Straight Forward

Chapter 10: Pearl of Memory

Sanji was interrupted from putting plates away right after breakfast by Zoro's voice echoing over the Sunny's PA system. "Hey. There's a ship coming." Shiloh, who was wiping the table, turned to look at him with curious eyes.

"Is that good or bad?"

Carefully closing the cabinet, Sanji shrugged and began walking towards the door, gesturing for the redhead to follow. "Don't know. Guess we'll find out." The pair walked out on the deck to find the whole crew except Nami already there. "Where's Nami-san?"

Before anyone could answer, the navigator appeared from the upper deck and called, "Shy, will you go into the observation room and make a copy of the map on the desk?"

Shiloh looked up at Sanji before turning to Nami and replied, "Sure."

As she disappeared towards the upper deck, Nami took her spot beside the cook who asked, "Is that alright with you?"

Nami shrugged. "She's done it for me before and she does a good enough job. We'll call her if we need her. But I'm sure the rest of us will be more than enough if there's trouble."

The two of them made their way to the center of the deck where everyone stood. Luffy whistled. "That's one fancy looking ship."

Sanji had to agree. Following in their wake was the most elegant ship he'd ever seen. It was about as long as the Sunny but much more sleek, with white panels and gold trim, multiple maroon sails blowing gently in the wind. The figurehead was that of a young woman wearing a flower crown. Noting the absence of a jolly roger, Sanji figured it was probably a sailing vessel, not a pirate ship. It didn't look like anything that belonged to the marines either.

"Doesn't look too dangerous," Usopp said, relief in his voice.

"A lot of things that don't look dangerous are dangerous," Zoro warned. "Don't let your guard down just yet."

As the ship became level with the Sunny, they heard a cheery voice calling, "Hello! Excuse me! Would you happen to be the Straw Hat Pirates?" The voice had come from the man standing at the helm. Fair in complexion with long, dark, wavy hair, he almost looked like a storybook prince in his white suit and maroon tie. In short, he was a beautiful man.

"Yeah," Luffy confirmed before a word could be said otherwise. "Who are you?"

The man bowed and sent them a toothy smile. "My name is Cyrus Scrawly. I'm from an island called Maroon Marble." Sanji's brows rose in surprise. That was the same island Shiloh was from. "You see, I work in the… entertainment industry and one of my girls has gone missing. A little bird told me they saw her in your company." His tone was light and conversational, gentlemanly and cordial with a theatrical quality. Despite that, there was a look in his grey eyes that made Sanji's skin crawl. "Do you by any chance know a girl named Crimson?"

Luffy frowned and crossed his arms, looking up in thought. "No," he replied after a minute. "We don't know anyone named Crimson."

"Hmm," Scrawl said pensively in that same too sweet voice. "She may have given you a different name. She's good at trickery, you know!" Sanji could feel the tension from the crew growing around him. Something wasn't right. "Let me describe her for you. It may jog your memory. My dear little Crimson is very petite but very flexible. She's my best contortionist! The girl has many, many fans back home. And just like her name suggest, she has beautiful red hair."

"Oh," Luffy replied. "You must mean Shy." Sanji sent the captain a glare. Couldn't he tell that this man was creepy?

Scrawly's eyes widened before he cleared his throat and resumed his friendly disposition. "Would you happen to know where she is? I need to bring her back home." Sanji's brows pushed together as he frowned. There was no reason not to trust this odd man, but something in his gut told him not to. But was it possible that Shy had deceived them this whole time? Had she even given them her real name?

The captain didn't seem to share his suspicions because he said to Scrawly, "She's here with us."

"Ah, wonderful!" The feminine man exclaimed. "Would you mind if I came aboard to collect her?"

"You're not taking her anywhere," Zoro growled.

"Hold on," Franky broke in. "Think about this calmly." He turned to Luffy and the others and said quietly, "Let's just let him talk to Shy. If she's really been lying to us, we can just send her with him."

Luffy frowned. "But I promised her we'd take her to Shanks!"

Sanji shook his head, not wanting to believe the words that came out of his mouth but saying them anyway, "Luffy, if she's been tricking us then she probably lied about being Shank's kid."

The captain's face darkened. "Do you think she lied?"

The cook sighed. "I hope not. But the best liars are the ones who can convince anyone of anything." He snuck a glance at Zoro, who simply stood with his arms crossed, an emotionless expression on his face.

"If she hasn't lied," Franky continued, "Then we let her decide if she wants to stay or go."

