Disclaimer: I Do Not Own One Piece or Axe

Chapter 32: Captain or First Mate

"One spot left?!" Axe and Aro shouted together.

"It's a spot for two people, so only one TEAM spot left. As you can see, you four got here at once."

Aro felt her ears twitch. "But... we were here first!" It was true. She and Axe had been standing in line for nearly three hours to get in. The registration was short, and kept them moving at a crawl, but no one had to stop. The only people left were Axe, herself, and two guys who were too buff to cross their arms.

"Sense when does 'first' or 'last' matter to us?" Someone said with a laugh to Aro. She frowned at them.

"What, are you suggesting we fight?"

"First one out loses."

"Deal!" Aro turned to him.

She blinked as Axe hit him on the head. The man's body folded and lay in a heap on the ground. Axe smiled as he spoke; "We win. Ok, let us in."

"Um… I guess that works." The guy motioned them inside, "Names?"

"Axe."

"Aro!"

"No, your pirate names…" the man said with a sigh.

Both stopped and looked at him. "Pirate name?"

"Yes, your Pirate names."

"Axe."

"Real name?"

"Axe."

"Why are they the same?"

"Because, I'm just Axe."

"I can't register you as just Axe."

"Ok, the one and ONLY Axe?"

"Not gonna work pal,"

"Okay... how about, The Axe Who Shove a blade through my head for wasting my time?"

"...Welcome, Axe..." Aro choked a laugh as she kept walking, "And her?" This got her to stop and turn.

"Just put me as Aro?" I really don't need to add to the name…

"No."

"Please?"

"She's Oni."

"Thanks, Axe…"

"Oni of the Sea?" The man asked, jaw dropping. Aro grabbed Axe by the front of his shirt and pulled him into the entrance of a tall and wide square building.

"Thanks a lot."

"For what? All I did was tell him you're Oni."

"Exactly. I don't want anything else on the name."

"You've got to be kidding… why?"

"I'm not Oni anymore. I'm just Aro."

"Why?"

"New crew, new name, what about—WHOA!!!"

"HOLY—!"

Aro and Axe stood at the top of a marble staircase that led to a large mob of people. The people were reading over things, discussing plans, and a few still fighting. The walls had large, long, and detailed scroll-paintings of the grand line, but no paths. At the far end of the room was a giant table with multiple plates. "A buffet?" Aro stood on her toes to see.

"I like it here." Axe made his way down the stairs.

"Wah! Axe! Wait!" Aro chased after him, trying to stop him. "Wait! Hold on! Don't you see? No one else is eating!"

"So?" He kept walking, not even bothered by Aro. She turned and put her back against his chest and tried to push her heels into the marble floor, only to be pushed forward.

"You have to wait for the OK to eat!" Aro said, now trying to walk backwards, though to no avail.

"Wait? Why? There isn't enough to go around."

"There's plenty!"

"Not with me in the room."

Aro groaned and jumped into the air, putting her feet on the marble table. She held Axe back like this. "You have to wait, Axe…" She muttered. Axe frowned and stepped back. Aro fell to the ground with a loud thud from her board breaking her fall. "… Ow…"

"I hate waiting." He stepped over her and picked up a plate. Aro sighed and slowly rolled over to get up. Someone stood on her back.

"Well, what do we have here… if it isn't Kitty…" Axe turned and looked back. Aro looked up.

She cursed as she stared at Kit and Kat, one foot from each on her back. They were in dark blue skirts and black under-shorts, orange belly-shirts that tied around their necks, black sneakers, and their wires were in small cases on their belts at the small of their backs.

She elbowed her board to push them away. While her board stood up right, she jumped to her feet and glared at them. She grabbed her board and glared. "What are you two doing here? Where's Veldoro and Serisha? How is Robrion alive? Who was that girl he was with in town?"

Axe watched them, "Who are they?"

Aro didn't answer him. Kit and Kat laughed, putting their backs together. "Oh, poor Kitty… Veldoro and Serisha are on their way to the next island already… Robrion is alive from Immi's, the girl he was with, magic. As for us, sir, we are The Serpent."

"Who?" Axe asked. Kit and Kat turned to him, hands in fists.

"The Serpent! THE SERPENT! You have to have heard of us!"

"Um… not ringing any bells." He turned back to fix a plate. Aro grabbed his arm and turned him around.

"No eating." She said, watching Kit and Kat.

"Thank you, one and all, for making it in here! The food, if you all didn't guess, is poisoned for those who are greedy." A voice came from all around

Axe quickly tossed the meat back on the table.

