Betaread by The Patient One.


Chapter 32. Not Who They Seem


Robin took pride in her ability to read people. It was a skill born out of necessity, but it was a valuable asset.

She knew how to gather someone's personality simply by watching how they moved in a conversation or a fight. She knew how to pick apart what people said, discerning truth from lies and taking note of little things that they didn't intend to reveal. And from there, she knew how to approach them, how to manipulate them, where to push and when to ease up. She never stopped watching, and so she could see the telltale signs of incoming betrayal days, sometimes weeks before it would happen.

Of course, she was under no illusion of Crocodile's true intentions for her.

But this was neither the time nor place to ponder about that. Her only orders now were to get an update on the whereabouts of the Alabasta's princess, working as a failsafe in case Mr. Five and Miss Valentine failed their mission. And it seemed Crocodile's paranoia wasn't for naught this time.

Mr. Five and Miss Valentine did, indeed, fail their mission. The princess ended up in the hands of the small pirate crew, fresh from the East Blue and led by a young boy with the middle name of D.

Robin had a personal interest in people who carried the name of D, and thus she paid extra attention to any tidbit of information related to it. A wanted poster of Portgas D. Ace caught her eye three years ago. His name quickly rose to infamy even before he joined the Whitebeard's crew, and at present, his head was worth a frightening 700 million.

And now, Monkey D. Luffy.

She could hardly believe the fact that both Ds came from East Blue. Was it merely a coincidence? Regardless, if this young pirate was anything like Fire-Fist Ace…

Her hand rose to hide her smile, despite no one being there to see it.

A 37 million beli bounty was too low for a person of such potential. The ease with which he defeated Mr. Five only strengthened that notion.

The boy noticing her presence wasn't in Robin's plans, but it still fell in range of her expectations. She had no desire to fight him or his crew, but if it came to that, she had confidence in her abilities. Strength and speed meant nothing against her, after all.

Besides, she had Monkey D. Luffy all figured out.

A carefree boy who most likely grew up on grand stories about pirates and their bold, daring feats, and thus decided to take off into the sea to pursue fame and money like those heroes from his childhood. A bit naïve, perhaps, letting his raw strength and power of the Devil Fruit go to his head, believing that the sky was the limit, and not realizing that, at the same time, bigger and more dangerous fish swam in the same barrel and were ready to swallow him whole.

Yet, Robin didn't peg the boy as foolish. In the end, who didn't want to chase after some lofty dream when they were young and blind to the horrors lurking in the shadows? She had been this innocent and ignorant in the past as well. If fate so willed, Monkey D. Luffy would survive and carve his name in the records of this world.

And so, Robin showed herself, toyed with the princess a bit, and teased the pirate boy, albeit not very successfully. Maybe that was why she decided to do what she did. She bloomed an arm on the boy's shoulder. Just for a brief moment, long enough only to throw his straw hat to herself.

Robin always kept an eye on everyone in her close proximity—such was the life of a hunted criminal—so she noticed the rest of the crew going rigid with eyes bulging out and jaws dropping.

Why such a strong reaction, she wondered. What could possibly bring it upon them?

At that moment, her fingers closed on the brim of the straw hat.

It happened suddenly. So suddenly, she didn't have time to react. In one blink, the pirate boy was still standing below. In another, he was right in front of her, and then… the world just flipped. She got flung from the roof down onto the ground level and rolled farther away along the street until her battered body finally stopped.

She didn't feel the impact. Or pain, at first. Instead, the massive heat spread across her stomach and chest, rapidly turning into a throbbing, then aching, and all the way to excruciating pain. A reflex came, and she hawked some blood into her hand, breathing ragged, all the while her mind desperately tried to compute what had just occurred.

A soft thud startled Robin. Her head whipped up, and her eyes widened upon seeing Luffy straightening up where he landed into a half-crouched position after jumping down from the roof.

It was then that she realized—he attacked her.

She misread him. Judged his character wrong. And now was paying for this grave mistake in her assessment.

