Nami removed the paper from the News Coo gently, giving it a pat before shooing it off the deck of the Sunny. I swear we already got a paper today she thought curiously, unfolding the thin sheet that held only one article and several photographs, more than one of which was hideously familiar. She shouted for her crewmates, all of whom fought for the paper, nearly tearing it in their individual efforts to read the story.

"How could the marines lose track of such important prisoners?! Aren't they paid to prevent this?!" Usopp exclaimed, scratching his small beard.

"Who cares how they got out? We should be more worried about them tracking us down. We got them arrested in the first place, and that was after we destroyed the SMILE factory and kicked his feathery butt off the throne. He's probably still pretty pissed." Franky pointed out, and he had a good point. Chopper and Brook were both visibly panicking.

"I don't think he'll come after us anytime soon. They're in the spotlight right now. Look, there's even a reward being offered for any information that might aid in their recapture!" Usopp read.

"Reward?! How much?" Nami inquired, attempting to snatch the paper back from Usopp, who wouldn't acquiesce.

"Nami, we can't turn him in for the reward! Almost all of our bounties are higher than this anyway." Usopp reasoned. "Besides, tracking him down is next to impossible. He's a former black-market kingpin; I'm sure the guy knows how to disappear when he needs too!" Usopp held the paper high above his head to revoke Nami's greedy fingers, but that made it easy for Sanji to grab it from his position on the deck stairs.

"Who's this divine creature? I don't remember her from Dressrosa…" Sanji drooled over the mugshot, a slight nosebleed forming in his left nostril. Usopp, ever vigilant, wrangled the paper back from Sanji before he could damage it with his various bodily fluids.

"I'm curious about her too. I've never heard of her, but this article says that she's got some pretty intense powers!" He listed all the things that Princess Nuvovniya was suspected to have done, piquing Nico's interest.

"May I see the paper, Usopp?" she asked, extending an extra limb. He handed it over and she reviewed the details, eyes growing wider and more inquisitive.

"I don't care what she can do, we can kick her ass just as hard as we can kick Flamingo's again, if it becomes necessary." Zoro yawned, not bothering to look at the paper whose information had interrupted his nap. "Right, Luffy?"

The Captain had been oddly silent for the duration of the news. Wearing his most serious expression, he nodded his head.

"It's decided. We're going after Mingo."

It would be difficult to choose between Nami, Chopper, Brook, and Usopp if one had to decide who had made the loudest sound of protest in the moments following Luffy's order.

"WHY WOULD WE GO AFTER THEM?! THEY WANT TO KILL US!" screeched Chopper.

"YEAH! I'M TERRIFIED EVEN THOUGH I'M ALREADY DEAD!" Brook followed.

"We already discussed how hard it would be to find them! Where would we start?" Nami challenged.

"Did you forget how hard it was to beat him the first time? Now he's twice as angry and he's had all this time to think about it! Not to mention the complications that this new girl throws into the mix. Even if the details of her power aren't known, she's clearly capable of real damage! We shouldn't underestimate her!" Usopp declared. The four of them turned to the rest of the crew, waiting for backup.

"I think we can handle 'em." Zoro said predictably.

"Me too. Plus, I want to see that redhead in person." Sanji added, also predictably.

"I'm in!" Franky chuckled.

Everyone turned to Nico and Jinbe, who had been whispering furiously for the past few minutes, playing tug-of-war with the newspaper. Feeling the stares of their crewmates, they broke apart and Nico faced Luffy directly.

"Luffy, I need to talk to this woman," declared Nico, gesturing to Princess Nuvovniya. "I have a theory about her, but I need to see her in person to know for sure. It's very important."

"I agree. If Nico's theory is correct, then it's immeasurably important to speak with her and even more so to remove her from Doflamingo's company. Innocent people could be injured or killed if we don't take action. A lot of them." Jinbe said sternly.

Luffy nodded once more, then smiled. "That's six against four, guys!" He ran for the bow of the ship and shouted at the sky as Nami, Usopp, Chopper, and Brook shared a collective groan.

"WE'RE COMING FOR YOU, MINGOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

…

Emperor Kaido read the second newspaper of the day with a scowl on his brow and a bottle to his lips.

"It's about damn time," he muttered, sloshing the liquid in the oversized bottle.

