Voyage Of The Cavalier

by Victor Soul

Ever since Pirate King Gol D. Rodger declared the existence of the ultimate treasure, The One Piece, the world has entered a new golden age of piracy. However, one man strives for something more precious. He breaks out of his enslavement, joins the Straw Hat Crew and takes part in wild adventures in order to get it. The only thing he wants to do...is to find his home. (OC X Harem)

3. Ambush

Originally, this and the previous chapter were going to be one chapter, but I decided to split it up because I was running out of time and I hadn't updated in ages. So, enjoy the next chapter.

Mr BrownOptometrist- Thank you so much, I'm glad that you enjoyed it.

Onxio - I'm sorry to disappoint, but Magpie won't be that old. I have some plans for him and his family tree for the future and the time scale won't work. However, having a much older OC is a nice thought; a breath of fresh air from all the late teenage or early twenties OCs out there; I admire it. Thanks for reading.

Guest - More details about the Black Feathers and the Secret Empire will be revealed in this chapter, hopefully this will answer some of your assumptions. I'm currently at the Water 7 arc so I have a lot of catching up to do, but I do know some things about what is going to happen. Thanks for reading.

phillyitalian - Essentially, yes...that seems to be a recurring theme in my OCs, huh? The idea of his Devil Fruit evolving is very exciting, I need to be careful not to make his power too OP. Thank you so much for reading.

djinn - Thank you so much. In this chapter we will see how Magpie's plan come to fruition and put the crew's loyalty to the test. Mr. 3 will play a larger role in the next chapters, but I can't reveal too much right now. I hope you'll enjoy this chapter just as much.

MC-Ramen-Sensei - Haha! Glad to hear it. Hope you enjoy this chapter.

wellingtonlucas282 - Thank you so much, you're too kind. I really appreciate all your support in my stories and I always smile when I see your reviews. I do hope you enjoy this story as it continues along with the others. Thanks again.

---

Chapter 3: Ambush

Eastern Coast, Uninhabited Island

With the Going Merry docked on the shores of the island and its crew standing upon the sandy beach; the Straw Hats stared, with a mix of emotions from inquisitive, worry, and fear, at the thick forest before them. It took a couple of hours of following the Log Pose and, although a relatively small island, it was going to be a difficult to find their stolen items amongst the foliage; especially with an assassin on the loose.

However, despite everything, Luffy stared straight ahead and gritted his teeth fiercely, "HEY! WEIRD FEATHER GUY! COME OUT AND GIVE ME MY HAT BACK!" he yelled into the forest. Silence was his only reply, causing him to growl in anger and tightened his fists, "OI! I'M TALKING TO YOU! GIVE ME MY- oof!" he suddenly cried out as Nami whacked him across the head with the back of her hand.

"Will you shut up. You're going to give away our position," she grumbled in annoyance, "Do you really think he's going to reply to you just because you shouted at him."

"...Yes."

THWACK!

"OW!" Luffy cried out again and rubbed his aching head.

"And don't you dare think of running off after him. We need to stick together if we any hope of defeating him," the orange haired girl snapped at him.

Zoro huffed and shook his head, "I mean he might as well. It's not like we have any way of knowing where our stuff could be. We could be ambushed as soon as we're deep enough into the forest."

Usopp and Chopper shivered at the thought, "Scary," they muttered.

Vivi stared down at the golden sand beneath her feet in concern; she was still feeling troubled by the fact that her pet and best friend was kidnapped right under her nose, 'Karoo must be so scared,' she thought as she tightened her fists, 'That assassin better not harmed a single feather on him; he has done nothing to deserve this...this wouldn't have happened if I was there to protect him.'

"Vivi," the blue haired girl snapped her head up as soon as Nami called out to her, 'Are you alright?"

"Fine," she sighed in reply, "The sooner we get Karoo back; the better I'll feel. I just wish we didn't have to go through the entire island."

"Unless you know where he's hidden everything, I doubt there's any other way," Zoro said with a shrug.

"Karoo is hidden in a cave southern part of the outcrop, Nami's Log Pose under the largest tree in the north eastern part of the island, Usopp's sniper glasses are also in the north eastern part of the forest by a pond, Chopper's medical bag is in an alcove in the western part of the island next to a stream, my cigarettes are in the north eastern parts of the outcrop, your swords are in a forest clearing in the north and Luffy's hat is on top of the highest point of the outcrop," Sanji suddenly said, making everybody look at him bizarrely.

"Huh? How do you know?" Usopp asked with a frown.

"There's a note on that tree," Sanji said as he lazily pointed to a nearby tree where there was, indeed, a note pinned to a tree.

"He left us directions!" Usopp, Nami, Chopper and Zoro shouted in disbelief.

Luffy grinned, "Highest point of the outcrop," he repeated before he stretched his arms upwards to grab at the nearest tree and pull himself up. Once he was on top of it, he looked around and saw that one of the rocks in the centre of the island was taller than the others, "I found where my hat is!" he yelled down at them as he jumped down to the forest floor and took off running, "I'll be back!"

"DON'T GO OFF ON YOUR OWN, YOU IDIOT!" Nami, Usopp and Chopper yelled, "THIS IS CLEARLY A TRAP!"

"Trap or not, he'll be fine," Sanji said as he stalked off into the forest, "I've seen him face off worse enemies."

"Hey! Where do you think you're going!" Usopp shouted after him.

"Getting my cigarettes back," he replied coolly, "I'll meet you guys back at the Merry."

"That idiot," Usopp grumbled, "At least we have Zoro here to protect us fro- HEY!" he yelled as he saw Zoro also beginning to walk away, "You're not also going as well!"

Zoro looked over his shoulder at them, "It'll be quicker this way. Once I get my swords back, I'll track this assassin down and teach him a lesson," he coldly said before looking ahead with a fierce glare, "That bastard has it coming."

"You're heading in the opposite direction to where you need to go," Nami deadpanned with a roll of her eyes.

The swordsman flinched in surprise, coughed to cover up his embarrassment before turning back around and headed the other way, "I knew that," he said as he passed by them.

Chopper, the blue nosed reindeer, frowned thoughtfully, 'Looks like everybody is going off on their own to search for their stuff,' his eyes widened in shock, 'Wait! Does that mean I'll be left on my own in this giant forest!' he thought in panic before he got on to all hooves and morph into a creature that looked more like a typical reindeer and sped off after Zoro, "Wait! Zoro! I'm coming with you!"

Usopp saw him gallop away into the forest and gasped in betrayal, "Chopper! Not you too!" he cried before turning to the last two members of the crew with determined look, "Right! Since Luffy is gone, I shall declare myself captain of the Going Merry. My first order as Captain Usopp is... let's stay here until the others get back," he said, finishing with a whimper.

Vivi sighed and frowned thoughtfully; her eyes turned to the direction that Luffy had ran in and took off in that direction.

"No Vivi, not you too," Usopp wept.

Nami's eyebrows raised in surprise as she saw their friend leave them behind, "Wait, Vivi. Where are you going?"

"I'm going to get Karoo back," she replied firmly, not looking back at them.

"But you're going the wrong way."

"I know," Vivi said before she entered the dark forest and disappeared from their sights.

Nami sighed and rubbed her forehead wearily, "I guess everybody is gone and fallen into that assassin's trap. I can't tell if they're being brave or idiotic."

"I know right," Usopp sighed, closing his eyes as he crossed his arms over his chest, "I'm glad that you're still here Nami. I don't think I would've known what to do if you left me on my own."

"Alright, see you later, Usopp," Nami said, waving goodbye as she entered the forest as well.

"HUH!?" the long-nosed teen cried out, "You're going as well!?"

"Without my Log Pose, we won't be able to find Arabasta," she pointed out, "You can stay here if you like, but I'm getting it back. I rather face a trap than be stuck on this island for any longer then we need to be."

"But Nami!" he shouted, but it was too late, she had already left him behind on the sandy beach.

Usopp deflated miserably and fell to his knees, "They left me behind. I can't believe they would just do that to their crewmember," he moaned before he snapped out of it. He jumped onto his feet, grinned heroically and pointed a thumb at his chest, "You know what, I don't need them. I'll just wait here and make sure the Going Merry isn't attacked. Leave it to me, Captain Usopp to protect our ship from deadly assassins," he declared.

...

...

...

...

"Wait guys! Come back!" he yelled fearfully as he ran into the forest, "Don't leave me alone with an assassin on the loose!"

---

Somewhere In The Western Coast

"Hey Chopper hurry up," Zoro called back the reindeer as the trudged through the trees and bushes, "If you want to come with me then you can't lag behind."

Chopper, still in his reindeer form, sighed tiredly, "Sorry...but are you sure we're not going around in circles?" he asked as he searched his surroundings. His eyes landed on a tall oak tree on his left, "I feel like I've seen that tree at least five times."

It had been an hour since they left the beach and, so far, they have not encountered either their stolen stuff or Magpie. It felt like they have been doing nothing but walking for ages and all four of Chopper's hooves were getting sore. What's worst is that the climate was making the furry creature feel overheated; he had asked the swordsman for a break, but Zoro was adamant to keep going until he found he swords. Chopper couldn't blame him; with only one sword at his side, Zoro's abilities were severally hindered; in order to defeat the Black Feather assassin, he had to get his weapons back as soon as possible... however, he was beginning to think that Zoro was only getting them lost.

Zoro hummed and shook his head, "We're not going around in circles. I'm sure it's this way," he said, making Chopper frown in concern, "Can't you use your sense of smell to track down your stuff?"

"I can try," Chopper said as he sniffed the air, "But there's too many scents all over the place. It's hard to pinpoint where anything is," he told him before stopping right next to a familiar-looking oak tree on his left, "Okay, now I know we've already passed this tree," he said before looking up ahead, "Zoro, I really think that we're-"

He stopped suddenly and his eyes widened in shock when he saw that Zoro was gone. He snapped his head to the left and then to the right; he looked all around him, but he still couldn't find him.

"ZORO!" he yelled.

He began darting all over the place in a panicked frenzy; checking behind bushes, up trees and even under rocks in a desperate attempt to find him. But it was no use. He gulped nervously as he noticed how quiet the forest has gotten; nothing stirred or made any sort of noise. He was alone in the deep, dark forest with nobody knowing where he was. He began to shiver in fear as he slowly backed away; mentally telling himself not to freak out...that was until he accidently trod on a stick on the ground and snapped it in two; scaring the living daylights out of him.

"WWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Chopper screamed as he charged straight ahead blindly as quickly as he can, "I DON'T WANT TO DIE! I DON'T WANT TO DIE! WWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

He leapt between the trees and bushes, leapt over giant boulders in his path and scrambled up and down any hills that he happened to come across him. He screamed and ran all over the place in panic until...

...his nose picked up a scent, making him stop in his tracks.

"Huh?"

He sniffed again and then once more, his eyes widening as he recognised it.

"My medical bag," he murmured as he turned his head towards where the scent, "It's close by," he said excitedly.

He used his nose and followed the scent of his bag through the woods until he found a stream flowing through by. Remembering what the note had said about where his bag was located, Chopper followed it for a few minutes before he spotted a large rock formation right next to the river bank. Carefully and slowly, he approached it; once he was close enough, he looked around and used his sense of smell and hearing to track down if anybody was watching him. He smelt and heard nothing and so he slowly walked around the rock formation until he reached a gap in the rock itself where a small alcove had been carved into it. His eyes widened in joy when he saw, perched on a rock ledge beneath the shade of the alcove ceiling, his medical bag waiting for him a few meters away.

