Bounty Seven Chapter 23: The Heroine of Love and Justice, Part 3, an one piece fanfic

One Piece: Bounty Seven

Chapter Twenty-Three: The Heroine of Love and Justice, Part 3

"Wait a moment, please."

Siegfried was so surprised he almost punched Oxwald with his actual fist. Surgery to repair a broken hand would put a bit of a damper on any plans, especially ones of revolution.

He took a few steps back as the noble reached into his pocket, retrieving an expensive looking pocket watch. He flipped it open, pursing his lips. "Ah, I've went and lost track of time because of you. Quite impressive: no-one's ever managed to keep a bout going long enough for that before."

Siegfried lowered his fists and stared as Oxwald turned and walked off, giving the watch a shake. "I was going to contact Mother and Father about fifteen minutes ago. They must be a bit worried now, so I'm afraid we'll have to adjourn this for now. Only for now, you understand."

"Of course." the bounter hunter replied, straightening his shades. He looked around at the crowd. "Well? The show's over, I'm afraid." The crowd had shrank a bit as some had gone to follow Venus' bout, which had gone a ways away. A decent few had stayed though, which was flattering in a way, but having them all watching his every move had felt a bit odd. Perhaps she could give him some pointers on it: he'd need to get used to attention like that quick, after all.

"Kitten, are you well?" he thought. "According to Asakura, you ran into an old friend."

"Ha! Yeah, I guess if you look at it from a really weird angle. He just left, though; got a call from his boss. Seemed urgent."

Siegfried frowned. That certainly didn't sound good. "I assume the men have also made themselves scarce, Asakura?"

"Completely. I inspected the cameras they were using, but they seem perfectly ordinary."

He nodded. "Well, I'm sure we'll find out whatever he was doing eventually."

Siegfried then turned his mind outward, carefully. If the lady wished to keep her identity hidden, then he had no intention of finding out this way. Ah, there she was. "Venus? Can you hear me?"

"Huh?" she thought back, sounding surprised. There was a first. "Hm~. That's awfully interesting, cutie. I guess I'm not the only one with secrets, am I?"

"Perhaps I'll tell you later - you seem trustworthy enough. Oxwald put our match on hold, but I noticed you seemed to have your hands full. Are you alright?"

Venus snickered. "Oh, her? She's-" the girl was cut off for a moment. "Uh, okay, maybe a little bit of a handful. But I'll be fine. I mean, think of who you're talking to here."

"Well, I just thought I'd ask. I'll be off now: duty calls, you know."

"Right. Duty. Sure."

Some women always had to have the last word. Venus probably knew as well as he did that the mere hint of his credentials being fake would be enough to torpedo his reputation on this island, and maybe a few nearby too. It had been a rash move, but sometimes that was that you needed. No matter how well-greased the gears of a plan were, a rash action could be the stick in them. Or something like that, anyway.

He turned and made his way back to the hotel, catching a few looks as he did. Oxwald and this Rolando would have to rethink their plans, which would give him the chance to do the same. This wasn't going to be as simple as beating up an over the hill ghost pirate. He'd need to read up a bit on them, the Lancasters, and of course, this mysterious heroine.

Siegfried took the long way back to the hotel, conscious of the looks he was getting. News traveled fast in this town, which was just fine by him.

The men stared at the photograph in front of them. Rolando leaned forward expectantly, smiling. Those who'd been in his employ for long knew that smile: it meant he was very pleased with himself, and you had better share that sentiment pretty quickly. Otherwise you probably wouldn't be in his employ for long. A few of the new guys hadn't got the message since they'd arrived at the island, and had gone home...on the ferry, because why on earth would he waste time killing someone that worthless?

"Brilliant, isn't it? I must admit, I didn't think any of you would be able to pull it off. The last few attempts all ended in dismal failure, as I'm sure you remember."

He frowned as one oft he grunts held up a hand. 'Yes? What is it?"

"Uh...what's it mean, boss?"

The other men looked uncomfortable. Rolando's hand went up to his face, and he sighed. "Must I explain it again? Very well, but only because I am in a good mood, do you understand?"

He tapped the picture, and it shimmered, changing back to Venus' surprised face. "The power of my Snap Snap Fruit allows me to look at pictures and see the true nature of the subject within. In the case of a person, I see what makes them...well, them." Rolando had his suspicions what would pop up if he took a shot of any of his men, but didn't voice it now. "The picture you took of her revealed this."

Another tap, and it became the image his power had shown. The 'true images' the Snap Snap Fruit revealed could be pretty abstract (came with the territory, really), but this one was simpler than some of the others they'd seen. It was a close-up of a book cover, with no title. What was on the cover, well, that depended on when you looked at it. Rolando's power didn't just lead to static images, you see, especially not when used in this way. No one image could sum up most people, after all, and therefore the cover of the book was constantly changing. One moment it showed a knight facing a dragon, the next a group of noblemen at a party. No scene appeared twice, and there seemed to be no genre that it wouldn't display.

"So...what's it mean, boss?"

Rolando's eye twitched, while the rest of the group took a collective step to one side. "Well, I don't know," he hissed, "what could a book representing a person mean? It means they're linked closely with literature, you neanderthal! Is it so hard to think?"

