A/N: I'm back! Still super super busy, but I've been writing a few minutes every night and finally got a new chapter out! Really sorry for the long wait! Happy Reading!
"I still don't understand what you mean by all an act. Aren't you an officer agent?"
"Look princess, I don't know what else to say. I'm a pirate, and that's it."
Sakura continued tugging on the duck's reins to guide him and the princess as they navigated through the town. They had fled the scene a few minutes ago, leaving Zoro and Luffy behind with their own fight. She had initially been worried about the 5 duo catching up to them, but some quick attacks with her powers had kept them down, and Sakura was confident in her ability to defend herself and the princess.
"Then at least tell me why you're helping me," the princess pleaded.
Sakura let out a huff of exasperation. "One of my crewmates has their own reason for saving you. And I was a little pissed off at the 5 team, so why not?"
"So you're just going to leave Mr. Bushido and Straw Hat back to fight?"
Mr. Bushido? "If you're talking about Zoro and Luffy, they'll be busy enough handling each other. I'll get you out of the way, and then go back to see if I can have in on the fun." Sakura replied. Somebody had to get the priorities straight. "Ah, here we are."
The group began to slow as they neared where Sakura had been a while ago. Nami was perched on a barrel and staring at the night sky, and the other guy, Igaram, was still lying on the ground.
"Igaram!" the princess cried while rushing forward to collapse next to pasta head.
"Vivi-sama! I'm glad you're safe," he coughed back before turning his head to look at Sakura, "I give you my sincere thanks."
Sakura shifted around uncomfortably. "Yeah, yeah."
"What happened to Zoro?" Nami asked as she hopped off the barrel. Sakura winced. How was she supposed to tell her about Luffy's random rampaging?
"Umm...he's...taking care of the last bit of fighting," she replied casually, "And I kinda' wanna' join in. You can go figure out your reward."
"Reward?" the princess repeated, but Sakura was already gone, dashing down the streets.
It didn't take long before she was back at the scene of the battle, though the place was now nearly unrecognizable. The buildings around were completely smashed, and she could make out the still brawling Luffy and Zoro in the middle of the wreckage. With a sigh of exasperation, Sakura leapt forward and interrupted their fight with a pair of punches.
"WHAT ARE YOU COCONUTS DOING?!" she yelled angrily.
"He started it!" Zoro complained while rubbing the noticeably growing lump on his forehead.
"NEVER GONNA' FORGIVE YOU!" Luffy continued to screech. Sakura had to jerk him back from launching into Zoro, who seemed just as keen to keep fighting.
"Will you just stop it!?" she ordered, "What happened to the 5 pair? Where are they?"
"If you're talking about the snot rocket and the kilo lady, we kicked their asses a few seconds ago," Zoro growled as he continued to eye his captain. Sakura squinted to make out the battered bodies of Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine lying in the dust a few meters away.
"You...kicked their asses," she repeated.
"Stop trying to hold me back, Sakura, dammit!" Luffy screeched.
"You want a real fight!? Bring it on, rubber boy!" Zoro roared back. His challenges were cut short when Sakura's foot was shoved straight into his face, sending him toppling backwards.
"What the hell was that for?!" he complained, wiping dust off his face. Sakura released the squirming Luffy, but before he could make a move, she had launched herself towards the swordsman in a whirlwind of fists.
"I LEAVE FOR TEN MINUTES! TEN MINUTES!" she screamed while attacking Zoro with a barrage of punches, "AND YOU DECIDE TO GO AHEAD AND BEAT UP MY OPPONENTS!?"
"What do you mean, your oppenents?" Zoro yelled.
"Couldn't you at least leave me someone to fight with? I was really pissed at them, you know?!" she yelled back.
"If you wanted to beat them up so badly," Zoro growled, his hands pushing against Sakura's face to protect himself, "Why didn't you just stay here, Ms. I Won't Back Down From a Fight?!"
"For Nami! I'm not gonna' forget what a friend wants just so I can go do my own thing!" she retorted angrily, "She wanted the princess, so I got her a princess!"
"Oh, so this is to help a friend or whatever, huh?" Zoro said sarcastically.
