Roxanne left Shaska's room and headed to the galley to make breakfast. To her surprise, Lulupo was already down there, cooking.

"Oh, Lulupo, I'm surprised to see you in the kitchen. I was going to-"

"Roxanne, darling, you don't need to lift a finger after what you went through," Lulupo interrupted, stirring multiple pots and pans at the same time with his hair.

"I didn't know you could cook, Lulupo," Roxanne replied, pulling out a cigarette.

"It's an essential skill when you're in my line of work, darling. Don't always have money for a restaurant, you know."

Roxanne lit up her cigarette and said "and you're not wearing a hairnet because…?"

Lulupo looked at her with an unimpressed expression on his face. "Darling, you're not gonna get a hair in your food. My Hair Hair Fruit lets me control each of my hair follicles individually."

Roxanne blew smoke and said "oh! Speaking of, you were just the man… woman… person I was looking for anyway!"

"And why's that?" Lulupo asked, cracking eggs.

"Shaska gave me a Devil Fruit, and I ate it, and I don't know how to turn it on."

Lulupo dropped the eggs he was holding on the ground. "You did what, darling?"

"A Devil Fruit. I wanna fight, too! I… I want to get revenge on that creepy princess girl who killed Andy. And I want to be as strong as I possibly can be to do it!"

"Having a fruit power isn't all fun and games, darling… but, I suppose I could help you. I do have a copy of the Devil Fruit encyclopedia. But, the fruit's name should have popped into your head as soon as you ate it. That's what happened for me, at least."

"Nothing of the sort happened to me," Roxanne replied. "It just tasted like a rotten fruit."

"Oh, they do taste quite awful, darling," Lulupo said, cleaning up the mess he had just made with his hair. He left the cooking to his hair and faced Roxanne.

"Now, darling, I'll show you the book after we eat. But right now…" he said, opening his arms. "You need a hug after that awful day yesterday!"

Roxanne smiled, then went over to accept Lulupo's offer for a hug. They embraced for a good moment as Lulupo cooked breakfast with his hair.

Roxanne broke away and puffed on her cigarette, to which Lulupo asked "since when do you smoke, anyway?"

"I carry a pack of cigarettes on me for if I get stressed… but I think I'm gonna be stressed for a long time as long as that creepy princess girl is roaming the seas," she said, blowing smoke.

"Understood, darling. Why don't you go wake the rest of the crew? Breakfast is almost ready."

Roxanne nodded and headed out.

—

The crew gathered around their usual table in the galley, and Lulupo brought out several trays full of bacon, eggs, pancakes, and other breakfast goodies. Schwarz was there, having woken up from his blood loss-induced stupor, and his torso was covered in bandages. All in all, there was a sense of dread around the table, similar to what they had felt in the aftermath of the Mazurka Kingdom massacre. And just like that time, there were hard drinks being served to everyone but Ren and Puerco.

"So… we lost Andy and the prince yesterday," Schwarz said, sipping his whiskey.

"That's the gist, darling. And we ran into someone even Miss Shaska was too scared to fight," Lulupo replied.

"And we're gonna catch him!" Shaska declared, pulling out the Balthasars' wanted posters and slamming them down on the table. The crew were taken aback at how high the bounties were.

"Over eight billion berries for both the king and the creepy princess!" Shaska said, puffing on her cigar. "Honestly, it's nothing compared to how much money I have, but if we bring them in, it sends a message that we shouldn't be messed with."

"'Re ya talkin' 'bout becomin' one o' th'Seven Warlords o' th'Sea?" Ren asked, munching on bacon.

"Oh, I know the Seven Warlords!" Zinnia said. "The ruler of my island, Boa Hancock, is one of them! They are seven extremely powerful pirates that the government allows to roam free and prey on other pirates!"

"Good job, snake girl, you want a cookie or something?" Shaska asked, less than impressed. "You'll notice that we still aren't pirates, despite the bounties on our heads."

Roxanne rolled her eyes and sipped her whiskey at the fact Shaska still wasn't referring to everyone else by name.

"What's the plan now?" Puerco asked, eating a pancake.

