Their entrance into Alabasta was loud. Mostly because Luffy had no self-control.
Locks watched blankly as her little brother ran off to who-knew-where in the dusty distance, ignoring the outraged screams of her crew mates. Suddenly, she was being shaken violently by Nami, who was fully recovered (and then some) from her prehistoric illness,
"Well!?" the navigator shouted in her face, "Aren't you going to catch him?! He's your brother!"
"He's your captain." Locks replied calmly. Before the redhead could recover and continue her efforts to give the dragon a headache, Locks jumped overboard. Maybe she'd be able to find some peace and quiet . . . and something to eat. She was hungry too.
"Later." She said, waving a hand back at the Merry. She grinned as Nami shrieked impotently.
oOo
They say that speech is silver, but silence? Silence is golden. Locks sighed in contentment as she looked around the shop, grinning to herself on occasion as a particularly amusing message caught her eye.
This was a sign shop. It sold signs with messages on them like "You couldn't handle me if I came with instructions" (that one reminded Locks of Luffy)
She had enough money to buy a few of them, and was planning to get one for each crew member. Name may not have exactly given her the money, but Locks had been taught by Nami's equal in the pickpocket trade: Portgas D. Ace. (don't tell Nami. If the greedy navigator ever found out that Locks (and Luffy too, on occasion) were pickpockets, they'd never hear the end of it)
She continued browsing picking signs out as she went along.
"Don't judge me. I was born to be awesome, not perfect." (Usopp. The proud liar.)
"I'm not lazy. I'm just in energy saving mode." (Zoro. The sleepy swordsman.)
"If I survive the rest of the week, I want my straitjacket to be pink and my helmet to sparkle." (Nami. The constantly harassed navigator.)
"I've decided to add 'extensive experience in dealing with stupid people' to my resume. That has GOT to be a marketable skill." (Sanji. The poor, ridiculously pervy cook.)
"It's so fluffy I wanna die!" (Chopper. Because he was a fluffball and she couldn't find anything else.)
Locks dumped some beri on the counter and left, looking for marks. If she didn't replace the money she'd taken from Nami before the end of the day, the navigator would explode. For the umpteenth time. All that stress couldn't be good for her blood pressure . . .
oOo
She watched people pass her by with half-lidded eyes, enjoying the heat of the sun while feeling vaguely annoyed at all the loud bartering of the marketplace. Three not-so-fat wallets were hidden on her person. They would cover the stolen beri, but their former owners' fine clothes had shown signs of patches, evidence that fortunes were on the downturn, and the people thronging the bustling street looked tired. Worn-down.
But Luffy had promised Vivi that he would help her defeat Crocodile, and he never broke a promise to a friend. When Crocodile was gone, the country of Alabasta would have the chance to get back on their feet. So Locks ignored her eyes and followed her nose. She was hungry.
oOo
She came to a restaurant in which everyone was crowded around some guy who, apparently, had died and fallen into his food because of a poisonous spider. Locks rolled her eyes. His aura was still active (and oddly familiar), the guy was fine.
She sat down and started trying to get the cook's attention.
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
The signs are all minion memes. My sister was showing them to me, and some of them are kinda funny. And then there are the racist comments, the anti-semitic, and the anti-LGBT memes. What a way to ruin Minions. Seriously, why would a minion care? They are characters in a CHILDREN'S movie!
Going on hiatus for exams. Will be back by the end of November.