Before either could go, though, Penny walked in front of them. "Sorry, but I'm afraid that I can't let you do that. They're a bit…busy, as you can see." She said as she pulled out two of her knives and offered an apologetic smile, though her eyes glinted with excitement.
"You, girl: Want to try and take US on?" Mr. 5 said, genuinely surprised. Penny sighed, and then threw a knife with almost unseen speed at Miss Valentines umbrella. Said umbrella was impaled against a nearby wall and thus, ruined.
"That should just about get rid of - oops!" Penny effortlessly tossed a knife and jumped backward, her aim true as it hit the wad of snot flying towards her.
"Sorry, but I'm better at long distance, too. Guess we'll just have to see who has more of what: you with your buggers, or me with my knives." she smiled wickedly.
"Why you…! I'll show you…!" Miss Valentine screeched before falling over, silent, with a knife glinting from her chest.
"Your assistant isn't very good. How did she get to number five anyways?" The girl asked as she twirled her knifes and threw three of them in quick succession at Mr. 5.
The man was barely able to dodge, though he still found a way to flick snot at her. Penny dodged, making it look easy, and knelt down so the wind from the explosion wouldn't knock her over. She grunted and jumped back some as an aftershock from Luffy and Zoro's fight hit her, then leaped up off the side of a building, kicking off a back flip before landing beside Mr. 5.
She managed to do all this while dodging a bugger.
The girl pulled out two daggers from her boots, and slashed at him, catching his arm. Mr.5 cried out, stumbling backwards. As he did, Penny pulled out another knife, holding one of her previous daggers in her teeth, and threw the newly acquired one at him. He tried to dodge, but failed in doing so, seeing how it still managed to hit him in the stomach.
She glanced behind her, and noticed Nami had arrived, and stopped the fight between Luffy and Zoro. As she jumped forward to slash at the man again, this time for a finishing blow, she grinned a bit to herself. Oh, those two were in SO much trouble.
-
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"Man, Zoro, why didn't you just say so? I thought that you go mad and killed 'em all… Just cause they didn't have your favorite food!"
Penny tried not to snicker at Luffy as he grinned at Zoro happily, the look of a complete moron on the captains' face.
"YOU JERK!! THAT'S WHAT YOU WOULD DO!!" Zoro yelled, and then glanced at Penny and the two dead bodies in the distance.
"I guess you're not such a push over after all." he said as Penny blinked at him. She then looked at the two fallen bodies.
"Oh, that? Well, as long as its long distance combat and I've got my daggers or a knife with me, I can hold my own pretty well. Besides, who the hell said I was a push over?" she asked, seeming a bit annoyed. Did he think because she was a girl that she couldn't fight?
"Shi shi shi shi! I told you Penny-chan was a good fighter!"
"You people! Shut up! That's our offer. We want one billion belli to escort you there safely." Nami yelled at the three, and then turned back to Princess Vivi with her offer.
"You saw how strong these guys are, right? Quite a bargain, don't you think?"
"Impossible." Vivi interrupted, and Nami looked at her surprised. The princess then stated: "You have my gratitude for saving my life. Thank you."
"Why is it impossible? You're a princess, aren't you?!" Nami demanded, hands on her hips. "It's just a measly billion…"
"Do you know of a country named Arabasta?" Vivi asked gently, and Penny was completely surprised by the one-eighty the blue-haired girls' personality did. The rouge liked the change.
"No…" Nami admitted.
"It was a great pillar of civilization. A land of peace. Long ago, that is."
Nami looked at Vivi, an expression of surprise on the navigator's face.
"Long ago? And now?" Penny asked, curious as well.
"It's on the verge of civil war. In recent years, a call for revolution has emerged. The citizens begin committing acts of insurrection… Causing the land to fall into chaos. But one day, I heard the name of a secret organization. Baroque Works!" Her face contorted into rage at the name, and Penny secretly applauded the girls acting up until now if she really was this angry at them.
"I discovered they were responsible for inflicting the rebellion. Aside from this, however, I was unable to get any further information. So I went to Igaram who had looked after me since I was little." Vivi continued explaining.
"The curly haired old man?" Luffy interrupted, and Penny bumped him.
"Shhh!"
"Curly- Yes, that's him. I decided to infiltrate Baroque Works. I thought that if I did, I could find out who was pulling the strings and what his plans were."