"Well, let's review our objectives here," Shaska replied, leaning forward and tenting her fingers as she blew smoke.

"First and foremost, catch this Balthasar von Esens. That's our primary objective. Second, put the hurt on the suits at Kemurchant Corporate on Fishman Island. Third, find the Marine who burned that city and force her into a situation where she has to confess that she did it, not Worldwide Smoke."

She flicked the ash off the end of her cigar, then looked around the table. "Anyone got something to add?"

"I still have to kill the guy who killed my family," Schwarz said, leaning back.

"Ah'd lahk to do th'same thing to that Marine that done torched mah hometown. Ah'm not too keen on just making her confess," said Ren.

"I am with you to the ends of the earth, Miss Shaska. Though, after we are done with our current mission, I would eventually like to visit Amazon Lily again," said Zinnia.

"I'm here as long as you keep paying me, darling. I'm saving my money to buy my own ship to head to the Kamabakka Kingdom!" Lulupo declared.

"You all know what I want," Roxanne said. "I'm going to make that creepy princess pay for what she did to Andy."

"And I…" Puerco said, slumping. "I… don't really have any cool goals. I-I guess I'm just along for the ride."

"You're just here to patch us up when we get hurt, kid," Shaska said. "That's why you make the big berries."

Shaska took another puff of her cigar, then continued.

"Alright, Worldwide Smoke, I think we have our plan. Right now, we need to head to a place called the Sabaody Archipelago so we can get the Robinson coated and repaired for our descent to Fishman Island. There's a special resin that needs to coat the ship so it'll survive the pressure of being that far underwater. We also need to get info on where that crazy Marine rear admiral is, as well as where Balthasar's base of operations is."

"Looks like we got our work cut out for us then," said Puerco.

—

Franco woke up in a secret room at Marineford, the main base of the Marines. He bolted up and felt his sword arm. It was there. Or rather, it had been replaced. He held up his right hand to find that it was now entirely metallic. He then threw off his covers to see his legs, and to his shock, they were now metallic too,

Johnson sat next to Franco's bed and looked up from his book. "Captain Franco! You're awake!"

"Johnson! Where are we? What happened to me?! Why… why are you in civilian clothes?"

Johnson closed his book, stood up, and sighed. He wasn't wearing his military fatigues, and was instead dressed in a T-shirt with an ostrich on it and blue jean shorts. He still had his backpack, but he had a very somber look on his face.

"We're at Marine HQ. You got your arm and legs cut off by the new public enemy number one. And now the government is using you as a test subject for some kind of human weapons program they're going to reveal in the future. I'm too low a rank to know the specifics."

Johnson paused to collect his thoughts, then continued.

"Or… I may be too low a rank. My fate's still up in the air."

"What do you mean, Johnson?"

"Well, we were supposed to bring in Shaska. We didn't. Then Abelard also told us to stay away from von Esens. We didn't. Then, faced with the guy who shrugged off the entire force of the Marines, I grabbed you and ran. So now, I'm potentially being court-martialed for my simultaneously disobeying orders and being a coward, while you're being forced to serve as a guinea pig."

"I… see…" Franco replied solemnly. "I don't believe the Marines would do something like this! You did what you thought was right!"

"What do you mean you don't believe it? You literally have the robot parts grafted onto you right now!"

"I mean that I can't believe the World Government would force… hm…"

Franco thought for a moment, then said.

"If that is what my government wants of me, then I will do it. I am an agent of justice. And I will use the gifts that the Marine scientists have bestowed upon me to enforce the government's will."

"Suit yourself, captain. I mainly just wanted to let you know this may very well be the last time we see each other," Johnson said. "The higher-ups said I could only stay here until you woke up."

Franco nodded. "Well, if it is, then it's been a pleasure working with you, Lieutenant Johnson." Franco held out his robotic right hand, and Johnson produced one of the hands from his backpack. They shook hands, and Johnson walked off.

"Lieutenant!" Franco called.

Johnson turned around.

"Thank you. For staying by my side."

Johnson nodded, and then kept walking.