Her heart pounded in her ears, loud and irregular, together with the pulses of pain, but Robin barely registered it. Because the pirate was coming for her. Every step, every brush of his sandals against the beaten dirt of Whiskey Peak sent waves of dread throughout her mind.

Dread filling her mind from the boy's fight she observed before, Robin crossed her arms, summoning the power of her Devil Fruit to her fingertips.

"Diez Fleur: Clutch."

Ten arms grew out of Luffy's body, a pair for the head and each limb, grabbed at him, and twisted.

The boy lost his balance and stumbled. Yet he didn't fall, despite his legs being bent beyond what human joints allowed. A deep, furious growl rumbled from within his throat. His hand, deformed and presumably unusable, shot out to grab at one of the phantom limbs that had twisted his head backwards.

Robin felt it—his strong grip. Felt her bones shifting under the skin. With a hiss, she dispersed the additional arms before he could break them.

A little shake and the boy's limbs and head simply swirled back into their original position. He proceeded to walk forward again, his eyes drilling into her.

As if nothing had happened.

There was danger in those eyes. Those black eyes peered at Robin like a hawk would glare at a rabbit.

She cursed herself for not considering the power of his Devil Fruit more. Something elastic. Something that could bend and stretch and return to its original form.

Something like rubber.

Her powers were ineffective. Useless against a human who couldn't be broken by brute force. Robin's mind worked a mile a minute. He should have a weakness. Everyone had a weakness. Even someone like Crocodile.

Her heart might as well have stopped beating at that terrifying moment of clarity when she realized someone wanted to kill her, and she was powerless to stop him. Utterly helpless against this young boy with the middle name of D. Could do nothing to stop him, only wait for the beating that was surely coming.

Luffy stopped in front of her. Reached down.

Robin's body flinched even when she tried to stop it.

But the boy didn't reach for her. He picked his straw hat that must have been accidentally flung here as well. Luffy examined the hat, brow furrowed and eyes focused. He brushed and rubbed at its brim, as if Robin's touch dirtied it somehow. Once satisfied, he pushed it back on his head with a quiet huff. Only then did he look back at her.

"Do not touch my hat." It was an order and a warning.

Robin's mouth opened, but nothing came out. After several attempts, she managed a soft, "I apologize."

The pirate stared, effortlessly pinning her down with only his glare. "If you touch it again, I won't forgive you," he said after a long moment. This time he didn't wait for a response; he simply turned around and walked away.

Robin didn't dare to move until the boy hopped back onto the roof and disappeared down into the square on the other side. She waited there until the sound of his footsteps was long gone, expecting him to return, laughing mockingly at her face. How could she believe that he just let her go as simple as that?

That young man wanted to kill her. Was ready to do so, she had seen it in his gaze.

All because she touched his straw hat.

Robin misjudged him to a ridiculous degree.

She had to move before the pirate could have a change of heart and come back to finish what he had started.

The adrenaline was burning off now. Robin looked over her injuries once more. They weren't severe enough to threaten her life, but still needed attention. A broken rib or two, no doubt. She shifted position, trying to relieve some of the pain, but ended up only coughing another fistful of blood. Some inner damage too.

Robin pushed herself up and stood on shaky legs, glad that no one was around to witness her in such a vulnerable state. Carefully, she started her slow trek toward the cost. If she could reach Banchi, her transportation turtle, she should be safe. It wasn't that long since the Straw Hat Pirates landed on this island, their Log Pose shouldn't have set for the next destination yet. Unless…

Unless they somehow got their hands on the Eternal Pose, receiving an opportunity to leave right away.

She had to hurry.

A footstep behind her sent her heart hammering against her already abused ribs. She turned sharply towards the sound, arms crossed for immediate retaliation. "Who—?!"

"Ah, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you," the man said, stepping out from the nearby alley into the light, gloved hands raised in a non-threatening manner and a polite smile on his scarred face. He was holding Robin's cowboy hat, which she lost during the previous scuffle.

