Chapter Ten
After eating a large breakfast at the most popular restaurant in town, the trio went back to their little campsite outside of town. It wasn't the most comfortable place. Yuki had wanted to rent a room in the city. Sabo turned her down harshly, telling her that if they stayed in town, they'd be recognized.
Stretching out on the mat she set out the previous night, Yuki pulled out the letter that the princess had given them. Slitting it open with a newly acquired pocket knife, she handed the heavy parchment to Sabo to read aloud.
Sabo sat down before reading it. "Dear... revolutionaries, I hope you are finding your stay here pleasant." Sabo scoffed. "I understand that you want my kingdom to cut its ties with the World Government, and in my opinion, that is a reasonable request for what you have offered. The marines aren't doing much, if anything, to stop pirates from plundering our kingdom."
Yuki sat up, yawning. "Yeah, most of 'em are a bunch of good-for-nothings. They can't do anything without orders from someone above them," she muttered, chuckling to herself quietly.
Sabo grinned and Robin laughed at her comment. All three of them were in a good mood because of the king's response. Almost nothing could bring them down, and as Sabo read on, it only got better.
"I came to the conclusion," he continued reading, "that it is definitely in the best interests of my kingdom to accept your help. If you would meet with me the day after you receive this letter, I would appreciate your assistance."
All three of them stared, open-mouthed, at each other. They were surprised by the contents of the letter the king had sent them. Not one of them spoke for a while, and the three began to pack up their little campsite without another word. It was time to meet with the king.
The tall pirate strolled into the bar, dropping his bag on the counter before sitting down on one of the barstools. After ordering a pint, he ran through the events from the past week in his mind, muttering under his breath. It had been a very exhausting week and he had traveled to plenty of islands.
The bar wasn't the cleanest of places, but that was to be expected. The crowd in there looked to be nothing more than pirates, and the occasional bandit. Most likely the fault of his tattoo, he was drawing plenty of stares. One particularly large man stood up and approached him.
"Oi, aren't you Fire Fist?" he growled. His voice was raspy and he smelled very strongly of liquor. "You are, aren'tcha? Whassan upstandin' man like yourself doing in some ratty ol' bar on the edge of an unknown town like us nobodies?"
The pirate slung his bag onto his lap and pulled out an drawing of the sword he was searching for. Holding it up, he glared at the crowd surrounding him. After they backed off a bit, he spoke to the big man in front of him.
"You seen this anywhere near here?"
The man squinted, looking closer. "Nope. If I'da seen that, I'd 'ave probably tried to take it from 'er," he muttered. Ace noticed the little slip up. He never mentioned that it was either a girl or a guy carrying it. He didn't even know.
"Her, eh? You sure you haven't seen it?" he pressed loudly.
The man shifted his gaze, looking nervous. "I-I didn't. Really."
Ace stood up, stepping closer to the huge man. "C'mon, nothing's gonna happen if you tell me. Really. I just gotta find this sword, it belonged to a very close friend of mine. Someone took it from them."
The man looked nervously at the black-haired pirate. He knew what that man was capable of, and the man knew his lying wasn't convincing. Shifting from foot to foot, he spilled everything.
"I really did try to take it from 'er, but she was crazy strong. Her friends jus' stood behind 'er, watchin', as she beat me to a pulp. I'm real sorry, so don't hurt me! I jus' figured that if she found out I said she had it, she'd come an' beat me up again!" he said to Ace, pleading.
"Friends? What did they look like? How many?" Ace asked, unconcerned.
"Jus' her, her an' two more. Another girl, black hair. She looked kinda like Nico Robin, that devil's kid. The other was a man, an' he had blond hair. About the same height as you. The woman with the sword, she was tall. Red eyes, too. I think she had some kinda scar on 'er stomach, y'know?" he explained, still nervous.
Ace grinned, patting the man on the shoulder. "Thanks, you've been helpful. I finally have a lead," he said graciously. Swinging his bag over his shoulder, Ace strolled confidently out of the bar.
After two weeks, he finally had good information. He knew Luffy hadn't been with his crew, so the probability that the woman who looked like Nico Robin actually was his brother's crewmate was high. The woman had been traveling with Robin and a blond man, and she had red eyes. That was the most distinctive feature.