"Pretty gutsy for a princess." Zoro said with a smirk. Penny shushed him too, but had to agree.
"So? Did you find out his intentions?"
"The establishment of an ideal nation." Nami declared. The princess gasped and looked at her in shock. "Igaram-san told me earlier. Could it be that…?"
"Yes. He claims that establishing this 'ideal nation' is their purpose. But that's a complete lie. His true intention is to seize the throne of Arabasta! I must hurry to my country and tell my people the truth, and prevent them from joining the insurrections! If this continues…! If this continues….!" The girls' shoulders shook with pent up tears and frustration.
"I see." Nami said in understanding. "So that's what's going on. It finally makes sense now. If you're on the verge of civil war money must be scarce."
Penny inwardly and outwardly rolled her eyes. It was always about money with Nami.
"Oi. Who's the mastermind?" Luffy asked, and the look on his face made the girl feel a bit uncomfortable.
"T-The boss' true identity?! You can't ask me that!"
Pennys' eyebrows raised in curiosity at the blue-haired girls' panicked reaction.
"But you know, right?" Luffy asked, confused.
"Don't ask that! I can't tell you! If I tell you that, they would hunt you down too!"
"Ahahaha. Well, we sure done want that. And of course, trying to take over a whole nation… He must be an incredibly strong guy, right?" Nami asked, a sneaky smile painted on her face.
"Yes. He is. No matter how strong you may be, there's no way you could even hope to touch him. One of the Shichibukai…Crocodile."
At this, the princess looked up, and the crew looked at her. Penny felt a sweat-drop on her head.
Nami was good.
"Who's that?" Luffy asked dumbly while Nami and Penny were frozen in realization of the power they were possibly up against. Vivi gasped, realizing she had let the secret slip.
"You just said it." Zoro said bluntly, not helping at all. Penny and the others looked up, and saw a vulture and otter squatted on the roof above them.
"HEY!!! WHATS WITH THE OTTER AND THE VULTURE?! One of the Shichibukai is gonna be after us now!" Nami screeched as Pennys' knees nearly started shaking in fear. One of the Shichibukai? One of the Shichibukai was going to be after them now?!
"She said 'Shichibukai'!" Luffy said, eyes large and starry.
"Not bad." Zoro responded, a grinning in a way that practically matched his captains'.
"You two! Do you have any idea how serious this is? Crocodile, one of the Shichibukai, is after us!" Penny repeated unnecessarily, and Luffy just laughed while Zoro smirked whilst picked at his nose.
She groaned as Nami cried behind them.
"We're pretty lucky we get to fight one so soon." Zoro commented to Luffy, ignoring the two more sane women.
"I wonder what he's like…" Luffy wondered, same grin as before plastered on his face.
"SHUT UP YOU TWO!!" Nami and Penny screamed simultaneously.
"Though it wasn't for long, it's been nice knowing you all." Nami said suddenly as she started walking off.
"Where are you going?" Luffy called out, obviously confused.
Penny considered for a fleeting moment following the navigator.
"They don't know my face yet, so I'm outta here!"
Nami paused as she saw the otter and vulture sitting in front of her. The otter turned around four pieces of paper, each with a perfect sketch of their faces.
"Ahaha, you're pretty good. NO!! NOW I CANT EVEN RUN AWAY!!"
"That guy's pretty good." Luffy commented, completely ignoring the wailing Nami and the fact she would have abandoned the crew given the chance.
"Just where were you going to run away to, anyway?" Zoro asked, and then grinned. "In any case, the four of us have been added to the Baroque Works death list!"
Luffy laughed. "This is so exciting!"
Penny sighed. "I'm just the musician. Why do I have to get the death penalty?"
"Fear not! I have a plan! Ahem - mah maah maaaah!"
The crew looked up, and Penny cringed at the sight of a cross dressing-Igaram carrying Vivis' clothes.
'Igaram! What are those clothes for?" Vivi asked as she jumped up from where she was trying to comfort Nami, and made her way over to the curly haired man.
"Ossan! You'll fool anyone wearing those clothes!" Luffy said with a laugh, and Penny sweat dropped. He couldn't be serious...
"My god... I'm surrounded by idiots" Nami muttered behind them, and Penny coughed to cover a laugh. Zoro shot her a look, and Penny smiled innocently.
