One Piece - Tales of the Pirate King

Disclaimer: One Piece is property of Eiichiro Oda. I am not Eiichiro Oda

Chapter 9 - The Little Garden

In the end, Igaram was able to convince Carue, the duck, that the 'Straw Hat' crew was now friendly. Carue was not a giant duck, he was, specifically, a 'super spot-billed duck', a type of duck as fast as a leopard

Made the fact that Zoro was successfully chasing it all the most impressive, really

Vivi herself would only wake up with a shout of pain, as Gin forcibly pushed her arm back in place, having been the one to previously dislocate it. She trashed a little on his grip, before Igaram calmed her down: - "Princess, they're now our friends!" - He exclaimed, the lass pausing to stare at her friend

She only truly calmed down after looking around, and seeing that indeed, the fighting had stopped

"So… thank you? You can release me now" - And Gin hastily did, glad the girl stopped squirming and more than willing to let her go, as she gazed distrustfully at him and swung her newly restored shoulder, wincing at the mild pain still present

Small talk issued, from Luffy gently asking if she was alright, which was answered curtly, Igaram apologizing for his princess, admitting the both of them were somewhat scared of such strong people, making the 'Straw Hat' captain chuckle weakly, even as a blushing Vivi berated her bodyguard

"So, what is Baroque Works" - Asked Luffy, finally getting to the point he was curious about: - "I mean, Zoro knew about them because they wanted to recruit him, so I assume they're involved in bounty hunting, but by your positions and their, ahem, treatment, of you two, I assume that there's more"

Vivi, her face much softer, thanks to the removal of layers of make-up with a handkerchief, nodded: - "Bounty hunting is one of the main money gathering methods of Baroque Works, yes" - Then she frowned: - "Their true purpose, however, is to take over Alabasta, my home, to make into his own personal playground"

"The playground of who?" - "… Mister Zero, the boss of Baroque Works" - "And who's he?"

Luffy latest question had a much more extreme reaction, the girl panicking and rushing to shut him up with her hands: - "D-don't ask that! He's my problem to deal with! I-I t-thank you for your offer to help, but Crocodile is someone on a completely different level than-" - And her hands went to Luffy's mouth to her own, the boy blinking as it registered she just spilled the name of Mister Zero

"You're not very smart, are you?" - Asked Luffy, Nami asking more or less the same thing, but much more rudely, soon the tangerine-haired girl getting into a ball of dust with Igaram for cussing at the princess, much to his amusement

"I-I'm s-sorry~, I didn't meant to say it~" - And Luffy laughed at the situation, only stopping at a flurry besides the group, even the ball of dust disappearing, Nami on top of Igaram and strangling the man, at the same time he pulled her hair

On top of a building close by, rested an otter and a vulture. If not strange enough, both of them were wearing sunglasses at night, the otter appeared to be wearing a baby's onesie, and was drawing on a sheet of paper

"Who-" - "T-those're the Unluckies! They report directly to Mister Zero!" - Exclaimed Igaram, interrupting and answering Nami's question

Then the other revealed four sheets, not one, and each one had an extremely accurate drawing of the four present 'Straw Hats', much to Luffy's awe: - "Woo! Nice trick! Want to join my crew?" - All he received was deadpan stares from everyone present, the otter climbing on the vulture and the pair flying away shortly after

"So, who's this Crocodile?" - Asked Zoro, mostly for the sake of his captain, who'd be the one to face him, as the captain always fights the captain

"He's one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea" - Started Vivi, drawing a moan of pain from Nami, the ginger being comforted by Igaram, as if they hadn't been at each other's throat: - "He poses as the 'Hero of Alabasta', using his Devil Fruit to repel invading pirates"

"But behind the scenes, he's been fuelling the rebellion; he planted Dance Powder on the royal palace, making it appear that the king was stealing the nation's rain" - She then explained what Dance Powder was: a green powder that, when burned, would cause rain, by maturing clouds that weren't ready yet, and stopping them from reaching places that would receive it naturally

Nami quickly caught on: - "So, while the country dried up, Alubarna would keep receiving rain"

"Yes; what was seen as the 'King's Miracle' turned into a crime father did not commit, and thus the rebellion started"

"But now we have proof" - Vivi spoke, a hint of triumph in her otherwise stoic voice: - "My word will be enough to stop the rebellion; father will be able to start a proper investigation and get him arrested, and the rebel leader will halt his armies"

Nami and Gin expressed doubt that it would be that simple, but Vivi explained that the leader of the rebels was a teen called Kohza, only a little older than her, and he was a personal friend of hers since their childhood: - "He would have no reason to doubt me" - She spoke with certainty

Luffy, nodding, declared then: - "Very well guys, to the Merry! Mister Guard, when does the Log Pose adjusts to the next island?"

