Zoro finishes his beer as he and Karmen reach the entrance to Sabaody Park. He cocks his head at all the rides while Karmen's eyes sparkle over her veil. "Why didn't you just go with Luffy and the others?"
"Luffy draws too much attention. Nobles and kidnappers would have noticed me for sure." She sighs just thinking about what trouble the captain was causing.
Zoro looks at the roller coasters before following her gaze to the Ferris wheel. "Alright. We'll ride the wheel first."
"We can't!" she yells.
"Why not?" he shouts back in shock.
"It breaks tradition." She holds up a finger to make sure he's paying attention. "When I was little I had a friend who would bring me here. He was so tall that he couldn't get on many of the rides and when he could we couldn't sit in the same car. We would always ride the Ferris wheel together, though. The cars on it are a little larger than the others. He would cram himself in at the bottom but by the time we got to the top he could poke his head out of the bubble. He would always bribe the conductor to stop our car for a full minute at the very top and set me on his shoulders so I would have the best view on the whole island."
"This place is pretty special to you, isn't it?"
"Yeah. It is."
"So if the wheel is last, where do we start?" he asks.
"The horror show," she croons. "Getting scared first makes the whole park better in the long run."
"You're way too happy about that kind of thing," he says, frowning at her.
She winks. "Think of it as a test of courage."
"Lead the way, secretary." His face becomes fierce and the muscles in his arms flex as he crosses them. He makes it through the show without flinching. Karmen thinks she only sees him blink a few times while she yelps and jumps with her favorite scares.
They go to the tower drop next. Zoro notices her eyes looking up at the top of the Ferris wheel again before they plunge downward. When she opens her eyes at the bottom she sees Zoro grinning at the adrenaline rush. He guffaws when they go on the swinging ship and her skirts slap her in the face as they turn upside down. She convinces him to put his hands up on the roller coaster hills and they laugh when they get off and see that the park cameras snapped a picture when her veil had flown over her eyes, showing just her chin. He wins a stingray plushy from a game stall and gives it to her, saying he's not into collecting cute things. She shows him the trick to knocking down the rigged bottle set.
Finally, they make their way to the line in front of the Ferris wheel. "If you lean any further forward you'll drop your cotton candy," Zoro says. "Why do you like it so much anyway? Just the view?"
Karmen has crushed the paper stick in her hand and her cotton candy leans precariously to the side. Her other hand is firmly strangling the ray. "It's just so… so-" She can't bring herself to say "romantic" so she settles for "free and beautiful, up there. When you're a kid it's just about the height, but as a woman it's about the view and company." She hugs her ray and takes another bite of the candy, saving it from tumbling to the ground. She eats the rest quickly so that she won't lose it.
"Wait here. I'll throw away the stick for you." He disappears briefly and returns with a smile. "It's almost our turn." They reach the carriage and settle into the bench. Karmen sets the ray in the seat next to her and holds her knees happily. As they started to rise, Zoro looks at her. "So the slave with the guy in the bubble suit from earlier isn't the guy you were looking for, right?"
She shakes her head, calming down a little. "I knew it wasn't Pierce but…"
"But you still had to look." He nods. "I understand."
"When we cross to the New World, we'll reach Galaval Island in only a few weeks." She unpins her veil and pushes back the hood. The car reaches the top and she looks over her shoulder at the distant Red Line. She turns back and looks out to the vast ocean. "Once I know he's safe, I can live my life for myself and find my own dreams."
"Is there something you want to do now, even though we haven't helped him yet?"
She thinks. "I know I want an apple orchard, somewhere far away from places like this. I want to breathe free air and not live under Gallowcomb's shadow." She looks over at Zoro as the carriage makes its first pass over the base.
"So repay your debts, grow lots of apples to poison, and make new dreams. It sounds like a plan," he says. "Are you going to stay with us when it's all over?"
