"Get her!" a bounty hunter ordered the Soldiers, having them to chase after me.

"Don't let her get away!" another one shouted.

"We'll be rich of we get her!" a female hunter stated.

"How did this happen?!" I wondered out loud.

*EARLIER*

"T-they're gone!" Mr. Nine shouted.

"W-where the hell did they go?!" Mr. Eight demanded, as they all looked around to find me and Zoro.

One of the bunty hunters spotted us, having the rest to look back and widen their eyes in shock. 'Guess the effect wore off,' I thought.

"Shall we?" Zoro asked, smirking at them.

"Bastard! Making fun of us!" a hunter shouted, as those surrounding us pointed their guns at us. "FIRE!"

"Stop!" I shouted, as they pulled the trigger. Due to that spell, the bullets were floating in mid-air. The sight of this surprised everyone except my crewmate. Seeing this as an opening, I used the 'vanish' spell again on me and Zoro and ran away from our spot with the swordsman. The moment we made our move, the 'stop' spell wore off on those bullets. And instead of us, they hit some of the hunters, therefore killed them.

"How is that possible?!" Mr. Eight questioned. "They shot each other!"

"And those two disappeared again!" Mr. Nine added.

"But that girl, how was she able to stop those bullets?" Ms. Wednesday asked.

"It matters not how that girl stopped those bullets! Just kill them! They're just a swordsman and a devil fruit user!" Mr. Eight ordered them.

The 'vanish' effect wore off again, revealing Zoro behind the guy with his sword through his curly hair. As for me, I was in the center of a group of Heartless.

'Xion,' came Voice's voice. 'Those Heartless are Soldiers. They are slightly stronger than the Shadows, but aren't that much of a challenge. You just have to avoid or block their claws and their kicks.'

'Got it, Voice,' I mentally responded.

"There they are!" shouted more snipers, as they pointed their guns at Zoro and the Soldiers prepared to attack me. They all went for a claw attack or a spin attack. However, I'm prepared for a group attack like this.

"Round Blitz!" I shouted, performing a spin attack when they got close enough, blowing them away. "You want me, come and get me," I then provoked. Those words, not only had all the Soldiers to come after me, but some of the bounty hunters as well.

*PRESENT*

'Oh, yeah, I provoked them,' I said to myself. I continued to run until we got away from Zoro and the other hunters. When we all got to the dock, I skid to a stop and turned to face them. 'This should be far enough.'

"What's wrong? Admitting defeat?" a bounty hunter wearing a beanie asked.

"Who said that I am?" I asked back. "I was just getting started. Summon: Majik Lapin, Ryu Dragon, Komory Bat, Fin Fatale!" All my Dream Eaters were released from their cards, surprising the hunters.

"Wh-what are those things?!" "Animals?!" "But their size and colors are off! And there's a dragon!" "Who cares?! We have back up of our own!" At that point, the shock were replaced with confidence.

"Sorry to say, but these guys aren't going to be easy to defeat. And neither am I," I warned, as they all charge at us with their swords.

Unfortunately for them, they were all defeated by Lapin's magic tricks, Wyvern's fire attacks, Fang's screeches and Torpedo's water blast. As for the Soldiers, while my Dream Eaters were handling the hunters, I was having slight difficulty with them. But a couple of spells and some status-effect-attacks were enough to destroy them.

"I tried to warn them," I muttered. "But those guys should be thankful that you didn't do any big damage on them, or they wouldn't live." The Dream Eaters screeched in unison in agreement. "Now then, let's get back to Zoro. He might need some back up." 'And that Ms. Wednesday, why can't I shake off this uneasy feeling about her? I know I've seen her face before. But where?' "Well, at any case, let's just head over to his side. You all deserve some rest. Get back in the cards." With that, my partners went back in and I dashed over to Zoro's side.

I arrived there just in time to see Zoro get hit by Ms. Monday. Some then appeared as her fist made contact with his face it made me worry a little. A punch like that would kill a normal person. And since Zoro isn't really consider normal, there's a possibility that he survived from that punch.

"What a wagh- Ahem! Ma-ma~ What a waste of time. But it looks like he's finished. It's 'The End'," Mr. Eight spoke. He and the other Barowue Works members were going to leave, as I was going to fight them, when they heard a high-pitch scream. We all turned to the source and saw Ms. Monday getting crush in Zoro's hand, literally.

"M-ms. Monday!" Mr. Nine called.

"What happened to all that boasting?" we heard Zoro asked. "Didn't you want a contest of strength? Eh?" After he asked his questions, he seemed to have slightly squeeze Ms. Monday's head, for her body became limp. The swordsman looked down at the remaining members. "Wanna keep going Baroque Works? This fight is a joke. And I see that you're done on your side, Xion."

"Yeah. Those Heartless were easy to beat. As well as those bounty hunters that wanted to take my head," I said, smirking.

"Wha-?!" came the hunters' voice.

"Wh-wh-when did she-?!" Mr. Nine tried to ask.

"Those creatures?!" a bounty hunter asked. "And that guy beat Ms. Monday in a battle of strength!?"