"Should we search for him, sir?" asked a shaking subordinate. Kaido's features twisted as though he were going to shout as the subordinate, but at the last opportunity he thought better of it, and his face morphed slowly back to the scowl that his crew had come to recognize as his neutral look.

"No. We'll wait. He's a useful man, and if he has any sense, he'll come to me."

…

Word spreads like wildfire, and it seemed everyone in the world had received the newspaper about the newly reformed Donquixote pirates except the pirates themselves. Leagues under the sea, they were not to be bothered with the world on land for the moment. Instead, they busied themselves over the next few weeks by healing, training, and working on a plan for the not so distant future when they would finally emerge from their underwater cocoon, which they had dubbed Jailbird.

After unwilling confinement for more than a year, it was incredible how much good twenty days of quality food, clean bedsheets, and the power to unlock your own door could do. The crew had regained much of their old selves, including the strength of their devilfruit powers. Nuvo's theory that the sea prism stone on the outside of the sub would weaken their abilities had fortunately proven false, and now the crew were testing themselves, all except for Sugar.

"I don't want to deal with the hassle of everyone forgetting someone and then I bring them back and then everyone has to have a moment and blah blah blah. When we go up and I find some people I don't give a shit about, then I'll give it a shot."

For everyone else, training in the small gymnasium that Nuvo had added to the Jailbird was a frequent pastime. After an incident that involved Machvise increasing his weight to the point that the sub was plummeting down to pressures that risked shattering the thick glass of the windows and drowning everyone aboard, he was forbidden from using that aspect of his power in the vessel. However, he was still able to use the gym to practice decreasing his weight and floating back down. Gladius had plenty of space to explode himself. Diamante could turn the entire floor into a wave, which Senor Pink enjoyed swimming about in. Using a small pool, Dellinger was practicing his swimming as well, adding greatly to his recovery. He was more himself every day. Giolla had artistically developed anything she could get her hands on; Nuvo had even allowed her to use her ability to modify her own appearance, temporarily making her hair a bright blue. Nuvo had also summoned some stone slabs for Pica to practice with, and found him charming, despite the high voice. The only person in the crew that Nuvo found entirely distasteful was Trebol.

With a few good meals in his system, Trebol was able to regenerate his slime, which Nuvo found disgusting, no matter how useful it may be. He was awfully unpleasant to look at, and even worse to talk to. Everything he said was nasally and lewd, and she could never ditch the feeling that he was leering at her when they were sharing the same space. She couldn't be sure, considering he never removed the dark glasses that he'd escaped prison with. As if she didn't have enough difficulty reading cues from consistently bespectacled men these days.

Other than the nights she spent with Doffy, Nuvo spent most of her time with Sugar and Deli. She was ecstatic to find that Sugar disliked Trebol as much as she did. The honeymoon phase that the escape had left everyone in had worn off, and their old rivalry was back in full steam.

"Oh, you honestly have no idea, Nuvo. He was my guardian and I complained to Doffy all the time. I told the slimeball to go die almost daily. He's just so…ugh." Sugar ranted. She and her two closest friends were enjoying a light lunch after a morning workout. "And his voice is the most annoying. It's like talking to someone with a sinus infection that never goes away." She proceeded to hold her nose with her fingers and slump her shoulders, making herself appear overall droopy. "Hey, hey!" she mocked Trebol's tone, "Why doesn't anyone want to sleep with me? Hey, hey? It is because I look like influenza personified? Hey, hey, hey, hey!"

The impersonation was so spot on that Nuvo and Deli were both in gleeful tears from their laughter. "I don't see how you can stand to be in the same room as him," Sugar said to Nuvo. "He looks at you like he wants to swallow you up. Then again," she gave Deli a meaningful side eye, "who doesn't?"

"Sugar, is this your way of telling me that you've wanted to swallow me this whole time?" Nuvo countered. Sugar giggled and rolled her eyes, continuing with her lunch. Deli shot her a grateful look, blushed, then dug into his own food. Nuvo had asked Sugar a while ago to stop giving him so much grief about his affection for her, which Nuvo considered entirely innocent.

"But Nuvoooooo," Sugar had argued, "He's so obvious about it! I can't believe Doffy hasn't reacted at all!"

Contrary to Sugar's statement, Doffy had reacted a bit. They had been discussing Dellinger just the previous night.