He blinked in amazement and disbelief; it was just there with barely a mark on it. It almost made him want to go after it and grab it, but he still needed to be cautious. He used his senses again, but the results were much the same as last time. He looked up at the trees and on top of the rock formation itself, but didn't spot anybody. Feeling braver, he slowly walked towards the alcove; getting closer and closer to it until he could reach out with his head and grab it with his mouth. Making sure to check his surroundings one more time, Chopper was satisfied that everything was safe.

'Maybe the assassin doesn't know I'm here,' he thought as he reached out to grab the bag.

His mouth was only a few centimetres away when suddenly...something forced him from getting any closer.

He tried to reach out again, but he couldn't reach it. He looked down and yelped as he saw that all four of his hooves had sunk into ground. He tried pulling them out, but the soil was soft like mud and sticky like glue, preventing him from moving. He struggled to get out; fighting against the muddy soil that he was partially buried in, but it was no use. That's when he suddenly felt a cold, sinister presence from above him.

"Result: Target 5 trapped. Chance Of Success: 100%. The water from the stream seep into the ground of this alcove, making it turn into something akin to quicksand. Try not to struggle, you'll sink faster.'

Chopper gulped and began to sweat nervously as he heard the dark voice from above him. He turned his head up and saw, much to his horror, Magpie standing on top of the rock formation; his white mask gleaming down at him in murderous menace. The reindeer began to quiver in fright of the man's presence, but he could do nothing to escape from him.

"S-shut up!" he squeaked, "You jerk! Give me my bag back!"

"Your bag is right in front of you. I have given it back to you," he replied.

"But..." he looked down at his hooves stuck in the mud, "I-I-I can't move."

Magpie cocked his head to the side, "Would you like me to get you out of there? All you have to do is ask. After all, you're not part of my mission. You can go free."

Chopper looked up at him in surprise, "Y-you will? What's the catch?"

He yelped in surprise when he saw Magpie reach out his hand and, suddenly, his bag appeared in it, "I had a look in your bag. You are a doctor, are you not? A noble profession. But not an easy one. You'll need all the tools, medicine and equipment you can get...especially the ones in here," he said as he swung the bag on one finger side to side by its handle, "Imagine how many countless lives you can save; how many illnesses you can cure; how much suffering you can prevent with just this bag. I'll give it back to you and release you from your prison...as long as you give the pirate Monkey D. Luffy to me."

"W-what?"

"Take your bag, leave this island and never look back. I am only here for your captain; you don't have to be involved in my mission if you don't want to. You can become a great doctor," he reached forwards until the bag was right in front of Chopper's face, "Just take the bag...and I will release you."

Chopper looked at his medical bag right in front of him; it was so close that he could reach out and grab it with his mouth if he could...but that would mean betraying Luffy. The same Luffy who helped him defeat Wapol at Drum Island; the same Luffy who gave him the opportunity to sail around the world to study medicine; the same Luffy who protected his mentor's, Doctor Hiriluk, flag from being destroyed...

...the same Luffy who didn't treat him like a monster.

Making his mind up, Chopper glared up at him, "Never. I'm not going to betray my captain like that."

"You would rather be stuck here; all alone?" Magpie questioned with a hint of anger in his tone, "I am giving you the opportunity to live your dream."

The reindeer snarled up at him, "I don't care. Leave me here. I know that Luffy is going to come and rescue me," he declared boldly, "He's going to get me right after he kicks your ass!"

Magpie looked down at him and cocked his head again to the other side as Chopper continued to glare at him. Eventually, he pulled the bag and placed it on top of the alcove beside him and turned away.

"Fine. Be warned that there are animals on this island that would love to feast on venison," he coldly said before he leapt off the rock and out of sight, leaving the reindeer behind.

---

Somewhere In The North Eastern Forest

In another part of the island, Sanji grumbled bitterly as he lumbered through the forest. He had gone without smoking for ages and his mood was souring every second; his fingers were beginning to twitch, a migraine was settling in and there was a bad taste in his mouth; there was nothing he would give for one cigarette. He moodiness has got so bad that he kicked an entire pine tree in front of him just because he didn't feel like going around it.

"Damn tree," he muttered, "Damn island. Damn assassin. Damn stupid-"

He stopped suddenly when he reached a clearing and saw that he was at the foot of a rocky outcrop.

"Great," he mumbled sarcastically as he looked around his surroundings.

That's when he spotted it, perched on top of a boulder at the foot of the outcrop was his pack of cigarettes. His eyes widened in excitement as he ran over to it, but stopped just before it. He noticed a thin, almost invisible wire wrapped around the pack; the wire led down the boulder and then up the steep cliff side to where it was attached to a giant boulder that was teetering on the edge of it. He looked up at the boulder with a lazy expression before he reached out and grabbed them and pulling the boulder and several other large rocks over the edge.

Sanji sighed as he watched them all rolling down towards him, ready to crush him, "What is this? A cartoon?" he said before he lifted up his leg and kicked the boulder as soon as it was close enough.

The boulder seemed fly upwards at the force of his kick before cracks began to form and it shattered into tiny, little piece which fell like snow onto the ground and onto him. Sanji brushed some dust off his shoulder before turning around and entering the forest once again, taking a cigarette out of the pack and putting the end in his mouth.

"For an assassin, I expected better," he muttered as he lit a match, "I can't help but feel a little dissapoi-"

Suddenly, something that felt like rope wrapped around his neck and pulled him up into the air, forcing him to drop his cigarette and match onto the ground in surprise. He made a choking noise as the rope began to strangle him; he put his hands into the loop and tried to pull himself up, but he was still struggling to breath. As he struggled to get out, he felt something being placed beneath his feet, allowing him to perch on it and slightly relieve the stress around his throat; he still found it hard to breath but at least he wasn't choking.

"Are you still disappointed?" a voice asked.

He forced his eyes to look down and saw Magpie standing below him, having put a wooden stool beneath his feet to keep him up.

"Bastard!" Sanji spat.

"Result: Target 4 Trapped. Chances Of Success: 100%. Your legs seem to be abnormally strong. Why would that be, I wonder?" he mused as he looked towards Sanj's legs.

"That's none...of your...damn business."

Magpie looked up and cocked his head to the side, "I suppose it isn't. No matter how powerful your legs are, they have no use in helping you now. As far as I see it, you have two options," he told him as he leaned his back against a tree, "either you hang yourself and perish on this island…or you can ask for my help. In return, you will leave your captain to me so I can complete my mission."

"Is that…what…you assassins…are all about? Giving us… offers? Sounds…cowardly… to me," Sanji snarled.

"If my mission was to kill you, I would have done it when you were cooking on your ship. Besides that, this is an act of kindness."

"You're a…real saint."

"In comparison to my colleagues…I am," he muttered darkly, "Now, if your value your life, you'll take my offer. If not, then I'll just leave you here."

Sanji snarled and spat at him to which Magpie dodged, "Go to hell."

The assassin cocked his head to the side as he looked up at him, "You really putting your life on the life for this brat? Does he really mean that much to you?"

"His name is Luffy," Sanji growled, "And you...don't know him...like I do... I've seen him fight... much stronger... opponents... than you. There's no way... you'll win against him."

Magpie's hollow eyes glared up at him. Swiftly he kicked one of the legs and snapped it clean off the stool Sanji was standing on. The blond man coughed and spluttered as he dropped suddenly, but he found his footing and managed to balance on the three-legged stool.

"I thought you would be smarter," Magpie sighed as he turned and walked away, "I'm disappointed."

"Come back…here!" Sanji shouted, "Come back…and fight…me you…coward!"

However, his shouts fell on deaf ears and he was left alone, hanging from a rope in the middle of nowhere.

---

Southern Coast

"Oh great. Now where am I?" the green haired swordsmen grumbled as he walked along the sandy beach. He scratched the back of his head and glared at his surroundings, "I swear that note said they were here somewhere."

It didn't.

After an hour and half of blindly walking around the entire forest, he was currently on the opposite side of the island to where he should be. He stopped and looked right at the blue sea gently ebbing and flowing upon the beach and then right at the ridge and the thick forest beyond that and sighed in annoyance.

"Stupid assassin. Wasting my time," he muttered before he looked over his shoulder, "Hey Chopper, do you know where-" he suddenly stopped when he saw that the reindeer was no longer there, making his eyes widened in surprise, "Huh? Where did you go!? Don't tell me he got lost already!?"

"You needn't worry about your companion. You should be more concerned about yourself."

In one swift move, Zoro unsheathed his sword, spun around and pointed it towards Magpie who appeared out of nowhere. The swordsmen growled at the assassin while he merely looked down at the katana and tilted his head, completely unperturbed by the point of the blade pointed at his throat. In fact, to Zoro, he looked almost amused to see it; like he was threatening him with a mere toothpick. Magpie finally turned his dark eyes up to him.

"Target 3 Identified: Zoro. There is no need for this," he said, "I came to here to give a proposal."

"I ain't interested," Zoro snarled, "All I want are answers and my swords back. Why the hell did you attack my crew?"

"That is classified."

"I'm more than happy getting my hands dirty and forcing an answer out of you."

"Do you think you scare me swordsman?" Magpie questioned, "I have cut down many like you. Some with their own swords."

"Tsk!" he spat, "A swordsmen who's defeated by you can hardly call themselves that. My name is Roronoa Zoro and I am going to be the greatest swordsman in the world!" as quick as a flash, he drew back his sword over his shoulder and swung it at his mask, "And the first thing I'm going to cut is that stupid mask you have!"

Magpie tilted his head and didn't move as the blade of the sword came towards him. Zoro didn't know if he was stupid or got lucky and caught him unawares, in either case he used all of his strength to push the blade to slash away the mask...

CLANG!

Zoro's eyes widened in sheer shock as his sword collide against the jovial mask and stop. It laid from the bottom of his left cheek, past his nose and up across his right eye; a perfect hit. But his sword didn't pass through; there was no indent, scratch or even a mark on it; he had cut through wood, metal and rock before, but the mask he wore was not made of any material he has ever encountered. Zoro flinched as Magpie turned his head slowly to him, the edge of his sword gliding across the surface of his white mask and smiled at him in mockery.

"This...is why I'm not scared of you, swordsman."

In a blink of an eye, Magpie ducked beneath his sword and whipped past him; it was so quick that, if Zoro hadn't been looking at him, he would have thought he disappeared. He looked back over his shoulder and saw that he has stopped a few meters with his back turned to him. Before he could do anything, he felt a searing pain from his left leg; he gritted his teeth in pain and looked down to see a thin gash across his upper leg; he winced slightly as he saw him starting to bleed from it, but, despite the pain, he stood up and turned back towards Magpie.

"You carry a sword as well," he asked with a raised eyebrow.

Magpie looked over his shoulder at him before he raised his right arm to show him holding his rapier in his hand which was dripping his blood. The green haired swordsman studied the blade before nodding thoughtfully.

"I see now," he said, "You sacrifice blade strength and sturdiness to reduce its weight so you can draw and cut faster. It's clear that speed is your strength and so you're using it to your advantage."

"I find katana and larger swords inefficient," Magpie replied as he cleaned his blade, "The purpose of a fight is to kill or maim your opponent. It's a waste of time using such heavy weaponry when something sharp and quick like my rapier is far superior. All it takes is a severed muscle and your opponent is paralysed for life… although..." he looked down at him leg and hummed in annoyance when he saw that he was standing on it, "Light cuts to the quadriceps. Result: Uncritical injury. It may have been a light cut ...but you should be in pain right now."

Zoro smirked and readied his sword, "So what? You think a little cut is going to stop me?"

