Author's Note: And, now, this chapter signals the end of the Baleeira Porto Arc! The Tequila Wolf Arc - which is from the old version from this fic; It will be re-written to suit this fic - begins next chapter! Let's do this!
Dislclaimer: One Piece is the property of Eichiiro Oda.
Ch. 5: "All About Big Margo."
The next afternoon, Yuki-Rin was taking her crew to the East Blue Shipwright Company to show them how construction of The Hyperion was going.
"So, when do we get to see the completed ship?" Kazuma eagerly asked Yuki-Rin.
"Kartik said in a few days. That's more than enough time to weave together the whole thing with Big Margo, Drusilla, Karin, and this girl who bumped into me on the way to Kartik's apartment yesterday," Yuki-Rin explained.
"There's another girl involved?" Kazuma yelled.
"Yeah. This fat woman dragged her away saying that she had to go to a signing," Yuki-Rin explained as they arrived at the East Blue Shipwright Company offices.
"Hello, Yuki-Rin. Is this your crew?" Matsu asked Yuki-Rin.
"Hell yeah," Kazuma anwsered.
"We wanted to see how the new ship is going," Heathcliffe added.
"I guess you want to see Kartik, huh?" Matsu asked them.
"I really need to see Kartik. His stalker is an assassin," Yuki-Rin explained.
"Really? I think Kartik is outside working on the ship," Matsu explained.
True to Matsu's word, Kartik was outside and working on the Hyperion.
"Hi, Yuki-Rin! Doesn't your new ship look nice?" Kartik asked Yuki-Rin from the deck of the ship.
"It's looking great! Listen, I need to talk to you, and it's urgent!" Yuki-Rin explained.
"I'll listen. But, i'm really busy right now. Can you talk to me in my office when I get off work?" Kartik asked Yuki-Rin.
"Sure," Yuki-Rin said. About an hour later, Yuki-Rin returned.
"What is it? Do you need the ship to be built faster?" Kartik asked Yuki-Rin.
"No. It's actually about Karin," Yuki-Rin said.
"Karin as in Karin Kotetsu?" Kartik asked Yuki-Rin.
"Yep. Last night after I met with you, I ran into this creepy girl named "Blind" Drusilla. I was then forced to see painful memories of how Drusilla teamed up with Rob Lucci and how Molly became my sister. Then, Karin came and told her something about a guy named Z.G. They then so they could – I assume – meet up with this Z.G. guy," Yuki-Rin explained. Kartik then gagged on the tea he was drinking.
"Anything wrong?" Yuki-Rin said before Kartik looked her straight into the eye and grabbed her shoulders.
"Listen to me, Yuki-Rin, because what I am going to say is important. Karin, Drusilla, and this Z.G. person are members of the Cipher Pol! The only person I know for sure is aligned with Ciper Pol is Drusilla," Kartik explained.
"How do you know?" Yuki-Rin asked Kartik, who pulled out a book and gave it to Yuki-Rin.
"This is a book on how the Cipher Pol has evolved over the years. There's something on "Blind" Drusilla on page 233," Kartik explained. Yuki-Rin turned to the page and read it over.
"Son of a gun... Drusilla, Karin, AND Z.G. are members of Ciper Pol 5," Yuki-Rin said.
"Like what you see so far? You should read that book sometime. It's called Cipher Pol: A History," Kartik explained.
"It's informative, but... What do they have against Big Margo?" Yuki-Rin asked Kartik.
"From what i've read, Big Margo is this Noble who wants power and wealth. She's raising a daughter named Maki-chan on her own, since her husband died. I heard rumors that she murdered him for money, power, and fame," Kartik explained as Matsu walked up to them with the daily newspaper.
"Hey, Kartik, are you going to Maki-chan's performance tonight?" Matsu asked Kartik as she showed him an advertisement of the same blonde girl who bumped into Yuki-Rin the previous day. Yuki-Rin gasped.
"Sure. Just let me go home, take a shower, and change into –" Kartik explained before Yuki-Rin cut him off.
