It's been a few hours since we've sailed to Mr. Nine and Ms. Wednesday's home island. I wondered if Whiskey Peak is a winter island, since it's currently snowing. Right now, Sanji is shoveling the snow off of our ship, Luffy and Usopp are playing in the snow, and they are surprisingly hyper in this freezing weather, Zoro is, also surprisingly, still napping, and Nami is in the kitchen with our 'guests'. Me? I was training as usual. You'll never know when we'll bump into other pirates or Marines.

Instead of my usual black coat, I wore a light blue short-sleeve shirt, blue knee-length jeans, and white sneakers. These were the clothes that Nami got for me and pestered me to have on. It's not as comfortable as my coat, but it's still good. One thing that's been bothering me while I was training, though, is Ms. Wednesday. I can't help but feel like I've seen her from somewhere.

"Nami-san~! How long can I continue my Snow Shoveling of Love~?" I heard Sanji ask our navigator.

"Until it stops snowing, Sanji-kun," she told him.

"Yes, Nami-san~!"

Getting tired from my non-stop training, I went to the kitchen to take a short break.

"Hey, Xion," Nami greeted me.

"Hey," I greeted back, getting some water. All of a sudden, I heard thunder.

"Lightning? What's going on with this weather?" Nami questioned.

Hearing that question made me flinch a bit. I turned to Nami and saw that she's- NOT AT THE HELM!? "Nami, how long were you by the window?" I asked.

"Since it started snowing," she answered, making me spit out the water. "Why?"

"THAT'S NOT GOOD!" I suddenly shouted. "The Log Pose! Please tell me what the Log Pose says!"

"I don't know why you-" Nami stopped when she checked our compass and suddenly screamed.

"IT'S TELLING US THAT WE'RE GOING THE WRONG WAY, ISN'T IT?!" I asked, going to steer the helm with my teeth being razor sharp. "Just go and order the guys to help me!"

"Right!"

"And you two!" I called, turning my head to our 'guests'. "Unless if you want to die here, help us steer the ship! And if I hear you say 'no' or complain or be a smarty-pants, it won't be the ocean that will kill you!"

"Y-y-yes, ma'am!" they both agreed in fear, running out the kitchen.

*OUTSIDE**GENERAL'S P.O.V*

"Everyone! Turn the ship around 180 degrees! Hurry!" Nami ordered.

"180 degrees?" Usopp repeated. "Why are we going back?"

"Did we forget something?" Luffy asked.

"The ship reversed direction and we're going the wrong way!" the navigator explained. "I took my eyes off the Log Pose for a second and the waves were so quiet..."

"Are you really a navigator?" Ms. Wednesday calmly asked, as she and her partner ran out of the kitchen. "On this ocean, the wind, the sky, the waves, the clouds, you can't trust any of it. The only thing you can trust is the direction the Log Pose's needle points. Get it now?"

When she asked the last part, Mr. Nine began to tap his partner's shoulder. "Um... M-ms. Wednesday..." he called.

Ms. Wednesday turned to her partner and saw him trembling. The moment she faced him, Mr. Nine pointed his thumb at Xion, who emitted a black, icy cold aura, giving them a cold look.

"Perhaps my warning wasn't clear," she said. "I told you that I'll kill you if you don't help or if you complain or be a smarty-pants about knowing more about this sea. And that includes giving lectures to our navigator."

"O-o-oh no, Ms. Black-Coat, you're warning is perfectly clear!" Ms. Wednesday said, trembling. "I was just telling your navigator that you can only trust the Log Pose here in the Grand Line."

"There's time for that if we get out of this crazy weather!" Xion scolded. "Now all of you help me turn this ship or else!"

At that command, everyone, except Zoro, who's still sleeping, went and do whatever they can to turn the ship around.

"She's a demon, that girl. Yet she's so reliable," Mr. Nine mumbled.

"Wait! The wind is changing!" Usopp announced, looking up at the sky.

True to his words, the sky cleared up and it was a little windy.

"The first sign of spring!" Mr. Nine identified.

"You idiot!" Usopp shouted at Zoro, unaffected by the situation and still asleep. "Don't sleep when you're covered in snow!"

"Oi! There's a pod of dolphins over there! Let's go and see them!" Luffy informed.

"SHUT UP, YOU!" Nami and Xion yelled at him.

*XION'S P.O.V*

AHHH! How did we end up in this situation?! If I know any better, I would've told someone on this ship to steer the helm or do it myself instead of just thinking about getting stronger! I'm such an idiot! Some quartermaster I am!