Magpie turned fully around and tilted his head at him curiously. He then raised his left hand up and suddenly Zoro's swords appeared in it, causing the swordsman to gasp gently. Magpie proceeded to toss both the swords on the sand at Zoro's feet before pointing his rapier down at them.

"My proposal from earlier. I have returned your swords to you, but in exchange you will hand your captain over to me. We have no reason to fight; you can always walk away."

Zoro reached down and picked his swords back up; he checked them over to see if they were really his before sheathing them back into his belt, "You think I would do what you say? After insulting me by stealing from swords," he asked as glared darkly at him, "Even if I wasn't loyal to my captain...I'll still gut you like a fish, you thieving shit."

"I see a trend forming," Magpie sighed, "All the others I talked to said the same thing. I expected this result."

"Then why did you give me my swords back?"

Magpie readied his rapier at his side, "I suppose I wanted a fair fight."

Zoro snarled and took out a green bandana from his trouser pocket; he tied it tightly around his head so that its shadow fell over his eyes before he drew two swords; one in each hand.

"Two sword style," he growled before he sprinted at him, "HAWK WIND!" he yelled as he spun around and swiped at him.

However, Magpie leapt away in time causing him to hit the sand, making it explode at the powerful impact. The assassin landed on his feet and ducked under another couple of swings from the swords from Zoro. The swordsman continued his barrage of attacks, slicing and stabbing on all sides and places, but, just like on the ship, Magpie would casually move away, dodge or duck under the blades effortlessly as if he knew they were coming. Zoro backed him into the forest and used his swords to slash horizontally at him from right to left, but the assassin jumped ten feet into the air and missed him completely; the only thing that was hit were the eleven trees in the area who fell onto a heap on the ground.

"COME ON AND FIGHT ME!" Zoro roared in anger at seeing his attack miss once again.

His eyes widened when Magpie was suddenly at his side with a fist aimed at him, "Like this?" he asked before he slugged him in the jaw.

Zoro was sent stumbling back at the powerful hit, but then Magpie darted behind him and roundhouse kicked him to the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. However, the swordsmen got his footing, crossed his swords over his chest and charged at him once again.

"Two Sword St-"

Magpie zoomed up to him and grabbed both of his wrists and held them tightly to Zoro's chest. The swordman pushed back against him as he tried to get his arms out of his grip, but he found that he was strong as well as quick. He gritted his teeth and pushed even harder, but it was no use. Magpie reared his head back and slammed his mask into Zoro's nose sending him flying into the trunk of a tree. He grunted in pain as his back collided against the tree, but he pushed himself up, wiped away the blood flowing from his nose and leapt up at him with both swords raised above his head. He swung them down at the assassin, but once again he sprinted out of the way before Zoro slammed his swords into the ground, the impact powerful enough to send dirt and soil into the air in a powerful explosion. Zoro growled in anger, but cried out when he felt a sharp blade run across his shoulder blades, slicing his muscles with one cut and making him arms drop to his sides.

Magpie flicked the blood of his rapier and turned back to the injured swordman, "Deep cuts to the trapezius muscles plus added trauma to the nose, jaw and stomach. Result: Paralysis of the arms and shoulders and possible concussion. Target: Defeat-"

"Hey!" Magpie turned around and was surprised to see Zoro stumbling back onto his feet, "I ain't done with you!"

Blood seeped out of the wounds from his shoulders; his teeth were gritted together and his eyes were shut right in pain; but he still stood firmly on his feet. His bloodied hands tightly held onto the hilt of his swords, his standing posture was solid, his voice was strong; despite it being physically impossible, Zoro was still ready to continue fighting. Magpie frowned angrily as his dark eyes seemed to glow menacingly.

"Recalculating success rate…chance of success: 75%," he muttered as he saw the swordsman draw his third and final sword and placed it between his jaws.

Zoro opened his eyes and glowered at Magpie whilst he got into a fighting stance with his swords crossed across his chest. The assassin glared back, crouched down into a spiriting stance and held his sword up across his chest so the point was at his left shoulder. They remained still, neither of them looking away or flinching as they stared down at each other; fighting for dominance over the battle field

"Three Sword Style," he said in a deep, rumbling voice, "ONI GIRI!"

Zoro rushed forwards at blinding speeds and slashed all three swords at him.

At the same time, Magpie sprinted at similar speeds and swiped his rapier at him.

Schlick!

Schlick!

The next thing they knew, the two fighters were facing away at each other a few meters apart; Magpie was crouched down with his rapier outstretched to the right of him while Zoro was in a similar pose but with both of his swords pointed outwards. They both remained their position for a few seconds, waiting for the winner to stand tall and the loser to fall in defeat.

The assassin was the first to move; he looked at his right arm and saw a slice rip through his coat to reveal a thin red cut across his skin. He cocked his head curiously at it before he stood up straight.

"Damage: laceration on the upper arm. Result: Uncritical injury," he muttered to himself before looking over his shoulder at Zoro.

Blood poured out from out the swordsmen from the thin cut across his lower back; a perfect slice that could take out the most hostile of enemies. However, to his surprise, Zoro was still standing upright as if it didn't bother him at all. He slowly and staggeringly turned around to face Magpie once again, not yet defeated despite his serious injury.

"Deep cut to the latissimus dorsi muscles. Result: Incapacitation," grumbled Magpie, "Or so you should be. I almost cut your spinal column in two; it's impossible for you to even stand up straight. A possible Devil Fruit power I was not aware of? My reconnaissance is incomplete."

"No, your reconnaissance is correct," Zoro said with a smirk, "I don't need any powers; that's ain't my style," his eyes shined brightly beneath his bandana, "You just misjudged my strength and determination. You can cut all the muscles in my body or snap all my bones…but there's no way you can break my stop fighting spirit!" he shouted, "ONI-"

"Enough of this," Magpie hissed, "I've wasted too much time on you."

He sheathed his rapier and held out his hands as if he was holding something under his armpit. Suddenly, in his arms appeared a black cast iron hand cannon; it was a meter long with two handles: one beneath the barrel and the other just next to its hammer. It looked and was heavy, but it was light enough for Magpie to use for powerful attacks.

"Where did he get that thing?" uttered Zoro as his face filled with surprise as he looked down its barrel.

He just about managed to roll to his right as soon as Magpie released the hammer.

BOOOM!

CRASH!

With a tremendous roar, the cannonball shot out and smashed into a large oak tree behind Zoro, causing it to explode in cloud of splinters and dirt. As the dust cloud subsided, it was revealed that half of the tree trunk had been blown away by the force of the hand cannon.

Crreeeeeaaaakkkk!

"Huh?" Zoro uttered as he recovered from his narrow escape, looking up to see the oak tree sway, lean and then finally fell right on top of him.

No time to move, Zoro reached up and grabbed the tree in both hands before it could crush him; he gave a cry of anguish and he kept the weight of the tree above his head; his injuries screaming in pain and his knees buckled…but it wasn't enough to keep him down. He gritted his teeth and flared up Magpie in rage, wanting nothing more than gut him with all three of his swords.

"You just won't give up," Magpie muttered as he, strangely enough, pushed the hand cannon into a little pouch attached to his waist; the hand cannon seemed to fit easily despite its large size and the small pouch.

He then proceeded to unholster a pistol from his belt and pointed it at Zoro's head. He was about to squeeze the trigger, but he then sensed something and snapped his head in the direction of the rocky outcrop in the distance.

'He's already there. I've wasted too much time,' he thought before looking back at the struggling Zoro, "From our fight, I doubt a gunshot would keep you down," he said as he holstered the pistol, "I'll leave you to die here. I doubt nobody will care for one less pirate in the world."

He got into a running stance before sprinting into the forest in a flash, leaving Zoro alone with the tree pushing down on him.

---

North Eastern Forest

Usopp nervously trekked through the dark woods, jumping and yelping at every single sound in fright as he went. He didn't manage to track the others done before they disappeared and so he had no choice but to go in all alone, much to his dread. However, if he wanted his sniper glasses back then he had to go on his own.

"Oh man," he whimpered fearfully, "I can't believe I'm doing this. I want to go back to the Merry and just leave," he looked over his shoulder and gulped, "What happens if that a-assassin's waiting for me? R-r-ready to pounce on me the moment I let my guard down," he began to shake anxiously and his teeth began to chatter, "H-he could trap me in some quicksand o-o-or hang me by the n-neck from a tree or...or trap me underneath a giant oak tree!" he shrieked, "That's it! I can't take this anymore! I'm going back to the Mer-" he stopped suddenly and blinked owlishly, "Wait? Is that my-?"

Through the trees ahead of him, he could see a blue pond up ahead with reeds and grass surrounding its banks. However, if he looked closer, he could spot something very familiar perched upon a rock out in the open. His jaw dropped in utter disbelief; it was his sniper glasses, waiting for him to come pick them up. He gave a shout in joy, sprinted through the trees and snatched them up off the rock.

"My sniper glasses!" he cried out as tears formed in his eyes, "I thought I would never see them again," he sniffed. He gave them a quick look over before he placed it over his head; grinning proudly, he placed on foot on top of the rock and pumped his fist in the air, "HA HA! Looks like I found my treasure! Take that assassin! You're no match for the brave and formidable Captain-"

"Usopp?"

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" he screamed and jumped in fright before rolling into a ball on the ground, "I'M SORRY! DON'T KILL ME!"

"Usopp, it's just me. I'm not the assassin," sighed a familiar voice.

Peeking through his fingers, he looked up to see the concerned face of Nami looking down at him. Giving a sigh in relief, he unravelled himself and got onto his feet.

"Oh Nami, it's just you," he said, rubbing the back of his head. That's when he noticed that she was currently wearing the Log Post that was stolen from her, "Huh? You found your Log Pose."

"Yeah," Nami said with a smirk, "I'm so happy to get it back. I found it only a few meters away."

"Really?" Usopp said in confusion, "Just like that? And so close to where my sniper glasses were?"

"I know right," she hummed with a curious frown, "I thought it would be much harder than that...unless..."

"Unless what?"

"Well, think about it. The others' stolen items were scattered across the island; almost on the other sides of the islands. However, our items were so close together," her frowned deepened thoughtfully, "Maybe that's the reason why he brought us here...so he could separate us and fight us individually. He didn't want to risk attacking us all at once knowing how powerful Luffy, Zoro and Sanji were all together," she gulped nervously, "Oh crap. We need to find the others as soon as possible"

"I guess that makes sense, but why did he split Vivi and Chopper up as well," questioned Usopp.

"They're new to our crew. He must have not known what they were capable of. However, he knew that we're not strong fighters and so knew there we pose no risk putting us close together. We must be low down on his priority list.

"Speak for yourself," he muttered.

THWACK!

"OW!"

"This is serious! The others could be in danger!" she shouted at him as he rubbed his aching head where she hit him, "We need to find Luffy and tell him what's going on," she said as she began to run through the forest.

Usopp quickly caught up and ran alongside her, "Why are we going after Luffy?"

"Because I know exactly where Luffy is going to be," she said, pointing up ahead.

Usopp looked forwards and saw the tallest peak of the outcrop poking out from above the trees. He gulped nervously and began to shake in fear as Nami ran confidently next to him.

'I thought we were low priority?' he thought in dread, 'I don't want to myself a target for an assassin.'

---

Centre Of The Island

"This is booooorrrrrriiiinnnggg!" Luffy moaned as he trudged through the forest, swinging his arms lazily and leaning his head back so he was looking up at the sky, "Feather guy! Come out and give me my hat back...and then fight me!" he sighed as he climbed over a rock.