He leaned back, suddenly smiling. The boss was pretty good at giving a smile when he felt anything but. "Up until now, no-one knew a thing about Venus. Secrecy was her greatest weapon."

"And the lasers, boss, don't forget those."

"Admittedly, they have been a factor." Rolando conceded. "But until now, any girl on these streets could have been her. Now the field of candidates is far narrower. I want you all to listen carefully..."

Adrian and Asakura had already paid for a room, and it was dawning on the former that this was the first time they'd actually be sleeping in the same one. There were three beds, fortunately, but still.

Not that she was really worried about birdie or anything. If it ever came time to settle things between them, Adrian had the feeling she'd get some advance warning. It was just a little weird. Of course, come to think of it, it had been a while since she'd slept in the same room as anyone else.

Footsteps came along the hallway, and Siegfried opened the door gingerly. One hand held a bag containing two books that could have been perfect doorstoppers, while a far smaller one was open in his other. They both stared at the last one: on the cover was a picture of Venus. 'The Venus Almanac - All Information on Oblesse Island's Daring Heroine', read the cover.

"You don't have to look at me like that." Siegfried said automatically, shutting the door. "I wanted to find on information on her, that's all. For some reason her image lends itself well to sensationalizing."

He dropped the bag on the room's one table and sat down, flicking through the book with one hand. "Of course, I say 'information', but the book seems to be ten percent what people actually know, forty percent second or third hand accounts, and fifty percent blind guessing. There's more than a dozen people in here the author thinks could be Venus, and not all of them are women."

"So what do they know?" Adrian asked.

"That she showed up a few months ago during a pirate attack, and every one after that to drive them off. They're typically infrequent on this island, and they never did more than petty theft, but she's kept a lot of people from getting hurt." Siegfried waved a hand at the window. "More than a few decided to lend her a hand in gratitude. Those additions to buildings are to help her get around more easily."

The assassin snorted. "If she's really so great, she probably doesn't need anything more than the normal buildings. Using them must be great PR, though."

Siegfried nodded. "There was other merchandise of her, and it all seemed fairly popular. If she weren't as capable as she is, you'd be forgiven for thinking it was all a publicity stunt."

"Speaking of which." Asakura put in. "I assume one of those books is..."

"A listing of known devil fruits. She has to be using one, and it could be in here. They're discovering new ones all the time, after all."

Adrian got up. "Let's hope she isn't the first person who ate it, then. I'll take a look. Been meaning to do that myself for a while; scope out potential competition, y'know?"

Siegfried opened the last book himself. "This one's a listing of the world's nobles. Everything I've heard about Miss Lancaster is from people attracted to her, so looking to a slightly less biased source would be wise. If I'm to be a convincing bodyguard, I'll need to know all there is to know about her."

"They have the dragon guys in there? I could use a laugh."

"They have their own book, I imagine." Quickly Siegfried flipped through, to the L section. He actually had to recheck a few times to find the Lancaster's section. Comparatively, it was quite small, barely taking up a page. The author had had to scrounge to come up with the information, since the Lancasters rarely socialized. They'd settled on Noblesse Island some years ago, and had done much for the town, but rarely left it, to the point of seclusion.

Victoria was an only child, and some years ago her parents were said to have passed away. 'Said', because there had been no official funeral, or at least not a public one. Now she was of age, and the sole holder of the Lancaster's property and wealth.

He had looked up her two main suitors while he was at it. It hadn't taken much looking to see why Oxwald really wanted her as a bride: after a few failed investments, the Warrington family had been treading water financially for a few years now. Gaining control of the Lancaster's would undo that, and then some. It was probably easier for him to think of it as a way of flexing his muscles.

The other man was simpler. The Tepes were known as a family of culture, and collected all kinds of art. To a normal person that meant paintings in sculptures, but to someone with their wealth people were among that category. Something about Victoria must have been suitably photogenic for Rolando. That was at least a bit less worrying than some other things a man in his thirties might want with a girl who had just come of age. Although, the book did have a bit to say about some rumors surrounding the family's hobbies, if only to say they couldn't possibly be true. He'd have to see if Victoria was very photogenic when they met.

"Got something." Adrian said from behind, and he turned around. "Not about Venus, but that women who attacked her. 'The Glass Glass fruit is said to let its user create surfaces of glass on any surface they touch, and control it to a certain extent. Not that surfaces, in this case, can include thin air, or even the human body."'

"You're looking under Paramecias?"

She nodded. "Well, yeah. She's not a Logia, right?"

"Zoan, perhaps?"

Adrian gave him a look. "A Zoan of what?"

A fair point. There were fruits of that kind that let you turn into mythical creatures, but even then it was hard to fit her around any he could think of.

In the end, there wasn't anything in the book that could be stretched into what Venus had shown herself to be capable of. He'd have to ask her about that at some point. Things had quieted down outside, and it didn't seem like there was going to be any grand moves by Oxwald, Rolando or the mystery woman, which meant Venus probably wouldn't be about either. The sunset was casting red across their window, and Asakura had already turned in.

"So, you think she's gonna say yes even after you clear all this up?" Adrian asked suddenly, as they were getting ready themselves.