It didn't seem like much, but it was enough to go on. It was more than enough for her precious sword. She deserved it.
Yuki and the others slowly made their way through the palace. Lugging their bags along, the trip was much slower this time around. Sabo muttered something about the next time, and Robin quietly chuckled.
When the reached the meeting room, Vivi guided them to an out-of-the-way corner where they could drop their bags and backpacks. Having done that, the four sat down and ate lunch while they waited for the king.
Setting down her fork, Vivi asked disbelievingly, "So, you're Luffy's sister?"
Yuki, swallowing a mouthful of meat, quickly explained. "We grew up in the same village, and when I met him a year later, in the mountains, we swore to be siblings. I'm not blood-related, but I am his sister."
Sabo grinned, a bit of spinach stuck in his teeth from the omlette. "Yep, and Ace and I were also their sworn brothers. The four of us were closer than even real siblings are, and I hope we still are."
"Sabo, check your teeth," Yuki commented, annoyed. "And stop playing with your food," she added after watching him chase peas around on his plate. "It's meant for your stomach, now eat!"
Robin laughed, "You sound more like his mother than his sister!"
The four of them were still laughing three minutes later, when the king walked in and sat down. He appeared confused, but no one could blame him. There were the four others involved in negotiations, and they were in the middle of a laughing fit.
After the euphoria and excitement wore off, the king sat down and passed out a packet of sheets, one for every person in the room. The papers were covered in data, much of it simple information about the country, such as weather, population, trade, and tourism. They were something a ruler or co-ruler would find useful.
Sabo was reading each paper in order, carefully combing through the information for useful data. Something caught his eye as he was reading. At the sharp gasp, Robin and Yuki looked up. Sabo held the sheet out.
It was covered with very valuable intel on the World Government's actions in the Grand Line and New World. Here and there, things like battle plans surfaced. It was the perfect gift for a new ally such as the Revolutionary Army.
"How... did you get this?" Sabo breathed, barely able to contain his excitement as he carefully folded the paper and tucked it into his coat. "This is the most extensive intel we've gotten yet! Much better than our agents anywhere else. We need to get this to Dragon as soon as possible! This could save lives!"
The king grinned warmly at the young man. "I believe that it should be a suitable gift for your protection. Understand that I won't be able to get much more information as I declare our country is leaving the World Government. I thought that it would be crucial to both of us. I would love to help as much as I can."
Nearly as soon as he finished, there was an urgent pounding on the door.
"Come in," he called.
A guard slowly opened the door and edged into the room. He glanced at each person briefly, appearing worried to see them all. It made Yuki slightly uncomfortable to be stared at by this nervous man. Some of the people in the palace knew who she was and why they were there.
"Yo-your majesty, the... the shichibukai, Hawk-Eyes, is here. He, um, says he has to speak with you immediately," the guard stuttered. He was a mess, obviously certain that he was bearing bad news. "He said it was urgent, that it was shichi- hey, wait! They aren't ready for you yet!"
He was interrupted by a tall man in black trying to push past the him. Despite the guard's brave efforts, Hawk-Eyes shoved him against the wall and entered the room as confidently as a lion.
The king caught his eyes and held his stare until Hawk-Eyes looked away. The shichibukai scanned the room and its inhabitants, mildly surprised at the small group currently assembled.
The blond man, whom he guessed was one of the revolutionary army, Sabo, was glaring at him. Beside Sabo, Nico Robin sat. She appeared surprised and nervous. He knew she hadn't expected to see him any time soon.
Princess Vivi stood up abruptly, "I can't forgive your intrusion, Hawk-Eyes. We're in the middle of a meeting, and you must wait outside until my father and I are through. I apologize in advance, but please leave us."
Mihawk glared at her with such intensity that she almost collapsed back into her chair. She didn't speak another word, and he continued to examine the people in the room, for there was one more.
As his gaze fell on her, he noticed the blue hair, pulled back. It reminded him of the person he hadn't expected. The one person for whom it was impossible to be alive, whom he had watched die just a few weeks ago. It was a woman... a woman who should be dead.