Betaread by The Patient One

Chapter 31. That Day in Whiskey Peak

"Land ho!" Usopp's shout rang across the entire ship, reaching the ears of everyone onboard.

Nami perked up where she was leaning against the railing and watching the sea. Zoro opened his eyes and moved to stand up, yawning. Sanji appeared from inside the galley with Miss Wednesday and Mr. Nine cautiously trailing behind him.

Leaning forward, Sabo patted Luffy on his back and murmured something into his ear.

Luffy stirred. "Wha—island?" he muttered, rubbing at his eyes with his hand. It took a few seconds for those words to sink into his still drowsy mind. His eyes widened once they did sink. "We reached an island?!"

"Whoaaa!" Usopp exclaimed from the crow's nest. He watched the approaching island through a spyglass. "Check out those huge cacti!"

Luffy scrambled to his feet, pushing his straw hat back onto his head. He stretched his arms to grab the neck of Merry's figurehead and pulled himself directly on top of it. Peering at the horizon, he was treated to his first glimpse of a new island. "Whooooaaaa! What big cacti!" He practically vibrated in excitement. "The first island of the Grand Line looks fun!"

Because none counted before this one. This was the first one he was going to step on by his own violation and explore freely. The first island in the Grand Line on his journey to becoming the Pirate King!

Luffy couldn't wait!

"So this is Whiskey Peak," Sanji noted, standing on the front deck with the rest of the crew and ship guests. "What a weird looking island."

"Such pleasant weather after that ridiculous beginning!" Nami cheered.

While the crew rejoiced, Mr. Nine and Miss Wednesday shared a knowing glance. As one, they sprung forward and dashed for the railing. Leaping on and landing in a dramatic crouch, they spun around to face the bewildered pirates.

"Now then, this is our stop!" Mr. Nine declared.

Miss Wednesday cocked her chin up. "Thank you for the ride, my ho—" Her words died on the tip of her tongue, eyes going wide.

Straw Hats just watched in utter confusion when she suddenly flung herself across the deck, almost flipping over the opposite railing in her rush. Her gaze never left the shore of the island, probably seeing something no one else had noticed.

Mr. Nine was equally dumbfounded by his partner's behavior. "Miss Wednesday?"

Instead of reacting to his call, the young woman climbed over the railing and dived into the sea without any of that previous flamboyant dramatics.

"M-Miss Wednesday?!" Mr. Nine shrieked, scrambling past the pirates and after his partner. On top of the railing, he paused. "We're taking our leave now!" he announced in an attempt to salvage their image. He was in an obvious hurry as he blurted the next words pretty much without a break. "Iffatewillsitletusmeetagain! Bye, bye, baby!" he tacked on at the end before back-flipping off the ship and into the water below.

The Straw Hats stared for another moment.

"Well, that happened," Sanji deadpanned.

"Seems like something indeed happened," Sabo observed.

Zoro smirked. "Trouble in the paradise of bounty hunters?"

Usopp gulped. "T-that's right, this is an island full of bounty hunters." He nervously looked around as if those bounty hunters were hiding on the ship and were ready to swoop down on him any moment now. "C-can't we just pass this island and go straight to the next one?"

"We can't!" Luffy and Nami denied it at the same time.

"See? Even Luffy gets it," Nami said, pleased. "We have to wait until—"

"We can't cheat!"

Nami facepalmed. Why did she even expect something else from her air-headed captain at this point?

"It's not cheating if we take a glimpse and then skirt around it," Usopp argued.

But Luffy was having none of that. "Skipping islands is cheating!"

"I'm with Luffy on this one," Zoro chimed in, a grin stretching across his face as he gripped the handle of his white katana. "We can't cheat."

"Urgh, I wonder why you say that," Usopp griped. "Just look at that bloodthirsty smile of yours."

"Heh," Sanji scoffed, flicking the ashes from his cigarette over the board and looking at Zoro with a smug smirk. "I bet I can beat more bounty hunters than you."

Zoro rounded on him, eyes blazing. "What did you say?"

Nami stepped in between two men. "Knock it off, you two muscleheads!" she ordered, eliciting an irritated grunt and an elated 'Yes, Nami-swan~!' Ignoring both of them, she pointed at the Log Pose, attached to her wrist. "Either way, we have to stay on this island until the Log Pose records its magnetic field and only then can we move on to the next island. So," she put her hands on her hips and swept her nakama with a stern gaze, "we need a plan."

"There's a river right up ahead," Sabo noted. Everyone looked up at the mouth of the river, obscured by a heavy fog that spilled out of it and covered the sea in front of it and along the coast. They could barely see the river itself. "It's probably the main route into the town. That's why I think we should choose another way in."

Luffy jabbed his finger in the seemingly random direction, away from the river, and declared, "We go that way," with the finality that only he was capable of.