Robin recognized him. One of Monkey D. Luffy's companions, the tall blond in a top hat—Sabo. The former's older brother, if she heard correctly.

Why was this man here? Did he want to finish what his brother started? To not leave any loose ends?

Robin's eyes narrowed. She shifted, biting down on a groan that wanted to escape her. She did nothing to hide her suspicion, in too much pain and aftershock to think clearly, so no wonder Sabo noticed her discomfort with his presence. "I'm not here to fight," he said as placating as possible. "I just want to talk."

Robin didn't let her guard down in the slightest. Her powers should work on this one, right? Unless… he also possessed some weird Devil Fruit. He wasn't jumping into battle with the bounty hunters, always hanging behind and interfering here and there only when needed.

Suspicious.

Treading on the side of caution, Robin withheld from attacking right away. She couldn't afford to get into another fight right now when she didn't have all the information on this person.

"What would a pirate want from me?" she asked, masking her weariness with a fake aggressiveness.

"I'm currently accompanying my little brother, but I'm not a pirate," the man replied, not even batting an eye at her less than friendly tone. "I'm a member of the Revolutionary Army."

Robin couldn't help a small frown. This made even less sense. Nobody should know that the brewing rebellion in Alabasta was artificially instigated, including the Revolutionaries. They shouldn't have had any interest in that desert kingdom. So why was this man here, wanting to talk with her?

"I know who you are, Nico Robin."

Her breathing hitched, but the blond was not making any threatening moves, standing with his arms up, still relaxed and not tensed up for a fight.

"The only survivor of Ohara, the country that stood against the world," Sabo continued. "For many years now, the Revolutionaries have been looking for you."

Robin didn't mean to take a step back, to show this man her fear, but she couldn't stop her body from moving.

"Not for the same reason as the World Government! We're not interested in Ancient Weapons!" Sabo hurried to explain. "Every member of the Army is under direct orders from our leader to protect you at any cost if we find you. I didn't expect to meet you here, Robin-san, and as a possible enemy of all things." He rubbed the back of his head, looking sheepish. "I'd like to avoid further confrontations if possible, but all I want is to ask you to accept an invitation to talk with our leader, Dragon."

Robin stared at him and couldn't shake a feeling of sincerity in those words. Still, she wasn't about to accept such a shady proposition from, as he put it himself, a possible enemy of all things.

Sensing the woman's incoming refusal, Sabo implored, "Please, think about it. The offer will stand indefinitely." He briskly walked to the barrel at the side of the house and put Robin's hat on it. Then he pulled what looked like a medical kit from inside his coat and put it there as well.

"But if I may offer advice," he said, looking back at her. "If Luffy decides to get involved in this situation, regardless of whoever your current boss is, you'll end up on the losing side." He turned to leave. "It's not too late to switch."

The last words of the departing blond revolutionary kept ringing in Robin's ears even after he melted into the shadows of the alley. The sun was finally dipping closer to the horizon, painting the blue sky with more red and gold with every passing moment.

Robin allowed herself to sigh, relaxing her stiff posture. Hobbling to the barrel, she picked up her hat. After gazing at the med kit for a few seconds, she grabbed it too.

What a disastrous day. Too many close encounters, too many questions, and not enough answers. Robin needed some time to think about all that happened and what she learned before making any kind of decision.


-a bit earlier in the town's square-

The pirates watched as the straw hat suddenly rose from their captain's head and flew towards Miss All Sunday.

They could hardly believe their eyes. While none of them understood how exactly it happened, it was obvious this mysterious woman had something to do with it. Especially when she extended her arm in preparation to catch the hat, that small yet devious smile on her face. Of course, she couldn't have known, but to be this incredibly unlucky in provoking one of Luffy's biggest triggers…

No one was allowed to touch Luffy's straw hat unless Luffy himself gave it to them first. It was a sign of his explicit trust, which wasn't given as easily as others might have thought. Everyone in his crew knew it, though why he cherished his hat so much was still unknown to them.