"She can't have been lying to us this whole time…right?" Chopper asked sadly.

Nami let out a groan. "What good would that do her? It's not for treasure; nothing's been stolen. It can't be for notoriety; she never once asked to join the crew. It can't be for revenge or our bounties; she hasn't tried to kill any of us."

"She threw a knife at me in the kitchen."

They all turned to stare at the swordsman. Sanji felt a horrible sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. Could her intention really have been to kill Zoro? He remembered the sweet little blush on her face and just couldn't believe it. Yet, something was preventing him from ruling the possibility out completely.

Robin took a breath and gave them all a meaningful look. "Let's figure this all out then."

Luffy turned back to Scrawly and said, "You can come aboard, but you have to stay on the deck where we can see you."

"I give you my word," Scrawly said with a hand over his heart, "I'm not looking for a fight. I just want my girl back." Sanji saw Zoro visibly stiffen at the man's words.

Nami sighed and said, "I'll get her," as she walked away towards the observation room.

As Scrawly climbed onto the Sunny, Sanji couldn't help but feel the need to kick him right back overboard. He didn't like this man. There was a strangeness about him, an eerie air of insincerity that made the cook uneasy. "Has my girl shown you men a good time?"

Sanji's eyes widened. What did he mean by that?

"What?" Zoro asked, eyes hard.

The odd man smiled. "I mean has she charmed any of you? She's good at that. Even the hardest heart will fall to Crimson on her whim. If she wants something, she knows how to get it." He must have felt Zoro's intense glare because Scrawly turned to him immediately and gave him a fake sympathetic smile. "It must be you then, huh?"

Letting out an enraged yell, Zoro began to stomp away, a loud "Damn it!" echoing through the deck. Sanji closed his eyes and willed himself not to believe Scrawly's words and hoped his hardest that at the end of the day, Zoro wouldn't either. The swordsman sat himself down against the railing on the furthest side of the deck from everyone else.

Nami appeared with Shiloh right beside her. "You wanted to see me Lu-" Sanji saw the smaller woman visibly pale as she saw the man standing on the deck. With a sigh, Nami nudged her, prompting her to go down the stairs and over to Scrawly.

As soon as Shiloh was in front of him, Scrawly smiled softly at her and put a hand on her bowed head. Sanji couldn't help but notice the slight shaking of the redhead's body. "Crimson Kitten, my baby," Scrawl cooed. "You cut your hair. I never said you could cut your hair." Shiloh backed away slowly, eyes still downcast. Scrawly chuckled, but there was no mirth in it. "Oh, darling. Are you scared? You shouldn't be scared. You know I love you." He reached out again but Shiloh took another step back.

"Don't touch me."

The emptiness in her voice made Sanji shudder. It didn't belong to the Shiloh he knew. It was the dark voice of the Shiloh he had found in the galley all those months ago, the Shiloh whose eyes would grow hard lost in thought, the Shiloh who chose words much too carefully.

Scrawly lowered his hand but took a step closer to the redhead, kneeling down to be eye-level as if she were a child. "Crimson-"

"Don't call me that."

He titled his head. Sanji supposed it was meant to be cute but it gave the man an unsettling, doll-like look. "But that's your name, sweetie."

Shiloh finally raised her head, but she stared vacantly past the man rather than at him. "My name is Shiloh."

Scrawly gave a loud, condescending laugh. "Oh, baby. That's the name that worthless woman gave you. You need to go by the name I gave you. You belong to me remember?" When Shiloh didn't respond, he continued in his sickly sweet voice, "Do you want to be worthless? Is that why you ran away? Baby, you know you're nothing without me."

Just when Sanji was about to snap and kick the man into outer space, a rubbery arm came between Scrawly and Shiloh, followed by the rest of the captain. "Don't talk to her like that."

Scrawly's grey eyes stared up at Luffy before he stood and brushed himself off. Taking a breath, he sighed dramatically and said, "Ah, I see she hasn't told you what she does for a living. Otherwise you wouldn't want her here." All eyes were on Scrawly as he advanced on Shiloh and roughly grabbed her face. Sanji, Zoro, and Franky stared towards the man as Robin crossed her arms, ready to attack. But his words froze the entire crew. "This pretty little thing is a woman of the night, a downtown rose, a whore. She uses her contortion skills during shows to attract men during the day, and then fucks them by night. She exchanges her body for money and infrmation," He scanned the shocked crew, a smirk on his lips. "And she does it all for me. Why? Because she's mine. She belongs to me. She loves me." Sanji suddenly remembered the song Shiloh had sung for him in the galley so long ago. A single verse played in his ears, slow and faraway, as if the singer were possessed: "Sailor, touch the roses if you may but there's a heavy price to pay." Scrawly brought his eyes down to the redhead's and leaned in close to her face. "Right? You love me, don't you, Crim?"