"That way?" Usopp echoed, squinting into the distance. "The way those two weirdos disappeared?"

Luffy nodded like it was a very good idea, which probably was for him. "Then we can go to the town and see what everyone there is doing!" he cheered before bursting into laughter.

They had been traveling together for a month, give or take, and they were all used to seeing Luffy do whatever made him happy and make random decisions that made no sense, but always pulled them through eventually.

Nami heaved a defeated sigh. "That way it is, then…"

Tendrils of fog started to creep around Going Merry as she approached the coast, slowly climbing up her sides and covering every inch. It was thick, like a heavy blanket that seemed impenetrable but still allowed sunlight to pass through from above.

Just as Going Merry started to turn towards her new destination, the fog engulfed her until she was completely covered in a dense shroud of grey, escaping any possible eye that could have watched her.

Vivi grabbed the edge of the rock and pulled herself up, panting as she tried to catch her breath. She allowed herself a minute of rest before climbing over the rest of the rock formation that went along the coast of the island. At the top, she paused, scanning the empty streets of Whiskey Peak.

The bounty hunters must have seen the pirate ship approaching and gathered for their usual welcoming party. Regardless if they decided to ambush their prey the moment they dock or not, the confrontation was inevitable with the pirates in the know. Vivi only hoped that they were strong enough to put up a good fight and buy her time to figure this out.

Her eyes zeroed on the inconspicuous flag at the top of the house Igaram and she agreed upon. The flag that was their signal if they had been compromised.

It could also be a trap.

Vivi bit down on her bottom lip, glancing left, then right again. She needed to make sure.

Hopping down from the rock, Vivi rushed across the street and ducked behind the adjacent house to the one with the flag. She walked along the wall to the other side and peeked from around the corner.

Nothing. Not a single soul in sight.

Slowly, carefully, Vivi sneaked to the door of the warehouse, reached for the handle, and—

The door opened, a hand shot out from inside and grabbed her by the lapel of her coat. Before she could even let out a sound, she was yanked in. Swiftly spinning around on her heel, Vivi was already halfway to pulling out her weapons to defend herself, but froze upon seeing her assailant's back turned towards her.

"Miss Monday?"

The muscle-bound woman didn't react right away. She made the last sweep of the area in front of the warehouse and then closed the door. "Miss Wednesday," she said, finally giving Vivi her full attention. "I don't know what exactly is happening, but all agents stationed on this island are now under the orders to capture you."

Vivi's blood ran cold. Her hands shook. "What?" she asked through numb lips. So, it was true. They were compromised. "What happened to Mr. Eight?"

Miss Monday's brow wrinkled. "He was captured by Mr. Five and his partner."

"Mr—Mr. Five?!"

"Mr. Eight must have suspected something, because a few days ago he told me that if something happened to him and you were yet to return, I should put up that flag," Miss Monday pointed up, indicating the Alabasta's flag on the roof, "and made sure you escaped unnoticed."

Vivi clenched her teeth. Mr. Five and Miss Valentine were Devil Fruit users; monsters in more ways than one. Crocodile found out about her and Igaram, there was no other explanation. At this point, she had to assume that the letter she had sent to her father had been intercepted. Her father still knew nothing about the conspiracy and manipulation. Alabasta was still in great danger. If both of them fell here, there would be no one to bring this news to him now. Vivi understood Igaram's intentions and his sacrifice, but…

She stared Miss Monday in the eyes. "Why are you helping?" she asked when the woman shifted under her suspicious scrutiny.

"We've been working together for so long, I've started thinking of you two as my friends." A wry smile appeared on Miss Monday's face. "And I'll gladly suffer to be a shield for a friend."

Vivi didn't know what to say to such a confession. "Miss Monday…"

"What are you waiting for? You need to flee from here!" Miss Monday urged. "Everyone was called in once the pirate ship was spotted approaching. This is your chance!"

Vivi's eyes burned, helplessness curling around her heart and constricting her chest. She knew that she should run away. No one, except Miss Monday, was aware that she returned, so it was a perfect chance to flee, but…

But…

"Is Igaram—I mean, Mr. Eight still alive?" she asked quietly, arms stiff at her side.

"I…" Miss Monday hesitated. "I'm not sure. I heard Mr. Five pair say that they want to kill you in front of him, so the chance that he's still alive is high."

"I'll go find him," Vivi declared, brushing past the other woman. She opened the door and jumped in surprise, coming face to face with her partner. "Mr. Nine?!"

Without a word, Mr. Nine pushed her back in. "I heard everything," he said after closing the door again. "If we're going to save Mr. Eight, we need a plan."

Miss Monday nodded. Then both of them stared at Vivi expectantly.

"B-But… why?" she asked. "Why are you helping me too?"