"Less than a day, to be honest" - He admitted, to the amusement of Luffy: - "Then let's go!" - And they did, Luffy dragging Vivi and Igaram by the hand

By the time the Going Merry was far away from Whiskey Peak and Cactus Island, a massive explosion roared from the city

Igaram was particularly nervous about it, as he explained: - "T-that was a-a de-decoy b-boat I h-had p-p-prepared"

"Mister Five must have paid a visit to it before going after you" - Deduced Gin, as Sanji and Usopp finally woke up, startled by the blast

It took some time to convince the two that Whiskey Peak had been an ambush, but Vivi was quick to convince the cook, and Usopp only needed to be reminded of the tombstones for spikes of the massive mountains for his 'disease' to act up, helped by Igaram fully explaining their situation and what exactly they got themselves into

Even Luffy flinched at the idea of facing a sand man in a desert, upon hearing what exactly Crocodile's Devil Fruit was; he could at least start preparing, even if Zoro continuously berated him as he attempted to use the jutte stolen from Smoker, treating the weapon like a sort of blunt sword and trying to teach his captain about swordsmanship

It was a waste of the full potential of the weapon, at least according to Igaram, but Luffy was so used to being a brawler rather than a proper fighter that everything went into one ear and out the other

The royal guard had also changed clothes, changing from his mayor outfit for a loose set of cream robes under a black coat, with a stripped cyan and gold sash and sandals on his feet

During one of these classes, they received a rather… peculiar, visitor

Luffy was standing on Merry's head, Zoro and Igaram behind him, trying to instruct their captain in the ways of the sword; Sanji was in the kitchen, Nami and Gin too, discussing what they knew about Alabasta, both deciding to interrogate Vivi about the kingdom; said princess was with Usopp on the deck, watching him prepare his munitions

Then she looked to the side, catching movement on the corner of her eye, just to see a woman just… sauntering, into the Merry, as if she wasn't breaking and entering, or as much as one could do so on a ship. And then Vivi caught blue twinkling eyes looking right at her, and remembered from where exactly she had seen them before

Then she paled: - "Wah~!" - And cried out, scared out of her mind

Luffy, Zoro and Igaram quickly forgot their captain's lessons; Usopp and Vivi hastily hid behind the mast; Sanji and Nami came out of the main room. And so did Gin, in front of the cook and the navigator, spinning his tonfa and preparing to crush the stranger who apparently threatened their guest. His eyes almost popped out of their sockets, as he tripped and was sent flying over the woman, a distressed call of his name coming from behind him

"Gin~, why did you just attack our visitor?" - "… Sorry?" - Asked Luffy, much to the confusion of 'the Ogre': - "I mean, she did made Vivi scream, but she hasn't actually attacked or anything"

"How polite; thank you, Monkey D. Luffy" - Drawled the woman, chuckling softly

Scratching his hat, Luffy grinned: - "So you know who we are, I suppose? Well, that cuts half of the introductions; who are you, pretty lady?"

And indeed, she was a beautiful woman; tall, dressed in a rather scandalous purple top and miniskirt, a cowboy hat of the same colour resting on her head, with black hair with blue highlights resting on her shoulders, and her blue eyes and defined nose completing her face, the lass sitting on the railings of the Merry, purple high-heels on her feet

"Fufufufu, my oh my, how charming" - She spoke, laugher in her voice, before shadowing her eyes with her hat: - "You may call me… Miss All Sunday"

"Partner of Crocodile himself" - Continued Vivi

The reaction was instantaneous. Gin's tonfa started to spin again, Nami pulling her staff and Usopp his slingshot, Zoro preparing to unsheathe Wado Ichimonji, Igaram preparing a club, of all things, and… Sanji, hand on his chest, tried to choose between his duty and his heart

"I like you" - "Come now… eh?" - Miss All Sunday made to speak, but was interrupted by Luffy, who was sitting now on the ground, his characteristic grin on his face: - "Say, why don't you join my crew?"

