(A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews, Trashyzawa and OneWhoReadsTooMuch. :) It feels like forever since I updated this story. Granted it takes me forever to update anything most of the time...but my job has been kicking my butt and leaving me feeling too drained to do much of anything lately. As a social recluse, I'm terrible with the public and now have to deal with it on a daily basis. ^^' Though I was happy to finally get this chapter out and hope you all enjoy it as well. I honestly barely remember the upcoming Skypiea arc, other than it being one of the most hilarious before the time skip. So that should be fun to cover. xD)
Blinking when a chicken bone hit her in the face, Toffee simply shook it off and went back to trying to focus on her journal. Luffy had been out cold for three days and had requested to eat his weight in the food he had missed out on the moment he had awoken-something Igaram's wife had been more than happy to comply with-and all of the Straw Hats were now in the palaces grand dining hall being treated to a feast fit for a king.
Hearing the guards muttering about how uncouth the pirates dining habits were made a smile pass Toffee's face. She occasionally ate on her own plate of rice and meat, somehow managing to keep it from being swiped in the chaos of the men who were devouring the numerous platters at the same speed as Luffy, acting as if they had been the ones unconscious for days themselves.
I suppose they wouldn't get any food if they didn't match the captain's eating habits Toffee pondered, giggling to herself when Luffy swiped a lobster right off of Usopp's plate. She found it amazing the straw hatted male could still fit anything more into his mouth considering his cheeks were already swelled up similar to good-sized balloons.
Vivi was laughing herself as she watched the chaos around her, something that startled the guards. However, their dignified stances ended up soon faltering and they found themselves howling when witnessing Usopp and Chopper jumping up onto the table and entertaining everyone with a comical dance number.
"A-are you not enjoying the food, Toffee-san?" Vivi asked through small giggles.
"It's delicious! I just want to make sure I get everyone's battles written down before I forget any details," Toffee hummed out, currently sketching out a picture of Nami's opponent, Miss Doublefingers She had been out for a day and a half herself and had everyone convey their difficult battles the moment she had awoken.
She didn't want any moment of their time here to be forgotten; both the good and the bad.
"Seriously? You need to try relaxing more, Toffee," Usopp lectured, balancing multiple plates on his nose; his actions making Chopper gaze at the sniper in awe.
"Huh? But I am r-Ah! Does anyone know what time it is?" Toffee gasped out abruptly, jumping out of her seat.
"I believe it is 18:50 exactly," Igaram spoke up after quickly devouring a roast whole before a now whining Luffy could snatch it.
"It's already that late?! I-I mean, I think I'm going to head out for a late evening walk! I could use some fresh air, eh heh!" Toffee said with a small, awkward laugh, her hand moving to massage the back of her neck.
Nami gave the gray-haired woman an incredulous look. "You do remember we're heading for the baths after supper, right? Why would you rather go out in that blistering cold than have a nice, heated bath instead?"
"I had a bath yesterday. Do I really need another one so soon?" Toffee spoke innocently, tilting her head to the side.
These words caused Nami to almost fall out of her chair. "Of course! You should take one every day instead of every three days like you normally do! Growing up around boys really was a bad influence on you..." Nami trailed off with a grumble, pinching at her temple.
"What's the big deal? I only take a bath once a week!" Luffy chimed in with a grin.
"You're not helping!" Nami scolded, giving the male a small rap upon his head.
Rubbing at his now lightly aching noggin, Luffy's grin hadn't dropped from his face. "You're coming back though, right, Toffee?"
"Huh? Why wouldn't I be coming back...?" Toffee inquired with a confused expression.
Vivi gave a soft, understanding smile. "Because you're going to see your family, right?"
At Toffee's alarmed gaze, Zoro rolled his eyes. "It was pretty obvious that was where you were sneaking off to,"
"They may be a bunch of psychos, but they're still your family. And what's the chance you'll run into them again like this?" Sanji added with a small smirk.
Am I really that easy to read? Or do they know me that well from just the short time we've traveled together Toffee pondered, feeling greatly touched. Maybe she had been alone for too long since something so simple was stirring up strong emotions within her.
"I-I promise I'll be back soon!" Toffee said, her voice cracking a little. She had quickly scurried off before any tears could form in her eyes, something that made Nami and Vivi smile knowingly at each other.
Finding herself once more inside of the clock tower, Toffee moved her arms above her head to stretch, only for them to fall behind her back. She then began to rock back and forth on her feet.