Sanji's cigarette fell out of his open mouth before he spun around, unable to bear witness to the consequences of such action. No matter how his heart ached for the beautiful lady, she shouldn't have done it.

The princess gasped and her duck hid behind his wings when Miss All Sunday got hurled from the roof and out of sight a split second after she caught the hat. Despite expecting something like that, the others still winced, partially out of sympathy for the enemy.

They watched as Luffy followed the woman by hopping down into the street on the other side. For some time, no one moved or said anything.

"I've never seen someone with such a strong death wish," Usopp breathed out, wiping sweat from his forehead as if it was he who was in danger. "I thought she was looking for ways to kill her boredom, not herself."

"W-wha-what happened?" the princess stammered out.

"She took Luffy's hat," Zoro replied sharply. "It's a big mistake, touching it without his permission. Or touching him." It sounded like a warning. The way the swordsman's hard stare drilled into her showed that it was indeed a warning.

A light thud put everyone on high alert in an instant, drawing their attention to the side. They relaxed upon realizing it was only Luffy jumping down from the roof.

"Where is that woman?" Zoro asked as soon as the captain rejoined the group.

Luffy's lips twitched in a momentary sneer. "Don't know, don't care." Even thinking about how he let a stranger put her hands on his treasure pissed him off. Sure, she apologized, being genuine about it, but it still was very upsetting. "I don't want to see her again." He fixed his straw hat to sit more firmly on his head with an angry, "Touching my hat twice…" muttered under his breath.

"Twice?" Nami repeated. "How did she manage to touch it twice?"

"It was weird." It happened so fast, Luffy would have missed it if he hadn't been in a heightened battle state of mind. "Her arm suddenly grew on my shoulder and threw my hat to her."

"W-what?!" Usopp cried out, his eyeballs almost climbing out of their sockets. "An arm grew on your shoulder?!" He leaned forward and to the side, eyeing Luffy's shoulder as if expecting to see the arm still there.

Nami also looked highly unsettled. "Is that the power of the Devil Fruit?"

"Must be," Zoro grunted.

Luffy nodded in agreement. It happened again later, in an attempt to stop him, so it must have been some sort of the Paramecia Devil Fruit.

Sanji threw his arms up, hearts practically shooting out of his eyes, and exclaimed, "Miss All Sunday! Such a mysterious beauty! I wouldn't mind feeling her beautiful hands on me~!"

"I bet a woman will be how you're gonna die one day," Zoro scoffed.

"And I'll die happy then!"

"What a fool…"

"What did you say, you shitty marimo?"

"What did you call me, you damn cook?!"

Luffy ignored his two nakama's bickering and glanced around. He didn't see Sabo anywhere. "Where's Sabo?" he asked out loud and at the same time, spread his senses as far as possible.

Ah, there he was. Next to that woman who had dared to touch his hat. Luffy stared into the distance. Didn't seem that Sabo was in any kind of danger, his presence calm and bright as ever. With a little shake of his head, Luffy let his brother do his own thing.

While he was focusing on making sure Sabo was okay, his crew looked around in surprise. No one had noticed him leave.

"Wasn't he just here, next to the princess?" Usopp wondered.

Princess.

Luffy's gaze snapped from where he was looking into the distance down at the blue-haired girl.

Right. There was a princess here. He almost forgot.

That person's daughter liked to call herself a princess. She wouldn't have let herself be forgotten. Yet this one tried to be as invisible as possible, staring up at him with eyes wide and weary.

The princess visibly gulped under the pressure of the captain's steely stare before she offered a small bow and a quiet, "Thank you for helping me."

"Quack…" Carue agreed, bowing as well.

Luffy scowled. This princess didn't match the image of the nobles he was familiar with at all. It felt like trying to fit a jagged, lumpy piece into the wrong frame, the one that had much smoother and softer edges. The problem was that he didn't know any other pieces to fit into a frame he was familiar with. For that reason, he decided to simply ignore her and instead called, "Nami." The fact that he didn't respond to the girl's gratitude didn't go unnoticed by his crew. "When can we leave?"