Sakura glared back at him. "Why else would I choose not to fight?!" She watched in confusion as he stopped struggling against her and stared. "I put Nami over myself for this. It's what friends do...right?"
Zoro slowly lowered his hands, his eyes never straying from her face. His silence was killing her.
"What? Is that not how it works?" Sakura demanded, "Kinda' new at the friend thing, if you haven't noticed!"
"That witch is gonna' take advantage of you if she catches you saying those things," he said simply.
Sakura frowned in confusion. What was that supposed to mean? She opened her mouth to speak, but a flicker at the corner of her eye caught her attention, and she carefully arranged her face to an expression of unconcerned coolness.
"So...you call Nami a witch? I'm not sure if she'd like to hear that," she said nonchalantly.
"Why does that matter? Not like she's here right now," Zoro replied, his eyebrows knitted together.
Sakura grinned. "Then who's that right behind you?"
Zoro whirled around to see a smiling Nami a few meters away, her hand roughly tugging on a flailing Luffy's ear. "Guess you like to use that name a lot, huh? Witch?" she asked casually.
"Not many girls like you, huh, rice ball?" Sakura remarked casually.
Zoro sighed in response.
"So that's how it is? Why didn't you say something sooner, Zoro?" Luffy laughed, any traces of his former rage completely gone, "I thought you were just upset that they ran out of your favorite foods!"
"That's something only you would do," Zoro growled back as he nursed some new lumps on his head, courtesy of Nami's fist. Sakura pointedly kept her gaze away from him. She was still angry about not getting a bigger chance to handle the 5 pair, but was mostly confused about their previous interaction. Zoro had looked almost...guilty after she made her outburst.
After giving Nami some time to beat up Zoro and Luffy, the situation had finally been explained to everybody, and now the only thing left to do was plan the next course of action. The pasta head guy and duck had disappeared, but the princess was standing to the side, an extremely uncomfortable look on her face.
"Everybody," the woman said firmly, "I appreciate you all for saving my life, but I'm afraid paying back a reward is just impossible."
Nami pouted. "You're a princess aren't you? It's just a billion belli. Pay up!"
"You don't understand, do you? Have you guys even heard of the kingdom of Alabasta?" the princess protested.
"I'm assuming it's a pretty poor if you can't give Nami her reward?" Sakura remarked.
The princess nodded in agreement. "It is poor, but it used to be one of the most peaceful nations of the Grand Line."
"Used to?" Nami asked suspiciously.
"A civil war started during the past few years, and we realized that an organization known as "Baroque Works" was behind all of it. They've been persuading the citizens to revolt against the nation. I asked Igaram, my confidante, to-"
"You mean the curly hair guy right?" Luffy cut in, mimicking large curls on his head with his hands.
The princess nodded again. "I asked him to help me in joining up with Baroque's Works undercover to try and find out who is the boss behind this organization. It claims to want to build a dream country, but in reality, Baroque Works only seeks to conquer Alabasta!"
"Pretty brave for a princess," Zoro remarked.
Sakura scowled, her mind racing to comprehend this story. She had encountered numerous thieves and pirates with made up sob background stories back when she still lived in Loguetown. The minute you lowered your guard to sympathize, you would find yourself in an alley with broken limbs and stolen valuables. She would need a little more persuasion before she could believe what the princess was saying.
"So….you've probably spent some time undercover or whatever right, princess?" she asked, "Any ideas on who the boss is?"
The princess flinched, probably out of shock from her aggressive tone. "It's best if you didn't know that! That information can cost you your life!"
"Makes sense. A person wanting to conquer a nation should be pretty powerful right?" Nami remarked.
"Or you could just be pretending with this whole thing. If you can't even tell us a name, how do we know you're not a secret Baroques Work agent trying to gain our trust?" Sakura asked suspiciously.
"Oi, oi, that's a bit underhanded. Kiwi wouldn't do that, would she?" Luffy protested.
"Her names Vivi, Luffy. But he's right, Sakura. Alabasta is a real kingdom, and everything she's saying does make sense," Nami added.
Sakura frowned. "Just saying that we shouldn't be so quick to trust her if we don't have any proof that she's trustworthy."
