Karmen and Shakky are still talking when the rest of the crew arrive. Well, Shakky is talking and Karmen is taking furious notes in her personal log. Nami and Usopp fill her in on the events of the auction house. Luffy had punched Saint Charloss, Usopp had flattened Saint Roswald, and Rayleigh had Haki punched Saint Shalulia. How many times growing up had she wanted to do those exact same things? How many times had she thought that if she was anything like Ikaika she would have killed them years ago, to hell with the consequences? How many times had she hated herself for having those thoughts? And yet here was her beloved captain. He'd burst in without an ounce of fear and did in five minutes what she couldn't do in nineteen years.
Had they said Grove 1? Karmen quickly draws a toothy smiley face with a slash through it in her log and shows it to them. "The auction house… Did it have this symbol anywhere on it?" she asks. Several crew members confirm it, though Luffy tilts his head in a clear sign that he doesn't remember. They had done serious damage to Doflamingo's auction house and Franky had given the slaves the keys to their collars. The warships would come, that much is certain, but Karmen cannot quell the joy rising up inside her. "Thank you," she says. All she can do is laugh. Raleigh and Shakky don't say anything as she sets her log down on the counter and pours herself a large shot glass of scorpion venom. She holds it up and toasts everyone. "This is the best news I've heard in two years." She downs her venom in one shot, much to Rayleigh and Shakky's surprise. Within a few minutes her cheeks are rosy. They seem to understand what she's not saying as to why she's happy about the news that terrifies everyone else.
Why in the world had she dread coming to these mangroves? In her core, she can feel the world beginning to turn in the right direction. She looks to Luffy, her catalyst. Where would she be if not for this meathead? Karmen hugs him, then Usopp, then Franky, and shakes Rayleigh's hand. "I know I'm reacting to this weirdly," she says, though she sees Robin give her ever knowing smile. "I ran into those people a lot growing up and to hear that someone finally gave them a little payback... You all make me so happy. Thanks again." She goes to pour herself another celebratory glass but Chopper swipes her poison and returns it to her bag. Karmen shrugs and hands her glass back to Shakky.
Sanji pops up in the bar stool next to her. "Thank me all you like," he says hopeful to at least get a hug out of the deal.
Instead Karmen pulls out an apple from her bag and presses it into his hand. "Here. I promised you one of these."
He blinks at it and then smirks. "This is indeed high thanks from our lovely secretary," he says happily. "I will cherish every bite."
"Careful there, Curley Brow," Zoro says. "You're getting dangerously close to poetry." The glare that passes between them threatens a fight, but Karmen's soft laughter diffuses the situation.
She looks over at their hosts and runs her fingers over the embroidery of the veil in her hands. "I guess I should explain myself, since you've given us so much help," she says.
"We know who you are," Shakky says. "The whole Gallowcomb residence is in an uproar because of you."
Well that simplifies things. Points for the dead girl. "Just so long as you remember that I'm supposed to be dead," Karmen says with a wink.
"Your father would be proud to hear it," Rayleigh says.
Karmen freezes. He knows, she realizes. He knows more than I do. I could ask. It would be so easy to ask. But… Basil Hawkins had said her dad would find her. She could wait patiently for that to happen and find out on her own. Well, perhaps patient was the wrong word, but she could wait for now. She smiles. At least they seem to think he's a decent person. That's a good sign. That bit of information will hold her over for now. "Thank you."
Tavern Note in Valentine's Personal Log
-To be transferred to Ship's Log later.-
We said goodbye to Shakky, Rayleigh, Hatchi, Keimi, and Pappug at the bar. Rayleigh says it will take three days to coat the ship and in the meantime we'll be splitting up to hide from the Admiral they send our way. We're all walking together for a while though. I just hope everyone knows the meaning of "laying low" *cough, cough* Luffy, *cough.* This island is unsettling for me, but I know it well. There are plenty of places that I can hide out in for these three days. I just hope they stay uneventful. Maybe if Kuzan is sent I can convince him to look the other way, at least for a day or two. The others… Let's just say my gut is telling me to keep a heavy fade. Either way, my veil isn't leaving my face for a good long while.