The navigator blinked at the sudden question, then glanced down at the Log Pose on her wrist and shook her head. "It hasn't set yet." She perked up as an idea came to her mind. "Hey, Princess, how long does it take for the Pose to adjust to this island?"

"A bit over four hours," the girl replied quietly. "Call me Vivi, please."

Call me Princess, you filthy vermin!

Luffy went rigid, breath hitching.

"My Daddy! It does not call me Princess!"

"This one is very stubborn, indeed."

"I want it to call me Princess! …Can I break it? Can I? Can I?!"

"You cannot, my Princess. The midsummer hunt is coming and I want to use this pet as a hunting hound this time. I need it to be in top shape."

"But, my Daddyyyy! I want it to call me Princess! I want! I want!"

"I shall give you another pet to break, alright, my Princess? A new batch should arrive today, how about you choose one from it?"

"But I want this one!"

The ragged fabric of the bandana rubbed against Luffy's palm when he pressed it at his neck until he could feel the rough skin of the scar hidden beneath.

"Luffy?"

Startled black eyes blinked at what stood right in front. Zoro held Nami's wrist, but his full attention lay only on Luffy's face. He must have stopped Nami from touching him, and for that, Luffy was grateful. At this exact moment, he wouldn't have taken it well, and he wouldn't forgive himself if he ended up seriously hurting his nakama, even by accident.

Sanji and Usopp observed him from the side, radiating nothing but concern and kindness.

Luffy latched onto the warm and caring presence of his crewmates, let it envelop his every fiber, and drown him until the coldness penetrating to his very marrows receded and vanished.

He moved his hand from his neck to rest on top of his hat, letting it linger there for a bit, reveling in the familiar texture of straw. "Yeah?"

Hearing his answer, Zoro visibly relaxed. Nami was still worried though, looking at Luffy with such care, it made him smile.

That not exactly genuine but not completely fake smile failed to put Nami completely at ease, though she did feel reassured somewhat. "We still have around two hours to wait," she informed him instead of voicing her concerns.

"Okay."

"Are you alright?"

Usopp's question hung heavily among them for a brief moment.

"I'm fine," Luffy replied, hoping the others wouldn't pick up on his wavering. "I just got lost in my thoughts."

The others shared glances with each other before nodding in acceptance. They weren't stupid; they just didn't press any further, not wanting to push their captain too hard while he was vulnerable like this.

"Then we should—"

A terrified scream cut Nami off. They all turned towards where it came from only to see Mr. Nine stumble out into the street backward until he fell on his butt, shaking like a leaf while staring into the alley he came from. His clothes were in tatters, he was missing his crown, and had bandages wrapped all around his limbs.

A moment later, Sabo stepped out from the alley as well. "It's not polite to eavesdrop," he said with a cordial smile that screamed danger.

"I-I-I wasn't trying to—!" the poor man defended meekly.

Vivi's eyes widened upon seeing him. "Mr. Nine! You're alive!" she cried out in surprise.

"Ah, y-yes, Miss Wednesday." Mr. Nine shuffled away from Sabo who walked past him to rejoin his little brother and his crew. "Miss Monday is alive too. Mr. Eight as well."

"W-what?" the princess stammered out. "Igaram is alive?!" With a shout, she was moving, staggering to her feet. She would have fallen again if not for her duck jumping in to catch her. "I need to see him!"

"He's quite injured…"

"But he's alive?"

"Well, yeah. For now."

The pirates watched the pair and the duck disappear around the corner. Luffy didn't say anything and so they let them go without a word as well.

"We still have time, so I'll be going off to try and find their treasury. Such a big bounty hunter's base! I smell the money!" Nami declared, her eyes practically projecting the beli signs.

Sabo hummed. "I want to find their communication center and see if they have a long-distance Den Den Mushi."

"We resupplied in Loguetown, but the more supplies we have, the better," Sanji said. "We can definitely relieve these bounty hunters of some food."

Usopp also pitched in, "They should have gunpowder reserves somewhere. I'll look for that."

