch at least; a round of hellos went around as he sat down. The one who'd approached him was named Richard, and seemed to be more or less in charge, if this was a group one could really be in charge of. Adrian's guess was probably right on the money. All of them spoke like they were used to being the center of attention. Whatever this was, it was a probably a holiday for most of them.
"Siegfried's the name," he said, adopting a slight, neutral smile, "I must say, I'm a bit surprised to see so many other people here."
"Ah, but is that not always the case with great treasures, my friend?" Richard asked. "Has there ever been glory gotten from a treasure only you were searching for?"
All of them nodded vigorously. "Myself and others have come from many islands away." one put in. "But the news of her coming of age granted wings to my flight indeed!"
"Well, that's quite a hint, isn't it?" Siegfried thought to himself. A collective mental sigh had gone up around the group, and he was able to pick out a name.
"Well, that's to be expected, isn't it? We are talking about the lovely Miss Victoria Lanster, after all." Bingo: they all nodded eagerly. "Although I must say, I'm surprised you're all being this civil about it."
Richard made a dismissive gesture. "Why, nonsense. This is romance! I see no reason why pursuit of it should be tainted by petty rivalries or disputes. After all, in the end it is the lady who will choose, yes? So it stands to reason that any attempts at romance be done fairly, without any foul play. What would she think otherwise?" He indicated the open books. "We were just writing up a schedule now."
Siegfried nodded, looking around and making a head-count. "Is everyone who came for this here, then?"
"I'm quite sure. After all, who would think a lady of her caliber would fall for someone who was unsportsmanlike? It defies comprehension!"
He said nothing back, but kept his smile on. "Adrian, you may as well leave; there's no reason two people should have to sit through this. I'll try to find out as much as I can about this. It could be an opportunity."
"Could not be finer by me."
0
As Adrian made for the door in a hurry, she sensed something on the other side of it. Too bad this inn had creaky floors, though: footsteps hurried away before she had her hand on the knob. There was another sound as well, of something clattering to the floor.
Whoever it was had passed around the bend when it was shut. Adrian half-considered chasing them, but she'd already decided she wasn't gonna lift a finger for any of these idiots unless it was absolutely necessary. Maybe not even then.
'sides, while she knew first-hand nobles would try and knock each-other off for the dumbest crap, they probably didn't employ many spies who used the old bottle to the door trick. Probably just a gossipy maid, or something.
0
"Three of them, you say?"
"Quite so, your lordship. Two left the boat, but there seems to be one skulking around the rooftops as well. I took pictures of them." The snapshots were skimmed across the table and inspected duly.
The underling knew it was coming when the inspection went on just a tad too long. "These are the best you could get? They're all unaligned, and this one's even out of focus."
"Sorry, sir." He'd seen people get sacked for arguing about this, and this had been a damn cushy job so far. "What do you make of them?"
He watched his boss inspect the photos again, this time with that familiar gleam. "My, all of them are certainly quite striking. Such a lovely mask on the lady, as well. But of course I'll need to take a snap of them myself to learn more."
The noble settled back and let out a sigh. "In any case, if you believe they're ones to be wary of, then perhaps you should go settle matters with the ones who are not."
After the underling left, he stood and walked over to the window, admiring the trophies he had taken along for the half-dozenth time today. He flicked his finger on the rim of a jar, admiring the ringing sound. Very soon he would have a new prize to admire, as well: the lovely Miss Victoria Lanster. And there were ways he might appreciate the treasure of a female body he couldn't with a mere jar, ha ha ha…
Siegfried could handle booking the room. Adrian decided to go for a walk. It might have been a while ago, but she did remember how nice the island looked.
A couple things were spoiling it, though. The weird new architecture was still bugging her, but it took a backseat to the stuff she saw at the shops. 'Suitor discount' read one slapped up sign. 'A restaurant fit for a noble' said another.
Nobles. Wherever they went, the whole world revolved around them. That girl they were all after was probably the same; they'd make a good couple, whoever ended up with her.
Sighing, she stepped into an alleyway. "What's the deal?"
"The 'deal' is that this town is about to be in the middle of something quite unpleasant." Asakura said, dropping down from the roof. "The men seeking her hand are not all harmless romantics. There are skilled agents within this town. Several across the town have detected me, not an easy task in the least."
Adrian nodded. "Now that you mention it, I did feel the back of my neck itch a little. Just like it is now."
They turned to look at either end of the alley as two black-suited men appeared at each entrance.
"Nice morning, wouldn't you say, ladies?" said one of them jovially.
Adrian held up a finger. "Let me guess: nothing personal, just doing my job, business, and other stuff that's supposed to make it better, right?"
He smiled as they raised guns. "I see you're familiar with how this goes."
She grinned back. "You might say that."
