"Oh, come now, Petty Officer Nimo," Vetica cooed, leaning on the now sweating marine's desk. Outside on the ship's deck there was the sound of the seamen running their usual drills, which had given Vetica a moment alone with the man responsible for the ship's records. She unbuttoned the top of her blouse, and pouted. "I just need an hour alone. It's for a good cause."
The marine gulped, leaning away, not so subtly eyeballing her cleavage. "I- I don't believe I could do that Ma'm."
She ran a finger under his chin, causing his jaw to go slack. "But how can I properly write about the glorious conquests of the great Rear Admiral Mitt and the brave men of the 28th branch without looking through the logs?"
The man licked his lips and looked towards the office door. He then stood and quickly crossed to a large set of file cabinets and unlocked one. From it he withdrew two thick manila folders filled with papers and placed it on the desk in front of Vetica. The young woman stared down at it, attempting desperately not to sigh in frustration.
"You can just return it tonight," The marine said, staring at her cleavage again.
Vetica picked the folders up and rebuttoned her top. "Thank you."
As she made her way back to her cabin, she swore under her breath. What she had actually wanted was to be let into the vault where they kept the scouting files they were transporting to G-2. However, it wasn't a total wash, considering she actually did have to write an article on Rear Admiral Mitt's 20th anniversary with the Marines, and when she had interviewed the marines aboard the ship they had been absolutely useless.
This was her first assignment since being "forgiven" by Opera and Rider. Though it felt more like she was being punished, since the woman had reassigned her to cover Fleet stories from the dull confines of the G-2 base.
Inside the cabin Rider was still asleep on one of the cots they had been provided, snoring. She dropped one of the folders on him with a loud thud. The man startled awake. He glanced down at the folder on his chest and groaned. "Good morning!"
"Can't you do the research yourself?" He grumbled, tossing the file to the side and flipping over.
Vetica smacked him with the remaining folder, before making her way to the small desk. "It will go faster if we split the load; I have to get these back tonight."
Rider chuckled as he sat up. "You're losing your touch."
Vetica opened the folder and removed its contents. "Eh. Didn't feel like giving the whole show, with them running drills outside."
The two poured over the documents for hours, taking notes as they went. As the sun reached its peak in the sky, Vetica's shoulders began to hurt. Rider had opted to take a power nap, and things on deck seemed to be quieting down. Perhaps a break would be good for her. She quietly went to the Snail Palace and retrieved Shea.
She entered the number and listened to the snail ring.
"Vetica-senpai!" Bartolomeo's voice exclaimed, causing the poor girl's heart to almost stop beating.
She placed her hand over the den den mushi's mouth, and let out a small hiss.
"I'm on a marine ship right now, you moron," she whispered.
"Oh! Where are you dabe?" He asked.
Vetica inwardly groaned. From the tone in his voice one would think that she had just told him what she had for lunch. She stood and went to the window. Across the ocean she could see a cluster of trees and the silhouette of a Ferris Wheel. "It looks like we are just passing Sabaody."
"Interesting," Bartolomeo said.
Vetica Looked down at the snail in confusion. "What do you mean?"
There was no direct answer, just indistinguishable chatter on the other end of the line. Her pulse sped up.
"Barty, what do you mean?"
There was the distinctive click of the phone call ending.
"Dammit." She muttered, putting Shea away. The man must have had something come up. Hopefully he hadn't run into any marines. He had never hung up on her before. She sighed and smacked Rider lightly over the head on her way back to her desk. "Nap time's over."
As she stared at the logs, Vetica found herself having trouble focusing. The seamen outside were singing bawdy songs as they worked, and someone in the cabin next door was banging on something. Maybe they were repairing something. Bartolomeo had talked about making some sort of repairs on the Going Luffy last time they had spoken. He didn't specify what, but it probably wasn't anything too important. She and Bartolomeo had been speaking more and more over the past few weeks. All things considered they should be speaking less, but, for whatever reason, whenever she was bored, she found herself calling him.
Vetica was snapped from her daze by the sound of yelling. It was the marines. She looked around the room. Rider was already on his feet with the snail palace in hand. Vetica grabbed a dagger out of the desk drawer and went to the door. Outside Marines were rushing towards some kind of enemy. She watched in horror as a small horde of Marines were shoved over the ship's railing by an invisible force. She readied her blade and pressed her back to the wall. Rider joined her.
Then everything outside went eerily quiet. Vetica slowed her breathing, as the sound of heavy footsteps approached. Vetica's heartbeat was so loud in her ears, she barely heard them stop. With an explosive bang the door caved in, and a mass of green peaked into the cabin. Vetica swung the knife.
Suddenly Bartolomeo's face came into view at the tip of her blade. She stopped. The man stopped. The sound of the captain shouting orders filled the silence between them. The knife clattered from her hand. Bartolomeo smiled at her.
"How did you-" she started, but before she could finish the man had wrapped an arm around her waist and slung her over his shoulder.
Out of instinct Vetica screamed. A small division of Marines was barreling towards them. Then, just like with the others, what seemed to be an invisible bulldozer shoved them overboard. Bartolomeo let out a whistle.