Something that looks an awful lot like a certain Warlord of the Sea lands in front of them as she puts the log back into her bag. Karmen knows it's not Kuma as soon as he lands in front of them. His hands hold the wrong shape inside his gloves. His hair is a tad too poofy. His jaw is set too deep in his face. There are several different factors that scream "not Kuma." Her brain translates. Pacifista. Questions flood her mind and freeze her feet. How many of Kuma's abilities did this creature have and what was its limits on how far it will go to capture a pirate? And there was another question. Did this being consider her a friend or a prisoner in the making?
The laser beam it shoots at her answers that question quickly. She syncs with Usopp's speed to dodge it. That man can move when he's scared to death. "My wanted poster says 'Alive Only' you crazy imitation!" she yells at it, pulling her quills. She's only recently killed herself and she'd like to stay only mostly dead. There's another thing, she thinks. This thing sees her as the Scarlet Secretary, not as a Gallowcomb. It's planning on capturing a pirate by any means necessary. Two can play at that game. Her hand moves to the Super Plucharon hanging from her wrist, but she hesitates. It's the last she has of this poison and she's saving that for Gallowcomb. She goes for Super Sunblade instead.
When all uncertainty is gone, only rage remains.
How. Dare. They.
Deep down she knows the government hasn't built these abominations as yet another slight to her, but it sure feels like it. How could they take the image of someone she loves and pervert it in such a manner? It's cruel, downright and simple. She glances at Sanji and thinks of all the people she'd seen Ikaika dealing with in the North Blue over the past nineteen years. He wouldn't know anything about what that man was doing, but she wonders if he suspect it as much as she does. Maybe they should discuss it at some point, but not today. Not while fighting this… thing.
Except… according to her Haki, it is alive. It may not have a will of its own, but it had to have been born at some point. And this makes her angrier. How could they do something like this to a person? She observes it take blow after blow from the crew. It may have had a life once, but now it's just a weapon. A weapon with his face. She yells and stabs Super Sunblade into its kidneys from behind and runs out of the way before it can attack her. She keeps having to remind herself that it's not Kuma, but it still feels like she's attacked her friend. And when they finally knock the thing through a building her heart skips a beat. Her hands shake. If she ever meets Vegapunk, she's going to stab him with something nasty and painful.
From her first attack Karmen is able to assess that the abomination's circulatory system isn't normal and her toxins don't do much to affect it. Her anger at how wrong the creature is finalizes as it takes off its gloves to reveal not paws, but laser beam ports. She stabs more sunblade into it while it's occupied with trying to shoot Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji. She can see the metal components fusing together with veiny red tendrils spreading across the sunblade wounds. She'd have to study the super sunblade's effect on metal later when her ears aren't ringing from laser beam explosions. She isn't surprised when the Pacifista gets back up or that it takes the heaviest hits the crew can manage to take it down entirely. She finds Luffy's Giant Rifle a very fitting end to the thing.
As the crew catches their breath she stands over the creature. This must have been Sentomaru's field. He heads the research department. She'd seen him at some of Ikaika's meetings in the North Blue. She always felt it was rude of him to hardly ever wear anything more than an apron. After hearing Ikaika comment on this to Willow she felt that she could have liked the man if it hadn't been for his relationship to the local ruling powers and for his pet project, the results of which is passed out on the grass in front of her. In another life she could have been at least friendly towards the man, but her hatred of him grew the longer she stared at the fallen creature. And on top of that, where Sentomaru was, Admiral Borsalino, or Kizaru as he was nicknamed, usually wasn't far behind. She never calls him Kizaru though. Nicknames are for people she respects.
An image is forming in her mind and she doesn't like what she's seeing. There should be a short time window before anyone else shows up. They're supposed to be dispersing anyways. Karmen steps over to Robin who looks concerned but knows better than to ask if she's ok. "I'm going to go ask Rayleigh a question. Will you all be alright if I do?" Karmen asks. Robin nods. "Stay safe." She darts off in full fade.
