Games
When their ship was trapped near the shore of the island with ridiculously tall trees and everyone on board was made to get off Zoro was expecting Fox to be angry at being woken. However as soon as she emerged from the cabin his instincts flared and blood began to race: Wearing a billowy, off-the-shoulder kimono with her hair piled up on the back of her head and sunglasses hiding her eyes, Fox looked like a decorative bit of arm candy; a blatant lie. She was gearing up for a fight, but a battle that was between minds rather than fists. The hip-swinging walk, the paper umbrella balanced on one shoulder –which was a shikomi-zue he just knew it– the casually demanding way she held out her hand so the dumbass cook could lift her out of the ship, all an act to lure this new enemy into a false sense of security. She was instantly the centre of attention, every last man staring in wonder or outright lust.
"What's your game?" Zoro muttered as she sauntered over to stand a little behind him and fiddle with the collar of her garment.
"Depends on the captain," she murmured back, lips not moving. "Several different ways this could go." She stayed where she was, posing in an absent sort of way as the crew of the ship that had stopped them told them about the game of Davy Back and its associated risks.
"You knew?" He finally muttered, realising what was up with her outfit: she looked like pirate bait. Beautiful, slightly wilful and very expensive made for an irresistible combination.
"Swift Hunter won't like me getting on another ship," she replied quietly, "not without an explanation. I get left behind, she comes looking… no more problem."
It was a distinctly piratical plan and didn't break any of the rules, but Luffy wouldn't leave anybody behind if he could help it, no matter how temporary said 'leaving behind' might prove. Zoro grimaced; this was going to get messy.
"What are you dressed as, Fox-chan?" Sanji asked, sidling up. Fox winked seductively at him:
"Ship's nurse."
The ero-cook melted into burbling mush; Zoro snorted. The funny bit was she actually was the ship's nurse.
In deciding the game lineup, Fox insisted in joining the second round in Chopper's place to, in her own words, "keep the boys in line." Since Sanji and Zoro had only ever been seen working together for her sake, Robin agreed it was a good idea. As only seven people could participate in the games that meant Chopper couldn't join in, as it was a bad idea for a Devil Fruit User to take part in the boat race and Luffy had claimed the fighting round for himself. Chopper wasn't happy about not being able to participate but agreed that it was probably for the best.
Unfortunately, due to captain Foxy's Devil Fruit Power they lost the boat race despite Swift Hunter's unseen assistance in keeping them moving and the tricky captain picked out Chopper as his prize. Then came the Groggy Ring game.
"Sanji, you be the ball," Fox said firmly before the two men could start arguing. "I've had more practice working with Zoro and this way I won't get manhandled by the other team."
"As you wish, Fox-chan!" Sanji cooed, fastening the beach ball onto his head with the straps provided and hurrying over to the other side of the pitch.
"Hey! You!" The referee shouted at the swordsman. "It's against the rules to use weapons! Put them away!"
"Eh? Really?" Zoro did not give them to the referee but handed them to Fox, who shoved them through her obi before pouting soulfully at the unfortunate man selected to keep order.
"It's not like I'm a swordsman, referee-san," she demurred, umbrella rolling across the bare skin on the top of her right shoulder and nudging her neckline into showing a little more cleavage. The Foxy pirate folded like a house of cards; Robin smiled.
The Groggy Ring Battle was brutal; Robin knew there had to be a blade in the handle of Fox' umbrella due to the brutal, gaping wounds Pickles and Big Pan had acquired, but she never actually saw it: the white-haired woman was too fast. The referee turning his back for half of the game actually proved a disadvantage for the home team as whenever it happened Zoro snatched his swords from Fox' obi and lit into the other team like a demon. After Hamburg was launched from the ring with potentially fatal wounds the referee actually tried to catch the Straw-Hat team cheating, but Zoro's swords were never in his hands when the referee was looking at him, generally having just been snatched from his grasp by Fox and either resheathed or –on more than one occasion– hidden in her skirts or behind her back. Beside the archaeologist Luffy cheered and laughed like crazy as his swordsman, chef and master of disguise –who was currently claiming to be the ship's nurse– utterly thrashed the opposing team.