"The real fun is about to begin! Everyone shall pick a number one through nine and then go to the chosen rooms. Then, three of those rooms will be picked at random to continue, and the other rooms get a nice surprise!"

"How come," Aro muttered, "That 'Surprise' sounds a little more cold than it should…" She watched Axe draw the number from the man walking around with a large hat full of folded up paper. Both scrunched up their noses. "Is that a 9…"

"Or a 6?" Axe turned it over.

"2, how fitting…" The twins said as they drew the paper together. "We'll see you later, Aro…" They said as they walked off to the far side of the room. Aro's tail flicked and she hissed quietly after them.

"… never hear you hiss often…"

"Are the rooms that way?" Aro asked someone near by, ignoring Axe and pointing where Kit and Kat went. The guy nodded and then slipped away. "Alright, Axe… 6 or 9?" She turned to him now.

"Well… it doesn't matter, but I guess 6."

"6 it is then!" She grabbed his arm and started to lead him across the room. "I can't stand those two…"

"That's obvious…" Axe sighed.

The two arrived at the doors. Nine evenly cut, evenly spaced, even everything except for the numbers on the door handles sat in a perfect row. Aro looked them over. Axe opened the door and went in. She gave a short squeak and ran after him; sticking close as the smell of mildew, bad water, and some other unmentionable stenches filled the air. She covered her nose, "Smells like a sewer…"

"It is a sewer…"

Aro groaned. "How many times to I have to walk in these things?" The two came to a large opening. People were scattered here and there around a large bowl that held a fire on oil. Aro scrunched up her nose, "Eh… I don't trust that fire…"

"It's not the fire you should be worried about," Axe said as he ran his hands along the wall.

"Ew… how can you touch that thing so easily? Isn't it slimy? " She fell silent as he moved a then coat of slime to show small openings. "What do you think those are?"

"Gas pipes, if you ask me." Axe held the slime for a second, and let it fall to the ground. He wiped his hands on Aro's shoulder. "I think those are for the unlucky ones."

"Apparently so…" Aro put on the glasses Kise gave her and pushed the small button. She frowned. "There are things in the wall…"

"Things? How do you know?" Axe raised an eyebrow at her. She took off the glasses and held them out to Axe. He put them on and recoiled slightly. "What the hell?"

"X-ray, just go with it."

"Right… how did you get these?"

"My shipwright and marksman made them for me… along with a wrench named Jane."

"I'm throwing a bull flag on that last one… They looked like something between spiders and—Their heading for the opening…"

Axe and Aro both grabbed some slime and mashed it on the hole. "They still coming? I don't want my hand there when they come out…"

"No, they stopped…" He sighed and they both slowly let go. The slime hung there, sagging slightly. "All those in favor of moving away from this part of the wall, say I."

"I." They both headed to the bowl in the middle of the room. Axe handed Aro her glasses back once there.

"These people are loaded…" He handed the glasses to Aro. She looked around. Everyone had at least one sword, one gun, and a leather satchel.

"Stereo types…" Aro muttered, putting the glasses away. She glanced up and blinked. "Um… are those spikes?"

Axe looked up as well and cursed under his breath. "If the bugs don't get us, the points will… what a twisted competition…"

"You can say that again…" Aro looked at the few people in the room. "Think everyone just went to nine?"

"It might have been a wise choice."

"I don't want to be in 6 any more…"

"Too late to change your mind now." The slam of a door echoed in the room. Aro swallowed.

"Great…" Aro sighed and looked at the fire. It smelled bad. Not the normal bad of oil, as if something else was in the bowl. "How do we know if we get to continue or not?"

A grinding came from the walls and everyone went silent and started to look around. Aro put the shades on and pushed the button again to activate heat vision. She turned from the fire and looked along the roof. "Um… we got signs of friction…" She pushed the button twice to get back to the regular mode. She gave silent thanks that Kise gave her more of a break down the night before of these things. She flipped a switch on the other side and the lens retracted into the side. A different shade of lens came out. She pushed the button again to activate a binocular version. She zoomed into the crack of the wall. "Ceiling's coming down." She pushed the button three more times and flipped the switch back to have them be back to the normal mode.

"… I think I want a pair of those…"

"Now is not the time, Axe… We lost. The slime is coming off. We have to find a way out of here."

Author's Note: Yeah, more cheep cliffhangers… this chapter was lots of talking and little action, but I have more planned for next chapter! I promise. You also get to find out what all those shades can do! D