"If Nami can grow tangerines on a ship then I can grow apples. I mean, I'm sort of doing it already." She smiles at him and pulls up the sleeve of her left arm. Just above the poisons' harness, the "X" tattoo is visible. "Once a pirate, always a pirate. I can't see myself ever leaving our crew." She drops her sleeve. "Thank you for bringing me here. I don't think I would have been able to relax on this archipelago if you hadn't been with me."
It was true that she had been secretly using him as a kind of bodyguard knowing that even injured he could slice up most of the people that usually frequent this island. He'd probably guessed her motivation the second she joined him, but he was nice enough to be abetting. It wasn't as if they didn't enjoy each other's company. Deep down she knows that she'd never really faced any nobles or high ranking government officials by herself in her previous life. Pierce, Godwin, or Kuma had always been with her. She wonders if she'll ever be self-reliant in the future. Either way, she is very thankful for Zoro's presence. With his support she'd even felt comfortable mildly poisoning a Celestial Dragon, and she can't say that she hasn't been enjoying her time away from the ship. In fact, she'd really enjoyed poisoning Morice, probably more than she should, and the theme park wasn't half bad either. She was almost as calm and comfortable here with Zoro as she'd been with Kuma as a child. Safe with friends, free as a pirate high above the ground, she thinks happily.
Zoro seems to understand and accept all of this without her breathing a word of it. "Then let's enjoy the ride and forget about everything else for a while," he says. He grins as the carriage comes to a full stop at the top of the wheel. "It's the best view on the island, right?"
Karmen's hands slide up to cover her mouth as realization dawns on her. "You bribed the conductor."
"It would be a shame to break tradition." She stands and he stands next to her. "Does this make up for me not making it to the ballroom in San Faldo?"
"That and more. You don't have to lift me up. You're still injured. But this… This is perfect." The car is still rocking slightly, so Karen steadies herself by holding his arm. Entranced by the view, she forgets to let go. She looks back out at the ocean and watches the sun shimmer over the waves and the water curving over the horizon. For a brief moment she's a child again, feeling the weight of the Gallowcomb name roll off her shoulders. Free. Zoro just smiles and enjoys the view with her. When the wheel jerks back into motion they wobble briefly and sit back down. Karmen holds onto his arm for a moment longer, leaning close to his ear and whispering "Thank you" before kissing his cheek softly. When the carriage reaches the platform again after another pass and comes to a halt, she is once again the veiled pirate secretary.
They leave the park with few words and walk slowly through the crowded streets. "So how much older was this childhood friend of yours?" Zoro asks.
"He was around Ikaika's age, so he'd be in his 40's now, I think."
"How often did you come here?" His casual conversation is calming.
"Two or three times a year. It was one of the only times I got to be away from my family and the awful things they did," she said. "I think he liked the Ferris wheel because it faces away from Marineford and other government settlements. He hates the world government and I hate aristocrats, so it was a minute of freedom for both of us."
"I'm glad you had at least one good influence as a child. I might have killed you if you'd turned out like that celestial guy you poisoned earlier," he says. "Heck. If you hadn't been there I probably would have killed him anyway."
She smiles dryly, remembering all the times she'd considered it herself. "Killing a few nobles won't change how things are run, no matter how high up the bloodline they are. You have to cripple their ideology for the world to see and make sure they have no chance of reverting back to what they were. That's part of the reason I admire people like Luffy's father and other pirates like us. It's not about rules and customs, it's about morality and doing what's right, even if the people with authority don't see it that way."
Zoro chuckles. "You would think like a revolutionary."
She hums softly. For all she knows it could be in her blood. "I've always been a rebel. So was he. Maybe one of these days we can all sit down and have tea together. I'm sure he's still hanging around the neighboring islands." She almost adds that they had already met him, but she isn't quite ready for that conversation yet, especially since he had been the one to leave Zoro half dead in Thriller Bark to test his loyalty. Half dead, however, is not dead, dead. Maybe when Zoro has more time to heal... "It would certainly be interesting."