The woman blinked, her eyes twinkling further, expecting anything but that: - "… Thank you, 'Straw Hat' Luffy. I must decline, however"

"While I have no doubt that I'd be more than welcome, in spite of my, ahem, position, as the enemy, Baroque Works has given me an opportunity I have always wanted, and I simply can't give up now" - She explained, smiling

Luffy pouted, and whined: - "Aw come on, can you at least stay for a drink?"

Still chuckling, Miss All Sunday answered in the negative: - "Unfortunately, my mere presence is almost making our dear princess burst a vein, so I'll have to deny your request, 'Straw Hat' Luffy; although, I can give you this"

And she threw what looked at first glance, a hourglass, but now that Luffy had it in his hands, he realized it appeared quite similar to a Log Pose, even if it was tucked between two wooden plaques like the hourglass the teen had previously expected: - "Hm? Na-ni-mo-nai?"

"Your next destination, if you follow the Log Pose, is an island known as Little Garden; I can assure you, with one hundred percent of certainty, that if you do enter that island, you won't get out alive" - And the way she spoke, the sincerity on her voice, Luffy was almost convinced: - "This is an Eternal Pose, which works similar to a Log Pose, but is locked to always point to a specific island; and from Nanimonai you will be able to easily reach Alabasta too"

Almost: - "Sorry, but unless you're a member of the crew, you don't get a say on the 'Straw Hats' journey" - He said, jumping and landing besides the lady: - "So, I'll have to refuse" - And he gave it back to her, much to her bemusement

"… Very well, 'Straw Hat' Luffy; it was… a pleasure, talking with you. If that is all, I'll be going then" - And with that, storing the Eternal Pose… somewhere on her person, Miss All Sunday walked away, jumping from the Going Merry and into a massive turtle-like creature with a stripped white cowboy hat: - "Let's go, Banchi"

And off they went, Miss All Sunday on the back of the turtle, the beast swimming away from the Going Merry

Vivi was the first to recover from the event, staring at Luffy like he had suddenly decided to be a marine: - "What was that!? Didn't you hear me say who she was!?"

"Yup, just like I once heard you call yourself Miss Wednesday. Look at us now" - Answered Luffy, making the lass blink

Frowning, she muttered: - "That's completely different" - And turned away, pouting, as Luffy laughed in the background

After dealing with a heatwave strong enough to ignite the sails again, followed by a tropical storm with waves as big as the Merry, which was actually pretty small for the Grand Line, the crew finally found a stretch of peaceful waters, Nami, now dressed in a white shirt with long blue sleeves, calling out: - "Island~! Island spotted~!"

And soon they approached said island, the name Little Garden proving to be a bit of a misnomer; not only were the trees as tall, if not taller, than the mountains of Cactus Island, and the inhabitants of the island left them wondering, as a massive tiger fell down, bleeding from deep wounds, and a bird high above appeared to have both feathers and scales

"W-What thing w-would l-leave s-such m-marks?" - Asked Nami, trembling, with the mast between herself and the beast

"Yosh!" - To her despair, Luffy wasn't intimidated by the scene; quite the opposite, really: - "Sanji! Go make a pirate lunchbox! I want to explore! Shishishishi"

Igaram questioned the wisdom of such decision, considering their hurry to reach Alabasta, but Luffy easily explained himself, pointing out that between the two guests and his own appetite, the Merry was starting to run out of food; he'd explore, hunt down a beast, then return, and after storing as much meat as possible, go on their way

"Gin, you go that way!" - Ordered Luffy, pointing at the port side of their caravel: - "I'll go the other, and we'll bring as much meat as we can!"

Getting his agreement, the two men waiting for their food, when they heard the voice of their princess calling out: - "S-Sanji! I prepare a lunchbox for me and Carue too!"

"Eh, Vivi?" - The crew asked, almost as one, though Igaram was far noisier. The cyan-haired lass quickly explained herself: - "If I stay here, I'll just dwell on my home's state; a walk is what I need to relax, that's it"

"Princess, are you sure it is a good idea to walk around? This place appears uninhabited, and quite dangerous too" - Asked Sanji, always protective of all ladies on the Merry

Nodding and smiling, Vivi pointed out: - "I'll be going with Luffy, which might be even safer than staying on the Merry" - A comment which drew a snort from the crew as a whole, not able to disagree: - "Besides, Carue will come with me, and there is no one faster than him" - She then pointed at her duck, whose panicked squawk drew more snorts, the bird clearly scared out of his mind at the idea, only now realizing that Vivi wanted him to accompany her

A noise of disapproval came from Sanji, clearly aware that Carue wasn't the bravest protector, even as he went to the kitchen to do his job. The crew watched as they reduced themselves to dots in the distance, further hidden by the wilderness, until they couldn't be seen anymore

Time passed, and Sanji asked: - "… Now what?"