When she's half a mile away she pauses and leans on her knees, on the verge of a breakdown. It hadn't been Kuma. She keeps having to tell herself that, but they did a pretty good job of mirroring his image. They'd even copied the ears on his hat, the jerks. She'll stab them all if she gets the chance. But she doesn't have time for that now. She lifts her head and makes a noise like a frightened mouse. "Hello, hello," a slow voice drawls from the man who appears in front of her. "I'm looking for my nephew Sentomaru. Have you seen him?" The man is wearing a Navy officer's coat that hangs from his shoulders. He's so tall that Karmen feels dwarfed as she looks up into his lightly tinted sunglasses and his five o' clock shadow. Admiral Borsalino. Part of her tries to remember how he got the nickname Kizaru but she can't for the life of her remember it now. She's too busy trying to keep her knees from shaking. Almost without her realizing what she was doing, her hand lifts and she points in front of her to the right, away from her crew. An explosion sounds behind her to the left. She closes her eyes as he hums to himself. "You're the Scarlet Secretary, aren't you?" he drawls, never losing his friendly smile. He lifts his leg and it turns into pure light.
"Your Pacifistas seem to have forgotten that my poster says 'Alive Only,'" she says hopefully, or maybe just hoping to buy some time. "You wouldn't harm a woman, would you? Sync?" She's not sure if this will work. It will probably kill her, but it may help her get away. All she's sure of is when she synchronizes with the Admiral the world begins moving in slow motion. Even the butterfly flying near her ear seems to hang in the air. She throws a sea prism feather and it sticks into his shin. While he's powerless she runs.
Going from zero to the speed of light, for lack of a better word, sucks. Karmen can feel her muscles tearing and her body breaking down at a rapid pace from the first step, but she's too scared to stop. There's no way the crew can take that out without Haki. They need help and there's only one person on the island that she knows is qualified to give it. She has to reach Rayleigh in time. Maybe, just maybe, Borsalino will focus on her. As long as she stays synchronized to his light speed attack he can't catch up to her, but he can chase her. She's sure he's ditched her dart by now. Chase me you scary jerk, she thinks. After a while, though, it's obvious he'd gone after a different target and she's pretty sure she knows who that is.
When she feels she can't continue running without killing herself she stops. Karmen collapses in a clearing and rips her veil from her face as she begins to cough up blood. She can't let a little run kill her. She stands up on shaky legs. She hurts everywhere and she's pretty sure it will take a week to recover from her little escape. She can feel herself wobbling, but doesn't have the presence of mind to know just how much. She coughs up more blood and starts forward, only to face plant into what seems to be a solid wall and falls back hard on her butt with a little grunt. She wipes her mouth and blinks up at the wall that happens to be a purple bible. Her eyes have a hard time focusing as she tries to take in the rest. Gloves, proper shape. Crosshairs coat. Spotted hat with ears. Mouth, perfect set. Stiffness, correct rigidity. "Kuma?" The real one. She knows instantly that this is her Kuma. Pain forgotten she stands and throws her arms around his waist and her breath hitches, threatening a sob. She grabs fistfuls of his jacket. "Help them. Please. Borsalino's gone after them. They're going to be killed. I can't reach Rayleigh like this."
A warm, pawed hand is placed on top of her head. "He's already on his way." In a rush of wind he's gone. Without his warm body to keep her upright Karmen falls to her knees. Her vision wavers heavily and darkness presses in. She feels like she's going to either puke or pass out. She isn't even sure how far she's run. She can't hear explosions anymore. It would be so easy to fall onto her side and let the darkness take her. Sea prism. You got sea prism to help deal with people like him, her brain whispers. She pushes back against the darkness. It had almost enveloped her vision completely.
The quill is still cold in her hand. Thinking quickly she levers a mushroom spore toxin into the chamber and stabs it into her leg like an epi pen. This toxin is one that she hadn't quite gotten used to yet. She'd only picked it up in the forest of Thriller Bark while Zoro was recovering. The effects close the capillaries and floods the body with oxygen. Prolonged effects cause the bends, much like deep water diving. She'll take whatever effects it gives her if it means she can walk. Karmen pushes herself off the ground as the poison begins to take effect and more blood spurts from her lips. It would reach her stomach and lungs soon and the internal bleeding would stop. Maybe using poisons as medicines isn't that bad of a plan for the future, she thinks. It may only work for her, but that could be looked into later. For now she's got to get back to the fight.