"After our failed mission, I'd be punished anyway." Mr. Nine offered her a lop-sided grin. "Just like Miss Monday, I'd rather help my friend in this case."

Vivi couldn't help a small smile. She never expected to make any allies in her time working as a lackey for Baroque Works, but these two were ready to go against the organization for her sake. "Thank you," she whispered. She took a deep breath to center herself. "Alright. Let's figure out a plan."

The Straw Hats surveyed the empty streets and houses in utter confusion. As they neared the coast, they had expected an ambush or bounty hunters noticing their arrival from the shore, but no one was around. Not a single person.

"This is suspicious," Nami muttered as she scanned the windows, eyes narrowed in concentration. When she didn't spot anything out of place, her grip on her Bo staff tightened. "Where is everyone?"

Zoro clicked his tongue. "All this hype and we get only an empty town?"

"It's not like they could have disappeared," Sanji argued. "They have to be somewhere."

"They're probably waiting in hiding to ambush us," Sabo said, turning towards the direction of the river. The same direction Luffy had been silently staring at from the moment they disembarked.

"Don't say such scary things!" Usopp squeaked. "Maybe they all simply went away on vacation! Yeah! That's probably it!" He pressed a hand over his racing heart. "Oh, thank g—"

"Nope," a single word from Luffy dashed all Usopp's hopes. He pointed at the distance. "They're all over th—"

A series of weird noises cut him off and everyone snapped their heads towards it. Clattering, scratching, thumping—all sorts out of place sounds.

Luffy's face lit up. "That's weird!" he declared in an overly cheerful tone, happy that something was going on in this ghost town. "Let's go check it out!"

"Wait a second!" Usopp screamed, grabbing the rubber teen's arm before he could take off. "No one sane deliberately goes towards the weird scary sound!"

"We do!" Luffy cheered, breaking free and running off. "We always do!"

"I hate that about us! Can we not do that?!" Usopp fumed, but went after his captain nonetheless.

The rest followed without any objection.

Luffy slid to a halt in front of the house where the suspicious noise was coming from.

Usopp almost barreled into him, but managed to stop in time. "Luffyyyyy~" he whined in great distress, tugging at the other boy in an attempt to persuade him to turn around and not go in. "There might be monsters or bounty hunters inside!"

Luffy wasn't listening. "We're already here, might as well check it out! Excuse me, coming through!" he exclaimed as he grabbed the door handle—

"Nooooo! Don't let monsters out!"

—and ripped it open.

Digging his heels into the soil, Usopp could only latch onto his captain's shirt to stop him. Yet that didn't stop Luffy from stepping over the doorstep and dragging the sniper in with him. "Monsters are going to eat us! Stopppp!" he wailed desperately.

"Huh?" was all Luffy said. "A duck?"

"Monstrous duck is going to eat us!" Usopp screamed, before blinking in obvious confusion. "What? A duck?" He peeked over his friend's shoulder. "Huh. Indeed a duck."

Granted, it was a huge duck, standing as tall as the average human, but duck nonetheless. It had yellow plumage, black-tipped wings and a tail, and was wearing a blue-and-white hat with goggles. A saddle was strapped on his back.

The duck was also tied up with his wings pinned to his body, legs bound, and bill wrapped up with a cloth.

Two boys stared at the duck.

The duck stared at the two boys.

"He's kinda pitiful," Usopp muttered, all the possible monsters inside this house forgotten.

Shooting a vicious glare at Usopp, the duck started to thrash around again, muffled noise escaping through his tightly bound bill.

"Shishishishi," Luffy laughed. "You think he tastes good?"

The duck didn't enjoy that question if his doubled effort to break free was any sign of it.

"Duck Confit. If you slow cook duck legs in duck fat, it softens the meat until it's tender, silky, and just melts in the mouth," Sanji uttered as he lazily blew out a cloud of smoke and grinned. "Then crisp the skin to golden perfection."

Luffy and Usopp glanced behind them to see the remaining crew and Sabo gathered at the entrance.

The duck, who went deathly still with his eyes bugging out at the cook's words, began squirming and thrashing around again.

Luffy just watched him for a few moments, then reached out and yanked the cloth away from his bill.

Instantly, the barrage of screeching quacks assaulted the ears of the pirates. "Quaaaaack! Quuuuuack! Quackkkk!"

"You like to brag, eh?" Luffy's mouth curled into a smirk. "Alright," he said, crossing his arms. "We won't eat you if you can do what you're saying you can do."

"Quaaaack!"

"Ooooh, no way!"

"Quack!"

"Shishishishi. Okay, hold on, Ducky. Let me get those ropes off."

Usopp sighed. "Aaaaand here he goes again, talking and being fast friends with random animals."

"How does he do that?" Nami wondered.

Zoro shook his head. "I don't think we'll ever find out."