"Particularly fond of you, isn't he?" Doffy had mumbled into her neck. He was slumped against the headboard with her in his lap, both of them still nude and sweating from the evening's previous activities.

"He credits me with his rescue. It's admiration, not adoration," she'd insisted, moving her head to give him further admission to her nape. He bit her lightly, laughing lowly at her sudden intake of air.

"I don't know if you're trying to fool me or yourself, but that boy gawks at you the way men do."

"Hypocrite."

He'd laughed again, sliding his fingers over her stomach and between her thighs, using the slickness already there to wet his fingers and draw gentle circles around her clit. Thusly all talk of Dellinger evaporated, and the two were tangled in the sheets of the four-poster yet again.

The memory alone drew a flush to her cheeks, and Sugar smiled mischievously at her across the table. Deli seemed blissfully unaware of the silent conversation as he finished his sandwich. The ladies finished their own lunch and Nuvo carried the dishes to the kitchen. She washed them slowly, enjoying the feeling of doing such commonplace work with her hands. Before the Jailbird, she'd never so much as rinsed a cup. Princessdom had not spoiled her, but it had prevented her from being educated in household labors such as this. One of her favorite things about being a pirate was being part of a team where she stood on equal footing with so many others.

Well, perhaps not entirely equal. Regularly fucking the Captain did put her at a certain advantage, and her powers were more intense than most of her crewmembers. On the other hand, her crewmembers had been weaponizing their talents and battling much longer than she had, and knew their abilities well. She'd used her gift of song since she was a baby, but the events at Impel Down had shown her that there were accessories to her power that even she wasn't previously aware of.

The echoing note that her throat had produced in that moment when Dellinger was almost impaled on the manticore's teeth had been looming in the back of her mind. And what of the magnanimous force that had come after? She had never performed such an act; it had been reminiscent of wind, and she had been able to summon winds since her early teen years, but never like that. She had screamed herself hoarse trying to repeat the action in the gym to no avail. Disheartened, she tried to remember exactly what she'd done to cause the attack, but it had happened very quickly and in a moment of sheer panic. She found herself wishing for the input of her old family, and wondered if her parents might have been able to help her determine precisely what had happened and how to possibly harness such power again.

But it was pointless to think over such things. For now, Nuvo could only hope that the ability would return if she desperately needed it again. It had felt so natural at the time, as though the winds had always belonged to her. She had felt an unexplainable chill in her body, like when swimming in a warm pool and suddenly encountering a cold spot. She'd had no parallel experience in her lifetime, and she ached to feel that power course through her once more.

Doffy had tried to assist her, considering he'd witnessed the event from an outside perspective, but other than verifying the position of her outstretched arm during the attack, he was of little help. It pained him to see her so frustrated, and he tried to distract her with kisses and strategy. He wanted to resume his SMILE production business, but to do so would require mountains of planning. Kaido would have to be contacted, but Doffy knew better than to come to him empty handed. He needed product first. And to do that, he had to find Caesar Clown.

He had no idea what had become of the gas man after he was arrested. His sources hadn't been able to tell him a thing, so he must've hidden himself well. Doffy wasn't surprised; Caesar was the sort of man to have several enemies, and without his protection, he was probably defenseless outside of his devil fruit power. But Caesar was also an extremely intelligent man, so Doffy didn't fear for him too much. News of their escape had likely reached the clown by now, and once they resurfaced and got ahold of a den den mushi, he would likely be able to contact him.

If he wasn't willing to work for Doffy again, the pirate would have to find a way to convince him to give up the SAD formula, which may prove difficult. That formula was a hell of a bargaining chip in the clown's pocket. But if Nuvo could get her hands on it and understand it, she'd be able to produce it. She'd tried to do so on a description alone, but the chemical was complicated and she was unable, so Caesar's participation was required.

"Your scientist, do you think he might be able to help me with my gift of song? The new part, I mean?" Nuvo asked Doffy as he poured them both another round. Once she'd finished the dishes, she'd brought the booze to his quarters for them to enjoy while they spent the afternoon planning. It was just the two of them this time; Diamante, Pica, and Trebol were also typically present for these meetings, but they were usually after dinner. Not that either present party was complaining. They could fill in the elite officers later if any new developments presented themselves.

