Chapter 43
The Princess And The Pirates
"THREE DAYS !" Luffy yelled bewilderedly. "I SLEPT FOR THREE DAYS ?"
The pirates nodded silently, speechless before their captain's extremely loud awakening.
"I missed fifteen meals !" Luffy calculated rapidly, amazing his crew at his ability to count so accurately and fast for when it involved food. However, they weren't that amazed at the fact that the teenager counted five meals per day since they were getting used to his insatiable appetite. Thankfully, Vivi had warned the royal cook about Luffy immeasurable voracity, so everything was almost ready to satisfy the young captain as soon as he woke up.
The pirates were shown to the great hall were a gargantuan dinner was served in company of the King and the head guard Chaka. All kinds of exquisite and beautiful dishes were being provided by dozens of hurried waitresses as Luffy and Ace engulfed the food almost as soon as it touched the table.
It seemed that the older brother had restrained his appetite while his sibling was asleep. Maybe that was in order to enjoy this dinner to its fullest extent. The two black-haired pirates were fighting while stuffing their mouths as if they had been starving for months.
However, the frequency of the service apparently wasn't high enough for Luffy as he kept stealing from his crewmates' plates making Zoro and Chopper eat as fast as they could in fear of the boy's abyssal stomach while Usopp tried to trick him, soaking his food with Tabasco.
In contrast, the rest of the crew was acting quite courteously; Sanji kept asking the waiters questions about the Alabastan cuisine and spices, Nami was savoring the delicious food with a joyful smile on her face, and as for Eli, she was gazing absently at the two brothers' eating contest, particularly the older one.
"Aren't you hungry, Eli ?" Vivi asked as she looked questioningly at the girl's practically untouched plate.
Eli was kicked out of her air castle by the princess's question.
"What ? Ah... yes, sorry..." As she was about to eat, Luffy's rubber hand made its way all the way over to her plate. "DON'T !" She stuck her fork in his hand with a scowl.
"Don't you remember rule number three, Luffy ?" Ace said smugly. "Never touch Eli's food !"
"Buk ky gohant ik !" Luffy said, shifting his hand to Usopp's plate, swiftly stealing its contents and engulfing it on the spot. His face turned crimson, tears flowing from his eyes as the Tabasco effectively set his mouth aflame, making the pirates burst into laughter.
At first, the royal guards looked at the dinner contemptuously, muttering complaints about the pirates' lack of manners, but as it went on, their frowning faces morphed into awe and at last laughs. It seemed that the pirates' joy was contagious.
After the exciting dinner, the King offered the pirates the Royal honor to enjoy a bath in the luxurious palace's bath. It was nothing like the one Eli had in Ido; it was huge, the floor, walls and columns were made of a bright white marble, magnificent lion fountains were pouring a large and continuous flow of warm water, and the whole room was filled with a thick steam carrying the scent of bergamot and some other delightful perfumes.
After washing herself at light-speed, Eli immersed herself in the warm water with a soft moan of delight.
"I wonder if there is a ship equipped with such a bath," Nami said dreamily.
"There must be one," Vivi replied smiling cheerfully, her eyes lost in the recollection of her adventures. "The sea is so vast; giants, dragons, cherry trees blooming in a snowy country... There is still so much to see !"
Eli sighed deeply. "I can't wait to see dragons..."
While Vivi was soaping Nami's back, Eli ogled them and their perfect figures. Her chin resting on the bath's rim, the skinny beanpole couldn't help but sigh sadly.
"Eli, stop staring at us like that," Nami said, frowning at the intrusive chronicler. "It's creepy."
"But it's so unfair," Eli whined. "You got those huge boobs and look at mine !" The skinny girl sat up, pointing at her underdeveloped breasts.
At the sounds of multiple gasps, the girls' heads snapped in the direction of the wall separating the two sides of the bath. Except for Zoro, the boys and men and animals were all there eying the girls.