Shiloh pushed away roughly. "I don't…" she choked.

Scrawly put a hand over his heart in mock surprise. "My goodness. I didn't teach you to be rude like that, Crimson." He turned once again to the crew. "My apologies. She must have given you so much trouble. If you don't mind, I'll be taking her back home now."

Sanji's heart thundered in his chest. Could the girl really have been trying to manipulate them for information this whole time? He tried to think; how much did Shiloh really know about them? Beside him, Nami stepped forward. "Wait," she demanded. "You said she collects information for you." She glared at the man. "If that's the case, what could you possibly want from us?" Sanji nodded. It was a good question. Perhaps Scrawly had hidden, harmful intentions towards the crew.

The dark haired man looked abashed, though it lacked any true regret. "I want nothing from you." He paused and gestured towards the redhead. "But… I didn't want to tell you this but Crimson probably intended to collect your bounties." Nami's eyes widened. Sanji felt her stiffen beside him. "She probably would have sold you out to the marines if she had the chance." Sanji could feel the color draining from his face. Was that why she had fought the bounty hunters at the bathhouse, to get rid of her competition? '"You see," Scrawly continued, "She's been trying to get her hands on something very expensive for the past two years." He reached into his pocket and pulled out what seemed to be a large white pearl. Sanji noticed Shiloh's eyes immediately focus on the object. "This is a special pearl we manufacture back home. We call them Pearls of Memory. They're quite pricey and my girls don't earn enough to be able to purchase one. In fact, common folk would probably never be able to afford them." He returned the little orb back to his pocket and clapped his hands together. "Now, if you wouldn't mind, I shall take what's mine and be on my way." With a smile, he advanced towards Shiloh again, but the girl wouldn't go near him.

"I'm not going," she stated flatly.

"Oh, don't be difficult, my love," Scrawly said airily. "You know you don't have a choice. I own you, remember?"

Suddenly, despite all his doubts, Sanji found himself by Shiloh's side. His feet had moved on their own accord. He noticed Zoro standing at the girl's other side and Luffy in front. "I don't really get what you're talking about," the captain said, "But I don't like you. You're not taking her if she doesn't want to go."

Scrawly let out another dramatic sigh. "That won't do." He nodded towards Shiloh. "You see, Crimson signed a contract. I am a businessman and she's part of my property." Zoro's hand flew to the hilt of his swords at the man's words. "If you don't hand her over quietly, I may have to call the authorities."

"Go ahead," Luffy challenged. "It's been a while since we've had a good fight anyway!"

"Hold on," Nami broke in, her eyes cold. "You call yourself a businessman, right?"

Scrawly nodded and sent the navigator a wink, "That's right, lovely lady."

A disgusted scowl forming at the endearment, Nami continued, "And you consider this girl property? Something that you own?"

"That is correct."

"Well then," A pen and paper suddenly appeared in Nami's hands, the orange-haired woman writing furiously. "Room and board, travelling expenses, food consumption, special preparation in consideration of her allergy, miscellaneous expenses…" She finished with a flourish of the pen, and handed Scrawly the paper. "That is how much you owe us for taking care of her." For the first time since they met him, Scrawly's smile faltered. "Or you can give us her contract and I'll consider your debt paid."

The silence that fell over the entire ship pushed at Sanji's eardrums, causing him to hear his own pulse. He tensed up his leg, ready to strike if Scrawly decided to make a move. After a few painfully still minutes the dark haired man took a breath. "I suppose," he breathed, "Since I don't have that much on me at the moment, I'll have to leave her in your care." His smile returned, seemingly more crooked than before. "Though I don't really know what use she'd be to you. Without me finding her work, she's useless. What a waste and such a shame," he sighed. He advanced towards Shiloh who had returned her eyes to the ground. Leaning down he spoke quietly into her ear, but Sanji still heard every word. "Don't get too comfortable, Crimson Kitten. Being mine is the only life you know. Once these 'friends' of yours see who you are and what you've done, they won't want you anymore and you'll come running back. They. Always. Come. Back." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the glistening pearl from before and to Sanji's surprise, brought it to Shiloh's lips. "Here. A parting gift. What you've always wanted." With a chuckle, he pushed it into Shiloh's mouth. "Don't forget to share." Backing away and turning to Nami, he said, "Allow me to get her contract from my ship." The navigator nodded, her face set in an emotionless mask.