"Hm… I think I can repair Gin's tonfa" - Muttered Usopp, going to work just on that, aware of where 'the Ogre' left his weapon

"And I'm fairly certain I've seen that vegetation in a book somewhere in the library…" - Stated Igaram, excusing himself

Nami went to draw her maps in the women's room, while Zoro started training in the deck. With nothing to do, Sanji went to the kitchen, to check their dwindling supplies and ensure everything was in place

Shortly after, a strangled scream from behind him had Sanji staring at a panicked Igaram: - "What?"

Igaram showed him the book. Sanji blanched, fearing for his princess

And a shout from outside had the pair running, fearing for the worse, the entire crew exiting and meeting him

Meanwhile, Luffy stuck his hand in a puddle: - "Hey, Vivi, why is this? An aquatic snail or a shelled squid?"

"I think that is… an ammonite? I thought they were extinct" - Then a grunt came from behind them, and a tree moved; then another, and another, and the couple realized they were not trees, but limbs of a massive dinosaur, one Vivi identified after the shock passed to give place to mild horror: - "A-an Apatosaurus!?"

"Holy~ crap! Haha, a dinosaur! I'm gonna ride it!" - "What!?" - And Luffy did just that, using his powers to launch himself upwards, climbing the beast as Vivi and Carue hastily ran forward to follow, soon getting themselves into a clearing with many more

"T-that's why it is called 'Little Garden'" - Muttered Vivi: - "Its inhabitants are massive!"

Luffy pranced around a bit, like his family's namesake, playing around the long necks of the dinosaurs, laughing all the while, even as he slipped and slid on said necks, falling right into the mouth of one: - "Wah! Luffy!"

And then metal flashed, and that was how the pair ended meeting him

The first wore a horned helmet, and wine-coloured overalls with white fur lining it, yellow pants with black stripes, brown shoes, and a blond beard shaped like the axe on his hands, a blue cape finishing his looks

The second also wore the blue cape, his helmet extended to serve as a face mask that only covered his eyes, a long brown beard that reached his hips, a haramaki studded with metal plates around his waist, and olive pants going into brown boots, a long sword cleaving the dinosaur's head

Brogy and Dorry, the true giants of Little Garden

The shout from the outside was not from Zoro, the only one outside to meet Brogy, the pair staring each other, Zoro mildly horrified, Brogy mildly curious; it was from Brogy, who was surprised by a bite on his ass from a tyrannosaurus rex, the crew watching him spin in place and behead the dinosaur with his axe

They were able to negotiate with the giant then, who, in exchange of some barrels of beer and some companionship for a meal, gave the information of how long a Log Pose needed to point to the next island. Not that they needed, since Igaram did possess an Eternal Pose to Alabasta

And in fact, it was probably better for them to not hear that it took one year for the common Log Pose to settle, Igaram left sweating at the prospect of having to wait a full year before being able to go to his beloved home: - "By the time we reached Alabasta, Crocodile would've already conquered everything…"

Igaram also was chosen to journey alongside Usopp with Brogy, as the companionship, Sanji, Zoro and Nami staying on the Merry to protect it, the 'sacrifices' waddling scared out of their minds

Luffy and Vivi were having a much better time, already aware that the giants were friendly, even if they only knew of one of them. Dorry quickly changed that, explaining why he lived on the island: - "Gegyagyagya! What a funny little man you are!" - He spoke, after a challenge from Luffy to fight, much to Vivi and Carue's despair: - "But I can't accept. I'm stuck on a fight of my own, and can't risk anything, no matter how… insignificant, they might appear"

"All, come on, I'm strong too!" - Whined Luffy, not liking being underestimated

Then the smallest mountain of Little Garden, still as big as one of the giants, erupted. Dorry stood up, picked a long sword matching his size and a shield: - 'Speaking of fight, the starting bell just rung, so I must be going; boy, try to not get lost!"

"Gegyagyagya!" - "Gababababa!"

