With a groan, Sakura slammed her face against the kitchen table.
"Stupid stupid stupid stupid," she muttered while continuously banging her head against the wood. Nami, who had been staring through the door window for some time, came over and playfully mussed up Sakura's hair.
"You don't look very happy about the snow anymore, Sa-chan," she chuckled while poking the spy's head, "What's up?"
"Tried to help Sanji with the shoveling and nearly buried Usopp in snow because I was so enthusiastic," Sakura grumbled back.
Nami grinned. "You may be a great spy and amazing at drawing but you suck at everything else, don't you?"
"Shut up."
Sakura wrinkled her nose as she thought of the past few hours. Their voyage into the Grand Line had already started off with a bang. Within only a few hours, the climate had taken a drastic turn from sunny skies to snow and ice. She had been excited at first, having never experienced freezing weather before, but that excitement had quickly dulled down after she had slipped numerous times in the ice, wrecked Usopp's snow sculptures (he had given her hell for that), and nearly sent Luffy overboard (twice) from an over enthusiastic snowball fight. Sakura had then tried to be of help by assisting Sanji with shoveling the snow overboard, but of course, she had to mess that up too.
"I don't know why Zoro calls you chibi," Nami continued, her smile widening, "Klutz would suit you better."
"Thanks for making me feel better," Sakura growled back.
"No problem!" Nami replied cheerfully.
Before Sakura could utter a rebuke, a flash of light illuminated the room. Nami rushed to the window, her eyes wide with shock.
"First snow, then lightning?" she gasped, "Crocus-san really was right about the weather! I can't predict any of this!"
"Of course a newbie like you would underestimate the Grand Line."
Both Sakura and Nami turned to see Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday smirking at them from across the kitchen table. Sakura frowned. She had forgotten about the two whale hunters until now.
"Nami, go make sure the rest of the crew isn't wrecking the ship somehow," she said casually. Nami had looked ready for murder after Mr. 9's remark, but she took one look at Sakura's face and nodded, exiting outside as she did so.
Sakura leaned on her elbows and studied the two whale hunters. Their smirks had melted under her cold gaze. Inwardly, her mind was racing to make up a story. As far as Sakura could tell, her nakama would be in danger at Whiskey Peak, and it was her job to make sure they would be ready for what was to come.
"I've been meaning to talk to you guys, away from this ship's crew," she began, " I was assigned the mission of trailing this pirate crew by the boss, and you guys told me about your plans to have an ambush set up at Whiskey Peak."
The sheepish glances from the two was all Sakura got in response.
"My advice? Don't mess with the Straw Hats," she continued, "I'm guessing they'll somehow lead me to a sort of...umm...treasure or bounty...and I was given strict orders to uhhh…not get the organization involved with the crew, and I don't need two inferiors like you guys ruining it."
Sakura was well of aware of the uncertainty in her voice, and expected the two to show skepticism or suspicion. To her surprise, both Mr. 9 and Mss Wednesday stared in shock.
"So you are a lower number agent, aren't you?!" Mr. 9 gasped, "Which one? 6? 7? Or...it can't be...an officer agent?!"
"Uhh...yes," Sakura replied slowly. So the smaller the number, the more powerful? And what's an officer agent? "And whatever my number is, it's none of your business," she said coldly.
Both Miss Wednesday and Mr. 9 visibly shivered.
"Another thing," she continued, "You'll jump ship and swim over to the island so it looks like you didn't have anything to do with us. And when we arrive at Whiskey Peak, there'll be no mention of me. I need to stay anonymous so the Straw Hats don't get suspicious. Got it?"
"Of course, ma'am!"
"No mention of you! Got it!"
The two continued to stare fearfully at her. Inwardly, Sakura was laughing at their reactions, but she made sure to keep her face stoic and emotionless. Apparently, being an officer agent or whatever made her someone dangerous.
"AHHHHHHH! WHAT THE HELL!?"
Sakura whirled around. The scream had definitely come from outside and sounded like Nami's voice. She wasn't sure if it something serious or just the Luffy and Usopp messing around, but she ran outside in panic.
"What's going on?!" she yelled.
"Turn the ship around 180 degrees! NOW!" Nami shrieked. Sakura noted that the navigator was staring intently at the Log Pose.