"You were the one who pretended to be an officer agent in the beginning!" the princess protested.
"I'm a spy. That's my job," Sakura replied with a shrug.
"Well then, I'm spying on this organization, so I'm doing the same thing as you are!" the princess said angrily, "And what I'm saying is true! No matter how strong you are, you could never compare to Crocodile of the Shichibukai!"
...
...
"...So...that's the boss?" Zoro asked, breaking the silence.
"You're really bad at this, lady," Sakura sighed while the princess turned pale and let out a small gurgle of shock.
"Oi, what's with that funny bird and otter?" Luffy asked, pointing to the top of the building.
"Bird and otter?" Sakura turned with the rest of the group to see a familiar pair perched above them, "Oh...the Unluckies."
They watched silently as the pair of animals darted away.
"U-u-unluckies?!" Nami stammered before grabbing on to the princess's shoulders, "OI, WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?! ARE THEY GOING BACK TO THIS BOSS NOW TO GIVE A REPORT?! WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!?"
"I'm..s-sorry!" the princess choked out.
"Well, this is cool! What's a Shichibukai?! Can I fight it?" Luffy asked excitedly.
"Shichibukai...seven warlords of the sea," Zoro muttered, "Sounds interesting."
"We just got on the Grand Line, and now we're gonna' die," Nami sobbed, tears running down her face, "All because of an otter, bird, and crocodile…"
"Don't forget a damsel princess in distress. I'll go find the Unluckies. If I'm fast enough, maybe I can knock them out or something," Sakura said before taking off.
It was only a minute or two later when she ran into the otter, who, for some reason, was sitting in the middle of the street, a sketchpad in hand. Sakura instantly felt her curiosity perk up. Her mission forgotten, she watched silently as the otter finished his sketching and flipped the pad around, displaying four drawings of Luffy, Zoro, Nami, and herself.
"Hmm..that's pretty good," Sakura mused, "But the jawline's are all a little too sharp. Try angling the pencil a bit more to get a softer line."
The otter adjusted the drawings and once again held them out for inspection. Impressed by the work, Sakura flashed a thumbs up with a grin. "That's a great talent you got there!"
She watched as the otter nodded curtly before dashing away. "Damn, that's really cool," she murmured, "An animal drawing perfect portraits of all of us…"
She frowned. Perfect portraits of all of them? "Did I...just help them out?"
"YOU DID WHAT?!"
Sakura winced. "I got distracted...and...let them go on accident?"
"Distracted...over some drawings…" Nami moaned.
"They were really good drawings! Realistic features and excellent shading!"
"THAT'S EVEN WORSE!"
"Wooo! So now the Croc guy knows what we look like, huh? That's really exciting!" Luffy cheered.
"Wow, chibi. This is just a whole new level of stupidity for you, huh?" Zoro chuckled.
"I don't need to hear that from you, riceball!" Sakura snapped back.
"Enough!" Nami shrieked out, "We don't have time for this! Zoro, Sa-chan, go and get Usopp and Sanji-kun and meet the rest of us at the harbor!"
"There's no way I'm working with this riceball!" Sakura protested, "And since when did we decide what we would help out Princess Blueberry?"
"Why do I have to babysit the chibi?" Zoro complained.
"Do I look to be in the mood for negotiation?" Nami asked darkly, shutting both of them up. "And we haven't decided. Princess or not, we're just leaving here as soon as possible. That's it."
"Wait. What happened to the curly hair guy?" Luffy asked curiously.
"He said he had some sort of plan. We can find him while we head for the ship," Nami responded curtly, "Sa-chan, Zoro, get going."
Still grumbling underneath their breaths, the pair took off running.
"Stupid stupid stupid," Sakura groaned as they raced down the streets.
"Yeah, you are," Zoro agreed from beside her.
Sakura shot the swordsman a glare. "Not me, you riceball. This whole thing. What the hell are we even doing?"
"I'm babysitting you so that you don't somehow screw things up while picking up the others," Zoro replied casually.
"I meant, why are we even bothering to help a random princess out," Sakura muttered through gritted teeth. With a leap, she darted in front of Zoro, preventing him from taking another step, "And could you shut up now!?"
