Chapter 19: DON'T OWN ONE PIECE.

I can't believe the amount of views this story 'Tashigi's Heart' has had since I uploaded the 17th chapter. I didn't really think one way or the other about the importance of a chapter name. However, Now I know better... I uploaded Chapter 17 in the late afternoon on Sunday, and today I found that onSunday I had 228 views and visits. WOW! The Chapter was just called Hot Night, and every person who viewed it visited it. That has never happened before. It's so cool!

YES!

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Tashigi's Heart: Ace and the Masked Baroque Works.

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I didn't find Zoro in the end, but I heard Captain Smoker and a few members of the other squads saw the entire crew. They said they had about seven members, including the Captain Monkey D. Luffy. There was a lot of talk about a mystery man helping with the Strawhats escape. And after I had asked around a few others I found out the young man's name was Portgas D. Ace, a member of the legendary White Beard Pirates and its' second division commander.

"Captain Smoker!" I called out. Captain Smoker was sitting on a wall doing what he does best that was smoking and analysing the situation. "We combed the entire city of Nanahana," I said between puffs of breath, I had been on my feet for an hour running this way and that. "but we were unable to locate Straw Hat Luffy or his crew."

"Do you want to know who I saw with them?" So he wasn't interested in the report. What on earth is he talking about? I waited for him to continue. "Vivi," he stated, "and I was certain it was her too."

"Vivi?" what? No way! "Princess Vivi Nefertari, but what would she be doing with the Straw Hat Pirates?"I had imagined this to be a possibility. But I didn't actually think it would turn out to be real. "Is she a hostage?" Yes, that was probably it. "Could they have kidnapped the Princess hoping to achieve some ulterior motive?"

"I don't that," What did he mean? "Vivi wasn't acting like a victim she was moving freely of her own accord, as if she was a part of the crew."

"The princess... a part of their crew?" Acting like a pirate?

"As I suspected, something is happening in this country. I just wish I knew what it was." he started to look worried. I had never seen him like this.

"Captain Smoker!" The Lieutenant of squad five ran up to us and stood by my side. "I sorry sir, but The Suspect, Mr 11, who was restrained on our ship was shot by an unknown assailant. They managed to get aboard while we were all out searching for the Strawhats, and since we haven't located them yet..."

"It's nothing to panic over, just call off the search." The Captain pushed himself off the ruin of a wall and stood up. "I have a hunch as to where Straw Hat is headed. He's after Crocodile. I'm sure of it."

Okay that confirms it. The Straw hat kid is mad. Talented, but Mad!

"Why Crocodile!? He's one of the pirates approved by the Government. He's one of the Shichibukai (seven warlords of the sea), isn't he?"

"You know I despise the Shichibukai." He paused briefly "And Crocodile is the absolute worst."

I nodded in agreement, but I really didn't have a clue about the seven warlords of the sea. It just was not something I had thought to read or look up on. Crocodile is the worst? "But politically speaking, isn't he an ally of the Government and the Marines."

Smoker carried on, "Crocodile might have the higher ups fooled, but not me. They're delusional if they think they can have him under their control. He was once an extremely clever pirate. His isn't the type of soul that takes orders from any government! Never Has Been!" He shifted a bit and looked me straight in the eye. "There is one thing you need to always remember Tashigi and that is: No matter where a pirate goes he is always a pirate!, and that will never change."

Smoker turned back to look out into the sea. "Straw Hat will appear wherever Crocodile is. So, if we go to where they're headed, things will be revealed when that time comes. There will be no escape for him not this time!"

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A few more hours past as we arranged with the Alabasters a mode of Transportation that would take us to Rainbase, the favourite location of the hero of the desert, Crocodile.

"Captain?" I asked as we were walking down the shore line heading for the apparent new wreckage of a few unknown ships. "This might sound a little out of the blue. But why did such a famous Pirate want to help out the Strawhats?"

"Hum? Which occasion?" He mumbled

"I mean Portgas D. Ace wouldn't have normally stepped out just to defend another Pirate, would he?" Maybe there are some pirates who are more loyal and reliable than I had ever realized. This was the second time Monkey D. Luffy had been saved by his friends at the last moment.