Franco turned back to his robot parts. He flexed his arm, then extended his fingers. He extended his arm outward, then opened his hand as wide as he could. To his surprise, a cannon protruded from his hand, which was soon fired by a powerful laser shooting out and blowing a hole in the wall.

"That's gonna take some getting used to," he murmured.

—-

Roxanne and Lulupo stood together in the dormitory. Lulupo dug through his belongings and pulled out the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia.

"Here it is, darling. Now, what did your fruit look like?"

"It looked like a pair of cherries with funky swirls on them," Roxanne replied, taking a drag from her cigarette.

"Just so you know, not every fruit is identified here, and even fewer are pictured. So we'll be lucky if we find it…" Lulupo said, flipping through the pages. "Let's see… funky cherries… funky cherries… ah! Here it is, darling!"

"Where?" Roxanne asked.

"Right here! The Bend Bend Fruit! Whoever eats the Bend Bend Fruit shall be able to bend anything!"

"That's… kinda vague…" Roxanne said.

"Try bending this book, darling," Lulupo replied, handing her the encyclopedia.

"Alright…" she said, taking the book at both ends. She forced both ends down with all her might, and to both their surprises, it bent into a perfect curve.

"What the hell?!" Roxanne shouted.

"Oh my! It really bent!" Lulupo followed.

"What… what else can I bend?" Roxanne wondered aloud.

Roxanne looked around the dormitory, looking for things to bend. She grabbed the mattress next to Lulupo's and bent one end upward. It stayed in place after she let go.

"Oh wow! If only Andy were here to see this!" Roxanne said. Tears started to form in her eyes, but she managed to fight them back.

She bent everything she could find: the beds, the bed frames, the art on the walls. She giggled like a schoolgirl as she did so, briefly managing to forget about how her husband was brutally murdered right before her eyes only a short time earlier.

Of course, that memory once again flashed before her eyes, and this time she wasn't able to stop the floodgates. She broke down sobbing on the closest bed, and Lulupo rushed over to comfort her.

"Roxanne, darling…" was all he was able to say.

Roxanne sniffed hard several times, but finally managed to sober up. "It's fine… I'm fine… I… I need to use this power to get revenge.

She punched the bed as hard as she could, leaving a visible indent from her new bending powers. "That creepy princess girl is going to pay!"

Roxanne stood up and sighed heavily. "I want to learn how to fight from Shaska, but I also want to learn from you, Lulupo. Teach me some of your Oh Come My Way Kenpo!"

Lulupo was surprised. "Oh! Well, that's mainly for men who dress as women, but I suppose any who have the heart of a maiden would be able to learn it."

"Teach me! I want to be as deadly as I can be so I can destroy that creepy princess girl!"

Lulupo twirled in place and struck a pose. "Well, darling, in order to master Oh Come My Way Kenpo, first… you need to dance!"

Roxanne thought back to her wedding, where during her first dance with Andy, she tripped and landed face-first in the cake. "I… can't dance very well. I basically have two left feet."

"That's alright, darling!" Lulupo said with a flourish. "Everyone has to start somewhere!"

"Let's start tomorrow, then. We can get Schwarz to play his guitar and give us a beat to dance to," Roxanne said with a smile.

—

A week later, the Humo Robinson drifted listlessly on the waves, slowly but surely heading toward the Red Line and the Sabaody Archipelago as the sun set. Ren and Zinnia sat together in the galley, legs dangling out the massive gash in the hull, which extended past the floor. Occasionally, a fish would jump in, and the two would take turns throwing them back into the ocean.

"Some day, ah'm gonna ask how this here gash got here in th'first place," Ren said.

Another fish jumped in, and Ren tossed it back.

"Although, Ah will say it makes fer a nahce view. Don'tcha think?" Ren asked sarcastically.

"I think it is rather dangerous for a ship to have sailed this long with this kind of damage," Zinnia replied, tilting her head to the side.

"Ya… ya don't really get jokes, do ya?" Ren asked.

"I prefer when people say what they mean," Zinnia replied, a blank expression on her face.