"I'm sure I'll like any friend of yours."
Karmen gives a clipped laugh. "Remember that you said that. You might regret it later."
He cocks his head at her. "Why? What kind of friends do you have?"
Bartholomew Kuma and Dracule Mihawk, amongst others, she says to herself. "People who started out a lot like we have, I think." She looks at the bubbles rising from the ground and trees as they walk, swinging her ray. "People who don't take much crap and have strong morals with the strength to back them up."
"You're right. They do sound like us."
Karmen sees someone in a nearby crowd. Speaking of people she's relatively acquainted with… "I have a few things I'd like to think over on my own, so I'm going to let you go on ahead," she says. "You do remember what grove we docked at, don't you? Grove 41?" As she says the number laughing children run by, drowning her out.
"Of course I remember," he says in tired annoyance. "Eh, tree 1." But when he confirms the number two bubble bikes collide nearby, drowning out the words. Since "eh, tree" and "forty" have similar shapes on the lips, she assumes he actually won't get lost this time. Honestly, she should have known better, but her mind is on the other person.
"Alright. See you back at the ship," she says. She fidgets with her poisons harness until he's out of sight and then approaches Basil Hawkins of the North Blue. "Hello, scarecrow, dear. How much do you charge for a reading?" His men seem suspicious of her so she adds, "We both know that at my level I have no hope to do you any harm. I'm here for a simple inquiry for a fellow Northie. I'll even leave my sea prism weapons holstered." She holds up her hands palm out in a sign of friendliness and smiles in a way that shows in her eyes. Being an alleged psychic, she wouldn't be surprised if he could peek behind the veil, so to speak. "So? Price?"
There is a pause as he observes her, unblinking. "I'll let fate decide that afterwards." His lack of eyebrows makes it difficult to judge his expression, so she's not sure if he's making a joke or not, but several strands of straw raise to hold up a deck of tarot cards. "The chance of you falling into a love triangle is-"
Karmen presses two fingers against the card he is reading and pushes it out of his line of sight. "That is not my question," she says firmly. He waits patiently for her to reverse her action, but the slight twitch of muscles in his face suggests he doesn't like people touching his cards. She withdraws her hand. "What chance do I have of finding my real father?" she asks.
He reshuffles his cards and draws a fresh set. "None," he says. "But there is a 94% chance of him finding you."
Psychics, she sighs in her head. Kuma would probably frown at her even consulting one, seeing as he always carried a giant purple bible. Right now, though, she doesn't care. "And my mother?" Her voice is a little quieter. Hawkins' crew looks at her like a lost orphan, which is how she's felt for a few days.
He draws a fresh set. "There is a very good chance that you are fated to cross paths, however there is a 70% chance that there will be a death before you meet." Don't ask, her rational mind says. Knowing never makes things better. The larger part of her brain demands to know whose.
"So she's alive then," she says instead, keeping the relief she feels out of her voice and posture.
"For now," is his response. "Would you like to know anything else?"
"What chance is there that I will kill the man who raised me?" This surprises his men, but now Hawkins. She's not quite the lost orphan they'd interpreted. Their reaction surprises her slightly, since they're all wearing black robes and bulky cross necklaces like some kind of cult. For all she knows, they are.
He shuffles and draws. "Twelve percent." Part of her believes the number is still too high to be comfortable with. Part of her knows there are plenty of ways to make it run sky high.
"Very well," she says. "Name your price."
"A coin and a name."
Blank surname Karmen, her brain says. She digs out a large coin. He'd been more than cordial with his ragdoll range of emotions, so 50 berries seems like a fair price for keeping things peaceful. "Valentine W. Karmen." This is her name. Not because it was given, but because she chose it. When her father finds her and she learns his name, assuming he does, she can decide if she wants to claim it as her own or let it fizzle out into the oblivion it's been hiding in. "Thank you." She points a finger at one of his men. "Love the crosses by the way."