While they talked, Luffy managed to free the duck and now the latter stood at attention in front of the straw-hatted teen, a determined spark in his eyes.

Luffy rubbed his chin, thinking. Then he extended his hand toward him. "Shake!"

The duck touched his palm with his wing and a short, "Quack!"

"High five!"

"Quack!"

"Sit!"

"Quack!"

"Stand up!"

"Quack!"

"Step to the left, step to the right, turn around, sit down, turn the other way around, stand up, step to the right, step to the left, jump up, throw your wings up and shout 'Yay!'"

The duck's eyes flashed. He stepped to the left, to the right, turned around, sat down, turned the other way around, stood up, stepped to the right, to the left, and finished it all with a big leap up, flailing his wings up, and a loud, "Quaaaaack!"

Luffy broke into merry laughter. Sabo and Zoro stared, unimpressed. Nami, Usopp, and Sanji started to clap, though they didn't seem particularly enthusiastic and seemed to do it only out of general politeness.

The duck puffed his chest, pleased with his performance and preening under what he perceived as positive reactions from his audience.

"Anyway, what is this duck doing here?" Zoro cut to the chase.

"Good question," Nami agreed. "He seems smart enough."

"He also saddled, so he should have an owner," Sabo pointed out. "But for some reason, he was tied up here?"

Sanji shoved his hands into his pockets and grumbled, "What the hell is happening on this shitty island?"

"Quaack!" the duck screamed suddenly and then proceeded to let out a trill of high-pitched quacks and other noise.

Luffy tilted his head curiously. "Your owner is in trouble?" He listened to another series of quacks that grew in volume and amount of desperation and panic bleeding into the duck's voice. "Some super strong guys want to kill her?" After the duck's confirming nod, Luffy asked, "You need help?"

The giant bird stayed silent for a few seconds, gazing into Luffy's eyes. "Quack?"

Luffy's smile widened to a D-shaped grin. "Of course! You're our friend now!" He turned to his crew. "No objections, right?"

"I hope those strong guys are strong enough," Zoro rumbled. "It's been a boring island so far."

"Just so you know, duck!" Nami pointed at the bird, startling him, and then stared at him through half-lidded eyes. "I'm not sharing my loot from this island with your owner!"

"Nami-swan is so beautiful when she's greedy~!" Sanji swooned over the navigator before addressing his captain and the duck behind him. "But aren't we here to fight bounty hunters anyway?"

"Such a loyal bird, so inspiring…" Usopp wiped a tear and straightened up, knocking his chest with his fist. "The greatest warrior Usopp will join this fight!"

Sabo chuckled. "No objections from me either."

"See?" Luffy said, looking back at the duck. "So brush your tears and let's go, Ducky!"

The newly dubbed Ducky let out a meek quack, but then scrubbed his wing over his teary eyes, and with a renewed vigor screeched, "Quaaaack!"

With a quiet shishishishi, Luffy led everyone out. They didn't get far before running into a group of people armed with various pistols and bladed weapons.

"Did you free that duck?!" one of them shouted.

"How did you get here?" another asked.

"Who are you?!"

"We're pirates!" Luffy declared, proud and bold.

Everyone in the opposing group stared at him, expressions blank, but then one after another they startled sniggering and cackling, cocking their guns, and pulling out their swords.

"Pirates, eh," one said, licking at his blade. "And here we thought that you weaklings ran away when we lost sight of your ship."

Another cackled. "Welcome to Whiskey Peak, pirates!"

The sound of Luffy cracking his knuckles and the wide smile that was suddenly neither friendly nor reassuring in any way made the bounty hunters falter.

Zoro drawing out his swords while baring his teeth into a grin that spoke of savagery that he was itching to let loose against his enemies made them hesitate even further.

When Sanji tapped the tip of his shoe on the ground with a nonchalant remark, "Finally some action," before slamming his foot down, leaving several circles of cracks behind, they knew they were screwed.

They were not wrong.

Vivi waited around the corner, watching the front door of the house where, according to Miss Monday, Igaram was kept. It was an old jail, abandoned for a newer, bigger, and more secure one a year ago.

Vivi flinched at the loud bang in the distance, the ground shaking beneath her feet. She looked up, startled. A huge column of dark smoke was rising from the town several streets away. She focused, pricking her ears, but she couldn't quite perceive the fragments of voices the wind carried towards her.

Regardless, this could mean only one thing—the bounty hunters and pirates were finally confronting each other. Good. She also was observing this building for half an hour already—no sign of Mr. Five or Miss Valentine. They must have gone to deal with the pirates. Also good.

No better opportunity than this.

With the last glance down the street, Vivi ran across it and pressed her back to the wall next to the door, chest heaving, listening.

Nothing.

She jiggled the handle, but the door wasn't locked. Fishy, but she wouldn't be surprised if the two officer agents felt overconfident and didn't care about it.