Her face completely flushed in embarrassment, Eli turned around hastily covering her flat chest.
"Elisabeth is so cute~" Sanji said lovingly.
Cute ? Upon hearing the childish adjective, Eli frowned and clenched her fists in anger. I swear I'll kill you, Sanji...
"Those guys..." With a deep exasperated sigh, Nami stood up, her body wrapped in her towel. "100 000 each." She walked toward the goofy peeping Toms and opened her towel. "Happiness Punch !"
"UWAH !" The staggering sight of the redhead's full frontal provoked a massive nose bleed followed by a general fainting.
"NAMI !" Vivi yelled, visibly shocked at the redhead's lack of decency.
Of course she gets a nosebleed... Eli sighed while standing up and covered herself with her towel.
With a mischievous smile on her face, she climbed the wall and rapidly scanned the lifeless bodies to find Sanji in order to get her revenge. But to her disappointment, the young man had covered his lower body with a towel.
Yet it seemed that luck was on her side because when Sanji stood up groggily, wiping the blood from under his nose, the small towel slowly unwound revealing his...
"Aww~ Sanji is so cute," Eli said smugly, staring between his legs.
With a quick and girlish squeak Sanji covered himself, his face turning scarlet under the girl's playful and somewhat triumphant laugh. Unfortunately, her fun was soon interrupted as Vivi pulled her down forcibly.
"ELI !" the princess yelled angrily. "You two have to learn how to behave !" she scolded, looking at Nami and Eli.
"What can we do ?" the navigator said, amused. "We are pirate girls, after all."
"Aye !" Eli grinned proudly.
After the bath, the pirates were in their room discussing whether or not they should leave tonight since Luffy had recovered and Alabasta was crawling with marines. The young captain wasn't too keen on leaving after only one Alabastan feast, a gluttonous reason which resulted in a moralizing lesson given by his big brother.
Their discussion was interrupted by a royal servant carrying a den den mushi. "It's someone called Lil Bon Bon," the servant said.
"Lil Bon Bon ?" Eli's eyebrows went up at the ridiculous name.
"He says that he is your friend," the servant specified, handing the snail phone to Sanji.
"HEY ? HEY ?" a very annoying and somehow familiar voice greeted loudly. "IT'S MEEE ! GYAHAHAHAHA !"
What the... The pirates eyes widened at the highly annoying sound of Mr. Two's voice, and with a dark glare, Sanji hung up the phone on the spot. However, after a few seconds of silence, the phone started ringing again.
"Hey, you're that drag queen !" Luffy frowned. "What do you want from us ?"
"Wha ? Isn't this Straw Hat Luffy ?" Mr. Two said. "You're alive, I'm so happy !"
"Happy ?" Eli asked, raising one brow in disbelief toward Ace who shrugged apparently as puzzled as her.
"Don't call me Mr. Two," he gravely. "The marines might have tapped into the phone."
"You just said it yourself," Chopper said, in awe at the man's stupidity.
"Get straight to the point !" Zoro said sharply, an annoyed frown on his face.
"Oh yeah, your boat, I took it away !"
"WHAT !" the pirates yelled in unison.
"Wait, listen to me first !" Mr. Two-Bon Bon said briskly. "Aren't we... friends ?"
"WHAT ?" the pirates yelled, almost more shocked by that unexpected question than by the fact that he had captured their ship.
"I'm on you ship, upstream of Sandora River," Bon Bon said. "I'll be waiting for you, come as soon as you can."
That's... odd...
After hanging up, the pirates wondered whether or not they should trust their 'former' enemy. However, they couldn't linger on the question too long; he had the Merry, and therefore, they didn't have any other option but to trust him blindly, at least for now.
"Let's pack up," Ace said gravely. "We have to leave now."
The pirates nodded and started packing their stuff on the spot.
"Everyone," Vivi called out hesitantly. "Please... tell me, what should I do ?" The princess looked down, her hands clutching the fabric of her robe.
