Author's Note: Things are getting kinda spooky this chapter. But, i'm not afraid, because I wrote it. *Shot*
Disclaimer: Eichiiro Oda owns One Piece.
Ch. 26: "My Noble Servants."
The next thing the Capricorns knew was that Akari and Thierry were leading them westward and out of town. They were also approaching the area where the sunset was.
"This is the Sunset Bridge. It is the bridge leading into the Island ofEternal Night," Akari explained as they walked across a long, green bridge. True to Akari's word, the sun was setting.
"Is the bridge going into the Island of Eternal Day the Sunrise Bridge?" Yuki-Rin asked Akari, who laughed.
"I haven't heard that one before, but, YES, the bridge going the other way is the Sunrise Bridge," Akari explained as she pointed to a bridge a few yards from the Sunset Bridge.
"Wow, that's obvious. VERY OBVIOUS," Holden commented.
"Indeed it is," Thierry said before drinking out of a flask. As the Capricorns, Akari, and Thierry walked down the bridge, the sky began darkening, stars appeared in the sky, and the moon rose. Lanterns were lit along the bridge so everyone could see.
"Hey, Akari, what time is it anyway? The times of day on these two islands are really confusing me," Yuki-Rin asked the princess.
"I would say about four o'clock in the afternoon, judging from the sun's position in the sky when we left the Island of Eternal Day," Thierry explained.
"Amazing. It's like Thierry's a walking sundial," Hana commented.
"Well, before I became Akari's bodyguard, I was told to memorize all of the current and past almanacs of the islands. Logistics is a funny thing, you know," Thierry explained as they approached a few horse-drawn carriages.
"Good evening, Princess Akari, Thierry-san. I see you brought some new friends with you to our humble island," A carriage driver greeted Akari and Thierry.
"We personally appealed for our friends – the Capricorn Pirates – to help us capture and kill the Baba Yaga," Thierry explained.
"Wonderful. Anyway, head on into the carriages, and we will arrive at the royal palace shortly," The carriage driver explained before the Capricorns got into four carriages a person, save for Akari and Thierry, who took the royal carriage.
"You know, this Eternal Night place is pretty cool," Yuki-Rin commented as the carriage she, Kazuma, Heathcliffe, and Aki were in began to gain momentum.
"I dunno. Seems a lot duller than what Akari was talking about. I was expecting monsters, cults, and things like that," Heathcliffe explained. Aki just smiled.
"Oh, Sarutobi-kun, you and your horror stories," Aki commented. Just then, somebody screamed. "Okay, what was that?"
Yuki-Rin poked her head out the window, and tapped on the carriage's top.
"Stop," Yuki-Rin instructed the carriage driver, who stopped the carrage. Yuki-Rin could see two things by the lantern hanging inside the carriage – There was dead body in the middle of the road, and a girl with blonde hair and blue eyes was leaning over it. She appeared to wear a blue ballgown with a white corset over it and black dress shoes.
"Hello! Do you know what happened here?" Yuki-Rin asked the girl, who gasped.
"Turn back! There's a monster up ahead!" The girl pleaded.
"Yeah, we know. We're going to go kill it and save everyone," Yuki-Rin explained.
"Are… Are you crazy? The Baba Yaga murders ALL of her victims! That's basically suicide!" The girl cried.
"Princess Akari sent us here to hunt down and kill the Baba Yaga. We're going to save the island," Yuki-Rin explained. The girl bit her lip.
"Akari wasn't supposed to leave the castle! Leni andNanwere put on watch for her today!" The girl said to herself. "Please, give me a ride to the palace."
Yuki-Rin and Kazuma moved over to make room for the girl. The carriage gained momentum once again.
"Thank you for retrieving Akari for us. It's such a pain when we're sent to go fetch her from theIslandofEternal Day. Although our bodies can be adjusted to living on an island that's daytime or nighttime all the time, going back and fourth from the islands can cause a bit of a strain on the body," The girl explained.
"Who are you, anyway?" Kazuma asked the girl.
"I am Shikari. I am one of the six N.O.B.L.E.S. of this kingdom," Shikari introduced herself.
"Nobles? What's that?" Aki asked Shikari.
"Nan, Oliver, Bixby, Leni, Ein, and, me, Shikari – We are the six individuals who serve Crown Princess Akari Shimura. We serve her, and, in return, we are expected to guard her with our lives should Thierry be in danger and/or fail to protect Akari," Shikari explained.
"Wow, that should be your motto," Isabella commented as she floated out of Heathcliffe's scythe. Heathcliffe screamed.
"Oh, God! When the hell did you get in here?" Heathcliffe asked Isabella.