His earlier enthusiasm had diminished significantly during his journey through the forest; it started to turn when he got distracted by a pack of monkeys in a tree and played with them for a while before getting hungry and scavenged for food for a while and then finally taking a nap underneath a tree. It wasn't until half an hour later, when he woke up, that he realised what he was supposed to be doing and headed to the highest peak of the outcrop once again.

He soon exited the wooded area and into a clearing; he leaned his head back up and saw a giant wall of stacked rocks before him, its peak reaching at least fifty feet up into the sky. He blinked blankly at them; he looked to his left to see that the outcrop wall come out of the forest and then to his right to see the wall enter the forest; there were slopes formed in the wall that one could use to climb over the outcrop, but, other than that, there was no way of crossing it. Luffy sighed and scratched the back of his head.

"Great. What now? Didn't he say my hat would be here?" he told himself as he looked up the wall of rocks up to the very edge of it. Suddenly, he caught sight of something perched on the ledge; something that was all too familiar for the young pirate, "Hey! My hat!" he cried out in joy at the sight of it. He reared back his arm and shot his hand up towards it, his arm extending all the way up, "Gum Gum Pistol!"

His hand reached closer and closer to the hat; his grin widening at the thought of getting it back...when suddenly, just as he was about to grab it, a boot stomped his wrist into the outcrop before he could grab it. He hissed in pain as his hand was crushed underneath somebody strong; he looked up and snarled when he saw Magpie crushing his hand beneath his shoe, keeping it in place by grinding it into the sharp rocks.

"You!" he yelled angrily before he tensed his rubber arm and pulled himself up quickly, "Get away from my hat!"

However, just as he was halfway up, Magpie lifted his foot suddenly and allowed his hand to fly back towards him and slap him in the face. With nothing pulling him up, Luffy fell to the hard ground with a pain-filled grunt. Magpie simply stepped off the edge of the cliff, fell fifty feet down and landed on both feet casually a few meters in front of him and raised his up across his chest and pressed his thumbs and index fingers together. Luffy gritted his teeth and lifted himself off the ground before scowling at him.

"Bastard! I'm going to kick your ass twice for that!" he shouted as he reared back his fist, "Gum Gum PIST- huh?" he uttered in confusion when he threw his fist, but it didn't extend like it usually did, "Gum Gum Pistol!" he tried again, but nothing happened, "Gum Gum Pistol!" he tried again with the same result. He reached up to his cheek and pulled it before crying out in pain as he felt it stretched, "What happened? I don't have my powers anymore?"

"I stole them," Magpie answered as he lowered his arms to his sides, "Target 1 identified. Mission almost complete."

"What do you mean you stole them?"

"I have eaten the Snatch Snatch Fruit. I can steal anything from targets...including their devil fruit powers," he said as his dark, hollow eyes gleamed at him, "My name is Magpie and I am an assassin and the greatest thief in the world," he growled darkly.

...

...

...

...

"Whoa! That's awesome!" Luffy cried as his eyes sparkled in excitement, taking Magpie aback with his enthusiasm, "Can you really steal anything? Like food from a locked fridge? Or food from a kitchen? Or food from up a tree? Have you met Nami? You and her would get on well together. I bet she'll be really jealous."

Magpie tilted his head to the side in confusion, "Are you really a captain...of a ship?"

"Who says I'm not?"

"...Never mind. Surrender yourself and I will not cause you any more harm to your crew."

Luffy excitement immediately left as soon as he said that, "No way!" he shouted angrily, "There's no way I'm giving you my hat! How the hell are you going to wear it over that creepy mask anyway!?"

Magpie gave him a dead panned look, "I don't want your hat, you moron."

"Huh? You don't? Then why did you steal it?"

"As a way of luring you here," the assassin sighed, "My mission is to capture you and bring you back alive. However, they never said that I have to bring you back unharmed. Surrender yourself now or I'll snap every bone in your body, Monkey D. Luffy."

"Wait," Luffy uttered with a blank look, "So, you weren't trying to steal my hat? You were trying to capture me all along."

"We've been over this! Why would I want your hat!?"

"I don't know. It's a good hat."

The assassin sighed and drew back his arm, "Perhaps a taste of your own power is necessary."

He formed his hand into a fist, held it up to his ear and then, with as much strength he could muster, threw the punch towards Luffy... but nothing happened.

His arm didn't extend like his power allowed him to do and, now that he thought of it, he didn't feel any different. Usually, he could tell if he had stolen a power, but he felt nothing. He definitely stole it, but it was as if he was unable to use it. He looked down at his outstretched arm in confusion and cocked his head to the side.

'His power is Paramecia type, right? Why can't I use it?' he thought in bewilderment, 'My reconnaissance is incomplete!'

"Hey!" he looked up and ducked just in time to avoid a punch thrown by Luffy, "I don't need my powers to defeat you! My punches are still as powerful as pistols!"

Magpie growled and leapt back before he could swing another punch at him. Suddenly, he darted away as quick as a whip, zigzagging across the clearing and around Luffy. The Straw Hat snapped his head around to try and keep up with him, but Magpie was nothing more than a blur to him. Before he realised what happened, the assassin appeared before him and delivered a sharp kick to his stomach, sending him flying back and slamming into a tree. Luffy grunted in pain as the wind was knocked out of him, but as soon as he sandless hit the ground, he ran up to him with his raised beside his head.

"Non-Gum Gum Pist-urk!" he cried out as Magpie swiftly met him half way and grabbed him by the throat.

He lifted him off the ground and slammed onto the ground, causing a him to grunt in pain. While he was done, Magpie flipped him over, made a set of seastone handcuffs appear in his gloved hand and grabbed his wrist ready to snap the cuffs on him. However, as he lifted his wrist up, his arm suddenly stretched and drooped down limply, catching the attention of both Luffy and Magpie.

'Damn it! Two minutes is up already!' he thought.

Luffy grinned, "Ah right! I've got my powers back!" he cried out before his arm extended upwards, grabbed Magpie by the collar and threw him off him.

The assassin flew through the air and slammed into the wall of the outcrop, forming a crater at where he landed. He grunted in pain and staggered back onto his feet before raising his arms across his chest in order to take his powers away again.

"Not this time!" Luffy shouted, leaping into the air and sending his fists forward towards him, "Gum Gum Gatling!" he cried as he sent a barrage of fists at him, it was so quick that it looked as if they were hundreds of them coming towards them.

Magpie, using his intense speed, dodged every single fist flying towards him; dodging and weaving around them expertly before he zoomed towards Luffy with his rapier unsheathed. He made four slices; one on each arm on the shoulder and one on each upper leg, causing Luffy to cry out in agony. He looked down at his bleeding limbs and then back at Magpie who was ready to attack again and gritted his teeth.

The battle had only just begun.

---

Meanwhile, as the battle continued, a person poked her head out from around a tree and watched the fight take place. Vivi then turned her eyes up to the edge of the rocky outcrop and frowned thoughtfully. She had no idea why, but she felt as if she needed to follow Luffy. She had a feeling that Magpie was going after and it didn't make sense for him to leave Karoo alone so far away; she would have thought that he would keep him close.

'He appeared up there, didn't he?' she thought as she spied at one of the routes up the outcrop, 'I'll search for Karoo up there. I'm sorry, Luffy, but you need to distract him for a little longer. Then I'll find the others and bring them here.'

She waited for a good moment before sneaking out from behind the tree and headed towards the route.

---

"Gum Gum..." Luffy yelled as he stretched his foot high up into the sky and slammed it towards Magpie, "...STAMP!"

Despite its speed and power, the assassin only dodged once again and let it collide against the grassy ground; the impact caused chunks of dirt and mud to fly up into the air. Luffy gritted his teeth in anger as he saw Magpie dart and sprint around him once more. The assassin was fast, too fast for his attacks. No matter what he throws at him, he always manages to avoid them and it was frustrating for him.

Schlick!

Schlick!

Schlick!

He cried out in agony as Magpie slashed at him three times; one across his stomach, one across his shoulder blades, and one on his cheek.

Schlick!

Schlick!

Schlick!

Schlick!

Another four cuts, made him fall to his knees. He was being teared apart on all angles with no way of defending himself from Magpie furious attack. Luffy clenched his fists together and stared deadly up in front of him, keeping track on his rapid movement as he ran around him.

He focused, inhaled and then exhaled, making sure that he was predicting where Magpie was going to be and not where he was currently. Finally, he reared back his arm and threw it out in front of him.

"Gum Gum Pistol!"

Magpie was surprised with the attack, coming out of nowhere. He was trained to avoid getting hit to the point that it became second nature, but it caught him by surprise. Luffy's fist collided against the hand he was holding his rapier in, knocking it out completely. It flew through the air and landed somewhere in the forest, making him stop suddenly in shock.

"Gum Gum..." he turned to see Luffy rushing towards him with arm outstretched behind him. At the last moment as soon as he was close enough, he snapped his fist back over his shoulder to deliver a short-ranged but powerful blow at his masked face, "...BULLET!"

However, to his surprise, Magpie raised his hand up and caught the punch in his open hand. The force of the punch forced the assassin to skid backwards along the ground, but he still kept his posture, not allowing Luffy's fist to travel any further. The pirate was shocked by this and grimaced; the last time he used this attack he was able to punch through the notorious pirate Don Krieg's armour and knock him out, but the assassin caught it like it was nothing.

"You are becoming annoying," Magpie growled as he grabbed is wrist and picked him up and swung him across the clearing.

Luffy slammed against a tree once again, but he quickly got onto his feet. However, he didn't have time to dodge as Magpie rushed up to him and slammed the toe of his boot underneath his chin, sending lifting off his feet. The assassin leapt up to meet him, grabbed by his face and smashed the back of his head into the ground, the impact of it made the ground burst.

"Just stay down," he snarled, his white mask glinting dangerously down at him.

"NEVER!" Luffy yelled as he tucked his legs up and stretched them up into his stomach, sending him up into the air.

Magpie twisted acrobatically in the air and landed on both feet in front of the rocky wall. He was about to steal his power again, but Luffy had already sprang up and began to stretch his arms backwards.

"Gum Gum..." he cried before he sent his hands flying towards him, "BAZOOKA!"

The assassin chuckled darkly and dodged to the left, allowing Luffy's stretched hands to sail past him and slam into the outcrop wall. It was so powerful that Luffy's hands had broken through the wall and trapped themselves amongst the stacked rocks.

"Hey! I can't get them out!" he shouted, trying his best to pull his hands out of the outcrop, however it was too late.

Magpie looked at the rock wall and found one rock that seemed to be holding up the rest of them. Using his powers, he took that one rock from the outcrop and sped away as quickly as he can as soon as he heard the rumbling of rocks falling over each other. Luffy watched with wide eyes as outcrop wall collapsed over his rubber arms, trapping him under a landslide of rocks. He tried his best to pull them out, gritting his teeth and digging his feet into the ground, but they were too heavy for him to even move an inch.

Magpie calmly and confidently strolled up to Luffy before making his rapier in his hand. He held the blade up to his neck to keep him from struggling and tilted his head to the side.

"My mission is a success. You will come with me to the metropolis and you will not fight me anymore," he demanded.

Luffy snarled at him, "There's no way I'm doing that. We have to go to Arabasta."

"You have no cho-" he stopped when he sensed something and snapped his head up to the top of the outcrop, "Annoyance upon annoyance," he growled, "Stay where you are," he ordered before he sprinted away.

"Where are you going!?" Luffy yelled after him, "COME BACK AND LET'S FINISH THIS!"