And just like that, four of them wandered off on their own, leaving Luffy and Zoro alone with nothing to do.

Luffy scratched his cheek. With any desire to explore the island gone, two hours of waiting seemed too long and boring. At least, he wasn't the only one bored here. "Let's spar?" he asked his swordsman.

Zoro froze mid-way through yawning and let his mouth stretch into a grin instead. "Sure thing, Captain."


A late afternoon breeze tousled loose blue hair, weaving the salty smell of sea with the heavy scents of ash and blood in between the strands. Vivi stared at Igaram lying in a bed, watched his chest rise and fall with every shallow breath he took. Alive. Though barely holding onto his life, he was alive.

For now.

No doctors were left on this island after this disastrous day. No matter how hard the three of them had searched, they couldn't find even their corpses. They didn't have many to begin with, and the few that were stationed here must have fled soon after the first confrontation with the pirates, knowing what awaited them after failing to repel them.

Vivi curled her fingers into fists, feeling her nails scraping across the naked skin of her legs.

Igaram needed immediate medical attention. His injuries were beyond what any of them could patch up. Vivi even considered asking the pirates, but she knew for a fact that their crew didn't have a doctor either.

What should she do now?

What could she do at this point?

She couldn't do anything. She was powerless. Useless in this hopeless situation.

The taste of blood on her tongue jolted Vivi out of the dark place her mind spiraled into. She eased her bite on her already nibbled lower lip and slumped in her seat, covering her face with her hands. She stayed like that even when Miss Monday squeezed her shoulder.

"Mr. Nine will find a ship, so once your Log Pose is set for the next island we can leave immediately. Mr. Eight—"

"Unfortunately, it won't be that easy," a new voice spoke up, and both females looked up at Mr. Nine as he entered the room.

Dread filled Vivi's chest. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"Besides the pirate ship, there are no other ships left here." Mr. Nine sighed, looking tired as his fingers rubbed over his face. "Mr. Five and Miss Valentine must have destroyed the ships in the main port, and survivors must have used the ones from the secret port on the southeast shore to flee the island."

Vivi's mouth suddenly felt dry and her stomach twisted unpleasantly. They had to somehow get off this damned island and find a doctor. If they couldn't—

Igaram's chest continued to rise and fall.

White bandages slowly turned red where Vivi's fingers pressed into her injured palms.

If they couldn't, Igaram would die.

No. Not like this. She couldn't allow Igaram to die like this. They had been through so much together, she couldn't give up on him now. One way or another, she was going to save him. There was only one choice left.

Vivi stood abruptly, her legs shaking from overexertion. She pushed through the exhaustion, through the aching muscles and stinging injuries, making every movement feel like a giant task. No matter how much her body screamed at her to stay, to rest, to just leave everything else for another day, she had to act now before the pirates sailed away. With a determined, "I'll ask the pirates to bring us to a doctor," she exited the room.

"Miss Wednesday! You can't!" Mr. Nine shouted, chasing after his partner. He fumbled through his inner pockets to pull out a sheet of paper. "Look at this! Please!"

Vivi halted to take a look. It was a bounty poster of the grinning Monkey D. Luffy. Right, he did say he had a bounty on his head. Her eyes flicked down to the number and her heart shook.

37 million beli.

Vivi could almost feel those cold black eyes staring at her, the mangled body of Mr. Five lying at the boy's feet.

Oh, how she misjudged him. He didn't seem like a savage, murderous pirate warranting a high price on his head, but it was stupid to assume that the captain had a similarly low bounty as his crewmate.

Who knows how he would react if she appeared in front of him again asking for another favor? The way he behaved after learning about her princess status…

"I still have to try," Vivi bit out, shoving the bounty poster at Mr. Nine's chest with more force than necessary, then turned, and sprinted away before anyone could try and talk her out of it. Including herself.


Nami put a tea cup down into its plate, listening to the sharp clink it made at the contact. She sighed as she pushed the now empty cup away from herself.