Siegfried looked surprised, but she just shrugged. "I had a feeling as soon as I saw her that you'd want her along for this ride. Can't say I'm super thrilled at the idea, but hey, birdie's not too happy to be working with me, either."

He nodded, and then smiled. "The fact you're so sure I wouldn't be doing this for its own sake - and the fact that you're right - tells me why we need someone like her. The three of us aren't exactly trust-worthy looking. Someone who's exactly what she appears to be would be ideal for this endeavor."

"Is she, though? If she's already wearing a disguise, there could be a lot to hide."

"Admittedly, I think she may have many facets," Siegfried replied, folding his jacket on the floor, "but only one side to show them all on, and it's not a bad one."

Adrian pursed her lips. "Yeah, and what if she doesn't want you finding out who she is? Seems like she could be a bit of a handful if you tick her off."

"I'll cross that bridge if I come to it, I suppose." He smirked. "You'd better hope I don't lose then, considering I fought you to a draw."

"Aw shaddup."

"Behold, what yonder light breaks. It is the...the...ah, it's on the tip of my tongue." Blast those ne'er do wells! If not for his nerves being rattled from that attack, he'd have completed this poem by now. As it was, it could hardly melt any maiden's heart, let alone Miss Lancaster's.

Richard pushed the chair away from his desk and sighed. Romance was a lovely thing, but he was beginning to wonder if this particular case of it might be a bit more trouble than it was worth. He might be in over his head if he pushed on further. But telling that to his parents certainly wasn't something he relished the thought of. Nothing was beyond their family, and if it got out that he'd run away from a situation like this, many of them would not be pleased, least of all his mother and father.

But he was alone in these matters. Everyone else had a power, or an ally. He had not thought to bring either. Richard's thoughts went back to what Siegfried had done this morning. Ha, even Miss Lancaster had someone at her beck and call, if you believed his claim. "If only I had someone like-"

A knock came at the door. Who could it be at this hour? He'd requested to the innkeeper that he not be disturbed. "Perhaps it's an emergency of some sort."

He rose, walked over and opened the door. Then his eyes widened. "Why, you're-"

"Good evening. Richard, isn't it?" The woman Venus had fought that day said with a smile. She curtsied. "May I come in? I have something I would like to discuss with you."

A moment of thought later, and Richard stepped back, waving her in. "Why, by all means, Miss...?"

"Ah...Cindy. Yes, Cindy will do."

Each of the four Blues and the Grand Line had its own newspaper, telling the inhabitants as a whole what they needed to know. The big things they needed to know of course, with little consideration for individual islands. So unofficial newspapers tended to crop up on a lot of the inhabited islands. Noblesse Island's wouldn't be winning awards any time soon, but it told people about job openings, price changes in the market - things people needed to know on a day to day basis.

...and, when things like that couldn't quite stretch a full issue, it had gossip. One of the boys in charge of handing out the newspaper stared at the piece of paper that he'd been handed. "So I just gotta make sure it's in the paper?" He looked suspicious. "Seems like a lot of money for something as simple as that."

"I'm not intending to pay in fairy gold, if you're worried about that. If you don't want to do it, I'm sure I can find another way."

The kid wasn't one to turn down practically free money. "Uh, no, no, it's just...is that really all you want me to do?"

The snail phone nodded back. "Yes, just make sure they hear what I've written down there. That's all I ask."

"Okay, if you say so." One of the requests was he couldn't tell anyone where this tidbit had come from. Which was good, because depending on what happened tomorrow there could be a lot of people asking. But if it just 'happened' to get added in before printing, there wouldn't be anyone to question, would there?

Pocketing the stack of bills, he nodded to the noble's guy and ran back home. He wasn't quite sure what the plan was here, but when one of the steps was 'give a hundred Beris to me', then it couldn't be all that bad, whatever it was.

"What a nice boy." the snail phone said, somewhat contrary to evidence. Its holder, clad in a wide hat and a long coat, declined comment.

When Siegfried and the other came down for breakfast the next morning, they found the inn largely deserted. The innkeeper gave them a nod. "Morning, Mr. Bodyguard. I suppose you being here means that rumor was a fake, eh?"

That was a sentence with a hook on the end, and he replied quickly. "If you mean to say it's something to do with Miss Lancaster's movements, either I'm not involved, or she made a poor choice in hiring me. I'm probably a biased source, but I'd say it's the first one. And I haven't heard of any rumors involving her."

"Ah." The innkeeper went back to buffing a glass. "Guess it was just a prank, then. Basically, the newspaper today had a claim from an anonymous source. Whoever it was said that young Miss Victoria was a real bookworm, and often visited that large bookstore in town."

"Really." Siegfried replied. That was where he'd bought the books. It was a chain shop, and if you were one for books, there were plenty there to choose from. "Do a lot of people read this paper?"

"Oh, a decent few in town. Enough to keep it published, anyway. If you mean our visitors, all of them staying here sure did. Some of them barely stopped to eat breakfast. Speaking of which, what'll you be having."

He shared a look with his partners. "Something to go, I think."

A single look at the street the bookstore was on was enough to tell them the visiting nobles did indeed up with the news. Both the bookstore itself and the cafe across from it looked packed, and those who hadn't gotten in either were camped out around the street, trying to look inconspicuous.