Meanwhile, Usopp and Igaram watched from their perch the honourable duel between the giants. Usopp had, upon learning about giants and, more specifically, the giants of Elbaf, expressed his appreciation; as he described, both warriors had a flag of pride on their hearts, and to lose would be to let said flag be torn, a slow and painful death as their hearts bled out

"It's incredible!" - He exulted: - "I want to be like them! A proud warrior of the seas!"

Igaram, smiling, nodded: - "That's a worthy dr- ahem, mah~ mah~ mah~; that's a worthy dream, Usopp"

"Now, what do you say about proving that bravery? Igarappappa!" - And Usopp ducked, as Igaram fired his curious hair cannons on the jungle: - "What the hell!?"

Usopp was not the only one to ask that: - "So, you've seen me" - Grunted Mister Five, coming out of the woodwork: - "You do know that explosions don't work on me, right?"

"They don't!?" - "Mister Five has eaten the Bomb Bomb Fruit, making every part of him an explosive!" - Explained the royal guard, drawing a scimitar from the inside of his coat: - "Making him also immune to explosions himself"

"Humph; mission failed, it seems" - Muttered the dark-skinned man, retreating into the jungle, leaving behind a bewildered pair of 'Straw Hats'

Looking at each other, Usopp was quick to catch it: - "He was lying, wasn't he?" - "Very probable. He was by the barrels of rum we bought with us"

"Would… would he dare sabotage a pirate's rum!? The monster!" - "Indeed, Baroque Works attract only the worst… and somebody will have to tell mister Brogy that the grog was poisoned"

Sweat fell down their brows, not looking forward for that chat

Fortunately, they were spared the giant's wrath. While angry that good grog was ruined, he was quite understandable of the situation

In fact, his anger helped the crew. A lot

"That's the work of Mister Three" - Explained Igaram, as they looked at a perfectly cubic building made of a white substance that the ex-Mister Eight identified as wax: - "He's a Wax Man, producing and controlling wax as hard as steel"

With stealth born of inhabiting a place for one hundred years, Brogy and Dorry, after being informed of the attempt of sabotage from the Baroque Works agents, agreed to a truce, while the 'Straw Hats' dealt with the problem: - "They're only here because of us, after all" - At least, according to Luffy. They had no way of knowing that Brogy 'the Red Ogre' and Dorry 'the Blue Ogre' had once bounties of one hundred million Bellys, each; and like the reason of their fight, even the pair of giant pirates had forgotten about that

"So… what now?" - Asked Vivi, with Luffy, Usopp and Igaram glaring at the cube, the captain dropping down and walking towards, much to everyone else's confusion, further exacerbated when he simply knocked on the door

"What?" - The man who greeted him was… well, outright weird; the frail-looking man had his hair in a topknot literally shaped like the number three, wearing a blue and turquoise stripped vest with white frills and a red bowtie, with cream pants and brown shoes; he quickly turned to someone behind him, quickly identified as the bomb man: - "Mister Five~! You said you successfully planted the bomb~!"

"I also said I was caught, you nitwit! Duck!" - And Mister Three actually did, a shout of: - "Nose Fancy Cannon!" - Coming from the house, a small black dot appearing on Luffy's line of sight

Unfortunately, Luffy also heard to order and also followed it, so the shot of mucus passed wide, exploding harmlessly far away from both giants and the 'Straw Hat' crew, who weren't quite in front of the door precisely to not be struck by stray attacks

"Should we help him?" - Asked Igaram, standing up and preparing to fight, but Usopp interrupted: - "In close quarters? All Luffy has to do is use-"

"Candy Candy Conquest~!" - And like that, all problems were solved, proving that Logia Devil Fruits were broken beyond belief. A little girl popped out of the window, a child with dark red hair in short pigtailed braids, wearing a sky-blue button-up shirt with clouds decorating it, over a dark blue shirt with 'GOLDEN' written on it, a maroon skirt over blue and white stripped stockings, and red shoes with white cuffs and soles

She also was clutching a hat to her head, a wide brimmed pink one, as she stared at both giants she and her partner were sent to hunt with a few strangers she suspected were the 'Straw Hats' and the Alabastan spies: - "H-hey"

"Kya~! I'm stuck~!" - Came the voice of Miss Valentine, snuffed booming sounds coming from the block, Luffy alerting Mister Five that, while he was immune to concussive and fiery explosions, wax shrapnel might not be included on said list of immunities. The comment actually stopped the booming sounds

The Mister Five pair was more or less ignored, in favour of the little girl in the grass: - "Hello. Want to join my crew?"