"Huh? Did you leave something?" Luffy asked as he continued to make another snowball.
"I swear I only turned away for a second, and the waves are completely calm! How was our ship heading in the complete opposite direction this whole time?" Nami cried. Sakura ran over and studied the Log Pose. The needle was pointed behind them. Sakura wasn't much of an expert on navigation, but she was pretty sure that wasn't a good thing.
"Are you even a real navigator? You can't trust anything on the Grand Line! Not the clouds, or ocean, or the wind. Only the Log Pose," Miss Wednesday chuckled. She and Mr. 9 had emerged from the ship's interior and were lazily watching the crew sink into deeper panic.
"SHUT THE HELL UP AND HELP!" Nami shrieked as she threw a clump of ice at them. Everybody except for Zoro, who was somehow still sleeping despite the noise, rushed into action. The next few hours, well, Sakura could only describe them as complete chaos.
"Sanji-kun, take control of the rudder and turn this ship around!
"As you wish, Nami-san!"
"Wait the winds are changing!"
"OI, ZORO WAKE UP! WE'RE IN AN EMERGENCY!"
"Zzzzzz….Zzzzzz…..Zzzzz..."
"How the hell is he able to sleep through all of this?!"
"A dolphin! Nami, let's get closer!"
"SHUT UP LUFFY!"
"Nami-san, there's an iceberg starboard side!"
"The wind's shifting, too!"
"SHIT, THE SHIP'S LEAKING!"
"WELL GO FIX IT DAMMIT!"
"WE'RE GOING OFF COURSE, TURN 180 DEGREES AGAIN!"
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!"
"I...hate this place," Sakura coughed out, as she lay splayed out on the ship's deck. The weather had finally calmed down after the hours of freak storms and wildness, and the ship now drifted around the quiet ocean. The rest of the crew members were lying around her, their strength completely spent from the previous madness. Suddenly, some sleepy mumbling interrupted the silence.
"Woah...that was a nice nap…Huh, why are you guys all lying around?"
Sakura slowly turned her head to see Zoro peering down at her. So the stupid rice ball had finally woken up. An ugly scowl formed on her face.
"Oi chibi, now's not the time for sleeping," he grunted, nudging her with his boot.
"…"
"You did not just say that," Sakura growled, "You definitely did not just say that to me."
"Huh?"
Despite her exhaustion, Sakura jerked up and hooked her arm around Zoro's. With a roar of anger, she swung herself up onto Zoro's back and dug her fingers into his scalp, tugging wildly at his stupid moss hair with all her might. For once, Sakura appreciated her small size, as it allowed her to easily perch on top of his shoulders.
"I. HATE. YOUR. GUTS. YOU. STUPID. ANNOYING. RICEBALL!" she screeched, emphasizing each word with a jerk of his hair. Forget Devil Fruit powers. Zoro needed to get some lasting physical pain.
"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!?" the swordsman yelled as he stumbled backwards, his hands struggling to undo Sakura from his back. In his distraction, he ended up tripping over a moaning Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday. Both Zoro and Sakura tumbled to a ground in a scramble of limbs, with Sakura pinned underneath his rear end.
"GET OFF OF ME, WATERMELON BUTT!" she shrieked while flailing her legs around wildly. Zoro ignored her and peered down at the two whale hunters, who stared back in shock.
"...Who're you?" he asked.
Both Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday scrambled backwards in fear.
"Wait, you never met them?" Usopp moaned as he sat upright.
"Are you saying you were asleep since the Red Line?!" Sakura cried from where she still was wriggling under Zoro.
"We're taking them back to their town. Prickly Peak or whatever," Luffy cut in cheerfully from where he sat on the railing.
"We don't have any reason for doing that, do we?" Zoro asked.
"Nope!"
"Well then, I asked you a question," Zoro said as he turned his attention back to the whale hunters, who had started to sweat profusely. Sakura couldn't blame them. Zoro did look a little bit intimidating, especially since he was still sitting on top of her. Or maybe that was just making him look like an asshole...
"M-mr. 9."
"M-m-miss Wednesday."
"Sounds a little familiar. Why is that?" Zoro muttered as he raised his eyebrows.