As Scrawly disappeared onto his own ship, the crew's eyes were all on Shiloh. Sanji could tell there were many questions to be asked, but no one dared say a word. There was mistrust in the air, tinged with disbelief and a splash of betrayal, the perfect recipe for absolute disaster. The girl merely avoided their questioning gaze, preferring to stare blankly ahead.

Scrawly returned with a small black chest and a piece of paper. He handed Nami the paper, which she unrolled and read quickly. Sanji saw her eyes narrow in anger before she folded it hastily and shoved it in her pocket. "And here's this," he said as he placed the chest on the ground.

"What is it?" The navigator asked suspiciously.

Scrawly smiled. "The last of Crimson's belongings. I got rid of most of her garbage but some of it was worth enough to keep. You buy the girl, you get all the trash that comes along with her." Sanji was just itching to kick the long-haired man in the face. No decent man spoke of a woman in such a degrading fashion, no matter the circumstance.

"Usopp," Nami called. "Open the chest and makes sure it's not a bomb."

The sniper paled. "What?! Why me?!"

"Just do it!"

He did so, sweat drops running down his entire body as his knees knocked together. Lifting the lid, he let out a scream that made everyone go into their attack stances, but then Usopp sighed and said, "It's just stuff. Not a bomb."

"DON'T SCREAM LIKE THAT THEN!" Sanji, Nami, and Chopper all yelled.

Scrawly let out a chuckle before clapping his hands together. "Well then, I guess we're done here." He sent an eerie, waxy smile towards Shiloh. "I'll see you later, Crimson. Count on it." He turned to Luffy and bowed, sending the rest of the crew a grandiose wave, and stepped off the Sunny, back to his own ship.

Sanji barely had time to process what had just happened when Shiloh yelped. He turned to find the girl constricted by multiple arms, Robin standing in front of her, blue eyes icy and harsh. One of the hands advanced towards Shiloh's face. "Spit it out," she demanded, her voice cold and emotionless.

Shiloh shook her head, eyes wide. "No!" She exclaimed. "I can't. If you take it out now, it'll be ruined!"

The black haired woman frowned. "What do you mean?"

Shiloh pushed the pearl into her cheek with her tongue before answering quietly, "These pearls absorb the memories of whoever's mouth they're in." Robin's eyes widened. "I don't exactly know how it works, but they absorb the synapses in the brain that carries memories. It's some sort of special electrical impulse or something."

"So if we allow you to keep it in your mouth…"

Shiloh bowed her head. "It'll show you everything." Amber eyes met Sanji's before looking away. "I'm not proud of a lot of things I've done. But I haven't lied to you. It's true, for awhile I wanted to get my hands on one of these, but I never wanted your bounties."

"Then why didn't you say something?" All heads turned to the captain, whose back was to the girl. His voice was low and angry. "He was calling you all kinds of bad names and saying all this nasty stuff about you, and you just stood there and took it." He stalked over to her and grabbed her shoulders as Robin's arms fell away. "Why?!" He demanded. "Why did you let him do that to you, Shiloh?! If you're not a liar, why did you let him treat you like one?!" Shiloh said nothing. Luffy let go of her shoulders and brought his head down, his hat hiding his eyes. His voice was quiet, shaking with anger. "He said you were nothing." Sanji noticed Shiloh wince at the words. "He called you worthless, and you just let him." Luffy suddenly raised his head, eyes burning with rage. "Why?!" He screamed. "Why didn't you tell him he was wrong?!"

Robin's calm voice suddenly echoed in everyone's ears. "Is it because you believe him?" All eyes turned to the redhead, who had grit her teeth and clenched her hands into fists. Sanji saw a familiar spark in her eyes. It only intensified as Luffy grabbed her again.

"IS THAT WHAT YOU THINK?!" The captain bellowed. "YOU THINK YOU'RE WORTHLESS?!"