The Captain stopped walking, glanced down the street as if watching to see if anyone was there, and turned towards me. "I'm not sure what to make of it." He pulled out his old cigars from his mouth and snuffed them on a nearby door frame. "From my experience Pirates do not help others who sail under a different flag, but this circumstance was unusual."

"How so?"

"I asked him 'why' he was helping the Straw Hat, and it turns out that he's his brother." Smoker pulled out another two cigars and lit them up immediately.

"His Brother?" So we weren't dealing with one pirate, but a family of pirates. Wait, why did Dragon defend the Straw Hat in LogueTown? What he was related to him too like Ace was?

"Oh, this is terrible." Except for the fact he was saved by his brother. I wish I had a brother. "Captain?" I asked, "Are you going to report this to HQ?'

The Captain looked down at me. "Tashigi you need to keep in mind these are Pirates, and this story could just be another lie designed to create fear where there is no need for it." We carried on walking to the destruction site.

"Wow!" I exclaimed. We had sent out a few squads ahead of us to check out the area and they had. But that still didn't prepare me for the site of wreckage and ship parts, for one mile, covering the coastline. You could barely see the rocky shore for all the splinters of wooden beams and ripped sails. And what was so strange is that some of the pieces that were still relatively whole were still smoking.

"Captain!" One officer called out to the him, "We've ascertained that these ships were destroyed in a massive explosion."

"I can see that myself. Anything more useful than that?"

"Yes sir." The young gulped, "In multiple locations up and down the beach people have found this." He held up a small flag with a white scull on it. It also had two swords that crossed behind the scull and purple wings parallel to each other behind the swords. "I've never seen this symbol before. Captain, do you think this was another pirate group?"

"If it is a Jolly Roger then it's one I've never seen before." I added. This was strange, I mean it was common for pirate groups to have very individual Jolly Rogers, but for one to be found on so many ships and to never be discovered or recognize by any of the Marines before would mean it had to be an organization that had been concealing it's identity. This was not boding well for us.

"Oi! I found a survivor!" Many that had been looking and sorting through items, objects, and moving large pieces of rubble and rubbish stopped what they were doing to gather round the young man who had called out.

"Move it slackers! Get back to work!" Smoker ordered. "I'll talk to them!"

"It's a bashed up woman." called out one.

"How the hell did she survive?" laughed another.

"Excuse me," I wove my way in and out through the crowd of onlookers to get closer. One look was all it took to make me wince in sympathetic pain. They were correct about her looking bashed up. Her left arm had been punctured by splinters of flying debris, her bare waist had been scorched by naked flames, and her forehead was still bleeding small riverbeds down her face into her torn shirt that was barely saving her modesty. "All right everyone! I would like you to move back a bit. Ensign Hanaki?"

"Yes, Sergeant?"

"Please get the medical supplies ready." I held her head steady as she started to flop and bend over. She had been holding onto a large piece of drift wood, but since she had been floated ashore, had started to looked like she was just on the verge of death. Her skin, the places which weren't covered in bruises, blood, or burns, was a deathly white.

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We managed to get her to a safer environment and the medical advisor on our ship had given her his undivided attention. Once she had regained consciousness the Captain told her that the rest of her shipmates were dead and that she was the only survivor. He then proceeded to interrogate her to get information about their attacker and their own purpose. She was surprisingly more than willing to give away the information that seemed to me very valuable.

"What happened to the ships and who did this!" Smoker demanded.

"We,.. were chasing the Straw... hat pirates... when Ace of ..." she seemed to be struggling to breath.

"Go on." the Captain insisted.

"He set himself on fire... and before I knew it... the ships were falling apart... th... were exploding, just flying everywhere... I was blasted off with the mast..." her stomach begin to twitch and she began to make retching noises, which must have really hurt.

"Do you want a glass of water?" I offered. She gave me a brief nod and I got her one. It was one thing to kill a man in the heat of battle it was another to sit aside and just watch as someone slowly dies. I wouldn't allow her to die that way.