"Iceberg at 10 o'clock!" Usopp warned, as fog suddenly formed.

"Nami-san! There's fog!" Sanji told her the obvious.

"WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS OCEAN?!" she asked no one in paticular.

"I'm bringing backup!" I shouted to Nami. "Summon: Majik Lapin, Ryu Dragon, Komory Bat, Fin Fatale!" All of Xion's Dream Eaters came out and waited for her command. "Nami! There should be some harness and ropes in my bag in our room! Take three of each out and meet me at the front!"

"Right!" Nami replied, running to their room.

"Lapin! You steer the ship! Try and get us away from the iceberg! Prevent this ship from being hit by it!" I continued to order. "The rest of you with me!" With that, my remaining Dream Eaters and I ran out to the front of the ship.

"Hey! You!" Oh, not now. "If you're not steering the wheel, then who will?!"

"For your information, Mr. Nine, I already have someone else steering the wheel!" I yelled at him. "Now if you want to live, ignore my business and help out! Sanji! Go to the helm and help my Dream Eater steer the ship to the right!"

"Yes, Xion-swan~!" the chef instantly agreed.

"Xion! I got the harnesses and ropes!" Nami informed.

"Good! Equip two of the harnesses to Wyvern and Torpedo and tie two of the ropes to their harness and the railings! Quickly!" I shouted. As soon as I gave that command, I took the human size harness and equipped it onto myself as Nami worked on the other two Dream Eaters. After putting my harness on, I grabbed one of the ropes and tied one end to the right side of the railing and the other end on my harness.

"Fang!" I called, having the bat Dream Eater to come to my aid. "Let's do it!" Knowing what I was thinking, Fang screech in agreement.

"Xion! The two Dream Eaters have their harness on and attach to the railing!" Nami informed. "Just what are you thinking of doing?!"

"We're going to hiiiit!" I heard Usopp scream.

"Let's go, guys! Link Action: Fly-by Knight!" Fang got his claws on me, lending me his wings. Wyvern, Torpedo and I then jumped off of Merry and flew or, in Torpedo's case, swam, pulling our ship away from the iceberg with everyone's help.

"Go for it, Xion! Dragon! Fish!" Luffy cheered.

"Don't cheer for us! Make yourself useful!" I yelled. When we miraculously passed the iceberg without taking any damage, the clouds were moving towards us and the wind got stronger.

"Take in the sails! The wind's getting too strong! If the sails catch that much, we'll capsize!" Nami ordered and informed. "Xion! It's too dangerous to fly or swim right now! Get back to the ship!"

"I know that, but how are we going to get out of this storm faster if we have to furl the sails?!" I asked. "We can't rely on luck or miracles!"

"Xion-san! At least have a rice ball for your energy!" Sanji offered.

"Not right now! And didn't I tell you to steer the helm with Lapin?!"

"Crap! The sail's tearing!" Usopp shouted. The wind got too strong, so it's mostly impossible to furl the sails. Good thing the ropes are as long as half the ship.

"Wyvern! Help them take the sail in!" I ordered my dragon.

"We've sprung a leak below deck!" Ms. Wednesday announced, having Usopp to run down and fix it.

Several hours later, after we somehow got out of the storm, all of us were on deck, exhausted. The ones who are most exhausted are me, Wyvern, Fang, and Torpedo, since we had to drag the ship out of the storm and back on track. The only one, however, out of all of us, who isn't exhausted beside Luffy is-

"Good nap." Oh, look who finally woke up. "Oi, oi. Aren't you guys being a little lazy on a nice day like this? You know where we're heading right?"

'YOU...' I mentally growled.

"Why are you two on board?" Zoro asked Mr. Nine and Ms. Wednesday.

"TOO SLOW!" Mr. Nine yelled.

"We're bringing them back to their home town," Luffy explained. "It's called Whiskey Peak."

"So we're giving them a lift?" Zoro simply placed it. "It's not like we owe them anything."

"Yeah. We don't."

"Well, not that I care."

Ignoring whatever word he has to say then, I got up and returned all my tired Dream Eaters into their card. After returning them back in, I undid my harness and walked towards Zoro, Starlight in hand. I then noticed Nami also walking up to our swordsman, her fist raised.

'Probably have the same idea that I have,' I thought. When we were close enough, Nami punched Zoro hard in the head and I soon follow with swinging my Keyblade on the same spot where she hit him.