"Possibly. The man is insane, but he's a scientific genius, and I'm sure he'll be interested in you. You're a rarity, so he'll probably want to examine you thoroughly." The thought made Doflamingo strangely uncomfortable.

"I hope we can find him quickly."

"Once we set up a headquarters and a lab, I'll send someone on a scouting mission for him."

"Any thought on where that should be?"

Doffy shook his head. Punk Hazard had been ideal; abandoned, unseemly, and large enough for Caesar's experiments to be tested without notice while the crew had been residing in Dressrosa. Now they needed a new defendable location large enough for SAD and SMILEs to be produced and to house the crew, some employees, and possibly Caesar himself.

Doffy placed his palm over his forehead, rubbing firmly to try and ease the stress. It was the same question they'd been stuck pondering over for weeks. Nuvo had suggested Harmelude, population zero, but everyone had agreed that it was too risky. It was undoubtedly the first place the Marines would search for them. So, they had no fresh ideas.

"We can't stay down here forever," he sighed. Nuvo quirked an eyebrow.

"Why not?"

Now Doffy had a quirked brow. Nuvo scooted her chair away from the table and slipped underneath it, pushing the legs of the other chairs out of her way as she crawled between Doffy's legs. She ran her hands up his long legs, slowing her pace as she traced his clothed inner thighs with her fingernails. With some assistance she dragged his trousers and underclothes down to his ankles. He was already half hard. She looked up at him from beneath the table.

"Are you sure we can't just stay here beneath the sea forever?" she crooned, grasping his cock and tugging slightly, eliciting a sharp inhale from the Captain. After a few pumps, he was throbbing in her hand. She suckled the tip of his cock, lapping at the sensitive head as she continued to squeeze him. He let his head roll back as he leaned his hips forward, urging her to take him in deeper. She complied, tasting as much of him as her throat would allow without gagging. Saliva dripped from her mouth and his cock onto the chair. She used her free hand to hitch up her dress and tap at her clit through her panties.

She moaned around his cock and he fisted her hair, forcing her head up and down at a faster rate. She rubbed her clit harder, and her own arousal began to soak into her thin panties. Doffy was arching into her mouth, nearly completely out of his chair. He was getting close, and the low groans that flowed from his mouth were guiding Nuvo closer every second. She was about to burst when he managed to choke out two words.

"Parasite string…"

Unwillingly, Nuvo ceased her ministrations and slithered from beneath the table, standing fully before Doffy. With a flick of his wrist she turned sharply on her heel and slammed herself down over the table. Bent over and fully spread, she felt the cool air on her labia as he sliced her drenched panties to ribbons. The unseen force yanked Nuvo's hand back to her clitoris, forcing her to continue to touch herself at a languid pace.

Doffy hurriedly aligned his cock with her cunt and drove himself forward, thrusting rapidly as Nuvo circled her clit swiftly. She didn't know if he was still using his ability or not, but as he slid a finger into her tight ass, she realized it didn't matter. She couldn't have stopped herself if she wanted too, which she did not.

Her orgasm hit hard, her tightening muscles forcing him over the edge as well. They both slipped to the floor; Doffy's rough thrusting had pushed the table several feet across the room, sending papers with partially formed plans fluttering all over the place. Nuvo, still panting, gathered up a few sheets in her hands. Among these papers was a written list of enemies of merit, including some random names of shady brokers from the underworld with whom Doffy had experienced bad deals and obvious groups like the Marines, the Straw Hats, the Celestial Dragons…

"I know where to go."

He looked at her, inquisitive behind his shades. He loved the visage of her now; bloodred tendrils awry, the sheen of sweat slowly drying over her skin, nipples still peaking, pupils still dilated from the pleasure he had bestowed only moments ago, all cast in varying shades of red by his lenses. She hypnotized him more than any woman he'd ever been with. Power was synonymous with beauty to him, and she was supremely endowed.

"Where, Nuvovniya?"

She smiled slightly at his stubborn refusal to call her by her shorter name like the others, but she had to admit that the smoothness of it dripping off of his tongue sent shivers down her back every time. She knew he was focused on her behind those glasses, and the feeling of his eyes was almost enough to convince her to forget her point and drape herself over him again. Fuck, he was beautiful.

"Mariejois."