Despite her body's protest, she turns around and starts running again. She's no longer synchronized with the light speed kick, which is probably saving her life, so she syncs with a nearby bird and picks up some speed. Everything faster seems to have fled to the other side of the island or too far into the canopy for her to sense. It isn't long before she can hear the battle again. Earlier she must have been moving in slow motion as well because she had barely gone out of earshot from the battle before collapsing half dead. She passes the part where she'd encountered Borsalino and finds that her feather dart is gone. It would be wishful thinking to hope that it was still embedded in his leg.
She arrives back in time to see a Pacifista in the tree line aiming a laser at Usopp. No one else had seen him. It was up to her to stop it and save her friend. It still pained her to draw out the last of the Super Plucharon, but she fills her metal quills with it and synchronizes with Kuma darting around in the clearing below. She doesn't care about what damage she does to her own body as she runs forwards and stabs the monster in the back of the hand followed by whatever joints she can reach. The necrosis starts immediately, frying circuitry and corroding metal down to the bolts holding it together. It only takes a few seconds for all of its functions to cease. When it collapses and begins to decay rapidly, she sees the product stamp PX-5 on its neck. She wonders briefly if she's taken her first life, but decides that won't happen here. She finds viable skin and gives it an antidote. The pain inside her and the relief that the real Kuma was now bearing down on Usopp kept her from dwelling on the thought that she could have killed it. She'd saved her friend and that's all she would let herself focus on now.
Karmen leans against a mangrove root and coughs up more blood with a sudden jolt of pain. She should give herself the antidote soon, but not yet. Her hood had fallen around her shoulders long ago and her hair sticks to her face in clammy sweat. Two years of training like crazy and a run does her in and the toxin she'd been saving to save Pierce is gone. She realizes her quills are still dripping. She quickly grabs a bottle and manages to catch two drops. Two drops. Even the deadliest viper can wreak havoc with two drops. She feels a sliver of comfort in this thought. Venomous Shadow, The Scarlet Secretary. That's what they called her. She had been the Gallowcomb girl once, and now she'll be the ghost that haunts them into ruin. She may be on her own again for a little while, but at least she knows Kuma will ensure the safety of her crew.
She watches Kuma send her friends away one by one, vanishing with a soft pop with the contact of his pawed hand. She can't help but wondering if they would look so scared about it if she hadn't been so tight lipped about her past. Only Zoro seemed to understand that he was there to help. As Luffy's pained cries of the loss of his crew ring out through the grove, Karmen steps forward and begins walking towards them. Raleigh had fended off Borsalino long enough for Kuma to do his work and Sentomaru had decided to stand by and let it happen because deep down he knew he wouldn't be able to stop him. Kuma had gotten rid of the other Pacifista in the area. All that was left were her and Luffy. There was a soft pop and then there was only her.
She wants to stay as far away from the admiral, but she knows she's got a trip to take as well. She's still about fifty yards away when Kuma suddenly appears in front of her. Karmen wipes blood from her chin and smiles at him and speaks softly so their conversation remains private. "Thank you. I won't ask where you sent them. Too many ears," she says. "I wish we could have spent the day together like we used to. I've missed you so much." She sees the look on Borsalino's face and grimaces, stepping a little further behind Kuma. "I lost a feather dart to that guy. I don't know where it went. Oh well."
"It's here." Kuma holds out his bible and opens the cover. Laying on the first page is a sea prism infused metal feather. Karmen laughs softly as he holds it out to her.
"I want you to give that back to me one day, but not now. Keep it until I see you again," she says. Her lip trembles slightly. "I guess we're both in pretty deep water now, aren't we?" He kneels beside her to look her in the eye and she holds her left arm. "We could go get Pierce together. Ikaika wouldn't be expecting that. And that way I know that you'll…" She can't say anymore about the possible consequences of what just happened. "Basil Hawkins says I'm supposed to be able to meet my real family soon. Oh yeah, I'm not a Gallowcomb. Isn't it great? Doflamingo told me. I still hate him, but he can do something nice when he's trying to recruit someone. I mean, I'd never join him, but I… When I meet my real family, I want to tell them how much you did for me. I know you made a deal with the government for them to protect me. I want them to know you, so don't lose yourself, ok? For me?"