The girl blinked. The 'Straw Hats' and their guests didn't even care anymore: - "S-seriously? D-do you k-know who I am?"

"You're not a bad person" - Stated Luffy with certainty, in spite of only meeting her now

"Miss Goldenweek! Stand back! Candle Champion!" - The wax cube, however, wobbled, and from the top came Mister Three, inside an armour set of wax with thin limbs and massive boxing gloves for hands, his hair, strangely enough, on fire: - "Champion Fight: Harvest Field Manoeuvre!"

Landing noisily on the ground, Mister Three and his wax armour charged forward, ploughing forward with his massive boxing gloves: - "Wahaha! Tremble, 'Straw Hat'! With this armour, I defeated a pirate worthy forty-two millions! You don't stand a chance! Waha- eh?"

Luffy was quick to spot a weakness on the armour set: Mister Three's head was completely unprotected. Jumping high above the wildly swinging fists, Luffy simply kicked the exposed face of his opponent, without even using his Devil Fruit; Mister Three and his fearsome armour set simply fell like a sack of bricks

"T-that's it!?" - Exclaimed Miss Goldenweek, surprised; she knew that Mister Three's 'Candle Champion' needed a coat of her hypnotic paint to further boost his effectiveness, but she hadn't expected the lack of paint to make him so… lacking, in actual ability

"Really!? Maybe that's why he's so insistent in subterfuge and cheating, since he's so pathetic otherwise!" - Exclaimed an extremely frustrated Miss Valentine, who witnessed the fight, her upper half poking from a window, the one opposite from the one Miss Goldenweek jumped of: - "Kya~! This thing is so gross~!"

"Yeah, that's it. So, about my offer…" - "… What are the benefits?"

Miss Valentine called out: - "Are you serious!?" - And actually received an answer from the little girl: - "Mister Three failed! That means that we're going to be killed! And you two? Aren't you supposed to be killed too for failing your mission?"

"M-mister Three said we had a second chance!" - "Because he needed cannon fodder!" - By then, the blonde had freed herself from her position, and was on her knees outside the wax box, biting her lips to stop herself from hastily answering

"S-so… what are the benefits?" - Her actual answer wasn't much better, however

The 'Straw Hats', the guests, and the giants, as one, facepalmed, somewhat incredulous. Luffy, after blinking and, ignoring a somehow indignant boom from Mister Three's fort, stroke his chin: - "Well, we don't kill others for failures, for starters-"

"Enough for me" - Chirped Miss Goldenweek, standing up and saluting her new captain: - "I'm Grace, I'm fourteen years old, and I like painting, rice crackers and earl grey"

"Is it really that easy?" - Muttered Brogy, which meant everyone heard him, Luffy laughing at the comment: - "Why should it not?"

"Well, there is the implication that they would betray us later" - Commented Vivi, Igaram completing it: - "There's also the fact that Baroque Works is specialized in infiltration and sabotage, and that is how they work, for the most part"

"H-hey! We're not that bad!" - Answered Miss Valentine to the accusations: - "Perhaps we could've chosen a better nation to conquer, but all we want is to create a utopia!"

"And do you honestly believe that? Crocodile is doing that while coasting as the 'Hero of Alabasta'! All he wants is a personal playground, not caring who he runs over on his way, even if they are allies" - Answered Vivi, just as hotly, shutting up the blonde, who huffed, well aware that the ex-Miss Wednesday was right. Between the Unluckies and Crocodile himself, there was little chance she could stay in Baroque Works and live

"Fine! I'll… I'll join too… at least temporarily" - Spoke Miss Valentine, the last part muttered to herself but still heard: - "And what about our partners?"

"I don't know…" - "Mister Three is a person I respect as an artist, but as a person…" - "He does appear to be a jerk"

"He did threaten to make us into wax statues… but what about my partner?" - A boom echoed, and Luffy had enough

"Alright, alright, I'm removing all the candy" - Mister Five staggered then, finally free, out of the box: - "That was candy!?"

"Yeah, I said I ate the Candy Candy Fruit, didn't I?"

"I though you said you were a dandy man" - Muttered the dark-skinned man: - "And candy made of what!? It was holding my explosions with ease!"

