Mystery
On the morning they were due to arrive in Rain Dinners Sanji took over carrying Fox again. It had been decided that, as he was the only one whom Baroque Works could not identify, it would be safer for the white-haired woman to be carried by him. Fox' only request was that they left her somewhere quiet and out of the way before storming Crocodile's stronghold. So, after Usopp and Luffy went looking for water, Sanji deposited his precious burden in an alley just out of sight of the camel hitching posts where the rest of the crew was waiting and turned to leave.
"Good luck," Fox whispered after him. Sanji stilled. There were a lot of things he didn't know about Fox, but he knew she couldn't have survived on the Grand Line for this long without serious skills, no matter how vulnerable she was to the arid desert heat.
"Take care, mellorine," he whispered as he returned to where Vivi-chan, Nami-chan and the shitty swordsman were waiting.
As he vanished around the corner the robe and headscarf Fox had been wearing fluttered to the ground, leaving the alley empty.
Fox had not told Vivi the truth when she'd claimed to have found a duck to take the message to the palace; she'd actually found a falcon. Said falcon had taken Vivi's message and Fox' own proposition to King Nefertari Cobra and returned two days later with a contract signed in blood.
The Phantom Fox, Dragon-Slayer, King-Killer and Death Unseen, had a Mission. Princess Nefertari Vivi would be returned to her father's sight without serious injury, a prize the king considered well worth the assassin's demanded price.
As with all her previous missions, there would be no witnesses to report her presence to the authorities. Baroque Works was truly pathetic; real assassins remained completely anonymous.
Luffy didn't want to admit it, but the situation was pretty damn serious. He, Zoro, Usopp, Nami and marine captain Smoker were trapped in a Kairoseki cage, Vivi was just outside with a bananadile, the room was flooding and Crocodile the Shichibukai had left them to die.
Then a ghost dropped from the ceiling, dispatching the massive reptile with a single swing of its sword just as Vivi dashed out the door in search of help.
The rubberman stared. White, loose trousers lucked into white calf boots, a white tunic with long, loose sleeves and a white belt holding it closed, a white hood to hide the individual's hair and throat and a white mask moulded into a fox' muzzle. The only colour in the stranger's apparel were the two red-brown stripes running up either side of the mask's nose and across where the eye holes should have been to the ears, giving the empty visage a watchful leer.
Smoker grunted. "It seems this is the end, then."
"What! Why? Who's that?" Luffy asked.
"That is the Phantom Fox, the world's greatest assassin, who has only ever been sighted once," Smoker growled. "There are many incidents the marines believe the Phantom is responsible for, but it is impossible to confirm as there are never any witnesses."
"No witnesses?" Usopp quavered as the white ghost calmly moved down the bananadile's cooling body to stand in front of the cage, fox mask inscrutable.
"The mystery with the seven hundred and ten million beli bounty," Zoro murmured, sounding impressed.
"S-s-seven hundred and ten million!" Nami squeaked. "I've never even heard of one that high before!"
"Highest starting bounty in history," Smoker grunted, "for the bloody slaughter of an entire family of World Nobles in their home in Mariejois, from the oldest man to the youngest child and their entire household, down to the pets."
The assassin appeared to be pondering something, then slipped a hand under his cloak and removed a folded piece of paper. Stepping forward, the ghost pointed at Smoker, then the paper.
The marine captain muttered something along the lines of "… hell matters now?" and accepted the letter, unfolding it.
"What did the ghost give you, Smoky?" Luffy asked.
The marine captain's eyebrow twitched. "It's a contract," he rasped. "We sign it and our friend here will get us out of the building, on the condition that we never mention his presence or actions in Alabasta to anyone, ever."
Luffy grinned. "Sounds good to me!"
Smoker sighed. "Except we have to sign it in blood."
"What!" it was a chorus.
"So?" Zoro decided to add his two beli. "Better the contract than certain death, right?"
Luffy agreed, so the crew all took turns to sign. Smoker was more reluctant, but eventually added his name as well. The white-robed killer accepted the damp contract pushed through the gaps in the cage and stowed it away, moving backwards as the water level rose further.