"Vivi-sama, please listen carefully. Baroque Works' information network will soon receive that report. Once they know we are the ones that know the boss' true identity… You understand what will happen, don't you?" As Igaram explained this, Luffy continued to examine his disguise. Penny shook her head with a sigh, and covered her eyes a bit with her hand.
"As many as a thousand hunters could soon be coming after us" Vivi said, her voice not wavering in the least. Penny was impressed at this before she realized what the blue haired princess had said.
A THOUSAND?!
"That is why I have dressed in the manner of the princess. I will depart with these three dummies and travel on a straight course for Arabasta."
"These three dummies are us?" Luffy asked with a slight whine in his voice as he poked at one of the dummies' heads.
"Decoys" Zoro said, a little impressed.
"Once they have begun pursuing me, Vivi-sama and yourselves and depart safely for Arabasta." Igaram finished.
"NOW WAIT JUST A MINUTE!!" Nami yelled and stood up, the last sentence obviously snapping her out of her stupor. "Who said that we were taking the princess anywhere?! We still don't have a contract. "
"Take the princess?" Luffy asked as he looked at Vivi with a funny expression.
"What's that about?"
"Weren't you listening to them?" Zoro asked as he stood up from where he had been sitting and stood beside Penny. The girl had sighed and shook her head at Luffy.
"The old man here wants us to take her home."
"Oh. Is that what there on about?"
Penny didn't like Luffys' simple-minded-answer.
"Okay."
No, she didn't like it at all.
'Shichibukai…..Crocodile….am I really going to die so young...?' she thought to herself, and was obviously not the only one who disagreed.
"CROCODILE IS GOING TO TRY AND KILL US!!" Nami screamed, half hysterical, half boiling with rage. Penny was sure she saw fangs…
"This Crocodile, is he really that strong?" Luffy asked Igaram, and Penny, for the nth time, felt like hitting her captain. Did he not know what he was getting into?
"He is currently one of the Shichibukai. Before the government removed him from his wanted list, his bounty was eighty million."
Penny and Namis' jaws dropped, while Zoro whistled in appreciation.
"Eighty million belli?! That's FOUR times Arlongs'!! TURN HIM DOWN" Nami yelled, and Penny nodded. She had been told the story of Arlong through Usopp, but Sanji had deleted the "Great-Captain-Usopp" moments and told her a more truthful
version.
"Will you accept?" Igaram asked, his eyes locked with Luffy. The rubber man had his usual smile on his face.
"Sure." The straw-hat boy said, and grinned. "Sounds like fun."
Penny put her arm around Nami and the two girls leaned into each other, near tears.
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"You have my utmost gratitude!" Igaram said as they departed.
"Mah - maah - maaaaaaaaahhh- I, Vivi-sama, shall now be leaving now…." Igaram said in a very unconvincing voice. Luffy laughed.
"Old man! You're just like her!" He said.
"Like WHO?" Zoro and Penny both asked at the same time.
"Now then, Princess, please hand me the Eternal Pose." Igaram held out his hand in waiting, and the crew watched as Vivi did so, near tears.
"Eternal Pose?" Nami asked, and Igaram turned to her.
"You haven't heard of it? I'll try to explain. It is an eternally preserved Log Pose. A Log Pose guides you from one island to the next, but an Eternal Log Pose never forgets the magnetic location of the one island it is set to. It shall 'eternally' point towards that island. And this one points the way to Arabasta!" He explained to the orange haired navigator.
"With this, you can get to Arabasta." Vivi said softly.
Penny knew this was goodbye between the two of them for a while, maybe forever.
"Vivi-sama, after making a few stops, please hurry to Arabasta. I have never done it myself, but I am certain you can follow the log two or three times to get there." He smiled down at her in a fatherly way, and then turned to the crew. "With that, I leave the Princess in your care."
"Sure!" Was Luffy's cheerful reply.
"Igaram." Vivi said as she looked up at the large man with large brown eyes. He smiled down at her.
"I think the journey will be dangerous. Please be careful along the way." the curly haired man said before he started to turn.
"Iga-" Vivi started to call out his name, but stopped, her eyes once again tearing up, but she held strong and didn't let them fall. Penny smiled. The girl had a strong will.
Instead, she held out her hand for him to shake. "You too."
With that, the crew and the princess watched as he set sail and begin to leave the harbor.
"Well, he's gone. He was a cool old man, wasn't he?" Luffy asked with a grin as Vivi smiled back at him.