---

Outcrop Peak

Vivi looked around the top of the rocky outcrop desperately as she tried to find where Karoo could be. After climbing up all the way up, she noted how much she could see of the entire island; the beaches, the rivers and streams, she could even see the Going Merry not too far way. This would be a perfect vantage point for any person who lived here. She stumbled across the rocky terrain until she spotted a cave not too far away and immediately darted towards it and looked inside.

"Karoo?" she called out into the dark cave, "Karoo are you in here?"

"Quack! Quack!"

Her heart filled with joy at the familiar sound, sitting at the back of the cave in front of two bowls, one filled with half-eaten fish and the other with water, was the large duck himself whose wings were tied up. Vivi immediately rushed in and hugged Karoo around the neck.

"Karoo!" she cried happily as the duck nuzzled her hair in return, "I thought I would see you again," she admitted wiping a tear from her eye as she leaned back, "Did he hurt you at all?"

To her surprise, Karoo shook his head and gestured down to his food and water bowls.

"Huh? He's been feeding you," she uttered before she noticed how clean his feathers were, "And been grooming you. He's really taken care of you. Why would he need to do that?" she told herself as she untied the rope around his wings.

She was about to lead him out of the cave when suddenly she spotted two things hidden behind a rock. It was two transponder snails; one with a black shell and the other completely white. They looked up at her lazily before looking down to continue munch on some lettuce in a bowl.

She stared at them for a few seconds before she got an idea, 'If I gave an anonymous call to a local Marine base, I could get them to come to this island and capture the assassin. All we had to do is defeat him and escape before they arrive,' she thought.

She picked up the receiver of the black snail and put it up to her mouth and began to put in the number...when suddenly a gravelly male voice came out of the snail's mouth.

"Hello Magpie, what do you need? Have you completed the mission?"

Vivi felt her heart stop as soon as the voice call out to her; she was taken by complete surprise. Dread filled her to the core as soon as she realised what she had done. The transponder snail must be only a direct line to someone else involved in the Black Feathers.

"Hello Magpie?" the voice asked again, "Are you there? Give your report?"

Vivi gulped in fear and slowly began to place the receiver down.

"This isn't Magpie, isn't it?" she stopped suddenly, her heart pounding in her chest, "Who is th-"

Suddenly, the transponder snail disappeared from her before her. Before she could understand what happen, she heard a noise that made her eyes widen in terror.

Click!

She turned around and stared up at the barrel of a pistol. Magpie stood behind them with the transponder at his feet and two pistols in each hand, one pointed at her and the other pointed at an equally shocked Karoo. He tilted his head at them, the eyes of his masked face staring deeply into their souls.

"You're were not supposed to be here," he snarled.

He marched them out of his cave and on top of outcrop, making sure the pistols are trained on them at all times; once they were at a distance he deemed necessary, he stopped them both. Karoo hung tightly onto Vivi with his wings while the blue haired girl stood protectively in front of him and glared at the assassin.

"I am...intrigued," Magpie finally said, "pirates are selfish, bloodthirsty and are known to betray their own crew when they're in trouble. However, whenever I spoke to one of your crew members offering their freedom in exchange for their captain...they all turned me down. Why is that?"

Vivi sniffed, "I don't know. Maybe you don't know pirates like you think you do," she muttered, "Are you going to offer me the same conditions?"

"Not exactly. As a citizen of Arabasta, I cannot allow you to leave knowing that I am here; you are simply too much of a security risk. So, I will you offer you this entire island for you and your duck to stay on. There's plenty of food, water and materials for you to make a proper shelter. You can live here happily and I will never bother you again. All I need in exchange...is Monkey D. Luffy."

"Not a chance," Vivi spat, "Karoo and I are going to leave along with the entire crew. I am not negotiating."

"I'm afraid that you don't have choice. Either you live on this island or..." he raised his pistols at their heads, "You can die on this island."

She gulped nervously as she saw the guns pointed at her; his index fingers were holding the trigger so tightly that if he moved an inch...she and Karoo will die. Vivi took a deep breath, closed her eyes and got down on her knees, surprising Karoo and making Magpie tilted his head in intrigue. She bowed her head and spoke in a calm, but sturdy voice.

"Please...don't kill me," she said.

Magpie stared at her for a few seconds, "There is no use begging for your life now."

"I'm not begging for my life," she sharply said, "I'm asking you not to kill me. Not yet," she looked up at him and he saw tears forming in his eyes, "If I don't get back to Arabasta... innocent people will die. The country is held hostage by an organisation known as Baroque Works run by a man called Crocodile. He is trying to take over the country by igniting a civil war...I don't know why or how he's doing it, but he needs to be stopped. The country is tearing itself apart and hundreds and thousands of men, women and children will be killed because of it."

Magpie flinched slightly at that, "Why the hell do you think I care?" he snarled, "Your country has nothing to do with my mission."

"Maybe it doesn't... but surely as a human you can understand why I need to return. I don't know anything about you other than your name. But you have to understand that I need to do this. Please. As soon as it's over... you can kill me."

"Quack!" Karoo shouted in alarm.

"It's fine, Karoo," Vivi reassured, "I know you can't trust me to keep your secret hidden, so I'll offer you my life. But please," she said as she tightened her fists at her sides, "YOU HAVE TO LET ME GO! I PROMISE I'LL COME BACK! PLEASE! IF YOU DON'T THEN INNONCENT PEOPLE WILL DIE!"

Magpie couldn't help but hesitate at her demands. As an assassin he shouldn't care about killing, he shouldn't care about what was happening In Arabasta, he shouldn't care about innocent people dying at the hands of an evil organisation…

…he shouldn't.

So, why was he compelled to do what she said. Despite, the fact that his empire's security at risk and that he would fail his mission would mean him being terminated; there was a little voice in him telling him to let her go. Years of training and hardships and sacrifice gone to waste all because one person asked him to. His hands began to shake and his breathing was getting heavy the more he thought about it; for the first time in years, ever since they forced the mask on him and made him devour that fruit, he actually started to doubt. Is this really what he wanted?

Before he could think about it for any longer, a dark sinister voice echoed through his head; a memory that chilled him to the bone.

'You are mine. You were born to serve me and you will die only when I say so. Now complete your mission.'

'I must complete my mission,' he thought in determination, finding a new sense of strength. He raised his pistols once again at Vivi and Karoo and snarled darkly, "You are an enemy of the Secret Empire! You will be terminated!" he yelled.

Karoo squawked in horror and Vivi shut her eyes in preparation as Magpie squeezed the trigger.

BOOOM!

A loud explosion ripped across the area and echoed across the island. However, it didn't come from Magpie's pistols.

"Yes!" Usopp cried out joyfully as he lowered his slingshot, "direct shot from my Exploding Star!" he happily declared as he saw that he managed to hit Magpie on the side of his mask with his small but powerful explosions, "That's what you get for messing with captain Usopp and his crew!"

"Nice shot," Nami said as she ran up to him, grinning at the sight of Magpie's head surrounded by smoke before looking down towards Vivi and Karoo, "Don't worry we're here, Vivi!"

Vivi, however, looked horrified, "Guys! You have to get out here!"

"Hah! Don't worry, Vivi! I've got more than enough Exploding Star pellets left over. I'll deal with him!"

"No!" Vivi yelled, before pointing up at Magpie, "Look!"

"Quack! Quack!"

Usopp and Nami frowned in confusion before turning their sights to the assassin; as soon as the smoke disappeared, they immediately knew what Vivi was so scared of. As the smoke lifted, Magpie's hooded head reappeared once again, but, to their astonishment, they saw that he was completely unaffected by the blast; there was no scratch nor burn mark on his porcelain mask nor did he actually move. In fact, he looked like he barely flinched.

Usopp gulped and took a step back, "No way. My Exploding Star did nothing."

"What the hell is his mask made of?" Nami murmured, equally as afraid as him.

They flinched fearfully as Magpie slowly turned his head towards them and glared deathly at them; an aura of rage and murderous radiated off him, his hollow eyes seemed to glow darkly and the jovial smile now looked sinister. They didn't need much more to know that he was truly seething in fury.

Usopp, with a shaky hand, pointed at Nami, "She did it."

"USOPP!" Nami screamed.

Before the two knew it, Magpie darted towards the long-nosed teen, grabbed him by the throat and chucked him over to where Vivi and Karoo were, landing on the rocky outcrop in a heap. Nami yelped in surprise and produced a wooden stick from her pocket and extended it to make a simple meter-long bo staff. She swung the staff at him, but it disappeared from her hand before she could hit him; she gasped in surprise when she saw it appear in Magpie's hand. He crouched down and swung it at her legs, sweeping her off her feet in a matter of seconds. Before she could hit the ground, he grabbed her by the throat and tossed her over towards the others before snapping the bo staff in his hand.

"Nami! Usopp! Are you alright!?" Vivi cried as she crawled over to them, sighing in relief when she saw they were not harmed badly by the landing.

Click!

The four looked up and saw the silhouette of Magpie looming over them with his pistol pointing down at them threateningly, causing them to quiver in fear.

"Identified targets 2, 5 and 6. Gun shots to the heads. Result: Immediate death," he hissed me a finally, "Chance of success: 100%."

Magpie aimed directly at Vivi's forehead, ignoring the tears forming in her eyes and squeezed the trigger…

….when suddenly…

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

BOOOM!

A rage-filled roar echoed across the area before the ground beneath them began to shake and tremor. Caught unawares, Magpie almost lost his footing and stumbled backwards just as part of the outcrop collapsed on itself unexpectedly. Suddenly, something shot up over the edge of the outcrop like a rocket; they all turned up to see, much to their astonishment, Luffy, now wearing his straw hat, falling towards them at great speeds.

"GUM GUM-" he yelled, raising his foot and stretching above his head, "STOOOOOMMMPPP!" roared Luffy as he slammed his foot down towards Magpie.

The assassin leapt back just in time before the pirate's foot smashed into the ground where he had previously stood, shattering the rock and sending the pieces flying into the air. Luffy landed in front of his crew and gave a confident smirk as he glared at an irate Magpie. The pirate looked over his shoulder and gestured to his head.

"Hey guys! Everything's going to be alright. I've got my hat back," he told them.

"Yay! Luffy!" Usopp cried joyfully as he wept, "Defeat him for us, would ya."

"You took your time!" Nami yelled at him.

"Well, yeah, I was stuck under a bunch of rocks," he said before looking back at blue haired girl, "You okay, Vivi?"

She glanced over at Magpie and frowned slightly before nodding yes. That seemed good enough for Luffy as he turned back and tilted his hat over his eyes.

"I told you, we ain't done with our fight," he said as he tightened his hands into fists, "Let's settle this now."

Magpie hissed in anger, "Chance of success: 90%," he muttered to himself.

---

With Chopper

The reindeer was now in a new form; he looked like a muscular man with brown fur over his body and had a human-like face. In his new body, he struggled against the muddy ground; he pulled and tugged his hands out as hard as he can, but the more he pulled, the sticker the mud became. What made matters worse was that, whenever he stopped for a rest, he would sink even deeper into the ground.

"Come on!" he encouraged himself, "Almost there! Almost-"

BOOOM!

He stopped as his animal ears picked up the sound of the explosion and looked over his shoulder; he spotted the rocky outcrop over in the distance that was covered in a dust cloud. From what he could see, parts of the jutted rock had fallen off its face as if they had been a landslide. Chopper's eyes widened at the sight, but then he frowned in determination.

"It sounds like they need me over there," he told himself.

He looked down at his fists, took a deep breath and pulled with all his might.

