Chapter 14

A large white bird landed directly in front of Marco as he was reading the daily news from the News Coo that had left a few minutes ago. He hadn't seen one like it, and was puzzled until he noticed the small tube strapped to its leg. The bird was a messenger bird from someone, and he knew that something was off about it. Why would he be getting a message like this?

Taking the cap off of the small tube, Marco thanked the patiently waiting bird and unrolled the paper to read it. It was addressed to the 1st Division Commander of the Whitebeard pirates, unsurprising, but it was from the Revolutionary Army. What did they want with him?

His curiosity was peaked as he read on, unrolling the letter further.

"Dear 1st Division Commander,

We are writing you for two reasons, one much more important than the other. First, you and your crew are very influential. Pirate activities have picked up since the war, and we are very concerned about the people in many countries getting needlessly hurt and hassled. We know that your crew is not the cause of this, but it would be a great help if you could discourage this and keep an eye open for the people who can't defend themselves.

Second, the more important subject, we wish to invite you or a representative of your crew to a formal party we are holding on the island of Mauna in the Grand Line. It's a small island hidden well by the other islands' magnetic fields, I've enclosed a map if you need it. The party will be held on the second of the coming month, and it is a formal party. Please do not send anyone who would embarrass you or your crew. Thank you.

Sincerely,

The Revolutionary Army"

After he finished reading the letter, he leaned back against the mast, considering their offer carefully. Marco found the tone they used mildly amusing. He certainly wouldn't send any pirate who didn't know how to handle himself to such an event, let alone someone who would most likely prove to be an embarrassment.

In truth, Marco already had a person in mind for the party. Fire-Fist Ace was very polite and well-mannered when he wasn't fighting or eating with his crew. The fiery pirate was good and level-headed in those situations, and he hoped Ace would accept.

Portgas D. Ace was surprised when he received a call from the 1st Division Commander he had last talked to a few weeks ago. Marco wouldn't call him unless it was important, so Ace grabbed the receiver and waited anxiously for Marco to talk.

He began with a simple question, one that threw Ace off. "Do you like to go to parties?"

"What?" he replied. It sounded kind of harsh, he knew, but Marco was being confusing and not getting to the point. "C'mon, what do you mean, do I like parties? You know how busy I am right now! I gotta find it, I gotta-"

"Wait a minute," Marco said, cutting him off. "Calm down. I was invited to send a rep for our crew to a party being hosted by the Revolutionary Army and I chose you. It's in two weeks, and that should be plenty of time to search and find the sword. You're closing in on it, aren't you? I have confidence that you'll find it by then."

Ace groaned. "No way. I'll probably find it in another three or four weeks. It seems like there's some imitator running around with it, and she's strong. I've gotta catch up to her before her enemies do!"

"Hey, remember who's hosting this party? Those revolutionaries have a lot of contacts, and you know that Straw-Hat's dad is their leader, remember? You could probably ask for a favor and get some help finding her sword," Marco persuaded. "I know it means a lot, yeah."

"Fine," Ace replied, backing off a little. "Where's this thing supposed to be, anyway?"

"It's on an island... near where you are now, according to the map. It's up past Drum kingdom a bit, hidden in some other island's magnetic field. It's call Mauna Island, heard of it before? It's on the second of this coming month, so you've got time to prepare."

"Okay, okay. I'll keep searching and try to hang out in the area. Maybe I'll pay Vivi a visit and check in on her. If they did visit Alabasta, someone might've seen them and reported them to the country's army," he muttered, reasoning with himself.

"Alright, see you later, Ace," Marco bid, hanging up.

Ace quietly put the Den Den Mushi away. The party would be a day before her birthday, and he still needed to find her sword. Maybe, since his crew was invited, a member of Yuki's crew would be there, too. Positive thoughts grew in his mind, making him relaxed and peaceful, contentedly lying on the ground, facing the powder blue sky.

Robin pulled out a magazine that she and Yuki were eyeing earlier. The two of them, after returning to Baltigo, decided to go out shopping for dresses. On their way out, Yuki bumped into another woman who looked kind of sad. Concerned, she asked the woman what was wrong.

The woman was surprised, but replied anyway. "I... I don't have the best sense when it comes to dressing up, and I'm going to the big party in a week, so I'm kind of stressed!" She did seem stressed, her hair was messy and she had dark circles under her eyes.

"Why does it matter?" Yuki asked.

"Normally, it wouldn't, but I don't want to embarrass the person I'm going with!" Her eyes welled up with tears. "This party is really important to Dragon-sama and the Army, too. If I mess it up by dressing badly..."

"Well," Robin began, "you could come shopping with us. We were just going out to buy dresses for that, too. I think we could find something that suits you pretty well. Would you like to accompany us?"

The woman looked surprised again, but happy. "Oh, yes! Please, thank you."

Robin chuckled, looking the woman up and down. "So, what's your name? I'm Robin."

"My name is Koala," the woman replied cheerfully.

"I'm ..." Yuki almost gave out her name before catching herself. A side glance at Robin, who nodded confirmation, was required before she gave it away. "My name is Yuki."

"Oh. Like, the one who-"

She was cut off before she could continue. "Yep. And it's a secret." Robin said.

Yuki grinned, holding out a hand. "C'mon, then! Let's go, it's gonna be a ton of fun."

When the trio reached the first boutique, they were a little overwhelmed by the sheer number of pink and lacy outfits. While a few of the dresses could have been considered alright for their occasion, Yuki ended up leaving it almost as soon as she had entered.

"My least favorite color is pink. I will not wear it!" she protested. Robin and Koala made no attempts to dissuade her from her chosen course of action, turning to follow her out. The same thing happened with another store, and after four more shops, the found a good one.

Yuki looked up and read the shop's sign. "Pirates' Best. Interesting name."

"This looks promising," Robin added.

Koala skipped up to the doors, pushing one open and looking in. There was music in the background, quiet and relaxing. The dimly lit interior of the store was very different from the other shops and boutiques in the area. It gave off a cool feeling, and it reminded Yuki of being a pirate. There was something about the scent, a hint of salt.

Koala glanced back at her friends. "I think there are pirates in there. You wanna pull up your hood, Yuki? Robin should be fine as she is now, since she's not trying to go incognito or anything, right?"

Yuki was touched by her concern. "Thanks," she replied, tugging the hood of her sweater over her telltale blue hair. She had braided it before going out, hoping to disguise herself further. Hopefully, no one would recognize her if she had that part concealed.

After she was done, the three of them entered the intriguing little shop. It was even more amazing on the inside. The music was a pirate classic, Binks' Sake, and the smell of salt came from the boots of pirates and sailors. The floor was stained with spiraling salt crystals.

The clothing was surprising, to say the least. It fit Yuki's and Robin's tastes well, and even though they weren't sure about what Koala thought, she seemed excited enough. They had light colors, dark colors, dresses, suits, and casual outfits. There was a section dedicated to clothing styles of famous pirates. Yuki glanced at it and saw her own signature black and grey hoodies, along with similarly colored sweatpants and cargo pants.

Robin pointed to the outfits next to the ones designed to be like hers. There were vests like the ones Luffy wore, and the backpacks and belts like Ace had. That made her really happy to see their relationship represented so simply.

Robin gently touched her shoulder, "Shall we start browsing?"

Yuki nodded and glanced around for Koala. The ball of energy had already taken off for the dress section, and was looking at some puffy black dresses. Her choices didn't seem that bad for the occasion, but they could have been better with a little guidance.

As she hurried over to help Koala, Yuki couldn't help wonder what she had gotten herself into.