"I've got her-dabe!" He yelled.
A large flying fish with a man in the saddle suddenly sprung into view along the side of the ship. Bartolomeo leapt on behind him, knocking the wind out of Vetica.
"Go! Go! Go!" Another man yelled, and they tore off across the ocean.
Vetica's heart sped up, as she began to grasp the situation she was in. She lifted a fist to hit her captor's back, but he moved her to his lap before she could. Vetica stared up at Bartolomeo's toothy grin. His chest was welcome and warm in comparison the cold ocean mist which pelted her face, and Vetica could feel her panic subsiding.
"Where are you taking me?" She yelled.
Bartolomeo looked ahead. Vetica's gaze followed. Ahead of them was the distinct outline of the Sabaody Groves.
When they arrived at a deserted grove they were greeted by a tall handsome blonde man. As Bartolomeo helped Vetica off the flying fish, the man's eye twitched in the ugliest wink she had ever seen. She shuddered. Bartolomeo approached the man and embraced him.
"Thanks for your help," Bartolomeo said, before handing him a small brown purse. "5,000 belli, just like we promised-dabe."
"Anything for another Straw Hat supporter," The man said, flipping his hair dramatically. "Besides, it's always a pleasure to help a man rescue a woman."
Vetica scoffed, but watched quietly as Bartolomeo and the man finished their discussion, at which point the riders took off, leaving the him and her alone.
Vetica crossed her arms, as The pirate approached her, cheerily.
"Is there some particular reason, you felt the need to kidnap me?" She snapped.
Bartolomeo's smile dropped.
"How else would I get to see you?" He said. "Besides, you were right there-dabe."
Vetica placed a hand to her forehead. This was why he had dropped off the line after she mentioned Sabaody. But even then, there was no way of her knowing that he had made it this far on his journey. That meant it wouldn't be long before…
"Still, you can't just come barreling over every time I'm nearby," she said. "I could lose my job if they found out we have relations."
Bartolomeo grinned. " I know. That's why I kidnapped you."
The earnest in his eyes was brutal. Vetica just could not stay mad when he looked like that. He was like a gigantic puppy, who just happened to have killed lots of people. She sighed, looking from the sea to Bartolomeo.
"You aren't going to let me go, are you?"
The man shook his head.
"Well I suppose this counts as a nice break from reading," she said, stretching. "So what did you have in mind?"
Bartolomeo clasped her hands and bowed down low. "Please spend the next few days with me-dabe!"
Vetica pulled away. "Woah, woah, woah! A few days? I have work to do."
The man looked up at her eyes glistening with tears.
She grimaced. He was acting as if she had a choice in the matter. She looked out to the sea to see the tiny silhouette of a ship that she had just been on. As much as she hated the idea of losing work days, the possibility of her Star getting captured was way worse.
She grabbed one of his hands and pulled him to his feet.
"Come on," she muttered. "They'll have radioed here by now. We should get disguises if we don't want them to find us."
Bartolomeo beamed, picking up his pace, before picking up her and bolting for the next Grove. Vetica struggled for a moment in his grip, but quickly decided that things were probably best this way. Not to mention, his muscular shoulders felt nice in her hands.
He put her down once they found a clothing store. The store owner didn't seem alarmed by their appearance. Vetica tucked her Tanbou badge in her shirt before picking out a sundress and headscarf off the rack.
Once she finished changing, she was surprised by the tall well dressed man in a fedora who greeted her. The man then slouched back and cocked his head to the side, making him look more like a mafioso than gentleman. He picked his ear, causing Vetica to narrow her gaze. The illusion was lost, not even a tux would probably be able to hide Bartolomeo's crass demeanor. She handed him the price tag off her dress.
"Straighten up your stance and pay the man," she said, giving his arm a light smack. The man let out a disgusted whine. She laughed. "Should have thought about that before you kidnapped me."
After their accounts were settled, the pair was free to walk at a more relaxed pace through the groves. Vetica was awed by all the structures and the innovative ways that the residents used the natural occurring bubbles. For some reason, there was something nostalgic about the whole thing. Then a stand caught her eye. A man selling bikes that utilized the bubbles as a floatation aid.
She grabbed Bartolomeo's arm and pointed. "That looks like a much easier way to travel."
The man nodded and they went over to the vendor.
"One bike, please," she said putting on her sweetest smile.
The vendor cocked an eyebrow at her. "To buy or rent?"
Vetica blinked, back, unsure of how to respond. "Well how much-"
Bartolomeo suddenly intruded, grabbing the man by the collar and lifting him up in the air. The vendor gasped, fear in his eyes as he stared down at the pirate.
"Give us the bike!" He growled.
Vetica almost felt bad as the peddled off to the next grove. Then again, the man was more than likely going to attempt to rip them off anyways. Although illegal she had to admit that the pirate's methods were frugal.
"Where should we go-dabe?" He asked.
Vetica looked up in thought. Then through the tree tops she spotted the corner of the Ferris Wheel.