He pulled…

…and pulled…

…and pulled until…

Splat!

He pulled his giant fists from the swampy ground and rose them in the air proudly. He shook of the mud from his hands, pulled his legs out and reached for medical bag and gripped tightly as he began to sprint towards the outcrop is,

"Don't worry guys. I'm on my way!" he cried as he ran into the forest.

---

With Sanji

Sanji grunted as he strained against the rope that wrapped tightly around his neck, it was beginning to rub and scratch his skin and his breathing was getting harder and harder to breath. He gritted his teeth and looked up to see the tree branch that the rope was attached before looking down at the stool he was balancing on and frowned in determination.

'I've got one chance,' he thought.

Putting all his strength in his legs, he kicked down and propelled himself up, destroying the stool into nothing but splinters. He flew upwards towards the branch and kicked it with all his might. The branch snapped into two and released the rope, dropping him down to the ground; Sanji landed on both feet and tore off the noose around his neck. He reached down and picked up the pack of cigarettes he dropped early, pulled one out and stuck it in his mouth before lightening it. He took a deep drag and blew the smoke into the air, sighing in relief.

"That's better," he hummed happily.

BOOOM!

Sanji raised a single curled eyebrow as a loud noise roared across the island; it seemed to come from somewhere in the centre of the island.

"Huh, looks like they're starting without me," he muttered as he took off on the direction of the explosion.

---

With Zoro

Zoro placed his hands on hips and looking around the forest with a critical eye; trying to see where he needed to be going. He had escaped from the oak tree a while ago by using his strength to throw it in the air and then chopping it with his swords into little pieces; that was the easy part…finding his way around, however, was not so easy.

"Damn, where the hell is everybody," he grumbled as he looked around. He eventually sighed and simply turned to a random direction, "I think they're this way," he said as he took one step forwards.

BOOOM!

He stopped and looked directly behind him where the sound of an explosion ripped through the air. He stared blankly at that direction in utter silence.

….

….

….

….

He turned 180 degrees and began to walk in that direction, "So they're this way, huh."

---

Outcrop

Luffy and Magpie faced off against each other four meters apart as they prepared for their second fight; meanwhile Vivi, Nami, Usopp and Karoo watched on in concern as they hoped that their captain would come out the winner. The Straw Hat gave a wide toothy grin as he tightened his fists and clicked his neck. Magpie calmly crossed his arms over his chest and pinched his thumbs and index fingers together in readiness. Luffy looked over his shoulder and grinned back at his crew whilst giving them a thumb's up.

"Don't worry guys! You can count on me!" he cried out before he reared back his arm and formed a fist, "Gum Gum...PISTOL!" he yelled before he threw the punch...

...but his arm didn't stretch out like it usually did, making him anticlimactically punch the air in front of him.

...

...

...

...

"AH! He must have stolen my power again!" Luffy yelled in shock.

"He can do that!" Usopp, Vivi and Nami shouted in horror from the side lines.

"I totally forgot!"

"How the hell did you forget something like that!?" they angrily cried at him.

Luffy turned back to them and pointed at Magpie with his thumb, "Hey, you mind fighting him until I get my power back? It shouldn't take too long."

"AS IF WE CAN DO THAT, YOU IDIOT!"

"Come on. It's only for a lit-OOF!" Luffy suddenly cried as Magpie slammed his foot into the base of his spin, knocking him down to the ground.

The assassin proceeded to stamp down on the back of his shoulders to pin him down, making him cry out in pain, "You fool, I will not be delayed any longer because of idiocy."

He was about to hand cuff him again with the seastone handcuffs, but suddenly he sensed something charging towards him. He just about leapt away before a giant, muscular creature was about to ram into him, making him land a few meters away. He looked up and growled as he saw the furry anthropomorphic animal stand protectively over Luffy with a determined expression.

"Chopper!" Usopp shouted in relief.

"We're so glad to see you," Nami sighed.

"Sorry, I'm late," the humanoid deer said, keeping his eyes on the Magpie, "I won't let you hurt my friends, you jerk!"

'Chance of success...' he thought as he added the new addition into his calculation, '85%.'

Chopper charged at him again and swung his giant fists at him; as powerful as they were, they were not as quick as Zoro's attacks, meaning he dodged all of them easily by ducking or moving his head to the side. He leapt up and slugged Chopper under the chin making him reel back slightly before darting past him, jumping onto his back and wrapping his arm around his thick neck to strangle him. Chopper gasped and tried to shake him off, but the assassin was too strong to throw him off. He was forced to morph and shrink back into his original form, slipping out of the hold easily. Magpie, now that he had lost his hold, fell to the ground, but sprang up onto his feet and turned back in time to see Chopper pull out a small, yellow ball from his trouser pocket lodged between his hooves.

"I've got no choice," the reindeer said as he raised the small, jawbreaker-like ball to his mouth, "I going to have to use a Rumble Ball to take this guy down," he was about to put the Rumble Ball into his mouth when suddenly it disappeared. His eyes widened in shock as he looked around for it, thinking that he somehow dropped it, "Huh!? Where did it go!?"

"You didn't think I was going to allow you to use this, did you?" Magpie asked as he raised the Rumble Ball up for him to see.

Chopper flinched, "Ah! How did you-" he gaped when Magpie tightened his fist around it and crushed it in his bare hands into nothing but dust, "Y-you jerk! Do you know how long it takes to make those!" he shouted furiously as he morphed into his reindeer appearance.

Magpie calmly unsheathed his rapier and held it down by his side, "This is getting pathetic. I guess I have to terminate you as well. Tell me doctor, what would happen to you if I sever your femoral artery."

He sprinted over to Chopper as quick as a flash while his rapier gleamed dangerously in his hand. The reindeer could barely react before the assassin was nearly on top of him, completely helpless to save himself from his blade.

THWACK! SWOOSH!

Suddenly, something came out of nowhere and smashed into Magpie's sword hand, making the rapier fly out of his grip before it could slice into Chopper. The thing than proceeded to smack into Magpie's stomach and sent him flying back onto his back a few meters away. He landed on his back, but managed to acrobatically get onto his feet in a crouching position to see who would dare attack him. His dark eyes narrowed in frustration as he saw Sanji with his leg raised in the position he had kicked him; he simply placed his leg down, took a drag of his cigarette and blew smoke into the air.

"Hey, remember me, dirt bag," he grumbled darkly.

"Sanji!" Chopper cried out in relief, "Thanks for saving-"

Suddenly, the blond cook ran up to Nami and Vivi, pushing Usopp and Luffy out of the way in the process, "~Nami-swan! Vivi-swan! Are you injured!? He didn't hurt you did he!?~" he cried out in love sick manner.

"We're fine," Vivi answered with a sweat drop.

"Just a few bruises," Nami added.

"Err...hello?" Chopper said in annoyance.

Sanji coughed and glared seriously back at Magpie who had just returned to his feet, "Oh right. Luffy are you going to join?"

The captain nodded his head, "Sure can!"

"You've got your powers back?" Usopp asked.

"Nope."

"Then maybe you should sit this one out, Luffy," the long-nosed teen sighed.

"Tsch! I'm sure we can handle him, can't we Chopper?" Sanji asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Be careful. He's really fast," Chopper warned as he morphed into his muscular form, "And he can steal stuff from far away. I think it might be a Devil Fruit Power."

Magpie cocked his head, "80% chance," he muttered, "My power does more than steal items. It is rather handy if I need extra fire power."

He raised his hands and crouched down slightly; suddenly appearing in his arms was the same hand cannon he had used against Zoro, pointed directly at the Straw Hats, making them flinch in shock.

"What the hell?" Sanji muttered as he took a step back, "Where did you get that thing?"

"Was he hiding it somewhere?" Usopp questioned fearfully.

Magpie reached down with one hand and patted the pouch attached to his belt, "A gift that all the assassins in my organisation receive. Made by my colleague who is known by the name of Cuckoo and his Space Space Fruit powers. It's very useful for carrying heavier equipment," he said as he readied the cannon, "I usually don't like using it, because it causes too much damage. But it looks like I have no choice."

"But Luffy's here," Vivi pointed out desperately, "You hit him as well."

"I'll be sure to be careful not to get him hurt too much," Magpie growled before he squeezed the trigger and fired the cannon.

BOOOOM!

Slash!

The cannonball shot towards them, but somebody got in the way and swung their sword at it. The cannonball, whilst still in mid-air, was cleaved in half with each half flying past them on either side and hitting the ground of the outcrop a few meters away. Magpie grimaced as Roronoa Zoro stood before him; his body was littered with cuts and wounds, breathing was heavy and laboured and he looked as if he was going to collapse at any moment, and yet he still managed to slice a cannonball in half with one slash of his sword.

'70%' Magpie thought as he took a step back.

"Zoro!" the entire crew, except for Sanji, cried out in joy.

The green-haired swordsman grinned and unsheathed two more of his swords, "We ain't done without battle, weirdo," Zoro snarled, "This is what you get for trapping me under a tree."

"Hey, moss head get in line," Sanji muttered, making Zoro flinch in anger, "We were here first you know."

"Shut it, you damn cook. I'm gonna teach this bastard a lesson."

"You deaf or something!?" Sanji growled, getting in his face, "Wait your turn!"

"I ain't waiting, asshole!"

"What did you call me, shit head!"

"Guys, guys," Chopper said, getting in between them, "We can just fight together."

"What with him!" Zoro and Sanji shouted, pointing at the other in anger.

"Well, yeah...who else."

Sanji sneered and turned away, "Fine, but don't get in my way."

"I should be telling you that, you perverted cook," Zoro snapped.

"Let's...do our best...I guess," Chopper hesitantly said.

Magpie dropped the hand cannon and sprinted at the three; Sanji aimed at a kick at his head to which he was forced to duck under and then he had to move away before Zoro's blades hit him and dodge before Chopper's fists hit him. They entered an intense battle; Magpie darted, sprinted and dodged around as quickly as he can as he tried to land a hit on one of them, but whenever, he tried to attack one person, the other two would be defending him. Speed and agility, may be on his side, but he was still outnumbered three to one and was beginning to struggle. Eventually, he landed a right hook on Sanji's right face sending him flying back and he then kicked Chopper in the stomach. He was about to hit Zoro at the back of the head when something came out of the sky, forcing him to leap away.

"YYYAAAAHHHHHHHOOOOOOO!" Luffy cried out as he landed on the rocky ground, sending pieces of rocks and debris flying all over the place, "I've got my powers back!" he declared before he turned to Magpie with determined grin, "Now the fight really begins."

Magpie staggered back and looked around his surroundings, he was encircled by Luffy, Zoro, Chopper and Sanji on all sides with no way of escaping.

'50% chance of success,' he thought before he took out two pistols from his holsters and snapped them up towards Sanji and Chopper.

BOOOM!

"Ah!" Magpie suddenly cried as something exploded against his hand, knocking one of the pistols out of them.

Crack!

A thin whip with a green and blue jewelled head, that resembled the eye of a peacock feather, suddenly wrapped around the barrel of the other pistol and whipped it out of his grasp.

"Oh right! Usopp happily cried out, raising his slingshot in the air in triumph, "I managed to hit him."

Vivi retracted her peacock feather whip, took hold of Magpie's pistol and throw it away, "I've got the other pistol," she cried out.

Usopp grinned and pulled back his slingshot once more and loaded a red pellet, "He's on the ropes. Let's get him!" he shouted as he fired another Exploding Star at him.