"What are they gonna do if she does show up?" Adrian asked, scratching her head. "Form a line?"

Asakura was looking around the street. "They are very out in the open here. All of your competition, gathered in one spot...it's quite a good situation."

"So suspicious, Asakura." Siegfried said, and nodded. "But I can't disagree. I want you two to-"

"Ahoy, Siegfried!"

He turned around. There was Richard, waving to him from a table at the cafe. The bounty hunter walked over. "Good morning, Richard. I'm glad to see yesterday didn't hurt your good mood."

"Well, I have you to thank for that, don't I?" the young noble smiled. "I suppose Miss Victoria requested you guard us, eh?"

Siegfried nodded. "Certainly. She doesn't want anyone in her town hurt, after all." He looked around. "Speaking of which, are you sure you want to hang around here? She didn't say anything to me about coming up here today."

Richard stirred his tea. "Hm, truly? I suppose I'll take my leave then, once I'm done my drink. Say hello to her for me, will you?"

The psychic stared at him a moment, and then nodded before walking back to his teammates. "Something's up with him. His pokerface isn't bad, but no-one is that calm after being attacked the day before. And there's also Rolando and Oxwald to worry about...I want you two to stay here and keep watch."

"And what are you going to do?" asked Asakura.

He smiled. "Saying hello to Miss Lancaster, of course."

Richard watched Siegfried go, and his two associates move away a moment later. A vibration came from his pocket, and he retrieved a compact snail phone. "Hello?"

"He was looking at you quite intently." Cindy said. "He may suspect you're up to something."

The noble raised an eyebrow. "You were able to tell that from far away? You're quite something, Cindy."

"And you are quite good at giving compliments, Richard." she said, but he could tell she was pleased. He was too, to have met a capable person like her. But besides that, the fact she had come to him personally was why he had accepted. So many people treated him like something that would be broken if you tapped it too hard, but she seemed to view herself on equal ground with him. That was an opinion he'd been wishing more people around him would share as of late.

Of course, he couldn't let that blind him to the fact he knew almost nothing about her. She'd been seen attacking the local hero of this town, and almost surely had her own agenda. Last night she had claimed she wished to assist a man of his caliber, but he wasn't that blind. His family had some standing, of course, and money - but so did Rolando and Oxwald's. Why him in particular? Could his parents have sent her here? That didn't seem like them, but...

In any case, his job now was to sit here and unaccompanied. Cindy had grown suspicious of the rumor, but had decided he should be there regardless. Under her watchful eye, that is. If Rolando and his ruffians made another try, he wouldn't be caught offguard.

"You're not wearing your dress at the moment, I assume? It would be hard not to attract attention in that, I'd think, even if you look quite good in it."

"...ah." The snail's eyes shut. "Of course not. Um, thank you."

That was another thing. She'd be acting just like some of the girls he knew back home one second, and then one comment from him later, she'd be flustered like that. He found it quite charming; it was almost enough to make him do it on purpose. But that would be impolite, and he was already heavily considering offering her a permanent job.

Richard had the utmost respect for his mother and father, of course, but he was still a noble. He understood well the advantages of having someone who would answer to him before them. "Of course, she might not take it very well. But if I explain myself, I'm sure it will be fine."

He took another sip of his tea. It was...

As he walked away from the street, turning onto a smaller alley, Siegfried reached in his pocket and unfolded a map he'd purchased of the town, highlighting some of the attractions. They included the various inns, the cafes – and the two bookstores the island had. The newspaper rumor had highlighted the chain one, but there was another, locally owned one.

Compared to the first's location, this one was more tucked away on a side street. Victoria was known to be reclusive, and you wouldn't send out a rumor of well-known information. If there was some inkling of truth to it, she couldn't have been using a store so many other people visited. No matter what, someone would be bound to see her and talk about it.

It was a shot in the dark, but as the streets grew smaller and less crowded, his confidence in it grew. He almost walked past the place, actually, with how it was nestled between the back of two buildings. It was one of those stores where calling it quaint was almost the nicest thing you could say about it. Now he was actually looking at the place, it was hard to believe someone of blue blood would enter it once, let alone often. But he wouldn't be satisfied until all the mysteries on this island were solved.

He opened the door, and then stood looking around in surprise, while the owner sized him up. Evidently the people who owned the shop believed more in inner impressions than outer ones. The inside was small (only one person could walk through the aisles freely, and even then barely), but somehow very cozy. Fine oak wood made up the walls and floor, and a fan spun lazily in the middle of the ceiling. An un-used fire place was near the door, with a few comfortable-looking chairs around it. Seated in one was-

"Hello there." Victoria Lancaster said, looking up from the book she was reading. "I'm glad to see you were able to find your way here."

There had been a picture of her parents in the book, taken on a rare occasion they'd gone out, but there had been none of their daughter. They had grown especially reclusive after their birth, and particularly protective of her. So instead a sketch had been used, based partly on what information the author had come up with, and partly on a guess of what she would look like given her parents, although the author hadn't quite put it like that.

If the picture had been of her right now, Siegfried imagined a good number of the suitors wouldn't have bothered showing up. She didn't look like someone who had a fortune or reputation, and far more like someone who wouldn't mind much if they didn't.