"That's it! Big Margo is Maki-chan's mother! The CP5 want Big Margo dead because she's gaining more power through her daughter!" Yuki-Rin told Kartik and Matsu.
"What mother would gain power through her daughter? That's sad," Matsu said.
"No way... Are you serious?" Kartik asked Yuki-Rin.
"Dead serious. Meet me at the pub she's going to perform at tonight a half-hour before showtime," Yuki-Rin explained.
"Alright. We'll see you then," Kartik said before Yuki-Rin ran out of the East Blue Shipwright Company's office and to the hotel. However, she ran into somebody.
"Watch where you're going!"
Yuki-Rin looked up to the source of the voice. Despite being an albino man with red eyes, the person Yuki-Rin bumped into had long, silver hair under a black hat. He wore a black sweatshirt, black pants, and black shoes.
"Sorry, I was in a hurry," Yuki-Rin apologized as she got up from the ground.
"Have you seen Maki-chan anywhere? Big Margo made me watch her today, but I guess she ran off," The man told her.
"No, I have not. I have to get going now," Yuki-Rin said before she ran off.
"You're not a lot of help!" The man yelled back.
A few minutes later, Yuki-Rin arrived at the hotel.
"Guys, we need to go to –" Yuki-Rin yelled before she noticed that Maki-chan was with her crew.
"Hi there! You must be Yuki-Rin, am I right?" Maki-chan asked Yuki-Rin.
"You're looking at her. I think you're the singer Maki-chan, am I correct?" Yuki-Rin asked back.
"In the living flesh!" Kazuma anwsered.
"Your name isn't Maki-chan," Heathcliffe quietly told Kazuma.
"Anyway, I really need your help. My mother, Big Margo, has been using me to give her wealth and power for years by having me act, sing, and dance. I heard rumors that tonight will be my last performance before I get sold off to another family so my mom can have more money. Please, defeat her, kill her, eviscerate her, do anything to make her stop! She is a complete monster!" Maki-chan pleaded.
"I can eviscerate her for you, if you like," Heathcliffe chimed in.
"You will? Thank you so much!" Maki-chan said to Heathcliffe before she turned to Yuki-Rin. "Personally, that guy over there is not my type."
"Then which girl will find my handsome head of silky, raven tresses, boyish face, and elegant sense of style completely ravishing and sweep me off my feet?" Heathcliffe asked jokingly. Kazuma held up a sign that said, "What he just said was a big joke" with an arrow pointing to Heathcliffe.
"Some exotic chick in a Chinese dress," Maki-chan deadpanned.
That night, in one of Baleeira Porto's many pubs, Maki-chan was getting ready for her performance.
"Here we go. Wish me luck, 'kay?" Maki-chan requested to Yuki-Rin.
"Break a leg. Remember, we're going to defeat your mom," Yuki-Rin said before she hurried back to where her crew sat.
"Any sign of Big Margo yet?" Yuki-Rin asked her crew.
"She's towards the back. I don't see why she'd be there when her own bloody daughter is performin' tonight," Molly explained. Then, the lights in the pub dimmed.
"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, put your hands together for Baleeira Porto's own pop idol... Maki-chan!" The owner announced as the audience cheered. Maki-chan walked on stage, and she winked over in the direction of the Capricorn Pirates.
"Here we go," Yuki-Rin said before the music started.
"Mirai dake shinjiteru
Dareka ga waratte mokamowanai
Hashitteru jounetsu ga
Anata o KIRA meraseru
Mabushi sugi, demo mitsumeteitai
Dokka 'bigaku' kanjiteru I'm really really stuck on you
Dare ni mo nitenai yume no senaka o
Oikakete oikaketeku
Yoake o yobisamasu you na
Moeru KIMOCHI ATOSAKI nante ima wa shiranai
Taikutsu na jikan yori mo DRAMATIC te ni ireru made
Believe in Wonderland!