Why was she so unlucky? All the enemies they had come across so far were so miserably poor that she wanted to weep, and these bounty hunters were no exception. It was pathetic! When would the day come when they could actually go against someone rich?

With another sigh, Nami stood up. No point in thinking about it now. They were pirates and the road ahead of them was still long and unexplored. They were bound to run into someone with treasure sooner or later.

Comforting herself with this thought, Nami glanced down at the Log Pose. It looked like the thing finally adjusted to the island's magnetic field and now pointed to the next one. They could finally sail away in search of treasure! With a small smile, she walked out of the galley and into the deck of Going Merry.

The sun had already set and while the light still poured from over the horizon, the evening was rapidly becoming the night. A bit late to set sail, but no one wished to stay on the bounty hunters' island for longer than necessary. Despite them beating everyone on this island earlier.

"Zoro, catch another!"

"Aye!"

Nami's gaze flicked from the Log Pose to the main deck. Zoro leaned over the railing and snatched a middle-sized wooden box from mid-air, then put it down into a pile of boxes already on a deck. Usopp seemed to be taking stock as he stood next to it and scribbled something into a small notebook.

"Zoro!"

One more box came flying from below. With a bored, "Alright," Zoro caught this one as well and put it down.

Nami frowned and walked to the railing, catching sight of Luffy tossing yet another box up for Zoro to put on the ship. "Hey!" she shouted. "Stop throwing boxes with food around! What are you gonna do if it all turns into mush!"

"Don't be silly, Nami!" Luffy called back. "I was extra careful while we were loading food!"

The navigator's eyebrow twitched. Didn't that mean that he threw boxes of food onto the ship like this anyway? But if these didn't contain food… "What's inside those boxes, then?"

Luffy picked one of the last two boxes, flashed her one of his most brilliant grins, and cheerfully exclaimed, "Gunpowder!" just as he launched it up.

Nami almost fell off the ship in shock. At the next moment, her expression twisted with anger. "Stop throwing gunpowder around, you fools!" she yelled. "Do you want it to explode?!"

"Stop bossing us around, witch. We're fine," Zoro grumbled. Luffy heaved the last box his way and he reached to catch it, "I'm catching them as they come," only to miss it. "Ah."

Nami's eyes grew wider and wider the closer the box got to the ground. Just before it crashed down, she ducked down, covering her head.

A second ticked by.

Two seconds.

Luffy laughed.

Blinking, Nami stood up. Looked down.

Luffy grinned at her from below with the same box in his arms.

"Stop laughing! That's why I said to stop throwing gunpowder around! Why do we even need so much gunpowder?!" Nami screamed, on the brink of hysterics. "That's it! I'm done! I'm going back to the East Blue!"

"Bye, bye," Zoro said impassively, waving his hand.

With a roar, Sanji tore out of the storage room. "Don't talk like this with Nami-swan, you shitty swordsman!" His black shoe clashed against a drawn sword.

"Is there something wrong with your ears, you third-rate cook?!" Zoro roared back.

"Guys, stop fighting," Usopp tried to placate his two fired-up nakamas.

Nami facepalmed, letting out a frustrated groan.

"Luffy!"

Luffy turned at the call and beamed at his brother, strolling towards him. "Sabo!" he cheered. "Did you find what you were looking for?"

"Sadly, no. They had no Den Den Mushi powerful enough to reach the next island, much less what I needed. Which is extremely strange," Sabo mused. "They belonged to an organization and their higher-ups aren't on this island. So, how did they receive their orders or report to their boss?"

Luffy hummed. "We missed something."

"Definitely." Sabo narrowed his eyes at the empty town, slowly being swallowed by the darkness. "Let's hope we'll be far away when the news from this place reaches the boss, whoever he is."

"Oi, stop it! That's scary!" Usopp whined from the ship, after listening to the two brothers. His teeth chattered as he looked around. "Do we really need to worry about more bounty hunters coming after us right after we entered Grand Line?"