"For the last time, GET THE HELL OFF ME!" Sakura yelled. With a grunt, she lashed straight upward with her leg and managed to land a solid kick to Zoro's side. She was mildly curious was to why he recognized those names, but was too angry to really care. As Zoro shifted his weight, she managed to scramble out, and was about to give him another kick, but somebody beat her to it.
"Never mind them, Zoro. You were having such a nice nap," Nami whispered gravely, her fist still clenched after having dealt a blow to the swordsman's head, "We've been trying to wake you up for hours now."
"Nami, shall we do it together?" Sakura growled as she raised her fist as well.
"It would be a pleasure."
.
.
.
"Jeez, you always piss off the ladies, shitty marimo," Sanji muttered minutes later. Zoro's head resembled a deformed balloon from all the lumps, and both Nami's and Sakura's fists were still steaming from their stream of punches.
"Everybody, keep on your toes!" Nami called out, "My navigation techniques don't work here, so we never know what might happen!
"We're gonna' die," Usopp whimpered.
"Don't say that yet," Nami grinned as she pointed off into the distance, "Look over there."
Sakura peered into the ocean horizon, her eyes widening. Surrounded by thin wisps of mist was a large lump that was vaguely shaped like mounds of boulders. An island.
"Whiskey Peak," Nami confirmed, grinning.
"Looks like cacti," Sanji noted.
What's a cacti? Sakura wondered silently as she stared at the island. She had never heard of that word before, not even in the stories from sailors back at Kaihana Island.
"So this is Whiskey Peak huh? Looks exciting!" Luffy cried as he jumped onto Merry's head. Sakura slowly sidled over to Miss Wednesday and Mr. 9.
"Remember what I said?" she whispered casually. Both of them tensed up and sprung back.
"Yes! Umm...We must be going now! We really thank you for your help!" Mr. 9 cried.
"Until we meet again!" Miss Wednesday added. Sakura watched with satisfaction as both of them leapt off the ship and began frantically swimming away.
"Huh?" Luffy stared after them, "Where are they going?"
"Don't worry about it," Sakura replied as she casually dusted herself off, "We've got a lot to talk about before we land."
.
.
.
"So they're part of a secret organization that works under a boss? And they want to ambush us at the island?" Nami repeated.
Sakura nodded in agreement. "They think I'm a secret agent of theirs. I think they called it an...umm...officer agent? I'm not sure what that is, but they got scared when I confirmed it. They used a lot of other weird terms, too. "
She turned to Zoro, who looked bored despite the new information. "You said that their names sounded familiar. Why is that?"
"Just a hunch. Nothing for sure," he yawned. Sakura noted to never ask him for help again.
"Then why are we even going? I'm think I'm coming down with can't-go-onto-the-island-disease," Usopp muttered.
"It can't be helped. Crocus-san said that the Log Pose will need to take some time before it can get reset to point towards the next island," Nami said, gesturing towards the Log Pose.
"So we have to stay on the island even if it's full of danger?" Usopp shrieked.
"Let's not worry about it! It's not fun if we don't go," Luffy chuckled.
"And I did warn the two to not mess with us," Sakura added, "But I get the feeling..."
"WELCOME!"
"WELCOME TO WHISKEY PEAK!"
"PIRATES! WELCOME TO OUR TOWN!"
"CONGRATS ON YOUR BRAVERY, PIRATE WARRIORS!"
The ship had slowly sailed into the island cove, and the crew could easily make out the swarm of people who gathered around the docks to cheer for them. Definitely not normal.
"...That something's wrong," Sakura finished as she quickly ducked behind Zoro and Nami, "No islanders would welcome pirates, no matter how nice they are. Look, here's my idea. I told the two to not mention that I'm here. I'll hide back on the ship, and try to sneak out to look around the place when everybody's gone. See if I can find what's up with this island."
"LOOK AT ALL THE CUTE GIRLS!" Sanji gushed as his eyes transformed into hearts.
"Guess they treat pirates like heroes, huh?" Usopp chuckled as he and Luffy blew kisses and waved to the crowd.
Sakura sighed. Of course they would ignore her.
"Sounds like a good plan," Nami chirped, "There's definitely something wrong with this place."