Vivi smothered uneasiness that started to sprout, drawing courage from the fact that Mr. Nine and Miss Monday were hiding nearby, keeping an eye on anything suspicious, and would come to her aid if need be.

She pushed the door open, took a peek inside, and slipped in.

The room was not lit, so despite the sunlight spilling through the only two windows, the murky darkness shrouded the back of it where the cell was built under the stairs to the second floor.

A person was inside the cell.

"Igaram?" Vivi called out.

The person moved, groaning under his breath.

Vivi's heart skipped a beat and she held her breath, because if this wasn't Igaram, if he—

"Princess?"

Her chest swelled, happy, elated. That voice, that single word banished all her worries. She wasn't alone! "Igaram!" she exclaimed, rushing forward. "Just wait, Igaram. I'll—"

"No!" the man screamed, clenching his teeth when his sudden movement aggravated his injuries. "Get out of here, Vivi-sama! This is a trap!"

"It's fine," Vivi said, looking around for keys of something that she could smash the lock. "Mr. Nine and I brought some pirates here, everyone is busy dealing with them." Not finding anything, she reached to grab the lock to inspect it. "We can—"

"Don't touch it!"

Fingers touched the cold metal.

All went blinding white for one split second in a sudden, total silence.

The explosion blast slammed Vivi through the window in a whirlwind of glass, heat, and smoke. She rolled across the street until she hit the wall of the house on the opposite side.

She took a desperate gasp of air, but only managed to choke on blood and ash. It hurt. Her head, back, waist, legs—all her body. She could barely feel her arms through the excruciating burning agony. Her nose was stuffed only with a horrible smell of burned flesh and the thick grit of smoke. It seemed as if the rest of the world was submerged underwater. All sounds were garbled like a damaged recording and her vision was blurry.

Someone gripped Vivi by her elbow and she hissed. At the next moment, a strong pull set her on her feet, though her weakened knees barely managed to keep her upright.

Laughter broke through the insistent ringing in Vivi's ears. "Kyahahaha! What a lucky princess! Survived the explosion!"

Vivi shook her head. Her vision cleared, revealing a burning ruble where the jail had been standing just a minute ago. Her heart stilled and then restarted, reaching a frightening speed in an instant, threatening to burst from her chest. "Igaram!" she screamed, lunging forward only to be caught by strong arms.

"Miss Wednesday!"

"No! Nononono! Igaram! IGARAM!" Someone grabbed Vivi by her shoulders and shook her until she finally focused on their face. "Miss Monday…?"

"You have to go, Miss Wednesday!"

Vivi's gaze shifted back onto the burning house. "B-but Igaram…!"

"We planned to kill you in front of him," Mr. Five intoned, a cruel smirk curling on his lips. "But seeing this is even better."

Vivi's hands started to tremble, but soon her whole frame was shaking. "You… you…" She bit down on her lip until the blood trickled down her chin. "You monster..!"

"Kyahahaha!" Miss Valentine laughed. "Resisting is futile, Princess of Alabasta, Nefertari Vivi!"

"P-princess?" Mr. Nine stammered out, looking at Vivi with wide eyes.

"Under the direct orders of the Boss," Mr. Five said, picking his nose, "we shall hereby eliminate you!"

Vivi's head swum and she staggered. If not for Miss Monday still holding onto her, she might have collapsed. She could barely keep herself up after getting caught in the direct blast of the explosion. She had no strength to fight.

Mr. Nine stepped in front of her, his metal bats firmly in his hands. "I'll hold them off for you, so hurry up and run away, Miss Wednesday!"

"Mr. Nine, what—"

"I'm a pretty good guy, aren't I?" The man flashed a smile at her. With a cheerful, "Bye-bye, baby!" he somersaulted towards their enemies.

"Mr. Nine!" Vivi cried out.

Miss Monday grabbed the princess by her waist. "Time for you to go, Miss Wednesday," she uttered and hurled the princess over her head and onto the roof of the building.

"Nose cannon!"

Vivi crashed onto the roof just as another explosion ripped through the air. She rolled across it from the momentum of the throw, sliding to a stop inches away from the edge on the other side.

She shuddered and slowly tried to push herself up, arms quivering under the weight of her body. Lungs rattled inside her chest and she tucked a scream back into her throat. It was the first time she looked at her arms after the initial explosion and all she could see were torn muscles and burned skin. At least all her fingers were still attached.

"Kyahahaha!"

Vivi whipped her head up at the familiar shrill laughter above her. At that moment, her already shaking arms gave out from the sudden movement and she staggered. It ended up saving her life, because Miss Valentine's leg whizzed a mere inch from the top of her head, hitting only her metal hair tie. It shattered from the blow, allowing blue hair to cascade down her shoulders. The force of the attack pushed Vivi backward and over the edge.