"Just give up, Usopp," Nami said as she joined the sniper at the railing. Behind her, Zoro and Sanji lay flat on the deck. "It's inevitable when our captain has a decently high bounty on his head."

"Shishishishi," Luffy laughed quietly. Then he took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the salty scent of the ocean while gazing at the darkening horizon. "Are we ready, Nami?"

"Sabo came back, the last box to load is in your hands, and the Log Pose is pointing at the next island…" Nami grinned, Luffy mirroring it. "We're ready, Captain!"

"Alrigh—"

"Pl-please wait!"

"Quaaaack!"

Everyone looked in the direction of new voices that interrupted them.

Sanji jumped to his feet and swooned at the sight of the princess, riding her giant duck. "It's our beautiful Miss Wednesday~! Did you come to personally send us off?! Ah, my heart~!"

"How about I send you off?" Zoro muttered, rubbing the back of his head as he stood up.

In an instant, Sanji rounded on him, features contorted in fury. "What did you—?"

"Settle down already!" Nami howled.

The effect was instantaneous: Sanji swirled on his heel with hearts in his eyes and an obedient, "Aye, Nami-san~!" and while Zoro only tsked under his breath, he didn't try to pick a fight with the cook anymore.

Meanwhile, the princess and the duck reached Luffy and Sabo who watched her without a word. She hesitated after climbing off of her mount, standing awkwardly in front of them. It was obvious that she tried to avoid Luffy's sharp gaze.

The princess balled her hands into tight fists. After another moment, she must have gathered her courage, because her head shot up, resolute brown eyes looking straight into the pirate captain's eyes without wavering. "I have a favor to ask," she said, steel in her voice.

Luffy tilted his head slightly to the side, observing, but staying silent.

"What? Another request?" Nami scoffed. "Aren't you a shameless one?"

"Seriously," Usopp agreed. "Asking for a favor after hiding who you are and trying to lure us here to be killed by bounty hunters…" He shook his head. "Isn't very nice, is it?"

"She should have her reasons," Sanji murmured, puffing out a cloud of smoke, but he didn't jump in to defend a woman as he might have done in a different kind of situation.

Zoro crossed his arms in front of his chest, silver eyes flicking down to his captain. Sabo also turned towards Luffy, carefully gauging his reaction.

The boy continued to stay silent. His features held no discernable friendliness, but the anger from back then was also missing. It was an expression that told nothing of what its owner could be thinking.

Vivi clenched her teeth at the silent treatment. "Please!" a plea escaped her mouth as she lowered her body into a deep bow. "My friend is seriously injured and there are neither doctors nor undamaged ships left on this island. Please, help me to bring him to the next island to see a doctor!"

The duck mimicked his owner and bowed with a pleading quack.

None of the pirates offered any comments this time. The prolonged silence curled around Vivi's courage and she faltered at the lack of response, because wasn't that telling in and of itself?

"It's your choice, Luffy," Sabo gently prompted his brother.

Luffy stared at the princess for another second and then simply closed his eyes, making a decision. "Alright," he said. "We'll bring you and your friend to the next island."

Vivi straightened up, eyes wide in utter disbelief, a few stray tears running down her cheeks. She brushed them off, visibly shaking herself out of her shock. "Thank you!" She bowed one more time. "Please, wait. I'll bring him here immediately!" She smiled at her duck, wide and happy. "Come on, Carue! Let's go get Igaram!"

"Quaaack!"

Once the two of them disappeared out of sight into the town, all four pirates and Sabo's attention returned to the rubber teen.

Sanji was the one who voiced a question in everyone's heads, "Are you sure about this, Luffy?"

Luffy chucked the box he was still holding over his shoulder with a confident, "Yeah."

Usopp and Nami shrieked something about an imminent explosion while Zoro and Sanji almost broke into yet another fight when they both moved to catch the box. Sabo simply watched his brother.

"I want to see more," he said, fixing his hat. His hand brushed across the left side of his neck on its way down. "More of a princess who can bow her head to save someone else."


Next Chapter: Little Garden


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