She gives them a nod and departs. Dad will find me, I'll at least get to meet mom. The thoughts bounce around in her mind so much that she doesn't pay much attention to where she's going. She walks around a tree to come face to chest with a polar bear in a worker's jumpsuit. "How do I know you, Scarlet Secretary-ya?" comes a voice to her right. Karmen looks over at a fuzzy spotted hat and a sword. The hat raises until Trafalgar Law's face is visible. He's more handsome than Doflamingo had described him and she finds his tattoos interesting. Actually, Doffy had described him as the "Pretty Boy" type, but handsome fits him much better.
She looks at him, then at his sword, then back to his hat, at his bear, and then back at him. We've been dancing around each other's lives for years, but we've never met, she wants to say. "You don't," she actually says.
"But you know me," he says with that very intentional, certain gaze of his.
"By reputation," she admits. "We're both from the North Blue, after all. But if you mean why you caught my eye earlier… I like spots." She looks up again. "And bears."
"Good tastes," he says with a grin. "I've read a little about you. You just show up on the radar at Enies Lobby but are reported to have no ties to the Straw Hats, Franky Family, or Galley-La. So my question is this: Who are you affiliated with and who's trying to cover it up?"
"Hmm. I wonder," she says, feigning boredom. "If that's all you wanted then I'll be on my way. I've got people to see." She steps around the bear and sets her reversing observation Haki to max in the brief moment she's out of sight as she walks away. She walks quickly and quietly.
"Room." Karmen finds herself standing back in front of Law. Strong observation Haki, she observes. She'd been developing a trick to deal with situations like this. She hadn't been sure it would actually work, but this is as good of a chance as any to test it out. She unfades. To his crew it seems like she appears out of thin air and several jump. "Interesting trick." Handsome, entitled, and dangerous, the worst kind of annoying.
Her lips purse, her arms cross, and her hip pops for that little effect it has on men. She reaches up and adjusts her veil, more to make sure he hadn't ferried it off her face than out of a need. "Don't you know that you're supposed to wait a full twenty-four hours before calling a lady back?"
"You didn't answer my question," he says. Something fast, she thinks. I need something fast. Her eyes scan the area around them. Beneath her feet she can sense arrow shrimp. Those will do perfectly.
"I gave you the only answer you're going to get," she says, picking a canister off her belt. "Sync. The dead don't tell tales, dearie." Popping the tab would disperse the gas too slowly. She stabs it with her metal quill. The gas disperses all at once into a red cloud. When she's enveloped she creates a Karmen shaped web of Haki within the cloud. Haki is all about perception, she tells herself. She had gotten the idea from Nami's mirages. If she could trick others with strong Haki into believing she was somewhere she was not, she could create distractions or make an escape. She'd practiced this while Willow had rambled on and on in Baldwin's manor. It is not perfected by any means, but the two sources of life energy would confuse any observation Haki long enough for her to get away.
Synchronized with the shrimp, she matches their speed and darts far away before he can throw up another operating theater. She doesn't stop until she's at a seemingly run down pub. She collapses and lays on the moss for a while. Her nose is bleeding slightly and her legs feel like they're going to fall off. The Second Soul technique, as she decides to call it, takes a lot of mental effort and her body is not yet capable of running this fast for this long without painful consequences. Train it so you can rescue Pierce, she tells herself, forcing her body to push itself off the ground. She walks up the hundred stairs, goes inside, and sits down at the bar. The tall, dark haired woman turns to her and smiles. "Shakky, right?"
The woman nods, expunging a cigarette in the process. "We don't see many guests like you," she says with a knowing smile. "Some of your friends were in here earlier. They're sure to turn up eventually if you want to wait." The tall woman leans across the counter. "But that's not why you're here, is it, Karmen?"
Karmen lowers her veil and hood. There's no point in hiding things from people like her. "I hear you're the person to speak to if you want to set up your own information web."