"At least somebody understand the problem," Sakura muttered, "Just make sure not to tell them I'm here."
With a nod at Nami and Zoro, who seemed like the only ones not distracted by the people on the island, she quickly ducked into the ship's interior, and settled down behind the kitchen counter, content to wait. A few minutes later, she could hear her nakama were being welcomed by the islanders. Sakura frowned. She had told the two whale hunters not to ambush the crew. That shouldn't have translated to parties and celebrations.
"Let's see how good you guys are at following directions," she muttered.
Sakura cautiously peered through a crack in the doorway. Nighttime had fallen, and the only commotion seemed to be coming from the island's town center. Making sure to keep silent, she crept out of the Merry's interior and scurried over to the ship's edge, pressing herself to the railing. Her dark clothing would help to disguise her in the night, though years of sneaking around Loguetown's marine base had taught Sakura that she could never be too careful.
Her eyes constantly searching for any possible signs of danger, Sakura slowly lowered herself to the ground. She glanced around the island. It did indeed look like a pile of boulders, covered in what seemed like tiny growths.
"So this is called a cacti? I guess cacti are pretty big then," she muttered to herself. Sakura swiftly raced down the island beach and took cover by a large rock, where she crouched panting. She continued to stare at the "cacti." There was something strange about the little growths all over the boulders. Now that she was much closer to them, they almost resembled...small white sticks?
The nearest part of the "cacti" was several hundred meters away. After carefully making sure that the coast was clear, Sakura crept closer. Suddenly, she ground to a halt.
"Holy…shit," she breathed. She was still a few meters away from the "cacti," but the white things on it were now easily visible. They weren't really lumps, or sticks. They were crosses...gravemarkers.
"This...this is a graveyard," she muttered, "This island...is a graveyard...Wait...A cacti is a graveyard?"
Sakura stumbled back, her mind racing. What was going on? First an organization that dealt with ambushes and shit, and now...a graveyard that somehow filled up the entire island? She had to find the others and get the hell out. Sakura whirled around, ready to sprint back to the ship, only to find two creatures blocking her path. One was a small, brown otter dressed in a polka dotted coat while the other was a black feathered bird with a yellow flapped hat. Sakura frowned.
"...Hello?" She muttered uncertainly. Were they members of the island too? Or just…some randomly dressed animals? Sakura tried to mentally reassure herself. Islanders or not, they were animals. She could easily take them on...right?
Sakura watched as the otter held out a small seashell. She giggled. It actually looked a little cute. However, her giggle quickly died when sharp blades emerged from the shell's tip.
"Shit," she muttered, "That's not cute at all."
She had barely gotten an energy shield around her when the creature leaped up into the air and lashed out with its shell weapon. The weapon felt as painful as daggers against her shield, and Sakura had to bite her lip to prevent from crying out. She released her shield and leapt back, her palms glowing with light. Quickly, Sakura calmed her mind and focused on her emotions. Her nakama. She needed to reach her nakama.
"Love's…Suffering!" she growled. Her palm filled with a burst of light, and she lashed out. Otter guy managed to dodge out of the way, but the bird received a direct hit and collapsed with a gurgle, where it lay twitching and trembling. Sakura whirled back around, and she and the otter creature squared off.
"Alright you're next," she muttered, letting her palm light up again, "My ultimate move...BYE!"
Sakura dashed off, not even bothering to see if otter guy was following. There was no way that she was going to waste time trying to fight it. She scowled. The two creatures had to be part of whatever organization Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday were talking. There was no other explanation. The only thing was, her little expedition had left Sakura with more question than answers.
"Two whale hunters with funny names, a weird town that welcomes pirates, a cacti graveyard, and two rabid animals," she muttered, "This place is really messed up."
Sakura sprinted from rooftop to rooftop, her eyes intently scanning the town around her. The previous noise and celebration had died down, but she wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.
"Where is everybody?" she murmured. Suddenly, a glint in the corner of her eye stopped her dash. Sakura turned to see Zoro lounging casually on one of the rooftops. The glint had come from his unsheathed katana, which shined in the bright moonlight. Without hesitation, she leaped over and settled by his side. Strangely, the swordsman look unsurprised to see her.