"Oh, look at that, you're causing a problem in a task again," Zoro drawled, "What a shame."
"I. Got. Distracted. It could happen to anybody, even somebody as strong and mighty as you," Sakura spat back sarcastically, "So would you just get over it now?"
"I'll get over it when I have to stop having to help your ass all the time," the swordsman growled back.
"I'm not asking for your help!" she all but screamed, "So could you stop being so damn arrogant and just-"
*BOOOOM*
The pair whirled around, their argument momentarily forgotten as they stared at the open sea, where an explosion had lit up the night sky. Sakura watched with wide eyes as the water glowed bright orange with flickering flames.
Flames.
Her forehead and hands clammy with sweat, Sakura instinctively stumbled back, before collapsing to the ground. She continued to scoot backwards, her eyes never leaving the flames that lit up the ocean.
"Oi, chibi, what're you doing?" Zoro asked as he reached out to roughly grasp Sakura's arm. With a shriek, she clutched onto her necklace charms with one hand, while the other filled with a bright pink glow that erupted into a flurry of sparks. Zoro stumbled back, his teeth gritted in pain while his hands clutched his chest.
"What the fuck was that for?" he groaned, his breathing raspy with pain.
Sakura clawed at her arms, her breath coming out ragged and uneven. The night sky illuminated with a ghostly orange light. The town covered in a layer of smoke and fire. The laughter of monsters. Garu. Keri. Oh, Keri…
*SLAP*
A heavy blow hit her face, shattering the haze of fear. Sakura blinked once, then twice, then looked up to see Zoro with his hand outstretched. Did he just...slap her?
"Tell me what's going on," he ordered.
Sakura blinked again and purposefully turned away as she staggered to her feet. She made sure to keep her gaze away from the ocean. Her hands were trembling uncontrollably, and her breaths were still quick and uneven, but she kept her face emotionless. "We should get going," she grunted softly.
"You're afraid of fire, aren't you?"
Sakura felt her heart sink, but worked to keep her outward emotions in check.
"I don't know what you're talking about," she mumbled softly.
"Don't give me that crap," Zoro growled, "It's obvious...but it doesn't make sense. You took on Mr. 5's explosions without fear. Why was that different than what just happened here?"
Sakura turned away and clutched at her necklace charms again. "Just leave me alone, ok? We need to get going."
Before she could take another step, a hand roughly latched onto her arm and she was spun around to come face to face with Zoro. "What the hell are you doing?" she gasped.
"I'm sure as hell not gonna' work with you if you're distracted like this," he snapped back, "What the fuck is going on, Sakura?"
Hearing her name was enough to send a jolt through her body. Zoro never called her by her name. There was an intense look in his eyes. He wasn't going to back down.
"Flames," she muttered, "I'm afraid of open flames. Bombs are fine as long as it doesn't create a fire. All the explosions from Mr. 5 never left any ongoing flames, so it wasn't a big deal then. But now..."
Zoro frowned. "Why?"
"Huh?"
"Why is an open fire so bad?"
Sakura could feel her heart sinking lower and lower from shame, but for some reason, she couldn't stop the words from tumbling out. Why couldn't she? This is was personal, dammit! And since when was she personal with Zoro? "My hometown was destroyed by a fire. Everything burned up by flames. My sister...Keri..." She could feel her voice starting to choke up and closed her mouth.
The expression on Zoro's face was unreadable. Sakura quickly pushed herself away and studied her shoes. "Go on. Laugh. I know it's stupid," she spat, "Pitiful little baby develops fear of fire from a shitty past."
"You think I would laugh after what just happened?"
Sakura jerked her head up in surprise but Zoro was already walking away. "Hurry up, and stay closer inland. Keep your eyes forward."
She opened her mouth to make a protest, but somehow, nothing would come out. What had just happened?
Her fists clenched with anger, Sakura turned to follow the swordsman.
The stupid, rice ball swordsman.
"Why do we have to hurry? Let's go back!"
"Yeah! There were so many cute girls!"
"There won't be any town as great as this one!"
"Did you guys explain the whole story them?" Nami asked tiredly.