"He did say to meet him around seven today...Maybe he just got tired of waiting or I misread what he meant? Should I have come here sooner?" Toffee pondered, peering down at the little note she had removed from her robe's pocket.
The clock tower had been empty the moment Toffee had arrived, and ten minutes had already passed by. It was possible he was somewhere in the area. Would it be faster to search for him or maybe she should just call out his name and hope he heard her?
"TOFF-CHAN!"
Turning just as a figure tackled her, Toffee let out a small "eek!" when she and her assailant went crashing to the ground. She would have been more startled, due to the fact that the slightly taller male was nuzzling into her like a puppy, if she didn't recognize the sleek and long blonde hair.
"C-Cain?! Ah...you almost gave me a heart attack coming out of nowhere like that!" Toffee lightly scolded, but she smiled as she petted at the top of Cain's head like he was an actual animal.
Sitting up to stick out his tongue and bonk himself on the head, Cain chirped, "Sorry! I just got so excited when I saw you! I would have been here sooner, but I got distracted by this cool shop that had all these neat weapons! I wonder if Theo would ever fight with a scimitar? You think he'd get tired of using the same blade over and over."
Giggling at Cain's rambling, Toffee shook her head and asked, "Speaking of Theo, the others didn't come with you?"
"Shehehehehe..."
"...You did let them know you were coming here, right...?"
"Cain! Yo, man! Where are you! Don't tell me you started playing hide and seek without telling any of us again?" Deimos called out, currently looking inside of a barrel.
Ashley, who was shirtless and sunbathing upon the deck, shook his head. "I'm pretty sure even Cain has enough sense not to stash himself away in a cramped space like that. The fact that it smells like pickles is a further turn off,"
"Instead of putting in your vain input, maybe get up and help me find my little brother!" Deimos growled, turning his annoyed expression on Theo. The thirty-four-year-old had fallen asleep the moment he had boarded the medium sized ship, and they hadn't bothered to carry the man to his bed. "Oi, Theo! This is no time to be sleeping! I can't find Cain!"
"...Hurry up and clean the ship. It's filthy..." Theo mumbled out through small snores.
"I DON'T GIVE A DAMN IF THE SHIP IS! WAKE UP AND HELP ME FIND MY TWIN! I HAVEN'T SEEN HIM IN TWO DAYS!" Deimos bellowed, violently shaking the taller male back and forth.
Rolling his eyes, Ashley sauntered over to place a firm hand on the dirty blond's shoulder. "Stop that before you make Theo's head fall off. You know he always sleeps an entire week after a mission. The only thing that will wake him is if he feels any threat close by...Besides, didn't you find it strange our escape boat was missing?"
A hand moving to massage his forehead when a question mark actually popped up above Deimos' head, Ashley continued, "Obviously Cain snuck off the moment we were all asleep and headed straight back to Alabasta. Did you honestly think he'd miss a chance to rendezvous with our baby sister? The two of them have always been close, you know,"
Deimos groaned and pushed down on his black fedora. "Ugh, I know...But how's he going to find us by himself? You know he's no good at navigating the ocean!"
"I'm sure that's why Lilith went with him. That birds like a dog and can track her master's scent no matter where Theo winds up," Ashley mused with a chuckle. "Cain can handle himself. And if we're lucky, he'll convince Toffee to come with him. Last thing we need is Theo trying to start a war with her crew..."
"For real. That I can agree on..." Deimos mumbled, peering over at the dark-haired male who was scratching underneath his blood red shirt.
Toffee placed her hands on her hips and sent the year older male a scolding look. "Cain! You know Deimos freaks whenever you disappear from his side! I bet he's running all over the ship right now looking for you!"
"I-it'll be alright! And I'm a grown man. He doesn't need to worry about me!" Cain claimed. The pout on his face, however, didn't make him appear very mature. "Besides, I didn't come alone. Lilith came with me!"
Hearing the familiar screeching, Toffee beamed when the beautiful hawk landed on her shoulder and rubbed her face affectionately against Toffee's cheek. "Aw...I missed you, too, Lilith!" Scratching underneath the bird's chin, Toffee mused, "Still, I'm surprised you waited until today for us to meet up. Luffy just woke up, so I'm sure the others will be wanting to leave tonight. The marines are getting more vocal about trying to get into the palace..."