"Yo, chibi," he muttered, "Took you long enough."
Sakura scowled and mentally restrained herself from punching him. "The others?" she whispered.
"Passed out inside."
"Seriously? After all that I've told them?"
"Nami got the signal at least."
"That works. Where is she?"
"Probably out looking for treasure."
"Better than nothing."
Zoro chuckled lightly. "So what exactly did you find, Miss Talented Spy?"
"A graveyard and some rabid animals. Just a confirmation that this place is a bit messed up," she whispered back, purposefully ignoring his mockery. There would be time to kick his ass up later.
"Sounds about right."
Sakura raised her eyebrows. "You knew that this island was hiding something and you didn't say anything?
"Figured it out a few minutes ago," Zoro replied casually.
"I really hate you."
"Sounds about right, too."
Sakura pointedly turned away from Zoro and looked over the roof ledge. A group of people stood below them, urgently talking. She could make out Miss Wednesday and Mr. 9 from before, as well as a large guy with extremely curly hair and a muscular woman. Another large crowd stood behind them, with many of the them absentmindedly toying with weapons. From what Sakura could hear (and see), it was obvious that they were planning on looting and capturing the Straw Hats.
"Looks like the whale hunters didn't listen to my instructions correctly," she remarked dryly.
"Do you really expect them to?" Zoro muttered.
"Not really. But it was worth a try."
"Look, you can sneak around all you want, chibi, but that's not how you win a fight," Zoro chuckled as he began to rise to his knees, "I'll show you how it's done."
"Oi, what are you doing?!" Sakura hissed, only to be ignored.
"Sorry, but my crew's a little tired after our journey. Wouldn't you mind giving them a break?" Zoro called out, startling the people below. Sakura gaped at him from where she still crouched hidden from view.
"This is how people get killed, rice ball!" she whispered angrily. Naturally, Zoro continued to ignore her.
"This is the place isn't it?" he continued, "Where bounty hunters wait for the pirates that first enter the Grand Line. Why don't I be your challenger tonight, Baroque Works!"
Bounty hunters? And...Baroque Works? Is that what the whole organization is called? Sakura thought, scowling. And why the hell did Zoro know so much?
Apparently Zoro could read her mind pretty well. "Upset that I'm better at this whole info-gathering thing than you are?" he taunted softly enough so only she could hear.
"Do you make it your personal mission to get everybody to hate you?" Sakura spat.
"How do you know our company's name?!" somebody yelled. Sakura couldn't see who it was, but the voice sounded like it belonged to Mr. 9.
"When I was still a hunter, your company sent an agent to ask me to join you," Zoro explained, "Every employee goes by a secret name and follows the orders of a boss, even if you don't know who the boss is, or where he lives. The company name, Baroque Works. Is it supposed to be a secret?"
That was it. Sakura couldn't take another second of it. She leapt up from her crouch and smacked Zoro's face. "Are you trying to steal my job or something!?" she yelled.
"You! The agent that was on the ship!" Miss Wednesday cried. Sakura glared down at her.
"Care to explain why you didn't follow my instructions and leave the crew alone, you goddamn blueberry?!" she screeched. She watched as both Miss Wednesday and Mr. 9 awkwardly scratched their heads. Sakura suddenly had a sneaking suspicion.
"You wanted to mess up my mission to make me look bad, huh? Thought it might ease the blow from your own failure," she growled. The silence that greeted her confirmed her thought.
"Who the hell are you?!" the muscular woman yelled.
Sakura hesitated. "An...uhh...officer agent...yeah! So if you'll excuse me, I got a...uh...mission to complete and would really appreciate you not interfering!" She hurriedly reached out her hand to grab Zoro's collar and lug him away, but she only grasped air. With a groan, Sakura looked down to see that the roof was completely empty except for herself.
"I'm gonna' kill him. I swear that I'm gonna' kill him," she muttered. Sakura peered down to see the swordsman already engaged in combat with the Baroque Works people.
"If you're so into fighting, you can deal with your own mess, rice ball!" she growled before turning away. She didn't have time for this.
I gotta' find out more. There's no way in hell I'll let him beat me in my own job! Sakura thought angrily.
Still muttering curses about the swordsman, she leapt into the night.