Magpie desperately dodged right, before the Exploding Star could hit him, but it was too close for him, '40% chance'

Suddenly, before he could run, he felt two hands grab his legs; he looked down and saw that Luffy had stretched out his arms to grab him so he wouldn't escape.

"Chopper!" he yelled.

"On it!" the reindeer replied as he charged at him and slugged him in the stomach.

'30%' he thought as he was knocked back a few meters.

"Oni..." Zoro said as he readied his swords and got into a stance, "...GIRI!" he bellowed as he slashed Magpie with all his of swords, causing the assassin to cry out in pain.

'10%'

Magpie was then kicked at the back of the head by Sanji, causing him to stumble forwards and almost lose his balance.

'5%'

BOOOM!

Another Exploding Star hit him from Usopp's slingshot, making him fall to his knees.

'1%'

"Let's finish this!" Luffy cried as he stretched his arms way, way back behind him and sprinted towards Magpie, "GUM! GUM!..."

'0%' Magpie thought in dread as he saw his hands zoom towards him at great speeds.

"BAZZOOOOOKKKKAAAA!"

Luffy's attack hit him dead centre on his mask. His head snapped back by the force before the rest of his body followed it; he flew across the outcrop and slammed into the wall of the cave he used as a hideout. As soon as he hit it, the entire cave collapsed around him in an explosion of dust and rubble. Once the dust had cleared, the Straw Hat pirates saw that he was buried deeply in the debris with no evidence or trace of him to be seen amongst the pile of rocks.

They stared at it for a few seconds, making sure that the assassin that had almost killed them all was not coming to get them anymore. But after a while of nothing moving or stirring, they all sighed in relief. There was no chance of him resurfacing any time soon.

They had defeated Magpie, one of the Secret Empire's top assassins.

In exhaustion and stress, they fell to their knees and regained their breath.

"That...that was a close one," Nami sighed as she wiped her brow.

"Too close. Damn, that hurt," Sanji muttered as he rubbed his aching face.

Zoro waved towards their ship doctor, "Hey, Chopper, you mind patching me up. He got in a few good hits."

"Yeah, met too," Luffy said.

Usopp looked over at the two covered from head to two in deep cuts, "A few?"

Chopper nodded in understanding, "It'll be easier to treat everyone on the Going Merry. I've got more supplies there."

"Then we should head there then," Sanji sighed as he got onto his feet, "Besides we need to get to Arabasta as soon as possible."

The Straw Hat crew all stood up and began to make the trek back to the Going Merry. Vivi stayed behind along with Karoo and looked back at the pile of rubble that Magpie was buried under. She frowned thoughtfully as she remembered her encounter with him before she and the large duck turned away and headed back to the forest to catch up with the others, leaving behind the assassin in his tomb.

---

Going Merry

An hour later and the Straw Hat pirates returned to the Going Merry; as the ship's doctor, Chopper was responsible for healing everyone injured in the fight against Magpie. Luffy and Zoro were by far the worst as their bodies were littered with cuts, gashes and wounds that were potentially life threatening; then it was Sanji, who suffered some bruising and rope burn around his neck, and Chopper himself who suffered some cuts and bruises; Nami and Usopp had only been slightly bruised while Vivi and Karoo were completely uninjured. As Chopper was healing them on the main deck, Nami and Usopp had taken the helm and sailed the ship away from the deserted island, heading straight for their original destination: Arabasta.

Vivi sighed as she sat on the Merry's stern side railing and gently stroked Karoo's plumage under his hat. She looked back at the island at the island that was quickly disappearing into the horizon and frowned thoughtfully as she thought about the assassin that still remained where they left him. She heard the sound of footsteps and looked around to see Nami approaching, she seemed to be in a much better mood now that she had Log Pose back again.

"Hey Vivi, so, because of that fiasco, we might not make it back to Arabasta until possibly tomorrow," she told her, sitting on the railing next to her, "I hope that's alright."

The blue haired girl frowned slightly in disappointment, but nodded thankfully to her, "It should be fine… one more day can't hurt."

Nami gave her a worried look; it was clear that she hated the idea of spending any more time away from her country, but she had to be calm and rational about it. After all, anything can happen in the Grand Line: things that nobody could predict. The orange-haired girl tucked her legs underneath her and looked back at the island.

"If only that assassin hadn't come," she muttered, "I wonder what he wanted?"

"He was trying to capture Luffy. But I don't know why he would do that," Vivi said, "It's… strange."

"What is?"

"I was just wondering why he would give us the offer to let us go. What would they point of that? Wouldn't it be easier for him to…you know, kill us? Like what the Baroque Work agents were trying to do?" she questioned, "He's an assassin and, not only that, an assassin from the Secret Empire. I would have thought keeping us silent was his duty. He even took care of Karoo well enough."

Nami hummed and shrugged, "I suppose so. But I can't say I know a lot about how these weirdos work."

"Yeah, I suppose," Vivi sighed, glancing back at the island once again, "You don't think he was…forced to do these things. Against his will. I don't know about you, but that mask seemed much more than an accessory. It took an explosion without any damage and there was something…off about it."

"Admittedly, I didn't really pay too much attention to it," answered Nami honestly, "I was too busy trying not to… get killed. Are you saying he's being controlled by somebody?"

"I…guess I am," she said curiously, "But I don't know. It's just bugging me, that's all," she said, remembering how hesitant he was when she begged for him to let her go. Did she uncover some humanity beneath the mask. She closed hr eyes and gripped her hands into fists, "Although…if he really was being controlled… it's a little scary to think that a human was being forced to murder people…I wonder if he's conscious of this."

Nami frowned slightly and reached over to pat her shoulder, "Today's been a long day. Why don't you get some rest and we'll call you up for dinner," she suggested.

Vivi gave a ghost of a smile and nodded in agreement. She jumped off the railing and walked away, with Karoo in tow, down to the lower decks to their shared cabin. Nami watched her leave before she glanced back at the island once again; she stared at it for a few seconds as she mulled Vivi's words before she too leapt of the railing and headed to the bow of the ship. They were both unaware of the captain of the ship who had been listening in on their conversation. Luffy, who was covered in bandages, leaned against the side of the galley with a thoughtful expression on his face; he too looked back at the island and thought of one simple question.

'Who was Magpie?'

---

Top Of Rocky Outcrop

Meanwhile, as the Going Merry sailed away, the pile of rubble that once was Magpie's hideout began to move; large rocks fell and rolled away and dust plumed into the air as Magpie slowly, but surely crawled his way out of the rubble. He grunted in pain as he rolled out of the pile and landed roughly on the hard ground, his clothing was torn and dirty, hid body was sore and covered and cuts and bruises, but he was still very much alive.

He laid upon his stomach as he tried to catch his breath, his hollow eyes looking out over the forest from on top of outcrop. He rested for a few seconds before shakily pushing himself up with his arms.

Suddenly, he sensed something behind him. He was about to whip around to see what it was, but the thing grabbed him in its entire rugged hand and tossed him in their air as if he was a rag doll. He fell to the ground on his front and grunted in pain as the large hand pinned him down to the ground; he felt something solid and sharp began to cover his entire body from his legs to his fingers, only allowing his head to be free. He looked around and saw, much to his displeasure, that what was covering was a layer of white salt crystals which prevented him from moving. That's when he heard a deep, unsettling voice above him.

"Huh! Huh! Huh! Huh! Long time, no see, you whelp," the voice said mockingly.

He looked up and saw a giant, muscular man at least twice the size of him looming over him. He wore a similar uniform to him; a long hooded coat, military tunic and trousers, but the only difference was that his uniform was completely pitch black. He wore a similar white porcelain-like mask over his face, but its expression looked angry with its deep frowned mouth and narrowed hollow eyes. His left arm, the one that was pinning him down, had all but turned into the same crystalised salt that he was covered in; a product of the power he got from the Salt Salt Fruit, a Logia type. Magpie immediately knew who he was and he hissed in annoyance.

"Crow," he spat, "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Don't ask me. Ask her. Huh! Huh! Huh! Huh!" he replied, nodding forwards at a nearby tree.

He looked up and saw another familiar person that he really didn't want to see right now. She wore an almost identical uniform to Crow with a completely pitch black uniform, but her mask was twisted into a sad expression with a deep frown and round, hollow eyes. She was about a foot shorter than Magpie and had a lean body in contrast to Crow's overly large body. She was hung upside down on a nearby tree branch by her legs, swinging gently in the breeze as she sang a song in a soft gentle voice.

"Oh, little brown field mouse, With fur so bright that all adore, You felt spring's gentle breeze on you, And you come rushing to my door...," she sang as she swung on the branch.

"Oi Raven! Stop singing and tell us what we're doing here," Crow shouted up to her.

Raven was often singing that song whenever she wasn't talking. She was much calmer and gentler than her colleagues and gave off a sense of absent mindedness in her character. However, all of them knew that she was one of the most successful assassins in the entire organisation and much more powerful than she looked.

"...What ever should I do? I shall fill your bowl with nuts and berries," she stopped singing and turned to them, "Mr Nest has told us to gather here. He's on his way. And a bundle of reeds that you can chew..." she told them before she continued singing.

"Mr Nest," Magpie murmured, "He's coming here."

"Huh! Huh! Huh! Huh! Looks like your in trouble, whelp," Crow spat, "Probably about your failed mission. Shame really. I would have done this mission faster than I can snap someone's neck. Instead, he left it in your hands."

"Are you sure about that? Tell me, how's that ongoing mission in finding Nico Robin going?" he questioned, earning a growl from the larger man, "As far as I'm aware, she's been outsmarting you for years now."

Crow's other hand turned into a solid block of salt, "You little-"

"Put your arm down, Crow," ordered a new voice approaching them, "And get off him. I need to properly talk to him."

Crow begrudgingly put down his weapon and retreated his salt crystal prison back into his body, allowing Magpie to push himself onto his knees and look up at the man before him. Mr. Nest was a tall, fat man who wore a similar uniform to them, but it was completely a woody brown colour. His bloated body spilled out in sections of his uniform and the mask he wore, which had a serious expression on it, seemed to be small for his large face. He stood about eight feet tall and had a brown scraggly beard that poked out on the sides of the mask. His hollow eyes peered down at him as he shook his head.

"Hello Magpie," he greeted with a sigh, "Well, well, well, this is disappointing."

"Mr Nest," Magpie said with his head bowed, "If this is about the mission to capture Monkey D. Luffy, I need to inform you that, although my first plan was a failure, my mission is still far from over. I know where he is heading to, his power, his crew, everything. My next plan will be a success."

"Yes, yes," Mr. Nest muttered with a dismissal wave of his hand, "I know that, Magpie. Especially, after you promised you will do better since...the last incident at that Marine base," he said, making Magpie clench his fists in rage as he thought about; he hated whenever somebody brought it up, "But that's not what I was disappointed in. You see, when I was assigning Crow's next mission when I received a call from you on my snail...except, it wasn't you...was it?"

Magpie felt his blood run cold when he said that. His mind had been so occupied by other things that he had almost forgotten.

"That...that was a oversight," he said hesitantly.

"For 200 years, the Secret Empire has remained anonymous to the entire world and the Government to the point that we a might as well be fictious. A simple fantasy. Until today, when a somebody had managed to get a hold of your snail and ruined that perfect record. You are the sixth person who has held the title of Magpie of the Black Feathers; your predecessors who had the same abilities as you and have managed to remain hidden; every single one…until you came along," Mr Nest leaned down and stared at him inquisitively, "So, who was it?"

"I-It was a member of Luffy's crew. I was in the middle of capturing the target when she snuck by and found my hideout. She must thought she could have used my snail to call for help. Her name is Vivi and she's a citizen of the island of Arabasta."