Rumors of her beauty hadn't been exaggerated, but she'd done nothing to highlight it. Quite the opposite, in fact; her long chestnut hair was tied up in a ponytail, rather than cascading down her shoulders, and she wore a simple sundress.

She stood up before Siegfried could reply, tucking away the reading glasses she'd been using. Her eyes were a deep green. "Stanley, may we use your back room? I have things I must discuss with my bodyguard."

The old man at the counter shrugged, polishing his spectacles. "If you like. But depending on what I hear, I might have to tell Johnathan, if you catch my drift."

"I'm quite sure that won't be occurring." Victoria replied. Siegfried got the impression exchanges like this happened a lot.

Past the aisles was a small door, almost lost between bookcases. The room on the other side seemed to be a storage area.

"So," Victoria said, brushing off a crate and sitting down, "I have heard that you are my bodyguard. That is somewhat news to me."

Siegfried shrugged. "Well, for someone in your position, it must be easy to forget some deals they've made."

She smiled, but didn't laugh. "May I ask why you felt it necessary to do that?"

The lady had a keen look in her eye. Good. He wouldn't have to dolly up his reasons. "I felt it was the best move to make in that situation. It would make the primary target myself, rather than anyone in over their head - or you. I also thought it might gain me some respect among the people of these town, but it seems like they doubt me more than anything."

"They can be very perceptive that way, I find."

He waved a hand at her. "And lastly, I knew it would reach your ears, Miss Lancaster. I was betting on you wanting to talk to me once you heard."

Victoria nodded. "I see. May I ask how you knew I would be here today?"

Siegfried shrugged. "You don't seem to like attention very much, from what I've heard, and this is a place where you're not likely to get it."

"Relying on what you've heard can be very dangerous, Siegfried." she replied. "But as a matter of fact, I do appreciate books, and quiet places to read them. This shop offers both."

He met her gaze as she fell silent for a moment. "You're going to ask if it was me who put that rumor in the paper, aren't you? I did." The lady paused. "I suppose I wanted to see if any of them would have the same thought."

"Are you disappointed at all?" Siegfried asked.

"No," Victoria replied, "you showing up beat my expectations. I honestly didn't think anyone would show up." She sighed. "They're all so...silly." He got the feeling she used that the same way Adrian used -. "If I thought it might have worked, I'd have told them all to go home already."

He hopped onto another crate. "I don't like to think of myself as a liar, Miss Lancaster. I put myself forward as your bodyguard, and I intend to clear up the situation here. I assume you have no issue with that?"

"Another person stepping into the battleground my home is becoming? I do." she replied, pursing her lips. "I knew the day Rolando and Oxwald showed up that this situation would be unpleasant. I've seen it growing outside, and I've heard people asking why I don't step in. My parents set a fine example for this island, you see, one I have to live up to. The lives of the people living here are my responsibility."

Her expression tightened. "But my parents also set a fine example to me. The only result that would satisfy the two of them is control over my parent's estate, and I have no intention of handing over a single Beri. If you require aid, I'll give it to you, Siegfried."

Siegfried smiled. "I don't know what your parents would think, but I'm impressed."

The bounty hunter held up one finger. "You may not have intended on it, but you've helped me out a lot already. Your rumor has made most of the visitors to this island gather near the other bookstore. If I were Rolando, I'd try something, but my friends are watching the place right now." Another went up. "And I've made...arrangements with Oxwald, I think. He has honor, or at least wants people to think so."

"Do you approach everything this way?" Victoria asked. "You've only entered into this situation yesterday, and you've already thought so intently on the matter."

"Everything important, yes." he adjusted his glasses, smiling. "When I encounter a problem, I like to dissect it: give it one hundred percent of what I'm capable of, and see what happens."

She frowned. "And the troubles of someone you hadn't even met was important enough for that? Forgive me if I insult you, Siegfried, but you don't seem...entirely an altruistic individual."

He actually laughed. "Maybe not." Reaching into his jacket, he retrieved Venus' fan-book. "Once this is all over, I have a matter to discuss with her that I can't in current circumstances. I thought you might have some idea of how to contact her, actually."

Victoria shook her head. "More than a few people have wondered that, but I'm afraid not. Of course, I wouldn't be surprised if I knew a lot about the person she really is." She smiled. "That's the nice thing about a secret identity."

"Well, once this is all over I have a feeling she'll come to me." Siegfried said. He walked up to the door. "Do you need an escort back to your manor?"

"I haven't needed one since I was a girl, and I don't intend to start now." the young lady rose and smiled. "And I think my parents would want me to wait a few years before bringing a man like you home."

He smirked. "True enough." The psychic grabbed hold of the knob.

"...it would be nice if I was that kind of psychic." Siegfried thought as he rose, taking in the street that went past the bookstore's back wall, the hole now currently in said wall, and Oxwald. The last two were connected a tad.

"I do hope I wasn't interrupting something, was I?" the noble boxer muttered, stretching. "I did give you a moment, but I was growing a bit bored."

Siegfried pushed his shades back up. "Well, we can't have that now, can we?"