Instead of the hard ground she had expected, Vivi landed on the relatively soft surface. She blinked down at an old ratty couch someone dragged out onto their porch, but she had no time to be surprised.

Igaram counted on her to bring what they learned back home. Her father counted on her to reveal the mastermind behind the rebellion. Millions of people counted on her to be saved.

Alabasta counted on her.

She had resolved not to die. She promised not to die regardless of what she had to do. She needed to flee. Had to survive. Survive and go back at any cost!

Mustering the remaining strength, Vivi pushed herself up and stood on her wobbly legs. Only sheer willpower drove her forward without falling.

"What a sorry sight."

Vivi gritted her teeth at the mocking remark from behind her. She didn't allow herself even a single thought about what happened to Igaram, Mr. Nine, or Miss Monday and only continued to stumble along the street.

"You can't escape from us," Mr. Five intoned again. "You should know your limits... Nose cannon!"

Vivi flinched at the last part, turning around, eyes widening at the tiny booger flying towards her…

A yellow flashed at the corner of her eye.

An explosion went off behind.

A wind swept her hair back.

Soft feathers susurrated under her fingertips.

"C-Carue?"

"Quack!"

Vivi's eyes glistened with tears. "Carue…" she whispered, hugging the neck of her duck as the tears finally fell. Miss Monday informed her that officer agents captured Carue and she didn't know what happened to him after. "I-I thought they killed you."

"Quack!" Carue replied, making a sharp turn to the left that almost threw Vivi off.

Another explosion shredded apart the crossroad they just passed.

Carue was fast. Fastest of the Super Spot-Billed Duck Troops. No wonder he was the captain.

Hope sprouted inside Vivi's chest.

They could make it!

Until she realized where Carue was bringing her.

The street they were traveling through opened up into the town square. Even from this distance, the princess could see the pirates and the bounty hunters clashing with each other.

"Carue, stop! Wait!" Vivi pleaded, tugging at the reins. All in vain, as the duck had no desire to stop or change directions and she couldn't muster any strength in her injured arms at all. "Carue! Pirates are there!"

This was the worst route to go! It would only put her between a rock and a hard place, especially now when her disguise fell apart!

Vivi could still feel that dangerous cold edge the captain exuded after Mr. Nine called himself a king in front of him. She could still remember feeling death breathing down her neck after they almost woke him up and the crew showed that unexpected deadly reaction.

Despite her efforts, Carue was adamant about this direction. Vivi could only watch as they got nearer and nearer to the fierce fight.

Already familiar laughter from somewhere above drew her attention, but she couldn't spot Miss Valentine anywhere. Looking back she saw Mr. Five flicking another booger towards her—

"Carue, dodge!" she cried out just as they burst out into the square.

Carue had no intention of listening to her and ran straight forward.

Vivi screwed her eyes shut—

Something wrapped around her and Carue.

—and the next thing she felt was a strong yank and explosion going off somewhere far behind her. She opened her eyes to find herself and Carue surrounded by pirates on the other side of the square.

The captain's rubbery arm returned to its normal size as he eyed Vivi up and down and then smiled at Carue. "So, she's the one you wanted to save, Ducky?"

"Quack!" Carue answered happily.

"Shishishishi, good for you!"

"Oi, oi," Usopp said, pulling his goggles up to gawk at the princess. "Isn't this Miss Wednesday?"

Sanji pirouetted to her side, casually kicking a random straggler into the nearest building on his way there. "Oh, beautiful Miss Wednesday~!" He paused, gaze flicking up and down her miserable appearance, lingering on the burns for a bit longer. His expression softened. "No need to worry anymore, my dear. We're here to protect you!"

"I-I..." Vivi didn't even know what to say. Not a single coherent thing came to mind. Carue wasn't moving anymore, no matter how subtly she tried to urge him to run. What was this? What kind of situation was this? Here to protect her? And the captain didn't deny it? "What?" What was going on?

After a brief look around, she could see bodies upon bodies of defeated bounty hunters lying everywhere: around the square and in the nearby street as far as eyes could see. It seemed that despite Whiskey Peak residents putting up a fight, the crew kept traveling through unimpeded.

Her heart sank. Just how greatly had she underestimated these pirates?

But…

Vivi looked back at Mr. Five and Miss Valentine coming to a stop in front of the pirates.

…can they win against these monsters?

"Oho, you beat all the low-ranking agents?" Miss Valentine asked with that perpetual wide smile on her face. "Is this supposed to be impressive? Kyahahaha!"

Mr. Five scoffed, showing what he thought about this accomplishment. "Why are some rookie pirates trying to protect the Princess of Alabasta?"

Instantly, Luffy's expression soured, his focus snapping back to the blue-haired girl. "Princess?" Something terrifying flickered in Luffy's eyes as he said this, Vivi paralyzed by that gaze. "Hey, Ducky." His voice was low, serious, almost menacing in its intensity. "You didn't say that the person you were looking for was a… noble."