"Already did. Twice," Zoro replied gruffly, "Chibi even tried to beat some sense into them."
Hearing Zoro's nickname for her caused a bubble of emotion to well up inside Sakura, but it wasn't exactly anger. What was it? Embarrassment? Annoyance? She pointedly made sure to turn away.
"Leave it to me. Let's see if my fists can get through to them," she heard Nami say with a sigh.
After the awkward incident revolving around the explosion, Sakura and Zoro had managed to find the still unconscious Sanji and Usopp and dragged them back to the ship, where Luffy, Nami, the princess, and surprisingly, her giant duck, were waiting. Sakura could tell that Nami had immediately noticed the tension between them now had a new sense of awkward embarrassment, but no mention of it was brought up.
"Since her Royal Majesty and the duck are here, I'm assuming that we're taking them to save their beloved kingdom and all that?" Sakura asked sarcastically.
Luffy grinned. "Yup!"
She sighed in defeat before turning around. "What happened to your friend? Igaram, was it?" she asked the princess, who was watching the mist settle around the island. To Sakura's surprise, the princess stiffened up, but before she could reply, Luffy's voice cut through the air.
"Woah! It's almost dawn!" he cheered loudly.
"Be careful not to hit the rocks. It's very dangerous you know~"
"Don't worry, Vivi! We'll be out of here before you know it!" Luffy replied excitedly as he peered into the ocean.
Sakura whirled around, a glow of light sprouting from her hands to form a protective barrier around herself and the princess. "That wasn't Miss Princess who was talking, Luffy. Guys, we got company!"
Perched on top of the upper deck railing was a slim woman clad in a rather scanty purple cowgirl outfit, with a hat and boots to match. She had on a tranquil smile and seemed almost amused by the shocked reactions of the crew. She's not nervous at all, which means she must be pretty strong, Sakura thought.
"Hey! Get off my ship, lady!" Luffy yelped angrily.
"I just met Mr. 8 back there, Miss Wednesday" the lady said calmly. Her tranquil smile seemed to turn a little darker, and her eyes became a little colder. Sakura watched nervously. Something about the lady really creeped her out…
"You...Did you kill Igaram!?" the princess whispered. Oh. The reaction the princess had when Sakura had asked. The explosion from a while ago. Sakura felt her blood run cold with realization of what had happened. The explosion was meant to kill Igaram. But why was he in the middle of the ocean in the first place?
"Why are you here….Miss All Sunday!" the princess shrieked.
"All Sunday? Is she a number agent like you were, Vivi?" Nami asked anxiously.
"She's the partner of Mr. 0, the boss of Baroque Works. She's the only one that knows the boss, so I followed her to see the boss's true identity."
"Actually, I only let you follow me," Miss All Sunday corrected.
"So she's a good person?" Luffy asked.
"I know that! And you were the one who slipped the boss's name to me!" the princess cried angrily.
"So...bad?" Luffy muttered, confused.
"Oi, oi, whose side are you on, lady?" Sakura growled.
"That's a tricky question to answer, little girl," Miss All Sunday replied.
"DON'T CALL ME LITTLE GIRL!"
"But I felt that you worked really hard, Princess Vivi, so I wanted to try and help you," Miss All Sunday continued, completely ignoring Sakura, "But...don't you think it's a little stupid for a princess to want her nation to become an enemy of Baroque Works and not suffer the consequences?
Sakura watched as the princess began to tremble in anger. "DON'T INSULT ME!"
All at once, the crew moved into action, and before Sakura could even blink, everybody but Luffy had some kind of weapon out. Even Sanji, the chivalrous gentleman, was aiming a gun straight at the lady's head.
"Oi! You're doing this because you know you have to right?" Usopp muttered aloud.
"No. It just looks like the ever so lovely Miss Wednesday is in danger. I can't let that happen," Sanji replied. Sakura raised her eyebrows. Even in combat, he had to be a lady's man.
To the crew's surprise, Miss All Sunday looked more annoyed than scared, and with a flick of her hand everybody's weapons clattered to the ground, and Usopp and Sanji were flung to the deck floor. Sakura was so shocked that her shield dissolved as her focus slipped away.