"That's a stupid question." Eli grinned. "Come with us, of course !"
"Eli..." Nami scolded sadly, "it's not that simple."
"Of course it is," Luffy said, a large grin plastered on his childish face. "You must come !"
The blue-haired princess lifted her face, obviously racked with doubt as she looked silently at her friends.
"Listen Vivi, we'll give you twelve hours." Nami said gravely. "At midday tomorrow, we will pass by the east coast." The navigator pointed to the map of Alabasta. "If you decide to come, we'll welcome you then !"
As their belongings, food, and some gifts offered by the King were packed, the pirates sneaked out of the palace through a window.
Before leaving, Eli took the princess's hands in hers and smiled cheerfully. "You'll come, right ?"
The girl had grown attached to the lovely blue-haired princess easily, and who wouldn't ? She was brave, gentle, and smart, and they had shared so much, even if it had only lasted a few weeks. She was just as much a part of the Straw Hats as any of the other pirates.
"Yeah, you must come, Vivi !" Luffy beamed, happily joining Eli.
"Don't be like that !" Ace frowned, grabbing the two of them by the waist. "Let's go..."
"You don't expect her to come, Ace ?" Luffy, and soon Eli, glared at the flame user.
"Of course not ! That's HER decision, idiots !"
"You're the idiot..." they mumbled in unison, climbing down the rope.
"Why did you make me wait that long !" Mr. Two shouted, standing in an arabesque on the Merry. "Long time no see ! Were you thinking about me ?"
"Merryyyy !" Eli yelled happily, running toward the cute figurehead to hug it tightly, completely ignoring Mr. Two standing with his arms spread as he apparently thought that the girl's incoming hug was for him. It had been such a long time since she had seen their beloved ship that it made her realize how it was more than just a ship; it was their home. "I missed you so much !"
"That's far enough," Sanji said coldly, barely looking at the drag queen. "Careful on the way back !"
"Goodbye..." Mr. Two said, tears flowing from his highly made-up eyes. "No, that's not right, wait a second !" he growled, stomping the railing angrily.
"Oi." Eli appeared next to him, a scornful look on her face. "Don't touch Merry."
"Oh, it's you... my fellow gender bender !" Mr. Two grinned shaking Eli's hand vigorously.
"What !" The boyish girl's face darkened instantly, blood lust burning in her green eyes.
"You were amazing ! So faaaast !" Mr. Two clapped his hands cheerfully. "Bravo !"
"Hehehe." Upon hearing the compliments, Eli's dark face quickly morphed into embarrassment, blushing brightly while she scratched the back of her head. "That was nothing, you know..."
"Eli, stop acting so friendly with the enemy," Ace said, frowning at the girl while carrying bags on board.
Mr. Two huffed. "That's in the past," he said in a serious tone of voice. "Baroque Works is disbanded, we aren't your enemies anymore. And if I didn't move your ship away, what would have happened to it ?"
"Probably confiscated by the marines." Nami sighed.
"Not PROBABLY, CERTAINLY !" Mr. Two yelled.
"Then you took the Merry so the marines wouldn't get it !" Luffy asked, completely astonished.
Usopp, Chopper, and Eli looked at the drag queen in awe. "Really ! Why ?"
Mr. Two grinned sparklingly, tears of emotion falling from his eyes. "Because we are friends... aren't we ?" he said, giving a first-class thumbs-up to the amazed bunch.
"Thank you !" Eli bowed in reverence, and Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper joined him for a best-friends-forever cancan while the more mature part of the crew continued putting the luggage away...
Sailing downstream of the river Sandora, the Straw Hats ran into several belligerent marine ships, stationed to stop the pirates before they could reach the open sea.
"And there he goes..." Eli rolled her eyes seeing Ace jumping onto his Striker on the spot and rushing toward the enemy ships.
The marines tried to stop the young man, launching harpoons at him that he skillfully dodged while maneuvering his raft with style. In a minute tops, the flame user wiped the place clean for the Merry and came back smiling smugly at the grateful crew.