Carue lowered his head, taking a half step back. "Quack?"

A flicker of annoyance flitted across Luffy's face and he looked away with a click of his tongue. "I hate her kind, but a promise is a promise," he muttered with his hand resting on the left side of his neck. "If she's the one you want to protect," his fist hit the open palm of his other hand, "then I won't let anyone harm her."

Vivi flinched when Sabo appeared right next to her, but the man only scanned her burned arms, his brow furrowing.

"Sabo!"

The blond turned towards Nami and caught a first-aid kit she threw to him. The navigator must have scavenged it from the nearby houses.

"Please, excuse me, Princess," Sabo said with a polite smile as he swiftly swept her from the saddle into his arms bridal style.

"W-What are you..!" Vivi managed to get out through her surprise before she was carefully settled down on the ground. Her confusion over his intentions cleared when Sabo crouched down, opened the first-aid kit, and pulled out gauzes and bandages.

Carue sat down as well, observing the blond man starting to clean her wounds.

Luffy also watched them, black eyes piercing, but the rest of his face completely empty.

Vivi ducked her head down, not wanting to be the target of that cold fury simmering just underneath the captain's emotionless façade. She almost expected him to order his brother not to tend to her injuries.

"You don't even want to protect her," Mr. Five noted, picking his nose. "Then why do that? Just give her to us and we can part ways peacefully."

"That's right. We have no interest in no-name pirates," Miss Valentine chimed in.

Vivi stiffened, fear pooling in her gut.

Luffy frowned at the two agents. "I don't break my promises," he told them. "And besides, I have a bounty!"

"Just how much can a kid like you be worth, kyahahaha!"

"Well, regardless. You're in our way," Mr. Five intoned as he plucked the booger out.

Luffy moved.

Mr. Five reeled back when the boy was suddenly in front of him with his arm winded up for a punch, but it was too late for him to evade. Luffy's fist connected with his face.

Miss Valentine's eyes widened.

And then the explosion engulfed all three of them.

"W-w-what!" Usopp squeaked. "He exploded?!"

"Mr. Five ate the Bomb-Bomb Devil Fruit. His partner is also a fruit user," Vivi explained quietly. "I'm afraid, your captain…"

Just as Miss Valentine shot into the air, floating on air currents as light as a feather, Luffy jumped out of the explosion blast, hopping backward to make distance from the flames. He looked a bit singed, but otherwise perfectly fine.

Mr. Five stumbled from the other side. His sunglasses were gone and he held a hand over his heavily bleeding, broken nose. "You bastard," he growled out. "How dare you make a fool out of me?"

Luffy didn't reply, only smirked which worked wonders on infuriating his enemy.

"I'm gonna kill him off with my ability, Mr. Five!" Miss Valentine warned from high up in the air.

"Lu-Luffy-san, watch out!" Vivi yelled. "That woman—"

Luffy ignored her and the blonde above him, his attention only on Mr. Five.

Miss Valentine gritted her teeth at being brushed off so blatantly. "Eat this!" she screamed as she plummeted down at high speed. "Ten thousand kilo press!"

Blades flashed in the sunlight.

Red drops splattered in the air.

Zoro landed behind Luffy, his katanas drawn. A couple of feet away, Miss Valentine's body hit the ground with a thud and soon blood pooled beneath her unmoving form. Zoro whipped his swords downwards, shaking off red droplets from them, flipped them around, and pushed them back into their sheaths. Then did the same with the one he held between his teeth and finally pulled the black bandana from his head. He tied it back around his bicep as he strolled back to join the crew.

While Vivi gaped, shocked by the ease the swordsman dispatched one of the officer agents, the remaining Straw Hats weren't surprised in the slightest.

"You shitty swordsman," Sanji muttered. "Couldn't you be gentler with the lady?"

"Shut it, curly brow," Zoro barked back. "How can we even call ourselves his crew if we aren't resolved to protect our Captain's back?"

Sanji had nothing to retort to that. Those words resonated with all of the crew as they seemed to come to attention.

Meanwhile, with a taunting smirk dancing on his lips, Luffy beckoned Mr. Five with his finger.

A vein popped on the man's forehead. He pushed his hand inside his coat, "I don't want to use this on a trash like you," and pulled out a flintlock revolver, "but you won't be able to avoid it."

Luffy's smile fell in an instant, replaced by a sullen glare.

Mr. Five grinned, finding courage in that expression, not realizing that he was misreading it all along. "End of the line for you, punk! Behold my greatest ability!" He popped the cylinder out and spun it, blowing into it. With a flick of his wrist, the cylinder returned into its place, and Mr. Five aimed at Luffy.

Shots rang.