"YOU..." she spoke, fiery orange aura circling around her. "I hope you enjoy that little nap of yours..."

"Snoring away like you did... no matter how many times we tried to wake you. Some swordsman you are," I added, with black aura circling around me.

Zoro looked back at us with green aura surrounding him, only to recieve more punches or swings on his head, therefore earning bumps on his bumps and some blood leaking out of his head.

"Stay on your toes, everyone," Nami spoke. "We won't know what will happen next. I can finally grasp the fearsomeness of this ocean. I understand why they call it the Grand Line. But it hasn't even begun to see MY navigation skills! Bet on it!"

"Such confidence," I muttered.

"Are we really going to be okay?" Usopp asked.

"We will be okay. Something good'll come our way," Nami answered. "And if you want proof, look." She point at an island ahead of us. "The first leg of our journey is complete!" The island ahead of us has huge cactus-like things on them. Though there's something odd about them besides the height.

"Land ho!" Luffy happily screamed.

"So this is Whiskey Peak..." Sanji mumbled, smoking. "Sure is a weird-looking island."

"Look at those huge cacti!"

We then heard a thud sound and turned to the right to see Mr. Nine and Ms. Wednesday on the railing.

"And this is our stop," Mr. Nine said.

"Thanks for the ride, honeys," Ms. Wednesday thanked.

"We'll meet again, if it is to be!"

"Bye-bye, baby," they both said in unison. With that those two jumped off the railing, doing a backflip and swam to the island.

'Wouldn't it be easier if they stayed on the ship until the ride is over?' I thought. 'It's less work than swimming. And why does Ms. Wednesday look familiar?'

"There they go," Nami said.

"Who were those guys?" Usopp questioned.

"Who cares? We're here!" Luffy asked and exclaimed.

"There seems to be a river mouth up ahead," I spoke. "We can disembark there."

"You don't think there'll be monsters or stuff here, do you?" our sniper asked, trembling.

"Could be. This is the Grand Line," Sanji said.

"If we meet some monsters, we can just leave, right?" our captain guessed.

"We can't," Nami said. "Don't forget there is a certain amount of time we have to stay on this island."

"How come?"

"We have to let the Log Pose adapt to the island's magnetic field or we won't continue to the next island," I explained. "The time it takes for each island is different. Some takes hours while other takes days."

"What?! So even if we want to get off of the 'Monster Island', we might not be able to leave for DAYS because of the Log?!" Usopp asked.

'If that is a monster island, then Mr. Nine and Ms. Wednesday wouldn't ask us to go to this island or swim there,' I mentally pointed out.

"Well if that happens, we'll worry then. Let's just go!" Luffy said.

"Luffy's right," Zoro agreed. "Let's go. Just thinking about it isn't getting us anywhere."

"And no matter what happens, I'll protect Nami-san and Xion-san," Sanji added with confidence.

"I can take care of myself," I told him. "Besides, I have my own bodygaurds."

Usopp was going to say something, but was interrupted by Nami. Even if he wasn't interrupted, I couldn't hear what he's saying, due to the fake raspy voice that he had on.

"Let's go guys," Nami said. "But remember, be prepared to run or fight at any time."

As we sailed to the island, it got foggy. I was prepared to have my Keyblade out for whatever will come at us. I then had a weird feeling like we're being spied on, but decide to ignore it, thinking that it was just my imagination.

"Hey. Something's moving," Luffy announced.

"People? Those are people!" Sanji identified.

"Everyone, on your guard," Nami told us.

"Damn it. I have to brace myself for anything," Usopp spoke, quivering. "Be it monsters or something. COME ON OUT!"

Instead of monsters or people with weapons, there were people welcoming us.

"The Monster Island is welcoming us?"

"Look again, Usopp." I muttered. "Are monsters suppose to look like people?"

"Well... I guess not..."

Even though they are welcoming us, I can tell that it's nothing but a trap. Who would welcome pirates or call them heroes of the sea? Of what I heard and know, many people are scared of pirates.

When we docked near shore, we were kindly greeted by a man with curled up hair.

"Welco- Ahem! Mah-mah-maaah~! Welcome. My name is Igarappoi. I am the mayor of Whiskey Peak," he introduced. And what a nice voice he has when he did the vocals.

"I'm Luffy. Nice to meet you," our straw hat wearing captain greeted. "Ossan, your hair's way too curly."