"That's 'cause I knew you would want to stay by this Luffy's guy's side until he awoke. Because your super nice like that!" Cain praised, grinning at his sisters startled countenance. "Something told me he'd be out for a few days."
"I thought Theo was the one with the psychic gift~?"
"Shehehehehe! If someone was going to take on a man like Crocodile, it just makes sense he'd be exhausted after a fight like that. I just got lucky on the days," Cain hummed out. The two had gone to sit on the rounded opening of the massive clock, and Theo kicked his legs while saying a bit more quietly, "So are you...going to stay with these pirates...?"
Toffee bit down on her lower lip. Seeing Cain looking at her with such a sad expression was making it difficult to form the words. After swallowing the spit that had formed in her mouth, she said in a slight raspy tone, "Yes. I'm going to stay with the Straw Hats..."
It was an instant reaction. Large tears formed in Cain's eyes, and Toffee felt as if her heart was splitting in two when the sensitive male let out a whimper.
"D-does that mean you like these people more than us...?"
Quickly shaking her head, Toffee pulled the sniffling male into her arms. "No, no! Of course not! Theo, Ash, Deimos, papa, and you are my family! I could never like anyone more than I do you guys! The Straw Hats have just become really important to me, too," She paused a moment to smile faintly at Cain who had started to cling onto her. "I will come home one day...But for now, I want to see where my friends journey takes them."
"S-so this is because we were keeping you locked up at home? Papa said it was so you wouldn't have to be involved or placed in danger anymore...And Ash claimed it was because Theo's bloodlust might eventually scare you off..."
"I hope you haven't been telling Theo that's the reason I did leave?" Toffee asked with a small frown, sighing when Cain pulled away to poke his fingers together. "Don't tease big brother like that! But the truth is...I guess a part of me was getting tired of being cooped up on our island while you were off traveling...I just don't want any of you blaming yourselves. I had to set off and find out what I wanted to do with my life. To not only overcome my fears, but discover the other forms of justice out there for myself, and decide if I want to continue our family's lifestyle or not..."
"And you think you can do that by staying with these pirates...?"
Pulling her knees up to her chest, Toffee nodded while staring fondly at the star filled sky. "I do. Seeing so many terrible people just in the East Blue, it was kind of refreshing to meet a group of people I was always told to be cautious about filled with such kindhearted individuals. They go out of their way to help strangers, even if it makes them enemies of powerful opponents...Kind of like all of you. Just in a much less violent manner."
Cain gave a fake pout, but soon chuckled. "They sound really bizarre. But our family is filled with oddballs, so I guess it makes sense you'd befriend other oddballs," Cain grinned and hopped up, wiping the few remaining tears from his eyes. "I suppose I don't have to worry about you since you're with a guy who can take down a warlord. But ya know, Theo isn't going to be happy if your bounty increases hanging around these guys..."
Toffee just smiled and shook her head. "I'm pretty sure my bounty won't increase that much just because I joined the Straw Hats. I'm not nearly as strong like most of the members. If anything, Heartless-kun will receive a higher bounty than me. He does all of the heavy hitting, after all,"
"No thanks to Deimos-kun turning him into a martial art obsessed fiend like himself," Cain mused, rubbing at Heartless-kun's head when he materialized. Hugging Toffee, he said a bit more somberly, "I should let you go back to the others. They might be getting worried..."
"Thank you, Cain," At her brother's confused gaze, Toffee's expression softened. "For not taking me away. You could have when you left that note in Smoker-san's coat, but you didn't."
"Actually, I left that note in Smoke-chan's jacket when he went to go help you fight against that assassin lady," Cain admitted. When Toffee's eyes widened, he beamed and declared, "I just had this feeling he might leave his coat with you if you were all beaten up. He's the type of guy to do so 'cause he's super cool!"
"And what if he hadn't given his jacket to me?" Toffee uttered with light exasperation.
"Then we wouldn't have met up," Cain said with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders. "But I'm sure Smoke-chan would have made sure you got my message either way. He's the type to help people, even if he always looks super grumpy when he does. Remember? He helped us during the Rotthall incident. 'Course you did call him Smokey then and only talked for a minute...Ack! I'm sorry! I shouldn't have brought that up!"
"No. It's okay. I need to learn to get over that day if I'm ever going to stop being afraid of blood...But I'd...actually forgotten about that," Toffee voiced, wrapping her arms around her body.