Nami quailed as another bananadile emerged from the hols in the floor. This one however was dispatched by the newly-arrived Sanji, who kicked it into unconsciousness.
"Hey. Were you waiting?" the chef asked coolly before noticing the stranger. "And who's this?"
"Sanji! Run!" Usopp shouted. "He'll kill you!"
"Who-" the assassin vanished and the chef slumped forwards, the white ghost reappearing behind him, a knife protruding from one sleeve to brush the edge of Sanji's neck.
"Hey! That's my cook!" Luffy shouted, outraged. "You can't kill him!"
The assassin cocked his head on one side. Luffy could almost hear the words, why not, coming from that blank mask.
"Because he's my cook! I signed your contract, didn't I!"
"Cap… tain?" Sanji wheezed, still conscious but clearly unable to move. "Wha ..?"
"I'll take responsibility!" Luffy ploughed on determinedly. "If he tells anyone I'll pay for it! I promise!"
The white ghost bowed shallowly and dropped the chef, turning to stare at the three bananadiles that were filling the space between the smashed stairs and the cage. His left hand rose to the sword hilt peeking over his shoulder.
Shhhmmm.
The first bananadile fell in half lengthways.
Shhhwuuuu.
The second's eyes looked vaguely puzzled even as its head fell off the rest of its body.
Kshuu.
The third collapsed, twitching as it was gutted like a fish; its final spasm launched a ball from its throat. The ghost relaxed, releasing the sword hilt and stepping away. Luffy blinked; he hadn't even seen the man move.
"What is that?" Sanji asked, rising to his feet a little unsteadily and poking the ball with his foot.
"Doru doru ball! Yes! Freedom!" shouted Mr. 3, rising from the improbably small ball with an expression of triumph. The candle man didn't see the assassin lurking behind him and proceeded to mock their situation until white-gloved fingers dug into his neck and he passed out.
"Great. How do we get out now?" Nami moaned. The ghost stepped forward to examine the cage door, then pointed at Zoro and firmly waved sideways.
"He's going to cut through the lock," the green-haired swordsman said with a devilish grin, rising to his feet and moving towards the other end of the cage. Everyone present stood well back as the assassin shifted into an odd pose.
"What's he doing?" Luffy asked.
"Shh!" Zoro hissed, his expression wild and hungry. "That's a Battoujutsu stance."
The white ghost stilled completely.
Shhuoouw.
There was a moment where Luffy was sure he'd missed something, then the cage door creaked open, two little bits of metal dropping into the water with twin plops.
Their unexpected rescuer then hopped up the cooling body of the nearest bananadile towards princess Vivi, who'd been watching the scene unfold with wide eyes.
"Don't you dare lay a finger on Vivi-chan you-" Sanji bellowed. The white ghost ignored the cook, reaching into his cloak to pull out a letter, which he handed to Vivi.
As she read it, the princess' face lit up. "It's alright! Luffy, Sanji, everyone! My father hired him to keep me safe until we can stop Crocodile!"
"Thank goodness!" Usopp said loudly. "I thought Vivi was done for."
"I'd never let anyone harm Vivi-chan!" Sanji protested.
"Ero-cook," Zoro muttered. The inevitable argument was interrupted by a sharp cracking sound as the wall gave way. The white ghost seized Vivi with one arm, lunged at Smoker and all three vanished completely in a flash of white light just as the water crashed down on the Straw-Hats. Luffy felt his powers drain away with the rush of water as Zoro grabbed him around the waist and swam for the surface.
Smoker blinked as the flooding room underneath Rain Dinners was replaced with the bright sunshine on the edge of the lake outside the casino. Beside him the princess of Alabasta was looking around frantically for the Straw-Hats and the assassin who'd rescued them was nowhere to be seen.
The marine captain made his decision and left quickly, before the pirates could surface from the lake behind him. He'd learnt a lot about what Crocodile was doing in Alabasta and the contract he'd signed made it impossible to explain the situation to his superiors. When he found his subordinates he would have them summon reinforcements, then wait and see how this mess ended up so he could deal with the aftermath.
His main concern however was how on earth King Nefertari Cobra had managed to get hold of the Phantom Fox in order to make that contract for the princess' protection.
The Phantom Fox makes his debut.