"This is the town of spirit brewing and lively music, Whiskey Peak," the mayor continued, ignoring his statement. "We take pride in our hospitality. We have an entire ocean of statements for your enjoyment. Would you care to join us in celebration and share your stories of adventures? We would be- Ahem! Mah-mah-maaah~! We would be delighted to hear them."

Of course, half of us instantly agreed to the offer.

"Three stooges," Nami stated.

"You can say that again," I agreed. "Excuse me, Mayor Igarappoi, how long will it take for the Log to adapt to this island?"

"Well, aren't you a lady," he complimented me. "But let's not talk about such formal things. You and your friends should take a well-deserve rest from your travels." He walked up to me and placed a hand on my shoulder in a friendly way. "Now everyone! Prepare for a celebration! A song for our adventurous guests!" All the islanders agreed to the mayor's suggestion.

Despite all this friendly atmosphere, I smell rats on this island. And they're all around us.

That night, half of us were having a time of our lives in this celebration. And by half, I mean Luffy, Usopp and Sanji, the three who were either stuffing their mouths with food, telling stories about our adventures that are partly a lie, and getting comforts from the girls of this island. Zoro, Nami and I were either drinking alcohol or just sitting on the couch.

"Here. Feel free to help yourself," the mayor offered us female pirates.

"No, no. I'm good without alcohol," Nami kindly rejected.

"Me, too," I said.

"Don't worry- Ahem! Mah-mah-maaah~! Don't worry yourself," Igarappoi said. "This is our finest wine, made from the highest quality grapes on this island. Our Special Drink. Although it is call the Wine of the Sea, there's little alcohol in it."

Accepting it, Nami took a sip of the drink. "You're right! It's delicious!" she complimented. "Xion, try some!"

Making it look like that I drank some, since I still feel something off about this island, I placed the cup on my mouth and tilt it a bit. "Wow! This is good!" I lied.

"This year's grape harvest was exceptional," he continued. "Now to celebrate the harvest, our traditional Kanpai Contest! Let me explain. It's a contest where everyone keeps drinking, and the last one standing is the winner. Everyone, please join in!"

'How dumb does he think I am?' I asked myself. 'He just wants us to drink until we all collapse so he could kill us.'

"I'm fine," Nami kindly turned down. "I couldn't possibly drink that much."

"And the prize is... B100,000!" Igarappoi added, taking out the bag of said belli. The money is enough to have Nami change her mind, for she instantly asked for a refill.

"I'll sit this one out," I spoke up.

"Why, Xion?" our navigator asked.

"I just remember that I have some things to do on the ship. I'll be back as soon as I can." That said, I left the party and the building.

'I should hide somewhere instead of just walking to the ship,' I told myself, jumping to the top of the building where the party is being held. I then saw three people coming out of the said building, each with a sword in their hand. Deciding to fight instead of just sitting there in boredom, I jumped off the building, catching those guys off guard.

"Looking for me, boys?" I sarcastically asked.

"There she is!" "Get her!" At that point, I led them to someplace where no one at the party can hear us or see us.

Once I felt like we were far enough, I cut the chase and faced them.

"What's wrong, pirate?" the guy with a black bandana asked me. "Finally decide to give up?"

"Who said that I'm the type to give up without a fight?" I asked him, taking out my Keyblade. "I hope you're ready. Back in East Blue, I'm known as a demon."

"Hah! Yeah right! I've never heard of such a thing and I used to live on an island there," the guy with freckles said.

"Well, that's because I've had that title for six months. Now, enough talk. I already know that my nakama are in danger and I don't want to waste any more time talking to you three."

"Took the words right out of my mouth!" the bandana wearing guy agreed, as he and the other two charged at me with their swords.

Of course, the difference in our levels and battle experience is so great, I easily took them out. "Be glad that I'm not a killer," I said, running back to the party.

I got back to the building and saw that the lights are still on. Going back in my position on the roof, I waited patiently for it to end and for Mr. Nine and Ms. Wednesday to arrive here.

'Now that I think about it, where are those two?' I wondered, not that it matters.

"Honestly, they are a stubborn bunch," a female voice said, as a door opened and closed, waking me up.

'Man, I fell asleep,' I scolded myself.

"We had to keep putting more and more alcohol in their drinks," the voice continued, I looked down and saw a group of four people, three of them being Mr. Nine, Ms. Wednesday and Igarappoi. The fourth one is a nun. "If we didn't, they'd still be awake and cause a ruckus. Still, was it really necessary to put on that drama? For six measly little kids?" The nun took of her clothes, revealing a red and white dress and her muscular body, literally. Her body is like a guys'! "We should've finished them off at the harbor. Even without them here, the whole town has a food storage to worry about."