Yamatsumi no mondai o
Keime no NORI de kawashichau
Kono michi wa modorenai Anata no PRIDE da ne
TROUBLE tsuzuki yowaki na yoru wa
GYUTTO itaite ageru yo
I wanna, wanna be with you
Dare ni mo mienai yume no
KATACHI o
Tsukamaete tsukamaeteku
Watashi wa tsuite yuku kara
Atsui KIMOCHI TSUJITSUMA awase betsuni iranai
Arifureta nichijou yori mo PARADISE mezashite hashire
Believe in Wonderland
Dare ni mo nitenai yume no senaka o
Oikakete oikaketeku
Yoake o yobisamasu you na
Moeru KIMOCHI ATOSAKI nante ima wa shiranai
Taikutsu na jikan yori mo DRAMATIC te ni ireru made
Believe in Wonderland!" Maki-chan sang. When her song was done, everyone in the pub applauded.
"Damn, she's a good singer!" Yuki-Rin commented as Kartik and Matsu walked up to them.
"What did we miss?" Kartik asked the Capricorn Pirates.
"Nothing, yet. She just finished her first song," Yuki-Rin explained.
"Thank you, Baleeira Porto! For my next –" Maki-chan said nervously before shots rang out. Everyone gasped as the albino man from before ran on stage and grabbed the mike.
"Remain calm, everyone! Those were just blanks!" The man reassured everyone.
"Z.G., what's going on?" Maki-chan asked the man.
"Hey, is this part of the show?" Heathcliffe yelled to Maki-chan.
"Hell no, it isn't! Whoever the shooter is, come forward so Z.G. can kick your ass!" Maki-chan yelled. Then, Drusilla made it on stage.
"Oh, great! Not another one of Z.G.'s weird friends!" Maki-chan groaned. Drusilla just turned her organ.
"This isn't the time to dwell on what's going on right now. We must turn to the past," Drusilla droned.
*Begin Flashback, Five Years Ago*
Maki-chan was sitting in the corner of the ballet studio Big Margo – her own mother- built for her. Another day of grueling practice left her feet bloodied and blistered, her voice hoarse, and the rest of her bruised and sore.
"Maki-chan, I better see you up and dancing right this instant or I will sell you!" Big Margo yelled.
"I can't… Go on. Let me quit," Maki-chan pleaded in a hoarse voice. All Big Margo did was whip her.
"We have discussed this earlier, Maki-chan! You're my daughter, and you do what I say! You're the daughter of a Tenryuubtio, and you WILL do what I say! And, since you are MY daughter with ties to the World Government, you WILL bring me wealth, you WILL bring me fame, and you WILL bring me power, or else I will disown you and you will be sold into slavery! Do I make myself clear?" Big Margo asked Maki-chan.
"Y-Y-Yes, mother," Maki-chan answered with tears in her eyes as she got up.
"That's a good daughter," Big Margo said, suddenly regaining a calmer side to her.
*End Flashback, Revert to the Present*
Everyone in the audience gasped.
"I can't believe her mother would do such a thing!" Somebody in the audience yelled.
"You can't do this! This is child abuse!" Somebody else yelled as Big Margo walked onto the stage.
"Maki-chan, what is the meaning of this?" Big Margo asked Maki-chan, who just smirked.
"Nothing, mommy dearest," Maki-chan said mockingly. Big Margo grabbed her by the wrist.
"That is it, Maki-chan! I have had it up to here with you! You are –" Big Margo yelled before something struck her down. She was shot in the chest. The audience gasped.
"What's going on?" Kartik asked everybody. Just then, Karin walked onstage with a gun. She wore a black, sleeveless dress that showed off much of her cleavage and black high-heels.
"Everybody's here. Mission accomplished, guys," Karin said to Z.G. and Drusilla.
"Who are you people?" Somebody asked in the audience.
"We are the Cipher Pol Five, honey. We were sent here to assassinate Big Margo. Our higher ups thought she had too much power to live," Karin said with a shrug, which caused the audience to talk amongst themselves.