Kuma's large hand comes to rest softly on her head as the tears well in her eye. Like Karmen, it looks like there's so much he wants to say but with the company they have time and freedom of speech are limited. He settles for, "Don't hate Dr. Vegapunk."
Karmen scoffs a little. "Tall order for someone as short as I am," she jokes.
"Are you ready?" he asks.
She gives him a heartfelt smile. "I think I am. The next time you see me, I'll have my bodyguard back." She kisses his cheek and lets her hand linger on his face a moment. "I love you, Kuma. Promise me we'll see each other again." She'd never told him before this moment, but she was sure he'd always known. Even if she never found her real father, Kuma and Godwin had been enough. He nods and she spreads her arms wide. "Then I'm ready."
"They're back on Valcour," he says. Kuma's free hand pulls back. "No matter what happens, I'm proud of you." She feels the pop more than she hears it. She's flying through the air like she had two years ago when Kuma had rescued her the night before her eighteenth birthday and Pierce had been shot and captured. It was like her life was going full circle in reverse. They rescued her, now she would rescue him. When she finally lets herself think about everything that happened on the archipelago she remembers what Kuma had said to Luffy before he sent him on his way. "You'll never see me again. Farewell." And he had told her not to hate Vegapunk. He had blatantly betrayed the law in front of an admiral all because she had asked him to. No. Kuma would have helped them even if she hadn't asked. That's the kind of man he is. With his relationship to Dragon, he would have at least gone out of his way to help Luffy. The only reason he was in a tight spot now is because there hadn't been time to do it differently.
The other thing he'd said plants itself at the forefront of her mind. Ikaika had taken Pierce back to Valcour. Kuma hadn't asked her if she was prepared because he expected her to rush in. No. She had been working out the best way to infiltrate Galaval and Valcour island for the better part of two years. She'd kept abreast of Gallowcomb movements and partnerships and she even had an accurate count of how many guards and slaves were on the grounds. Shakky had filled her in on a lot. The woman knew her stuff. She gives herself the antidote to the mushroom spore toxin.
After a while Karmen's mind just runs in circles. She couldn't do anything until she lands and it had been dark for hours now. She was glad she'd picked a few apples before leaving the ship. Poisoned or not, they were food for her. Too bad she hadn't taken more from her workroom. She'd felt the pain from her escape from Borsalino for most of those hours after she'd gotten over the shock that Kuma might not be Kuma in the near future. Now the same darkness that had pressed in on her when she was surrounded by mangroves is pressing down on her with only the stars and a few bats as witness. She'll fly for three days and she has time to relax and let her body recover. She lets the darkness take her.
When she wakes she's on her downwards decent and is very hungry, always a good sign when it comes to healing. She's still sore, but she can move freely if she pushes past the pain. Chopper would probably tell her not to move and to bind her damaged limbs tightly, but she only has her dress...
Well, she was getting tired of the embroidered grapevines on her skirt anyway. She changes her mind at the last second, deciding to sacrifice her underskirt first. She rips it up and binds her sore body wherever she can. She spends a few minutes examining the state of the embroidered stingrays, mermaid purses, and apples that are now bound protectively around her. The embroidered straw hat had been spared and tucked into her bodice. It will serve as a reminder to where she'll be returning to. Karmen feels much better afterwards and eats one of her real apples. It's dosed with a scorpion venom from Alabasta. On a normal person it would make them blind for a week. Karmen takes another bite. When she's finished she drops the core, hoping she's over the ocean and that no one gets pelted in the head. Due to the cloud cover she's passing over she can't really tell.
Ten hours later the ocean approaches fast. Karmen takes a deep breath and breaks the surface, a paw shaped depression slamming into the water inches before her. Kuma must have miscalculated. She wonders if the others reached their destinations safely as the surface tension folds back in over her head. She sinks slowly to the shallow bottom, deciding it's better to figure out where she is before surfacing. On top of that, the cold water feels good against her sore muscles. Her feet touch sand and she rests for a minute, feeling the familiar and comforting strain on her lungs and sensing the area around her. She has barely started using her Haki when she realizes there's a heartbeat beneath her feet.
"Parvati?"