The ship began to rock violently, and Ren and Zinnia were thrown to the other side of the galley. Ren hit her head on a table, while Zinnia flew into the opposite wall. Water splashed in as Ren struggled to her feet.

"Ow…" Ren said as she checked her head for bleeding.

The ship rocked the other direction, and Ren flew out the gash and into the ocean.

"Miss Ren!" Zinnia cried as she also flew toward the gash. Ruth slightly uncoiled herself and bit down into a table to stop her and Zinnia from flying out.

The ship continued to rock, caught in one of the Grand Line's random storms.

"Oh no! Miss Ren!" Zinnia thought aloud. "I am not a good swimmer, but…"

Zinnia then got an idea. She started running around, looking for Shaska.

"MISS SHASKA! MISS SHASKA!" she shouted as she ran through the decks of the ship. All the while, Ren was being tossed about on the waves like a piece of driftwood, desperately trying to stay afloat.

Zinnia ran into the dormitory, where Schwarz and Puerco were.

"Quick! Where is Miss Shaska?! Miss Ren has fallen overboard!"

Schwarz and Puerco's eyes shot open at this, and they immediately left to search the ship for her too.

Schwarz used one of his holes to peek into Shaska's room, and she was on her bed, puffing on her cigar while, of all things, crocheting.

Schwarz was taken aback by this. "Uh… Shaska?"

"What do you want, pretty boy? I'm busy."

"It's an emergency! Ren-" Schwarz tried to say.

"Yeah, I can feel the storm. Let snake girl handle it."

"No, I mean Ren's fallen overboard!"

"Shit!" Shaska shouted, dropping her crochet hooks and snuffing her cigar. She leapt out of bed and ran to the deck. As she looked out over the raging waves, there was no sign of Ren.

"Dammit! I'm going in!" Shaska said as she dove into the ocean.

Shaska swam around, controlling the currents with her mermaid powers so she wouldn't be knocked around. It was too dark to see, so Shaska turned on her Observation Haki. As her red eyes darted around in the darkness, she thought "dammit! Where are you, shipwright girl?! All these damn fish are in the way!"

Shaska finally got a lock on Ren. She was a good ways away, being swept around like a ragdoll in the middle of a school of fish.

"Gotcha!"

Shaska reached her hands out and then pulled back on the current as hard as she could.

"Periwinkle Pull!"

Shaska pulled the water toward her as hard and as fast as she could, desperately trying to bring Ren closer. She tugged on the current as if pulling on a giant rope made of water.

Eventually, she managed to pull Ren over to her, and she grabbed her and pulled her head above water.

"You okay, kid?!" Shaska shouted.

Ren hacked up some seawater as the waves crashed against them. "I… Ah'm fahne! Thank-"

She was cut off by another wave splashing right in their faces.

Suddenly, the wind picked up even harder, and a tornado touched down not even twenty feet from Shaska and Ren.

"Oh come on!" Shaska shouted as water began sucking up into the tornado. Shaska and Ren followed soon after, and then the Robinson came too. All were sucked into the sky, being shot out to an unspecified location miles and miles away.

—

The Humo Robinson landed in the ocean, surprisingly still intact. Schwarz picked his head up, as the force from the storm had knocked him out. He looked around for the rest of the crew, and found them one by one. He brought them to the galley for an emergency all hands meeting.

"As the de facto first mate of this vessel, I'm issuing a status report. Shaska and Ren are nowhere to be found after the storm."

"What… What are we going to do without our captain?" Zinnia asked.

"For the time being, I'm the captain," Schwarz replied. "We don't have any other options. Shaska and Ren have been thrown to who knows where, and all we can do is pray that they come back safely."

Schwarz thought for a second, then added "not like there's someone up there who will answer anyway. We just need to hope that they make it to the Sabaody Archipelago in one piece."

Puerco looked out the gash and saw a bunch of ships in the distance. They seemed to be connected to each other. Night had fallen, so a bunch of tiny lights were visible as well.

"Hey… Look over there. What are those ships? Are they friendly?" he asked.

Schwarz looked out too, and said "once again… we can only hope."

TO BE CONTINUED