Luffy dashed to the side. Explosions followed him, but he dodged them all. One, two, three, four, five… After the sixth shot, the boy turned toward Mr. Five, closing the distance between them in a blink of an eye. "I hate guns!" he growled, his fist burying itself into the man's stomach.

Mr. Five doubled over, eyes bugging out and spit flying out. This time, he didn't explode on contact and had no time to activate his ability as the next punch sent him face-first into the ground, leaving him dazed and disoriented.

"I hate their sound." Luffy slammed his foot down on the revolver, not paying attention that the man was still holding onto it.

A scream ripped out of Mr. Five as his palm got crushed together with his weapon.

It immediately got cut off by Luffy's foot slamming down onto his back. "I hate their smell." Luffy's lips twisted into a snarl as he lifted his leg again. "And I absolutely hate the feeling of bullets inside my body..." With these whispered words, he brought it down for the last time right across the man's neck.

Bones cracked. Mr. Five gasped for breath without a sound. His eyes fluttered closed and his head fell to the ground as he slipped through the death's hands.

Luffy stared at his dead body, eyes blazing in fury. After a moment, he reached for his straw hat and put it down on his head, hiding his expression in its shadow. Another moment later, he looked at his crew, moving from one face to another as if trying to imprint every little thing about them into his mind. From Zoro to Nami to Sanji to Usopp to Sabo and even Carue. In the end, his eyes settled on Vivi.

Vivi's breath hitched in her throat and all that got into her lungs was fear. That overwhelming power, that efficient brutality—she didn't expect any of it.

Luffy's gaze shifted to the roof of the nearby house. "Who are you?" he asked coldly, though no one was there.

Or at least that's what the others thought until a dark-haired woman stepped into the sunlight and the view of everyone from the shadows cast by the adjacent building. She wore a revealing purple cowgirl outfit with a matching cowboy hat and carried herself with poise and grace that all but exuded some kind of regal, yet intimidating aura.

"Oh my, I didn't foresee someone noticing me," the woman said. Keen blue eyes regarded the pirates, before she looked back at the captain, meeting his intense stare with an easy smile barely touching the corners of her mouth. "How very observant of you. You ruined a surprise."

Luffy didn't deem that comment important enough to reply. He stared at the new arrival, lips pulled into a straight line. No one could tell what was going on inside his head.

"Whoa! What a beautiful lady!" Sanji exclaimed.

Vivi gasped. "You! You're…" she stammered. "Miss All Sunday!"

"Miss All Sunday?" Nami and Usopp repeated.

"She's part of Baroque Works?" Zoro questioned, shifting into a battle-ready stance.

Sabo's brow furrowed as he stared long and hard at the woman before a flash of surprise crossed his face.

"Why are you here?!" Vivi shouted, sheer anger making her voice waver.

Miss All Sunday spared the princess a glance, but the young pirate captain seemed to hold her genuine interest more. "So, you're the Captain of the Straw Hat Pirates," she noted idly. "Monkey D. Luffy."

Luffy said nothing.

"Not very talkative, are you?" Miss All Sunday teased. "You know that if you continue protecting a princess targeted by the Baroque Works, you'll become targets yourselves."

This time Luffy did answer her with a flat, "So what?" It sounded almost like a challenge.

The woman let out a soft chuckle. "I don't dislike young spirited people," she said, clearly amused. "It is just too pitiful to see a lone princess forced to entrust herself to a handful of small-time pirates. A Princess who thinks she can save her country by taking on the entirety of the Baroque Works by herself… Quite ridiculous, don't you think?"

Vivi's fingers curled into the dry soil she was sitting on, glare burning with pure hate leveled at the woman. "You let us tail you so that we could find who the boss was!"

"You worked so hard. I had to cooperate," the woman didn't even try to deny it. Instead, she offered a pleasant smile. "I even put up the flag you and Mr. Eight agreed upon as a signal of you being compromised, but you still ended up in this situation."

"Wh… You're lying! Why would you do that?! Just what are your true intentions?!" the princess yelled, desperation and helplessness bleeding through. "What exactly do you want?!"

"Who knows," Miss All Sunday replied, looking somewhere into the distant horizon, her expression tinged with what seemed almost like hopeful nostalgia. "Perhaps I have some ulterior motive in mind. Or perhaps I'm just following Mr. Zero's orders for his personal gain." She smiled at the young pirate captain now, a bit wider than before. "Or perhaps I'm just looking for some entertainment to kill my boredom."

The straw hat suddenly left Luffy's head and flew over to Miss All Sunday who caught it by its brim.

Only… no one was allowed to touch Luffy's hat without his permission.

Next Chapter: Not Who They Seem

A/N

Robin… What are you even doing, girl?

Well, hopefully, this chapter is more exciting than the last few for you guys!

I have a discord channel now: discord. gg/a7tQPPa