"I don't think I've been to the amusement park before," she said, half to herself.
The large hands on the handlebars turned the bike towards where she was looking.
"Then let's go!"
She looked back at Barty.
Maybe it was the heat of the sun, but she could have sworn that he looked like a halfway handsome human being at that point. She had never seen this much focus out of him, outside of violent circumstances. She felt herself gulp and quickly whipped around to face the path.
Now that she thought about it, he had never told her what he was doing spending time in Sabaody. It was most commonly a stop that pirates made to get their ships coated so they could travel to the new world, but that would mean that Barty was about to face mortal dangers.
"Barty," Vetica said, clutching her seat. "Where is your crew?"
The man audibly grinned.
"Oh them-dabe?" He said. "They are waiting for the ship to be fully coated-dabe"
So, she was right.
"So you're planning on going to the New World," she whispered.
"Ah!" The man exclaimed pointing up at the large structure which now loomed above them. He reached out towards it. "It's so amazing!"
Vetica agreed. There was something quite whimsical about the baskets which hung high in the sky. Then she felt a moment of panic as she reached for the bike's steering.
"Idiot! Don't let go of the handlebars!"
The line for the Ferris Wheel was longer than she expected. If they hadn't taken the time to bike all the way there, Vetica would have just suggested they leave. After all, who knew if that bike vendor had called the Marines. However, Bartolomeo insisted that the line didn't bother him, though that could have been because with each shift in his posture, more and more people in front of them left the line. In no time the two of them had made their way to the loading bay and boarded the carriage.
As it slowly lifted off into the sky, Vetica was amused by how stiff Bartolomeo seemed to get. She laughed and plopped down in the seat next to him. The man tensed, looking at her with disapproval.
"So you do have a weakness," she mused.
As she looked down over the amusement park below, a sudden wave of familiarity came over her. She could distinctly remember this same view from when she was much smaller. There was the smell of cotton candy as she held her father's warm hand.
The sensation of a large hand on her shoulder shook her from her daydream. Her hand was clasped over her mouth. She quickly removed it and looked over at Bartolomeo who was beginning to look more confident. He slowly stood, looking out over her.
"I lied," She murmured, causing Bartolomeo to give her a confused look. "I have been here before... A long time ago, with my father."
Bartolomeo stared at her in shock. "You mean you used to live here-dabe?"
Vetica shook her head. She could feel her face start to flush, as she was filled with childhood memories. "My father was a reporter, so we traveled a lot. He'd take me to see all sorts of historical sights and people. When I was little I just assumed he knew everybody. Turns out he just loved people and the truth."
"What happened to him-dabe?"
"He was murdered."
"And Your Mom?"
"None to speak of."
Vetica shook her head, attempting to clear all the dark thoughts which were beginning to cloud her vision.
"What about you?" Vetica asked, standing and making her way to the other side.
Bartolomeo braced himself against carriage walls as it rocked. She laughed at him. She looked down. They were high enough now that the people below looked like mice scurrying about. After the carriage stopped shaking he answered.
"I had a mom," he said.
Vetica's brows shot up. "Oh? I didn't expect you to be a mama's boy."
He smiled. "She used to make the best food-dabe! Pork and fritters!"
The man was visibly drooling, and Vetica could almost see the food through her eyes.
"So what happened to her, my tragic hero?"
Bartolomeo wiped his mouth and sat down, taking up the entire seat. "When I was nine, she said I was a monster and told me to leave and never come back. So I did-dabe."
Vetica blinked at him. He didn't look upset, like he had fully accepted and made peace with the fact that the person who had brought him into this world wanted him gone. There was a pang in her gut. She looked up; they were nearing the ride's pinnacle. Then she looked down at the insect like beings below.
"Humans can be so disgusting sometimes, can't they," She said. Bartolomeo's eyes grew wide as he looked at her. "They'll tell you they love you and always support you one second, but then, the second you need them, force you out, claiming that there was nothing to be done."
The man leaned towards her, eyes seeming to devour her every word.
"My father used to say people just want the truth," She continued. "I used to agree, but... if I have learned anything, it's that humans only want narrative. We crave tales which fit into our reality. Everything else goes to the wayside."
"That sounded like an article of yours-dabe," Bartolomeo commented in awe.
Vetica felt her heart flutter for a second at the absurdly light compliment after her dark rant and gave a little mock bow. "Only the best, from the world's future News Mistress."
His rust-colored eyes were still transfixed on her. Vetica cleared her throat and quickly sat down in the seat across from him. She looked out the window at the passing tree line, hoping the thudding in her chest would die down. It had been a long time, since she had been able to speak that freely about her father. Ever since her days in the academy, his name had been a sort of taboo, forcing her to keep it bottled up.
Perhaps it was because he was a pirate, but Barty always seemed to pull these things out.
They spoke of only happy things the rest of the way down: their favorite foods, the beautiful ocean, and Bartolomeo's new "Barrier Barrier" devilfruit powers he had used when he kidnapped her. And as she laughed, Vetica realized, there was an unexpected ripple in her world.