Mr Nest's hollow eyes gleaned dangerously down at him while Crow laughed at his misery. Raven, still hanging from the tree branch, stopped her singing for a few seconds as she heard that name, but continued without commenting.

"A citizen of Arabasta," Mr Nest repeated.

"Indeed."

"Not a pirate."

"...No, Mr Nest."

"And have you terminated her?"

"...not yet."

"Not yet!?" Mr Nest yelled, "Are you stupid, Magpie. You let a citizen of a country that has ties with the World Government go! The same woman who somehow, despite your unique speed, managed to get around and got a hold of your transponder snail! And you're telling me you will terminate her!"

Magpie snapped his head up, "I know where she's heading. I know what she looks like. If you give me time, I will kill her before she speaks a word. Besides...she doesn't know anything about us."

"She knows what you look like," Mr. Nest hissed, "She knows how we operate, how we communicate, your powers, and, worst of all, our existence. The reason why we have been a secret for almost two centuries is because we convinced the world we don't exist. She is a security threat and you let her go!" he growled menacingly as he released a deadly aura, "If our leader hears word of this... you better start praying that he doesn't terminate you on the spot, you stupid-"

"Vivi," Raven suddenly interrupted, catching everyone's attention, "You said her name was...Vivi, didn't you Magpie?"

Mr Nest sighed and looked over his shoulder at her, "You've got something to say, Raven?"

Raven tilted her head slightly as she rocked herself back and forth, still humming the song as she did, "I have heard of this Vivi of Arabasta. Although, she's known by another name in her own country."

Magpie tilted his head in confusion, "My reconnaissance is incomplete?"

"I believe that a whole title is...Princess Vivi Nefertari of Arabasta, daughter of the current ruler of Arabasta: King Cobra Nefertari," she said, stunning the other three in shock, "Oh dear, oh dear. That's quite bad for you, Magpie. O Little Brown Field mouse, With eyes that delightfully glow..."

Magpie tensed up as he heard that, 'A princess...a member of the royal family of Arabasta. I didn't know,' he thought as he began to shake in fear.

"Huh! Huh! Huh! Huh!" Crow laughed, "You're so dead, whelp."

Magpie looked up at Mr. Nest, who had gone eerily quiet at that moment, "Mr. Nest I-"

THWACK!

The assassin cried out as Mr Nest kicked him hard in the side of the head, knocking him back and skidding across the rocky ground. He tried to pick himself up, but the fat man had already ran up and began kicking and stopping him in rage.

"YOU MORON!" he screamed in fury as he beat Magpie again and again and again, "YOU ABSOLUTE IMBECILE! DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DONE, YOU PIECE OF SHIT! YOU RUINED US! YOU RUNINED US ALL!" he bellowed as Magpie cried out in pain and agony as he was attacked viciously. Eventually, Mr Nest picked him up by the front of his tunic and rose him up until they were face to face, "A citizen of Arbasta is one thing, but a person who has the power of armies and Marines that can be used to threaten us. This is beyond a mistake, Magpie. Your punishment is immediate death."

"Huh! Huh! Huh! Huh! Finally, I say," Crow cruelly said.

"I knew you couldn't be trusted. You're just a boy who somehow became her favourite. Any last words before I terminate you forever, you treacherous little boy?"

Magpie struggled against Mr Nest hold, fear evident in his hollow eyes. He thought it was going to be end of him...when suddenly...

"You shouldn't be too hasty, Mr Nest," Raven said from her perch, making them turn to her once more, "I believe that Magpie had actually uncovered something interesting," she turned her head to the struggling Magpie, "Vivi told you about an secret organisation known as Baroque Works, did she not? she pointed over to where the edge of the outcrop was, "She told you there as you were pointing two pistols at her and that giant duck. Maybe you can shine some light on what she meant. With ears so round and grand..."

Magpie gave Raven an unsettling look before he nodded, "Baroque Works…she said it was a secret organisation working in Arabasta. Apparently, they are planning on overthrowing the royal family and taking the country. I am not certain how or why, but they are a great threat."

"I never heard of this," Mr Nest snarled, "Are you lying to me?"

"He isn't. I've see the events that had taken place here for myself with my power," Raven spoke up, "Baroque Works does exist."

Mr Nest growled, "And why should I care? What does this have to do with our nation's security."

"Think of it this way," Magpie uttered, "With Vivi concerning herself with this organisation, there is little chance she would get around to dealing with the Empire. If I can find her and assassinate her, there's a chance that our secret is kept safe."

"Not only that, Mr Nest, Huh! Huh! Huh! Huh! But it's pretty embarrassing for you as well," Crow spoke up.

Raven nodded, "A secret organisation and you have no knowledge of it; what if it does become a matter for the Empire and our leader ask why you didn't do anything about it…it will be your head on the chopping block, Mr. Nest."

Mr Nest looked from Raven to Crow, his face twitching slightly in nervousness; he had to admit that they both had a point.

Seeing a chance, Magpie coughed to catch his attention, "Give me time and I will investigate Baroque Works, kill the princess and capture Monkey D. Luffy in one go. I will not fail again, Mr Nest. Please, I beg you."

Mr Nest glared at him, pondering his offer for a few seconds before he sighed and released Magpie, allowing him to drop to the ground, "You have five days. If I find that you have failed to complete at least one of them then I'll kill you immediately," he leaned down and got into his face again before whispering, "And I don't care that you're her favourite. I will report this immediately to our leader and he will agree with me. She won't be around to save you like last time," he leaned back up again, turned around and began walking down the rocky outcrop, "Come along, Crow. I still have a mission for you. Raven…just do what you always do."

"With my hands outstretched to the sky, I shall catch the cloud's rain for you," sang Raven in reply.

Crow grunted and followed after Mr. Nest, but not before kicking Magpie in the side as he went, "Can't wait to see you fail again, whelp," he muttered before he left.

The last to leave was Raven, she released her legs from the tree branch, flipped over as she fell and landed on both feet. She glanced back at Magpie and tilted her masked face at him before she shoved her hands into her jacket pocket and leisurely ambled away.

"With my door shut against the storm, I will light a gentle fire for you," she sang before she disappeared into the thick forest.

Magpie sighed wearily and with some relief as they left and slowly and shakily climbed back onto his feet. If he was going to carry out his mission then he can't wait a single second more.

He was about to leave when he noticed something drop onto the ground in front of him; curiously, he looked down and saw a piece of jagged white porcelain at his feet which stood proudly out from the dark, rocky ground it laid upon. Magpie stared at it for a few seconds before he slowly reached up and touched his mask delicately. It wasn't long until he found it; a single jagged cavity about an inch long from the lower part of his left eye to his left cheek.

He was a little surprised by this since his mask was supposed to be unbreakable; it was impossible. He thought back to how it might have happened, but there was only one thing that came to mind.

'That…that was where Luffy hit me with his final attack,' he thought in realisation, 'I should report it to my superiors and have it repaired…however, maybe it's not the best time. I'm already in danger and I doubt that this would help me,' he sighed and used his power to retrieve his equipment, 'I'll report it after my mission,' he decided.

He picked the piece up and pocketed it before getting into a running stance and sprinting swiftly towards where he tethered his boat.

---

He dreamt of that summer's day again, the only thing that he had close to knowing who he was. But, even then, that memory was starting to rot away like dead wood.

In the darkness, he remained lying in a foetal position; seeing, hearing and knowing nothing but his prison's cold embrace. That was until…he saw a light. A brilliant bright light from somewhere in his dark prison.

His eyes strained at how bright it was, having been accustomed to the dark for ages and was eventually forced to look away. He was confused as his brain tried to process what it was he was seeing.

'Wait,' he thought to himself, 'I…I can see…I can genuinely see…I have eyes!'

He dared to open them slightly, his vision was blurry and it took him a few seconds for them to adjust but they eventually sharpened and, for this first time in forever, he could see something. Two things, actually. They were sickly grey in colour and seemed to be attached to him; it had a soft, fleshly body with ten things sticking out of the top of them; five on each one. He frowned in confusion before he suddenly remembered what they were.

'Hands…these…these are hand! My hands,' he thought in shock, waving them in front of his face, 'And attach to them are…are…arms! That's right! They're called arms! Arms attached to my…to my…to my shoulders and then…' he pressed his hands against his face and felt his features, '…nose…mouth…eyes…ears! They're all here! I can't believe I forgot about them!' he thought in amazement, before turned his head towards the light in awe.

He wasn't able to walk with his newly discovered legs and feet, to which he was delighted to see, but half crawled towards the light; inspecting it closer, he saw the light pouring in from a jagged crack, no bigger than his hand, in the wall of darkness. Cautiously, he gently placed his hand on it and immediately pulled it back; it felt warm, not scoldingly hot, but there was a gentle heat that radiate off it. He placed his hand on it again, but this time kept it there and gasped at how nice it felt; he hadn't realised how cold his hand was as the light's warmth began to spread from the palm of his hand, up his arm and eventually to the rest of his body. He took his hand away, leaned down and pressed his ear to it; an orchestra of sounds entered his ear that sent a chill down his spine. He heard a whooshing and crashing sound, the squawk of some sort of living thing and a sort of creaking sound; they all joined together in one large symphony.

It was beautiful. The most beautiful thing he has ever heard.

His mind was filled with questions, his heart began to beat faster in excitement, his breathing became heavier. What were the sounds? Where were they coming from? And why did it fill him with utter joy?

Then, out of the deepest darkest corner of his mind, an answer emerged as if it was rising from the dead. It was just one word; a word with so much meaning and so much emotion that it was impossible for him to ever forget. A word that linked to his dream of that summer's day so long ago and of a long lost childhood. And that word was:

'Sea,' he thought in astonishment, 'it's called… the sea. I remember it. Oh, what an amazing word for such a beautiful noise,' he pressed his ear against it again and, for first time in ages, a laugh escaped his mouth, 'the sea! The sea! That's what the whooshing and crashing sound is…while he squawk…it's…it's…from a bird! A bird! I remember what birds are! And then that must mean the freaking sound is from… oh, what is it? What's it called? It's used to travel the sea!? A…a…a…b-b-boat! Boat! I'm on a boat! Ha!' he leaned back and placed over his mouth in amazement. His head began to spin; feeling overwhelmed by his discovery. A single tear rolled from his eye and he stared at the brilliant light, 'I can…remember things. My prison…is breaking apart,' he thought in absolute joy, 'I am…I am almost free.'

---

And finished, glad I got this updated for the following week. I hope you enjoyed it and some questions were answered. I had an idea of a character who had a Logia type power centred around salt. However, I looked online and apparently somebody else had come up with the idea. I hope, whoever you are, won't mind if I use it in my story.

Next chapter, Magpie will head to Arabasta and meet up with Crocodile and the other members of Baroque Works. What will happen between them? Stay tuned for next time.

Thanks for reading :)

---

Omake - Waiting For Zoro

On another part of the island, Magpie sat on a boulder situated in the middle of a forest clearing where he was supposed to trap the swordsmen known as Zoro…but he hadn't turned up.

Magpie sighed in tiredly as he leaned his head against his hand while the other hand lazily swung his rapier in the air.

….

….

…..

…..

He pulled out a pocket watch from his coat pocket and glanced at it before looking up at the forest before him. Seeing nobody, he sighed wearily once again.

….

….

….

….

He cocked his head to the side in confusion, "Was…was I not clear enough about my directions?" he pondered to himself.

Five minutes later, he would go out and would find him miles away from their meeting place.