'As I thought,' I mentally said. 'Those guys were just acting.' I suddenly felt a pat on my shoulder and got ready to defend myself, only to see Zoro right beside me, telling me to keep quiet. I nodded my head to him in understanding.

"Compose yourselves!" Igarappoi shouted. "Look at this. I've been doing some research on them." He then took out Luffy's wanted poster.

"B30,000,000?!" the other three read in shock.

"THOSE GUYS?!" Mr. Nine added.

"No. This is only the captain's," Igarappoi corrected. "I found out about the other one some time after I sent three of our men to get her and couldn't believe what I've found out, that I sent seven more to back them up."

'Other one?' I mentally asked. 'Meaning me?'

"Why is that?" Ms. Wednesday asked.

"You'll be even more shock about this one than the other one," the mayor spoke, taking out another bounty poster.

"B60,000,000?!" they read louder than before.

"Just for that one girl?!" Ms. Wednesday questioned.

I heard Zoro softly whistle next to me, sitting down with his legs cross. "Twice of Luffy's bounty. But I wonder how."

"Did you forget the fact that I fight and defeat many pirates and bandits, even if they work together and combine their bounty to B50,000,000?" I asked the swordsman.

"Oh, yeah." That reply was more than enough hint to tell me that he did forget.

"But now that they've been disposed of, and since I've sent some of our best fighters after that girl, we can make a favorable report to the boss. We'll then take all the valuables from their ship."

"And what about them?" the muscular woman asked.

"What do we do?" Mr. Nine added.

"If we kill them, we won't have the full B90,000,000. The government enjoys their public execution after all. Go! Capture them alive!" Igarappoi explained.

"Hey," Zoro spoke up, raising one of his swords. "Sorry to interrupt, but could you let them sleep a little longer? They're tired from this afternoon's voyage."

"I agree with Zoro here. Even though I did more work than they did, they deserve it due to the constant weather changes from this afternoon," I pointed out.

The group of four slowly turned to face us. It was then that someone walked out of the building.

"Mr. Eight! Ms. Monday! The one wearing a haramaki has escaped...!" he informed.

"He's up there," Ms. Wednesday told him, as all the other islanders ran out of the building.

"MR. EIGHT!" another voice called. "We couldn't find the girl! And the first three that you sent are dead!"

"The girl's up there, as well," Mr. Nine informed.

"You fiends!" Igarappoi, or should I say, Mr. Eight, growled. "You, boy, should've been completely unconscious! As for you, girl, did you really kill them?!"

"No true swordsman, no matter what the circumstances, allows himself to be overwhelmed by drink," Zoro told them.

"I didn't think I hit those three that hard," I innocently answered.

"So then, this place is a nest of bounty hunters," the Santouryu (three-swords style) swordsman observed. "You decieve merry pirates the instant they made it to the Grand Line and then take them for all they worth."

"There seems to be 100 bounty hunters here," I informed. "We'll take you all on, Baroque Works."

"HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT NAME?!" Mr. Eight asked, as he and the other hunters and members of that organization gasped and shook in shock.

"Back when I was still known as the demon of Tanoshi Island in East Blue, your boss's assistant offered me a position in your organization, which I turned down."

"I know of the organization as well, back when I was still a bounty hunter myself. They sent a scout to try to recruit me. Of course, I refused," Zoro told us.

"Everyone in that place know nothing about each other and call each other by a codename," I continued. "For the guys, it's numbers. As for the girls, it days and holidays."

"And as for the boss, his location and identity is a mystery to everyone, even the members."

"All except for his partner, of course. A criminal organization that faithfully carries out their orders, that's Baroque Works."

"Now was that suppose to be a secret?" Zoro asked.

"This is surprising," Mr. Eight spoke. "Since you know our little secret, we have no choice but to eliminate you two. And then, we'll add two more gravestones to the Cactus Rocks." When he said that, many blue soldier-like creatures appeared out of nowhere. And they all have the Heartless mark on their chest.

While Mr. Eight was talking, I summoned Starlight and decided to use a little magic on me and Zoro. "I'll take on those blue soldiers. You just focus on those bounty hunters," I told Zoro.

"Fine by me," he responded, smirking.

As soon as Mr. Eight gave out the order to kill us, I whispered a spell. "... Vanish..." Thanks to that spell, me and Zoro instantly became invisible, surprising the Baroque Works members and the bounty hunters. And now, the real fight begins.