0
Talk had turned to who would go when; most of the gentlemen seemed prepared to be here for the long haul. Siegfried's name was written down near the back – who was him, why hadn't he gotten here earlier – and tomorrow the proceedings would begin, barring any late entrants.
"So, if you don't mind me asking," Siegfried said to Richard, "what made you come courting, exactly? Just for curiosity's sake, mind." The others were involved in their own conversations.
"Ah." Richard drummed his fingers on the table top. "Well, you're aware of how it is, I'm sure. When a young man of my standing comes of age, it's important that he seek out a suitable young woman who has done the same. And Miss Lanster is nothing if not suitable."
According to mother and father, came the words left unsaid at the end of that sentence. Siegfried nodded understandingly. It wasn't as though he could solve every problem, however, but Richard had probably answered that question for most of them. He doubted whether some of them had even seen a picture of Victoria, let alone in person.
"But courting a person like that brings money and status, even if it's not really you doing the courting. I'm sure her parents must be-"
Richard turned as Siegfried stiffened. "Is something wrong, my man? I had thought this inn was clean, but-"
The psychic's hands came down on the table as he stood up quickly, attracting attention like a magnet. "All of you, get to the back of the room, now."
Under normal circumstances nobles weren't conditioned to follow anyone's orders, even and especially that of their equals'. But something in Siegfried's voice made them start moving even before they heard the hissing noise coming from just outside the window.
The inn seemed to have been built sturdily, but not with being bombed in mind. The wall collapsed neatly, scattering splinters across the room. Before the debris could fully settle two masked men sprinted into the room, brandishing knives. Evidently they expected to find a group of scared young men, and it probably came as a shock that the first thing they met was Siegfried. The first man went down without any fuss, but the second shouted part of a warning before he was disarmed and slammed into the wall.
Adjusting his coat, Siegfried pointed to the door. "I think that would be your exit, friends." With that he walked out the new one in the wall.
Like the two others, all of the men outside wore masks, and carried a mish-mash of weapons: knives, bats, and other interesting tools. No guns, of course: they'd only be trying to scare the lads, not put their names in newspapers. Of course, it was probably obvious to the last man now that he was no noble, or at least not one from a family that valued intelligent thinking.
Nonetheless, he smiled, spreading out his hands. "Come now, gentlemen!" he said. "I'm sure you could find better employment than helping turn a simple courtship into a brawl. Is it really worth it?"
One adjusted his mask; it looked quite hot. "With what we're getting paid, uh, yeah. Definitely."
"Oh." Siegfried shrugged. "Just wondering."
One near the back held up his watch. "Uh, we're still on the clock, and he checks – could we maybe get going?"
He nodded, motioning toward himself. "Of course, so…" the bounty hunter's gaze drew upward, his eyes widening slightly. Being professionals, none of the men around would have bet a week's wages on their actually being something there. And in this case, all of them would have spent the week eating leftovers and drinking water.
"Stop right there!" cried a dramatic voice, before the world around them exploded into an aurora of…pink.
It wasn't a terribly pleasant color to fill your vision, even with shades on, and Siegfried shut his eyes quickly. That left him together enough to hear the sound someone landing on the roof in front of him. Then the voice continued.
"Turning a breeze of love into a storm of violence…causing chaos in this peaceful town…reckless use of explosives! For those reasons and more, I won't forgive you!"
The light cleared, and she was standing there. There was no question about gender: if there were some scale of femininity out there, she and Adrian would be as far apart as possible.
There was the outfit, to start with – either pink or gold was her favorite color, since equal amounts were on it, along with frills, lace, ribbons, you name it. A bright-red bow was on her chest, and naturally the whole thing ended in a skirt. Gloves and stockings were on her hands and legs. As for the girl herself, she was exactly what you'd expect from someone wearing something like that. Blonde hair, tied up into two long pig-tails with ribbons, bright pink(!?) eyes, and a wide smile. In one hand was an equally colorful rod, tipped with a star.
The smile might have been because she wasn't quite done with the introduction. Tapping one black dress shoe on the roof's surface, she tossed the rod into the air and clapped her hands, scattering sparkling dust all around. "I am the protector of Noblesse Island!" She raised her hand, catching it as it came back down. "The angel of the Grand Line!"
Doing a twirl, she struck a pose, pointing one finger and the rod down at all of them. "I am the heroine of love and justice – VENUS!"
Siegfried stared. "…what?"
To be continued…
Next time, on One Piece: Bounty Seven.
Venus: You really haven't heard of me, that's a first.
Adrian: Three guys, one girl. This island's gonna go to hell over it pretty fast.
?: I'm afraid I'm a bit used to getting what I want, my good man. 'tis a bad habit of mine.
The Heroine of Love and Justice, Part 2
Siegfried: She's exactly what I've been looking for.
Juggernaut715 – I'm sure he'd say something like 'well, that's only natural' if he were running this comment box.
Smilingdamnedvillain – Really now? That's a bit interesting, I must say.