"Yuki-Rin, you were right," Kartik told Yuki-Rin. Just then, something shocking happened – Big Margo got up to her feet, seemingly unaffected by the bullet. Everyone gasped.
"How did she do that?" Kazuma wondered out loud.
"You missed," Big Margo answered. Heathcliffe then climbed up on the table and got out his scythe.
"Alright, Isabella, are you ready to try out what we learned?" Heathcliffe asked the spirit inside of his scythe.
"Ready!" Isabella said. Heathcliffe then jumped off of the table and ran to Big Margo.
"Eviscerate!" Heathcliffe yelled as he swung his scythe around. Then, various slash marks appeared all over Big Margo's body.
"What?" Big Margo cried.
"It's called "Eviscerate". I send the spirit of my dead grandma inside of you while I swing my scythe around. Isabella then created these wounds you see on your body," Heathcliffe explained. Then, Big Margo grabbed Heathcliffe by the throat and slammed him onto a table.
"Heathcliffe, no!" Yuki-Rin yelled before she and Molly ran up to Big Margo. Yuki-Rin and Molly then put their swords onto Big Margo's neck and chest.
"Now I can see why nobody bloody fuckin' likes you!" Molly yelled, causing Big Margo to pull out a gun and put it to Molly's head.
"Molly!" Yuki-Rin yelled as she cut a line down Big Margo's back with her katana.
"You are not getting anywhere near my sister, do you hear me, you fat bitch?" Yuki-Rin asked Big Margo, who grabbed Yuki-Rin by her shirt collar.
"Young lady, this is no place for somebody as vulgar as you!" Big Margo said before she threw Yuki-Rin on top of Heathcliffe.
"Mom, please stop! They mean no harm! They're just trying to help!" Maki-chan pleaded. But, her pleas went unanswered, because Big Margo pistol-whipped her across the face. Kazuma gasped.
"What are you doing to my nakama?" Kazuma yelled as he unsheathed his nodachi and ran onstage. Molly then began to struggle to get away from Big Margo, who had a tight grip on Molly's wrist.
"Kazuma, no! She's too strong!" Molly pleaded as Big Margo aimed her gun at the fast approaching Kazuma. Z.G. grabbed a hold of Big Margo, but she struggled to get free. During the struggle, Big Margo accidentally shot Molly.
"Molly!" Yuki-Rin screamed when she saw Molly get shot. Kazuma froze.
"No… Molly!" Kazuma yelled. Then, his eyes turned to Big Margo.
"You heartless woman! You knew that Molly is Yuki-Rin's only family member she is close to! They've been through it all – Triumph when they successfully ran away from home and became pirates, tragedy when Molly lost her home and her parents against her own will, and, most of all – Each others' lives. If you just killed Molly, you just killed a part of Yuki-Rin's heart and soul," Kazuma explained, which made Yuki-Rin tear up.
"Kazuma… Would really do that?" Yuki-Rin asked herself as she got off of Heathcliffe and onto the floor. Big Margo then turned the gun on Kazuma.
"Mom, stop it! Why are you breaking the spirits and the bones of my nakama? They just want to protect me!" Maki-chan pleaded.
"Because I am a World Noble! Because I want it all – Glory, fame, and wealth! And, because I have the rights and the power to do so! Nobody below me can stop me!" Big Margo proclaimed. But, in a cruel twist of irony, an arrow pierced through her side, sending her to the ground. Everyone gasped.
"How… How did I lose? They were below… Me," Big Margo weakly said before she blacked out. The theater grew silent as people started to get up and leave.
"Holy shit," Isabella commented as she floated out of Heathcliffe's scythe to survey the damage. She floated over to the corpse of Big Margo.
"Wow, we killed such an ugly woman," Isabella commented with a whistle.
"Wait, who shot that?" Maki-chan asked everyone as she pulled the arrow out of Big Margo. Upon closer inspection, a string of needles was wrapped around the arrow.
I actually did that. Matsu helped me by stringing those needles you see onto my arrow," Kartik explained.