He dove forward, but something came ahead of him; a loose cobblestone the bounty hunter hurled with his mind. Oxwald gestured with one hand, and three pieces of it went spinning off through the air. With his other arm he punched forward with a haymaker at Siegfried, who had closed in. He rolled aside, but barely. Any closer and more important things than his shades would have been broken.

Oxwald raised an eyebrow as Siegfried came to a stop in between him and the shop's new back entrance. "Ah," he said, looking closer, "unless I've interrupted a meeting with your beau - in which case, I do apologize - then Miss Lancaster, I presume? I'd remove my hat, if I were wearing one."

She took a step backward, placing Siegfried between her and the other noble. He shrugged. "Well, we'll have time to discuss things later. Somehow I doubt this will take too long."

"I'd be insulted," Siegfried said with a shrug, "but a vote of confidence form the person trying to pulverize me wouldn't mean very much, would it?"

"So, you seem pretty used to this."

Over the course of her career, Adrian had learned how to get comfortable just about anywhere while on the job. Up in trees, in holes in the ground...once she'd actually stayed underwater for a few hours waiting for a target to screw up. Compared to those, a rooftop was no biggie. They'd picked one with slanted windows, and a nice view of the street. Birdie had been pretty quiet ever since they'd come up, though - it was getting kinda awkward.

"I guess you must do it a lot, considering your job. Yeah," she added when not a flicker of surprise went through Asakura's body, "Siegfried told me about that. Sounds like a tough gig, hunting down your friends. I doubt I could do it."

That made her speak. "I am surprised." Asakura said coldly. "I did not think there was anything a hired killer could hold distaste for. You enjoy your work, after all."

"Someone who kills for fun is a murderer." Adrian said sharply. "So don't say I do. I kept doing it because I enjoy fighting, and there's plenty of it out on the job. Lots of guys in the Association are like that."

She stretched out. "I only started doing it because I met the old man. Huh, if a marine had offered me a roof over my head, I'd probably be a captain by now. Not that there were too many around."

Asakura frowned. "Exactly where did you grow up?"

"Well," Adrian pointed at her slotted eyes, "let's just say with these I was pretty lucky the first attention I got was the positive kind, and leave it at that."

The shinobi fell a silent again before speaking a moment later. "I suppose there is no harm in telling you something, if you are that curious." She pointed to Adrian. "From what I have seen, you make your decisions based mostly on what is best for you yourself. Perhaps I now know why. But from the time I was born, it was very different for me. We are encouraged at a young age to do what is best for the village as a whole. Several years ago, something happened that put my family's dedication to this in question. I became a hunter shinobi to correct that doubt."

Adrian listened, and thought of something to say, but finally shrugged. "You're right, I don't really get that. The closest thing to family I had was the old man, and he probably doesn't count." She gestured to Asakura. "But doing this is what you wanted, right? I get that perfectly."

Asakura said nothing. The Black Cat smiled crookedly. "Swapping secrets like this – we're practically old pals by now, right?"

Asakura fell quiet again. Amazing she'd gotten that much out of her, really. Adrian looked around, and something from the adjacent building caught her eye; the curtains on the second floor window twitching. She shrugged. Some girl checking out the bachelors, probably. Yeah, Christmas had probably come early for anyone here with those kinds of dreams: tons of rich boys, only one girl they'd come for. Pretty easy to make your pick, too, when they all looked-

She sat upright. "We might have a problem here."

"How?" Asakura asked. She already had a kunai in her hand.

Adrian waved a hand at the traffic below. "We've been expecting Rolando's guys to make a big move like yesterday, right? But what if they're already here? There's so many of these guys it'd be easy to slip a few grunts in. Everyone would just assume they hadn't seen them before, if they noticed at all. It'd be like hiding vultures in a crowd of peacocks!"

Frowning under her mask, Asakura had to admit, it made sense. "But how will we root them out without causing a panic?"

The assassin had no idea, frankly, but she didn't need to admit that: a gunshot went off from nearby, in the direction of the bookstore. They exchanged a glance.

"Might be off the table now." Adrian admitted. "But hey, at least there's a good chance she'll show up now."

"I am glad you can find a silver lining in people being attacked."

"Somebody here's gotta be positive."

They stopped on the roof of the bookstore, crouching behind the big sign on the front. With the crowd that had formed, they'd be spotted right away on the street. Black didn't work too well for broad daylight.

"Allow me to reconfirm." What must have been Rolando's voice drifted up. Adrian raised an eyebrow - something big must have come up if he was out here himself. There was the click of a pistol being readied. "These are all your employees, correct? No-one is absent?"

"Y-yes, this is all." the owner stammered. "I figured th-there'd be a rush this week."

"Very good." There came a couple footsteps, as he shifted position. "I'm quite certain there's at least one of you who knows why I'm here, and I don't like wasting my breath. I'd appreciate it if you gave yourself up now."

Asakura raised a kunai, but Adrian put a hand on her arm. If Rolando was gonna fire, he'd fire; she was fast, but not that fast. Besides, if he had something up his sleeve, she wanted to hear what it was.

No-one replied, and then Rolando sighed. "Very well. I know for a fact that one of the people working here is that 'heroine', Venus. So you had - yes?"

"Uh, I'm a guy."