A strange tremor went through Sanji's body as the girl lifted her chin, almost in defiance. A moment ago he was wondering if they really knew who this girl was. That look, that one, determined look in her eyes, that look that spoke of hardship that had been overcome told him exactly who she was; she was one of them: a survivor. "I'm not a quitter." Her words from her very first month with them echoed in his thoughts. They were no different. Every single one of them had suffered in the past. There were monsters that occasionally kept them up at night, chewed on their ankles and tried to hold them back. But he and his nakama held the same light, the same will in their eyes that he was seeing in Shiloh's. They all had goals and hopes and dreams that they would never give up under any circumstance.

"I am not worthless." Shiloh stated firmly. "I may have made some really bad choices, I may have slept with hundreds of men to gain information for an even more disgusting man, I may have been selfish, and I may have signed my freedom away thinking it would make my life better." She looked into Luffy's eyes. "I may have been a whore…but I am not worthless."

Luffy took a breath and released his grip. "Why didn't you tell him that?"

Shiloh looked off into the ocean with a disdainful frown. "Because Cyrus Scrawly is a vile, disgusting man. I don't need to prove anything to him." She took a breath and slowly closed her eyes. When she opened them, the look she gave was soft, exactly like the ones she always gave them. This was the Shiloh they knew. "I'm sorry about all this. Give me a chance to show you why…" She paused, suddenly looking to Sanji. "…Why I didn't tell you everything from the very beginning."

For the first time in a long time, the Straw Hat Pirates gathered together at the dining room table for something other than a meal. Sanji had set out some snacks, but only Luffy seemed to have an appetite. The rest of them sat in an awkward silence, waiting for someone to break the tension. Sanji glanced around, taking in the faces of the crew. Robin and Nami looked passive, thought he could see the stiffness in their posture. Chopper, Usopp, and Brook looked sad, slouched in their seats. Franky looked lost in thought as he stared up at the ceiling. Zoro sat with his arms crossed, his head turned away from the cook. Luffy was eating.

Sanji took a breath. "How long did she say that thing would take?"

"Two hours," Robin answered. "So it should be ready soon."

He had told Shiloh to just come in and sit with them, but the girl had insisted that the pearl would absorb her memories faster if she were alone with no distractions. Before Robin had joined them in the galley, she had spoken with Shiloh privately to better understand they way the Pearl of Memory worked.

"Can't memories be manipulated?" Nami had asked suspiciously.

"Perception can," Robin answered. "But in this case, I don't think the absorbed memories will be altered. Shiloh said that the pearls only take in the synapses that carry visual information from the brain, not any that process emotion."

"Sounds complicated," Luffy broke in through a mouthful of food.

"The brain is complicated," Chopper groaned as he let his forehead meet the table. "And the concept of memories even more so. Ugh, it's all just so confusing!" A murmur of agreement swept through the crew. Chopper turned his head, sad eyes landing on Zoro. "You don't think Shiloh really was just waiting to collect our bounties, do you?"

The swordsman stiffened, but before he could answer the captain stood up, cheeks still full. "Definitely not! She's a good person!"

Encouraged by Luffy's words, Chopper turned to Sanji with stars in his eyes. "Luffy's right! There's no way she would do that! She's our friend, right, Sanji?"

The cook managed a small smile and a nod. She was, right? He had shared many moments with Shiloh and witnessed even more, especially with Zoro. The girl they had come to know was gentle and silly, friendly and honest. The smile slowly dropped off his face. Was she honest? The image of blank amber eyes floated across his vision. He blinked and it disappeared, replaced instead by the scar that ran down her back. Sanji shook his head and suddenly remembered the hidden knives he had seen in her boots and the one she had thrown at Zoro. They hadn't found weapons on her when she first joined them, so where had they come from? He shuddered at the unknowns, wishing he had simply never seen them to begin with. Mistrusting someone he considered a friend left a bitter taste in his mouth.

"Friend nor not, you don't hide things from people who are doing you a favor."

All heads turned to Zoro, who had faced them all with an angry glare. Chopper's face fell back into a sad frown, ears drooping. "That's true…"

Usopp raised his hand and suggested, "Maybe she had a good reason?"

The swordsman turned to him with a scowl. "Like what?"

"Like…" The sniper looked up in thought, a finger under his chin. "Like maybe she's actually the princess of a kingdom full of tiny birds and she was too embarrassed to tell us because being a the ruler of birds is kind of lame, especially if you can't even fly!"

"Oooh, yes," Brook interjected. "I'd surely be embarrassed if I couldn't even relate to anyone in my kingdom."

"Shut up!" Zoro yelled. "You two are being so stupid!"