Luffy just laughed

"So, you two also want to join?"

"Just like that?" - "Just like that"

Luffy put one hand in each shoulder, and squeezed, making the pair flinch: - "You don't feel like good guys, but you're also not jerks, so I'll give you two a chance"

Pulling the pair into a sort of hug, Luffy whispered: - "But even think of betraying us, and I'll drag you through the ocean as bait, clear?"

Hastily nodding, the pair was released, as Luffy asked their names, as if he just didn't threaten to make them into macabre anchors, the pair tried to answer, but was too shaken to do so, Vivi coming to their rescue, identifying them as Elijah and, amusingly enough, Valentine

"The Mister Five and Four pairs are well known to us, the former especially, since we knew that if we were discovered they'd be the first ones sent after us" - Explained Vivi to Luffy as to how she knew

It still didn't stop Luffy from harassing the blonde, who wanted to know who came first, the name or the codename, in spite of the fact the answer should be obvious

"So, you're really accepting these three into your crew" - Commented Brogy, the pair of giants watching as the Going Merry slowly sailed through the river, exiting Little Garden with Alabasta as their destination, thanks to Igaram's Eternal Pose

It left them wondering Miss All Sunday's loyalties, since she was aware that Little Garden would leave them stuck for one year and apparently believed them unable to deal with the dinosaurs. Which, while true in the case of the weaker members, which was Nami, Vivi, and Usopp, and maybe Igaram, was not the case for the remaining members

Of course, no one actually asked about them, since they'd just receive a smug 'I told you so' from Luffy, who fully planned to recruit the 'pretty lady'

"Still, we should thank you for safeguarding our honour duel, in spite of having no obligation to do so" - Continued the giant

Then was Dorry's turn: - "As a thank you, I can only tell you one thing: keep going forward"

"Always forward, no ifs, ands, or buts"

"Get ready!" - They both called out

Gin, having returned with a triceratops, also called out: - "Is there any reason they'd ask for that?"

The massive goldfish, big enough to eat even one of the giants behind them whole, was enough of an answer

"Straight ahead!" - Ordered Luffy, to the bafflement and horror of the crew

Except Zoro and Usopp: - "Straight ahead, captain!"

And, as the crew more or less went nuts, especially as they entered into the goldfish's maw, a sliver of light still visible from the gap between the beast's mouth, they heard the shout: - "Hakoku!"

And the giant goldfish had a hole cleaved through it, leaving the crew gaping in awe

"Shishishishi, see!? Straight ahead!" - And with their captain laughing like a loon, the three newest members of the crew could only watch in awe as the crew laughed and danced, having just escaped certain death by the skin of their teeth thanks to sheer luck and simply befriending the right people

Smiling, Grace declared: - "I like them" - And Valentine and Elijah couldn't help but agree

Then Gin came down with a great fever, and everyone panicked again

AN: And that's a wrap. Very little fights on this chapter, and the one that occurred was solved quickly. Logias are indeed broken

University didn't stop me from publishing this chapter, and in fact, I didn't even had class this Friday, the teacher informing us by e-mail he'd be unavailable for classes. Still, I don't expect the week of classes to make writting easy...

Reviews: arapyanime and sudhush, thank you for your reviews! And don't worry, while university will make writting harder, I fully plan on continuing. Perhaps I'll need to stop updating once a week, but I'll keep trying!

Canon changes: Robin makes her appearance! And unlike last time, no one has a clue of her Devil Fruit, as Luffy's charms distract her enough for her to forget about everyone's weapons

Gin is the one afflicted by the fever, rather than Nami. It is mostly an experiment from me, trying to think how exactly one of the monsters of the crew would act if they got sick

And finally, meet Elijah, Valentine, and Grace! I had doubts about adding them to the crew, but while Miss Valentine is a sadist, she isn't outright evil; no one who deals with chocolate can be. They joined the crew mostly to follow Miss Goldenweek, though, so if the 'Straw Hats' even find themselves with divisions before the New World, the three will be part of them, rather than stay on the main crew

And Galdino? Well, while canonically Miss Goldenweek was more friendly with him, here she's as creeped out of a man who sees making people into statues as art as anyone else, so he is dumped somewhere in Little Garden. I think that the method Luffy used to defeat him was acceptable, considering how easy he trounced Mister Three in canon

And that ends everything, I believe. Reviews are appreciated, and views are even more, so keep reading!

Peace!