Kaku used his sleeve to wipe sweat off of his forehead as him, Paulie, and Lucci worked on trying to finish a ship as quickly as possible.

They had started it several months ago, but Iceburg had informed them that it had to be completed today.

Kaku sighed as he stood up, having finished his portion of work. "Gee, Paulie! You'd think they'd give us a heads up for something like this." He whistled as he looked at the ship. It was large, and painted white with gold trimming. The inside was just as luxurious as the outside and had cost over a billion berries. "But she sure is a beauty! I never asked; who is this ship for?" He continued to look the ship over.

Paulie popped a new cigar into his mouth. "It's for the Celestial Dragons." He cursed under his breath. "Those bastards don't deserve a ship like this." He turned quickly as he heard Kaku drop his knives, a look of horror on his face. "what's the matter with you?"

Kaku tried to calm his breathing. Lucci knew exactly why Kaku was nervous and clenched his fist. Although the were dogs of the government; even they didn't respect the Celestial Dragons.

Kaku cleared his throat before replying to Paulie. "Are... Are they here now?". He shot Lucci a look asking to confirm his suspicions. Lucci nodded slowly.

Paulie puffed on his cigar. "Yeah. They were downtown last I heard."

Kaku quickly took off, running towards the Galley La headquarters.

He ran inside calling out Kate's name as he frantically looked into the offices.

Kalifa came out wearing loose green pants, and a baggy yellow turtle neck. Her hair wasn't as kept as usual, and she hadn't worn any make up. "Kaku, is Kate with you?" Beneath her stoic appearance; she hid her panic.

Kaku shook his head as he caught his breath. "She said she was going to meet with some suppliers on her own today to deliver contracts." He shot Kalifa an almost threatening look. "Why didn't you tell me they were coming?"

She shook her head. "I had just found out an hour ago myself." She shuddered inwardly. She had tried to look as unappealing as possible. This was the time of year when the Celestial Dragons looked for new wives and courtesans. "I was on my way to find you." She held out a bracelet that had the world government symbol on it and a 5 numbered code. "Get Kate to wear this. I'll stay hidden, so don't worry about me. We can't have them take her." She dropped it into her younger peer's hand.

Kaku nodded as he closed his fist and ran to the heart of the town.

Kate hummed as she walked through the town. Today she had dropped off renewed contracts to several suppliers. She had made sure to look her best, in order to show Galley La's appreciation for their business. She wore a short sleeved bright red dress that hugged her body and came just above her knees. She had worn tall white wedges with her outfit which were more comfortable than regular heels.

There seemed to be faint chatter all throughout town, and several stores seemed to have closed a lot earlier than usual.

I wonder what's going on?

She squinted as she saw a crowd of people walk slowly through the streets towards her.

Saint Charlos was carried by four large shirtless men on a carrier with a chair. The men had cuffs and chains around their necks and red marks on their backs. There were also several men in suits accompanying them.

He yawned. "This town is so boring. All I want is a black haired one for this year's collection." He continued to scan the area, having noticed most of the stores were closed. "Make sure all the stores are punished for being closed while I'm in town." One of the men in a suit nodded and jotted something down on a note pad. The Celestial Dragon sighed and took a sip of an iced drink. "Also, punish them for not having an adequate amount of shade."

Saint Charlos squinted as he saw a bright red figure in the distance. "What's that?" He pointed towards the red figure, for his men to examine.

Kaku ran through the town, following the murmurs of the people.

Please be safe. Please.

He knew if they got their hands on her- there would be no way to get her back. No amount of favors, begging, or money could strip a Celestial Dragon of their possessions.

He heard a group of people mention where Saint Charlos was headed and ran as fast as he could. His heart dropped as he saw Kate...and the Celestial Dragon group close by...

Kaku dashed and quickly pulled Kate into the alley. He grabbed her wrist and fumbled with the bracelet as he struggled to put it on. He looked frantically towards the alley's opening as he could hear Saint Charlos humming close by.

Darn it! There isn't enough time!

Kaku pinned her against the wall, slamming both his palms on either side of her head. He turned to the side so his body blocked hers, but was only inches away from touching.

Before Kate could speak Kaku let out a small "shhh".

Kate felt herself burning up as Kaku pressed his body against her, his head turned low towards the opening and his breathing uneven.

What the hell is going on?!

Saint Charlos blinked his eyes twice before lowering his hand. The red figure was gone. "Make sure they're severely punished for the heat. It appears I am now seeing things."

Kaku watched as the group passed, sloppily sliding his arms away and standing up straight as he breathed a sigh of relief.

He smiled softly at Kate.

Good grief. I'm glad I made it.

"Real sorry about that. Let's head back to the office. I'll have Kalifa explain everything to you."

Their heads snapped towards the direction of a shrill scream.

Before Kaku could stop her; Kate ran out of the alley-a look of horror on her face when she realized whose glances Kaku had taken her away from.

A young woman with short black hair struggled as a man in a suit carried her on his back while the others began to build a cage. They roughly closed a cuff around her neck before throwing her in.

Saint Charlos laughed and pumped his arms in the air. "Yay! I got a black haired one! Now I want one more blonde!" The group continued to walk.

Kate covered her mouth with both hands and felt her body shake. She had heard of the horrors the Celestial Dragons brought with them wherever they went. Kalifa didn't need to explain anything.

That could have been me...

She turned to Kaku and bowed deeply, biting her lip to hold back her tears.

"Thank you, Kaku. You saved me. I owe you."

He shook his head and smiled before grabbing her wrist gently. He could still feel his heart pounding from the panic.

"Let's get you back, shall we?"