"This can't be!" another hunter exclaimed.

"I got it!" Mr. Eight shouted. "I see. A bounty of 60 million is reasonable for you, girl. And those Marines made a mistake on the other bounty, as well as the information."

"I see," Mr. Nine nodded, regaining his composure. "So that's what's going on. If that swordsman is the one worth B30,000,000 and that girl is the real captain, then it makes perfect sense."

"So that's it," Ms. Wednesday spoke. "I thought it was strange for such a smiley-face kid to be worth B30,000,000, much less a captain."

"If we're talking about strange, it's you," I said, pointing my Keyblade at the blue-haired girl. "I can't help feel like I've seen your face from somewhere. And of what I know, the only person I've met from Baroque Works is your boss' assistant. Which would mean that I've seen your face before you joined the organization." Hearing those information from my mouth made Ms. Wednesday and Mr. Eight flinch. "So this whole 'secrecy' thing for your identity is useless, if someone knows who you really are. I don't know where I've seen your face, but I do know that you're important. In what way, I don't really know."

As soon as I finish my little speech, Mr. Eight took out his saxaphone and blew into it. Coming out of it were- BULLETS?! Seeing those come straight at me, I quickly blocked them with Starlight. However, because those came from a musical-like instrument, it caught me off guard and a couple grazed my already scarred cheek and shot my left leg. Even though the shot was painful, I was still standing.

"In a battle, you do not bring up the past," he said. "You say you know Ms. Wednesday? Then why don't you remember what you know about her?"

"I don't feel like telling you why," I said. "Zoro, you handle Mr. Eight and Nine! I'll handle what's left."

"Heh. Sure thing," he agreed.

A moment of silence came and ended by Mr. Eight's intrument-like shotgun, which was aimed at me. "Igarappa!" And out came bullets. Though he should know that I'm not the type to fall for the same attack twice. That said I back-flipped out of the way.

"We strike, Ms. Wednesday!" I heard Mr. Nine say.

"R-right, Mr. Nine!" Ms. Wednesday replied. "You guys, back me up!" she then ordered the remaining bounty hunters. "Come, Carue!" As she called and whistled for Carue, a big, yellow duck with a blue hat and saddle, pink bag and a small barrel with a straw around its neck came. Instead of going to her side, it held out a wing. "NOT 'SHAKE'! I SAID GET OVER HERE!"

'Yes princess,' I heard the duck's thoughts. Wait, PRINCESS?! Why is a princess working for the Baroque Works?!

"You're open!" a hunter shouted, bringing me out of my thoughts. He swung his sword down at me, having me to block it with my Keyblade. Due to that, however, the other two bounty hunters swung their sword down, attempting to cut my head off.

"Binding Strike!" I yelled, as I did a spin attack on those three, pushing them back a little.

"Nice try, but it's going to take a lot more than that to kill us!" a bounty hunter with mohawk-style hair stated, as he and the others charged at me. Or tried to.

"Sorry, but that attack is more than a spin attack," I told them. "Hope you enjoy staying in one spot, even though you can move."

"Wait, what?!" "You can't be serious!" "How long are we going to be like this?!"

"Until something hits you," I answered. "But man, I wish people like you can be more of a challenge." I was going to walk away when I felt my left leg sting due to the bullet.

"A more challenging person? That would be me, then," came Ms. Wednesday's voice. I turned to her and see the princess standing on the oversize duck. "Be prepared, Starlight Blade!"

"Look, I don't want to hurt you," I told her. 'If what that duck said is serious, I have to avoid hurting her.'

"Hmph. Wish I could say the same. Especially in your condition," the princess said. "I hope you're ready."

"Yeah! Get her, Ms. Wednesday!" "Teach that girl a lesson!"

"Now then... Enjoy the sensuous fragrance of my perfume," said the princess, as she got into a stance and revealed to me a bottle of perfume in on of her hands. "Miwaku no Kosui Dance." As she dance a little, she sprayed some of the perfume.

Like the first time, I shouldn't let my guard down. Why? Because my body felt funny when I breathed in some of the perfume. In fact my body felt a little numb and the perfume made me fell on my knees. It's not just me; the three bounty hunters also fell on their knees.

"What's that perfume?" I demanded.

"Just some special perfume that allows my opponent to be unable to move and helpless to defend from any attacks," the princess answered, taking out a small weapon, attached to a string. "Let's go, Carue! Kujakki Slasher!" The duck, now known as Carue, charged at me, with the princess riding it.

"You know what I see?" I began to ask. "A soon-to-be roast duck. Fire Surge!" I was suddenly revolved in rings of fire and charged myself at the princess and the duck. Because of the appearance, the duck skid to a stop and ran off at a random direction. Even Ms. Wednesday is freaked out by this.

"Run Carue! She's not normal! She's a devil!" she yelled.

'I KNOW! I KNOW! I KNOW!' the duck quaked.

"What kind of princess makes an insults?!" I questioned.

Ms. Wednesday looked back at me with a questioned look. Before she could say anything, the duck crashed into a wall, having her to hit her head on the same wall and faint. I skid to a stop and had the fire to die down before I went on my knees.