The rest of the Foxy pirates loved it too, cheering like crazy for Fox in particular and her stylish yet very dirty stunts, particularly when she distracted Pickles at a fatal moment by clutching at her obi and shrieking that it had come undone. It hadn't; that didn't stop the pirate's head from swivelling towards her as if magnetically drawn before the large man was floored by Sanji for his 'un-gentlemanly behaviour'.
After their win Fox rewarded the chef with a peck on the lips which sent him twirling and swooning, then let Zoro pull her down and give her a steamy kiss in front of the whistling, hooting audience. The cheers for that were even more deafening than the ones during the game.
Luffy reclaimed Chopper before proceeding to the final round: the one-on-one match.
After Luffy had won his duel against captain Foxy and taken their flag as a prize, the Straw-Hat crew returned to the yurt belonging to the old man and his very tall horse. The sudden appearance of the very tall man wearing a white suit and a sleep mask was a surprise, but the reactions of two of the women was more so: Robin froze in absolute terror, but Fox thrust her umbrella at Usopp, rapidly adjusted her kimono from 'shamelessly sexy' to 'polite and proper', snatched the umbrella back and settled herself just as the man removed the mask.
"You sure have grown to a fine young woman, Nico Robin," the tall stranger said. The entire crew was on high alert due to the abject horror on Robin's face but before the situation could escalate Fox kicked Usopp in the shin with superb accuracy and whacked Zoro on the back of the head with her umbrella. Having successfully made herself the centre of attention, Fox bowed with a fluidity and precision that nearly made Sanji weep at such aesthetic perfection.
"Admiral Aokiji, what a surprise to see you," she said politely, her tone demure and respectful. "I trust you are well?"
The admiral blinked. "Dracule Lisska? What a surprise to see you here, and in such company as well."
Sanji's brain stalled for a moment. Dracule Lisska? As in the Shichibukai, Dracule Mihawk, the swordsman who all but cut the marimo in half? The hell?!
Fox smiled sharply. "Should the marines take offence to the company I keep I would no longer be able to sell to them, admiral, which would be terribly unfortunate."
The admiral nodded agreeably. "Indeed. You've grown very well over the years; no wonder your father is so hard to find, he must be kept busy killing off those trying to court you."
"We have come to an agreement on that matter," Fox said coolly, "and it is not the concern of those with whom we do not share blood."
"My apologies." The admiral bowed. "It was merely an idle observation. Your mother is well?"
"So she says," Fox responded, prolonging the decidedly demented polite conversation as around her the rest of the crew relaxed and backed off a little, "but you know how she is. I trust you have been enjoying the tea?"
"I have indeed; it is very good. Where did you find such a blend?" Sanji was now feeling extremely creeped out by this whole experience. Fox was chatting up an admiral! Nami however had seized the moment and was dragging Robin away from the man who frightened her so with a little help from Usopp.
Fox smiled, dipping her chin coyly. "Ah, but if I told you I would lose exclusivity!"
"Arara, so you would," the admiral acknowledged. "Why are you travelling with these pirates and Nico Robin, Dracule-chan?"
The mere idea of Fox being addressed as 'Dracule-chan' was doing terrible things to Sanji's brain and Luffy seemed similarly baffled. The marimo didn't seem surprised at all; had the shitty swordsman been keeping secrets?
Fox' gaze dropped. "Well, they rescued me after an unfortunate run-in with the Krieg pirates," she explained, "which created a debt. I have been doing my best to assist them in non-offensive capacities since then, though I was forced to take up arms against Crocodile's forces in Alabasta." She sighed prettily. "They are by far a better class of pirate than most who sail the Grand Line; would you have preferred me to take up with Eustass Kid?"
The admiral actually twitched; Sanji was impressed, though he had no idea who this Kid-guy was.
"Besides," Fox continued, now peeking up at the admiral from under her lashes, "after hearing so much about him from Vice-Admiral Garp I simply had to meet him for myself."
Admiral Aokiji bowed to her. "Touché, Dracule-chan. Please do not get yourself into trouble on these' ruffians behalf; it would be most unfortunate for all concerned." He turned to address the old man, who had been watching the conversation in bemusement. "You. I wasn't in a deep sleep so I heard what you said. Pack up and get ready to move."
A shikomi-zue is a sword hidden in a cane, such as a walking stick or an umbrella. Oh, and Fox' name gets out.