"Papa still calls him Smokey-chan to annoy him whenever they cross paths," Cain laughed. "Maybe you should as well? It's funny when his face gets all red and he starts twitching~"
Giving his sister one more hug, Cain waved and leapt off the clock tower where he managed to land on the nearest building despite the distance. His form went rushing off into the night with Lilith soaring after him, and Toffee sighed and placed a hand on her shadows head as the little creature was waving in a rather cheerily manner to the disappearing youth.
"It's nice to see Cain hasn't changed much at all, huh?" Toffee spoke, earning a nod from her shadow. "We'll have to thank Smoker-san if we see him again. My family is only still free because of him...If it had been another marine that day, I may never have met Luffy and the others..."
"Whoo! It's lucky you showed up right when we were about to leave, Toffee!" Luffy said after ripping off some of the meat from the unknown animal he was currently snacking upon. "And the way Usopp screamed and fell when you came through that window was hilarious!"
"Anyone would scream if someone came through an open window on the third floor like that!" the long-nosed male huffed out. "And are you ever planning to stop eating?"
The Straw Hats were currently rushing across the desert to reach their vessel on the Supersonic Duck Squadron, and Toffee just listened with amusement at the random conversations going on around her. That was, until she noticed Nami's less than cheerful disposition. Something which Chopper pointed out himself.
"Nami, are you feeling sick?"
"Nami, do you want one piece of meat? Just one piece, though," Luffy offered to the downhearted girl.
When Nami remained silent, Sanji brought up in an understanding tone, "Nami-san, you're thinking about Vivi-chan, right? I understand how you're feeling...but thinking doesn't get you anywhere. Yeah, I know...you two were really close...But hey, chin up."
"I...for Vivi's sake...I'm willing to give up...on the one billion berries..."
"OF COURSE YOU SHOULD!"
"SO IT WAS ABOUT THE MONEY?!"
"Ah! Usopp fell!"
"Nami! Don't act misleading!"
"What?! What're you guys worked up about? If it's about Vivi, it's no use worrying about it, right?"
"Are you alright, Uso-Eep!"
"Ah! Now Toffee fell!"
"Technically she's still hanging on by the leg of her stirrup..."
"Ooh! Riding that way looks fun!"
"Don't copy her, Luffy!"
"Isn't it your fault Usopp and Toffee ended up that way in the first place?"
"How is it my fault?!"
"Sh-shouldn't we go back for Usopp?!"
A few hours later...
"I've been waiting, you guys! Long time no see!" the number 2 agent of Baroque Works greeted merrily. He was waving enthusiastically down at the Straw Hats, only for two senbon needles to fly directly at him and pierce the dark-haired male in the middle of his forehead. "GYAAAAAAAH! I'VE BEEN HIT!"
Letting out a puff from his cigarette, Sanji wasn't too concerned as the oddly dressed male fell backwards onto their ship. "That's right. Toffee-chan wasn't around when this weirdo called us,"
Still cautiously holding her small weapons between her fingers, Toffee blinked in confusion. "Eh? What do you mean he called you?"
"We're not really sure why either, but I'm guessing he's stashing on board our ship for a reason. I suppose we should just be grateful he didn't steal it," Nami explained with a wave of her hand.
"Wait...so he isn't an enemy anymore? Oh no! I didn't kill him, did I?!"
Zoro, who was carrying some of the luggage onto the ship snorted when seeing Bon Clay twitching where he lay. "Nah. He's still alive. Looks like talking with your brother reunited some of those old instincts of yours, huh?"
"I'm so sorry!"
Usopp gave a pat to the slight teary eyed woman's shoulder. "Don't be. I'm sure he probably deserved that in one way or another."
Having a band aid placed upon his forehead by Chopper, Bon Clay huffed and crossed his arms over his blue medieval garments. "Is this any way to thank me for guarding the ship from the navy?! They have the whole island surrounded, you know!"
"What?! Then you protected the Going Merry from the navy?!" Luffy gasped out.
"Why?!"
"How come?!"
Tears in the former Baroque agent's eyes, his form seemed to sparkle as he proclaimed in what he believed to be a cool manner, "Because we're friends!"
Nami stared blankly at Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper who had begun to dance around the ship with Bon Clay, looking like a group of can can dancers. "Do we still have stuff to load?"
"Nope. This is the last one," Sanji replied, deciding to just ignore his odd crewmates gallivanting with their not too long-ago foe.