"Maybe I overdid it with the flames," I thought out loud, breathing heavily due to the pain on my left leg. "Well, at least she'll be okay and out of trouble. Now to see what's going on with Zoro. But first, I need to get the bullet out." As soon as I said that, a human-like figure was flying towards me. Using my instinct, I rolled to my right and have him crash into a wall and slide down on the princess.

'Well, judging from Mr. Nine's condition, Zoro seems to be doing fine with him and Mr. Eight,' I told myself. 'Still, should I just leave or should I bring the princess with me? There has to be a reason for her to join the Baroque Works. So maybe...' "Then again, I can't be too sure. Some pets are a bit too loyal to their owner. Well, I should just meet up with Zoro for now. I'll worry about the bullet later." That said, I ran to the direction where Mr. Nine came from, limping a little.

*GENERAL'S P.O.V*

Meanwhile, in an alley near Xion's battle, a mysterious man in black was observing the whole thing.

"So it's true," he said. "The puppet is still alive. But how is that possible? Last I heard from Siax, she was long gone. Then again, Lord Xemnas did say that he wants us to investigate this world and find a familiar member of the organization? He even went through all the trouble to make an alliance with the Marines. But, how can I be sure that it's her that he wants? Lord Xemnas didn't say who the member is. Still, from our Dusks' reports, it may be possible."

As the figure was talking to himself about the situation, Xion suddenly stopped running. He noticed this and went further into the alley when she turned to his way.

"I'll RTC(Return to the Castle) for now," he muttered. "I hope we meet again, if possible."

*XION'S P.O.V*

"That's strange," I thought out loud. "I could've sworn I felt someone's presence. Must've imagined it." Letting that feeling slide, I continued my search for Zoro. When I was about to continue my search, something exploded several meters from where I am along with some screams. And I was about to run straight to it. Out of caution, I hid in a near-by alley, behind some boxes.

"How pathetic can you get?" came a male voice. "Losing to two pirates."

"Mr. Five! Ms. Valentine!" followed Mr. Eight's voice. And since when did he get here?

"Are you guys kidding or what?" the male, Mr. Five asked.

"Hahaha! This is plain evidence of why our status is higher," an confident female voice laughed.

"Did you come here to just laugh at us?" Mr. Eight asked.

"Well, that too."

"Hahaha! Of course we have a mission as well." Gee, Ms. Valentine is quite giggly, isn't she?

"Heheh... Thanks... Those two wouldn't stand a chance with you guys backing us up!" Mr. Nine exclaimed.

"That's right!" Ms. Wednesday agreed. "Please. Hurry up and take care of them."

"Quit the lame jokes..." Mr. Five said. "You want us to 'back you up'?"

"You think we came all the way to this end of the Grand Line for that?" Ms. Valentine asked.

'Aren't they allies?' I wondered, confused of why those two wouldn't provide back-up if they were on the same side.

"What? Then what kind of mission are-" Mr. Nine asked, when Mr. Five interrupted him.

"I think you have an idea. There are criminals here that merit the boss dispatching us directly. The boss' exact words were, 'Someone knows my secret.' Just what that secret is of course, even I don't know. But, our organization's primary directive is 'Secrecy'. Therefore we do not tolerate any kind of investigation into the identity of our members. And if anyone learned anything about the boss' secret, naturally, they would have to be eliminated."

'All for knowing someone's secret?!' I mentally asked.

"So, we thoroughly investigated which persons could have found out the boss' secret," Ms. Valentine continued. "And what a surprise! We discovered that important members of a certain Kingdom had infiltrated Baroque Works!"

"A certain kingdom?" I whispered. My eyes then widen when I finally remember who Ms. Wednesday really is as well as her home country.

"A certain kingdom...?" Mr. Nine repeated. "Wa- Wait a minute! I may be wearing a crown, but I'm not a real king! It's just my style!"

'No one said that it is you,' I mentally said, sweat-dropping.

"We never meant you!" Ms. Valentine corrected.

"The infiltrator is none other than the Kingdom of Arabasta currently missing..." Mr. Five was about to announce, if Mr. Eight didn't interrupt him by shooting some guns... FROM HIS HAIR!? Or to be exact, the curls.

"You won't lay a finger on the princess!" he yelled. "On my name as Captain of the Arabasta Royal Guards, you won't!"

"Igaram!" Ms. Wednesday cried.

Ahh! If Vivi is a princess, then what have I done?! Oh wait. I didn't do that much damage on her. But I did yell at her and gave her the cold shoulders! AHHH! Then again, I didn't know that she was a princess in the first place.

"Captain of the Arabasta Royal Guards, Igaram," Mr. Five continued. By the sounds of it, he's unaffected by the bullets. Which would mean only one thing... "And Princess Nefertari Vivi. By the order of the Boss of Baruque Works, you are both to be eliminated."

Oh dear. Knowing that the princess is in danger is making me feel tingly. In fact this tingliness is a warning of my bad habit. Guess it can't be helped. I have no choice but to go with it then. Even if it kills me, I'll do whatever I can to protect Princess Vivi.