"I was in here since you got in here. I stayed inside the scythe because I wanted to scare you," Isabella explained.
"Don't scare me like that! We're already on edge over the Baba Yaga enough as it is, and we don't need any of your pranks!" Heathcliffe yelled to the ghost. Shikari sweatdropped.
"You consider this normal?" Shikari asked Yuki-Rin.
"They're related, so, play along," Yuki-Rin told Shikari. Up the road, the rest of the Capricorns, Akari, and Thierry arrived at the royal palace.
"Man! Where are Yuki-Rin, Kazuma, Heathcliffe, Aki, and Isabella?" Hana asked Aria.
"They probably hit something in the middle of the road and they got delayed," Aria explained. A man with shaggy, brown hair and brown eyes put his hand on Aria's shoulder. He wore a white tank top with blue jeans and black sandals.
"Who are you?" Hana asked the man.
"The name's Bixby, and I'm one of Akari's servants. Her usual carriage driver went missing tonight, so, I stepped in," Bixby explained.
"Bixby and I have been great drinking buddies since we were old enough to drink, so, I let him fill in for myself when I am busy," Thierry explained. Hana facepalmed.
"Why do you let a drunkard drive a horse and carriage?" Hana asked Thierry.
"He gets the job done," Thierry explained. A wolf howled in the background.
"Guys, Heathcliffe's not here… Is he?" Holden asked everyone.
"Uhh… No, I don't see him or the rest of the crew," Daisuke said nervously.
"Don't be scared, everyone. The Baba Yaga isn't associated with wolves."
Everyone turned back to see a guy and a girl. The girl had brown, wavy hair and black eyes. She wore a black shirt under a pink shirt with white polka dots, a blue miniskirt, and black flats. The guy had blonde hair, blue eyes, and he wore glasses; he also wore a white jumpsuit and black boots.
"But, you don't understand. My baby brother is out there right now, and he could be kidnapped by the Baba Yaga!" Holden protested. The blonde man grabbed Holden by the wrists.
"Stay back! You could be the Baba Yaga's next victim if you go and look for your brother!" The man yelled, revealing his German accent. Holden broke free of the man's grasp and ran down the road.
"Heathcliffe! Heathcliffe! Bro, where are you?" Holden desperately called out. "Heathcliffe!"
Just then, some clucking and grunting could be heard.
"Who's there?" Holden called out. Then, some laughter could be heard.
"Alright, if you have my brother, I am willing to fight you for him!" Holden yelled as he got out his guns. Then, two men emerged from the clearing with a dead chicken. While one had dirty-blonde hair, the other had black hair. While the blonde-haired kid wore a T-shirt and jeans, the black-haired man wore a business shirt. The two looked as different as the Island of Eternal Nightand the Island of Eternal Day.
"Who… Who are you?" Holden asked the two men.
"I'm Oliver, and this is Ein. We're servants to Princess Akari," The blonde-haired boy explained.
"Have you seen my brother, a brown-haired girl, a blonde-haired boy with dreadlocks, and a black-haired girl around here?" Holden asked the two servants.
"They're probably at the palace. Come on, we'll take you there," Ein said. True to his word, Yuki-Rin, Aki, Kazuma, Heathcliffe, Isabella, and Shikari joined the awaiting group of Capricorns, servants, and a princess.
"There you are! Where the hell have you been?" Hana asked Holden.
"I was looking for Heathcliffe," Holden explained as he crossed his arms.
"Well, Heathcliffe got here shortly after you ran off," Hana explained as she motioned to Heathcliffe.
"Hi, Holden," Heathcliffe greeted his brother.
"We should go inside, but, first…" Akari said as she motioned to her servants.
"What are we supposed to do?" Oliver asked Akari.
"Introduce yourselves to my new friends," Akari said. Her servants nodded.
"Nan," The brown-haired girl in the polka-dotted shirt introduced herself.
"Oliver," Oliver introduced himself.
"Bixby," Bixby introduced himself.
"Leni," The man with the German accent introduced himself.
"Ein," Ein introduced himself.
"Shikari," Shikari introduced herself with a bow.
"Together, we are Akari's N.O.B.L.E. Servants!" The six servants said at once.
"Good. We should head inside now," Thierry said before everyone made their way into the palace. As Holden made his way to the door, he noticed a sign above it that said "Turn your back to the forest, your front to me". (1)
"Creepy," Holden commented as he made his way inside.
Ending Note: "Turn your back to the forest, your front to me" is a quote that was over the front door at the Baba Yaga's house. Thanks, Wikipedia!
Review if you want to see Queen Ai.