"Quite irrelevant. I have proof, you see, proof that Venus is a person closely related to books. And what does this store sell nothing but?" The gun was cocked again. "So by simple reason, one of you must be her. Come now, heroine; I have a gun pointed at an innocent man. Come forward and save him with your magic! Or do you not care when you can't make it a performance?"

Shit, he was sounding pretty squirrely. She might have been off the mark about how far he was willing to go. Adrian tensed like her namesake.

"Rolando, hadn't you better stop that?" a friendly voice called from the crowd. Someone stepped out - that one noble Siegfried had been getting chummy with. What the hell did he think he was doing?

Getting Rolando's attention, at least. "What the devil do you want? I'm busy, man." Guess even being a noble didn't guarantee respect from this guy. "Away with you."

"I will, provided you let that man go and stop bothering these people." Richard smiled. "You're not setting a very good reputation for the rest of us, after all, waving a gun around like that." When Rolando didn't reply, he sighed, pointing to the employees. "But if you'd prefer some more practical advice, what if you're wrong? I doubt she'll be very pleased. Her being angry may prove to be a good learning experience, however."

A good point, and one Adrian had thought of herself. But why was he so confident about it. Nobody else had dared step forward, because he had a gun and men - so what did this guy have?

Rolando laughed. "Scared of some girl in pink? Why do you think I took these hostages, Richard?"

"Well, not only her. I'm sure there's many ways Miss Lancaster has of making you regret doing so." He smiled again. "As well as myself. So please, let those people go. I won't ask again."

When the other noble spoke next, he did not sound amused. "Huh." It was halfway between a snort and a chuckle. "You'll do something, will you?"

He fired the gun. Adrian had to admit that was a surprise. But for the split-second she glimpsed the bullet in midair (it wasn't that hard if you'd seen enough of them as she had, usually from the front end), it was heading toward Richard's foot. Lame. What the hell was that supposed to prove?

Jack diddly, as it turned out, because the bullet never hit Richard. Not because Rolando missed, which wouldn't have surprised Adrian, but because it never touched him at all. The bullet struck the air just before his skin, panging off through the shop's front window. Rolando stared, mouth agape.

His men were somewhat more on the ball, and some filed out into the street around Richard, drawing their weapons. He smiled ruefully. "I was hoping we could settle this peaceably. Alas." One of them ran at him and struck out with a knife, but bounced off just like the piece of lead. A tiny crack had appeared in the air just before the noble's forehead. "Don't hurt them too badly." He called up at a nearby building, one that Adrian recognized.

The sound of shattering glass rent the tension-filled air, and the henchmen either had their weapons knocked out of grip or were forced to drop them from bleeding hands. Cindy dropped to the ground nearby Richard, as graceful and deadly as a swan. He offered her a grateful nod, and then smiled at Rolando. "You aren't the only one who can hire assistance, Roland." Richard tapped he air in front of him, which twinked. "And one Devil Fruit user can be worth a hundred normal men." The lady curtsied.

Adrian and Asakura shared a glance. Three nobles now, two dangerous assistants, and one girl. Not a good combination. The fact this guy was playing the hero didn't mean much to Siegfried: you caught more flies with honey, right (she'd never really gotten that saying - where she'd grown up the only thing honey was likely to get you was a boot to the head)? And she didn't like the look of that woman next to him at all. She dressed like a noble too, but one look at her eyes shattered that image. They weren't the eyes of some twit who'd got their hands on a devil fruit, like Oxwald, but someone who knew exactly what they were doing. Quality over quantity, huh - wherever he'd gotten this chick, she probably could beat all of Rolando's guys herself. The question was-

On the other side of the street, a window burst open. Cindy turned her head - eyeing their hiding spot as she did - and gave the leg flying at her a look of annoyance. She brought her clock-spear up in one smooth motion, and Rottwell was forced to make a hasty landing; the strange weapon had sprouted a jagged edge right where his foot had been headed. Landing, he dove in with a punch, aiming to take advantage of the spear's disadvantages close-up. Cindy frowned as he stepped within its reach, holding up a gloved hand before his fist.

Adrian realized what was going to happen a crucial second before Rottwell did. The next, the woman tugged Richard close as shards of glass flew by, while Rottwell retreated a step, cradling a hand full of splinters. She winced. Hard to really blame him for that - you couldn't exactly memorize every fruit you might run across, and even if you could, no book had room for every trick they could pull. That was why Adrian always hated fighting people with 'em; there was always something about them that only made sense if you turned your brain sideways and thought like a crazy person.

Not that a few glass shards were enough to keep Rottwell down. Grasping his wrist, he muttered, "Bad Boy Shakes Off Water," and twisted it. The shards popped out. Then he leaped overhead, landing next to his employer, who was staring at the two with his lip curled back.

That seemed as good a time as any to stick your hand in a pit of vipers. Adrian and Asakura dropped down, the former holding up her hands. "Okay, okay," she said as all eyes turned to the pair, "I think that's enough of ''My hired thug is better than your hired thug!'."

"Calling a lady a thug only makes you seem like one, you know. Ignore him, Cindy."

"Of course, Richard."