Normally, Sanji would have threatened to kick the swordsman's ass for being so mean when the two other crewmembers were just trying to lighten the mood, but since he knew the reason for Zoro's anger, he merely sighed and said, "Calm down, Marimo. Usopp's probably right. Not about the bird thing," he added when Zoro turned an incredulous eye on him. "But there's probably a reason she's kept things from us. Everyone has a right to privacy and all that."

"As long as it doesn't endanger others," Nami reminded him.

Luffy laughed. "I can't imagine Shiloh ever being a danger to us. If she even tried anything, someone could just sit on her." The others stared at him blankly. "You know," he tried to explain, "Because she's so small."

Zoro groaned and let his head fall into his hands. "We get it," he grumbled.

The captain's expression became a bit more serious, though a smile was still on his face. "Listen guys, Shiloh's been with us for almost half a year. She's fun and I like her. I made a promise to bring her to Shanks and I'm gonna do it, no matter what. Let's let her stay."

Sanji chuckled. It was times like these he was glad Luffy was their captain. He always had the ability to turn even the most somber moment into something bright and cheerful. His optimism was contagious. Nami sighed, but Sanji could see a smile in her eyes. "Fine. She can stay, unless the memories reveal she's a marine or a bounty hunter. Got it?"

Luffy began to cheer, prompting Chopper, Usopp, and Brook to join in. Robin laughed quietly as Sanji's eyes turned into hearts. "Nami-swan," he cooed, his whole body becoming noodle-like, "I love it when you take charge!"

Nami suddenly looked up, as if a thought had struck her. He barely heard what she said over the others' ruckus. "Nearly half a year, huh? Weren't we at the bathhouse around two months ago?"

Sanji wondered why she was thinking about that of all things when suddenly he heard Shiloh's voice in his head, echoing as it did in the steam filled bath. "I'll be twenty in a few months." Just as his jaw dropped open in realization as, Nami asked, "Did we miss her birthday?"

The cook smacked himself on the forehead. Shiloh hadn't mentioned anything about it. He didn't even know when the exact day was. "Shit." Lowering his hand he let out a sigh. Oh well, he thought. If she hadn't said anything then she probably hadn't wanted to celebrate. He frowned to himself at the notion. Why not?

A knock on the galley door silenced them once again. Shiloh peeked in looking nervous and asked, "Can I come in?" Sanji nodded and gestured for her to sit down. The girl placed herself as far as possible form Zoro who avoided her eyes. "It's done."

Silence met her statement until Luffy asked, "How can you tell?" Shiloh took a deep breath before slowly opening her mouth, revealing the pearl sitting on her tongue. However, it looked nothing like the pretty white specimen they had seen before. The small orb was no longer milky white, but a deep blood red. Sanji thought he could see it pulsating just a tiny bit and nearly gagged. It reminded him of a tiny little heart. He wouldn't want something like that in his mouth. Luffy frowned. "Uh, okay. So how does this work? How do we get the memories out?"

Shiloh closed her mouth and shifted the pearl into her cheek to speak. "You don't. You're going in." She pointed to her own temple at the confused looks they gave her. "The memories follow a current, which also flows in every living person. It's the biological electrical impulse that keeps us alive. The only thing we have to do is hold hands."

"We need to make a chain," Robin said, realization in her eyes. "A complete circuit."

"Right," Shiloh nodded. She took another deep breath, shakier than the last. "If at any time you want to leave a memory, all you have to do is let go of whoever's hand you're holding. That does break the circuit though, so everyone else will be ejected too except for the people holding my hands. You're all third party observes to these memories, so you won't see things through my eyes or anything like that. Think of yourself like a fly on the wall or someone in the audience. You'll see everything at the same time but I'm not sure if you'll be able to see or speak to each other.

"Alright!" Luffy suddenly exclaimed. "Let's do this! I'm getting bored." He put his hands out expectantly, glancing around the table in anticipation.

As they began joining hands, Sanji hesitated and turned to Shiloh who had visibly paled. "How do we know that this really works?"

She turned incredibly sad amber eyes on him, sending his heart to his toes. "You're going to have to trust me." And with that, their hands were all connected, completing the circuit. The last thing Sanji heard before his vision turned white was Zoro finally setting his eye on the redhead as two small tears made their way slowly down her cheeks.

A/N

Spoiler: Shiloh really is the ruler of a kingdom of tiny birds. Mostly finches and hummingbirds. Thanks again for all the follows, favorites, and reviews! On to the next chapter where hopefully things make more sense :)