"How cool was that ?" Ace asked, whispering in Eli's ear.
Very extremely awesome...
"Not bad..." Eli muttered, rolling her eyes again at his annoying self-satisfaction. "Why do you even care what I think ?"
"Because I like you," Ace said softly, a little smirk on his freckled face.
"Right..."
Sailing up the east coast of Alabasta, Luffy, Eli, and Chopper were frantically scanning the shore with the hope of spotting their friend there while the rest of the crew took care of maneuvering the ship and checking the horizon for marines.
"...in the darkness and storms I found a tiny ship."
"It's the broadcast of the speech held in Alubarna," Ace said as Vivi's voice reached the Merry.
"That ship pushed me forward and told me, 'Can you see those lights ?'. That ship will always find its way out of the darkness."
The princess was obviously talking about the Merry and its crew. Her tone of voice was proud yet affectionate, and it caused emotion to arise in Eli's chest.
"An unbelievable ship indeed, riding the mighty waves as if dancing upon them."
"She ain't coming," Sanji said, blowing the smoke of his cigarette and looking pensively at the shore of Alabasta while Luffy, Eli, and Chopper were still hoping to see Vivi any minute now.
The cook was obviously wrong, how could she not come, they were friends, and who would give up a life of pirate, a life of freedom, for anything in the world...?
"Even though it seems like they're just drifting, they only go forward, even going against the wind."
Vivi... Even if the rest of the crew seemed to have given up on the princess, the three devil fruit users were holding onto the railing, frowning at the despairingly empty shore.
"In the end, it will raise its finger and say; 'Look ! There is Light !'."
"More ships are coming !" Usopp yelled, pointing at a small fleet approaching the Merry.
"Even if history will likely record this as an illusion, they will always be real to me."
"Give up, you three," Sanji said coldly. "She's from a different world."
"She has to be here !" Luffy glared at the unfaithful cook before returning his attention to the shore.
The princess had to be here... Hearing the way she talked about the pirates was nothing but solid proof of that. She was more that just a friend; she was a part of this crew, part of this family...
"EVERYONE !" Vivi yelled out. She was there, with Caru, waving happily at the pirates.
"VIVI !" the whole crew whooped in unison watching their friend standing on the shore.
The princess was wearing a gorgeous dress, probably the one she was supposed to wear for the ceremony, but she gave it all up for her friends. Without waiting, Luffy grabbed onto the railing and started walking backwards to stretch out his arms and propel himself over to Vivi.
"I'm here to say goodbye !"
What...?
"I can't go with you all !" Vivi said, a large smile on her pretty face. "Thank you for what you have done for me !"
The pirates were stunned, looking speechlessly at their friend who was saying her farewells. But how could she...? After all the ordeals they had been through together, she was as much a part of this crew as any of them... She had to come.
"Even though I want to go with you..." Vivi trailed off looking down before raising her head proudly. "But, you see, I really love this country !"
Luffy grinned. After all, that was the best reason possible.
"But if there is one day where we meet each other again," Vivi said with a trembling voice as tears started to flow from her big blue eyes, "will you all still take me as a friend !"
"ANYTI-"
"Luffy, don't !" Nami interrupted him, slamming her hand on his mouth. "The marines have seen Vivi, and if they find out we're friends, she will become a criminal !"
Vivi was crying while desperately watching her friends remain silent. They wanted to tell her that she will always be welcome among them, they wanted to tell her that they will never forget her...
And since they couldn't use words, they showed her instead how much they cared.
Their backs facing the princess, the Straw Hats raised their left arms, proudly showing the X mark on their forearms... the silent proof of their indefectible friendship...
to be continued
Betaed by Iwin Ulose.
Hehe got your confession... kinda XD
Anyway Alabasta in DONE !
And the next chapter will be the last before my vacations :)
Oh and Twig 8 had been published.