"What the hell was that!?" Nami yelped.
"Devil Fruit power? But what?" Sakura gasped.
"Don't point such dangerous things at me," Miss All Sunday said quietly, "Somebody could get hurt."
Sakura mentally debated trying to attack her with her own Devil Fruit powers, but somebody else interrupted her.
"WOAH! I DIDN'T EVEN REALIZE! SHE'S A KNOCKOUT!" Sanji crowed, his eyes already turning into hearts. Is this really the time for that, Sanji?
Miss All Sunday smiled softly and with flick of her wrist, Luffy's hat was suddenly sent flying forward into her hand. Luffy himself let out a yelp of surprise.
"OI, GIVE ME BACK MY HAT LADY! ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A FIGHT OR SOMETHING? CUZ' I'LL GIVE YOU ONE RIGHT NOW!" he screamed.
"So now you get fired up, Luffy?" Usopp squeaked.
"I do offer you my condolences, Monkey D. Luffy," Miss All Sunday said softly, "Having to help the princess, who is now the enemy of Baroque Works, can be quite the downfall for you. Even your next destination spells certain doom. Little Garden...Perhaps we won't even have to worry, and you'll all die quietly before even reaching Alabasta."
"I DON'T GIVE A DAMN! JUST GIVE ME BACK MY HAT!"
Sakura watched warily as Miss All Sunday pulled out a small object and tossed it to the princess, who caught it with clumsy hands. It looked similar to Nami's Log Pose, but there was no wristband, and a small label was engraved into the top.
"An Eternal Pose?" the princess breathed. Judging by the awe it her voice, the Eternal Pose was probably a big deal.
"That pose will take you straight to Alabasta, no matter where you are or what obstacles you face," Miss All Sunday explained, an amused smile flickering around her lips.
"So...she's a good person?" Usopp asked.
"There's no good reason why she would help us though," Sakura muttered.
"It's gotta' be some kind of trap," Zoro agreed.
Miss All Sunday chuckled. "I'll let you decide if it's a trap or not."
Sakura chewed her lip in thought. For some reason, Miss All Sunday didn't seem like she was lying, but there really was no reason for her to be helping out so much. If they were going to help the princess, wasn't taking this Eternal Pose the best option?
Luffy quickly erased the dilemma at hand with his own actions. Without hesitation, he swiped the Eternal Pose away from the princess's hands and crushed it in one fist. "There!" he declared.
With a scream, Nami sent a kick straight into Luffy's face. "Are you crazy?! She provided us with an easy solution, and you go ahead and destroy it? What if she really was telling the truth?!"
"Doesn't matter!" Luffy cried before pointing back at Miss All Sunday, "You don't have the right to decide our route!"
Miss All Sunday smiled, not at all angry for what just happened. "Such a shame. Though I admire that spirit of yours." She gently tossed the straw hat back to Luffy, who eagerly jammed it back onto his head, and casually walked to the ship railing edge. "Maybe if we're lucky, we'll meet again."
They watched in mild surprise as Miss All Sunday leapt straight off the ship to land on the back of a….giant turtle? Sakura frowned. Since when had that been there?
As Miss All Sunday travelled away, Luffy was the first to break the silence. "That's a big turtle."
Nami sighed. "What was that lady even doing?"
"So...anybody mind me asking why there's a giant duck on the ship?" Sanji asked curiously while staring at the animal, who was peering at them from behind the mast.
The princess fell to the ground, her hands covering her face. "I realize apologize. I didn't mean to cause you all so much trouble. Maybe it's best if you just didn't help me after all."
Sakura scoffed but held out her hand in assistance. "If you really meant that, you wouldn't have bothered us in the first place, princess."
"Vivi."
"Huh?"
"My name is Vivi. Not princess, or royal highness, or blueberry. Vivi."
Sakura raised an eyebrow. "Ok, well Vivi, here's the thing. I still don't trust you, and if it were my choice, you wouldn't be here. But I trust my captain, and if he's wants to help you, then that's that."
"Sa-chan's right you know, Vivi. Don't think you can get away from us that easily," Nami teased. The message was clear in the faces of the crew: the princess was here to stay.