"In other words, Mr. 2...You guys couldn't get off the island due to the Navy's coast siege," Zoro mentioned indifferently. "So you wanted to find allies...Isn't that right?"
"Bon-chan!" Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper cried out, feeling betrayed.
"That's right...In a time like this...Because it's a time like this...Gather in the name of friendship! Let's unite our strength and fight together!"
"YEAH!"
"...I can't tell if he's being sincere or using us..." Toffee murmured, feeling a little alarmed when the ballet dressed males ship seemed to pop out of nowhere.
"Best not to think on it too hard, Toffee..." Nami mumbled, scowling at all of the 'idiots'.
The peaceful atmosphere was soon being broken, a resounding cry of "Fire! Fire! Fire!" being shouted as what looked like metal spears came shooting at the Going Merry.
"Oh no! They already found us!" Usopp shrieked out.
"Dammit! Shoot cannonballs! Then I could repel them!" Luffy shouted angrily as the weapons were piercing the sides of the ship.
"Seriously! Give me a break!" Bon Clay groaned out.
"If we keep taking these iron spears on the ships bottom, it'll be just a matter of time before we sink!" Sanji cried out in a slight panic.
"Here come more!" Nami exclaimed, wincing as the impact caused the ship to rock.
"Hey! I can't keep plugging the holes anymore!" Chopper yelled in his larger form, having grabbed up a stack of planks to try and decrease their damage.
"What should we do?!" Toffee gasped out. They were surrounded by eight ships on both sides, and there didn't appear to be any way to escape. The navy battleships were keeping their distance, making it impossible to board and fight back.
"Even if we tried to run away or chased them, they aren't going to change this formation!" Zoro added disgruntled. It really did seem like they were screwed.
Seeing a familiar figure standing onboard one of the marine ships, Luffy cried out in disbelief, "Hey, hypnotist! You're a pirate, aren't you?"
"Shut up! I have my reasons!" the skinny gray-haired man, known as Jango, hissed back.
Sanji cuffed his chin thoughtfully, peering at a man with pink hair and a scar underneath his right eye. "The one on the left...where do I know him from?"
"I've finally found them! That annoying violent cook and his gang...! I'll sink them here today! I've powered up!" Fullbody declared, holding up his knuckles-which had bolts attached to them-menacingly.
Looks like Luffy and the others made some interesting enemies before I met them Toffee pondered considering the crew was running around in a panic when Jango pulled out a small chakram attached to a string. She wasn't sure what would have happened if Usopp hadn't fired the cannon and made the ship with Jango on it sink. Accident or not.
"Nosie! That was amazing! Good job!" Bon Clay loudly praised. "The ships in the south sank! Now we can break through there in one shot!"
"Bon Clay-sama! There's trouble! The Black Cage is here!"
Luffy tilted his head quizzically. "What's going on?"
"It's Black Cage Hina! She's a captain at Navy Headquarters, and this area is under her jurisdiction!" Bon Clay proclaimed, his make up slightly running down his face from how much he was sweating. "She's a real pain. We'll hurry up and fly the coop!"
Toffee grabbed a pair of binoculars to get a better look at the woman they were up against. "Wow! She's really pretty!" she admired, something that caused Sanji to instantly perk up.
"Let me see, Toffee-chan. She's not just pretty...SHE'S GORGEOUS!"
"This is no time for admiration, friends! We have to run! If we pass by that point in the south, we'll be able to escape with minimum damage!"
Luffy scowled. "If you want to go, then go. We can't,"
Bon Clay's mouth and eyes both grew large, and he bellowed, "You can't?! Why?!"
"Noon at the eastern harbor...we have an appointment," Nami spoke up, her eyes closed. "We don't have time to go around, so we have to dash through."
"Ah...that's ludicrous! Is there some treasure worth your lives there or something?! Just go ahead and die there, then!"
Placing a hand on top of his hat, Luffy grinned. "We're going there to pick up our friend!"
Bon Clay was completely taken aback, and he stuttered out, "S...so it's for your pal...I see...Then I won't run either!" His aghast crew yelling out his name in disbelief, Bon Clay kept his back turned on the Straw Hats and continued boldly, "If we abandoned pals who would risk their lives to pick up their pal, will we...be able to enjoy our food tomorrow?! Listen, guys...Straw Hats, too! Listen to what I have to say carefully!"
"Miss Hina! They're dividing their forces! The duck ship is going south!"