"Yes. We can count on him." She answered with a gentle tone. She truly did love the man like family.
Suddenly, before their very eyes, the ship blew up. Everyone gasped, eyes widened, and Namis' face had terror written all over it.
"I-It can't be!" She said in disbelief. "They've already come…?"
Penny turned when she saw Luffy turn to pick his hat up, and looked at him wide eyed as he put it on from where it was blown away from the explosion.
"Luffy….?" She asked softly, and then looked back to Vivi. The poor girl…
"HE WAS A GREAT MAN!" Luffy yelled, and everyone seemed to jump into action as Luffy took off at a run.
"Nami! The log!" Zoro demanded, and the navigator gasped as she looked at it.
"I-It's alright! And it's already set!" She exclaimed as she looked at it. Zoro then looked at Vivi, who was staring at the ocean.
"Penny! Grab her! Get to the ship!"
Penny darted towards the girl.
"Vivi! Vivi! Come on, hurry! If they see us here, everything will have been in vain!" Penny snapped as she tried to get the raging princess to come along willingly. Her eyes widened seeing that Vivi was biting her lip so hard to keep from crying that it was bleeding. The rouge grabbed the girl in a hug.
"It's alright. Well get you home safely. These guys… they might not look like much, but they saved all of East Blue; just the four of them! And now I'm with them, and I can at least take down the fifth ranking officers in Baroque Works! And Nami is the best navigator I've ever seen! So what's Baroque Works to us? What's Crocodile? Huh?! The Shichibukai don't stand a chance!"
With that she grabbed the girl around the waist and lifted her over her shoulder and began to run to where she ship was anchored.
"Hurry up Penny, Vivi!!" Nami yelled as the sea-green eyed girl caught up with the navigator.
"Carue is still missing!" Vivi said suddenly as they neared the ship.
"We don't have time to look for him right now!" Nami said as Penny nodded and tried to urge the girl onto the ship.
"But I can't leave him here all alone!"
"Oi! What's wrong?" Zoro called down from the ship. He already had the anchor up.
"She says her spot billed duck is missing! She says it should have come when she whistled, but it won't!" Penny yelled with frustration. Things were getting dangerous, and they were looking for a friggen' duck!?
"You mean him?"
"Quack!"
They looked up, and Penny felt a sweat drop on the back of her head when she saw the duck stranding beside Zoro.
"YOU WERE HERE THE WHOLE TIME!?" The three girls yelled together.
"He was already onboard when I got on." Zoro said, and Penny sighed. Animal instincts…
"If we sail up the river, it will branch of into the sea." Vivi said as she climbed up the ladder. "We'll be able to get on course faster."
"YOSHA! LET'S GO!"
"…Really? Two thousand people?" Penny caught the end part of conversation and looked up from where she was sitting, near Usopp and Sanji, interested. So they were up against about two thousand people?
"HUH?!" Sanjis' voice rang out, and Penny grinned. So they were awake. Wonder how they were going to react…
"Oi…the ship is moving?" Usopp said confused.
"You're finally up?" Nami said bluntly, and the two exploded.
"WAIT!! Let's stay another night!!" Sanji yelled.
"Right!!" Usopp backed him up.
"This town was so much fun and the girls were SO CUTE!!"
Penny felt a vein throb a bit on her head as she itched to pull out her knives. Spilling a little more blood tonight wouldn't hurt…
"When will we find another awesome place like this?!" Usopp demanded, near tears.
"Lets take it slow, dammit!"
"We're pirates….!"
From the vein throbbing on Namis' forehead, she wouldn't have to spill any blood.
"Were about to clear the island." Vivi stated as she looked at the surroundings.
"Cool! Fog!" Luffy said and laughed. Penny shook her head. He was so much like a little kid at times…
"It'll be morning soon." Nami said.
"What's the name of the next island, Nami?" Penny asked.
"It's called Shuriken Island. I don't know anything about it, though, except that it's got a lot of forest and mountains." Nami explained, and the crew looked at Vivi to see if she knew.
"Well, it's an island that's guarded by ninjas. From what I've heard, though, it's become corrupt, and that it's not the best place to live anymore. There are two or three fishing villages there, that's all, and they are all over taxed and bullied by the ninja." she explained.
"Ninja? COOL!!" Luffy had stars in his eyes. "Yosha! Lets set sail for Shuriken Island!"
Penny sighed. This was going to be another interesting adventure, she already knew it.