"Who are you and who do you work for?" Captain Smoker asked as he held up the one of the items we had found on the beach, it was the Skull, Swords, and Wings flag.

"I'm .. s... one of the... minions... of Baro..." She trailed off for a bit and raised her hand to her head. I wonder if she had got a concussion.

"Listen kid, I've got no time to spare! Who do you work for!?"

"Captain would you mind smoking near the window? I have a feeling that the smoke might be aiding in her difficulty of breathing." I asked. He then pouted and reluctantly moved away to blow the ashes in his breath outside.

I turned back to the very damaged young lady, and placed a small damp cloth over her forehead. "We need to know who your working for. It's our job. Your group got annihilated by this person called Portgas D. Ace, who was aiding the other pirates in their escape. Why were you trying to stop them from leaving?"

She smiled and her eyes focused on the window. "If you … get rid of … a wanted pirate … you show promise, ... and get promoted … there are hundreds … of us."

"Promise for what?" I asked.

"The better … the kills … the better … the name … or number." Number? Was she a part of the same organization that the now dead swordsman was a part of.

"You are a member of a crime organization," I challenged her to disagree, "who uses numbers and code names?"

"Ha-um!" It might have been a laugh if it hadn't hurt her to much to laugh. "Yes," she confirmed.

"What is the name? If you tell me I'll do my best to make sure you survive."

"To late … for that crap." She rolled her eyes and then smiled, "I'm a member … of Baroque Works." She sucked in a sharp breath, and gripped a hold of my hand. For a person in a weak condition she most certainly had a strong grip.

"Thank you, just rest now." I looked at her shoulder. Her blood was already beginning to seep through the bandages. "I'll try to get you some fresh bandages." She wouldn't let go of my hand.

"Don't leave … just yet … I … My name is …"

"Captain!" I called out, but surprisingly no one answered.

"Thank you …" she said. "I'm glad … I'm not … alone..."

Her hand was as cold as ice and within the next few minutes even after the medical doctors came in to help her, she died.

I didn't know her. She didn't even get to tell me her name, but it still felt wrong and saddened me when I saw people die. How could anyone get used to it? That was one flame of life that could never be reborn.

I walked outside, and for the first time I welcomed the heat, it burned away the coldness of death.

"Well?" Captain Smoker came up behind me. "Do you have anything to report Sergeant?"

"Yes," I slowly blinked away the images of death and refocused on our mission. "This Criminal Organization is called the Baroque Works, and they have more than a hundred followers," Look my Captain in the eyes. "who are given the promise of promotion if one of the higher ups dies."

"Hm..." I could almost imagine I could hear the cogs in the Captain's head whirling as he was thinking. "Well that sorts out the mystery of who murdered Mr. 11." he took in another poisonous deep breath. "Right." He turned his back on me and headed towards where there were a few gathered waiting for orders to head into town. "Listen up! Everyone! We are heading to RainBase! You! Go and inform the other units!"

There were some cries for joy and excitement and a few groans of annoyance and complaints about the heat. I just sat back near the docks looking out to sea, while everyone seemed busy moving this way and that. I'll get ready soon, but I just love to watch the sunset. The sky was turning pink and orange. I wonder if the Captain will insist that we travel there during the night, or wait for the next day.

I have often wondered what location suited me best. I don't really feel at home anywhere neither on land nor at sea. I'm searching for something, but I know not what. Is it justice alone? Or is it something else. That young woman would have probably been found guilty of some sort of miner or major crime, but that fact didn't prevent me from feeling and sharing her loneliness.

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A little bit more serious than some of the most recent ones, but it was necessary.

For anyone who would like to comment or chat about the story, give me a review. :D and I'll probably give you an inside scoop on the up coming chapters because I'm a such a nice person.

I do love to hear about peoples' preferences, so if you want to see or read about a certain scene or Character coming up send me a message about what you like most about it. I'm a bit of a geek so I'll probably re-watch both the English dubbed version, Japanese subbed version, and then read the Manga before I write my own story. I don't like getting my facts wrong, so if You notice anything amiss let me know.

:D