A deep frown crossed Hina's glossy lips seeing the odd ship distancing itself. "The duck is probably a decoy in any case,"
The scout peering through a pair of binoculars shook his head. "Well...actually, all of the Straw Hats are on the duck ship! The sheep ship is the decoy!"
Hina scoffed and bit on the cigarette in her mouth. "Follow them! Return to the formation immediately!"
Having hidden themselves for exactly four minutes, the Straw Hats returned to the main deck of their ship to the sound of cannons being shot in the distance. They could barely make out the Swanda Express or the navy's ships, but could see the smoke rising up from the battle.
"I can't believe he actually sacrificed himself like that..." Toffee whispered. It really proved just how much of an impact Luffy had made on the flamboyant man. Bon Clay and his men had done something most former enemies would never do...
"Bon-chan...we'll...We'll never forget you!" Luffy shouted at the top of his lungs, tears pouring down his face.
While not showing the same grief as Usopp, Chopper, or the captain, Nami spoke up in her own solemn tone, "We need to get moving. Full speed ahead!"
"Right!" Zoro and Sanji said in unison, handling the ship's preparations while letting the others deal with their grief.
I guess friendships can form in the strangest places Toffee thought with a small smile, her eyes narrowing when spotting more marine ships waiting on them. So we should honor Bon Clay's by making sure we make it to Vivi-chan on time!
"Get out of our way, you bastards!" Luffy roared out angrily.
No one holding back, the band of pirates sailed directly where the line of ships was; taking them and any marines that tried to board their galley out in a volley of fierce strikes.
With the fight coming to an end and having reached their destination, Chopper gazed sadly ahead hearing a familiar amplified voice speaking fondly of her time upon a certain ship and how those upon it helped to guide her through the darkness.
"Vivi..."
"You heard the speech, right? It was Vivi's voice without a doubt," Zoro spoke gruffly, his arm resting on the hilts of his blades.
"They're just broadcasting the ceremony being held in Alubarna. She's already decided that she wouldn't come here," Sanji added in his own solemn tone.
Hanging over the railing, Luffy frowned. "No, that voice just resembled Vivi's voice. That's all. This is that Tamarisk place, right?"
"Yeah. That's right," Nami answered in her own quiet voice.
"Does that mean she's not coming? Its already almost noon..." Toffee said softly.
"There's no way she didn't come! We just have to get out and look for her!" Luffy maintained.
It was silent for a few more minutes before Usopp shouted out in alarm, "Hey, this is bad! The navy is after us again!"
"Just how many ships are there?!" Zoro barked. "Dammit! We're gonna sail out now!"
Sanji sighed seeing Luffy still looking resolute. "Give up, Luffy. Her case is different from ours,"
"EVERYONE!"
The ship having already started to sail away, Luffy slowly turned around and gave a vibrant grin when seeing the princess standing on the shore. "Vivi!"
"Karoo!" Usopp exclaimed seeing the large duck at her side.
A smile on her face and her long blue hair blowing in the wind Vivi's next words shocked all of them.
"I came to say goodbye!"
"What did she just say...?" Luffy questioned, his smile faltering as if he couldn't comprehend what he just heard.
Taking the handset from Karoo, Vivi's voice was once again being broadcast for all to hear. "I can't...go with you. Thank you so much for everything! I'd like to go on more adventures, but there's no ignoring...that I love this country! So I can't go!"
The smile returned to Luffy's face and he chirped out, "I see!"
"I..." The princesses voice broke for a moment, tears welling up in her eyes and soon cascading down her cheeks. "I...I will remain here...but if we ever meet again someday...will you call me your friend again?!"
"You'll forever be our-"
Nami's hand quickly slapped over Luffy's mouth before he could finish that sentance. "Idiot! Don't reply! The navy has noticed Vivi. If we prove she's connected with us, she'll become a criminal. Let's part without saying anything."
"Is it really right to do that...?" Toffee asked softly. It was heart wrenching to hear Vivi crying. This decision was hard on her just as much as it was on all of them.
Nami didn't say anything, but she motioned to her left arm, something that made Toffee nod in understanding. Joining her friends who had formed a line with Luffy in the center, Toffee lifted up her arm along with the others. The X they had drawn there to tell friend from foe was displayed for Vivi to see. And while none of Straw Hats turned around, they knew Vivi had risen her own arm in acknowledgment.
A sign that their friendship would never waver.