"My hero!" Karin yelled as she ran over and hugged Kartik, who pushed her off.
"I'm not even in love with you!" Kartik pointed out.
"Sureeee… You are!" Karin answered. From the audience, Hatori was applauding.
"Great show, guys. Can we get a less-violent encore?" Hatori asked everyone. Despite the suddenly festive mood, Yuki-Rin was leaning over Molly's body.
"I can't believe it… My sister is really gone," Yuki-Rin thought to herself as she held back tears. Kazuma then approached her.
"It's okay, Yuki-Rin," Kazuma told Yuki-Rin, who burst into tears. Kazuma then wrapped his arms around Yuki-Rin and hugged her.
"It's okay. I'm here. There's nothing to worry about," Kazuma reassured Yuki-Rin as she hugged him back. Even though she was in the arms of a beloved nakama and she was smelling the familiar scent of soap and sword polish that Kazuma smelled like, Yuki-Rin was still scared for Molly.
"Will Molly be okay?" Yuki-Rin asked Kazuma.
"She'll be fine. We're going to take her to the doctor right now," Kazuma reassured Yuki-Rin as they followed the CP5 – who were carrying Molly – out of the pub.
A few days later, things were slowly getting back to normal for the Capricorn Pirates. Maki-chan decided to join the crew since she was an orphan now and Molly was able to get to the hospital in time to get treated for her injuries and make a full recovery. It was on this day – the same day Molly was released from the hospital – that The Hyperion was ready to sail.
"Man, Molly, you couldn't have picked a better day to get out of the hospital than today!" Hatori commented.
"Good. I almost went bloody insane in there because of how boring it was," Molly said as the crew walked up to The Hyperion – a large, wooden ship that was what Yuki-Rin wanted.
"Sugoi! It's just what I've wanted! Thank you so much, Kartik!" Yuki-Rin thanked the shipwright, who grinned.
"You're welcome. Matsu and I wish to accompany you to protect The Hyperion from the elements of the Grand Line," Kartik explained.
"You… Want to join our crew?" Yuki-Rin asked the two.
"We do. Over these crazy few days, I've realized something – We've become nakama," Kartik explained.
"Please, let us come with you," Matsu requested. Yuki-Rin smiled.
"Sure. We owe you two for saving our lives and for giving us this amazing ship," Yuki-Rin answered.
"Thank you very much. We are now indebted to you," Kartik said as they crew boarded their new ship.
"Oh, you really don't have to be indebted to us!" Yuki-Rin pointed out as she rose the anchor.
"Are ye guys ready to set sail?" Molly asked the crew.
"Let's get this show on the road!" Heathcliffe yelled as he gave the thumbs-up. With that declaration, the ship sailed away from Baleeria Porto and the East Blue Shipwright Company.
"I wonder what we will see in the Grand Line," Yuki-Rin wondered.
"Matsu and I want to go back to our old hometown, Water Seven," Kartik explained.
"It's also a big city for shipwrights," Matsu added.
"Alright, we should definitely check that place out!" Yuki-Rin said.
"Kartik, I'm here!"
Just then, Karin fell from the crow's nest and onto Kartik. Drusilla and Z.G. soon followed.
"Karin, why are you even here?" Kartik asked his stalker as he pushed her off of him.
"We got fired," Drusilla, Z.G., and Karin said together.
"The World Government said we didn't do the assassination correctly. We did!" Z.G. pointed out.
"And, so, that is how we snuck on board your ship since we have nowhere to go. I hope you don't mind," Drusilla added.
"No, I don't mind. I was kind of looking for a sniper. Or two or three," Yuki-Rin said. Kartik facepalmed.
"I can't believe you, captain!" Kartik said as he shook his head. He was now stuck with his stalker, whether he liked it or not.
Ending Note (3/18): As I was fixing this chapter to make it look better, I realized that I don't really like this arc, because it seems too over-the-top and narm-y. But, I did like Kartik's introduction and Kazuma's speech.
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