Adrian shrugged. "Whatever. Look, you both know I'm working with Siegfried. Lancaster wants you two to-"

Rolando heaved a great sigh. He was still behind his men inside the book store. A few nobles had been unlucky enough to be present when he'd barged in, and were now held captive. "Must I come out and say it? I could really care less what that girl wants. I desire her for my collection. Her family has no members left save herself - so really, I'm doing her a great favor, aren't I?"

The townsfolk didn't seem to think so. One or two pushed forward, but the thugs quickly made them back off.

Richard waved a hand at him. "You see? If someone like this is after her hand, I don't have much choice but to defend myself, do I?"

Adrian gave the young noble a look that made him quite uncomfortable. "Yeah? So walking up and picking a fight with him is 'defending yourself' now, is it?"

He opened his mouth a second later, but Cindy caught him off, rapping her weapon against the cobblestones. "There's no need for you to pay him any mind, Richard." She smiled at him. "He would have come after you eventually, so why give him the opportunity? For that matter, both the people of this island and Lady Lancaster have everything to gain from Rolando being removed as soon as possible. Surely even a half-wit could follow logic so simple, let alone the Lady's bodyguards." The woman locked eyes with Adrian. "Can't you?"

Richard coughed. "Um, yes. Terribly sorry, but I'm afraid I have no intention of backing down either."

"Tch, at least with Rolando you know what he's after. No clue what she wants." Adrian turned back to look at Asakura. "So, Asakura. You're not a mind-reader, but can you tell what I'm thinking right now?"

"I believe I can make a good guess." the shinobi said, drawing another kunai and twirling them both.

Adrian cracked her knuckles, looking between Rolando, Rottwell, Richard and Cindy. "If it was 'take all four of these idiots out', congratulations, you hit the bullseye!"

Rolando glared, and in the eyes of all his men she could see one thought running: if they had no chance against one super powered weirdo, what did they have against two working together? Sucked to be them, really. "Very well," their boss hissed, "if you really insist on having a death wish, I'll be glad to-"

"Hold it right there!"

Everyone shut their eyes quickly - except for Rolando, who let out a shriek. Adrian quickly opened her eyes once the initial flash had ended, but she was already there, atop the bookstore's sign. "Taking innocent people hostage..."

Still blinking, the photographer fired upward. It was actually well-aimed, but it was sent spinning off in two pieces as Venus jabbed out her pointer finger. Adrian got the impression this happened a lot. "Trying to cause a war in this fair town..." Richard at least had the decency to look embarrassed.

Twirling, Venus sent a set of sparkles up into the air. "I am..." She cupped a hand to her ear.

"They're not gonna-"

"The protector of Noblesse Island!"

Adrian sighed. "Definitely gonna have to talk to her about that. I have my reputation to think about, y'know."

"The angel of the Grand Line!"

She hadn't even done anything yet, and suddenly everyone's mood had done a total 180. Siegfried had the right idea; calling someone on the same side as her a bad guy would practically be a slur.

"I am the Heroine of Love and Justice!" The impish girl struck a pose. "VENUS!"

Rolando's men flinched as she leaped off the sign, but no lasers came sailing down yet. She did, though, toward Adrian. Blinking, the assassin held up a hand, and Venus made a perfect landing before hopping down onto Adrian's shoulders. "H-hey, get the hell-"

"And lucky me!" Venus said, drowning her out. "Today I have two special guest helpers, courtesy of Victoria. Give them a roun, everyone!"

Adrian sweatdropped as they actually started clapping. "Does it look like we care what they think, kid?" she called up, resisting the urge to knock the girl off her shoulders.

"Dressing like that I think it's pretty clear you don't care what anyone thinks, Mr. Gloomy." Venus shot back. "But isn't this nice, feeling that everyone is behind you?"

"I could try to care less," Adrian said firmly, "but it'd be pretty hard." She took a look around the opposing side. Rolando had badgered and glared his men into position, none of whom were looking too pleased about the prospect of fighting all three of them, even if Rottwell was with them. Richard had moved apart from the other noble's group, and Cindy stood in front of him protectively, watching things with a careful eye. Even if they liked seeing shows, the townsfolk still knew when it was a good idea to leave, and they'd done so - probably for safer places to watch their heroine fight. "Huh, and what if you see her getting a knife in her pretty little face? It's not exactly a game she's playing, y'know."

She looked up. "Didn't exactly plan it that way, but I guess you're the one in charge here now. What's the plan?"

Venus tilted her head to the side. "You have to ask?" she thrust out her glowing rod and punched the air. "We take them all out!"

Adrian grinned, the sight causing a vast shuffling of who felt like being at the front of the crowd. "Took ya long enough to start speaking my language!"

Off to the side, Asakura checked her weapons silently. "Two eccentrics, now...would someone normal in this group be too much to ask?"

To be continued...

Next time on One Piece: Bounty Seven...

Siegfried: I don't understand. This defies all my assumptions completely.

Adrian: Maybe you were just wrong about something.

Rolando: Gentlemen, we are going to uncover the true figure of this 'heroine'.

The Heroine of Love and Justice, Part 4

Venus: Weeeeeeelll~. Maybe I can tell you.

Paladine: I was hoping that would happen; I'm pretty sure she'll have some fans by the end of this arc, without giving anything away.

Meteor: I guess that can be arranged - only because it's you, though.